Page 35 - BusinessWest May 26, 2025

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visit BusinessWest’s event calendar online: https://businesswest.com/eventcalendar
Free Music Fridays
Through Sept. 5: Summer in New England starts
early this year as live music returns to MGM Spring-
field with the Free Music Fridays Concert Series.
Every Friday through Sept. 5, some of the area’s
most popular bands and national artists will perform
on the Plaza at MGM Springfield in the city’s South
End, starting at 7:30 p.m. (weather permitting), with
the exception of the July 4 performance, which will
begin at 6 p.m. Local favorites such as Trailer Trash,
Back in Black, Malado!, and Aquanett will return to
the stage, along with newcomers including Neon
90’s, Green Day tribute Dookie, the music of Billy
Joel and Elton John with Billy and the Jets, and
Springsteen rockers Tramps Like Us. MGM Spring-
field will continue its partnership with White Lion
Brewing to provide guests with a wide selection of
craft beer during each Free Music Fridays concert.
The series will also feature local food trucks, includ-
ing Dev’s Mac N Eats, Batch Ice Cream, Wake the
Dead Donuts, Jeannie’s Weenies, and the return
of MGM Springfield’s Guac This Way.
Walk to Cure Arthritis
June 1: The Arthritis Foundation announced that
the Western Massachusetts Walk to Cure Arthritis
will take place at Stanley Park in Westfield. Funds
raised through donations to the Walk to Cure
Arthritis will support the foundation’s ability to fund
scientific research and continue to provide services
and resources to the arthritis community. Walk to
Cure Arthritis celebrates the community of arthritis
patients of all ages, their caregivers, and everyone in
the movement to conquer the disease. Ashley Scott
is this year’s young adult walk honoree. She will be
celebrated for her perseverance in her battle with
arthritis and her strong support of the foundation’s
mission. In addition, the following people will be
honored: Grace Malave, juvenile idiopathic arthritis
youth honoree, and Bill Squires, rheumatoid arthri-
tis adult honoree. Residents can register and begin
fundraising for the Western Massachusetts Walk to
Cure Arthritis and learn more about the event by
visiting www.walktocurearthritis.org/westernma or
calling Hannah Hergenrather at (781) 312-9635.
Holyoke Paper Festival
June 7: The inaugural Holyoke Paper Festival is
set to bring a one-day celebration of art, paper,
and place to downtown Holyoke at the De La Luz
Soundstage, 114 Race St. This new event celebrates
Holyoke’s unique identity as the Paper City, once
producing an estimated 80% of the writing paper
used in the U.S. during the late 1800s. Today, artists
and community members continue to be inspired
by Holyoke’s history of innovation, its vibrant arts
scene, and its powerful connection to the Con-
necticut River and the land of the Pocomtuc, Aga-
wam, and Nonotuck peoples. Festival attendees can
look forward to a full day of programming including
a fine art exhibition, interactive workshops, guest
speakers, local tours, and more, all highlighting the
legacy and future of paper as a creative medium.
Entries to the art exhibition have been received
from artists across the country, underscoring Holy-
oke’s national significance in paper and printmaking
culture. The Holyoke Paper Festival is made possible
by support from MassDevelopment, the Holyoke
Local Cultural Council, Holyoke Community Col-
lege, and local business and property owners. To
learn more about the festival or to get involved as a
sponsor, volunteer, or donor, visit www.holyokepa-
perfestival.com for the latest updates and details.
Melinda Rosenblatt Lecture
June 8: The Yiddish Book Center will host its annual
Melinda Rosenblatt Lecture at 2 p.m., featuring
Aaron Lansky, the center’s founder and longtime
president. In what will be his final public talk as
president, Lansky will reflect on the improbable
beginnings of the center, its evolution over 45 years,
and his hopes for the future under the direction of
longtime executive director Susan Bronson. The
lecture will be followed by a celebratory recep-
tion. It is free and open to the public, with both
in-person and livestream viewing options available.
For more information and to register, visit yiddish-
bookcenter.org/rosenblatt. Lansky founded the Yid-
dish Book Center in 1980, when he took what he
thought would be a two-year leave of absence from
graduate school to recover endangered Yiddish
books. Through the years, the Yiddish Book Center
has evolved into an internationally renowned cul-
tural and educational center, sharing Yiddish lan-
guage, literature, and culture with new audiences.
Noteworthy initiatives include educational pro-
grams for learners of all ages, fellowship programs,
an oral history project, a publishing imprint, and a
textbook that has transformed Yiddish-language
learning. Lansky’s talk on June 8 will be a culmina-
tion of his decades of work building and leading the
center and a chance to reflect on the journey with
the community that has supported it.
40 Under Forty
June 19: BusinessWest will celebrate the 19th
annual 40 Under Forty Gala at the MassMutual
Center in Springfield. The class of 2025 is pro-
filed in the April 28 issue and at businesswest.
com. The presenting sponsor of this year’s 40
Under Forty is PeoplesBank. Partner sponsors
include Live Nation Premium, Mercedes-Benz of
Springfield, and the Isenberg School of Manage-
ment at UMass Amherst. Health New England is
the presenting sponsor of the Alumni Achievement
Award, the winner of which will be announced
at the gala. Tickets cost $125. If they are not sold
out, they may be purchased at businesswest.com/
eventcalendar/40-under-forty-event-gala.
Hooplandia 2025
June 20-22: Registration is now open for Hoop-
landia, the third annual 3-on-3 basketball tourney
and festival, at hooplandia.com. The event will take
place at Eastern States Exposition (ESE) and the Nai-
smith Basketball Hall of Fame. Games will be played
at the ESE complex, with special games held at
the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2024, 75 basketball
courts allowed accommodation for more than 650
games played by approximately 2,100 participants
of all ages. Diverse divisions include young girls and
boys, women, men, high-school ages, college level,
OGs, veterans, and more. Fees range according to
age. Players in the Special Olympics and Unified
division can look forward to free registration, and
those in the Hoops & Heroes division, such as active
and retired first responders and military person-
nel, have access to discounted registration. Players
are invited to build teams of four, create their own
unique team name, design their uniforms, and reg-
ister at hooplandia.com.
Feed the Kids Charity
Golf Tournament
July 14: Feed the Kids, a local nonprofit focused on
fighting childhood hunger, is seeking sponsors and
donated auction items for its eighth annual Feed the
Kids Charity Golf Tournament at Springfield Country
Club. The event, which will include an online auc-
tion open to all, benefits local organizations that
work to ensure children do not go hungry, includ-
ing Square One, the Holyoke Weekend Backpack
Program, Pioneer Valley Powerpacks, and Team No
Kid Hungry. Local individuals and businesses can
also support the cause by donating items or ser-
vices for the silent auction portion of the event. The
online auction will be open to the community for
bids beginning on July 1 and will end on July 14, the
day of the golf tournament. For more information
or to sponsor the event, visit feedthekidsgolf.com
and click ‘Register Now.’ To donation auction items,
email Kadushin at [email protected].
What’s Happening in Western Mass?
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