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.
As part of our Food, Farms, and Factories programming, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association’s exhibit in our hallway gallery explores the history of agriculture in our fertile floodplain valley--from indigenous land use before English settlement to today’s Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) movement. For youth and adults. * Food, Farms, and Factories In 2024, […]
Explore the lives of active and resting winter wildlife through stories. For ages 3 and up, accompanied by an adult. Meet at the welcome desk. At the end of the StoryWalk® enjoy reading more books about snow and winter from our collection. 2/1—2/12: Tracks in the Snow, by Wong Herbert Yee 2/13—2/28: Rabbit’s Snow Dance […]
For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. 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. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.
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.
The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA), in partnership with Montague Public Libraries, celebrates its eighth National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read. Focused on Ross Gay’s book of poetry, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, exhibits and events explore this year’s theme of “Where We Live.” Enjoy the paintings of Greenfield artist, Cameron Schmitz, who uses […]
Explore the lives of our favorite mud season amphibians. For ages 3 and up, accompanied by an adult. Meet at the welcome desk. The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Story Walk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson. This StoryWalk® […]
What about building new bridges in Gilded Age Turners Falls drove neighbors and whole towns against each other? How do these dramas and debates that played out in newspapers and town meetings still impact us today? Join DCR staff as we piece together the stories and lessons of these burning questions affecting all five villages […]
As the brick blocks went up, the Turners Falls tenements tested every aspect of the town, from its ability to deal with disease to what laborers expected from their lot in life. Join DCR staff as we use photographs, maps and news clippings to step back in time and learn about life in the tenements. […]
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. Special topics—March 7: Turners Falls Tenements; March […]
Every First Friday of the Month, Turners Falls businesses and organizations stay open late for activities. On a mild, rainy night in early Spring, thousands of frogs, toads, and salamanders move across Massachusetts to reach their vernal pools and start the next generation of amphibians. But the journey across roads and lawns can be deadly. […]
Join us for two back-to-back documentaries, brought back to life by the Montague Historical Society, about local machine companies. Join Ed Gregory and Chris Clawson from the Montague Historical Society, and Dawn Ward from our Friends Group for Q & A. For teens and adults. Hot chocolate included! Meet in the Great Hall. The Mill […]
From farm to canvas to camera, artist Burt V. Brooks (1849-1934) captured the landscapes and daily life in the “drowned towns” before the Quabbin Reservoir (today managed by DCR) was filled. Join DCR staff as we look back on Brooks’ work for answers about who he was and what life in the Swift River Valley […]
Explore the lives of our favorite mud season amphibians. For ages 3 and up, accompanied by an adult. Meet at the welcome desk. 3/12—3/30: The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Story Walk® is a registered service […]
For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. 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. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.
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. Special topic March 14: Riverside neighborhood in […]
The Franklin County Musicians Cooperative (COOP) features solo artists, established duos, and small group performers who perform an unpredictable mix of folk, rock, country, Celtic, jazz and swing. Suggested donations. For all ages. Meet in the Great Hall.
For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. 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. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.
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.
For ages 5-16, accompanied by an adult. Join us to meet four animals up close and dive into learning about a variety of reptile, amphibian, and invertebrate species. Free. Sponsored by the Montague Public Libraries. Meet in the Great Hall.
Co-sponsored by PVMA and Montague Public Libraries, join Denise Fontaine-Pincince in this hands-on workshop to create a ‘Tiny Book’ to showcase a haiku of your choice. Bring up to five of your favorite haikus. Registered participants receive a sample selection of modern-day haiku prior to the workshop to help you choose. All book-making materials are […]
For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. 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. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.
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.
View Cameron Schmitz’s exhibit of paintings, enjoy refreshments, and meet the artist. Cameron Schmitz uses color and mark-making as her language of expression. At 4:15 p.m., Cameron speaks briefly about her work, with a Q&A. Sponsored by PVMA and Montague Public Libraries as part of the Big Read. Meet in the Great Hall. * The […]
All ages. 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. Meet in the […]
Enjoy the indoor StoryWalk®, One Earth by Eileen Spinelli, which is an open invitation to both celebrate our planet and honor it through stewardship. Count the reasons to love the planet and ways to protect it. For ages 4—8 and anyone who loves the earth, accompanied by an adult. Meet at the welcome desk. The […]
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.
Make a small booklet all about birds from a single piece of paper then fill it with your bird observations for this drop-in program. You can make your own personal field guide or start your life list. All materials provided. For all ages. Families welcome! Take a moment to enjoy hot chocolate too. Meet in […]
In this hands-on workshop for families, Denise Fontaine-Pincince teaches participants how to create a haiga (art with haiku) postcard. Poems and all materials are provided. Sample ‘haiga postcards’ can be viewed by looking up Haiku Gifts: Art with Poetry by Denise Fontaine-Pincince on YouTube. Ages 8 and up. No pre-registration required. Sponsored by PVMA and Montague Public […]
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 […]