We have recently implemented a new, more efficient system for our current and past articles, stories, and poems! You will now be able to browse by not only month, but category, author, and more!… Read more

Late one Southwick evening in early 1962, my parents, Bob & Claire Shiveley, happened to be out with two of their friends night hunting with flood lamps. A strange light in the sky, heading… Read more

Springfield’s Union Station, in 1936, seemed a cavernous place to an eight year old. I was there with my Dancing Classes for my first train ride, a trip to New York City. We walked through the… Read more

These are tough times. Perhaps you need a big dose of encouragement. So, let me encourage you and show you how you can encourage others. Here are three strategies … 1. Look for the… Read more

Question: A financial advisor told me that if I purchased an equity index annuity, the insurance company would give me a 10% bonus.  It sounds too good to be true.  Is it?   Paul… Read more

The beach was so hot one could see the heat rising in hazy puffs of steam. Cybil ran quickly to the waters’ edge to cool her burned feet, as her mom worked diligently to set up the beach chairs and… Read more

Exploration: Out to Sea and Beyond Moon Landing: Apollo 11 40th Anniversary Pop-Up By Richard Platt and David Hawcock “One small step for man” a real triumph for technology and  the… Read more

I stood atop the grassy hill and glimpsed a stooped figure camouflaged by the bursts of color dancing around her.  Shading my eyes, I squinted against the glare of the mid-morning sun.  Her… Read more

If you’ve ever been on a camping trip, roughin’ it out in the wilderness, you have a basic idea of what kinds of survival skills you need, like knowing how to make a fire, assemble a form of… Read more

Sitting outside with the hanging baskets of purple petunias, the almost all blue sky, and the breeze gently blowing the green leaves of the trees, I do not feel alone. Cars pull up. People get… Read more

I would like to take a few moments to honor a very active Southwick resident who recently passed away, my wife, Carlene Americk. She was a passionate member of the Southwick community in the 1980’s… Read more

The weather had trouble making up its mind on what it was going to do on this Saturday in June.  Gil Bass finished his breakfast and decided he would spend the day fishing on Congamond… Read more

With permanent appointment as Junior Engineering Aid, Grade I, I worked for Massachusetts Department of Public Works in a survey party whose chief was Louis E. Johnson. Having dependable income at… Read more

As this column is being written, it’s been unusually cool and wet for weeks. The temptation is to wonder if this contradicts what we’ve heard about global warming, but it doesn’t. Global… Read more

By early August as the thrill of summer vacation wears off, the whining of “there’s nothing to do,” and “I’m bored” echo through many area homes.  Parents are exhausted and their nerves… Read more