Friends of The Great Falls Discovery Center

Great Hall Exhibit: Portraits in Red – Missing & Murdered Indigenous People Painting Project
2023-07-29 - 2023-08-30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
The murder rate for Native women is about 3 times more than that of most other women. 98% of Indigenous people experience violence in their lifetime, with only a 6% prosecution rate. Athol-based artist Nayana LaFond began painting a portrait, “Lauraina in RED”, in 2020 to support the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous peoples. The response was overwhelming. She painted another with a more overwhelming response. Nayana invited anyone wanting her to paint them or their loved one for free. She received over 25 responses that first day…and the messages never stopped coming.
More of Nayana’s work on IG @nayanaarts
About the image: “Leonard in RED”
Leonard is Mohawk from Massachusetts. Leonard lost his niece “hummingbird”, when she died he cut his long braids and never grew his hair back out. Leonard is painted in honor of his niece because in Mohawk tradition you can not represent the person who has passed by image as themselves or by their name, only by other names and relationship. So Leonard is painted in honor of his niece Hummingbird who is painted on his shoulder.

Nice & Easy Walk
2023-08-09 10:00 - 11:00, 2023-08-16 10:00 - 11:00, 2023-09-01 13:00 - 14:00, 2023-09-08 13:00 - 14:00, 2023-09-22 13:00 - 14:00, 2023-09-29 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
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 natural and local history along the way. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and sturdy footwear and bring water. Meet outside the main entrance.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Coyotes
2023-08-11 10:30 - 11:30
For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Learn more about our wildlife neighbors who share our home. Program includes a story, activities, and a craft. Activities are indoors and outdoors, weather permitting. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.

Great Falls Coffeehouse Presents: Hampton Trio
2023-08-11 19:00 - 21:00
Join us for the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center’s concert series featuring local talent. Enjoy classical and contemporary music for mandolins, mandola, and guitar from the Hampton Trio. Refreshments available. Sliding scale suggested donations, all in support of educational programming at the Center. Meet in the Great Hall.

Artist Reception: Portraits in Red – Missing & Murdered Indigenous People Painting Project
2023-08-13 13:00 - 15:00
Come meet Nayana LaFond, the artist of “Portraits in Red – Missing & Murdered Indigenous People Painting Project.”
More about the show:
The murder rate for Native women is about 3 times more than that of most other women. 98% of Indigenous people experience violence in their lifetime, with only a 6% prosecution rate. Athol-based artist Nayana LaFond began painting a portrait, “Lauraina in RED”, in 2020 to support the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous peoples. The response was overwhelming. She painted another with a more overwhelming response. Nayana invited anyone wanting her to paint them or their loved one for free. She received over 25 responses that first day…and the messages never stopped coming.
About the image: “Leonard in RED”
Leonard is Mohawk from Massachusetts. Leonard lost his niece “hummingbird”, when she died he cut his long braids and never grew his hair back out. Leonard is painted in honor of his niece because in Mohawk tradition you can not represent the person who has passed by image as themselves or by their name, only by other names and relationship. So Leonard is painted in honor of his niece Hummingbird who is painted on his shoulder.

StoryWalk® - Agua, Agüita / Water, Little Water
2023-08-17 - 2023-09-23
Enjoy a story, fresh air, and exercise! Join us on the center’s grounds for a free self-guided StoryWalk® featuring the children’s picture book Agua, Agüita / Water, Little Water by Jorge Argueta, a bilingual book for readers ages 4-7 and everyone who celebrates water. Follow the path to book pages posted along the route.
*The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson. This StoryWalkv® is provided by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Interpretive Services.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - River Otters
2023-08-18 10:30 - 11:30

Art Naturally Series
2023-08-19 10:30 - 12:00
Discover nature through story, poetry, and art in our series of free Art Naturally programs. Using words and images, instruction and techniques you create an art piece inspired by the natural world to take home. For adults, teens, and children ages 6 and up (accompanied by an adult). All art materials provided. Meet in the Great Hall.

Montague Public Libraries Presents: The Whale Mobile
2023-08-19 14:00 - 16:00
Whale watch naturalist, Cynde McInnis, presents an introduction to whales. Then 20 people at a time see the Whale Mobile inflate and get to go inside! Call the Carnegie library at 413-863-3214 to sign up! You have a choice of which of the four, 30-minute time slots you would prefer. In collaboration with Montague Public Libraries, RiverCulture, and the center. Meet in the Great Hall.

Live Animal Program: Massachusetts Wildlife
2023-08-20 14:00 - 15:00
Free. For all ages. Put a face to the challenges wildlife must rise to meet. The Southern Vermont Natural History Museum presents a live animal program featuring wildlife of the Connecticut River Watershed. You may see snakes, birds, mammals, and reptiles! Includes a presentation of furs, skulls, and other artifacts for an exploration of our local fauna.

Nice & Easy Walks
2023-08-23 10:00 - 11:00, 2023-09-15 13:00 - 14:00

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Skunks
2023-08-25 10:30 - 11:30

Kidleidoscope Story Hour: Butterflies
2023-09-01 10:30 - 11:30

Great Hall Exhibit: Intervals
2023-09-02 - 2023-10-01
Karen Axtell presents, Intervals, mixed-media prints about time on handmade paper, layered with oil and water-based materials. The prints reference the rings of trees, the depth of rivers, the shape of leaves, ebb of tides, phases of the moon, and more.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour: Dragonflies
2023-09-08 10:30 - 11:30

Great Falls Coffeehouse Presents: Jim Eagan & Anand Nayak
2023-09-08 19:00 - 21:00
Join us for the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center’s concert series featuring local talent. Enjoy a mix of folk and folk blues with ginger-style guitar from Jim Eagan and Anand Nayak. Refreshments available. Sliding scale suggested donations, all in support of educational programming at the Center. Meet in the Great Hall.

Canal Draw Down History Stroll
2023-09-13 17:00 - 18:30
Check out the annual draining of the Turners Falls canal, take a stroll along the Canalside Rail Trail, and absorb local history with Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center staff, historian Ed Gregory, and DCR staff. Meet at the entrance of the Center for this free two mile walk on flat terrain.

Art Naturally Series: Fall Felting
2023-09-16 10:30 - 12:00
Discover nature through story, poetry, and art in our series of free Art Naturally programs. Using words and images, instruction, and techniques you create an art piece inspired by the natural world to take home. Celebrate the arrival of autumn while learning about trees and the impact of climate on their annual show of color. We’ll get creative and make a wet-felted “painting” of fall foliage with wool fleece, yarn, pre-felt, and specialty fibers. For adults, teens, and children ages 6 and up (accompanied by an adult). All art materials provided. Meet in the Great Hall.

Adventures in the Microcosmos: Foldscopes
2023-09-17 10:30 - 12:00
Learn how to use an origami microscope! Join ornithologist Ezekiel “Zeke” Jakub, co-founder of the non-profit Conservacion Panama, for “adventures in the microcosmos,” an opportunity to observe tiny parts of our world up close and get an introduction to scientific methods and conservation—all while using a Foldscope. Free. Registration required. Please call 413-863-3221 to sign-up. For children and families ages 9 and up. Meet in the Great Hall.

Artist Reception: Intervals
2023-09-17 14:00 - 16:00
Join Karen Axtell for a reception celebrating her work, Intervals, a series of mixed-media prints about time. Meet in the Great Hall.

Source To Sea Cleanup: Canalside Rail Trail
2023-09-23 10:00 - 12:00
Hard work, real fun, true impact: the annual fall trash cleanup of the Connecticut River and its tributaries. Join DCR staff to clean-up the Canalside Rail Trail. To register, visit bit.ly/canalside2023 or contact DCR staff at 413-863-3221 for more information. Meet at the main entrance.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour: Raptors
2023-09-29 10:30 - 11:30

Postponed to Sunday, October 22. At Sword's Point: A History of Trade Unions in the Machine Tool Industry in Franklin County
2023-09-30 14:00 - 15:30
Postponed to Sunday, October 22, 2-3:30 p.m. Public historian Tom Goldscheider discusses Franklin County precision steel tool manufacturing, where it was a world leader for generations. Workers organized with a democratic trade union that was targeted in a national political campaign aimed against it. This led to a peaceful confrontation in Greenfield and surrounding towns that surprised onlookers near and far. Meet in the Great Hall.
Oral History project:
Did you or someone you know work in the local machine tool industry? Your stories can help enrich this research. If you are interested in sharing your memories please introduce yourself at the At Sword’s Point event or contact the presenter at tom.goldscheider@gmail.com.
Learn more about the project from Tom here.

The Geology of Gill and Vicinity— The Best Place in the World To Study Geology
2023-10-01 14:00 - 15:00
Professor Emeritus Richard Little, presents his new 25-minute movie, The Geology of Gill and Vicinity —The Best Place in the World To Study Geology. Dive into the deep history preserved in our local rocks and landscape. Learn about the birth and death of Pangea, local dinosaurs, armored mud balls, Lake Hitchcock, and the mysterious deep holes in the Connecticut’s riverbed. Prof. Little will also bring samples for display and leads a tour of the Center’s Rock Garden. Meet in the Great Hall.
