HADLEY — A ceremony honoring the fallen airmen of the B-24 that crashed on Mount Holyoke in 1944 will be held Friday, May 26, at 6 p.m. at Skinner State Park.
The ceremony will be conducted by the South Hadley American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars at the memorial site near the Summit House. The event is open to the public and all are welcome attend.
A B-24 Liberator bomber, based at Westover Field, crashed on the hill shortly after takeoff, May 27, 1944. Its crew of 10, all members of the U.S. Army Air Force, were killed. The crew had been training for combat and would soon have been sent to England to join the air war against Nazi Germany.
A memorial was dedicated adjacent to the Summit House in 1989 and this year, the 79th anniversary of the tragedy, local veterans organizations have recommitted to establishing an annual memorial tribute in their honor.
CUMMINGTON — An all-ages Hilltown community celebration will be held Saturday, June 3, at Pettingill Park. Arts and crafts will kick off the event at noon, including face painting and puppet making. There will be a puppet parade at 4.
The puppet making will be river-themed, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the federal designation of the Wild and Scenic Westfield River, which runs right behind the park and throughout the Hilltowns
Food and drink from a variety of Hilltown businesses will be available throughout the day, and live music and dancing will go into the night.
This free event is organized by the Hilltown Vision, and supported in part by a festival grant from the Mass Cultural Council and grants from the local cultural councils of Cummington, Goshen, Plainfield, Williamsburg, Windsor, and Worthington. This spring, Cummington received state designation for its Cultural District, which includes Pettingill Park.