Featured Articles
Tractor show pulls in a crowd
10/5/2017
| Dennis Hohenberger
The annual Tractor Show returned to E. Cecchi Farms in Feeding Hills Sept. 9. The show benefited the efforts of the Agawam Historical Association, which operates the Agawam Historical and Fire House Museum and the Thomas Smith House.
...
Agawam Owls look to make a move in MASCAC
10/5/2017
| Chris Miracle
The Westfield State University men’s soccer team is looking to settle into a winning groove with contributions on the roster from local players from Agawam. Finishing 8-7-2 overall and 2-3-2 in the MASCAC last season, the Owls were voted to finish last in league play in a preseason poll, a source of motivation to the team.
...
Eat.Enjoy.Live.: New book details a refugee’s life in Springfield
10/5/2017
| G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
For Hannah Perlstein Marcus the act of writing about her childhood and her community of Jewish refuges in Springfield called up memories that had been forgotten.
...
Healthy Living: New cellphone app can check for scoliosis
10/5/2017
| Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com
If you’re of a certain age, you remember the school nurse asking you to pull up your shirt and bend forward as she checked your back for signs of curving.
...
Agawam’s Soldier On facility prepares to welcome veterans
10/5/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
Soldier On’s new permanent housing facility in Feeding Hills offers previously homeless veterans new opportunities. The nonprofit organization, which specializes in providing transitional housing as well as support systems for homeless veterans, recently unveiled its latest achievement – the rehabilitation of the former Western Massachusetts Regional Police Academy into a 51-unit living facility.
...
Recent Articles
Out of the Darkness Walk finds new home at School Street Park
8/31/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
Now in its 16th year, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Greater Springfield Out of the Darkness walk has a new home in School Street Park.
The walk, which is slated for Oct. 21, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., is one of the principal fundraising and awareness efforts put on by the AFSP’s local c
...
Community rallies around Lingenberg family
8/31/2017
| Chris Miracle
Fundraising efforts continue for one local high school athlete currently battling cancer.
Justin Lingenberg, a 16-year-old junior at Agawam High School, was diagnosed with pediatric glioma earlier this summer. A member of the Agawam boys’ volleyball team, Lingenberg was playing for the West volleyball t
...
Eat.Enjoy.Live.: Tree House grows into its new home
8/31/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
Hidden in plain sight at Tree House Brewing Company’s new facility in Charlton is a subtle nod to its humble beginnings. Etched into the floor is the original floor plan, with proper dimensions, of the original brewery in Brimfield. The positioning of the bar, fermenters, stairs and even the potbelly stove harkens back to a past that seems long ago, but is, indeed, not forgotten.
...
Eat.Enjoy.Live.: A first timer tries out Big E food
8/31/2017
| G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
For veteran Big E attendees we know the drill: going to the fair means being able to try food we’ve never seen before and never imagined before.
Fair food is an art form located at the intersection of taste, novelty and mobility. A fair food item may be the best tasting treat you’ve ever had, but
...
Games and Lanes finally comes down
8/3/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
At long last, the former Games and Lanes building is no more. Dozens of people gathered on Walnut Street Extension to see a demolition team take down the longtime eyesore and public safety concern on July 31. For Mayor Richard Cohen and the rest of the town of Agawam, it marked the end of a frustrating nearly decade-long period of inactivity, thanks to David Peter, president of Site Redevelopment Technologies.
...
Eat.Enjoy.Live.: First row for all 13 Six Flags rollercoasters
8/3/2017
| Craig Harris
Speed, twists, turns, inversions, corkscrews, and vertical drops are all part of Six Flag New England’s roller coaster experience. On July 11, I rode in the front seat of the Agawam amusement park’s 13 roller coasters. The adrenaline continues to fuel me. A roller coaster ride takes 30 seconds to two minutes but its effect lasts long afterwards.
...
After nearly two decades, Cohen will not seek new term as mayor
8/3/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
It’s been nearly two decades since Agawam welcomed in a new mayor. In January 2018, the town will do exactly that. Mayor Richard Cohen recently announced he would not run for reelection and his tenure as mayor will end after 18 years.
...
Opinion: Valley native Foray made an impact in animation
8/3/2017
| G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
We all love our favorite sons and daughters – those residents of a community who have gone off and achieved fame and fortune doing something significant.
...
National Night Out returns this August
7/6/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
Agawam Police Officer Bob Burke admits that five years ago when pitched the idea of hosting National Night Out, he had no idea it would be quite so popular. “When I first went to the mayor and the chief about this, we thought we would be happy with getting a few hundred people,” he said. “We had way more than we’ve expected and ever since then, it’s kind of taken on a life of its own.”
...
A Look Back at Agawam: The Thomas and Esther Smith House
7/6/2017
| Agawam Historical Association
The Thomas and Esther Smith House is located in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam. Smith, a housewright, purchased the 200-acre parcel once granted to Matthew Noble by William Pynchon. In 1757 Smith build the Georgian style house which still remains to this day.
...
Opinion: Union Station is an accomplishment to be celebrated
7/6/2017
| G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
I took some photos at the public open house on Sunday of the newly refurbished Union Station and the place was mobbed with people clearly curious and clearly jubilant about the re-opening. They have every right to be.
...
Library looks to help ‘Build a Better World’
6/1/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
This year, joining libraries across the country, Agawam Public Library will ask its patrons to think about what they can do to Build a Better World as part of the adult and children’s summer reading programs. “Build a Better World is country-wide. We’ve tried to have a lot of our events go along with that theme,” explained Wendy McAnanama, adult programs coordinator.
...
City councilor pushes for vote on CPA
6/1/2017
| Chris Miracle
The Agawam Community Preservation Act, adopted by the Town of Agawam in 2001, will be on the agenda of the next council meeting on June 19, presented as a resolution as a non-binding vote to provide an opportunity to see how the town feels if the CPA should continue to be in effect moving forward.
...
Thunderbirds looking to build on momentum
6/1/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
The ice is melted, the boards have been removed and players have long since left to head home for the offseason. But for the Springfield Thunderbirds’s front office team, this is the proving ground. After what has been heralded by most as a successful start for the franchise in its inaugural season, Executive Vice President Nate Costa and his team are now tasked with building upon their accomplishments to build a sustainable future for the team.
...
Opinion: Urban Land Institute’s 2006 report still makes sense
6/1/2017
| G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
In the fall of the 2006, the Urban Land Institute (ULI) came to Springfield and did a remarkable analysis of the city and what steps it should take for its renewal and future.
To give you a bit of context, Charlie Ryan was mayor and he was working with the Finance Control Board in governing Springfield, which
...
Eat.Enjoy.Live: Morrison’s art on display
5/4/2017
| G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
Artist Frank Morrison's aintings are on exhibit at the Art for the Soul Gallery at Tower Square through June 15. “We feel very fortunate to have another highly acclaimed artist show his works at the gallery,” Rosemary Tracy Woods, executive director of Art for the Soul Gallery said. “We are especially impressed with Mr. Morrison’s care, concern and focus on children and literacy.”
...
Eat.Enjoy.Live.: Free Comic Book Day promotes literacy
5/4/2017
| G. Michael Dobbs
G. Michael Dobbs
This year the Springfield City Library is among the locations that would be giving people free comic books. Librarian Liz Meier from the East Forest Park Branch explained the library has not always participated in the worldwide event that first started in 2002.
...
Shelter would offer dogs ‘A New Beginning’
5/4/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
Anyone on social media has seen them. A photo or a video of an animal, homeless or abused or maybe both, searching for somewhere to call its “forever home.” They tug at the heartstrings. Many times we think, “I wish there’s something I could do.” One young woman in Feeding Hills, however, thought, “I’m going to do something.”
...
Interest in girls lacrosse continues to grow
5/4/2017
| Chris Miracle
Founded in 2000, the Western Massachusetts Girls Lacrosse League is here to stay, and poised for the future development of youth lacrosse. Starting out with a lone team with a roster of fifth through eighth graders, the blossoming league split into two teams in 2003 with one squad of fifth and sixth, and another of seventh and eighth. Also in that same year, Agawam coach Lynn Geiger formed a Bantam team for third and fourth graders.
...
This park’s gone to the dogs ... and that’s great
5/4/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
It’s mid-day on a beautiful spring Friday as the sun peeks between the clouds. On nearby a bench two people sit and enjoy the sunshine while in the midst of light conversation. Elsewhere, a small group has congregated by a fence to socialize. All the while, in the middle of a field, a pack of dogs race around and roll together. It’s the Agawam Dog Park.
...
Opinion: News on MGM apartments comes as a big surprise
5/4/2017
| G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
Let me cast an assumption aside: while at times I’m cynical and jaded, I can still be surprised and shocked. My mouth was certainly hanging open at the Casino Oversight committee hearing last week. Aside from a brief appearance by a local TV videographer, I was the only reporter there and the only member of the press that reported the phrase “affordable housing” was used in the description of the status of the 54 apartments MGM is obligated to construct as part of the casino project.
...
Rosie Robotics builds for the future
4/6/2017
| Payton North
Founded in 2002 by Dana Henry and the late John Burns, Agawam's Rosie Robotics team has been building character and building their way through competitions across the U.S. for the past 15 years.
...
Opinion: Candidate Convention is a terrific idea for Agawam
4/6/2017
| G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
William Clark has a good idea. the Agawam resident is interested in building more interest in people participating in local government. On May 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the American Legion Post 185 at 478 Springfield St. in Feeding Hills, Clark and others will be staging the “Agawam Candidate Convention.”
...
Malerba shoots for United World Games
4/6/2017
| Payton North
Agawam soccer player Nick Malerba received an invitation to play for the American International Sports Teams' soccer division in Austria at the United World Games this July. He and his family are working to raise the $8,000 needed to participate in the 10-day games.
...
Healthy Living: State bets GameSense will stem problem gambling
4/6/2017
| Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com
Who hasn’t done it? Plunked down a dollar or two for a scratch ticket when you hit the convenience store for gas or milk? Kicked in a few bucks when the office pool was betting on the latest big Powerball? Taken advantage of one of those “fundraising” bus trips to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun? Congratulations, you just joined the ranks of the 72 percent of adult Bay Staters who gambled last year.
...
Eat.Enjoy.Live.: Vanished Valley Brewing – the little brewery with big aspirations
4/6/2017
| 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.
“We tore it down an
...
Shriners Hospital builds upon its original mission
4/6/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
Since the 1920s, Shriners Hospitals for Children have been providing essential care to the youngest and most vulnerable of our population. They have also been constantly evolving. When the doors opened at the Shiners Hospital in Springfield on Feb. 21, 1925, the mission was the treatment of children with polio. As polio was essentially eradicated, the hospital’s focus shifted to its current role as a specialty hospital treating pediatric orthopedic and spine issues, rheumatology, chest wall deformities, neuromuscular cerebral palsy and cleft lip and palate issues with no restrictions on care due to an inability to pay. And even now, Shriners keeps evolving.
...
New Pope Francis head sees challenges, 'but the opportunities are incredible'
4/6/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
Dr. W. Paul Harrington Jr. was selected to lead Pope Francis High School after a nationwide search assisted by Partners in Mission School Leadership Search Solutions. He was most recently the head of school for the Bishop Garcia Diego High School in California.
...
From the Editor's Desk: Happy St. Patrick's Day from an 'adopted' Irish son
3/3/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
I’m the very definition of a Heinz 57 American. My heritage is something I’m aware of, but never something I have ever felt was a defining characteristic of who I am. With that in mind, St. Patrick’s Day was always one of those holidays that I never really understood and never really participated in.
...
Eat.Enjoy.Live.: Holyoke’s United Congregational Church to screen ‘The Navigator’
3/3/2017
| G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
The screening of the revered Buster Keaton silent comedy, “The Navigator” with a live musical accompaniment at the United Congregational Church in Holyoke on March 4 is far more than an exercise in nostalgia. According to organist Peter Krasinski who will provide the musical score for the film, contemporary audiences come to such events for several different reasons.
...
Healthy Living: National Eating Disorders Week raises awareness of illnesses
3/3/2017
| Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com
It affects the lives of 30 million Americans, encompassing all age groups, genders, races and socio-economic groups. Yet eating disorders – anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating and other specified feeding and eating disorder behaviors – are among the least discussed forms of mental illness. The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is working to change that status by declaring Feb. 27 to March 4 National Eating Disorders Awareness Week for 2017.
...
Agawam achieves Green Community status
3/3/2017
| G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
The town of Agawam was recently included in a group of 30 municipalities statewide to be granted Green Community status by the Massachusetts Executive office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Department of Energy Resources, a designation that will give the town the opportunity to take advantage of funding for energy-saving and environmentally conscious initiatives. “We’re very happy to have been designated a Massachusetts Green Community,” Mayor Richard Cohen said. “It’s free money and the free money helps us save money, so it’s 100 percent win-win.”
...
Acadamy Starz twirl their way to the top
3/3/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
With a successful January, the Academy Starz are picking up right where they left off. The competitive baton twirling team at The Academy of Artistic Performance posted an impressive performance at the Miss Majorette of Massachusetts competition, getting the 2017 season off on the right foot. “We actually swept the competition,” Coach Brittany Locke said. “In everything we entered as a team and as individuals we placed as high as we possibly could. In the intermediate 13-15 division, we had three girls and they placed first, second and third.” With girls competing at a high level at number of different levels – novice, beginner, intermediate and advanced – the Academy Starz also boasted the biggest winner in Mollie Dion, who won the highest division to become the advanced Senior Miss Majorette of Massachusetts.
...
Local veterans find peace through combat sports
3/3/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
Combat sports as a means of stress relief for veterans? It might seem counterintuitive, but it’s exactly what’s working for former members of the military at Harnessing Muay Boran at Asian Martial Arts and Core Fitness. Vakny Chonmany, owner of the martial arts studio at 270 Main St., has opened his doors to current and former members of the armed services for an hour of free Muay Thai training every Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m.
...
Smart melds old-fashioned parenting with modern times
3/3/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
Like many parents, Valerie Smart wanted to be the textbook definition of a “perfect mom.” The 20-year resident of Agawam admitted it was easy to get wrapped up in approaching parenting like a competitive sport. “I had gotten wrapped up in the whole mentality of ‘one more class, one more activity, one more enrichment’ for my own kids and trying to be the superstar mom,” she said. “You get caught up in this feeling that you have to do it all. You can’t do it all and when you try, nobody wins and that’s when family starts breaking down.” Eventually, the mother of two daughters, Eden, who is now 10, and 4-year-old Faith, learned that sometimes it’s better to just simplify life. “Sometimes we have to take a step back and parent like a generation ago,” she said.
...
From the Editor's Desk: Welcome to Agawam Magazine!
2/1/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
For more than 50 years Reminder Publications has been synonymous with community.
We have made our collective livelihood proudly joining you in your home to keep you informed on what is going on in the places you live and work.
It truly is a labor of love.
With that in mind, I’d li
...
Changes coming to Walnut Street Extension
2/2/2017
| Chris Goudreau
cgoudreau@thereminder.com
Four projects are in the works in Agawam to bring new vibrancy to the Walnut Street Extension Area. These projects include a streetscape redesign, the redevelopment of the former Games & Lanes site, the reconstruction of the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge, and the development of the now demolished Agawam Motor Lodge.
...
Curran pursues dreams on the diamond
2/2/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
Since signing a professional baseball contract as a teenager, a lot has changed for Agawam native Seamus Curran. First and foremost, Seamus Curran has changed. “I was 17 and I was just like any other 17-year-old would be. The guys in the locker room are 22, 23 years old,” Curran, now 19, recalled of the first time he walked into a locker room after being drafted in the seventh round by the Baltimore Orioles. “I had to grow up really fast.”
...
Tot Lot support exceeds expectations
2/2/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
As part of the Lions International 100th anniversary celebration, Agawam Lions Club Secretary Dick Lanier explained, the organization charged each of its 42,000 clubs to go out into the community and identify a “Centennial Community Legacy Project,” aimed at creating a lasting contribution to the town. For its part in the worldwide outreach campaign, the Agawam Lions are now in the midst of a campaign to raise $25,000 in seed money to upgrade the “Tot Lot” at Perry Lane Park.
...
The Maple Hut: A family taps success
2/2/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
If you weren’t looking for it, you might not even realize it was there. Sitting in the corner of the backyard of a home on River Road, even if you saw it, you might just think it’s a large shed. Little would you know that inside are the tools to make one of New England’s sweetest delicacies – maple syrup. It’s The Maple Hut, a small, but busy sugarhouse nestled right smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood along the Connecticut River.
...
