Upcoming events

  • What Are We Building Here? Leadership Luncheon

    • 8 Sep 2026
    • 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
    • UMass Center at Springfield Tower Square
    Register


    What Are We Building Here?

    Featuring Heather Caisse-Roberts, President & CEO of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra

    What does it actually mean to build something you care about—especially when you’re still in the middle of building it?

    Join YPS for a Leadership Luncheon with Heather Caisse-Roberts, President & CEO of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, for a candid conversation about leadership, change, community and what it takes to help the organizations and places we care about thrive.

    Heather’s career has taken a winding path from teaching elementary school in Vermont to higher education, public media, fundraising, development and operations—and, eventually, to leading the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. While the roles may look different, there has been a consistent thread throughout her career: building institutions that matter to the communities around them.

    During “What Are We Building Here?”, Heather will explore the questions leaders face when they care deeply about the work they’re doing. How do you honor more than 80 years of history while still being willing to change? How do you balance mission with financial reality? How do you get people to care—and how do you decide what is worth fighting for?

    Using the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and its transformative past year as part of the story, Heather will share what she has learned about building things, changing things, getting some things wrong, finding the right people to help get other things right, and taking an active role in the community where you live and work.

    Show details

  • Fourth Thursday: The Big E

    • 24 Sep 2026
    • 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
    • The Big E, Dolly's Honky Tonk (By Gate 7)
    Register


    September Networking: Boots, Bull, and the Big E

    Swap the conference room for a honky tonk. On Thursday, September 24, YPS takes over Dolly's Honky Tonk at The Big E for our monthly networking event, and yes, the mechanical bull will be running.

    From 5:30 to 7:30pm you'll find us at Dolly's, just inside Gate 7. Grab a beer served in a cowboy boot glass, a Crazy Cowboy Cheeseburger, or one of the all new Dolly's Dogs from the Boot Scootin' Saloon, and meet the people building careers across the Pioneer Valley. Stompin' Boots line dancing lessons start at 6pm, so come ready to find your footing in more ways than one.

    Not ready to call it a night at 7:30? Stay. You're at The Big E with a full fair ticket in hand. Trick Roper Mackenzie Fish performs at 5 and 8pm, Cowboy Mike takes the stage at 9pm, and the cream puffs aren't going to eat themselves.

    The details

    • When: Thursday, September 24, 5:30 to 7:30pm
    • Where: Dolly's Honky Tonk at The Big E. Enter at Gate 7.
    • RSVP by: 11:59pm on Sunday, September 6 at SpringfieldYPS.com
    • YPS members: Free admission to the Fair on September 24 when you RSVP by the deadline. Limited tickets available. Sign up to secure your spot.
    • Not a member yet? RSVP on the YPS site and pay standard admission at the gate, $11 after 5pm. Join YPS before September 7 and you can claim a free ticket instead.

    Know before you go

    • Member tickets are electronic and may not be sent until the morning of September 24. Watch your inbox that day. (Valid email address is required)
    • Parking is available at Gate 9A. Passes are not supplied, so plan for the cost and the walk over to Gate 7.
    • September 24 is Massachusetts Day at the Fair. Plan travel accordingly. 
    • Food, drinks, and mechanical bull rides are available for purchase.


    Show details