New England Public Radio

Hurricane Irene: It’s Been Five Years Since Shelburne Falls Building Sailed Away

Five years ago this week, Hurricane Irene caused damage up and down the East Coast.

Among the hard hit communities was Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts — where one building was washed away. That building was a quilt shop. At the time, owner Ann Brauer was out of state for a craft show, where she saw a video clip online of her building floating down the river.

Brauer said that even after five years, it’s too painful to re-watch the footage of her building floating away, but Irene did inspire her quilting, artistically.

“I’ve developed a new variation where I’m exploring waves and circles,” Brauer said Monday. “It’s much more organic.”

Three years after Irene, Brauer moved into her new building. It was built in the same location, but elevated “significantly” to withstand something she hopes won’t happen again.

Massive Tire Cleanup Project Begins Along Deerfield River

Saturday will kick-off a massive riverbank cleanup in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Last year, a pile of thousands of tires was discovered along the bank of the Deerfield River. It’s a massive job.

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Carrie Healy talk with Greenfield resident and river volunteer David Boles about the tire removal project.

A Closer Look At Deerfield River’s (Possible) Olympic Spotlight

Olympians on the Deerfield River. That’s the proposal from Boston 2024. The group hoping to bring the Summer Games to Massachusetts has picked the Deerfield to host Olympic whitewater slalom.

The Greenfield Recorder‘s Tom Relihan got to wondering how that would work. He says the course would be a rare natural setting for the competition.

Listen to Relihan’s interview with New England Public Radio’s Kari Njiiri by clicking the audio player above.

Deerfield River Remains Lone Boston 2024 W. Mass. Venue

The Deerfield River remains the only potential Olympic venue in Western Massachusetts… should the 2024 summer games come to Boston. That news came today as the group trying to bring the Olympics to Boston announced their revised bid to host the event. Boston 2024’s David Manfredi says the Deerfield River is an ideal site for canoeing and kayaking events.

“The beauty of the Deerfield is it has all of that elevation change that other olympics have had to build,” Manfredi says. “Through our lens of cost, our lens of durability, the opportunity (exists) to create a kayak and canoe center that would be permanent here.”

Venues for cycling and other preliminary events were not announced, but this spring, officials from western Massachusetts made a pitch for bringing some of those sports west. Team Handball games are also slated to be held at the D-C-U Center in Worcester.