By Cynthia Whitty

Secrets to Thriving: Business Coaches Panel, Oct. 5

The Ashland Business Association (ABA) will host a virtual panel with three local business coaches on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 8 to 9:15 a.m. Moderated by ABA member Ken Erdelt of AdviCoach - Business Coach and Advisor, the panel will explore emotional, organizational, and cultural resilience in our new business landscape.

The panel will consist of Thomas Bruckauer of The Growth Coach (Organizational Resilience); Suzan Czakowski of The Introverts Marketing Academy (Emotional Resilience); and Lisa MacDonald of Elleminc Training, Development and Coaching (Cultural Resilience).

Each coach will present for 7-10 minutes and then the panel will open for Q&A. Register in advance online to attend: ashlandbusinessassociation.com/events. A zoom link will be sent upon registration. Free to ABA members; $10 for not-yet members.

Upcoming events will include a virtual comedy night open to the entire Ashland community in November and an in-person member holiday party in December. For more information, visit ashlandbusinessassociation.com.

Fall Fest at The Corner Spot

Fall Fest organizers are going all out this year—with food from Cousins Maine Lobster, beverages by Wine Empire, entertainment, and games that include bowling with pumpkins and hay. Save the date for this fun-filled fall event at the #bestspotintown! Saturday, Oct. 2, 2 to 7 p.m., 6 Cherry St. Also in October, Zelus Beer Company will be back for another beer garden and there may be a Halloween-themed event, too! For up-to-date information, visit thecornerspot.com and www.facebook.com/thecornerspotashland.

 Pumpkin Painting at Ashland Farmers Market

Ashland Farmers Market’s (AFM) regular season winds down Oct. 2 and 9. The market is trying something different for its annual—and very popular—Pumpkin Painting event for kids, usually held on the last day of the season. Since COVID safety for unvaccinated youngsters has been a top priority this season, and so that kids are not crowded at the same painting table this year, AFM is inviting parents to take home a free pumpkin on Oct. 2, have their child paint it at home during the week, and return the decorated pumpkin for display on the market’s last day, Oct. 9. The children can then take their pumpkins home to enjoy around closing time (1 p.m.). For more information, visit www.ashlandfarmersmarket.org.

Ashland’s Plastic Bag Bylaw

Ashland has joined more than 60 communities in Massachusetts that have passed laws to regulate plastic bags. All retail establishments that provide a checkout bag to customers, such as grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, household goods stores and restaurants, must comply with this bylaw.

The bylaw encourages retailers to make reusable washable tote bags available as an alternate means of handling merchandise at checkout. Replacing single-use bags with reusable bags has several benefits, including reduced costs for retailers, a cleaner community, and reduced solid waste impacts on the environment. The bylaw does allow for the use of paper bags that contain a minimum of 40 percent post-consumer recycled paper content. Read “Best Practices for Businesses” here: bit.ly/2Vu1nxP. For more information, contact the Ashland Sustainability Committee, [email protected], or the town’s sustainability coordinator, [email protected].