AMHERST — Friends of the Amherst Dog Park are organizing a soup drive on behalf of the Amherst Survival Center running Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
People who drop by the Amherst Dog Park on Old Belchertown Road between 3 and 4 p.m. those days are being encouraged to bring a canned or boxed soup. Both those who have dogs, and others in the community, are invited to participate.
The Friends group is using the soup drive as a way to give back after the community came out for the Halloween costume party last fall.
That being said, the DNA is hosting the 14th Annual Ice Art Festival this upcoming Saturday, January 18 all throughout downtown and it is a pretty spectacular event.
NORTHAMPTON — A loosely organized group advocating for an end to the Israel-Hamas war will hold a march and rally on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The group will meet at 33 Hawley St. and walk to First Churches Northampton at 129 Main St.
Once at the church, the group will make noise and mourn the loss of Palestinian children, men and women over the last 15 months, followed by the reading of MLK’s speech, “A Time to Break Silence (Declaration Against the Vietnam War.)”
NORTHAMPTON — The League of Women Voters of the Northampton Area will hold an informal gathering on Sunday, Jan. 19, to discuss issues involving banning of books in schools in the United States. The gathering will take place from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Lilly Library Community Room, 19 Meadow St., Florence.
A committee of the League of Women Voters of the Northampton Area has been investigating the topic of banned books for several years. This gathering will begin with a brief description of their work. Resources from the American Library Association and PEN America will be available encouraging people to take action to support libraries in their efforts to avoid book banning. A collection of many of the books that have been banned will be available. Refreshments will be served and informal conversations welcome.
STOW — After an unprecedented fall fire season in Massachusetts and as wildfires rage in California, state officials are urging residents to protect themselves and their communities by following local and state restrictions on open burning.
Open burning season begins Jan. 15 in communities where it’s allowed, though burning restrictions may be imposed at the state and local levels. State Fire Marshal Davine said that a permit from a local fire department is always required in advance and it’s the permit holder’s responsibility to be able to extinguish the fire on a moment’s notice.
Open burning is prohibited year-round in the 22 cities and towns, including Holyoke, Springfield, West Springfield and Chicopee in western Massachusetts. In the remaining communities, open burning season runs from Jan. 15 through May 1 with limitations. Only certain agricultural waste may be burned, and it is unlawful to burn leaves, grass, hay, stumps, tires, household trash, construction materials, demolition debris, or brush, trees, cane, or driftwood from commercial or industrial land clearing.
In addition to a permit, open burning may only be conducted between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; at least 75 feet from all dwellings and without causing a nuisance; as close as possible to the source of material being burned; and when it will not cause or contribute to a condition of air pollution.