WHAT’S HAPPENING IN AMHERST?

There is a lot going on in the Amherst area this winter. Here is a select list of some events.

Every Saturday –All Winter Long.  Winter Farmer’s Market at the Hampshire Mall.  10 AM – 2 PM.  More Info here:  https://wfmhm.com

February, March and April..  Free UMass Music Faculty Concerts at Benzanson Recital Hall,  UMass.  Dates and times below.

Saturday, March 7. Celebrate International Women’s Day with Solidarity.1-3 PM. First Congregational Church, Main Street, Amherst. The purpose of the event is to provide a welcome to women who are refugees and immigrants in our community.  Catholic Charities is co-sponsoring and bringing speakers from the refugee community.Speakers include: Mindy Domb, State Representative, 3rd Hampshire District, Tsultrim Dolma, human rights activist and former political prisoner, women from refugee and immigrant community (women from families that work with Catholic Charities), Meka Magee, Amherst Educator and Special Education Consultant, and others. Free and the public is invited  / Refreshments  / Registration encouraged but not required,  at  “welcomewomen.eventbrite.com” Contact:  Cathy McNally at 413-575-5164 / mcnally.cathy@yahoo.com.

Friday, March 13.  Cuppa Joe with Town Manager Paul Bockelman and Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek.  7:30 AM – 9:00 at Jakes. The “Cuppa’ Joe with Paul” coffees are a monthly event and rotate around the Town. Each time, Paul is joined by a different Town department head, official or special guest. Residents and others are welcome to share their concerns, offer suggestions, or just get to know each other.  All are welcome and we always love to see new faces! 

Saturday, March 14.  Family Science: Backbone Not Required. 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM @ Hitchcock Center for the Environment. Join us for seasonal nature and science programs each second Saturday of the month. Designed for children with their parents, these programs will explore cool topics in nature. The programs are adaptable, but generally geared toward early childhood and elementary, ages 3-8. March 14: Backbones Not Required Ranging in size from microscopic to gigantic, invertebrates make up the largest group of animals in the animal kingdom. Come learn about some awesome invertebrates with the Hitchcock Center! Be prepared to get hands on with one of the Hitchcock Centers spineless teaching animals. Members: Free/Non-members: $10 per family. Register here. The Hitchcock Center will be open from 9am-1pm today. Stop in for a visit any time or stay after the program and hang out in our Visitor Center with animals, games and books!

Saturday, March 14. Standing on My Sisters’ Shoulders: film screening and discussion. 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM @ Woodbury Room, Jones Library. During Women’s History Month, the Amherst League of Women Voters and the Jones Library invite you to join us for a screening of this documentary, followed by a discussion led by Traci Parker, Assistant Professor of Afro-American Studies at UMass-Amherst.

Saturday, March 21.  Take Back our Democracy Summit.  1-3:30 PM. Smith Vocational High School. 80 Locust Street, Northampton. 2020 is here and there’s a lot of work to be done leading up to the November election. This summit is where we will be kicking off our official efforts for 2020 elections. Join local activists as we come together to support efforts to keep the U.S. House blue, flip the U.S. Senate from red to blue, and dump Trump. We’ll hear about key races, how to plug in to local activities, and we will take action at the Summit. Guest speakers include our incomparable U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, the Political Directors from the Maine and New Hampshire State Democratic Parties, Susan Labandibar (the New England Organizer from Swing Left), and others. This is the time for us to take back our Democracy!  Pre-registration encouraged (but not required).  More info here.

Sunday, March 29.  Amherst Neighbors Kickoff Event.  Red Barn, Hampshire College, 3-5 PM. Celebration of this new organization. Helping to build community that already exists in Amherst and Pelham – to make this part of the valley a better place to live for older adults and people of all ages.

Thursday April 2.   2020 Philip Gamble Memorial Lecture with Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis .  6 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Days after being elected to the Greek parliament in January 2015, Varoufakis was appointed to serve as the nation’s finance minister. He assumed the position at the peak of the Greek government-debt crisis and served in this role until July 2015, resigning his position following the referendum vote opposing the acceptance of terms for a third bailout from the European Commission, the International Monetary fund and the European Central Bank. “Adults in the Room,” Varoufakis’ in-depth description of these months of negotiating Greece’s economic future, was a Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller. The book has been praised by The Guardian as “one of the greatest political memoirs of all time,” and in September 2019 was named one of their “100 Best Books of the 21^st Century.”

In his 2020 Gamble Lecture, Varoufakis will ask “Do We Need a Pluralist Economics?” “Physics is not pluralist,” he says, “even if physicists are pluralist in their appreciation of the limits of their science. Indeed, no one is calling for more pluralism is physics. But in economics, the calls for more pluralism are plentiful and increasingly powerful. Are they misplaced? Or is there a deeper reason why pluralism should be an essential part of theoretical and applied economics?” 

More information on the UMass Amherst department of economics and the 2020 Gamble Lecture by Yanis Varoufakis, as well as a complete list of previous Gamble lecturers with video of all speeches since 2008, can be found on the economics department website. More info about Varoufakis, including an archive of his research, writings and columns can be found on his website.

Saturday, April 4. 11 AM.  UMass Dash and Dine 5k benefitting the Amherst Survival Center.  More info at runumass.com. \

Sunday, April 26.  Daffodil Run to Benefit Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Hampshire County.   5k run/walk and 10k.   10 AM Amherst Town Common.  More info and regisgter here. https://chd.org/daffodil-run/