May 21, 2026: Grow an Odenong

This weekend the 6th Odenong Powwow returns to Amherst Regional High School gathering folx of all walks and honoring the indigenous traditions and culture of the many tribes in our corner of turtle island. We speak with founder Justin Beatty about the lessons learned in all of his years of producing the event, and about the foods, folx and community that grows through celebrations like this. In Ashfield, a dream to reconnect with the land has blossomed into a learning experience in craftways. On Growing a Bunch Farm, owner Lisa Fortin has connected with sheep and lamb farmers across New England to create amazing yarn colorscapes. We chat with her about the summer camps teaching kids skills in the hot months, the bottle necks in fiber processing, and get to see some of her dyeing operation up close as she processes skeins for Bloom Woolen Yarns. And in our weekly chat with congressman Jim McGovern, the representative is so mired in DC ongoings that he may not make it home for the long weekend, but still finds time to reminisce on the late Barney Frank, the retaliatory republican primaries, the constitutional crisis inherent in the possible Jan 6 reparations, and the lessons we all should be taking and acting upon from the civil rights movements of the past.