Simple Pleasures

Celebrating Winter Sports: Thunderbolt Ski Trail

The Thunderbolt ski Trail on Mt. Greylock was created by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930’s. After hosting worlds class skiers for many years it fell by the way side but recently it has seen resurgence in popularity.  Producer Tony Dunne and videographer...

Making It Here: Snowboard Wax Makers

Roger and Sarah Cameron from East Longmeadow, MA started the snow and surf wax company Magical Go-Go in 2003 and a few years later, Sarah realized that she wanted to open a sister company (POM POM) specifically targeted to females to encourage and empower their desire...

History of the Valentine’s Day Card

Esther Howland, a Mt. Holyoke College graduate and MA resident, was the “mother” of the Valentine’s Day card. Hear about how she got this idea, was able to implement it and see some of her designs as Leslie Fields, Head of Archives and Special Collections...

Howdy Awards

Greg Chiecko, Chair of Howdy Awards for Hospitality Excellence for the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, and James Watts, former Howdy Award winner, discuss this annual tradition honoring those who serve visitors to our...

Celebrating Winter Sports: Stratton Mountain School

Stratton Mountain School trains winter athletes with a focus on alpine skiing, snowboarding, and Nordic skiing. The school has produced over 40 Olympic athletes,  including two Gold Medal winners, two Silver Medalists, a Bronze Medalist, and several top-10 placements....

CISA: Sourcing Local Meat

Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) Executive Director Phil Korman takes us to a local farm that raises beef cattle. Austin Brothers Valley Farm raises its livestock naturally; no hormones or feed additives are used. Some of the beef they produce is...

Music Educator Grammy Nominee

A total of 10 music teachers from 10 cities across 8 states have been announced as finalists for the first annual Music Educator Grammy Award. More than 30,000 initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states. Kurn Hattin Homes for Children’s Music...

New Heritage & History Book

Wayne Phaneuf, Executive Editor of the Republican, and historian and co-author Joseph Carvalho discuss the latest publication in the Republican “Heritage & History” series — “The Struggle for Freedom: The History of African Americans in...