Pampered Pet Sitting, LLC now has openings for pet sitters, in the Hampshire County area.  Applicants must be reliable, dependable and somewhat flexible. We are hiring for more than one position. Areas that we need sitters:   Ashfield, Chesterfield, Worthington, Whately and Hatfield. Someone able to do multiple towns, would be a bonus. This is a part time, as needed position. Please email for an application and more information. Candy@PamperedPetSit.net.

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ZOAR OUTDOOR HOSTS 8TH ANNUAL DEMOFEST

Zoar Outdoor will be hosting the 7th Annual DemoFest, June 24 - 26, 2011 on the Deerfield River in western, Massachusetts. DemoFest is a free event open to the public designed to give paddlers the latest information on the whitewater industry. It is an opportunity to test out boats, use paddles, and get some instruction from some of the most accomplished paddlers in the country. 
This year will be a free clinic- "Smart Start/Intro to Kayaking" for beginners 9 am - 12 noon on Saturday and Sunday. This clinic will use sit-on-top kayaks which provide an easy way for beginner paddlers to try out kayaking. The paddler sits on top of the boat instead of being inside the boat wearing a sprayskirt. The boats are more stable and less tippy than whitewater kayaks.
Manufacturer representatives, Team Z members and Zoar Outdoor instruction staff will give free technique clinics on the Deerfield River through out the weekend. There will be the full line of whitewater boats will be available for demo. Saturday evening will feature a BBQ from 5 - 6:30 pm and a film presentation from 6:30 - 8 pm.
Free mini-clinics include improving your roll, river runs, freestyle, kids clinics, stroke timing & efficiency to name a few. Demofest runs from 9 am - 4 pm each day. A more detailed schedule is available at www.zoaroutdoor.com/demofest.htm.
Pre-registration is highly recommended since space is limited space available for the mini-clinics.    Walk-ins are welcome on a space-availabile basis.  All boat demos are first come, first served and can not be reserved ahead of time.  Boat Demos are available for mini-clinics, but no more than 2 hrs.  Pre-order a lunch for $8.50. Reservations can be made by calling 800-532-7483.

Volunteers keep 115 year old Trolley on Track

Open House Training and Orientation Day May 21st for interested individuals of all ages

With a “ding-ding” of the bell, Sam Bartlett ratchets up the electric power on car Number Ten. The hundred and fifteen year old wooden trolley responds and pulls away from the station at Salmon Falls. Sam is a motorman and wears several other hats at the Shelburne Falls Trolley museum, a stone’s throw from the glacial potholes and Historic Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.
Volunteers at the museum provide rides on the trolley and other historic railroad equipment, guide interpretive tours, repair the railroad tracks and are in the process of restoring many of the historic buildings and railroad equipment in the former Boston and Main railroad yard.
As the museum gears up for the spring operating season and opening day , they are on the lookout for fresh recruits interested in restoring and  carrying on the traditions of the trolley car era.
On Saturday, May 21st, the museum will host a training and orientation day for seasoned members as well as interested individuals.

Date: May 21st, 2011

Time: 10:00a – 1 PM

Where: Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum, Depot Street, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

E-mail: Trolley@sftm.org for more information

“There are opportunities for almost every interest in railroads and history here at the museum”, says Bartlett.  There are also volunteers working in restoration programs of various railroad equipment and structures, including a track mobile and caboose. “We have had a number of volunteers who just wanted to learn about the railroad tracks and repairing them” adds Bartlett. “Recently, we spent the spring replacing railroad ties on our main track to improve ride comfort and stability”. Most of the museum’s rail infrastructure dates back to the twenties and thirties, and the museum volunteers have rehabilitated about 50% of the railroad thus far.  The museum has an extensive collection of historic rail road equipment which is still used to repair the track. This includes a hundred year old “pump car” used by track repair crews which also rolls out on the weekends for visitor rides.

Besides the physical aspects of track repair at the museum, volunteers are also working on many interesting projects, including:

·         Operating Trolley Number Ten on the weekends and Holidays for passengers as Motormen and Conductors

·         Restoring a beautiful old wooden Caboose that still operates on special event days 

·         Starting on a restoration project of another Springfield Wason Car, which now resides as a living room attached to a home and will be moved soon to the museum

·         Painting and making routine repairs to Trolley Number Ten

·         Restoring a Freight House which once handled nearly all the freight commerce in the town

·         Updating the archives at the Interpretative Museum

·         Working on Engineering and Planning for several railroad track extensions and expansions, including an extension down Depot Street to the Bridge of Flowers

Last year, the Shelburne Falls Trolley museum was one of the few area attractions to report a nearly record year of attendance, with visitors from around the United States. It is ideally positioned adjacent to the scenic town of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. In fact, the museum and town have important historical ties, since Trolley Number 10 is the original Trolley which ran across the Bridge of Flowers. The Bridge became a flower bridge after the trolley closed in the late twenties.

For more information about joining this exciting museum as a volunteer, log onto www.sftm.org or call the museum at 413-625-9443.