FESTIVALS

The high school robotics teams are putting their engineering skills to the test in competing matches at the New England FIRST District Robotics Championship through Saturday.

We taste some bubbles with Dare Provisions & Bottleshop in Lenox at a champagne tasting around the corner at Pizzeria Boema, talk First Night Northampton with Northampton Arts Council Event Coordinator Steve Sanderson, and hear a few of the folx you can catch that last night of the year for Live Music Friday: Father Hotep and Love Crumbs

We head to Hadley to discover one of the oldest continuously running farms in Western Mass at Barstow's, find out the origins, principles, and local events for Kwanzaa with Umass professor Amilcar Shabazz and Springfield Kwanzaa Co-ordinator Ayanna Crawford, and Mr. Universe, and Salman Hameed wraps up the year with two recommendations and one significant cosmic event.

We hear about the White House Holiday Party from someone who got to go: Law Professor Jen Taub, We discover the yuletide things that go jingle in the night with folklorist Jeff Belanger, and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy discusses the recently announced Solid Sound lineup.

We chat with Anne Thalheimer of Lowbrow Craft Fair happening this weekend, The Wine Thunderdome gears up for a gala at State Street Deli, Wines & Spirits with a extra special NEPM tie-breaker and big reds, live Music Friday has local folk music legend Tracy Grammer visit the studios, and we speak with folx from Jews for Peace about their March from Northampton to Springfield calling for a ceasefire in Israel.

As Gateway City Arts nears it's closure, we speak with proprietors Vitek Kruta and Lori Divine about it's origins and journey over the past decade plus, we hear about the 2nd Annual Queer Winter Makers Market, and local children's book author Jason Perkins regales us with his book "Rock Stars Don't Nap"

We find out about the inaugural Indigenous Film Festival in Williamstown, chat with NEPM's Karen Brown about her series on gambling in Massachusetts, hear Rep. Jim McGovern's concerns on The West Bank, hunger and more, and find out what it takes to row a pumpkin down the stream with Dave Rothstein.

We get down with Ed Bride about the Berkshire Jazz Sprawl, discover the origins of Earth's moon with Mr. Universe, and have a sit down with Chicopee mayoral hopeful, current city-councilor Delmarina Lopez.

We indulge in reverance of the apple for Franklin County Cider Days, heat it up with Kara Peters of Ahlbin's Fire Cider, and hear about the initiatives in the bay state to end Daylight Savings Time with Dr. Karin Johnson

We head to Leverett to chat with drink wine with Ken Washburn and find out about their inagural Harvest Festival, Kaliis gets interviewed about her book "Sir Morien: A Tale of a Knight of The Round Table" by Media Lab Fellow Jeremiah Merced, young guitar phenom Louie Phipps joins us for Live Music Friday to celebrate his second album, and we explore the incoming crops at Riverland Farm in Sunderland.