2008 Archives » November/December 2008 News »

Dickens Days in the District

Now in its 5th magical year, Dickens Days in the District is an exciting community-wide event inspired by Charles Dickens, his spirits & the Victorian Age. It’s a December of holiday house tours, teas, one-day festivals, theatrical performances, visits with Santa, lectures, readings, concerts & sparkling lights throughout The District, Westfield’s new downtown.

Westfield Dickens Days has become a tradition that continues to bring visitors to the Whip City from all over the region. From the new Lanternlight Parade that lights the Westfield Green to a wonderful community theatre version of A Christmas Carol to a SNOWFIRE celebration with cocoa cookies and the retelling of a new children’s book around a roaring Dickens Days fire will delight.

The concept of Westfield on Weekends is to present a series of signature events that reflect a theme that is augmented with a calendar with events that are produced by city non-for-profit organizations, institutions, businesses and churches. The scope and size of Westfield Dickens Days 2008 demonstrates a community working together.

Some of organizations who have helped to create Dickens Days events: The Westfield Business Improvement District (WBID), Westfield Athenaeum, Amelia Park Children’s Museum, Amelia Park, the Westfield Athenaeum Boys’ and Girls’ Library, Western Hampden Historical Society, the Westfield Theatre Group, the City of Westfield, and the Westfield State College Foundation and Westfield On Weekends.

For a full calendar of events click on “District Events” located on the side bar of our home page. For additional event infomation go to http://www.westfiledonweekends.org/ .

2008 Archives » November/December 2008 News »

The Bright Nights Express

December 11, 2008 6:00 pmtoDecember 12, 2008 9:00 pm

Bright Nights Forest Park, Springfield, MA.
Buses leave on “The Bright Nights Express”
Thurs
day, December 11  6 pm – 9:00 pm

Tickets by reservation only: $8 for adults $5 for children.

For reservations call 413-562-2277

Take a bus ride of surprises to one of the top 100 holiday attractions with a special stop in twinkling Forest Park, where city officials, Queen Victoria and Dickens Days spirits will greet you

Buses will leave Westfield City Hall 59 Court Street at 6:15 pm.

Produced in association with the Spirit of Springfield, Westfield on Weekends (WOW)and the Westfield Business Improvement District (WBID).

Sponsored by King Ward Buses and The Tavern Restaurant.

2008 Archives » November/December 2008 News »

Fezziwig’s Holiday Faire

December 9, 2008
10:00 amto4:00 pm

Fezziwig’s Holiday Faire

Tuesday, December 9: 10 am – 8:00 pm Scanlon Banquet Hall, Westfield State College, Western Ave. FREE! Over 40 crafters!

CarolFezziwig’s Holiday Faire with the Fezziwigs, bow to Queen Victoria and finish your holiday shopping in grand style at this juried crafts show, with 40 plus crafters which this season visits Westfield State (with day and evening hours to accommodate all holiday shoppers).

Co-produced with the Good Morning Adoption Fund, Westfield on Weekends,

2008 Archives » November/December 2008 News »

A Dickens Day Holiday House Tour

December 7, 2008
11:00 amto4:00 pm

A Dickens of a Day Historic House Tour

Sunday, December 7: 11:00 am – 4:00pm. Begins at Westfield Athenaeum, 6 Elm Street. Tickets: $15

Scrooge and his ghosts are your hosts for this self-guided tour of irreplaceable homes, decked out for the holidays. the 6th annual tour benefits historic preservation.

Sponsored by the Western Hampden Historical Society.

2008 Archives » November/December 2008 News »

The Lanternlight Parade / Mayor’s Greenlighting Ceremony

November 1, 2008
5:30 pmto8:30 pm

The Lanternlight Parade and The Mayor’s Greenlighting Ceremony

Monday, December 1: Parade assembly at 5:30 pm.

Green Festivities begin at 6:00 pm; Parade kicks off at 6:15 pm; Greenlighting at 6:30 pm.

Make your own lantern and join the the Lanternlight Parade, proceeding from the First Congregational Church Parking lot on Broad Street to the green, where the Mayor lights the city and the holiday season officially begins here in Westfield!

Sponsored by the City of Westfield, Westfield G & E and The Westfield Business Improvement District (WBID) and Westfield on Wekends (WOW).

2008 Archives » November/December 2008 News »

Anna Deavere Smith in Concert at WSC

November 30, 2008
7:30 pmto9:00 pm

Anna Deavere Smith in ”Let Me Down Easy- A Play in Evolution

Sunday, November 30, 7:30 pm, Dever Auditorium, Westfield State College. FREE! Tickets at the Westfield Athenaeum, the Westfield YMCA, WSC and at the door.

Award-winning TV/stage/film actor/writer Anna Deavere Smith (”Rachel Gets Married,” “West Wing”) speaks of grace and the human spirit as she performs a concert version of her moving new work, Let Me Down Easy – A play in evolution. Not to be missed!

Sponsored by the Westfield State College Foundation, as part of its Speaker Series.

2008 Archives » November/December 2008 News »

Meet the Author Luncheon at Lydia’s

November 21, 2008
12:00 pmto2:00 pm

  Lydia’s Gathering Place ~51 Court Street ~ Westfield, MA

“Monique and the Mango Rains”  By Kris Holloway

The true story of the life and death of a remarkable West African midwife, seen through the eyes of a young Peace Corps Volunteer who worked side-by-side with her, birthing babies and caring for mothers, in a remote, impoverished village. It is a rare tale of friendship that reaches beyond borders to vividly and irrevocably unite another woman’s world with our own.

Noon to 1:00pm ~ Lunch      1:00pm-2:00pm ~ Author will Speak/Book signing

Ticket Price: $ 25.00
 Includes Luncheon of Chicken Caesar Salad, Soup, Bread Dessert & Beverage

Space is limited, make you reservations today call 413-568-2600!

2008 Archives » November/December 2008 News »

WSC Lecture Series presents “Dr. Ruth Westheimer

December 10, 2008
7:00 pmto9:00 pm

Woodward Center    WSC    577 Western Ave    413-572-5580

The WSC Foundation invites you to the their ongoing Speaker Series as they present Dr Ruth Westheimer.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer is an acclaimed psychosexual therapist, she helped pioneer the field of Media Psychology with her radio program, “Sexually Speaking”. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor at NYU, an Associate Fellow at Yale, and Fellow of Butler College at Princeton. She frequently lectures at universities and colleges across the country and has been named Lecturer of the Year twice.

For more info go to http://www.wsc.ma.edu/ or call Joanne Bigelow 413-572-5580.

2008 Archives » November/December 2008 News »

Christmas Play – The Littlest Angel Christmas Show

December 5, 2008toDecember 13, 2008

The Westfield Women’s Club  28 Court St   (Westfield Theatre Group 572-2646)

This Holiday season we will once again be doing a wonderful Christmas show adapted for stage and directed by Kathi Palmer with musical arrangements written by Marion Dunk and Kathi Palmer. This year our stage will be graced by the great cast of “The Littlest Angel”.

The performance dates for this are set for December 5, 6, 12 and 13, 2008 at 7:30 p.m., with a special matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday December 13th. It promises to be a great time for all!

Tickets are $12 for Adults and $10 for Students and Seniors. Call the theater at (413)-572-2646 to reserve your tickets today.

2008 Archives » November/December 2008 News »

Memories in the Making…Art Auction

December 5, 2008
6:30 pmto9:00 pm

Garden Room  Westfield State College   333 Western Avenue

In a unique collaborative fundraising event, the Alzheimer’s Association, MA/NH Chapter, the Tri-County Alzheimer’s Partnership and the YMCA of Greater Westfield will hold an art auction featuring watercolor paintings created in the Alzheimer’s Association art expression program called, Memories in the Making. The event, scheduled to take place at Westfield State College on Friday, December 5th from 6:30-9:00PM, will also have accompanying paintings submitted by student artists from the YMCA and Westfield State College. The evening will be an intergenerational celebration of the arts, recognizing the power of art to enrich our lives throughout the lifespan from early childhood to older adulthood.

Tickets are $25/person and will be available beginning on November 1st, at the YMCA, located at 67 Court Street in Westfield and the Alzheimer’s Association, located at 264 Cottage Street in Springfield.

Sponsorships are available at the $25 level to the title sponsor level of $2,500.

For more information or to be a personal or corporate sponsor, please contact Rosann Scalise, Program Operations Director at the YMCA at 413-568-8631 or Ginny Sinkoski, Outreach Coordinator at 413-787-1113.

The 50 paintings for both silent and live auction will be available to view by November at the Alzheimer’s Association website, http://www.alzmass.org/. Online bidding will also be available of select paintings.


If you have any additional questions please contact Rosann Scalise at
rscalise@westfieldymca.org or call her at 413-568-8631.