By Owen Boss
Staff Writer
Last week, students at Westhampton Elementary School celebrated the hanging of a mosaic depicting a wildcat, the school's mascot, that was completed last year with help from the school's longtime art teacher, Joanne Lucia.
The project, which was sectioned out and assigned to art students ranging from preschool to Grade 6, required that students bring in their own tile pieces, work together, and learn about the history behind the medium's use throughout history.
"Students were encouraged to bring in pieces of their own plates and cups and there was a really good response," Lucia said. "They were really excited about bringing things in and I plan to do more projects like it in the future."
To help students complete the 4-by-8 foot mosaic, Lucia said the town's Cultural Council arranged for Edite Cuncha, an artist from Turners Falls, to come in and show students how to make their own individual tile pieces and to give a lecture about how the art form has influenced artists across the centuries.
With help from music teacher Beth Besser, Lucia said students sang a song called "mosaic" during a short dedication ceremony as the piece was hung in the foyer of the school's main entrance way. While there is still some work to be done in terms of framing the mosaic, Lucia expects it will be completed in time for the school's open house on Oct. 15.
"It was a nice way of showing to the students that they can do their individual part and combining everyone's efforts will make the overall image more powerful," Lucia said. "Every one of them knows exactly where their individual pieces are."
Sanctuary opens
Mass Audubon is extending an invitation to all area residents to attend the grand opening of the Lynes Wildlife Sanctuary, a site that features 260 acres of conservation land located about a mile off Edwards Road.
On Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., residents are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy guided nature walks along the sanctuary's trails that criss-cross the former farm and orchard and are marked with some of the region's most beautiful wildflowers.
"Earlier this spring some volunteers came together and cleared a one-mile trail that leads to the sanctuary. Prior to that there weren't any trails on the property at all," said Jan Kruse, a spokeswoman for Mass Audubon.
The trail head, Kruse said, is located about a half a mile down Edwards Road from where it intersects with Crowley Road and parking is available in a marked parking lot near the entrance to the trail.
The grand opening is free and open to the public and residents with questions are encouraged to contact Mass Audubon's Connecticut River Valley Sanctuaries at 584-3009, ext. 812, or email arcadia@massaudobon.org.
Fall Fest preparations
A large group of community volunteers are preparing to set up for the town's fourth annual Fall Festival, an event that organizers hope will bring together town residents and help educate them about the area's historical roots.
The festival, which begins at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 18, will be held in a field near the center of town behind the site of the future library. Kicking off the event is a repeat of the Westhampton Hills 5K race, which will begin at Town Hall. Throughout the afternoon, coordinators have planned to have a variety of snack foods and lunch before a community supper, scheduled for 4:30 p.m., and a bonfire sing-along in the evening.
Thecia Hancewicz, one of the event's coordinators, said efforts have been made to feature presentations from local residents who can demonstrate some of the town's older professions.
"We are going to have a blacksmith and we also now have two or more folks who will be spinning wool," Hancewicz said. "During a tour that climbs (the steps) to the steeple of the church, Seth Clark will be playing the organ and demonstrating how it works and some of the history behind it, which is very interesting."
The festival is sponsored by the town's Friends of the Westhampton Memorial Library and the proceeds, Hancewicz said, will support the ongoing construction of the town's new library.
Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com
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