Agenda

Wicked in Pink Motorcycle Ride
Oct. 13: The Wicked In Pink Run, a motorcycle event created by Bob Kaine Alves, a local motorcycle magazine and shop owner who recently fought his own battle with cancer, will raise much-needed funds for the Sr. Caritas Cancer Center Patient Services Fund at Mercy Medical Center. The event will also show support for all those battling cancer, cancer survivors, their caregivers, family, and friends. Registration for the run will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Harley-Davidson of Southampton. Participants will leave at noon from the dealership and end at the outdoor pavilion at Summit View Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke, where there will be food and entertainment. Tickets cost $20 per person. Kaine Alves, owner of Throttle Rocker magazine, recently battled cancer of the head and neck and made it his mission to pay forward the compassionate treatment he received from the staff of the Sr. Caritas Cancer Center. All riders are encouraged to wear pink, whether it be hats, wigs, shirts, or shoes — creativity is appreciated. Sponsors include Throttle Rocker magazine, Haymond Law, American Medical Response, Harley-Davidson of Southampton, Allen Media Inc., 94.7 WMAS, FSC Insurance Agency, and Bertera Fiat West Springfield. For more information, visit www.wickedinpinkrun.com or www.facebook.com/wickedinpinkrun.

Rays of Hope Walk
Oct. 20: When this year’s 20th annual Rays of Hope – A Walk Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer steps off, it will be a celebration of two decades of women, men, and children walking together to fight breast cancer. Since its inception in Springfield in 1994 by Lucy Giuggio Carvalho, Rays of Hope, the most successful fund-raising walk and run in Western Mass. for breast cancer, has grown from 500 participants raising $50,000 to some 22,000 walkers and runners in an expanded event that includes a second walk in Greenfield, as well as this year’s 4th annual Run Toward the Cure 8K in Springfield. As in past years, the Springfield walk with some 600 teams — who may choose either a two- or five-mile route — and run begin at Temple Beth El on Dickinson Street, where registration is set for 9 a.m. The Springfield walk steps off at 10:30 a.m., preceded at 10:15 a.m. by the 8K run. The walk in Greenfield — either a two- or three-mile route — begins at Energy Park on Miles Street at noon, with registration at 10 a.m. All monies raised through Rays of Hope — more than $11 million since 1994 — remain local and are administered by the Baystate Health Foundation. Those who want to support the Rays of Hope but are unable to walk due to other commitments can participate in the 10,000 Steps Toward a Cure program. Participants receive a pedometer to keep track of their steps throughout the month of October, while raising donations similar to other walkers. This year’s Rays of Hope major sponsors are Health New England, Gale Toyota, Balise, Baystate Breast & Wellness Center, Baystate Breast Specialists, Chicopee Savings Charitable Foundation, Doctors Express, Kinsley Power Systems, Lia Auto Group, Radiology & Imaging, and Zasco Productions. A listing of all sponsors can be found on the Rays of Hope website. For more information on the event, call (413) 794-8001 or visit www.baystatehealth.org/raysofhope, where walk or run participants may also register online.

Art in the Orchard
Through October: Park Hill Orchard, at 82 Park Hill Road, Easthampton, will play host to 22 sculptures by 22 artists through Oct. 31. Art in the Orchard 2013 is a multifaceted sculpture exhibition and festival taking place on the grounds of a working apple orchard. The core project is a sculpture trail showcasing three-dimensional outdoor works and installations created by local and regional artists. Additional events (such as music, moonlight walks, dances, and school field trips) will be programmed on most weekends. See parkhillorchard.com/art for more information on the artists, their works, and an event schedule. Art in the Orchard is building on the success of the first exhibition in 2011, which came to existence thanks to the desire of Park Hill Orchard owners Alane Hartley and Russell Braen to have their farm play an active part in the local cultural economy, and a dream of Easthampton gallery owner Jean-Pierre Pasche to recreate an outdoor sculpture exhibit like the one set in meadows near his hometown in Switzerland. The success of the 2011 event exceeded expectations, with thousands of visitors discovering the sculpture trail and Park Hill over the 10-week period, many returning more than once. This achievement was recognized by the Mass. Cultural Council, which awarded Art in the Orchard one of its three annual Gold Star Awards, out of more than 5,000 projects funded annually by local cultural councils statewide.

Western Mass. Business Expo 2013
Nov. 6: Planning is underway for the Western Mass. Business Expo 2013, a day-long business-to-business event to take place at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. This fall’s show, the third edition of the Expo, which is again being produced by BusinessWest, will feature more than 100 exhibitors, seminars on timely issues of the day, special Show Floor Theater presentations, breakfast and lunch programs, and the wrap-up Expo social, which has become a not-to-be-missed networking event. The breakfast speakers will be Jim Koch, founder of Samuel Adams, the lunch speaker will be author, activist, and marathon runner Kathrine Switzer. Other details about specific programming will be printed in upcoming editions of BusinessWest and can also be seen online at www.wmbexpo.com or www.businesswest.com. For more information on the event or to reserve booth space, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100.