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.

Events Search and Views Navigation

Event Views Navigation

Today

Artist talk by Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude cover artist Arista Alanis *

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

Meet Arista Alanis and hear how her painting “on down the road” became the image used for Ross Gay’s Catalogue of Unabashed Gratitude book cover and about her creative process. Sponsored by PVMA and Montague Public Libraries NEA Big Read of Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. Meet in the Great Hall.  *  The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association […]

Free

Ongoing: Outdoor StoryWalk® — Spring is Here!

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

Enjoy a story, fresh air and exercise! Join us on the Discovery Center’s grounds for a free self-guided StoryWalk® featuring a children’s picture book. Follow the path to book pages posted along the route. Spring is Here! by Heidi Pross Gay is for ages 2—8 and everyone looking for the first signs of spring. The StoryWalk® Project […]

Free

Kidleidoscope Story Hour – Osprey

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

Learn more about our wildlife neighbors in the Connecticut River Watershed. Program includes a story, activities, and crafts. Activities are indoors and outdoors, weather permitting. For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.

Free

Nice & Easy Walk

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

Easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for seniors, but open to all. Enjoy natural and local history along the way. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Meet at the main entrance.

Free

Great Falls Coffeehouse Presents: Shenanigans with Friends

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

Join us for the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center’s concert series featuring local talent. Shenanigans with Friends brings an eclectic mix of uplifting songs—folksy, country, bluesy, and rocky. Refreshments available. Sliding scale suggested donations, all in support of educational programming at the Center. Meet in the Great Hall.

sliding scale donation

Vernal Pool Variety Hour: Secrets to Frog and Salamander Survival

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

Why are the still waters and muck of vernal pools the most attractive pieces of real estate for amphibians in the spring? What is a “Big Night”? Join us for this drop-in program exploring the soggy lives of frogs, toads, and salamanders and their dangerous migration journeys. For children ages 7 and up and their […]

Free

A French/Breton Jam Session

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

An informal group of musicians gathers to play the enchanting traditional dance music from France and Brittany, commonly known as bal folk. This is not a performance but rather a coming together of musically-minded friends. The event is free and open to the public to come and go at will. All ages. Meet in the […]

Free

Community Watch Party—A Conversation with Ross Gay *

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

Monday, April 14, 7—8 p.m. Join us for a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read keynote event, moderated by Matt Donovan, Director of The Boutelle-Day Poetry Center, Smith College, in conversation with Ross Gay, author of the NEA Big Read book: Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. Watch the conversation unfold on the big screen at […]

Free

Kidleidoscope Story Hour – Chipmunks

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

Learn more about our wildlife neighbors in the Connecticut River Watershed. Program includes a story, activities, and crafts. Activities are indoors and outdoors, weather permitting. For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.

Free

Nice & Easy Walk

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

Easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for seniors, but open to all. Enjoy natural and local history along the way. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Meet at the main entrance.

Free

Ongoing: Earth Week Investigation Station and Indoor Storywalk® – One Earth

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

Join us at the welcome desk during school vacation week for activities to inspire taking care of where we live. Enjoy indoor and outdoor scavenger hunts, crafts, and activities to honor the Earth, our shared home. Includes the indoor StoryWalk® — One Earth by Eileen Spinelli, which is an invitation to both celebrate our planet […]

Free

Buildwave: A Hands-on Building Game!

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

Have fun building, using the materials provided! Call the Carnegie Library 413-863-3214 to register your child. For families with children ages 5 and up, accompanied by an adult. Sponsored by the Montague Public Libraries. Meet in the Great Hall.

Free