Search for The Westfield News
WEATHER TONIGHT Cloudy. Low of 40.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 64
— CLARE BOOTHE LUCE
75 cents
TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016
‘Music at the Market’ to debut this summer at farmers’ market
Hometown Heroes: Christina Lovelace WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – When retired Holyoke court officer Mark Stevens suffered a heart attack and drove his pickup truck into a tree, he couldn’t of possibly known that school nurse Christina Lovelace would end up saving his life. There was a recent reunion with Stevens and his wife at Lovelace’s Westfield home. They checked out the tree that Steven’s pickup had collided with as his life was slipping away. “He had no pulse and he was actually stuck in the driver’s seat of the car,” Lovelace said. “Oh I was devastated. I’m a nurse, and I don’t see success stories of this magnitude, even on a good setting when you have everything available immediately.” In the back of her mind, Lovelace was afraid her best efforts might not be enough to save Steven’s life. “I can’t be more thankful to Christina,” Stevens said. “Never met the woman in my life and I was so happy she saved my life. I was so happy I was alive, and she did it. The doctors told me that day, if she didn’t perform CPR on me, I wouldn’t be here to walk my daughter down the aisle. It was exactly one month to the day, I was supposed to walk my daughter down the aisle.” Steven’s daughter expressed her gratitude to Lovelace for what this hometown hero had done to save her dad’s life, so that he could walk with her down the aisle. “I just thought that was absolutely amazing, because you know, my dad walked me down the aisle,” said Lovelace. “So I got it. I understood what that is like.” Lovelace will receive her recognition as a Western Massachusetts Red Cross Hometown Hero at the Heroes Breakfast the morning of March 17.
“There are no hopeless situations; there are only men who have grown helpless about them.”
Rick Johnson, an organizer of Southwick Motocross, discusses the upcoming season and track improvements with the Southwick Board of Selectmen. (Photo by Hope E. Tremblay)
Big improvements for Southwick Motocross By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Southwick Motocross organizer Rick Johnson updated the Board of Selectmen last week on the state of the track and upcoming events. The track is due for permit renewal. Johnson is the father of Keith Johnson, Southwick Motocross promoter, who said he consults with his son and with the return of The Lucas Pro Nationals, has taken on a more hands-on role. Johnson was previously the president of New Balance Kids and focused on safety, so he said he is taking on any safety concerns at the track. Johnson said extensive effort and funds are going into the track to provide Nationals what they need. “NBC Sports will televise live – only one of three events they will televise live in 2016,” said Johnson. Johnson said there will be nearly 1,000 feet of new fencing, a new two-story building for announcing, bleachers, and more. “We will have two tunnels, one for safer spectator viewing and one for medical services,” said Johnson. “And not just for para-
medics, there will be a mobile hospital where they could perform surgery.” There will be a new sound system, also. “We only have the Nationals once, so we have to do this right and show them we can do it,” he said. If the event goes well, Southwick could get a regular contract for Nationals once again. Several years ago, Nationals pulled out of Southwick. The track needed major improvements to bring back the Lucas Pro event and Johnson said he aims to bring it back. “All together, just to prepare for Nationals, will be a $200,000 investment,” he said, noting that Mike Grondahl has financially backed the Johnsons to make the improvements a reality. “He stepped up to the plate,” Johnson said. Southwick Motocross has 25 events planned for the year and Johnson said they learned from last year’s mistakes and have made changes to the track, security, and more. “We’ve become more than a weekend race track,” Johnson said, noting the track has continued its work with Team Justice and the community at-large.
By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD – Patrons to the Westfield Farmers’ Market this season can expect to hear music while they wind their way through the more than 30 vendors expected to sell their wares. “The big news for 2016 is that our grant application has been accepted by the Westfield Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council to provide funding for ‘Music at the Market,'” said Deb Randzio, market manager. The farmers’ market will officially open on June 2 and run through Oct. 6 on Thursdays from noon to 6 p.m. on the front lawn of the Episcopal Church of the Atonement on Court Street. “Last year we found that the musicians were a big attraction and people sometimes came to the market specifically to hear the music,” said Randzio. “The musicians played for handouts, relying on the generosity of our vendors and customers for donations.” This year, Randzio said she will be able to pay musicians a “fair wage” for their work. “In turn, the musicians will provide a great atmosphere each week for customers to relax and enjoy their time at the market,” she said. Randzio noted that a volunteer music coordinator will be charged with scheduling all of the musicians and dates and times will be posted on the market’s Facebook page. In the coming weeks, Randzio will also be seeking volunteers for a rotating schedule to host the market. Volunteers will be trained in mid-May on how to answer questions and direct customers according to their requests. “We will also need teams of volunteers to help out before the market opens each week and when it closes,” she said. “These volunteers put out parking and curbside signs and assists the vendors with setting up their tents, See Music at the Market, Page 3
Westfield River symposium features ‘citizen science’ CHRISTINA LOVELACE
TONIGHT at 7 p.m.
OPIATE CRISIS COMMUNITY FORUM #2
Stories of Families & Opiates: Tragedy & Hope Tuesday, March 15th 7:00 PM Westfield Technical Academy Cafeteria
SPEAKERS: Kate Phelon Molly Osowski Tracy Wilkie Followed by Q & A Please Note: Local Providers and resource materials for a variety of agencies will be on hand.
WESTFIELD – “Citizen Science in Our Watershed” is the theme of the 2016 Westfield River Symposium on Saturday, April 2. Citizens make important contributions to understanding the Westfield River and its watershed. Whether monitoring river banks and wetlands, sampling rivers and streams for contaminants, oxygen levels and other river health indicators, or investigating the impacts of dams and culverts on fish and other wildlife, citizens contribute significant data that help scientists and others protect the watershed and river. The Symposium, sponsored by the Westfield River Watershed Association, takes place at Scanlon Banquet Hall at Westfield State University. The River Symposium is free, as always, and will feature informative, inspiring speakers, including: “Westfield River Watershed – Playground, Classroom, Sanctuary,” Sienna Wildfield, Exec. Dir., Hilltown Families; “Assessing Road-
Stream Crossings for Fish and Wildlife Passage,” Carrie Banks, Mass. Dept. of Environmental Restoration and North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative; “Bringing Citizens and Scientists Together,” Meredyth Babcock, Wild and Scenic Westfield River Committee; “Consequences and Continuity – the Influence of Small Dams on Aquatic Ecosystems,” Dave Christensen, professor, WSU Biology Dept.; “Connecticut River Watershed,” Andrea Donlon, steward, Conn. River Watershed Council; “Developing a Water Quality Database for the Westfield River,” Aaron O. Reyes, WSU Chemical and Physical Science Dept. Registration takes place from 8:30-9:00. The welcome and keynote speech are at 9. Concurrent speaking sessions run from 10:10-10:55 and 11:0511:50. Attendees can view exhibitors from 12:00-12:30. Raffle winners will be announced at
12:30. A field trip to explore “Water Quality Monitoring: Demonstrating Sample Collection Techniques” will depart from Scanlon Hall at 1:30. Symposium exhibitors offer more insights into how our citizens, nonprofit organizations and government experts provide stewardship for the watershed and the river. Scheduled exhibitors are: Biocitizen School, Canoe for Clean Water, Conn. River Watershed Council, Friends of Columbia Greenway, Friends of Robinson State Park, Mass. Division of Ecological Restoration, Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Western Mass. Flyfishermen, Westfield River Invasive Species Partnership, Westfield River Watershed Association and Wild and Scenic Westfield River Committee. For more information about the Westfield River Symposium and the Westfield River Watershed Association, visit www.westfieldtriver.org.
Westfield River near the location of the former Sheraton Inn restaurant on Russell Road.