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WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – It’s Veterans Day, a time for us to pay our respects to those who have served in the military. In West Springfield, the town hosted it’s annual Veterans Day Parade.

“We get to put our veterans out at the parade and have the community applaud them, cheer for them, and support them,” expressed West Springfield Director of Veteran Services, Jorge Santiago.

Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans, those living, and those no longer here with us.

Hundreds of people flocked to West Springfield for the Veterans Parade on Saturday, where they honored and remembered our country’s fallen heroes. With the bravery and the sacrifices of these veterans, the community says it is important to show appreciation for those who fought for freedom.

Attendee Ken Lamontagne of the Corvette Club of Western Massachusetts told 22News, “I mean, let’s face it, we wouldn’t have the freedoms we have if it weren’t for the veterans. In so many countless ways they have contributed to the quality of life in this country and our future, and our potential. So its nice to give them some recognition and feed back.”

Veterans Day occurs every year on November 11th in honor of the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” in 1918, signaling the end of all wars. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11th became a national holiday in 1938. This holiday used to be called Armistice Day.

So on Saturday, people across America will celebrate and honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love for the country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice.

There are Veterans Day celebrations happening all over, in West Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, Agawam, Greenfield, Westfield, and South Hadley.

Brian Miller with the Massachusetts Chapter of Honor and Remember says he came to the parade to honor all veterans, “We are just out here joining the march, the parade to honor those veterans that can not actually be there today, and make sure we remember those veterans also. And not just the veterans here to participate in the parade.”

Around 6:45 a.m., 22News was at Vietnam Veterans Bridge in West Springfield for a ceremony. After that the veterans parade started at 10 a.m. at St. Thomas School.

The celebrations were taken to West Springfield Town Hall after the parade, where the town unveiled two parking spots that are designated for veterans.

Kiara Smith is a reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since March 2023. Follow Kiara on X @KiaraBSmith1 and view her bio to see more of her work.

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Veterans Day is Saturday, November 11. This Federal holiday is to recognize all who have served in the United States military, both living and deceased.

Below is a list of events being held in the region to commemorate Veterans Day:

Wednesday, November 8:

Holyoke Community College: 8:30am- Campus ceremony in the Kittredge Center conference room.

Thursday, November 9:

Springfield: 11 a.m. – American International College (AIC) ceremony at Campus Center Auditorium on the upper level of the Schwartz Campus Center, 1000 State Street.

Friday, November 10:

Pittsfield: 10 a.m. – Parade with a ceremony to follow at Veterans Memorial. The lineup will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Fenn, Pearl, and Allen Streets then proceed to North Street, and move south to the Veterans Memorial on South Street.

Saturday, November 11:

Agawam: 7 a.m. – Wreath laying ceremony at Vietnam Veterans’ Bridge, Bridge Street. 10:45 a.m. Ceremony at Veteran’s Green at Phelps School.

Chicopee: 10 a.m. – Memorial Service at St. Stanislaus Church, 534 Front Street. 11 a.m.- Wreath Laying ceremony, Veterans Memorial Plaza, 650 Front Street.

Greenfield: 10 a.m. – Parade begins at Greenfield Middle School marching to Veterans Mall for a ceremony.

Holyoke: 10 a.m. – Ceremony at War Memorial Building, 310 Appleton Street.

Ludlow: 10 a.m. – Ceremony at Ludlow High School Auditorium, 500 Chapin Street.

Palmer: 10:45 a.m. – Parade steps off at Bondsville Fire Department and ends at the Bondsville Grammar Park.

South Hadley: 10:45 a.m. – Ceremony at Town Hall, 116 Main Street.

Westfield: 10 a.m. – Parade steps off at Westfield Bank at 10:30 a.m. and moves along Elm Street, onto Broad Street, and then down West Silver, ending at the Westfield Middle School parking lot at 30 West Silver Street. The ceremony will be held inside the Middle School at 11 a.m.

West Springfield: 6:45 a.m. – Ceremony will be held at the Vietnam Veterans Bridge, Front Street. 10 a.m. – Parade steps off from St. Thomas School down Kings Highway to Elm Street, ending at Town Hall on Central Street where a ceremony will be held at 11 a.m.

22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts in March 1953. Watch the 22News digital edition on weekdays at 4 p.m.

A new District Taco quietly opened its doors last fall in the Old Keene Mill Shopping Center.

The Mexican-inspired fast-casual chain began welcoming customers at its West Springfield location in September 2023, according to a spokesperson for District Taco.

Spanning 2,043 square feet, the restaurant at 8432 Old Keene Mill Road is co-owned by Hicham El Abbassi and Isalmou Boussaa, who also launched a District Taco franchise in McLean last August. The West Springfield restaurant operates from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, according to District Taco’s website.

Originally from Morocco, the franchise owners started their journey in the food industry working at Five Guys before franchising several restaurants, including Five Guys.

In 2016, Abbassi and Boussaa approached District Taco with aspirations of running a franchise. Fast forward to seven years later, they now oversee 13 locations. Last August, they inked a deal to open five more outlets in Northern Virginia, including the Old Keene Mill and McLean locations.

“Their story mirrors the resilience and determination of our own CEO and co-founder of District Taco, Osiris Hoil who transformed his own opportunities and dreams into reality,” District Taco’s spokesperson told FFXnow.

District Taco, which started out as a food cart in Arlington over a decade ago, now boasts 16 locations throughout the D.C. area and Pennsylvania.

While the company says there are no specific expansion plans in the D.C. region that it can share, the spokesperson disclosed that 70 stores are currently in development nationwide, including northern New Jersey, Brooklyn, New York, and Tampa, Florida.

The menu at every District Taco offers customizable tacos, burritos, bowls, salads, and quesadillas, with vegetarian and vegan options available.

The West Springfield location, however, is unique in that the interior has more of an “industrial” design.

“We kept the existing brick infrastructure as is and it is exposed in the interior of the store in the front,” District Taco Director of Design Victoria Stratton told FFXnow. “It also has more of an open kitchen design where you can clearly see the prep area and the employees making guac right in front of you!”

So far, customer feedback for the West Springfield location has been overwhelmingly positive, according to the company.

“The new location’s success has exceeded expectations and has received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from guests,” the company spokesperson said. “We hope to continue to deliver a delicious and memorable experience to our guests, and we look forward to creating a stronger relationship with the Springfield and McLean community in the New Year.”

(Updated at 4 p.m.) Hundreds of Fairfax Connector workers could strike if contract talks between their union and employer break down.

Nearly a month after the end of their existing contract with Transdev, which operates Fairfax County’s public bus system, union drivers, mechanics and other employees voted on Dec. 29 to authorize a strike, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 announced yesterday.

As a policy, the union didn’t disclose how many of the approximately 546 Fairfax Connector workers it represents participated in the vote, but 99% of those who did voted in support of authorization, a Local 689 spokesperson told FFXnow.

Despite the recent authorization vote, a strike call doesn’t appear to be imminent, as the union says it has another bargaining session scheduled for Jan. 19.

“For the past three months, Transdev has proven time and time again that they are more interested in hoarding their money than making necessary investments to improve their dedicated and hardworking employees’ wellbeing,” Local 689 President Raymond Jackson said in a statement. “Our members are fed up with Transdev’s flat out refusal to fully engage in meaningful bargaining over key economic issues and attempts to distort facts.”

The workers who support Northern Virginia’s largest public bus system have been negotiating a new labor contract since October, when Local 689 delivered its first proposal to Transdev. The union has said its priorities include pay increases, better sick leave, standard work schedules and retirement security.

Shortly before the existing contract expired on Nov. 30, the union reported progress on some issues, but it said Transdev’s proposed wages still fell short of what workers are seeking.

Now, the union says Transdev “finally presented a decent wage increase proposal,” but the company is pushing the union to drop its demands for “improved dental care and sick leave, retirement security, and more stable working hours.”

(Correction: This article initially said that, according to the union, Transdev had threatened to withdraw its offer of improved sick leave and other benefits in exchange for the wage increases. A union spokesperson clarified that those benefits weren’t offered. Instead, the proposed pay plan was “contingent” on the union dropping its other demands.)

Transdev, which was first hired by the county to operate Fairfax Connector in 2019, says it’s continuing “to bargain in good faith” with ATU Local 689.

“To date, we’ve agreed to over 50 modifications to the prior [collective bargaining agreement] and proposed significant improvements to wages & benefits,” Transdev said in an emailed statement. “We value our partnership with the ATU and remain hopeful that we can come to a mutually-agreeable resolution quickly.”

However, Local 689 claims that many of the contractor’s concessions are either “technical corrections or the bare minimum necessary changes to keep somewhat competitive with other transit entities in the region.”

“A vast divide between the two sides still remains,” the union said.

Serving approximately 26,000 passengers a day on 93 routes, Fairfax Connector is currently operating under the expired contract, which was ratified in early 2020 after workers went on a four-day strike in December 2019 and raised the possibility of a second walkout.

The county’s plan for handling a strike, if the current contract dispute isn’t resolved, aren’t yet clear. The Fairfax County Department of Transportation told FFXnow it “has no comments about a potential strike at the moment.”

It’s amazing what one can do with 25,000 extra square feet.

Greater Washington’s newest Whole Foods Market opens at 8 a.m. Wednesday in Springfield. The grand opening at 6426 Springfield Plaza comes three days after Whole Foods closed its West Springfield store three miles away, giving employees 72 hours to stand up a store double the former’s size.

The new Whole Foods, formerly a Giant Food, is nearly 49,500 square feet, and with that extra space, the store offers a host of things the former could not. There was no full-service meat department in West Springfield; there is here. There is indoor and outdoor seating, multiple areas of prepared foods, salad bar, coffee bar, made-to-order pizza and sandwiches, a scratch bakery, massive cheese section, much larger beer and wine selection and a large row of self-check stations.

Daniela D’Ambrosio, senior “local forager” for Whole Foods Market, described the setting as lighter and brighter. It’s D’Ambrosio’s job to identify “local” — defined as within 250 miles — items to offer in store, of which there are some 600 in Springfield.

The new store employs roughly 200, a Whole Foods spokesperson said, and all West Springfield staff were offered jobs in the new location. Operating hours are from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

The West Springfield Whole Foods is among the region's oldest. It originally opened as a Fresh Fields in 1993. Whole Foods acquired Fresh Fields three years later and converted the store.

At Springfield Plaza, Giant relocated to a larger store carved out of a former Kmart. Trader Joe’s, another Springfield Plaza tenant, is expected to leave its space for Whole Foods’ now vacated location on Old Keene Mill Road in West Springfield.

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Now, she’s excited to come home to Fairfax County to headline “The Cher Show” at Capital One Hall in Tysons, Virginia, for a run of five shows this weekend on Friday, Feb. 16, Saturday, Feb. 17, and Sunday, Feb. 18.

“I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for months, ever since I found out I got this role and we were coming so close to [my] hometown,” Ariale told WTOP. “I can’t wait to show everyone who hasn’t seen me perform in so long. … Lots of family, friends, people in the theater program at West Springfield, my old teacher Bernie DeLeo is coming, as well as my old chorus teacher Dustin Brandt. … They had a huge part in kick-starting my career.”

She’ll never forget meeting DeLeo when she was a sophomore in high school still finding her way.

“One day after school, I ended up walking past the arts hallway where he had a bulletin board of all the auditions,” Ariale said. “I was just there by myself, glancing around looking at auditions for a play that was coming up and he happened to walk by like, ‘Hey, who are you? Are you interested in auditioning?’ … He convinced me right then and there. … One day after rehearsal he was like, ‘What do you want to do for college? … You should be doing this.'”

Her answer was to study theater at Pace University in Manhattan, allowing her to see Broadway shows in person.

“That was the reason that really drew me to Pace,” Ariale said. “I always loved New York City, I always knew I wanted to live there from an early age honestly, just going to see shows with my family growing up on vacations. A lot of [Pace] faculty are in the business … and the insight that you get from going to a school like that is unmatched. There was no scary post-grad moving to the city … I had been there for four years already.”

Now, she brings her Big Apple experience back home for the national tour of “The Cher Show,” which premiered on Broadway in 2018. Written by Rick Elice, the show casts three lead actresses to portray musical icon Cher at different stages of her career, first nicknamed “Babe” in the 1950s and ’60s (played by Ella Perez), then nicknamed “Lady” in the 1970s (played by Ariale) and finally nicknamed “Star” in the 1980s and ’90s (played by Morgan Scott).

“It starts out with Babe, you see Cher in her early teen years when she first meets Sonny, they have this lovely spark moment where there’s just crazy chemistry between the two of them,” Ariale said. “Lady steps in when Babe is a little too shy in front of a crowd in Vegas. I literally tap her on the shoulder like, ‘Get out of the way, it’s my turn.’ … Then you see Star come in, the oldest Cher, she is the pop-glam icon that we see today.”

Along the way, you’ll hear all of your favorite Cher tunes for a jukebox musical.

“We sing ‘Song for the Lonely’ at the end of Act 1, which is by far my favorite moment,” Ariale said. “The opening is ‘If I Could Turn Back Time,’ just full concert mode. … ‘I Got You Babe’ has to be the No. 1 recognized. … One I didn’t know is a mashup of ‘When the Money’s Gone’ and ‘All or Nothing.’ … You’ve got to have ‘Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves.’ … ‘The Beat Goes On’ was a song I did not know was Cher’s. … ‘Believe’ is in our megamix at the very end.”

Of course, you can’t have a Cher show without the Tony-winning costumes by Bob Mackie.

“There’s some iconic costumes in there that are just really brilliant and really fun to wear,” Ariale said. “I forget how many there are, I know it’s in the hundreds. I have around 23 costume changes I think. There’s a lot of beads, there’s a lot of sparkles. … Some of the iconic Oscar costumes that Cher wore, the one with the mohawk. … She wanted to be big and bold with her fashion and that’s why Bob Mackie was so perfect for her.”

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WTOP's Jason Fraley previews 'The Cher Show' at Capital One Hall (Part 2)

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