Holyoke Paper Festival launches June 7

HOLYOKE – The inaugural Holyoke Paper Festival is set to bring a one-day celebration of art, paper, and place to downtown Holyoke on Saturday, June 7, at the De La Luz Soundstage, 114 Race St.

This new event celebrates Holyoke’s unique identity as The Paper City, once producing an estimated 80% of the writing paper used in the U.S. during the late 1800s. Today, artists and community members continue to be inspired by Holyoke’s history of innovation, its vibrant arts scene, and its powerful connection to the Connecticut River and the land of the Pocomtuc, Agawam, and Nonotuck peoples.

Festival attendees can look forward to a full day of programming including a fine art exhibition, interactive workshops, guest speakers, local tours, and more — all highlighting the legacy and future of paper as a creative medium. Entries to the art exhibition have been received from artists across the country, underscoring Holyoke’s national significance in paper and printmaking culture.

The Holyoke Paper Festival is made possible by support from MassDevelopment, the Holyoke Local Cultural Council, Holyoke Community College, and local business and property owners.

To learn more about the festival or to get involved as a sponsor, volunteer, or donor, visit www.holyokepaperfestival.com for the latest updates and details.

Cancer Connection to hold ‘Grateful Bed Tour’

NORTHAMPTON – Cancer Connection is celebrating 25 years in 2025 with a “Grateful Bed Tour” on Friday, June 6, a daylong birthday party to raise funds for the organization that provides services and support to people with cancer.

Building on Monte’s Camp Out and Bed In, Cancer Connection is hitting the road for a one-day tour through some of the many Valley communities is serves. The tour will take place from the bed of a new VW ID.Buzz van, starting at Cancer Connection in Northampton, with stops at WRSI, Share Coffee in Amherst, Greenfield Savings Bank’s flagship in Greenfield, the Shea Theater in Turners Falls, and ending in Easthampton at Food Truck Friday at Abandoned Building Brewery. Each stop will feature live music performances, special guests, prizes and surprises. 

The event is hosted by Tara Brewster, who will lead the fundraising through sponsorships from local businesses, in person at each venue, on the air with WRSI, on Cancer Connection’s website and through an online auction, launching at the end of May. Every dollar raised helps bring Cancer Connection’s services and programs to more people, and keeps them free of charge.

To learn more, visit www.cancer-connection.org/grateful-bed-tour. Founded in 2000. Cancer Connection’s mission is to provide a haven where people with cancer and their loved ones can learn how to navigate the complicated cancer journey through one-to-one guidance, education, peer support, integrative therapies, and creative programs to strengthen body and spirit. Cancer Connection is the only independent cancer support center in Hampshire and Franklin counties and draws additional participants from Hampden County and beyond.