Category: March

From the Editor's Desk: Resources galore in our own backyard

3/23/2017 | Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com

I had the opportunity to sit down with Dennis Picard, retiring director of the Storrowton Village Museum. Sitting in the Gilbert Farmstead building, the first structure reconstructed at Storrowton Village in 1927, he marveled at the foresight Helen Osborney Storrow had in bringing original – not facsimile – antique structures to the Eastern States Exposition. He also, while praising the success of Storrowton Village, opined that not enough people have an appreciation for the kind of resource those buildings and the museums represent for the community. The same could be said for many places in the Pioneer Valley. ...

Storrowton Village director to retire

3/23/2017 | Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com

After nearly three decades as director of Storrowton Village, Dennis Picard is walking away. But his career isn’t history just yet. Picard, who has been with the living museum on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition for 27 years, said in his retirement he hoped to continue to pursue his passion for historical education without all of the “other stuff” that goes along with being the director. ...

Welcome to Calabrese Market

3/23/2017 | Payton North

Just a quick drive over the North End Bridge into West Springfield sits Calabrese Market and Deli, a family owned Italian shop that features an extensive panini menu, home-cooked pre-made meals and a whole lot of nostalgia. After 30 years of being a convenience store, husband and wife, Tony and Gina Calabrese took over the 54 Park Street location in 2015. While the couple has owned the building for about 20 years, they stepped in when their tenant who was running the convenience store wanted to retire. The Calabrese's proposed a plan to turn the store into a market and deli, selling family-style meals, unique paninis, fresh salads, homemade soups, and gourmet grilled cheese melts. ...

Bruce Landon: 'I'm certainly very grateful, very honored'

3/23/2017 | Payton North

At three years old, he started playing hockey at his Canadian home. At 20 years old, he was drafted, and moved to Springfield. At 28 years old, he injured his knee, retired from professional hockey, and transitioned from the ice to the office. Now, at 68 years old, Bruce Landon is retiring, and was inducted into Springfield’s Hockey Hall of Fame on March 3. ...

Classic Burgers crowns burger champion

3/23/2017 | Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com

When Classic Burgers hosted its first contest, Danelle Dias and her uncle John Paul agreed if it came around again, they would blow away the competition. “He said, ‘Next time, we’ll make a burger and win this thing,’” Dias recalled. In December 2015, Dias’ uncle passed away, but his prediction proved correct. Dias and her burger, named “The JP” in her uncle’s honor, ran away with the grand prize at the second annual burger contest. ...

Healthy Living: Brain Injury Awareness Month sparks advocacy

3/23/2017 | Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com

Stacia Bissell knows firsthand how life can change in an instant. The career educator was on the fast track to become a middle school principal when she and a colleague decided to take a weekend bike ride to celebrate the successful end of the first week of school. Something happened on the trail, the two bikes clicked and Bissell dumped, striking her head in the fall. Although she was wearing a helmet, the accident resulted in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that cut short her career, and changed life as she knew it. ...

Eat.Enjoy.Live.: Vanished Valley Brewing – the little brewery with big aspirations

3/23/2017 | Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com

In a tiny space behind Europa Black Rock Bar & Grill in Ludlow, big things are happening. Into what looks like a small storage shed that once served as the chef’s quarters when the restaurant was an inn, Josh Britton and Mike Rodrigues have crammed an entire brewery. But don’t let the operation’s diminutive nature fool you. The two have grandiose plans. ...

Group’s fundraising for dog park progressing

3/23/2017 | Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com

One local nonprofit is getting ready to “unleash” a major fundraising effort in West Springfield. The dog owners group teaming with the West Springfield Park and Recreation Department in the push to build the Terriers Unleashed Dog Park, is ramping up its plans to raise money to cover construction costs. ...