Free community repair event to take place Saturday

NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton RePair and ReUse group will host a Repair Café on Saturday from 12-4 p.m. at the Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School cafeteria.

Northampton RePair & ReUse is managed and staffed by volunteers who are committed to reducing the city’s solid waste stream through education and innovative solid waste reduction interventions.

Community repair is a simple concept that brings together people who like to repair things (“fixers”) with people who need things fixed. Fixers get to share their knowledge with participants and each other while participants get to reuse what they already own. RePair events are modeled on the Repair Cafes, an international organization involved in thousands of repair events around the world.

The fixers are active or retired professional and self-taught repair people, craftspeople, and makers willing to share their skills, who may be interested in promoting their own repair businesses or just want to promote repair in general. They volunteer their services at the four-hour event as fixers.

Items to be fixed vary from clothing to bikes, tool sharpening, furniture, small electronics and appliances, computers/cellphones and jewelry.

Entrance to the event and most repairs are free. The only cost to a participant may be if they need to get something, e.g. at a hardware store, to get the repair done. Of course, donations are encouraged and appreciated, all of which go to future events.

For more information: David Starr 413-270-1234.

Historic Deerfield welcomes heritage sheep for Wooly Wonders

DEERFIELD — Historic Deerfield is bringing back its rare, historic and adorable heritage breed sheep to the streets of Deerfield for their third annual Wooly Wonders Weekend on Saturday and Sunday.

Visitors may visit the open air museum between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to learn about textiles and wool-processing in New England, participate in craft activities, play games, and even watch a sheepdog herding demonstration. Patrons may also watch wool-processing, dyeing, and weaving, or stop in the Wilson Print Shop to see a letterpress printing demonstration and take home original prints by our Printer-in-Residence.

There are “Meet and Greet the Sheep” opportunities as well with heritage breed experts from Tare Shirt Farm.

All activities are included in regular museum admission.

A full calendar of events for the remainder of Historic Deerfield’s season can be found at historic-deerfield.org/events.

Group horse ride advocating for inclusivity

BELCHERTOWN — Horse individuals or groups are invited to join Caballos De Paso, a regional group of Paso Fino riders, in celebrating Belchertown and surrounding towns’ community standards of inclusiveness on Sunday for a “Car Wash Advocacy Ride.”

The ride was prompted by an incident a few years ago when someone reported to the police animal abuse of using direct hose pressure on a horse at Belchertown’s Swift River Car Wash. It will include horses and carriages slow walking 3.7 miles with a police escort.

The walk starts at 10 a.m. at George Hannum Road and Stop & Shop lot and ends at 11:30 a.m. at Stop & Shop.

At that time, the “Legacy Riders” will be honored. These are a group of people who founded the Granby Regional Horse Council who advocate for Massachusetts horse laws and access to trails. They will receive citations from state senators and representatives.

Blais to hold town hall on transportation

LEVERETT — State Rep. Natalie M. Blais, D-Deerfield, will host a town hall on May 31 focused on transportation and infrastructure that is open to 1st Franklin District residents.

The event will take place at Leverett Town Hall, 9 Montague Road from 4-5:30 p.m.

In addition to Blais, the town hall will feature Linda Dunlavy, executive director of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments.

For more information, contact Corinne Coryat at corinne.coryat@mahouse.gov, or 413-362-9453.