Today we deal with matters of great importance.

Like the true nature of Hadley’s asparagus supremacy. We know that Hadley grass used to get shipped to the Queen of England, but how different is it from the spears grown in other western mass locales, or even other spots across the globe?

To get ready for our very own Asparagus Festival happening at the Hadley Commons this weekend, we bring grass from three different locations to the NEPM studios and conduct our own experiment to see if we, ourselves, can tell the difference between Asparagus grown in three different locations, including Hadley. 

And we’ll learn more about traversing the 91 corridor for a very good cause when Tara Brewster and Chelsea Kline drive by the studio to tell us how a VW bus and a donated bed are helping to raise money for the Cancer Connection with their fundraising event “Grateful Bed” 

Plus, a check in with congressman Jim McGovern who'll address the "Big 'Beautiful' Bill" in the middle of the room, a slew of listener questions about CPB, PBS, and NPR funding, ICE activity, and his own upcoming visit to the NEPM Asparagus Festival on Saturday.