What’s Happening In Amherst?

You can help us make our events calendar more useful by sending us your listings and including contact information and/or a link for more information. Send events listings to amherstindy@gmail.com.

IN PERSON ONGOING/MULTI-DAY EVENTS

EVERY SATURDAY THROUGH NOVEMBER 19. AMHERST FARMERS’ MARKET. Town Common 7:30 a.m – 1:30 p.m. Farm to table produce from local growers and producers. Food, music and events. More information including a list of vendors.

EVERY SATURDAY THROUGH NOVEMBER 5: SPECIAL EXHIBIT – BLACK AND AFRO-INDIGENOUS FAMILIES IN AMHERST. Amherst History Museum, 67 Amity Street. 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Historic images of Amherst’s Black and indigenous families plus artifacts dating back to the pre-Emancipation era. More information

EVERY THURSDAY AND FRIDAY: FREE COVID VACCINE CLINICS. The Health Department has resumed its vaccine clinics at the Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk from 12-2 p.m. on Thursdays. All residents, ages 12 and up who have not had a vaccine or booster in the past two months are eligible for and urged to get the new bivalent vaccines, which offer protection against the omicron variant of Covid-19. Registration for appointments is at https://www.amherstcovid19.org/vaccine . Walk-ins are also welcome.

UMass is offering bivalent Covid vaccines for ages 12 and older in Room 101 at the Campus Center on Thursdays from 12-4 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and for those 12 and younger on Thursdays from 4-5:30 p.m. Appointments https://umass.my.site.com/covidtesting/s/vaccination  are recommended but not essential. To find other sites offering the bivalent vaccine, go to https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/ .

LAST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH : LAST FRIDAYS AT THE DRAKE POETRY SERIES HOSTED BY LYRICAL FAITH. 44 North Pleasant Street. Join us every last Friday of the month* for Last Fridays at The Drake hosted by Lyrical Faith for an unforgettable open mic and poetry night experience featuring award-winning spoken word artists from across the country. Come through for music, drinks, and artistic expression where poets take center stage to share new work, old work, or any work that helps them get free. Doors and bar open at 5PM. Early arrival is encouraged to get a slot on the sign-up sheet. The cover charge is $5 with a college ID or $10 general admission. More Information. Full Events Calendar at the Drake.

SECOND TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: OPEN MIC NIGHT AT THE DRAKE. 44 North Pleasant Street. Free event. Performers arrive by 5:30 p.m. Stage time: 6 p.m – 10 p.m. All ages. Younger performers will be slotted earler. All performers and styles of performances welcome, including but not limited to: music (of all kinds) – acoustic, folk, rock, hip hop, jazz, classical, etc…comedy, spoken word / readings, poetry,
dance, performance art. House rules and more information.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19- WEDNESDAY APRIL 3: FEINBERG LECTURE SERIES ON US IMPERIALISM – CONFRONTING EMPIRE. Events are online or hybrid. This free public lecture series brings together scholars, journalists, educators, writers, community organizers, and survivors of state violence to examine global histories of U.S. imperialism and anti-imperialist resistance.The series traces the history of U.S. imperialism from the conquest of North America to the creation of an overseas empire in the late 19th century and to the present day. It also offers a critical historical analysis of the various traditions and movements that have opposed U.S. empire, including Black radicalism, Marxism, revolutionary feminism, armed struggle, international solidarity, pacifism, and liberal, electoral, and diplomatic activism.  The series kicks off Monday, September 19 for the Keynote Address, US Policy In the Global South by Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Rigoberta Menchú Tum, joined by journalists Vincent Bevins anAmy Goodman. 7 p.m. on Zoom.
Register here.
Full listing of series events and more information

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30 -SUNDAY MAY 14: 60 YEARS OF COLLECTING -AN ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION CELEBRATING THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART PERMANENT COLLECTION. Bottom Floor of the UMass Fine Arts Center. Look here for gallery hours and additional information. Free. The exhibit can be viewed on line here.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 3 -WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 30: A LOOK THROUGH TWO LENSES AT GALLERY A3. Two artists toggle between representation and abstraction in photographs from Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod on exhibit at Gallery A3 in November. Gallery A3 is located at 28 Amity Steet 1D. Hours are 2:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Masking and social distancing are required. There will be a free online art forum (see below) on Thursday November 17 at 7:30 p.m. More information

IN PERSON SINGLE DAY EVENTS

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 3 – SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5: UMASS DANCE PRESENTS TOM VANCANTI’S REINTERPRETATION OF SCHEHERAZADE. 7:30 p.m. in the Totman Performance Lab, 30 Eastman Lane. Inspired by the original ballet by Mikhail Fokine and the lush score by Rimsky-Korsakov, Vacanti sought to recapture the grand spectacle of the original production through sets, costumes, video projections, and a cast of 27 dancers. However, Vacanti has based his adaptation on a different story from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights than the one used in the 1910 Ballet Russes production.The November ballet performances are based instead on Scheherazade’s story about King Yunan and Sage Duban, which includes similar elements of intrigue, deception, revenge and murder as the original tale.
Ticket prices are $25 for the general public, $15 for seniors, $5 for students, and free for UMass students. Tickets may be purchased at the Fine Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 413-545-2511, or online at www.fineartscenter.com/musicanddance. Free and secure parking in nearby lot 43 after 5 p.m.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5: SOUTH ASIAN FALL FESTIVAL. 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, 121 South Pleasant Street. Join the festivities that will include South Asian dance, music, poetry, art, henna, and snacks followed by a Bollywood dance party with a live DJ, Vidhi Salla, who will teach a few Bollywood moves and host a popup store for Asian handicrafts. More Information

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6: “MOJUBA EVENT HONORING AFRICAN ANCESTORS AND DISCUSSION OF AMHERST’S REPARATIONS EFFORTS. 2 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, 121 North Pleasant Street in Amherst. Bridge4Unity, a grass-roots organization devoted to interracial and intercultural dialogues, will host an event honoring African Ancestors and a discussion of Amherst Reparations efforts.The event is free and the public is welcome. More information

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 8: STATEWIDE ELECTION. 7 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Look here to find your voting location. More information.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 15: FIRST ANNUAL ELLSBERG LECTURE – THE HUMAN TOLL OF AMERICA’S AIR WARS BY PULITZER PRIZE WINNER AZMAT KHAN. 7 p.m. UMass Student Union Ballroom and on Zoom. In recent American wars, the United States traded many of its troops on the ground for an arsenal of aircraft, high flying drones, and precision weapons, often directed by controllers thousands of miles away. Successive U.S. administrations have boasted America’s air wars are the “most precise” in the history of warfare, replete with pledges of transparency and accountability. Investigative reporter Azmat Khan set out to test those claims on the ground in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, and within confidential troves of documents she obtained through years-long lawsuits against the Department of Defense. In this lecture, Khan will detail the culmination of her findings and the pattern of impunity within this new way of war.  Zoom registration and more information.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 17: SCREENING DOCUMENTARY FILM RIOTSVILLE USA WITH PRODUCER SARAH ARCHAMBAULT IN PERSON. 7 p.m. Amherst Cinema 28 Amity Street. One-night-only presentation of Riotsville, U.S.A. The appearance is part of the Bellwether Film Series. Following the film, Archambault will talk with Bellwether programmer George Myers and take questions from the theater audience. Tickets to Riotsville, U.S.A. are free for Amherst Cinema Members. All other tickets are regular admission prices. Tickets are available at the box office and online: https://amherstcinema.org/films-and-events/riotsville-usa. More information

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 29: TENOR SAXOPHONIST HOUSTON PERSON. 7 p.m.at the Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Tix $10. Students $5. A special presentation of the Northampton Jazz Workshop featuring two sets of Person with the Green Street Trio. With his robust sound and swinging style, tenor saxophonist Houston Person has kept the hard bop and organ-soaked soul-jazz traditions alive. Emerging from organist Johnny “Hammond” Smith‘s group, Person established his reputation as one of the Big Boss tenors in the Gene Ammons style with albums like 1968’s Blue Odyssey, 1969’s Goodness!, and 1970’s Person to Person! More Information and the full November calendar at the Drake.

ONLINE EVENTS – ONGOING/MULTI-DAY

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19- WEDNESDAY APRIL 3: Feinberg Lecture Series On US Imperialism: Confronting Empire Events are online or hybrid. This free public lecture series brings together scholars, journalists, educators, writers, community organizers, and survivors of state violence to examine global histories of U.S. imperialism and anti-imperialist resistance.The series traces the history of U.S. imperialism from the conquest of North America to the creation of an overseas empire in the late 19th century and to the present day. It also offers a critical historical analysis of the various traditions and movements that have opposed U.S. empire, including Black radicalism, Marxism, revolutionary feminism, armed struggle, international solidarity, pacifism, and liberal, electoral, and diplomatic activism.  The series kicks off Monday, September 19 for the Keynote Address, US Policy In the Global South by Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Rigoberta Menchú Tum, joined by journalists Vincent Bevins and Amy Goodman. 7 p.m. on Zoom.
Register here.
Full listing of series events and more information

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30 -SUNDAY MAY 14. 60 YEARS OF COLLECTING -AN ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION CELEBRATING THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART PERMANENT COLLECTION. Bottom Floor of the UMass Fine Arts Center. Look here for gallery hours and additional information. Free. The exhibit can be viewed on line here.

ONLINE SINGLE DAY EVENTS

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6: CAN YOU IMAGINE AMHERST WITHOUT COPS. 2-4 p.m. on Zoom. You’ve probably heard talk around Amherst about defunding the police… and maybe you’ve thought it could be a good idea! But you’re wondering: Why can’t we just reform the police?  Who will handle violence? Can there be a viable alternative to cops? Our virtual information session will be the perfect place to talk through concerns like these. We hope you’ll leave feeling confident enough to speak up at the Amherst public budget forum the next day! But if just making it to the event is where you’re at, that’s okay—we’re grateful you’ve taken time to think more deeply about a topic that is so important to our community. Register for Zoom link here.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 17: FREE, GALLERY A3 ART FORUM ONLINE. 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. Photographers Eric Broudy and LArry Rankin will comment on their exhibit work at Gallery A3 and introduce photographer Stephen Petegorsky who will show some of his work and then discuss and illustrate the topic of “Photographing Artwork,” welcoming questions from the audience. Petegorsky’s creative work includes black and white landscapes, Polaroid emulsions lifted onto panels covered with gold leaf, color images of taxidermed animals, and photographs documenting efforts to assist people with disabilities in developing countries. His specialized commercial work features photography of artworks and legal photography. See the gallery website (www.gallerya3.com) to register for this online event, which is free and open to the public.