BELCHERTOWN — Dwight Day returns on Saturday for a second year to celebrate Belchertown’s historic village with conservation and wildlife activities, a cemetery tour and a portrayal of Emily Dickinson’s friendship with famous Dwight author Josiah Gilbert Holland.

“It took us all by surprise how full the chapel was of people [last year] who wanted to hear about the history and wanted to get together and spend time with each other in conversation and learning and be entertained,” event organizer Michael Carolan said.

While last year’s Dwight Day presented historical figures of the village, this year’s event on Saturday at Dwight Chapel will highlight the hundreds of acres of conservation land that dominates the neighborhood, including the 290-acre Holland Glen.

Massachusetts Pollinator Network member Heidi Dollard will speak about planting for pollinators. Lee Halasz from the Krestel Land Trust will discuss the role Dwight’s conservation land plays in preserving native ecosystems. MassWildlife biologist Meghan Crawford will present on bears and Massachusetts Bird of Prey Rehab facility founder Tom Ricardi will show off some majestic birds from the area.

In addition to the presentations, visitors may come to listen to Dwight-based band Flies in the Kitchen and Pioneer Valley folk duo Tracy Grammer & Jim Henry. The antique auto show, children’s activities, trivia competition and local food options return in the event’s second year, as well as a cemetery tour exploring famous figures of Dwight.

“We did know that Emily Dickinson’s sister Susan Huntington Gilbert Dickinson came to our little area of town to help out the poor for quite a number of years in the 1880s and pushed to have our chapel built,” Carolan said. “Consequently, it so happens that one of the most unknown writers now, but famous writers then, was born here and had a correspondence with Dickinson.”

That writer, Josiah Gilbert Holland, was a famous biographer of Abraham Lincoln and local advice columnist who sold more books than Mark Twain. Carolan said that Holland and his wife Elizabeth Luna Chapen Holland were an “idolized couple” for Dickinson and quickly befriended them.

Holland sent over 90 letters to Dickinson, which serves as the basis for a portrayal of Dickinson and Holland. The performance occurs at 11:15 a.m. and again at 1:45 p.m. Most of the conservation talks and demonstrations take place at 1 p.m., with the exception of the pollinator discussion at 10:15 a.m. The historic cemetery tour will start at 3 p.m.

“We hope everyone comes and enjoys the beauty, the people and history of our little village,” Carolan said.

Four-town food drive

In reaction to recent cuts to federal grants for food pantries, town democratic committees in South Hadley, Belchertown, Granby and Ludlow are joining forces on Saturday, June 28, to collect food for their neighborhood food pantries in a four-town food drive.

“When schools close for summer, all K-12 students in the state lose access to the free universal school-provided meals that the Democratic Legislature and Governor Healey signed into law a few years back,” Belchertown Democratic Committee Chair Cara Lapenas wrote in an email. “June, July and August are tight food times for families, so that is why we chose June 28th to fill up our pantries.”

South Hadley’s Democratic Committee will collect items for Neighbors Helping Neighbors at South Hadley High School from 9 a.m. to noon. Belchertown Democratic Committee’s will stand outside 18 Park St. from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to build up supplies at Helping Hands Cupboard. To fill the sparse selves of the Ludlow Veterans Center, the Ludlow Democratic Committee will help gather goods from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the center. Granby’s food drive will benefit Granby To Go, with collection beginning at 12:30 until 3:30 p.m. at 235 State St.

The four-town food drive was the brainchild of Granby Democratic Committee Chair Susan Knightly and South Hadley Democratic Committee Chair Ann Stockton. Both woman knew they wanted to address the loss of grant funding for many nonprofits, as well as the increasing financial pressures on families. They decided to start with an essential for everyone in the community: food.

“We just felt that food insecurity is already happening,” Stockton said. “Now with the fear of food pantries closing down, this helps the whole community. It’s something that each of the communities need.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently canceled a $440,000 grant for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, which supplies donations to many pantries in the area. The grant would have supported deliveries through August 2025.

“Politicians talk about “kitchen table” issues, meaning issues of the day that families talk about over the dinner table,” Lapenas wrote. “What could be a more important ‘kitchen table’ issue than an actual lack of food on that table?”

While any good or monetary donations are appreciated, the benefiting food pantries have requested several high-demand items: pet food, cereals, soups, canned meats, canned vegetables and toiletries like feminine hygiene products, shampoo/condition comb, toothpaste, deodorant, bar soap. Please check expiration dates before donating.

New trash carts rollingout in South Hadley

SOUTH HADLEY — Recycling and trash carts have begun rolling out to homes this week and will continue until June 30 in time for the town’s new automated trash and recycling service beginning on July 1.

After Republic Services decided to no longer offer manual pickup, South Hadley signed a new contract with the company for automated trash and recycling pickup every other week. Each resident will receive a 95-gallon recycling cart with an orange top and a 65-gallon trash cart with a black top. Republic will not pick up trash in these carts until after the July 1 start date.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how this rolls out and how we continue this conversation,” Select Board member Nicole Casolari said on a June 3 Select Board meeting. “Especially as residents are learning this process, we want to be able to open that conversation about what’s working well [and] what maybe needs to be modified.”

The Select Board agreed to leave a section of their meetings open for questions about the new trash system. Residents can also call the Department of Public Works with any questions or concerns.

While it will be possible to purchase more carts in the future, each household will only receive one cart for recycling and one cart for trash. According to the town website, the DPW suggests that households either hold on to any overflow for the next pickup date or drop it off at the Recycling Center. Residents must purchase a Recycling Center sticker to use the facility and make an appointment under the Public Works section of the town’s website.

A flyer published on the town website on May 30 answers some common questions about the new system. The list of items allowed in the recycling bin includes cardboard, paper, cartons, glass jars and bottles, metal cans, metal foil, metal aerosol and plastic bottles, tubs and jugs. All recyclables should be cleaned and dried before put in the cart. Plastic bags, electronics, hoses, chords, wires and clothes cannot be recycled.

For any questions, contact the DPW at 413-538-5030.

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.