In honor of Earth Day, the 17th annual Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Guide (RRR), Northern Pioneer Valley edition, has been published! It was included in the E-Editions and paper copies of the April 18 (yesterday) Greenfield Recorder, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Athol Daily News, and this week's Amherst Bulletin! It's also linked below.

If you get the paper, please find and save the guide, as it is a great resource to answer recycling and disposal questions all year. The 32-page "RRR North" guide is created specifically for Franklin and Hampshire Counties, and contains info on local disposal options and Hazardous Waste Collections for those towns.

**Town Admins, please update the annual guide on your websites. It's called the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Guide." Please delete any old names leftover from previous years (Repair guide, etc.)
**Town newsletter editors, please consider including a blurb in your next newsletter, with the link below.

Learn about techniques to reduce waste, reuse what you can, and improve your recycling, including the detailed "What Do I Do With...?" section, which is painstakingly updated each year to provide the best disposal options for household items - from aerosol cans to yoga mats.

In addition, to recycling information and advice, this issue focuses on squashing food waste. Learn how to reduce household food waste with food storage guides. Recycle the remaining food waste by composting, either in an indoor worm bin, a backyard compost bin, or at the transfer station (where available).

Here's the direct link to the RRR North guide: https://tinyurl.com/RRRN-2024

Happy Earth Month!
 

The office of State Senator Paul Mark, working closely in association with MassHousing, will be hosting a virtual event for first-time homeowners on: April 23rd, 2024, from 6:00pm-6:45pm. 

The event will be an informational session for first-time homeowners, meant to provide resources and materials for next steps, mortgages, and first-time buyer educational courses. This briefing will highlight the common process for all MassHousing programs. Please feel free to share this first-time homebuyer event information, as well as the sign up link for the event, with your constituents.

The link to sign up for this event can be found here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvdO-qqDwjHdw9sSf928HDPJYwJdw2DtHB 

 "Those We Can Trace: Records of Indentured People in Hatfield"
to be presented by Sue Maciorowski, who has transcribed 10 indenture records and done significant research on the conditions of the poor in the 19th century.

Thursday, March 21, 2024, 6pm - Congregational Church, 41 Main Street, Hatfield, MA.

 *Co-sponsored by the Hatfield Historical Society and the Whately Historical Society.

P.S.  -- and Don't forget our annual meeting!

Thursday, April 4, 2024, 7pm -  Community Meeting Room, Whately Town Hall, 194 Chestnut Plain Road

Members' Annual Meeting of the Whately Historical Society 

• Agenda Items will include
• Election of officers
• Financial and program annual reports for the fiscal year April 1, 2023 - March 31, 2024
• Revision of by-laws

Sneak preview of the 2024 museum exhibits: 

"Childhood in Whately 1771-1950"

"The Fred (Twarog) Farrick Family"

"The Waite Family"

Every click, swipe, and notification can wait. Drive distraction-free by putting your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’. #massdonotdisturb 

 Upcoming Events:

Whately Historical Society Monthly Planning/Business Meeting: February 15, 2024 at 7 p.m. in the Whately Town Hall Meeting Room - Rescheduled from the usual "first Thursday of each month"

"Stone by Stone:  The Magnificent History of New England's Stone Walls" by Robert Thorson - March 5, 2024 at 7 p.m.  presentation via Zoom - Sponsored by Historic Northampton, in partnership with the Hatfield Historical Society, Whately Historical Society, & Westhampton Historical Commission. Click here for more information!

"Indentured" by Sue Maciorowski - March 21, 2024 at the Congregational Church in Hatfield  (details to be confirmed) - 41 Main Street, Hatfield, MA. Co-sponsored by the Hatfield Historical Society and the Whately Historical Society.

Attention Whately Seniors.

Lockboxes can provide first responders with easy access to your home in the case of an emergency. If you are a senior citizen, or have a senior family member that lives in Whately and would like to have a lockbox installed on your home free of charge, please contact the police station 413-665-0430

(This service is available to senior citizens residing in the town of Whately)