MONTAGUE SOAPBOX RACE ENTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUGUST 30TH
Turners Falls - People wishing to enter the Montague Soapbox Races who haven't yet sent in their entry form now have an extra two weeks to get them in. The new entry deadline is Monday, August 30th, 8:00 PM.
The Montague Soapbox Races, the first of a new annual event, is a fundraising event for Montague Community TV, and will be held on Sunday, September 19th, from high noon till the last cart goes down the hill. Winners will be handed real metal trophy cups in a winners ceremony at the end, hosted by Russ Brown, State Senator Stan Rosenburg, and Montague Selctboard chair Pat Allen.
Entry forms are still coming in to the TV station every day. The race will stop at a maximum of 150 racers. The race entry fee is $25. Spectators attend for free.
Local businesses are encouraged to enter carts in the race as well, either solo or as a team of several carts.
Race entrants who need technical assistance putting their cart together will be invited to a cart building party on Sunday, August 29th, in Turners Falls. Some of the Race Inspectors and Race Officials will be on hand as well to give professional advice.
Racers should bring whatever they have already completed, as well as all parts and supplies they intend to use, including bolts, screws, nails, wood, concept drawings and their own tools (very important). the build party host has a large supply of bicycle parts and wheels to provide for free. All racers under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult.
Race rules and applications can be downloaded from the official race website and printed. If you don't have a printer you can pick up a pre-printed application at the Montague Town Hall clerk's office, any of the three Montague public libraries, or the TV station itself, at 34 Second Street in Turners Falls.
The race is still looking for vendors, either to sell food or wares, or distribute their information or fundraise. Please contact Nancy Paglia (413) 548-9015.
The race is also looking for sponsors and hay bale advertisers. Please contact Doug Fontaine (413) 522-8382.
WesternMA Connect, Inc. July 2010 Broadband Update
MBI Application Successful!
On July 2, 2010, Governor Deval Patrick and members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation announced that the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) had been awarded $45.4 million of federal ARRA funds. These funds will be used to construct over 1,100 miles of fiber-optic middle-mile infrastructure in western and north central Massachusetts. The award was formally announced at a ceremony held on July 8 at Greenfield Community College. Event attendees included U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, U.S. Senator John Kerry, Governor Patrick, and Congressmen Richard Neal and John Olver. Both Senator Kerry and Congressman Olver recognized Connect for its decade-long support for the creation of an advanced telecommunications landscape throughout the region. All speakers made reference to the many letters received in support of the application. Your compelling stories definitely impacted the application outcome. Thank you to everyone who submitted letters and congratulations to the MBI!
What Does This Mean For You?
In 2008, Governor Patrick and the Massachusetts Legislature established the MBI with the mission to extend affordable high-speed Internet access to ALL residential, commercial and public places across the Commonwealth. This new federal award will be combined with the $26 million of state funding already in place to make this a reality. Internet service providers have stated that once the MBI's network is complete, it will become more cost effective for them to bring high-speed Internet access to those who currently have none.
What's Next?
In the coming months, the MBI will continue to be very busy designing and engineering the network, negotiating access to state-owned assets, forming partnerships to support network deployment, and encouraging the telecommunications industry to be prepared to provide services and invest in the region. Meanwhile, the MBI has contracted with Connect to work collaboratively with regional planning agencies, local municipalities, and other organizations to ensure that this network is constructed as quickly, cost-effectively and efficiently as possible. Under the terms of the federal grant, two-thirds of the project must be built by 2012 and the network completed in 2013. This is a huge undertaking. Although you may not visually see progress right away, be assured that the MBI and many others are working diligently to meet the federal timeline and requirements set.
How Can You Help?
If you have not already done so, please visit http://www.massbroadband.org/mapping/survey.html and complete the online survey. Encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same. This information will assist the MBI in its effort to more accurately map where broadband does and does not exist. If you are an elected official or local department head, please respond to outreach conducted by the MBI and Connect. This network cannot succeed without your participation!
MONTAGUE TO HOST SOAPBOX RACES, SEPTEMBER 19th, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONTAGUE TO HOST SOAPBOX RACES, SEPTEMBER 19th, 2010
First Local Soapbox Race in Decades
Montague will host the first Soapbox Race in Franklin County in decades on Sunday, September 19th, 2010. The gravity-fed race will take place at Unity Park in Turners Falls on the 1st Street hill. Racers must be at least 8-years old on race day. All carts must be made from scratch, not from kits or pre-fabricated, and must include no propulsion of any kind.
The entry fee is $25 per racer and only 150 applications will be accepted. There will be three age brackets: kids, teens and adults. Yes, adults may race! The application deadline is August 16th. Racers may obtain sponsorship to help defray the cost of building their vehicle.
Racers in each age bracket will win real-metal trophy cups based on distance or creativity. The event will be free to watch, and it is hoped families will come out to picnic with the many local food vendors.
Race Director Mik Muller remarked “Unity Park is a perfect location for a downhill race: the 1st Street hill is quite steep and the bend at the bottom requires some skill, both in vehicle construction and driving; the wide lawns in the park are perfect for spectators to gather and cheer; there is plenty of room for vendors to sell their food and wares; and of course there is the Connecticut River spanned by the Turners Falls Gill Bridge as a beautiful backdrop, an icon for Turners Falls.”
This is the first derby since the Old Home Days derbies of the mid-1960’s in Montague Center, and before that the 3rd Street derbies of the late-1940’s in Turners Falls.
Vendors interested in having a table at the race should call Nancy Paglia at (413) 548-9015. Those wishing to advertise, sponsor or underwrite the race please call Doug Fontaine at (413) 522-8382. Anyone wishing to volunteer on race day (free staff t-shirt!), please call Mik Muller at (413) 320-5336.
Race rules, all required forms, and more information can be found on the official race website.
Wired West at New Salem Town Hall - Wednesday, May 26th 7-8
Everyone is invited to attend a WiredWest information session in New Salem at the Town Hall. The session will cover the details of the proposed project, as well as the warrant article for upcoming town meetings.
Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Town Hall
This group is interested in building a municipally-owned, universal, open-access fiber-to-the-home network will fundamentally improve the prospects for Western Massachusetts, ensuring our prosperity today, tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future.
Personally, I support this effort because it not only addresses the connectivity needs of today, but it also addresses bandwidth needs of the future.
From the Western Mass Connect latest update - they are asking people to support their application for a grant to fund fiber installations in Western Mass. The more community support they can demonstrate, the better their chances are to receive a grant. I expect many members of the Hilltown Business Club would benefit from better Internet connectivity, so please see their information on how to respond:
Connect is a non-profit organization with the mission to support the creation of an advanced telecommunications landscape that will provide affordable, reliable and redundant high-capacity broadband services throughout the four counties of western Massachusetts.
Round II Application for Federal Broadband Funding for Western Massachusetts:
Infrastructure
The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) is actively working on an application for the federal Comprehensive Community Infrastructure grant program that would fund a middle mile fiber network in Western Massachusetts. This second round application will build upon lessons learned from Round I and information gathered from attending a workshop sponsored by the funding authority. An important part of this application is getting letters of support for the application from municipal governments, residents, businesses and institutions. The MBI and Connect are conducting specific outreach to municipal governments. As a resident or a business, it would be greatly appreciated if you would contribute a letter of support as well. Go to www.westernmaconnect.org for address information and to learn more about how to submit a letter. For more information about the MBI's efforts, go to their website at www.massbroadband.org.
It was great to meet everyone the other night, and it was nice to see some familiar faces! Most of you have probably heard that the First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit has been extended through April 30th of 2010, with a closing by June 30th. The US Government has added an extra bonus for current homeowners.
Existing homeowners who have resided in their principal residence for five consecutive years out of the last eight and are purchasing a home to be their principal residence, may be eligible for up to a $6,500 tax credit! The same closing deadlines apply.
This is great news for those homeowners who have been "on the fence" about whether to sell and downsize, or upgrade to something with more space in this buyers market! If you have any questions or would like further details, don't hesitate to give me a call. If you know of anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home, I am never too busy for your refferals. I will look forward to taking good care of them!
The next meeting of the Hilltown Business Club will be this Thursday, August 27, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the home of John & Lisa DeWitt, 16 West Main Street in New Salem (across 202 from Whittier Plumbing). Hot on the heels of our first successful public business club event – the HilltownConnect.com pavilion at New Salem's Old Home Day – we’re now planning fall and winter activities. Ideas and goals that are in the works include:
- Putting together a Hilltown Business Club giveaway basket that will be raffled off at the Hilltown Brewfest 2009 on Saturday, Sept. 12 in New Salem (see www.hilltownbrewfest.com)
- Creating a printed business/phone directory for New Salem, Wendell, and Shutesbury
- Planning and hosting a fall/holiday business fair
All businesses and businesspeople, independent contractors, artists, farmers, and others interested in the business club and local economic development are invited to join us. Our monthly meetings feature substantial time for networking – and feel free to come hungry and thirsty as we always serve beer, wine, and hors d'oeuvres. Come join us!
Please encourage your friends and colleagues to attend our meeting this Thursday night. And be sure to bring your business cards and/or literature to share at the meeting.
Site content by JW DeWitt Business Communications - Web platform by Montague WebWorks
- Tue, Aug 17, 2010, 12:50 P
