Agenda

Planning for Healthcare in Retirement
July 30: Monson Savings Bank will hold a complimentary workshop titled “Planning for Healthcare in Retirement,” featuring Kevin Flynn, regional vice president for Nationwide, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at La Cucina, 1 Allen St., Hampden. It is free and open to the public. The event is designed to help people plan for retirement and learn how healthcare costs can impact their retirement income. This can be an unfamiliar area of retirement planning, and the workshop will help make it simpler to understand the ins and outs of healthcare costs, Medicare coverage, and available options to help people plan for these expenses when they retire. “Too often, people don’t fully account for healthcare costs or understand what Medicare pays for when they decide to retire, and, unfortunately, they’re unpleasantly surprised at the adjustments they need to make to their budget and retirement plans when reality hits,” said Steven Lowell, president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank. “This workshop is designed to help people avoid that difficult scenario.” To RSVP, call Anna Driscoll at (413) 267-1221 or e-mail [email protected].

Wine & Canvas Event
Aug. 8: The board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County (BBBS-FC) is organizing a Wine & Canvas event, the second one this year. The first event was a sellout. Participants in this fun-filled evening, to take place at the Montague Elks Lodge in Turners Falls, can learn to paint a take-home work of art. The agency has teamed up with Wine & Canvas, a leading art-entertainment company. An art teacher from Wine & Canvas will lead the group in creating a rendering of our local Bridge of Flowers. The $45 cost includes dinner, all the art supplies, and the donation to BBBS-FC. A cash bar will be available at the event. The first such event was held on June 19, and the sold-out crowd of 100 painters created a cherry blossom scene. “We were overwhelmed by the interest. It was great to see so many new faces coming out to support our agency,” said board President Laurel Guy. Dinner include Hillside Pizza, salad, and dessert, sponsored by HitPoint in Amherst. Door prizes will be sponsored by Absolutely Fabulous Hair in Greenfield. To sign up, visit www.wineandcanvas.com/private-events-calendar-springfield-ma.html and click on Aug. 8, or call the BBBS-FC office at (413) 772-0915. Tickets must be purchased in advance, and sales will run until Aug. 1 or the event sells out, whichever comes first. Proceeds from this event will fund Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County programs, which serve children facing adversity in Franklin County and the North Quabbin towns of Athol, Royalston, Petersham, and Phillipston.

Jazz & Roots Festival
Aug 9: Following in the footsteps of the Hoop City Jazz and Arts Festival, which drew more than 20,000 people to downtown Springfield, is the inaugural Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival, intended to celebrate the emergence of Springfield’s Cultural District and promote an arts-driven, community-oriented, and sustainable revitalization of the city. The free, outdoor festival, to be held in Court Square in downtown Springfield, will feature locally and internationally acclaimed musical artists, a variety of ethnic cuisines and local food producers, and more. This inclusive event aims to bring people from Springfield and the surrounding region together to foster connection, stimulate the local economy, and highlight positive initiatives contributing to the betterment of Springfield’s residents, and uniting the city with the rest of the Pioneer Valley. For more information, contact Stephanie Killian at (413) 303-0101, ext. 102, or [email protected].

Western Mass.Business Expo
Oct. 29: BusinessWest will present its fourth annual Western Mass. Business Expo at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. The business-to-business show, which last year drew more than 2,000 visitors, will feature more than 100 booths, seminars, and Show Floor Theater presentations; breakfast and lunch programs; and a day-capping Expo Social. Details about specific events, programs, and featured speakers will be printed in future issues of BusinessWest. Comcast Business will again be Presenting Sponsor, while the social will be sponsored by Northwestern Mutual. Current Silver Sponsors are Health New England and DIF Design, and additional sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information on sponsorships or booth purchase, call (413) 781-8600.