“Waste not, want not.” That was the sentiment as dozens of households made their way to a special “fix-it” event in western Massachusetts over the weekend.
“Nobody builds something like this: Electrolux, nobody does this anymore: the metal, the … wheels, you know, it's beautiful… and I just want to fix it.”
To some, Max Hartshorne’s Model G Electrolux cannister vacuum would make for a fun find at a tag sale if you were looking for a vintage decoration.
But to the South Deerfield resident, the short and stout, 60-year-old vacuum is one of his most treasured appliances – one he was hoping to see fixed up at the technical school in Turners Falls over the weekend.
“This is the first time I've ever been able to make it. I had it on my calendar for a long time,” he told WAMC. “My beloved vacuum cleaner needs a little help, and I don't have the right tools.”
On Saturday, a small army of volunteers came equipped. One table installed a new wheel to replace a set that broke off from the vacuum, while another took a look at its wiring.
All through the morning and early afternoon, appliances, knives and furniture of all kinds saw second chances, thanks to the second annual “Franklin County Regional Repair Event,” put on by the Franklin County Solid Waste District and the Franklin County Tech School.
At least 100 households took advantage, bringing lamps, vacuums and even a shovel or three to be looked at and retrofitted.
“The Solid Waste District is all about waste reduction, right? We don't want people to throw lamps in the trash because it needs a new socket or a new plug, we don't want people to throw anything in the trash if it can be fixed,” said Jan Ameen, executive director of the Franklin County Solid Waste District.
“A lot of people, including myself, have piles of things that just need one something: one screw or glue, and so, this is an event to bring fixers together with the community and get things fixed and back into people's households,” Ameen continued.
Per the executive director and company, the fix-it days do more than just lower the number of appliances that end up in the trash – the free repair event helps locals save a dollar in more than ways than one while also providing a showcase for the vocational school and its adult education programs.
Overseeing several tables loaded with students and local graduates was Justin Lawrence, the school’s Adult Education director and Community Resource liaison.
“This is a fabulous blend of services - not only do we have some adult students here today who are learning new skills and honing the skills that they've already received while being students here, but now they're using them to help service folks in the county,” Lawrence said as about a dozen students worked at various tables. “They're also practicing community service and customer service.”
One of those students was Grace Jenkins, a Boston-to-Greenfield resident who recently completed 12 weeks of night classes and was now helping get lamps back up and lighting again.
She recommends the program to anyone who might be unemployed or underemployed – especially when electricians are in demand and apprenticeships are few and far between.
“In this day and age and state, there's a shortage of electricians, but that also means that there's a shortage of electrical apprentice jobs, because each electrician is only allowed to have one apprentice - it's actually pretty tricky to get an electrical apprentice job right now,” Jenkins said. “So yeah: we just got all these skills, and we hope that we'll be able to get jobs to become electricians, because there's a shortage, but … it’s kind of tricky out there, to be honest.”
There are other programs besides electrical classes. Building maintenance is also an option, complete with carpentry, which was also offered Saturday.
AnnMarie Stafford of Greenfield took advantage – bringing a pair of chairs that have seen better days, but weren’t destined for the dump just yet.
“This is a very, very, very good program that they're doing - I find it keeps a lot of the stuff out of the dumps, it's eco-friendly,” she said.
Every job done also got its own sendoff – a handbell rung every time an item was fixed or refurbished.
Ameen expects more bells in different part of the county over the next few weeks. The next repair events are slated for June 13 in Colrain, June 27 in Conway and Aug. 15 in Orange.
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This story originally aired on Monday, June 1, 2026.
