Fun Winter Activities!
Even though its cold out, winter is a great time for activities inside and outside!
1. Ice skating. Find the open skate times at your nearest rink and go with your family and friends! If you live near Amherst, MA try the practice rink at the Mullins Center on the University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus.
2. Skiing and snowboarding. Whether its for a day trip, or the whole weekend, skiing and snowboarding are fun for everyone! Nearby mountains include Jiminey Peak, Mt. Snow and Killington
3. Snowmobiling. There are a lot of great trails in New England where the whole family can have fun!
4. Sleigh rides. Enjoy the winter weather and all the snow! Click here to find sleigh rides.
5. Sledding and tubing. After that fresh fall of snow its always awesome to go sledding with the family! Check out these great sledding spots across Massachusetts
Just remember to be safe while attempting any of these activities! Brought to you by the Interns at Dale Frank Insurance!
New Retirement Community in Pioneer Valley!!!
The Pioneer Valley is a great place to live! It offers a distinct New England atmosphere with plenty culture-filled activities. Jacob’s Edge, a new community of condominium homes, is located in South Hadley, right in the heart of the Pioneer Valley. It is near the historic towns of Amherst and Northampton, expansive national parks and the Connecticut River. This area hosts the Five-College system that boasts an array of activities with exhibits, performances, and educational lectures.
Enjoy the fruits of the Pioneer Valley right in your backyard! Jacob’s Edge provides you with the ease of living in a peaceful and secluded environment. Each home offers great amenities, maintenance, and an energy efficient design. Get the most out of your home and the community you live in. Finding homes to settle into shouldn’t be a chore; with a fantastic starting price, the developer’s, Alan Tabin and Edward Cauley, have made it extremely affordable to fit even a cautious budget.
To find out more information check out the Jacob’s Edge website, and to see the development process read the Jacob’s Edge blog.
Brought to you by your local South Hadley Insurance Provider, Dale Frank Insurance!
Happy Halloween!!!
Hope all of you have creative costumes!! The interns here at your friendly Hadley Insurance Provider wish you a safe and fun Halloween. Here are some things you can do in the area and tips on how to stay safe:
Tips for safe trick-or-treating!!
- Bring a flash-light
- Wear something reflective
- Bring a sweater or wear a warm costume
- Walk, don’t run; the candy won’t run out
- Do not run into street, use cross walks
- Have a buddy system
- Only visit well lit houses
- Carry a spare bag for candy
- Be respectful of other peoples property
- Carry a cell phone if not accompanied by an adult
Where to go near Amherst, MA:
There is great trick-or-treating in Montague, MA
Springfield for Fright Fest at Six Flags: enjoy haunted rides, a trek through the haunted forest, ghoulishly scary costumes
Holyoke Heritage State Park Halloween Spooktactular: great fun for the whole family
Holyoke and Hampshire Malls: trick-or-treat around the malls for Halloween Malloween
Insure Your Toys….and Everthing Else!
With all the insurance advertisements you see on TV these days you may feel a little overwhelmed. What type of insurance do I need? Car insurance, home insurance, health insurance, life insurance….do I really need it all? Can I do it all through one company? Well if you live in Massachusetts you the answer is YES! As a Western Mass Insurance provider in Sunderland, MA our insurance experts can take care of all of that and more.
But where do you draw the line on what needs to be insured? Everyone has expensive toys laying around (and no I do not mean Rock Band). I am talkign about cars, boats, RV, snow mobiles, motorcycles, off road vehicles, and snow plows. All these things need to be insured or you could be looking at a huge liability one day.
Let’s start with the basic, probably the first insurance your parents made you pay for…Car Insurance. These are actual statements taken directly from car accident claims.
“As I approached an intersection a sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.”
“A truck backed through my windshield into my wife’s face.”
“I started to slow down but the traffic was more stationary than I thought.”
“The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.”
“In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.”
To avoid being laughed at by people like me reading about your ridiculous claims on the internet, please drive safely and be aware of your surroundings. The easiest way to reduce your car insurance premium is to not get in any accidents, DUH!
Despite the fact that it was 70 degrees in Western Mass yesterday, the winter is just around the corner. If you libe in the Western Mass area and enjoy the winter you may have a snow mobile or plow and what you need is snowmobile insurance or business insurance if you own a snow plow! I don’t know much about snow mobile but I know they can be lots of fun and very dangerous. What would happen if you were driving along and lost control? Wheather you have a snow mobile or plow it is important to get them insured because icy road and snowy conditions make for alot of accidents.
On a warmer note, another type of insurance that is near and dear to my heart is watercraft insurance. I live on Cape Cod and spent three summers working in a harbor and I have seen my fair share of boating accidents.
One time in particular, I was watching boats go in and out of the channel. A smaller boat was heading out and a larger mini yacht was heading in. The smaller boat had to scoot over just a little but the inexperience captain cut the wheel all the way to the right, a gust a wind came and the next thing he knew he was sitting on a sandbar that lined the channel.
There are plenty of boaters out there who are inexperienced and think navigating a boat is just as easy as driving a car, but it is definitely not! There are a lot more factors that go into determining how your boat will move and they take years of practice to get used to. You have to think about currents, wind, the size of your craft and others around you. In order to protect your craft from other inexperience boaters or maybe even yourself, I would highly recommend boater’s insurance. Also, it is not a law in Massachusetts for boat owners to be certified in water craft safety but I would advise it. You can do it online at Boat-ed.com. And one more thing…ALWAYS WEAR A LIFEJACKET or have one readily accessible!
What ever other toys tou have from off road vehicles to RV’s to motorcylces, it is important to get them insured and anything else of great value to you!
Brought to you by the lovely interns at Dale Frank Insurance!
Confused About Car Insurance?
With TiVo and DVR these days you may not watch too many commercials, but if we asked you to tell us about an auto insurance commercial, it would be likely for you to respond with a chuckle and recite the lines from one of the many funny commercials that insurance companies produce. Granted there have been plenty of funny and memorable insurance commercials, often with a company mascot, but how many of them a really informative and answer your auto insurance questions? These are two favorites of ours here at your trusted Amherst Insurance Company.
The company mascots give a personalization to a huge corporate façade. However, when you call in you are unlikely to get the same agent twice. The benefit of using an independent insurance provider is the relationship that you can develop with your personal agent. Here at Dale Frank Insurance we offer just that to Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire residents. As an independent agent we know our clients personally and we know what questions to ask.
Many companies allow you to name your own price, but is that really wise? It is a great misconception that could cost you in the long run. Naming your own price to save money will not provide the best coverage. Vehicle insurance is not something you do not want to skimp on because it could be hugely expensive in the long run. It only takes one accident to ruin your financial stability and the well being of those involved. Saving money is not worth minimal protection, so act now and call us at 1.888.399.7635 or come visit us in Sunderland, MA!! We hope to hear from you soon and to create a policy fit for you.
Brought to you by the lovely interns at Dale Frank Insurance.
Texting Ban in Massachusetts (MA) Great for College Towns
Driving around the UMass campus here in Amherst is difficult. It is hard to get around Amherst center and Northampton due to the large amount of pedestrians and cyclists. This New England weather has only made it worse. These factors make driving stressful enough without having to worry about other drivers not paying attention to the road. Hopefully drivers in Massachusetts will be safer on the road now that the Statewide Texting Ban was enacted yesterday.
For more information about the Texting Ban, read this article featured in the Boston Globe and watch the video.
Another way to protect yourself while driving is having a trusted auto insurance provider. Look into Massachusetts Auto Insurance Policy for auto and other vehicle insurance. The agents at Western Massachusetts’ trusted Insurance Group can help!
Check out the ‘Auto’ tab for safe driving tips and stay out of situations like this to keep yourself even safer..
