Good morning! You’re reading Western Mass Insider, your insider look at what’s fun, fresh, and worth discovering close to home. Each week, I round up events, local business spotlights, and hidden gems around Western Mass and nearby CT to give you a few more reasons to get out and explore.

Fall makes planning something fun especially tempting. This week, there’s a little adventure, a little fright, and plenty to enjoy with good company.

Want more ideas? Browse the Western Mass Insider Events Calendar for things happening all month. Find something you love, text a friend, and make it a plan.

Halloween night with a Lady Gaga tribute! Haus of Monsters is a New York City based Lady Gaga tribute with a full live band, backup dancers, and all the costumes and theatrics you’d hope for. They take you through her greatest hits, from the dance floor anthems to the big, beautiful ballads.

Pull together your best Gaga look, grab your crew, and dance the night away at Westfield River Brewing.

Saturday, October 31 | 7 p.m.

707 College Hwy., Southwick

Thursday, October 29: Natalie & Brittany Haas
The Parlor Room, Northampton | 7:30 p.m.
Sisters on fiddle and cello making gorgeous music together. A perfect cozy Thursday.

Friday, October 30: Haunted Hops Halloween Bash
1 Way Brewing, Longmeadow | 6 to 9 p.m.
A costume contest and live music right in the neighborhood. What a fun way to start Halloween weekend!

Friday, October 30: Night Train
Theodores’ Booze, Blues, and BBQ, Springfield | 9 p.m.
A mainstay of the New England blues and roots scene for close to 15 years. Come early for the BBQ.

Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31: Max Creek
The Iron Horse, Northampton | 8 p.m.
A New England jam band favorite, two nights in a row. Pick your night or make it both.

Saturday, October 31: Project 267
Riverside Pub, Agawam | 7 p.m.
Riverside Pub’s Rockin’ Halloween Bash. Costumes on, volume up!

Saturday, October 31: The Low Lights
Vanished Valley Brewing, Ludlow | 7 p.m.
Live music downstairs in the brewery, and costumes are encouraged.

Saturday, October 31: Fais Do Do
Theodores’ Booze, Blues, and BBQ, Springfield | 9 p.m.
Halloween with a Cajun country dance party led by Mark Morris. Bring your dancing shoes.

Sunday, November 1: Knuckle Head
Sonny’s Place, Somers, CT | 3 p.m.
Wrap up the weekend with a relaxed Sunday afternoon set.

Good music is even better with good company. Find your next night out.

Smoked oxtails, beef “Dino” ribs, and signature candy ribs? This opening has my attention! Bites & Bark, led by Food Network Chopped champion Veronica “Chef Vee” Flores, has announced a grand-opening celebration at 64 Maple Street in East Longmeadow, the home of The Depot at Graham Central Station.

Chef Vee has been winning over local appetites through catering and barbecue pop-ups and this next chapter gives us something delicious to look forward to. A talented local chef, a historic train-depot setting, and barbecue worth gathering around make a pretty irresistible combination.

Grand-opening celebration: Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

The Big E crowds have gone home. A few other guests apparently never left. Storrowton’s historic buildings have some stories to tell, and a few might make you look over your shoulder.

Explore the village at your own pace while staff and volunteers share tales of unexplained happenings and paranormal investigations. Suddenly, every creaky floorboard deserves your full attention.

Bring a friend with a brave streak. Or one who startles easily. Both have their advantages!

Thursday, October 29 | 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Storrowton Village, West Springfield | Recommended for ages 12+

One world-famous opera singer. One very important performance. What could possibly go wrong? Cue the slamming doors.

Lend Me a Tenor is onstage at the Majestic, where a 1930s hotel suite becomes the setting for mistaken identities, frantic costume changes, and increasingly desperate attempts to keep the show on track. Everyone has a plan. Unfortunately, they’re all in the same room.

I’d make an evening of this one: dinner, a little live theater, and the pleasure of watching someone else explain why they’re dressed like that.

Through November 29 | Majestic Theater, West Springfield
Tickets: $36–$39

Looking for something fun to do after work? An afternoon activity with the kids? Plans with friends? These outings and more are listed in the interactive Western Mass calendar!

Glass skin is the fall beauty goal: a complexion that looks smooth, plump and luminous. Pique’s Carrara Marine Collagen makes supporting that glow a delicious part of your morning routine.

After 90 days on Carrara, 83% reported smoother skin, 80% reported plumper skin and 86% reported greater skin satisfaction.

Each serving combines Type I marine collagen to support skin radiance with rare Type II collagen, sourced from wild Hokkaido salmon, to support elasticity. Together, they bring skin support into a daily ritual that feels like a treat.

Two scoops blend into morning matcha for a creamy latte, making consistency easy as fall schedules fill up. A warm cup, a quiet moment and nourishment from within become part of the same routine.

For anyone pursuing that luminous glass-skin look through sweater season, Carrara adds a beauty upgrade to a habit they already love.

Claim Your 15% Savings

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The readers’ favorite spots will be displayed next week!

I came for the mountain views. Then I saw the backyard.

A heated pool, outdoor kitchen, pergola, and fire pit, all with Mount Tom as the backdrop. I can already picture a long summer afternoon turning into dinner outside, with everyone staying just a little longer.

Inside, the stonework, beautiful wood details, and big windows give this custom home warmth to match its wow factor. The kitchen opens into the living and dining spaces, while upstairs brings a whole other kind of entertaining: a billiards lounge, bar, theater, and fitness area. There’s also a private guest suite, so your favorite people can make a weekend of it.

This one deserves a leisurely scroll through the photos.

$1,149,000 | 5 bedrooms | 5 baths | 4,832 sq. ft.

Listed by The Aimee Kelly Crew, eXp Realty.

All-you-can-eat sushi AND Japanese barbecue? I’m going to need a bigger evening.

At Daruma Japanese BBQ & Sushi in Holyoke, your table comes with its own grill, and dinner becomes part of the entertainment. Order small plates of meats, seafood, and vegetables, then cook together, compare favorites, and work your way through another round. Sushi is included, so you can share a few rolls while something delicious sizzles between you.

Come hungry, take your time, and bring someone who’s willing to share. A playful debate over who’s the better grill master is entirely optional.

241 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke
All-you-can-eat: Standard $32.99/person | Premium $44.99/person

Gather your friends, coworkers, or favorite supporters around a table, paintbrush in one hand, cocktail in the other, laughing over whose painting has the most personality.

Paint Social Art brings the party to you, with all the supplies and step-by-step instruction. Beginners are welcome, and everyone creates a painting to take home along with a few good stories.

Planning a holiday party? Let’s give your group something fun to do together. Organizing a fundraiser? Bring people together for a creative night that supports a cause close to your heart.

You gather the people. We bring the paint.

Good food, a few laughs, and a little adventure. Pick something that sounds fun, invite someone along, and make a night of it.

Have a friend who’d enjoy these finds? Send this their way!

See you next week,
Christine

Until next time … keep exploring Western Mass

Curated with care by Christine Carbonaro-Freda westernmassinsider.com