Once an 1842 gristmill, the Bookmill in Montague, Mass. brings students in the Pioneer Valley an alternative study spot with shelves of used books and old armchairs in a large mill house alongside the Sawmill River.

The chiming bell signaling Salvation Army donations and the Christmas trees and lights decorating Main Street brighten Northampton every holiday season, but the worries of shoppers and storeowners about the economic recession are new in town.

“Down with Eight,” chanted the crowd of nearly 500 protesters in front of Northampton’s City Hall Saturday afternoon. The drum beating, sign holding, and car honking on Main Street was in protest of California’s Proposition 8 ballot question that recently reversed the marriage rights of same-sex couples.

Even on a rainy Saturday, people came to buy fresh produce including potatoes, carrots, pears, and apples at the Amherst Farmers’ Market. The wide variety of fruits and vegetables in season attracted a crowd on the Amherst Town Common from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.