Cultivating community in the windy hills of western Massachusetts
Many Hands, Indeed
Adorned with the colorful hand-prints of a dozen of Windsor's youngest citizens, our Library's Book Drop is now back in its rightful place outside the Town Offices. From the children who traced their own hands to the bigger folks who seized an opportunity to make a bright difference, this was truly a community project: sponsored by Friends of Windsor, supported by the Library, embraced by the kids' parents, and made possible by the generosity, ingenuity, and hard work of Tim Crane and Bob and Steven Meyers. Stop by and check out o
Adorned with the colorful hand-prints of a dozen of Windsor's youngest citizens, our Library's Book Drop is now back in its rightful place outside the Town Offices. From the children who traced their own hands to the bigger folks who seized an opportunity to make a bright difference, this was truly a community project: sponsored by Friends of Windsor, supported by the Library, embraced by the kids' parents, and made possible by the generosity, ingenuity, and hard work of Tim Crane and Bob and Steven Meyers. Stop by and check out the handiwork (pun intended!), and while you're there pay a visit to our wonderful library. Thank you to everyone who had a hand in this!
5th Annual Hilltown Blue Christmas Service
Tuesday, December 13 at 7 pm, Windsor Congregational Church. Not everyone is "joy-filled" during the holiday season. This is a different kind of service for those who are stressed, lonely, or hurting. The main theme is "Moving Toward Pinpoints of Light." There will be area musicians performing hopeful, healing music, as well as an opportunity to sing. Also: the things about Christmas you thought you weren't allowed to think! All are invited. Clergy from Cummington, Plainfield, West Cummington and Windsor will officiate. Questions: Rev. Alex Hunter (cell/text: 413-344-6690; revalexhunter@gmail.com)
Tuesday, December 13 at 7 pm, Windsor Congregational Church. Not everyone is "joy-filled" during the holiday season. This is a different kind of service for those who are stressed, lonely, or hurting. The main theme is "Moving Toward Pinpoints of Light." There will be area musicians performing hopeful, healing music, as well as an opportunity to sing. Also: the things about Christmas you thought you weren't allowed to think! All are invited. Clergy from Cummington, Plainfield, West Cummington and Windsor will officiate. Questions: Rev. Alex Hunter (cell/text: 413-344-6690; revalexhunter@gmail.com)
2nd Annual Blafield Children's Concert!
This Saturday, December 10 at 1PM, you won't want to miss the joyful voices of the Blafield Children's Chorus singing international holiday tunes at Windsor's Congregational Church! It's FREE of charge, and open to all in the community. Those who
Blafield Children's Chorus at WCC Dec 2015
This Saturday, December 10 at 1PM, you won't want to miss the joyful voices of the Blafield Children's Chorus singing international holiday tunes at Windsor's Congregational Church! It's FREE of charge, and open to all in the community. Those who attended last year's concert can attest that bells were a-ringing and folks were singing along. Come one and all to share in the holiday spirit! Please bring canned goods to donate.
Christmas Trees, Crafts & Caroling!
There is so much to do in the hilltowns this Saturday, December 10! Travel to Notchview in Windsor to cut down your own Balsam or Fraser Fir carefully grown for the occasion! From 1-1:45PM kids can learn about winter tree identification with Tamarack Hollow Naturalist Aimee Gelinas! Afterwards, stop by
Notchview, December 5, 2016
There is so much to do in the hilltowns this Saturday, December 10! Travel to Notchview in Windsor to cut down your own Balsam or Fraser Fir carefully grown for the occasion! From 1-1:45PM kids can learn about winter tree identification with Tamarack Hollow Naturalist Aimee Gelinas! Afterwards, stop by the lodge to check out some locally made gifts from the hilltowns. Looking for something else to do in the evening? Only 10 minutes down the road, stop by the Bryant Homestead in Cummington for An Old-Fashioned Christmas where you can see the festively decorated rooms of this historic house, enjoy holiday treats, and listen to carolers from 7:30PM-8PM in the parlor!
TREE SALE: 12PM-3PM; $25/tree
KIDS’ TREE ID: 1-1:45PM; Members: FREE, Non-members: $5
Thanksgiving, 1950s Style
Wake up early, make popovers for everyone, and then get down to the REAL work of cooking a Thanksgiving feast...that's the holiday envisioned by the editors of Progress,
Wake up early, make popovers for everyone, and then get down to the REAL work of cooking a Thanksgiving feast...that's the holiday envisioned by the editors of Progress, the monthly newsletter of the East Windsor Progressive Club, back in November of 1954. We've added three recipes from that issue to our online collection - one for the popovers, and two for different types of stuffing. Check them out, and if you get inspired to make those popovers, send us a photo!
Cheshire South?
After a couple of centuries, we're kind of used to the name. But why Windsor? Turns out Windsor was not the first choice for our second name, as local history enthusiast Barry Emery explained
After a couple of centuries, we're kind of used to the name. But why Windsor? Turns out Windsor was not the first choice for our second name, as local history enthusiast Barry Emery explained during an engaging talk at the Town Hall Internet Cafe on Wednesday Oct. 19th. (Though there remains a lingering mystery around the letter "d".)
Emery, who has written a number of books about Cheshire history, reviewed the situation in 1776, during the War of Independence: the town was anxious to shed its original name, Gageborough, which came from the hated British general Thomas Gage.
At the same time, our neighbors in what is now Cheshire were anxious to incorporate as a town -- the unincorporated area was known as New Providence.
New Providence and Gageborough agreed that New Providence be annexed to the town and sent a letter to the General Assembly asking that the annexation be approved and that the new town be named Cheshire, so that it would not "serve to perpetuate the memory of the destestable General Gage".
But, the Assembly said no. Emery believes this was possibly a case of religious discrimination, New Providence having been settled by Baptists from Rhode Island.
In 1778, Gageborough tried again to shed the hated name, asking to change it to Winsor (without a "d"). The General Assembly agreed, but changed the spelling. Why? There's no record of that, but Emery wonders if the big city legislators just assumed the rubes in the hills didn't know how to spell it. In fact, there are several towns named Winsor-without-a-d in the UK and elsewhere. Though of course Windsor-with-a-d, as in Windsor Castle, is a place name with a bit more luster.
Emery ended with a suggestion: that someone research whether any of our town's early settlers hailed from Winsor as a possible explanation for the choice.
(Cheshire, by the way, did not receive permission to incorporate until 1793.)
Calling All Windsor Kids!
The Windsor Library’s Book Drop is getting a makeover, and we need your help. Thanks to Bob Meyers and Tim Crane, the old box has been de-rusted, given a new latch, primed, and painted a handsome deep blue. And now it’s ready for the final touch...or, touches: bright little handprints! We plan to use stencils made from outlining our children’s hands to decorate the box. A hand tracing station will be set up at
The Windsor Library’s Book Drop is getting a makeover, and we need your help. Thanks to Bob Meyers and Tim Crane, the old box has been de-rusted, given a new latch, primed, and painted a handsome deep blue. And now it’s ready for the final touch...or, touches: bright little handprints!
We plan to use stencils made from outlining our children’s hands to decorate the box. A hand tracing station will be set up at the Library from now through Saturday, November 20th. Stop by anytime during our regular hours: MON 5 – 7:30 pm, FRI 12 noon – 5 pm, SAT 10 am – 12:30 pm. It will only take a minute.
The handprints will be stenciled in an array of bright colors, and the book drop will be installed outside the library. The kids will have fun trying to identify which hand is theirs; and those of us who grew fond of that beat-up postal mail box sitting outside the town offices collecting rust, wasp nests and mouse droppings, will get to experience its rightful reincarnation.
Patty Crane, Friends of Windsor
Beth Webb, Windsor Library
Sandie Zink, Windsor Library
Touches of Color
Here's to the many people behind these colorful personal touches that brighten our small town. Even the bedraggled, going-by blooms of summer give off a warm glow that can lighten
Here's to the many people behind these colorful personal touches that brighten our small town. Even the bedraggled, going-by blooms of summer give off a warm glow that can lighten your mood. As Ralph Waldo Emerson so famously said, "The earth laughs in flowers."
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