Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association’s Memorial Hall Museum is hosting a free opening event at the Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls for PVMA’s traveling exhibit, “The time of my life"—Vintage Views of Western Massachusetts on Saturday, February 16, 2019, from 1-3 pm. The exhibit is on view February 16 to April 21, 2019, and includes both English and Spanish text.

“Am having the time of my life.” So wrote Bernice on a postcard sent to her “Ma” in the early 20th century—one among many cards from Memorial Hall Museum’s collection featured in the Great Hall exhibit. Enlarged postcard scenes take visitors on an imaginary road trip, with stops at Mount Tom, Mount Holyoke Summit House, Sugarloaf, Turners Falls, Greenfield, Shelburne Falls and the Mohawk Trail.

Visitors can sit down and relax with reproduction postal souvenir albums, as well as a hands-on stereoscope viewer and View-Master with other area scenes that paint pictures of civic pride and new ideas about leisure and travel. Before cell phones and social media, the picture postcard reigned supreme.

The opening event includes vacation-style picnic fare, a make-your-own mini souvenir album activity, postcard message-writing, and vintage accessories for a photo shoot with giant postcard backdrops. Several ongoing hands-on activities are available after the opening reception. Sponsored by Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association’s Memorial Hall Museum in Deerfield, the exhibit is scheduled to travel to Memorial Hall Museum in May and June, and the Holyoke Heritage State Park Visitors Center in July.