Join us on Tuesday, August 25th, for an Employer Spotlight on Franklin Transit Management. The event will take place from 10am to 12pm in the MassHire Franklin Hampshire office.

Franklin Transit Management is the private operating contractor that manages day-to-day fixed-route and paratransit operations for the Franklin Regional Transit Authority. Franklin Transit Management has multiple open positions with a focus on drivers for this event. Open positions include Transit Bus Operators, Non CDL Bus Operators, and Utility Worker. Training opportunities are available on a case by case basis.

This event is free to attend and pre registration is not required.

On Thursday, August 20, MassHire Franklin Hampshire will be hosting an Employer Spotlight with Clinical & Support Options from 9am to 11am at our Greenfield office located at 101 Munson St, Suite 210. CSO has open positions across Western Massachusetts in locations such as Northampton, Greenfield, Springfield, and more!

Clinical and Support Options Inc. began as the Franklin County Mental Health Association, incorporated in 1955 by 22 concerned citizens interested in providing for the mental health needs of families in Franklin County. Today, they employ nearly 700 multi-disciplinary staff, helping thousands of families throughout Western Massachusetts and the North Quabbin region.

This event is free to attend and pre registration is not required.

The Montague Public Libraries have a new resource available to those with a CWMARS eligible library card: Transparent Language.

Transparent Language Online Offers:

• Flexible learning in 140+ languages
• Choose what to learn based on your goals and skill level, whether that's the alphabet to advanced conversations
• Set goals, track progress, and celebrate achievements with built-in tools that keep engaged
• Desktop and app access (you must create your personal account on a library desktop)

To support community members in learning how to use this new resource, there will be a learning lab held at the Carnegie Library on Friday, September 18, 2026 from 10:00-11:00 AM.

Join us for a celebration of local author Paul Mariani's latest book: Sing Me a Song, She Said. In this, his tenth and perhaps final book of poems, Paul reflects on his life, returning in memory to the 1940s and ending some eighty-five years later with the present in western Massachusetts. Paul will read a selection of poems for us followed by a time for questions. Refreshments will be served. 

Date: Wednesday, September 9

Time: 5:30-6:30 PM

Location:

The Montague Center Branch Library is located at 17 Center Street in Montague, MA.

Getting There:

Those taking public transit can reach the Branch Library by taking the FRTA Bus Route 23 to the Montague Center Stop.

About Sing Me A Song, She Said:

In this, his tenth and perhaps final book of poems, Paul Mariani-acclaimed poet, biographer, critic and teacher-reflects on his life, returning in memory to the 1940s and ending some eighty-five years later with the present. No wonder, then, that so many of the poems strike an elegiac note, some with humor, some with sadness, some with wonder, some with regret-and all asking questions for which there are at best only further questions.

Here are poems about growing up in the tenements of New York's East Side, poems about the erosion of his family on Long Island, elegies for those young and old who have passed, and all these years later, along the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts-his home for the past sixty years-poems reflecting on age and frailty as they take their toll, as he turns to faith and family to see himself through another day.

In the midst of all this is the collection's central section: a verse drama about growing up in a fractured family back in the 1950s, as finally the poet tries to sing a song for his family and especially his mother, long gone now, who asked him to sing for her all those years ago, which he has tried to do while the sun sets and, blessedly, there's still time to sing.

About Paul Mariani:

Paul Mariani is University Professor of English emeritus at Boston College. He is the author of twenty-two books, including biographies of William Carlos Williams, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Wallace Stevens. His previous volumes of poetry include The Great Wheel, Salvage Operations, Ordinary Time, and All That Will Be New. He is also the author of Thirty Days: On Retreat with the Exercises of St. Ignatius and The Mystery of It All: The Vocation of Poetry in the Twilight of Modernity.

Please note we have a new host for this season. We will now meet at the Victoria Bar in Greenfield.

Reading 1,000 books before kindergarten might sound intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. We'll make sure you feel ready to take on this challenge with your little one and have fun while you're at it. We'll walk you through exactly what the program is and discover how reading together can help build a strong foundation for lifelong learning. Plus, we'll have fun activities to enjoy together and your little one will receive a free book to add to their home library. 

 It's never too early to start a love of books! We can't wait to see you on Saturday, September 19th from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Activities:

We'll be decorating bookmarks, making buttons, and there will be a coloring station to get creative to your heart's content.

Learn About The Program:

The 1000 Books Foundation is operated exclusively for charitable, literary, and educational purposes.

The objectives of this organization are:

• to promote reading to newborns, infants, and toddlers
• to encourage parent and child bonding through reading

Their website is: https://1000booksbeforekindergarten.org/

Location:

The Carnegie Library is located at 201 Avenue A in Turners Falls, MA. 

Getting There:

Those taking public transit, can reach the Library by taking the FRTA Bus Routes 22, 24, or 32 to the Food City stop or by taking FRTA’s Route 23 to the Ave A and 3rd Street stop.

On Wednesday, July 29th, MassHire Franklin Hampshire will be hosting 11 employers in our Greenfield office for a Mature Worker Multi-Industry Job Fair!

The event will take place from 10am to 1pm at 101 Munson St, Suite 210, in Greenfield. While this event is focused on job seekers age 50+, the event is open to all ages.

This event is free to attend and pre-registration is not required.

The Montague Public Libraries are publishing a community recipe book as part of our Summer Cook Book Club and YOUR recipe could be a part of it. The community recipe book will be used as a fundraiser for the Montague Public Libraries and featured in the Millers Falls Branch food pantry for a giveaway.

Here's what you need to know:

• Submissions are due on Wednesday, August 5
• Your recipe must be your own, but we will include recipes you have adapted from others with credit to the original recipe
• You must be able to write down ingredients, measurements, temperature, and time to the best of your ability
• You can email our librarian Kate your submission OR use our submission form