Area briefs: Holiday Arts Market in North Amherst; Young Feminist Party banner drop; Better Together Dog Rescue grand opening

Better Together Dog Rescue will hold a grand opening for its new headquarters at 163 Montague Road on Saturday from 12-5 p.m.

Better Together Dog Rescue will hold a grand opening for its new headquarters at 163 Montague Road on Saturday from 12-5 p.m. SUBMITTED

Published: 10-31-2024 10:38 AM

Holiday Arts Market in North Amherst on Saturday

NORTH AMHERST — The Mill District General Store and Local Arts Gallery will hold its 4th annual Holiday Arts Market on Saturday to celebrate local artists and makers.

The event will take place between 12-4 p.m. at 91 Cowls Road, with a rain date scheduled for Sunday. It will feature 40-plus vendors and artisans and indoor and outdoor shopping.

The artists will be selling fine art, jewelry, clothing, pottery, toys and more.

In addition to shopping, the event will feature live entertainment, including gourmet s’mores roasting with Provisions, magician Fran Ferry and live jazz piano from Avi Steinhardt.

Young Feminist Party to hold 4th annual banner drop

NORTHAMPTON — The Amherst Young Feminist Party will drop a banner at an event in downtown Northampton on Saturday that reads “Access to Contraception is a Human Right,” as part of an event demanding access to contraception.

The fourth annual banner drop event will take place at First Churches of Northampton from 12-2 p.m.

The youth-led organization said in a statement that it condemns the revived lawsuit by the attorney generals of Missouri, Idaho and Kansas to roll back over 20 years of FDA mifepristone approval. Mifepristone, the first of two drugs in medicated abortion, increases accessibility to care and strengthens bodily autonomy for all. The group also condems attempts to outlaw mifepristone access for those under the age of 18.

The event will feature elected officials and community organization leaders, including state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa.

Better Together Dog Rescue to hold grand opening

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

LEVERETT — Better Together Dog Rescue will hold a grand opening for its new headquarters at 163 Montague Road on Saturday from 12-5 p.m.

The facility was purchased last year and has been undergoing renovations to improve the life-saving capacity of the organization. The organization has rescued more than 700 dogs since its founding in 2021, and expects this facility will greatly improve their ability to continue saving dogs and engage with the community.

With this new facility comes increased volunteer opportunities, as BTDR is now able to house dogs waiting for their forever homes and host incoming dogs for the state-mandated 48-hour quarantine.

Saturday’s open house will give community members a chance to tour the facility, meet some of their current adoptable dogs, and learn more about the organization and how to get involved.

Better Together Dog Rescue volunteers and fosters will be present to talk about their experiences with the organization. There will be street parking only for this event.

Oliveira marks 
Polish American Heritage Month

BOSTON — State Sen. Jake Oliveira, D-Belchertown, and state Rep. Michael Kushmerek, D-Worcester, co-chairs of the Polish American Caucus, on Wednesday recognized the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning and the Copernicus Institute in a ceremony at the Massachusetts State House in commemoration of Polish American Heritage Month.

The event highlighted the significant cultural contributions of these institutions to Massachusetts. Oliveira presented a citation to Ken Lemanski of the Polish Center for Discovery’s board of directors to recognize their outstanding commitment to preserving and celebrating Polish culture, history, and contributions to society.

The mission of the center, located at Elms College in Chicopee, is to preserve objects representative of the material culture of the Polish people in America; to provide guidance and support materials to schools and other institutions wishing to introduce Polish topics to their students; and to offer a variety of workshops, exhibits, concerts, conferences, seminars, films, plays, lectures and other events that focus on the history and cultural traditions of the Polish people in Europe and the United States.

Kushmerek offered a similar resolution to Honorary Consul Małgorzata Chałupowski, the executive director of the Copernicus Institute. This New England-based nonprofit brings together the global Polish community to promote collaboration in the arts, sciences, and law among Worcester’s academic, business, and governmental organizations for its work advancing awareness of Polish heritage.

Polish American Heritage Month is celebrated in October to commemorate the arrival of the first Polish settlers in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1608 and the death of Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary War hero and father of American cavalry.