Amherst MA: Best College Town in America

One year ago, Amherst, MA was named the best college town in America.  With the amount of competition in the United States, this was quite an honor for the town and the nearby universities.  Many factors were considered when choosing Amherst, including the five college consortium, downtown Amherst, nearby Hadley, Northampton, and Belchertown, the PVTA, and large number of events hosted by the five colleges. 

The Five College Consortium (which includes UMass Amherst, Amherst College, Hampshire College, Smith College, and Mt. Holyoke College) contains 28,000 undergraduate students who are all linked by the PVTA, a free bus service.  The town and surrounding areas cater to the abundance of residents within the age of 18 to 24 years old, but Amherst also has a large percentage of adults with graduate level degrees at 43 percent.  Also, the surrounding area has ten museums, a mall, plenty of coffee shops, and restaurants covering all cuisines.

The local businesses are vital to the praise Amherst receives from students, alumni, and visitors.  The Black Sheep is a delectable deli and every student knows to stop by Antonio’s pizza for a unique slice or order wings from the Hangar for dinner.  Cafés, pizza shop, fast food, delivery, and food from all over the world is what makes Amherst great to make your stomach happy.

Encharter Insurance is proud to represent the Amherst area for the citizens and businesses of Amherst insurance needs.  Encharter offers personal insurance as well as business insurance for complete coverage.  Stop by our Amherst office right next to Rafter’s at 25 University Drive Amherst, MA 01002 or give us a call at (888) 865-1244.

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

A Celebration in Memory of George Parks

Any person who has attended a University of Massachusetts home football game knows what a treat it is to see the Minutemen Marching Band play live.  Their weekly performances demonstrate how much they practice and strive for success.  They have been successful for many years and even received the Louis C. Sudler Trophy in 1998. Much of that success (including the awarded winning year) can be contributed to the great George Parks.  For thirty-three years, the marching band was under his direction.  His charisma and pride in the band displayed each week when he led the band at half time.

Sadly, on September 16^th Parks suffered a heart attack while traveling with his team to the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The Michigan Wolverines own the largest stadium in the United States and hosted UMass Amherstin front of the largest crowd the Minutemen Marching Band ever performed in front of (110,187 people).  George passed on just two days before the big game but the band proudly performed in his honor alongside the Michigan Marching Band.

This homecoming weekend will be the first time UMass plays at home since the tragedy.  UMass will be holding a celebration in his honor.  This will be streamed live on the internet for all of those that cannot make it.  This is a very special day because since it is also homecoming weekend, previous band members and families will be performing as well.  Alumni and students alike will be able to honor George Parks in front of a full stadium at the place he performed the most, McGuirk Stadium. 

We know plenty of people will be driving up to Amherst to see the game and spend time with fellow alum so, before making the trip, whether long or short, it’s a good idea to be sure that your Amherst MA Car Insurance has the appropriate coverage for you. The last thing anyone want to do is have to deal with on a celebratory weekend is holes in your Amherst MA Auto Insurance policy.  It will be a day of remembering and a day to remember to see the production with hundreds of people who knew George Parks.  We here at Encharter Insurance wish the band the best of luck and our condolences go out to everyone close to George Parks.

And remember, At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

Protect Your Stuff…Especially in a Dorm

Hey there, college students! You’re getting ready to head back to school and I am so jealous! College was so fun. I loved getting back together with friends and I even loved going back to classes. But I think the thing I liked the most about college was having my own space. For two years in school, I didn’t have a roommate and I loved it. I could organize my room the way I wanted it and I could keep it clean. What a downer it would have been if something happened to my stuff!

But there’s good news! Your parents’ Homeowner’s Insurance policy may give you 10% of the contents limit listed in the coverage. If you or your parents are interested in learning more about this type of coverage, contact your local Encharter Insurance today!

And if you have questions about Amherst MA Car Insurance, Amherst MA Life Insurance or Amherst MA Business Insurance, we’d like to help with too! You can call us at 888-865-1244, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com or you can visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And be sure to find us on Twitter© and Facebook© as well!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

Encharter Insurance Encourages Volunteering

At UMass Amherst this past spring, I was involved in an event with the Marketing Club where the Boys and Girls Club visited campus for the day touring, eating, learning and even watching a Division One Men’s Lacrosse game after which, the players were available to sign posters and speak with the kids. As the day progressed it was clear that the kids were coming out of their shells and were really having a great time. One of the younger boys even said, “This is the best day ever!!” It felt great to be helping out with such a great cause and it really makes me feel as though supporting organizations such as the Springfield Boys and Girls Club is really worth it, despite the geographic distance.

The Boys and Girls Club of Springfield is an organization with charitable initiatives at heart to help the youth in the area. According to the Executive Director of the organization, Garrett J. McCarthy, the mutual efforts and assistance of the community and volunteers have allowed the Springfield Boys and Girls Club to proudly provide “education, prevention and other youth development programs”.  This great foundation goes above and beyond to help out the young members of the community and Encharter shares the same passion for service. We, at Encharter Insurance, would like to encourage you to get involved this summer! Find a place you can volunteer and give back and serve. You’ll be glad you did and I am sure that it will make it a summer to remember!

And of course, if you have any questions about Amherst Car Insurance, Amherst Homeowner’s Insurance, Amherst Life Insurance or Amherst Business Insurance, we’d like to help! You can call us at 888-865-1244, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com, or you can visit our office for insurance in Amherst MA. And now, you can find us on Facebook© and Twitter©!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

UMASS Sports Management Department’s Soccerfest 2010

This Saturday May 1^st, come support the University of Massachusetts Sport Management Department’s Event Management class at SOCCERFEST! This non-profit soccer tournament is a great opportunity to get active and have some fun (and the weather is supposed to great)! Come and watch the tournament and enjoy some great entertainment, food and games! Not to mention that this year, 10% of registration proceeds are going to the Chituka Village Project! In addition, Encharter Insurance is sponsoring the dunk tank this year, so don’t miss out on your chance to dunk Bill Dowd (president of Encharter)! Find out more by going to the Supercuts Soccerfest website, or by finding them on Facebook© and Twitter©. So show your support for Chituka Village  and the University of Massachusetts Sport Management Department, and come have a ball this Saturday!

And if you have any questions about Amherst Car Insurance, Amherst Homeowner’s Insurance, Amherst Life Insurance or Amherst Business Insurance, contact your knowledgeable Encharter Insurance agent today!  You can call us at 888-865-1244, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com or you can visit our insurance office in Amherst MA, our insurance office in Lexington MA or our insurance office in Reading MA.  And now, you can find us on Twitter© and Facebook©!

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

New Regulations for Oil Home Heating Systems

According to a recent article, by July 1, 2010 in the state of Massachusetts, residents must upgrade their home heating system equipment to prevent leaks from tanks and pipes that connect to their furnaces. This law requires the installation of either an oil safety valve or an oil supply line with a protective sleeve on systems that do not currently have these devices.  This should cost under $350 to fix.

However, not everyone must abide by this new law.  There are some exceptions. Homeowners are exempt from taking these leak prevention steps if:

• the oil burner is located above the oil storage tank and the entire oil supply line is connected to and above the top of the tank OR 
• an oil safety valve or oil supply line with protective sleeve was installed on or after January 1, 1990, AND
• those changes are in compliance with the oil burning equipment regulations; a copy of the oil burner permit from the local fire department may be used to demonstrate compliance.

For more information on these new regulations, click here.  And as always, if you have any questions about Amherst Car Insurance, Amherst Homeowner’s Insurance, Amherst Life Insurance, or any other kind of insurance, contact your Encharter Insurance agent today!  You can find us on Twitter© and Facebook©, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com, you can call us at 888-865-1244 or you can visit our insurance office in Amherst MA, our insurance office in Lexington MA or our insurance office in Reading MA.

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

UMASS Spring Concert Follow-Up

Sunday night’s spring concert at UMass Amherst was a definite hit with students!  The concert featured performances by Electrolightz, New Found Glory, LMFAO, and Ludacris.  The opener for the show was actually the UMass band C-BANGA who won the Battle of the Bands that took place a few weeks back.

The fan-favorites of the show were definitely LMFAO and Ludacris, who got everyone in the arena out of their seats and dancing.  LMFAO is a hip-hop dance group known for their songs “I’m in Miami Trick” and “Shots”.  One of their other songs is also the theme song for the popular show, “The Jersey Shore”.  Ludacris came out with his first album in 2000 and has been producing hits for ten years now.  He played many of his popular older songs such as “Roll Out” and “What’s your Fantasy”.  He also played some of his new songs “How Low” and “My Chick Bad” off of his 7^th album Battle of the Sexes.  Overall, the Spring Concert brought a lot of great moments to the students of UMass and it was a fun experience for all who joined the party.

If you have any questions about Amherst Car Insurance, Amherst Homeowner’s Insurance, Amherst Life Insurance, or any other kind of insurance, contact your Encharter Insurance agent today!  You can find us on Twitter© and Facebook©, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com, you can call us at 888-865-1244 or you can visit our insurance office in Amherst MA.

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”

UMASS Amherst Spring Concert

The UMass Mullins center has the pleasure of hosting Ludacris, New Found Glory, and LMFAO at this year’s UMass Spring Concert!  The show will take place on Sunday April 25, at 5:30pm.  Each year, students from UMass are offered a free concert in the spring presented by the University Programming Council and Student Government Association.  This is always a fun event for students to come together every year and enjoy some of their favorite artists.  In the past such acts as Nas, Ben Folds, Lupe Fiasco, and Dropkick Murphy’s have taken the stage for the annual event.

If you would like to find out more about this event, you can go to the Mullins Center website.  The concert is sold out for now, but there is always a possibility to get tickets last minute.

And as always, if you have any questions about Massachusetts Car Insurance, Massachusetts Homeowner’s Insurance, Massachusetts Life Insurance, or any other kind of insurance, contact your Encharter Insurance agent today!  You can find us on Twitter© and Facebook©, you can visit our virtual insurance office at www.encharter.com, you can call us at 888-865-1244 or you can visit our insurance office in Amherst MA, our insurance office in Amherst MA.

At Encharter, “It’s all about protecting you!”