NORTHAMPTON — Two things that have an almost innate ability to bring people together are food and music.

And that combination will be the focus of an upcoming Welcome Table Chorus concert at Northampton’s Bombyx Center for the Arts on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. The evening will feature a massive chorus of singers and proceeds will benefit the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

The Welcome Table Chorus is the brainchild of Nerissa Nields of local folk duo The Nields. Nields said she had created a similar folk chorus when she was in college in the late 1980s.

“So, it’s something I’ve been interested in my entire life,” she said. “The college chorus was called Tangled Up in Blue and that was sort of a template for me.”

Although she is best known for her work with The Nields, who blend folk, rock and pop into their sound, Nields is no stranger to choral music. Along her music journey, she has created and conducted choruses for children, including one in Northampton which turned into three different groups and ran for five years until the pandemic hit.

Of course, COVID stopped most live music and community events in their tracks.

Then last April, Nields and her husband went to Boston with friends for the “No Kings” rally and one of her friends happened to be a parent of one of the children from a previous chorus.

“She asked me if I ever thought about starting a chorus for adults and said that if I did, she’d join it in a second,” Nields said.

The idea intrigued Nields, but initially she thought it would be too much work. But after mulling it a bit, she called her sister (and bandmate) Katryna, who had been running a few youth choruses already and asked her if that’s something she would want to do together.

“And she didn’t even hesitate. She immediately said ‘yes.’ But we debated it and went back-and-forth and wondered if it would be too much time or if we would lose our minds,” Nields said with a laugh.

In the end, the sisters decided to forge ahead.

“I think this is something that people need; we need to sing with other people and be in community with other people,” Nields said. “Especially with the twin things of people being more cautious and isolated after COVID and the political climate being what it is, it’s important that people do gather.”

So, they put out the word, expecting to get maybe 30 people.

They got 80.

“We started out with about 80 singers — there were no auditions so anybody could join. But people whittle themselves away, and now we have about 60 to 70,” Nields said.

The songs that will be performed are about inclusion, love, and activism, Nields said, but it will be a diverse set list. Some of the songs on the setlist include Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’, “Crowded Table” by The Highwomen, “Don’t Carry It All” by the Decemberists, and “Dreams” by The Cranberries.

The chorus will be singing all these tunes in four-part harmony and putting that together so quickly (the chorus just started in September) is a daunting task. But fortunately, Nields relied heavily on her former chorus work.

“A lot of the songs we chose were ones that we already had arrangements for,” she said.

The chorus itself is also diverse.

“It’s a mixture. I got all kinds of different all different kinds of people. Some are quite good, and some are complete beginners. I have some parents from the earlier choruses. We have people who are Nields fans, and we have people who don’t know anything about us,” Nields said. “I even have one of my classmates from college who is doing it 40 years later with her husband.”

Nields mused about why singing gives people a sense of community.

“I think there’s a kind of spiritual thing that happens, which would be kind of hard to define in words, but we all know it when we feel it,” she said. “But from a technical point of view, when you’re singing with other people – at least the way we’re teaching it – you really have to listen. You have to pay attention to what your neighbors are singing. You have to look each other in the eyes if you’re singing together. It’s pretty intimate.”

Two-thirds of Massachusetts parents polled support a ban on cell phones in school, a new MassINC report found, though nearly as many want an alternative means to contact their child during schooltime.

“Cell phone use in our schools is undeniably fueling distraction and undermining meaningful learning,” said Jennie Williamson, Massachusetts state director of EdTrust, which sponsored the poll from MassINC. “We appreciate legislative leaders for taking this issue seriously, and this poll makes clear that parents overwhelmingly share these concerns. Their strong support for a statewide ban should give lawmakers the momentum needed to carry this bill across the finish line.”

The MassINC poll found 26% of 6-12 grade parents “strongly support” and 40% “somewhat support” a bell-to-bell cell phone ban in public schools. The ban reflects a bill being considered in the state Legislature, which was passed by the senate over the summer.

The group polled about 900 Massachusetts parents of grades 6-12 students starting in September 2025. About 88% of parents polled reported their children have a phone or smartwatch.

The debate in Massachusetts comes as at least 33 states have enacted laws or policies banning or limiting cell phone use in schools, according to Ballotpedia. Advocates for the measure, including Gov. Maura Healey and AG Andrea Campbell, have cited the impact of cell phone usage on student distraction and mental health.

While the majority of parents polled supported the ban, another 63% say they would want a way to contact their child during school. In a focus group, parents cited concerns for their kids’ safety and their ability to contact them in an emergency.

Parents voiced broad concerns, asking questions like “What happens if they really need it?” and calling the climate of school violence and social media videotaping “very scary.” The parents’ answers also cited coordinating with their children about before and after school transportation and medical issues among concerns.

About half of parents said they would want more information about the policy and exceptions.

In Beacon Hill’s proposed ban, school districts would be required to implement policies including a “bell-to-bell” ban on usage of personal electronic devices. The legislation would also require districts to institute a method for parents or guardians and students to contact each other during the day if necessary.

District policies could also include exceptions for “necessary accommodations” for school and student health and safety under the bill.

The Massachusetts House has yet to take up the proposal, though House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz indicated interest in the measure in early November, saying the committee is “working through that right now.”

Police are investigating a hit-and-run crash that occurred on Sunday morning in Everett, Massachusetts.

The crash occurred in the area of 524 Broadway, and police said the road was shut down in both directions. Drivers were being urged to seek alternate routes and avoid the area.

There was no immediate word on the extent of the injuries.