Friends of The Great Falls Discovery Center

Events

The Great Falls Discovery Center hosts community programs and events, rotating art exhibits in our Great Hall and a Coffee House hosted by the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center.

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Crossroads Exhibit: Changing Storefronts in Turners Falls

Downtown Turners Falls Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA

See the village’s ever changing downtown through reproduced images courtesy of the Montague Historical Society Archive. This self-guided storefront exhibition is an open invitation to think about local, regional and national changes in “doing business” in rural America. At participating restaurant and retail stores in downtown Turners Falls including: LOOT, Breakdown Records, The Shea Theater, […]

Free
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Crossroads: Whose Viewpoint? Exhibition of Historic Franklin County Images

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA

In the Great Falls Discovery Center's Hallway Gallery, near the dioramas, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA) presents reproductions of historic maps, illustrations, photographs, and paintings exploring perspectives of the image makers. How are our rural places represented in the media? Maps, illustrations, photographs, and paintings were the media of the past. Like today, the […]

Free
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Crossroads Exhibit Ribbon Cutting 

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA

Come be the first to see the Smithsonian Exhibit, Crossroads: Change in Rural America, in Turners Falls! Get the scoop on how rural America has changed since 1900. The Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center board members, expert hosts of the monthly Great Falls Coffeehouse series, provide coffee and refreshments for this big day. […]

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Nice & Easy Walk: Crossroads Edition

An easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for seniors, but open to all ages. Join others seeking fresh air and exercise. A DCR Park Interpreter highlights local history, weaving in topics from the Crossroads: Change in Rural America exhibit. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather […]

Free
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Crossroads Kickoff 

Shea Theater Arts Center 71 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA

Join us at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls to jump start your Crossroads experience with storytelling, a short local film, and live music. Hear an introduction to the Crossroads exhibit and related programming with Leo Hwang, UMASS Amherst Assistant Academic Dean. Enjoy the documentary short film, “A Sweet Tradition,” by filmmaker Steve […]

Free
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Crossroads: Franklin County Industrialization

Museum of Our Industrial Heritage Newell Snow Factory, 2 Mead St, Greenfield, MA

Find out what industries were created throughout Franklin County, before, during and after industrialization of the Turners Falls canal. Learn how much industrial activity there once was along the streams and rivers in some of our now-quiet towns and villages and how that activity related to the larger industries in our region. Presenters: Jim Terapane, […]

Free
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Crossroads: Turners Falls Canal Investigation Station

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA

Why is there a canal in Turners Falls? Think flatboats, cutlery, and turbines! During our February School Vacation Week open hours, visit with Department of Conservation and Recreation park interpreters to explore the three reasons for the canal, including a few glimpses of life here before the canal was built. Learn how the canal has […]

Free
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Crossroads: Cutlery and Hand Tools

Museum of Our Industrial Heritage Newell Snow Factory, 2 Mead St, Greenfield, MA

Join silversmith Steve Smithers as he explores the story of the first tradesmen/artisans who came to Greenfield and the surrounding towns in the late 18th century, which eventually led to the emergence of the great metal industries of our region. Steve will also discuss and demonstrate the tools and techniques of these early makers. Then, […]

Free

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Still on! NEPM presents a Crossroads Event – Native Memories: Recovering Pocumtuck Histories in Franklin County

Shea Theater Arts Center 71 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA

New England Public Media presents with the Nolumbeka Project, a talk with Dr. Margaret M. Bruchac (Nulhegan Abenaki), Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. Free Event. This program is continuing as planned at 4 p.m. at the Shea Theater. Native American memories and histories in the valley of the Kwinitekw (Connecticut River) […]

Free
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Nice & Easy Walk: Crossroads Edition

An easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for seniors, but open to all ages. Join others seeking fresh air and exercise. A DCR Park Interpreter highlights local history, weaving in topics from the Crossroads: Change in Rural America exhibit. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather […]

Free
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Deepening the Power of Place: Exploring our Cultural Crossroads through Story, Song and Spoken Word

Shea Theater Arts Center 71 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA

Crossroads Closing Event with Erica Wheeler and Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, Jr. Singer/songwriter Erica Wheeler’s keynote concert celebrates our connections to Franklin County with a performance at the Shea Theater Arts Center. Wheeler believes “we can turn places we live, work, visit and play into places of belonging.” Her place-specific keynote concerts incorporate song, story, and […]

Free
Featured Featured

Nice & Easy Walk: Crossroads Edition

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA

An easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for seniors, but open to all ages. Join others seeking fresh air and exercise. A DCR Park Interpreter highlights local history, weaving in topics from the Crossroads: Change in Rural America exhibit. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather […]

Free