Come visit us at the Paige Memorial Library and see all we have to offer… books, DVDs, audio books, computer access, reference assistance, printing/copying service, free WiFi, and so much more to anyone who comes through our doors. We offer a variety of events for children and adults throughout the year. Please visit us, borrow a book and perhaps buy one at our ONGOING BOOK SALE!
October 15 at 6:00 PM
October 15 at 6:00 PM 
Good news for climate and the rural economy
HARDWICK, MA – Ridge Shinn has a hopeful message for area residents. At a presentation on the evening of Tuesday, October 15, he will explain how a new approach to grazing livestock can reduce climate change while boosting the rural economy of the region.
Shinn has launched a successful business of aggregating 100% grass-fed beef cattle from Northeast farms and marketing the meat to stores, restaurants, and institutions. Currently Shinn’s business, Big Picture Beef, is supplying the Big Y 70-store chain in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Petersham Country Store also carries Big Picture Beef. One of a dozen institutions buying Big Picture Beef is Smith College in Northampton, MA.
“This is Northeast beef for Northeast consumers,” says Shinn. He explains, “Here we have good soil and abundant rainfall. By working with farmers in this region, we can provide our urban centers with beef that is both healthy and local. We can also pay farmers more than they get by selling their cattle in the commodity market,” says Shinn.
So how will grass-fed beef production reduce climate change? Shinn points to current studies that show how well-managed grazing allows the carbon that grass takes from the atmosphere to be stored deep beneath the ground, where it contributes to healthy fertile farmland. Also, grass is natural food for cattle, so 100% grass-fed cattle don’t have the digestive problems that contribute to methane emissions from cattle burps.
Farmers selling cattle to Big Picture Beef must follow a protocol designed to ensure that the beef will be healthy and that raising the cattle will benefit the farmland and the environment. All Big Picture Beef meat is traceable to Northeast farms, including farms in Massachusetts.
“By fattening cattle here – instead of on Western feedlots, we save food miles, revive the rural economy, and eliminate all the problems associated with corn-fed, feedlot beef, says Shinn.
Ari Pugliese, the proprietor of the Petersham Country Store, says, “How lucky we are to have a locally sourced product that is great tasting and good for the planet.”
The presentation at the Paige Library on Rt. 32 A, just north of the Hardwick Common will be on Tuesday evening October 15 at 6:00 PM and is free. All are welcome.
GOPARKS: A Fee-Free Day
Only one 2019 fee-free day left!
November 11, 2019 (Veterans Day)
Produced by the National Park Service and National Park Foundation, this humorous video captures some of the reasons everyone needs to escape every once in a while and invites you to #FindYourPark / #EncuentraTuParque and take advantage of fee-free days this year.
To learn more about some of the unique experiences that can only be found at national parks, visit findyourpark.com/experiences.
And to find a park near you, visit findyourpark.com/find.
SENIOR VILLAGE ACTION GROUP TEA
THURSDAY AT 3
Meeting of the Senior (Action) Tea at the Paige Memorial Library All are invited to participate and add to the agenda! We are hoping do good things for Hardwick.
Thursday at 3 is Tea Time at the Paige
Join the Friends of the Paige Memorial Library
We LOVE our Friends!!!
Next meeting: September 10, Tuesday, at 6 PM
at the Paige Memorial Library
87 Petersham Road
Come with ideas and enthusiasm
Take home a Paige Library mug as a fitting souvenir!!
Voter Registration Forms
These tools for libraries were built through a partnerships with vote.org and were made possible through a grant from Non-Profit Vote.
You can use them to register to vote on your library’s website. They are free to use and are available to use by voters in all 50 states!
MOST OF US ARE!
Jim Lagomarsino and Meg Haight, members of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, give an overview of climate change causes and effects, on YouTube.
Climate Crisis – Causes, Effects, & Solutions on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRCDLzddTD8&feature=youtu.be
Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) is a non-profit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change.
Story and Toys Play Group at Paige Memorial Library, 87 Petersham Road, Hardwick, Wednesdays 10:30 to 11:30 AM.
Moms, bring your babies, your toddlers and your preschoolers. It is a nice way to socialize with other mothers and for children to meet new friends. Paige has some delightful interactive toys, doll houses and building blocks and plenty of books. Bring your own snack.
Thursdays 5 to 7
FUNdamentals of Art – ARTISTIC ADVENTURES
Learn something new,… hone a skill,… challenge your creative problem solving.
Come join a fun group of people who love to explore art materials. Come increase your understanding and appreciation of making art, and art as recreation and relaxation. Drop in to see what’s happening; but once you come, we know you will be back! You can even bring another activity, like knitting, to do while interacting with the group. When possible, tools will be provided and shared, depending on the activity and the number of participants.
Call ahead!
Participating in creative activities has been shown to improve our cognitive skills and create a confident and optimistic attitude.
Computer Users’ Workshop – Are you interested? When shall we meet?
Let’s explore how to use your technology! Come help us develop this group which will meet at the Paige … participants will choose when to meet and what the topics will be. If you have a laptop or iPad, bring it.
Sharing with others in groups reduces anxiety, improves self-esteem, and helps members’ sense of overall well-being. Where else can you accomplish that, enjoy the company of some very interesting people, and learn something new?
Paige Memorial Library, 87 Petersham Road, Hardwick, MA 01037
413-477-6704 director.paigelibrary@gmail.com
COME SEE WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING AT PAIGE!!
Drop in whenever we are open to write a letter on the computer, explore the Internet, copy a document, take out an audio book, or a movie on DVD.
Do you have technology questions? Bring in your laptop, cell phone or tablet and see if we can help you get a step higher on your climb on the ladder of learning.
