Page 16 - BusinessWest September 14 2020
P. 16

 REINTRODUCING THE 2020 >>
Monte Belmonte
His March Will Go On ... but with Fewer Marchers
Monte Belmonte says the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about some changes in what he does on the
radio each day.
Like helping his listeners know what day it
is — a simple assignment that has become a good deal more difficult as the days blend together and the things that make them different are increasingly removed from the equation.
“I would come in and do my show
the same way I’d been doing it, except I introduced what I call ‘quaran-themes’ — a different musical theme for each day of
the week,” explained Belmonte, a DJ with WRSI the River Radio in Northampton. “Wednesday, for example, is wanderlust Wednesday, where I take people musically
to places they couldn’t otherwise go — like the ukulele version of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ to make them feel like they could go on that trip to Hawaii they were supposed to go on but couldn’t.”
Like everyone else, Belmonte is making needed adjustments because of the pandemic — at home, at work, on the air — and especially with the fundraiser to combat food insecurity that now bears his name:
Monte’s March.
Indeed, the march, which takes place in
November and has grown exponentially — in every way — since he started it back in 2010, has, in recent years, attracted
“Because of the pandemic, hunger has been in the forefront of people’s minds in a different way. I’ve talked with some of the survival centers, and the need has definitely grown.”
hundreds of marchers who have joined Belmonte on his two-day trek from Springfield to Greenfield. This year, in the name of social distancing, those marchers will be encouraged to stay home and support the effort virtually, something many supporters have already been doing.
Belmonte
Continued on page 26
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16 SEPTEMBER 14, 2020
BusinessWest
Photo by Leah Martin Photography












































































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