Now is the Time Gospel Concert

Special guest Charles Neville will be appearing with gospel singers Moonlight Davis, Morning Star Chenven, and the Spirit Singers, accompanied by The Spirit Brothers Band with Windsor's own Ben Kohn on piano! WHEN: Saturday, September 26, 7:00 pm; WHERE: West Cummington Church. Suggested donation: Adults - $20, Teens/Seniors - $10, Children - free. For more information: 413-684-1731 or valckohn@verizon.net

Historical Signs Installed

We'd love to hear what you think. Which ones have you seen? What sort of impact did it have on you? Do you have any stories about a particular site? To share your comments with us, simply scroll way down to the Comments section below, type your message, and click Post Comment. [Ignore the "Subscribe via email" option unless you want to receive notifications whenever someone posts a comment]

We're now working with the Historical Commission to create a map and informational brochure. Meanwhile, we'll periodically feature a site or two in Windsor Now & Then, as well as on this website. So check back often! And if you haven't done so already, consider making a donation to Friends of Windsor. We could really use your help.

Shaw Cemetery, Revealed

Remember our previous post about Joe Birchfield (Tending Shaw Cemetery)? Look what he made happen! Thanks to Joe; plus Madeline Scully, Jeb Chard, Jeff Bailey, Kathy Hill, Rolf Karl, and Jonathan Singleton, this is the peaceful and welcoming view into the new extension of Shaw Cemetery. Joe credits Windsor's highway crew with chipping and hauling away the brush. If you see any of these good folks around town, be sure to thank them. Volunteering is a work of heart.

New Facility Underway at Notchview

Here are Allen and Stevie Bird of Windsor Land Clearing & Excavating preparing the site and foundation for Notchview's new Ski Patrol Center, which is coming together beautifully thanks to local carpenter and fine woodworker, Don Shelton (pictured inside frame). The facility, funded by donations in memory of Dr. David Sigelman, will provide a professional space for managing ski-related injuries and emergencies, as well as for ski patrol trainings. There's no time like a heat wave to reflect on the coming winter! 

Perseid Meteor Showers This Week

Peak viewing of this year’s fiery showers will be August 12 -13. Thanks to Windsor’s dark skies and the timing of the dim new moon, they’re going to be spectacular (up to 100 shooting stars an hour)! Don't miss it! Beginning as early as 10:30 pm, they’ll grow more intense after midnight and into the wee, pre-dawn hours. The last time the Perseid Meteor Showers peaked at the same time as the new moon was in 2007. There’s no need for telescopes or binoculars. Your naked eye is best. All you need is a dark place away from ambient light. Then, look up! Keep your eyes on whatever part of the sky is darkest.

The meteor shower is composed of particles released from Comet 109/Swift-Tuttle during its many trips to the inner solar system. As the comet flies through space it sheds bits of material, creating an orbit with a ring of dusty debris. Each August the Earth's orbit passes through a section of this ring and stray bits of comet dust, most the size of a grain of sand, slam into our atmosphere at 37 miles per second, heating up the air around it enough to make streaks of light shoot across the sky. 

Windsor Volunteer Fire Department

Our devoted crew at this past Monday night's practice doing a "Rural Water Supply" drill.  Using their 1959 Engine, they pump water out of a stream to fill tankers which shuttle the water to a fire scene. In spite of narrow access and low water levels, they moved 20,000 gallons of water in 90 minutes using only Windsor equipment and personnel! WVFD is always looking for new members, as well as EMT's to staff the ambulance. They conduct in-house firefighter training and First Responder training, and can assist in arranging EMT training. If you're interested in joining, call 413-684-3236 and leave a message; or stop by the fire station any Monday night at 7PM.

Windsor Historical Signs

A sneak preview of the signs in progress at Pixley Sign Company in Pittsfield. Just a few details remain before installation begins in mid-August. This phase of Windsor Landmarks Project is a collaboration between Friends of Windsor and Windsor's Historical Commission. The twenty-four coordinated signs will be spread throughout town, four identifying Windsor's main cemeteries, and the remaining twenty marking historically significant sites where recognizable structures no longer exist.

Tending Shaw Cemetery

Joe Birchfield in yesterday's sticky heat tackling saplings and brush that obscure the new section of Shaw Cemetery. Folks, Joe could use a hand! If anyone has some free time and would like to help, please give him a call (#413-684-1189). One of Windsor's many volunteer heroes, he's gradually revealing the old stone wall, opening the view to a very beautiful and peaceful place.

Windsor Star Gazing & Beer Tasting

The Milky Way over a local roof line (photo by Tim Connolly)
 

Thanks to our dark skies, Windsor is a favored spot for star gazing. And it's been said we like our beer, too! So don't miss this special event: Saturday, August 8, 8:30-11:00PM at Notchview, Route 9, Windsor. RSVP recommended. Arunah Hill Natural Science Center will set up their telescopes and Kelly’s Package Store of Dalton will bring a sampling of fine beer. You can register online at westregion@ttor.org or call 413.532.1631 x 10. Trustees Members: $15. Nonmembers: $25. Gazing without tasting: free. If skies are cloudy, star talk and beer tasting will take place in Notchview's cozy Visitor's Center. Click here to learn more about dark sky places.

Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour

The pottery of Windsor's own Connie Talbot displayed at her home this past weekend as part of the 9th annual Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour. The Hilltown 6 is a group of nationally recognized potters based in the Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts. Each summer on the last weekend of July, they open their studios for a coordinated tour, showing a sampling of their pottery in the fascinating rural settings where they're made, and sharing more about their work. If you'd like to see more of Connie's pottery, call her at #413-684-3852 to make an appointment.

Weeding a Bridge, Growing Ideas

The old Ball Bridge before and after the masked man with the weed-whacker cleared this summer's crop of stubborn weeds. Last year, after close to two decade's worth of saplings and weeds were removed (by the same masked man), it got many of us thinking about how to celebrate this cool bit of Windsor's past. Obviously weeds grow faster than ideas, but for now we can go back to thinking! Built in 1894 by C.H. Ball at his mill in East Windsor (near the intersection of Old Route 9 and Worthington Rd), the bridge has been sitting behind Windsor's Historical House since the early 1990's when it was moved from its original location crossing Holiday Brook on Holiday Cottage Road in Dalton. Stop by sometime and check it out!

New Farmers' Market in Windsor

Windsor's own Sean and Dean Lonergan of Berkshire Highlands Farm on a steamy July afternoon. Missing from the photo are Liam Lonergan and Michelle Koelle, who grow a wide-selection of greens, herbs and edible flowers in their commercial hydroponic greenhouse on East Windsor Road. Their stand will be set up outside Sangar's General Store every Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm. Read more about the Windsor Farmer's Market in the Current Issue (July 2015) of Windsor Now & Then.

Ed Kohn Memorial Bench

Here's Val Kohn on a cool, early July afternoon giving the bench its annual scrubbing. Installed in 2002, this concrete and tile mosaic bench is dedicated to Val's late husband, Ed Kohn, beloved teacher, musician, and valued member of the Windsor community. Val designed the bench and laid the mosaic, which includes lyrics from the song, Windsor Now and Then, composed and written by Ed. Ray Kerns formed and poured the concrete. Stop by the park sometime and have a seat!

A Visit from Paul Mark

Our State Representative, Paul Mark, posing with residents after a lively, Q&A-style session at the Windsor Town Offices this past weekend. Questions ran the gamut from the pipeline issue to community engagement. "Windsor has always been pretty quiet," he said. "It's good to hear what people are thinking." Representative Mark encourages residents to reach out to him by phone (413-464-5635), direct email (Paul.Mark@MAhouse.gov), or stopping in during his Dalton Office Hours at the Dalton Town Hall on Tuesdays from 9am-4pm.

Welcome

We're excited to finally have a website! Now you can read Windsor Now & Then hot off the press (or browse through a past issue), learn more aboutFriends of Windsor, join our growing list of donors, and discover new ways to engage with this community. We plan to post interim news briefs, other timely tidbits, and whatever else strikes our fancy; and we're in the process of building a page about Friends of Windsor's history. So be sure to check back regularly! We'd love to hear what you think! And if you haven't done so already, consider making a contribution. Your support makes all the difference!