The first labor rally in the Valley since the virus began – not including car rallies -- happened May 7 in Springfield. The below photo shows the rally. To enlarge the photo, click on it, then scroll down and click “view full size image.” Then you can click on the photo to zoom in more. The photo is by an employee of the union that has a web site at www.MassNurses.org and that organized the rally.

On April 9, a land trust in Keene announced it had permanently protected 37 acres of farmland in Chesterfield, New Hampshire from development. Chesterfield borders Brattleboro. The land trust is the Monadnock Conservancy. The below photo shows the land with Lucky Evans and his daughter Ingrid. photo by Monadnock Conservancy

This spring, 1,400 acres of forestland near Keene will be permanently protected from development, Mark Zankel told the Valley Post on February 25. He runs the New Hampshire chapter of the Nature Conservancy. The land is in the New Hampshire towns of Gilsum and Surry, both of which border Keene. All three towns are in the Connecticut river valley. Keene is about 20 minutes from Brattleboro by bus.

CJ Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band will play at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on February 14 at 7 p.m. CJ Chenier was born in 1957. According to his web site, he “spent his childhood in the tough tenement housing projects of Port Arthur, Texas.”

Chenier played with Ringo Starr on Paul Simon's album Rhythm of the Saints. Chenier performed with Simon on a concert tour. A video of CJ Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band performing live is at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMMSv2WpYKw

They play zydeco music. This photo shows people dancing at a zydeco concert. photo by:

On February 13 in Northampton, about 25 people attended a march, with rallies before and after. They were protesting Stop & Shop’s involvement in the destruction of the Amazon rain forest. Details are available via the web site of one of the groups that organized the march: www.xrWesternMass.org. Workers at the River Valley food co-op in Northampton are union members. The below photo shows the second rally. To enlarge the photo click on it, then scroll down and click “see full size image.” photo by Hayley Berliner

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About 130 tutors who are employed by the Keene public school system are planning a rally to demand justice. “We are planning on rallying at central square but we don’t have a date yet,” Kathy Twombly told the Valley Post on January 15, 2020. She is president of the tutors' union. Twombly's union is part of a bigger union that has a web site at www.nea.org.

Hundreds of people attended a peace rally in Northampton on January 4. One of the groups that organized the event has a web site at www.IndivisibleNoho.com. The same day in Keene around 35 people attended a peace rally, Amy Chapin Hathaway told the Valley Post. She is one of the organizers.

To call on congress to remove Trump from office, 230 or so people attended outdoor rallies in the Valley on December 17. The rally in Springfield was during an ice storm. The Brattleboro and Keene rallies happened during a snow storm.

About 100 people were at the Springfield rally, organizer Debby Pastrich-Klemer told the Valley Post. "Shirley Whitaker (MD) sang 'There’s a Man Going Round Telling Lies,'" Pastrich-Klemer said. The below photo of Dr. Whitaker is from the doctor's Facebook page. 

More than 1,000 people marched in Brattleboro on September 20 to call on politicians to do more to stop climate change. The march closed Main Street to cars and trucks. One of the groups that organized the march has a web site at www.350vermont.org.

On September 13 in Springfield there was a rally calling on politicians to pass stronger gun control laws. The rally was outside the corporate headquarters of Smith and Wesson, a maker of guns. The USA's gun murder rate is 25 times higher than other rich nations' rates. About 50 people attended the Springfield rally. The below photo shows people playing drums at the rally. To enlarge the photo click on it, then scroll down and click “see full size image.” photo by Liz Steinhauser