Happy New Year’s greetings to all our friends and neighbors. Turn the page on your calendars. Given the past two years, 2022 will probably be amazing in many different ways.
If you celebrate on New Year’s eve, be safe, have a designated driver.
Happy Feast of Three Kings, another opportunity to celebrate.
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The summer postcard contest has begun.
Elayne Berger Shields of Amherst actually sent two cards. One was mailed as a postcard. The other postcard was mailed in an envelope. She wanted to see which would be delivered faster. Both arrived the same day.
The mailed card was from Austin, Texas and featured an armadillo. The card provided information on the animal, including that it had very sharp teeth to help dig up items.
The card that was in the envelope had a picture of the state capital made of red granite and is the largest state capital building in the country. That last sentence should not be a surprise.
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I read the good news that Valley Transporter will reopen. The office was in the building at the corner of West Street and West Pomeroy Lane. All the vehicles were lined up in the back parking lot. Then the lot was bare with the pandemic. I pass that corner coming and going into town so the absence of vehicles was noticeable.
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Condolences to the friends of Arthur Kinney who died Christmas morning. He was a retired UMass English professor who wrote and/or edited dozens of books and articles and was a well known Shakespeare scholar. A highlight of his career was the creation of the Renaissance Center, which bears his name. He was active in the community serving at president of the Amherst Historical Society and initiating the Conch Shell Award to honor those active in the town’s historical efforts. He also was a member of the Amherst Club and the Rotary Club.
He was a friend who was intelligent, curious, generous, and had a great sense of humor.
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