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HADLEY — A workshop for the agricultural communities in the watersheds for the Mill and Fort rivers, sponsored by the Friends of Lake Warner, takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Young Men’s Club, 138 East St.

“Drought Relief for Local Farmers: Water and Strategies for Our Changing Climate” is the title of the free event, where tips will be offered to conserve water and to get technical and grant assistance.

Speakers will include Jason Johnson, executive director of the Friends of Lake Warner; Masoud Hashemi, a member of University of Massachusetts Extension who has expertise in planning for agricultural landowners and producers; and Emad Mady, a graduate student in the Department of Environmental Conservation at UMass.

Refreshments will be available, with a full bar opening at 4 p.m. and local food available for purchase at 5 p.m.

For more information, contact Johnson at friendsoflakewarner@gmail.com

HATFIELD — Will Bike 4 Food, a charity cycling event to benefit the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, takes place Sunday from the Hatfield Lions Club Pavilion, 15 Billings Way.

More than 350 cyclists have registered to ride one of four routes through the region, the longest at 100 miles, as a way to raise money and awareness of food insecurity and hunger. The benefit ride will support more than 90,000 people who face food insecurity in western Massachusetts each month.

Since the inaugural 2011 Will Bike 4 Food, the event has raised over $1.3 million, providing the equivalent of more than 5.2 million meals to neighbors in need.

The Food Bank is seeking to raise $250,000 through this year’s Will Bike 4 Food, or enough to provide a million meals.

Those riding 100 miles will depart at 7 a.m., with those riding shorter distances leaving at intervals throughout the morning and early afternoon. At 2 p.m. the after-party begins, with food and drink provided by Smithsonian Chowder House, Crooked Stick Pops, Berkshire Brewing Co., Headwater Cider, and Black Birch Vineyard. Live music will be performed by Soul Keys and DJ Alex Rivera, and there will lawn games for people of all ages.

HOLYOKE — Local grassroots organization Nuestras Raíces will celebrate three decades of supporting urban agriculture and helping improve the lives of residents in Holyoke and western Massachusetts with its 30th Harvest Festival this Saturday.

The festival, from noon to 4 p.m., will feature an afternoon filled with food, dancing, a farmers market, kids’ activities, and live music performed by local groups Raquel y su Nuevo Impacto and Sensacion Urbana. The Harvest Festival will be held at La Finca, a 30-acre urban farm the organization oversees.

Nuestras Raíces was formed in 1992 by a group of farmers who immigrated to the area from Puerto Rico, like so many of their fellow community members.

Living in a city with few opportunities to grow, they discovered an abandoned lot in South Holyoke that was covered with trash, used hypodermic needles and frequented by criminal activity. They worked together to transform the lot into the area’s first community garden. That lot sparked the birth and growth of urban agriculture in Holyoke under the umbrella of the organization.

Admission to the festival is free. The rain date is Saturday, Oct. 1. La Finca is at 24 Jones Ferry Road in Holyoke.

 High Street repaving to begin Thursday in Holyoke

HOLYOKE — The city of Holyoke will be repaving High Street starting Thursday morning.

Milling of High Street is to be conducted through Monday, Sept. 26. High Street from Route 391 to Essex Street will be closed on Thursday. Essex to Lyman will be closed on Friday. Some sections will be closed on Monday. Detour signage will be in place.

There will be no parking on High Street from Thursday morning at 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and again on Friday and the following Monday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Barrels will be placed with signage in no parking zones the day before. Metered parking will not be enforced on Friday.

Mayor Joshua Garcia said people can park in city parking garage for free while construction occurs.

There will be traffic detail officers at the intersections. PVTA bus stops will be relocated for Thursday and Friday. Residents will be allowed vehicular access down the side streets on the blocks adjacent to High Street. Pedestrian access will be allowed on High Street for access to businesses and residences.

Paving and line striping will follow the milling. Paving will be between one and three weeks after milling. Similar parking bans and detours will be in place at that time. Information will be communicated when a date is set.

BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration announced the availability of $100 million in grant funding for school districts to improve ventilation and indoor air quality. The grants will be targeted to schools with high concentrations of economically disadvantaged students, English language learners and communities disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding is available through the American Rescue Plan Act bill. The funds will be distributed by a formula to ensure the highest need districts receive the largest portion of funding. More than 20 school districts are eligible for up to $1 million, and several districts qualify for several million dollars.

School districts are encouraged to focus on efficient, environmentally friendly HVAC and air quality technologies when planning upgrades, consistent with Gov. Charlie Baker’s 2050 net zero pledge. The grants will cover such things as a needs assessments of existing schools; feasibility studies to develop long-term indoor air quality plans; design, bidding assistance and construction phase services for projects; and implementation of indoor air quality improvement plans, securing outsourced services, establishing in-house HVAC maintenance positions, and securing equipment to maintain, repair or install new HVAC systems.

Eligible schools can find out more information here: doe.mass.edu/grants/2023/209/.

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