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Dec. 22, 2023: A bubbly first

We’re out to party on our last show of the year!

For us, those celebrations definitely mean some bubbles. We head out to a collaborative champagne/sparkling wine tasting in Lenox. There, sisters Mary Daire of Dare Bottleshop & Provisions and Molly Lyon-Joseph of Pizzeria Boema, along with Boema’s manager Jane Burns, help us sample some of the more interesting selections and the nuances that will make their food pairings work so well.

And although it’s the end of the year, we’re fast approaching First Night, the city-wide festival thrown by Northampton to welcome the changing of our calendars. But why is it called First Night, isn’t that a Boston thing?We talk with organizer Steve Sanderson of the Northampton Arts Council about the event’s moniker and some of the planned events, including acts Father Hotep and Love Crumbs who join him in the NEPM studios for Live Music Friday.

And speaking of music, Monte and Kaliis discuss the end theme song and accidental movie twin of aFrench film left off of their lists yesterday, and for which they each have an odd fondness.

Christopher “Monte'' Belmonte is host and executive producer of NEPM's The Fabulous 413. He was born and raised in Massachusetts and has been a radio host in western Massachusetts for the last 20 years — the last 17 of them as host of Mornings with Monte on The River 93.9/WRSI.
Kaliis Smith is a radio host and producer for NEPM's The Fabulous 413. She was most recently host and producer at The River 93.9/WRSI where she appeared on Mornings with Monte for the Nerdwatch segment and hosted weekday evenings.