Friends of The Great Falls Discovery Center

Ongoing - Great Hall Art Exhibit: All Our Relations – To Honor the Wampanoag Supreme Sachem Pometacomet on the 350th Anniversary of the Great Falls Massacre
2026-04-02 - 2026-05-30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
This exhibit in the Great Hall, features work by Deborah Spears Moorehead, Seaconke Pokanoket Wampanoag, and Robert Peters, Mashpee Wampanoag, focusing on pre-colonization, the 350th Anniversary of Metacomet’s (King Philip’s) War and the Great Falls Massacre of 1676. Learn about Indigenous history and their continued presence here and throughout the Northeast. Sponsored by Friends of the Center, the Nolumbeka Project, and funded by the Montague Cultural Council. a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council. For all ages. Accessible during open hours.

Ongoing - Indoor StoryWalk® — One Earth
2026-04-03 - 2026-04-30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Enjoy the indoor StoryWalk®, One Earth by Eileen Spinelli, an invitation to celebrate our planet and honor it through stewardship. For ages 4 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® is provided by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Interpretive Services.

First Friday Flight Path Program: Nesting Birds Investigation Station *
2026-04-03 15:00 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Come learn about nests, eggs, and feathers at our nesting birds investigation station. Meet at the welcome desk to see a wide range of egg replicas from a hummingbird to a bald eagle, and more! Co-sponsored by Montague Public Libraries as part of Flight Path bird programming all month long. For all ages.
* Special “Flight Path” Programs
Look for the asterisk! Those bird programs are a special collaboration with the Great Falls Discovery Center, thanks to a Flight Path Grant from Star Net Libraries. For more information visit www.starnetlibraries.org.

Nice and Easy Walk
2026-04-09 13:00 - 14:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Easy-paced, 1- to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for older adults, but open to all. Enjoy some 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. Note: there is no walk on April 16.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Chipmunks
2026-04-10 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
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.

Great Falls Coffeehouse Presents: The Uncles with special guest Eveline MacDougall
2026-04-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Join us for the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center’s concert series featuring local talent. The Uncles with special guest Eveline MacDougall perform a delightful mix of Folk, Rock, Country, and Jazz with several stringed instruments and four voices. Refreshments available. Sliding scale suggested donations, in support of educational programming at the Center. Meet in the Great Hall. For all ages.

National Poetry Month Author Reading Featuring Bob McNeil
2026-04-11 15:00 - 16:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Join us in celebration of National Poetry Month with Bob McNeil, writer, editor, cartoonist, and spoken-word artist, who recites with special guest musician Steve Koziol. In Bob’s single author anthology Compositions on Compassion and Other Emotions, he explores the importance of love and hope in healing from the pandemic and endemic violence. Proceeds from this work fund the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
Steve Koziol, best known for playing in the bands Dingo Roi and Span of Sunshine, is a songwriter and musician, who has contributed guitar, keyboard, bass, alto sax, and vocal harmonies to many bands and performers throughout Hampshire and Franklin Counties. From youth to adults, all are welcome at this event, sponsored by the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center and RiverCulture.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Osprey *
2026-04-17 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
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.
* Special “Flight Path” Programs
Look for the asterisk! Those bird programs are a special collaboration with the Great Falls Discovery Center, thanks to a Flight Path Grant from Star Net Libraries. For more information visit www.starnetlibraries.org.

Ongoing: Earth Week Investigation Station and Indoor StoryWalk® — One Earth
2026-04-18 - 2026-04-26 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, 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 and honor it through stewardship. For all ages.

Ongoing - Outdoor Story Walk®— Ruby’s Birds *
2026-04-18 - 2026-05-12 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Ongoing, April 18 – May 12
Enjoy a story, fresh air and exercise! Join us on the Discovery Center’s grounds for a free self-guided StoryWalk® featuring Ruby’s Birds. For ages 3 and up and anyone who loves migratory birds! Co-sponsored by Montague Public Libraries as part of Flight Path bird programming all month long.
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® is provided by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Interpretive Services.
* Special “Flight Path” Programs
Look for the asterisk! Those bird programs are a special collaboration with the Great Falls Discovery Center, thanks to a Flight Path Grant from Star Net Libraries. For more information visit www.starnetlibraries.org.

Flight Path Program: Bird Scavenger Hunt *
2026-04-18 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Let’s go find birds! Learn about common local bird species and join us on a quest to find birds both inside our habitat dioramas and outside on the Center’s grounds and along the Canalside Rail Trail. We’ll practice using binoculars, being quiet, and read the story Ruby’s Birds together. Wear clothing for mud season – sturdy shoes and layers. Meet in the Great Hall. For ages 4–9 and their families. Co-sponsored by Montague Public Libraries as part of Flight Path bird programming all month long.
* Special “Flight Path” Programs
Look for the asterisk! Those bird programs are a special collaboration with the Great Falls Discovery Center, thanks to a Flight Path Grant from Star Net Libraries. For more information visit www.starnetlibraries.org.

Art Naturally – Bird Zines *
2026-04-19 10:30 - 12:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Discover nature through story, poetry and art in our series of free art programs. Design a zine to celebrate ongoing bird migrations. Learn how to make an 8 or 16-page booklet from a single piece of paper, finding out how birds migrate along the way. For adults, teens, and children ages 6 and up (accompanied by an adult). All materials provided. Meet in the Great Hall at 10:30 a.m. for complete instructions.
* Special “Flight Path” Programs
Look for the asterisk! Those bird programs are a special collaboration with the Great Falls Discovery Center, thanks to a Flight Path Grant from Star Net Libraries. For more information visit www.starnetlibraries.org.

A French / Breton Jam Session
2026-04-19 14:30 - 16:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, 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. Meet in the Great Hall. For all ages.

Flight Path Program: Montague Public Libraries Presents Window Decals for Bird Safety *
2026-04-21 14:00 - 16:00 | Carnegie Library, 201 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376
Design your own window decals, inspired by local and migratory birds, and apply them to windows to reduce bird collisions. For all ages. Meet at the Carnegie Library at 201 Avenue A, Turners Falls. Sponsored by Montague Public Libraries as part of Flight Path bird programming all month long.
* Special “Flight Path” Programs
Look for the asterisk! Those bird programs are a special collaboration with the Great Falls Discovery Center, thanks to a Flight Path Grant from Star Net Libraries. For more information visit www.starnetlibraries.org.

Earth Day and Flight Path Bird Migration Program: Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? *
2026-04-22 15:00 - 17:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Take a moment on Earth Day to explore and compare the different survival strategies of seasonal birds vs. year-round residents in this drop-in program. Learn how the activities of people impact bird migration and how you can make a difference! Enjoy both an outdoor StoryWalk® Ruby’s Birds and play an outdoor migration challenge game. Co-sponsored by Montague Public Libraries as part of Flight Path bird programming all month long. For ages 6-12 and their families. Meet in the Great Hall.
* Special “Flight Path” Programs
Look for the asterisk! Those bird programs are a special collaboration with the Great Falls Discovery Center, thanks to a Flight Path Grant from Star Net Libraries. For more information visit www.starnetlibraries.org.

Nice and Easy Walk
2026-04-23 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-30 13:00 - 14:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Easy-paced, 1- to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for older adults, but open to all. Enjoy some 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.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Who Lives in a Tree?
2026-04-24 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States

Webinar Talk With the Artists: All Our Relations – To Honor the Wampanoag Supreme Sachem Pometacomet on the 350th Anniversary of the Great Falls Massacre
2026-04-25 19:00 - 21:00
The Nolumbeka Project presents a talk via Zoom with Deborah Spears Moorehead (Seaconke Pokanoket Wampanoag), and Robert Peters (Mashpee Wampanoag), our Spring artists. Facilitated by David Brule. Deb and Robert speak about their art and share history about their ancestor Metacom. Meet them in person at the Great Falls Discovery Center where they will be Honored Guests for the Day of Remembrance proceedings on Saturday, May 16. Sponsored by the Nolumbeka Project. For Zoom registration visit nolumbekaproject.org/events. For youth and adults.

Great Hall Guest Speaker: King Philip’s War in Your Backyard 1675-76
2026-04-26 14:00 - 15:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Sunday, April 26, 2–3:30 p.m.
David Brule reviews the events that happened nearby in the central Connecticut River Valley starting in August 1675 and continuing into May 1676 and beyond. David focuses on the latest results of the National Park Service-sponsored study of the massacre at Peskeompskut falls and the Native counterattack over a 7-mile route through Greenfield. Learn from statements about the lasting impacts on local Tribes by modern-day Tribal participants in this 12-year study. For youth and adults. Sponsored by the Nolumbeka Project.
