The Fabulous 413

Dino Map Adventure Live is bringing the time of terrible lizards to life all over the areas where they used to roam, complete with real live scientists to help you and your littles understand more about it. We meet with one of the architects of this series, Marshall Escamilla of Tumble Science Podcast for Kids at the location they’ll visit on Saturday, the Chicopee Public Library, to learn more about exploring the evidence left millions of years ago. 

Live Music Friday brings a familiar face getting her own spotlight to the studio. We’ve seen Hazel Basil perform with other musical guests, but next week she’ll be playing her own music onstage at the Parlor Room in Northampton. We’ll get a sample of that concert and hear how those collaborations have helped the music she makes for herself.

And we’d be remiss to not acknowledge the anniversary that Today brings. To process what that moment means for those of us who have seen both sides of 9/11, we head to Shelburne falls to meet with a poet who also commemorated the tragedy in his own way: poet Martin Espada. 

The Academy of Music has just gotten a new director this summer. Ray Dumont may be new to western Mass, but is well versed in not just the operations of larger theater in smaller towns, but of the goings on of Broadway productions as well. We head to his new workplace to meet the new leadership and hear about his journey from Maine and touring productions to this post and his vision for centering the community as the venue moves forward. 

And after a post-mortem on his appearance yesterday at UMass for the showing of the movie on the Dalai Lama, Congressman Jim McGovern speaks about New bills he’s introduced on tech oversight, and housing including making sure that legislators and the public understand the circumstances that create the need for regulation, ongoing impacts of 9/11 on the upcoming 25th anniversary, and of course listener questions. 

We’re adjusting for a changing landscape, which for sound means building the community that you want to see in the world by bringing folx from all over the eastern seaboard together for a festival in Easthampton. The 3rd Queercore Fest is taking place once again at CitySpace assembling an amazing lineup of bands and artists for two days of music and solidarity and organizers Ben and Issley join us to examine what this year brings. 

We’ll also discover how our local dictionary migrated online 30 years ago and the impact that has had on both their perspective and the internet’s linguistic landscape with our Interim Summertime word nerd and NEPM Jazz-a la mode host peter Sokolowski. 

And in Shelburne, we hang out with a bevvy of happy cows. Wheel View Farm has an incredible history, and a stack of accolades for their practices which encourage better stewardship of the planet.  The Farm is a stop for CISA’s Climate Change and Farming week and we’ll hear from farmers John and Carolyn Wheeler about the collective 15 generations of their farm’s legacy and learn how their methods could be useful to others with CISA Climate Program Coordinator, Stephen Taranto . 

Some disparaging words were slung at bill proffered to help in the area of agrotourism. And frankly, you may not be aware of what that industry is either, or how it can have an impact on the livelihood of local farmers. 

So we brave the rain and head to Sunderland to meet with one of folx who’s been championing this particular measure on Beacon Hill: state senator Jo Comerford, along with someone who truly knows the importance of this sector can be to modern agriculture: Mike Wissemann of Warner Farm, home of Mike’s Maze. We’ll learn how important the maze is to their yearly operations, and the true diversity of the industry of agrotourism. 

After which we’ll check in with the maze’s designers and builders: Dave  Wissemann and Jess Marsh- Wissemann about this year’s theme celebrating the first 100 years of Television. And they’ll stump us on the games and trivia that you’ll be able to find among the stalks and ears of this year’s offering. 

Plus, in a year where several local festivals have either been postponed or outright cancelled, Flo Fest is bringing the party to downtown Florence on the very last weekend of Summer. Organizers Glen Fant and Chloe Torri speak with us about reviving this new iteration of community gathering. 

Next Wednesday Sept 9th, the Fine Arts Center at UMass Amherst will show the 2024 documentary film Wisdom of Happiness which offers an intimate and inspiring portrait of the fourteenth Dalai Lama. The showing joins not just the campus with the local and global Tibetan community, but with our representation and beyond in a talk-back featuring leaders of the International Campaign for Tibet, and our own congressman Jim McGovern. We speak with the many folx that have come together to make this event happen about the importance of the film, and the vigilance of hope: Betsy Cracco, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Campus Life and Well Being and Chair of the Planning Committee, Thondup Tsering  Co-Chair of the committee, Dr. Dhardon Sharling, who will serve as emcee for the evening, and Elizabeth Gittens, the Fine Arts Center's director of education and engagement.

One of the folx that will participate in that post film conversation is the producer on the film itself, Richard Gere. No stranger to UMass since his attendance in his early twenties, we speak with the world renowned Actor about his connection with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the experience of production on this work, and his ongoing ties to the plight of Tibet and the teachings of Buddhism. 

And at Provisions they’re getting ready to celebrate the land of the rising sun with Japan Fest, exploring the many beverages, snacks, and other comestibles of that nation. We head to their Northampton location with purveyor Benson Hyde for a preemptive thunderdome of Sake in preparation of the delights coming to their Amherst location. 

After a summer of renovations and construction one of the oldest college museums in the country is on the verge of reopening. The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum is celebrating 150 years with a revamp and a rethinking of their collections in a way that is sure to inspire students and community members alike. We head to South Hadley to get a tour of the new layout with Museum Director Tricia Y. Paik and curator Kendra Weisbin to see some of their unique pieces Plus, we’ll see how they’re encouraging all of the public to come and experience their exhibits, especially for their upcoming grand opening. 

And Congressman Jim McGovern is officially back to work on Capitol Hill where we get to ask his impressions of the primary results from Tuesday, our very murky international policy landscape which mirrors our startling resemblance to an early 1930s Germany. Also we’ll hear about the ties his political career has to the late Gloria Steinem

We head to the fields to see where the highland cows venture in South Deerfield at Roaming Farm. There we meet co-owner Julie Chalfant  who talks about her family’s journey to cattle raising on their 75 acres, the challenges and benefits of their unbelievably cute cows including how climate change impacts their herd, and how important local beef has been to the local community. 

We get an impromptu Live Music Wednesday from multi-instrumentalist duo Larry and Joe, who’ll bring their multi American sounds to the Parlor Room in Northampton tonight, and get a small update on the changes for their music since we last saw them at the Green River Festival for llanera legend Larry Bellorín and Grammy nominated Joe Troop . 

Plus summertime funtime interim word nerd and Jazz a la mode host Peter Sokolowski shows us one of the precursors to the dictionary’s digital age, with a whole set of definitions organized backwards, and learn about how that keys into the ways we now search for words on their website. 

Franklin County Technical School is just starting its school year welcoming young adults to it’s many courses of study. But what pathways might the class of 2030 pursue? We learn more about the school’s 50 year legacy from the many teachers and administrators making this training possible. Then find out how the 19 towns and city in Franklin County could impact its future with a vote this October. 

Twin Peaks began with an intense following in the 90s that has only grown in the intervening decades, especially with creators David Lynch and Mark Frost reuniting to complete the ellipsis left after it’s second season. The Hope Center for the Arts is hosting a celebratory Q&A with some of the production and cast members from the series on Sept 19th and we’ll chat an iconic actor from that series who’ll be headed to Springfield to participate: Dana Ashbrook. 

We sneak one more candidate in as the primary looms large on tomorrow’s horizon. 

 Andrew Fitch is challenging the incumbent former mayor of North Adams for a seat with the State Representatives. We’ll talk with the small business owner about how he came to North Adams, his call to public service, the needs of the First Berkshires district, and more. 

We’ll also bring the nation of Wales very close to the town of the same name for a weeklong celebration of heritage. The Festival of Wales is making its first ever appearance in Western Massachusetts bringing folx of Welsh decent from near and far together in Downtown Springfield. We’ll hear from some of the folx making this year's festivities happen as we chat with Megan Williams and Margaret Karhonen about the 6 days of activity you can join in on. 

And Mr Universe, Kainaat Studios and temporarily UMass' Salman Hameed is excited about a new way to view the sky. We’ll learn more about the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope and how it is expanding the view for future astronomical research, including the ways its collaborative nature might just be a lesson for us all. 

We connect with another candidate making an appearance on the Primary ballot this Tuesday: Senatorial Incumbent Ed Markey. The sitting senator speaks about his pursuit of medicare for all, campaign finance, and AI. We also get to hear his take on the age issue that keeps being raised, the future for bipartisan legislation, and the origins of his distinctive accent. 

In North Adams a hilarious multi hyphenate is taking the stage at Mass MoCA this weekend on Saturday, August 29th. Jay Jurden’s star is rising and we talk with him about the appeal of comedy and his many writing credits. Plus we learn how his southern roots have influenced his latest special “Yes Ma’am”, and whose laughter it feels best to earn.

And just next door, a history of playing with gender and space is coming to the ‘62 Center for Theater and Dance (through a collaboration with the Adams Theater) at Williams College in the latest work of Sasha Velour titled Travesty on August 29th.  The RuPaul’s Drag Race Winner talks with us about her comic and graphics origins, the importance of teaching history, her own history with drag and more.