Pumpkin Party 2012 Photos

Photos taken by Joel Emrick

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hoto gallery of this event by Penny Geis can be found here.

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Intro to the Gazette Series about Leeds, by Alice Manning, 1975

On the last weekend of August 1950, Leeds held a gala celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the naming the village. The old bell was rung – the same bell that summoned the workers to their tasks at the Nonotuck Silk Mill (now the Leeds Village Apartments), once an important contributor to the giant silk industry which made the area famous.

As the harsh tones of the old bell spread over the little village, followed the Mill River for a distance, crept up the hill toward the schoolhouse and was lost against the forests on Bear Hill (VA Hospital), memories flooded back for many. This old bell had announced to the fa

thers, mothers and grandparents of those present at the celebration each day with unrelenting regularity and in clear cold tones that another work day had begun. It also sent out the message that life was real, made up of hard work and very little fun, and if they wanted a pay envelope at the end of the week they had better be up and to work.

Among the crowd were those who had lived in Leeds all their lives as had their parents before them. These men and women were proud of their little community and had instilled a love for the place by passing on to their children the tales of its past glories and events. They knew their history went back a long way and that the village of Leeds had played an important part in the economy of Massachusetts and New England.  Many tales were told and retold that day.

Watch for second installment!

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Block Party 2012 photos

Photos taken by Joel Emrick

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on thumbnail to enlarge.

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Leeds Photo of the Month – October 2012

Photo taken at last year's Pumpkin Contest. Do you have a great Leeds photo? Read more

Beautiful Skies Over Fun Block Party

Music wafted over the Main Street Green while over 100 neighbors munched on burgers, hotdogs, and side dishes at the

September 9th Block Party. Badminton, ping pong, hula hooping and limbo kept the young at heart entertained. New neighbors made new friends, kids had their faces painted, and people caught up on neighborhood news.

See the event photo gallery here.

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A Day at the Races – Saratoga, NY

On a hot Friday, August 3rd, when most people should be at work, fifty one folks from Leeds, the VA, Northampton Country Club, and as far away as Burgy, Bay State, and Florence headed up in a cool air-conditioned bus to Saratoga Springs’ Civil War era horse racing track. With high hopes of winning cash, the 2 1/2 hour bus trip zipped by as riders chatted through the miles.

A quick side trip to a casino near the race track took just an hour and was a hit for most. The group arrived at the race track at noon for a 1:30 post time (10 races in all). You might have thought you were at Look Park with the natural and casual setting, beach chairs, picnic ta

bles, coolers all allowed. Red and white striped tents, umbrellas and petunias prevailed and then of course there were the horses – the best of the best! Their beauty, strength and grace something to note, not to mention the pageantry of it all: fancily dressed owners, jockeys in their silks, and the excitement as the horses galloped to the finish line.

The bus headed back to Leeds after the final 6:00 race. We didn’t hear  about a lot of winners, but most wanted to reserve a seat for next year. Saratoga day trips have a lot of charm. Next year the LCA hopes to have a trip in late July and late August.

See the photo gallery here.

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Robert Emrick – My Grandfather

Back before many of the prominent businessmen moved to Leeds, the town was considered “the sticks” and had very little fire protection. When a disastrous fire broke out on East Center Street in 1923 my grandfather started a movement in Northampton to get the first motorized fire pump called “The Seagrave” and an additional six fireboxes installed in Leeds. This is also what got him started in politics. He was on the Common Council in 1924 and then Board of Alderman in 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928 and then as an independent 1934 and 1935. I listed every year because back then you had to run for office every year. He was as honest as they come and very tight about spending money foolishly, which doesn’t sound like a politician. I heard rumors that both parties wanted him to run for Mayor, but “Fighting City Hall” took it’s toll on him and my grandmother. She said, no way was he to be Mayor.  But that didn’t stop my grandfather from continuing to speak his mind. He wrote numerous letters to the editor of the newspaper and voiced his opinion if he thought something wasn’t right.

Boys Scouts were fairly new back in my grandfather’s day. He organized Troop 108 and was it’s scoutmaster for 8 years. There was also the Young Men’s Club back in 1919. When the Leeds Civic Association started around 1933, my grandfather was the first president. One side story, (and I heard this from someone reliable)  was that my grandfather had to quit school at the age of 14 to go to work, but finished high school thru the mail. He then took up mechanical drawing thru an international correspondence school, so when they were putting the sewer in many years ago , my grandfather submitted a plan. Since he didn’t have a college education they took someone else’s plan and that system didn’t work well and many years later when they reconfigured it, they basically did what my grandfather had said years before. My grandfather did many things for his village of Leeds. Talk to any of our older residents (75+) who lived in Leeds back then…
I think most will be able to tell you stories of him.

Ice Cream Social Satisfies

Two gigantic containers of Mt Tom‘s delicious homemade ice cream were served up free of charge to the lucky Leeds residents who made it down to the Village Green in the early evening of August 7th. The lines formed quickly at 6:45 when ice cream was scooped and served to more than 75 happy Leeds kids and adults.

You can see more pictures here

 

Pictures from Ice Cream Social

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rge.

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