GRANBY — Carts for the new Granby trash and recycling system will roll out this week ahead of the first pickup with USA Waste & Recycling, which begins a new five-year collection contract on July 1.

When that happens, the town’s blue-bag waste system will end.

Each resident will receive a 65-gallon trash cart and a 95-gallon recycling cart, as the new system moves to single-stream recycling in one large cart. All carts are owned and maintained by USA Waste & Recycling at no cost to the town.

Residents will fill carts to be picked up once a week. Units at Granby Heights will have two pickup days per week.

Residents at Town Meeting approved about $670,000 for trash and recycling in fiscal year 2027. According to the USA Waste & Recycling contract, collection for all 2,100 residential units and municipal buildings will cost $445,000 in the first year.

The remaining $225,000 pays for Granby’s currently solid waste disposal contract with Waste Management. Once this contract expires in 2028, Granby can switch to USA Waste & Recycling’s disposal at around $115 per ton. This price will increase 4.5% each year.

SOUTH HADLEY — Contractor bags will now cost $10 per bag at the South Hadley Transfer Station, compared to the $1 household trash bag size.

The Select Board approved the change on June 2. Department of Public Works Superintendent John Brodrick said more people are buying contractor bags, or heavy-duty 55-gallon black bags, to dispose of their trash. As a result, transfer station staff were hauling trash to the disposal station twice as often.

Currently, the transfer station charges $5 per visit and $1 per bag. A contractor bag can hold three or four 15-gallon household trash bags, Broderick said. It is possible to stuff four trash bags into one contractor bag and only pay $1, but the weight and contents of a contractor bag ultimately require more trips to the disposal center.

Select Board members Jeff Cyr and Carol Constant thought a $10 contractor bag price would deter people from using the transfer station and combat revenue loss. While some items like drywall cannot go into the trash carts, residents should try to use the bins as much as possible, they said.

If residents find their carts fill up too quickly, Broderick says the most cost-effective option is to contract weekly pickup with Republic. It costs around $230 a year, or $10 off per week, rather than the price for a whole separate contract and cart. Broderick says between 300 to 400 people in town have already contracted weekly pickup and are satisfied with the service.

BELCHERTOWN — Food Truck Fridays at the Belchertown Common heats up treats from a wide selection of the Pioneer Valley’s tastiest mobile kitchens.

Eight food trucks will roll into Belchertown on June 19 offering delicious dishes from sliders to ice cream. From 4 to 8 p.m., foodies are welcome to pull up a seat, grab a bite to eat and stomp their feet to live music.

Food trucks include CremeBru.LA., batch ice cream, Crazy Arepas, Blue Anchor Lobster, Macken’s Sliders, MVP Eats, Egg Roll Evolution and Patruno’s Place.

Organized by the Belchertown Cultural Council, food trucks will roll into town on the third Friday of June, July and August. Food Truck Fridays began in 2017 with a single test event, and have since expanded into a summer monthly tradition.

Each date will have a different selection of food trucks. The Aug. 21 festival will be at The State Street Fields between the Senior Center and Arcpoint Brewery.

SOUTH HADLEY — Music fills the air in South Hadley as the Summer Concert Series kicks off for the season on Thursday, and the fun only accelerates with Buttery Brook Park Cruise Nights the following night.

Every Thursday from June 18 to Aug. 27, residents can bring lawn chairs to the gazebo at the South Hadley Town Commons to listen to a free concert. The first of 11 concerts on June 18 at 6:30 p.m. will feature with the interstate wind ensemble, A Natural Concert Band comprised of around 50 professional musicians and music educators across Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire to perform well-loved and new symphonic pieces.

On Fridays, music accompanies the rows of classic cars in Buttery Brook Park. These free summer concerts began on May 15 and continue until Sept. 11. Union Jack will take the bandshell on June 19. The theme of the night’s car show is imported cars. The event begins at 5 p.m. at the park bandshell and lasts until dusk.

Both events are free to the public. Attendees should bring their own seating. Food is available for purchase.

The Village Commons summer concert series will feature the South Hadley Community Band, South Bridges, The Berkshires, The Willies, Blue Devil Bluez, Union Jack, Cottonwood, Midlife Crisis Band, Jimmy Mazz Duo and Berkshire Hills Academy of Music.

Many of the bands on the Common gazebo will also perform at Buttery Brook. Most of the bands fall into categories of classic rock, country or blues.

BELCHERTOWN — After taking home the Collamore Cup last year, Belchertown High School’s As Schools Match Wits team will defend its championship title in a final match with East Longmeadow High School.

Produced by Westfield State University, “As Schools Match Wits” is an academic quiz show where high schools students test their knowledge of math, art, literature, science, history, civics and world events. Teams from public and private schools in Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut have competed in the “Jeopardy”-like tournament since 1961.

The final match of “As Schools Match Wits” season 65 will be broadcast on New England Public Media on June 20 at 7 p.m.

The Belchertown team won the championship in 2025 for the first time in the school’s history. They previously made it toward the end of the tournament in 2021 and 2020.