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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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