Thank you to our Newest Sponsors

Bob Cartelli's The Body Shop!

GBA Sponsor

DEADLINE FOR YOUR BEE SIGN!! Order by MAY 10th!!

Your BEE SIGN on the lamppost lets everyone know that your business supports the Bee Fest AND is a great way to get folks to walk in and learn more about your business. Consider something fun and special for Bee Week leading up to Bee Fest, May 13 - 18 - bring in some bee themed merchandise, have a honey themed special, or park a fleet of yellow and black trucks outside (great idea, Toyota of Greenfield!). Whatever shows off your business' Bee Pride, we'd love to see it!

Sponsor your Bee Sign below and get in touch to let us know how YOU celebrate Bee Week!

The other day I was sitting at Catalpa Coffee, in a two-hour meeting with Greenfield's Economic Development Director, Amy Cahillane, as we talked through all the business efforts underway, events coming down the pike, and opportunities that we might be able to take advantage of for Greenfield's ongoing stabilization and growth. We talked about business owners who have come forward with great ideas, upcoming fun with the Rec Department's Cornhole Tournament and Patriot Care's Block Party - both happening this Saturday, May 4th, and ways that the City and the GBA can work together to make communication and marketing easier for our business community to participate in and benefit from.

Well, I'll bee! (I get to make bee puns all month...), we were just wrapping up, and I thought to myself - 'wow, there's a lot going on here!' Now if you know me, you know that I believe in energy - when you put the good energy out there, it starts to generate more and more activity, collaboration, and ideation, and wouldn't you know it, right then my phone rang and it was Janine in the Mayor's Office, calling to share that there was a woman who used to plant flower barrels downtown and she was ready to start up again. Of course I rushed over to the office to meet her, and in less than an hour Blooming Greenfield was born - a collaboration between the City of Greenfield and the Greenfield Business Association, led by Kathleen Kenny and her wonderful group of floral volunteers.

And if that wasn't enough, this happened to be the SAME DAY as our kickoff Roundtable on Downtown Beautification, which Kathleen agreed to come to, to share the idea with business owners and stakeholders. The idea blossomed, and in one day we had a partnership, a game plan, a logo,

and over 12 flower barrels requested by downtown business owners. Sometimes, that's how it happens...and it seems to be happening that way more and more in Greenfield these days.

First bees, then flowers; things are growing again. We have new businesses opening, radio spots airing, collaborations forming - it's a good time to be in Greenfield. Our initial Roundtable on Downtown Beautification brought together fifteen business leaders, developers, and property owners, and there was a request to meet monthly; business owners have asked for a more cohesive approach to sharing about events, and now VisitGreenfieldMA.com is going to be used as that central hub - with the City and the GBA collaborating on making that site a more robust tool for businesses, residents, and visitors alike; our Co-op's project at Wilson's got a visit from Congressman Jim McGovern, and our FC Chamber Breakfast got a visit from the Massachusetts Director of Travel & Tourism, Kate Fox, and the Massachusetts Rural Affairs Director, Anne Gobi.

And that's just the start - I could list everything happening in and around Greenfield and this newsletter would take you all day to read. So I'll just say, if you've got something going on, or you're looking for something to do in Greenfield, pop over to visitgreenfieldma.com and tap in. If you're in Greenfield this weekend, there's cornhole and cannabis, next weekend - the Franklin County Tag Sale at the Fairgrounds, the weekend after - the 14th Annual Bee Fest on Court Square, and every weekend the Farmer's Market (in its 50th Season!), things at Hawks & Reed, LAVA, the Garden Cinema, and on and on.

Hey Greenfield, here comes the sun.

Thanks for reading!

Hannah C. Rechtschaffen, Director