River Valley Co-op to hold ice cream social, hero awards

EASTHAMPTON — River Valley Co-op will hold its annual Strawberry Ice Cream Social & Austin Miller Co-op Hero Awards on Thursday, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Co-op’s Easthampton location.

This outdoor celebration will honor community leaders and welcome the arrival of strawberry season with music, food, family fun and gratitude for local changemakers.

State Rep. Homar Gomez will join River Valley Co-op Directors in presenting the Austin Miller Co-op Hero Awards, which recognize local individuals, nonprofits, and businesses that exemplify cooperative values and uplift the community.

Now in its 15th year, the awards, named for co-op champion Austin Miller, were established to honor those who embody the cooperative principle of “support for community.” The awards spotlight those who have shown extraordinary dedication to building a stronger, more resilient valley.

All proceeds from this year’s ice cream social will benefit the Center for New Americans, a Northampton nonprofit providing immigrants and refugees with education and support to help them thrive in their new communities.

This year’s recipients include Local Non-Profit: Center for New Americans; Local Farm – Food Producer: Thomas Farm, Goat and dairy cheese makers; Local Business: Real Pickles; Local Individual: Linda Frogameni, Northampton Early Childhood Center, Preschool & Partnership Coordinator.

The event will feature live music from The Gaslight Tinkers, known for their genre-bending blend of traditional fiddle tunes with Afro-Caribbean, Latin, and funk grooves. Family-friendly activities and games on the patio. This event is free to enter and open to all.

Cooley Dickinson to restart shuttle to Boston for care

NORTHAMPTON — To help Pioneer Valley residents access health care services at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Mass Eye and Ear, Cooley Dickinson Hospital will restart its roundtrip, daily shuttle service, beginning Monday, June 23. In 2020, Cooley Dickinson paused the shuttle due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 28-passenger, wheelchair-accessible shuttle bus will depart daily from the parking lot across from 8 Atwood Dr. in Northampton promptly at 6:30 a.m. The bus is equipped with free Wi-Fi and will make one stop at a rest area along the Mass Pike, arriving at Mass General Hospital’s Fruit Street entrance at approximately 9 a.m. for patients with appointments at Mass General Hospital and Mass Eye and Ear. The bus will then proceed to Brigham and Women’s Hospital to drop off patients there.

Due to variability in traffic, all appointments at Mass General, Brigham and Women’s and Mass Eye and Ear must be scheduled between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The bus will depart the Boston hospitals at 3 p.m.

The shuttle runs Monday through Friday; there is no shuttle service on weekends or major holidays. Reservations for the shuttle bus are required. People who take the shuttle must have an appointment at Mass General, Brigham and Women’s or Mass Eye and Ear and will be required to provide the date and time of their appointment when they register. Community members should call 24 hours in advance to reserve their seat; anyone ages 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Patients are allowed one companion to ride the shuttle with them.

To make an appointment, call 413-966-8011, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and noon. Outside of those hours, press “1” to leave a message for the shuttle bus coordinator; calls will be returned the next business day.