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Old Creamery Co-op News
July 31, 2026
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Cooperatively Owned, Everyone Welcome!
Open 8am-8pm, Seven Days A Week
Feel free to call ahead - (413) 634-5560
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In this Newsletter you will find:
~A Word from our General Manager~
~A Highlight on Earthdance~
~Sales and Circulars~
~Members' Corner~
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A Word From Our
General Manager
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Well, folks…
Today marks the final day of our busiest month of the season. These are the days that we work towards all year. If all goes to plan, the months spent pre-planning yield a period of profitability that makes up for the quiet days of late winter and early spring. If we’re really lucky, we’re able to anticipate our challenges and navigate them with a smile.
So far, so good! Sure, we’ve had our mechanical issues. New fan motors have been installed. Gas valves and igniter cartridges have been replaced. Repairs have been executed and their associated bills have been paid. But we’re not gonna let that get us down. Not with these happy waves of summertime people enjoying the hospitality of our little store. Not when our staff is showing up with their best foot forward, putting out the good-time vibes and getting the job done in style.
Undoubtedly, there’s a ton of struggle and strife afoot out there in the world. Lots of crazy energy, crazy weather, crazy headlines and crazy challenges. And yet, here in our little co-op, we seem to have achieved a willful oasis where everyone’s welcome. If our cafe feels like a brief respite from the chaos and strife of the outside world, if it feels like maybe we’re just a little more than a rural grocery store doing our best, then we’ve got our customers, our members, and our killer staff to thank for that.
Thanks for all that you do.
You, and you, and also you.
| | Yours in unrepentant optimism,
~Lloyd | |
the Earthdance
Creative Living Project
By Jesse Massaro
| | | | Forty years ago, a group of dancers out of Boston made a big leap when they decided to build a community in Plainfield, way out here in the hills. That big leap became the Earthdance Creative Living Project. As the years have shimmied along, Earthdance has cemented its position as the oldest intentional Contact Improv Community in the world. Its impact has rippled through the broader culture of dance, international somatic and movement circles, and has certainly been felt locally here in the Hilltowns. | | A kinetic and collaborative approach to dance, Contact Improv (CI) follows flow and the interaction between dancers. Conceptualized in the early 1970’s by world-renowned dancer Steve Paxton, CI has become fundamental for many professional dancers and holds a key space in formal training. While the form has been highly elevated, the entry point to learning is accessible to new dancers, with many new initiates still discovering CI every year. This form of dance depends on, and helps develop, non-traditional "muscles," with an emphasis on non-verbal communication, interpersonal skills, and the ability to be in relation to others. These are important “muscles” to be able to flex in any community. | | | | |
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“Contact Improvisation is an open-ended exploration of the kinaesthetic possibilities of bodies moving through contact. Sometimes wild and athletic, sometimes quiet and meditative, it is a form open to all bodies and enquiring minds.”
- From Ray Chung workshop announcement, London, 2009
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The heart of Earthdance is community. From the earliest days of its establishment through to the present day, the idea of community has been central. Individual practitioners may come and go, but the shared practice and devotion to creative movement and CI has framed their approach to self-governance from day one. Whether it’s a debate about which bed of flowers to keep intact during renovations or how to equitably elect new board members, communication and collaboration are themes that will always be a part of the Earthdance story. When the Old Creamery Co-op made the transition from a private to a cooperative model, we were proud to have some of the very same founding members as Earthdance. Earthdance knows how important connection is, and invites everyone to join in in their open jams and community dances.
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Dr. Daniel Joseph Hayes, Executive Director | |
| Established early on as a non-profit organization featuring a balance between community and organizational structure, Earthdance has grown and thrived with this balance at the core of their identity. It’s this very balance that has allowed the group to remain true to their shifting and organic roots. When the global pandemic of 2020 made the very idea of Interpersonal Contact into a scary proposition, they found creative ways to persevere. And while these experiences may have contributed to an internal debate regarding the pursuit of formal accreditation, the hiring of Dr. Daniel Joseph Hayes (DeeJay) as Executive Director has solidified a focus on their role as a community hub. | |
| To that end, the community offers a regular cycle of open dances and training, all with a sliding scale of donations. While they still offer their internationally acclaimed Contact Improv intensives, they have also opened the space to rent for outside events and gatherings. In fact that’s a part of how DeeJay ended up as Executive Director. | | | |
Having first attended a CI lab week at Earthdance in 2006, it was ten years later that Dr. Hayes started running an annual outside event on their grounds. As his own event returned year after year, DeeJay started coming out early enough to take part in their Summer Jam and then remaining at the property through the execution of his own on-site event.
When the opportunity to apply for the Director’s position came around, he was well positioned to jump right on it. Since then, he’s become a year-round resident, moving his family from Barcelona, Spain to take on the stewardship of this important local organization. | | DeeJay's arrival marked the end of a period of turnover of Executive Directors at Earthdance. The previous five years had seen as many new folks come and go. Thankfully, DeeJay was able to use his background in mediation, as well as his well-cultivated interpersonal skillset, to guide the enterprise through these challenges. The balance between board, staff, and volunteers is key to sustainability in community-based organizations like this one. From raising the rafters of the Umbrella Studio to cooking dinner, everything takes cooperation and time for adjustment. | | | | | Of the things that have taken adjustment, our New England winters were a bit of a surprise for DeeJay, but that didn’t discourage him. Meanwhile, his connection to the land grows and the grounds are gorgeous. Apart from multiple dance studios, a famously comprehensive CI Magazine library and areas for cooking and dining, the property itself features a wide open lawn and hillside trails through forests that can take a hiker all the way over Deer Hill and into West Cummington. The grounds are bounded on multiple sides by wildlife conservatories and land reservations, and their much-loved swimming hole began its life as a Rhodonite quarry. | | Having hosted an active mine for this and other manganese rich minerals until 1942, the land has more recently been producing fresh veggies and greens under the care of their staff and volunteers. | | If you’ve never been up to the property, it’s certainly worth it. Pop in for a class or a jam, stay for the pot luck. Already involved with CI? Take their intensive in the winter, or step into the rhythm of their seasonal Jams. From art to movement, there is something for everyone. And if you’re looking for a space that can host a movement based event, or even just a birthday where people can run and play, keep Earthdance in mind. | | | | |  |
252 Prospect Street
Plainfield, MA 01070
Phone: (413) 634-5678
Email:
Contact@Earthdance.net
Follow their Socials:
| | | Did You Know that there’s a
Tax Deductible Way
to Support your Co-op? | | Friends of the Creamery is a program of the local nonprofit Hilltown Vision, dedicated to the capital improvement of our enterprise and the pursuit of our cooperative ends. | |
| | In recent years, assistance from this valuable resource has enabled our organization to replace our aging water heater with an energy-efficient on-demand unit, replace our interior grease trap, purchase an energy-efficient heat pump with mini-split air conditioning for our kitchen line, and execute the scraping and painting of the exterior of our building. In the coming year, we’ll be replacing our aged-out furnace and central air system. None of this would be possible without your valuable donations! | | Upcoming Seasonal Promotions | | |
You're Invited!
Next Board Meeting: Wednesday, August 19th @ 6:30pm
Email the board for a zoom link via board@oldcreamery.coop
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Upcoming 2026 Member-Owner Appreciation Weekends:
Join us for 10% Member-Owner Discounts and a chance
to mix & mingle with the board!
September 12th & 13th
November 21st & 22nd
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*For the full listing of monthly Board Meeting dates you can sign up for our google calendar
or check the posting on our website by Clicking Here
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Orders from the Bulk & Case Club will receive a 5% discount from our regulars retail prices. In appreciation to the ongoing support of our Member-Owner community, Co-Op Creamery Members will receive an additional 5% discount, for a total of 10% off shelf pricing.
Order Bulk & Case Club Here!
Please direct any questions or concerns regarding the new system to Lisa Fournier at:
oldcreamerycenterstore@gmail.com
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Creamery Hours:
8am-8pm,
Seven Days a Week!
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