Holiday Fairs Post Updated!

Just a quick notice that the Holiday Fairs post has been updated.  Find it here.

Next Barn Over for the Holiday!

The Next Barn Over CSA is carrying on the Hadley Food Bank tradition and will have its Thanksgiving store open today from 10-2.  This is great news -- you still have time to stop in and get some delicious local Thanksgiving treats!
For more information, visit the Next Barn Over website or read the news in the gazettenet.
So good -- I'm looking forward to learning more about the Next Barn Over, now that I've found it!

Small Business Saturday

As Thanksgiving approaches more and more emphasis and advertising are given over to the feared "Black Friday" -- when all kinds of stores will open their doors to hoards of anxious shoppers who both dread and long for the morning they will rise from their beds at an indecent hour to seek out the biggest and best sales around.  Armed with wallets, credit cards, coupons, and bags, of course.
That's Black Friday.

Saturday is an entirely different story.
This Saturday, November 27, is Small Business Saturday -- a day set aside to support the local small businesses that keep our communities diverse and varied and not like one big strip mall (though Hadley does indeed have one).
There are plenty of reasons to participate in Small Business Saturday -- small businesses reinvest more money into our communities, employ our friends and neighbours, grow more jobs, and are staples of our society.
There are lots of small unique businesses in our valley -- hope you can get out and support a few on Saturday!  I know I'll be out at at least two, maybe even three or four (restaurants count!).  Essentials, Atkins, Local Burger, Rt 9 Diner, Amherst Books, Scandihoovians, Hadley Garden Center, The Gift Chalet, Modern Myths, Ben & Bill's Chocolate... so many options!


So tell me: what is your favourite local small business?

Holiday Fairs & Bazaars!

6/30/13: This post has been getting a TON of activity (some of which is referrer spam), but it's quite out of date.  If you are looking for events and fairs, please visit the calendar page, linked on the right side of the post.

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Updated!
Fair & Bazaar season has arrived!  It started last weekend with the fun Twist Fair and will be continuing on into the holiday season.  Here is a short list of some of the local fairs going on.

November:
Amherst Harvest Festival: Nov 20, 5:30-7 p.m. (potluck harvest supper). Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst. Free. 256-6754.

Amherst Sleighbell Fair: Nov 20, 8-2. South Congregational Church, South Amherst.

Cranberry Fair: Nov 20, 9-3.  First Congregational Church, UCC of Amherst.


4th Annual Craft & Vendor Fair: Nov 19 (5-9) & Nov 20 (10-2).  Schoolhouse Commons, 1085 Park Street, Palmer.

Hadley Holiday Vendor Fair (Hadley Mother's Club): Nov 20, 9-2. Most Holy Redeemer Church, Hadley.

Hartsbrook School Holiday Fair: Nov 20, 10-3. Hartsbrook School, Hadley.


Old Deerfield Christmas Sampler Craft Fair: Nov 19-21 (hours vary by day). Better Living Center, Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield.


December:
Holiday Marketplace: Dec 4, 10-3.  Shutesbury School, Shutesbury.

Leverett Christmas Craft Fair: Dec 4,9-3.  Leverett Congregational Church.

Northampton Winter Craft Fair: Dec 4-5, 9:30-4:30.  Northampton High School

Snowflake Bazaar: Dec 4, 9-4. Unitarian Meetinghouse (121 N. Pleasant St.), Amherst. (Thanks, Jenny!)

Sunderland Gingerbread Fair: Dec 4, 9-3. Sunderland Congregational Church.

Winter Fair in the Hilltowns: Dec 4, 10-4.  Brassworks Building, Haydenville.

**If you know of other local fairs that are not included on this page, please post a comment!  I'll update as I find more.**

Restaurant Review: Hillside Pizza

It's been an awful long time since I've posted here, and I've missed lots of important things -- like autumn in New England and election day and the cyclocross race at Look Park in Florence.  Maybe I'll catch up on those later.  Today's post is all about pizza.

Friday night is pizza night, right?  Not if you're gluten-free and lactose-free.  It's been years since Friday night was pizza night at our house.  But then we saw "gluten-free pizza" on the sign for the recently opened Hillside Pizza on Rte 9, and we had to try it.

We ate in; the restaurant was nice.  Cork board advertising and decks of cards at each table; a refrigerator with sodas and juices; clean, well-lighted, with plants and paintings.  The staff were friendly and helpful (entertaining, too -- you can watch them throw the pizza dough in the air). 
After a thorough perusal of the menu and a few questions asked and answered, we ordered 2 kinds of pizzas -- a regular pepperoni and a gluten-free mushroom & sausage.  Prepped in-house upon order, there's a bit of a time-lapse between ordering and eating, but that's what the cards are for -- plenty of time to play a game or start a conversation.  But not too long.  And then the pizzas came.  Our reactions? -- Delicious!  Hot, fresh, cheesy, and made with many local ingredients -- you can't go wrong with that. 
The gluten-free pizza is made with cheese in the crust, so if you usually need a little help with lactose, don't forget the lactaid.  However, Hillside Pizza does offer dairy-free cheese for the top of the pizza, if you have problems with lactose and not gluten.

Hillside Pizza also offers salads and sandwiches, gluten-free desserts, chips, fundraising opportunities, and take-and-bake pizzas.  Better than Amy's; better than DiGiorno.  But that shouldn't surprise anyone.  Hillside also promotes local business and a healthier community by responsible use of local, sustainable, and renewable resources.  If you've been thinking about making a visit, think no longer -- just go (but check their hours first -- they're only open 4 days a week).


Friday night pizza night!  Delicious -- I can't wait to do it again!

Here's a look at the Hadley restaurant's menu.

For more restaurant info, visit my previous blog.