(WGGB/WSHM) - As the calendar flips to April, Wednesday marks everyone’s favorite, or least favorite, holiday of the year, and if you were fooled today, you’re not alone.

You may have pulled your own April Fool’s Day prank, but so did many prominent figures across western Mass. Western Mass News looks at some of the top posts, and temporary additions, to the area.

We begin in West Springfield, where a new addition is helping combat the growing cost of road and infrastructure maintenance. Mayor Will Reichelt posed toll booths like these on Route 20, Memorial and Riverdale Avenues that out-of-towners would have to pay. Now, this picture is AI generated, so don’t worry, Mayor Reichelt said he’d hold off on this idea — for now.

Something that is costing residents more money is all the potholes popping up this spring, it’s almost as much of an issue as speeding. So, Holyoke’s Mayor Joshua Garcia Decided to kill two birds with one stone. A new plan he “unveiled”, the pothole enhancement program, creating potholes in high-speed corridors to act like speed bumps, and slow a speeding car down.

The good news for repair shops, it doesn’t seem like that construction, or destruction, will begin any time soon.

Now, potholes are a sign of the spring, but another telling sign is brush fires beginning to pop up - we’ve already seen a few in our area. This year, it seems like crews want to prepare themselves as best they can, on the ground and in the air.

So, the Town of Pelham’s Fire Department is looking to the skies and buying a brand-new firefighting helicopter. AI even helped render out what the copter looks like!The town says all firefighters will begin training on the unit but didn’t give a specific time or date.

Finally, we take you to The Big E, and while the festivities don’t begin until September, the planning has already begun. They announced they’ll be bringing a new treat to their fair, with your breath being the biggest beneficiary. In this post, their new “Toothpaste Cream Puff” looks to make its debut in September, but it may be best not to swallow this one.

So, there you have it, officials around western Mass showing that while things may get serious, it’s always healthy to have a little bit of fun in the chaos.

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