What’s Happening In Amherst?

by Art and Maura Keene

There are lots of interesting events happening in our town. 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.

SINGLE DAY EVENTS

SATURDAY JUNE 17: SUMMER READING KICK OFF FEATURING DIVINITY ROXX. 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. South Common Lawn. Join the staff of the Jones Library to celebrate the start of our summer reading program! We will be participating in the statewide summer reading theme, Find Your Voice. In partnership with Ancestral Bridges and the Amherst BID we are excited to present a musical performance by Grammy-nominated artist Divinity Roxx at 1:00pm. Readers of all ages will have the opportunity to register for our Kid, Teen, or Adult summer reading programs, learn about upcoming library events, and be inspired by the catchy songs and positive messages of Divinity Roxx.  For more information on the Ancestral Bridges schedule of events on June 17th, please visit https://ancestral-bridges.org/3rd-annual-juneteenth-celebration/ This event is made possible thanks to the Friends of the Jones Library.

SATURDAY JUNE 17: FAMILY FUN DAY AT THE ERIC CARLE MUSEUM. 3 p.m. Eric Carle Museum, 125 West Bay Road. Join the Eric Carle Museum for a day of stories, book signings, and drawing demonstrations as they celebrate the opening of Horse Tales: Galloping into Children’s Books. Meet exhibition artists Micha Archer, Jane Dyer, Ruth Sanderson, and Audrey Helen Weber, and horses from Whispering Horse Therapeutic Riding Center. Free with museum admission.

SATURDAY JUNE 17: ANCESTRAL BRIDGES THIRD ANNUAL JUNETEENTH LEGACY CELEBRATION. Celebrating the legacy that makes Amherst an important place in the history of Juneteenth. 10 a.m. at West Cemetery, 11:30 a.m. at the Emily Dickinson Museum, 1 p.m. at the Town Common, and 3 p.m. at Hope Church. .

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY JUNE 17 AND 18: DROP IN FATHER’S DAY CARD MAKING. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery. 91 Cowls Road. Free.

SUNDAY JUNE 18: CARS AND COFFEE AT THE MILL DISTRICT. 8:30 a.m. to noon. Mill District, 91 Cowls Road. Rain or Shine. Free car show for everyone. All models welcome. Trophies for Best Domestic, Best Import, Best Exotic, Best Overall.

MONDAY JUNE 19: THIRD ANNUAL JUNETEENTH JUBILEE. 12 to 6 p.m. Town Common. Local Food & Craft Vendors. Self-guided Tour: Amherst and the Black Community. Schedule: 12:00 PM Opening Ceremony Amherst Area Gospel Choir,1:00 PM Performance by Tap Roots, 2:30 PM Aimee Salmon, 3:45 PM Performance by ReBelle, 5:00 PM Performance by Tem Blessed featuring Nadia

MONDAY JUNE 19: JUNETEENTH JAMBOREE.  4-6 p.m. Mill River Recreation Area. Presented by the Black Business Association of Amherst Area and Sankofa Gupta. Free Food, Admission, Games and Entertainment. Featuring welcoming remarks from Dr. Demetria Shabazz, barbecue, drumming circle, domino and spades tables, children’s activities. Open to the public. Rain or Shine.

MONDAY JUNE 19: BRUNCH AND BOOKS WITH DR. SHIRLEY JACKSON WHITAKER. 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road. Community members of all ages are invited to come to the Local Art Gallery to enjoy a free brunch, book signing, and book readings of Dr. Whitaker’s first book, “I Did Not Ask to Be Born Black. I Just Got Lucky.” The companion book for Black boys is “I Did Not Ask to Be Born Black. I’m Just a Luckee Boy!” Both books are available for purchase while supplies last, and all proceeds from sales support the Shirley Jackson Whitaker Foundation, Inc.

TUESDAY JUNE 20: LISTENING SESSION ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING. The Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust, the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee, the Human Rights Commission, and the Board of Health are co-sponsoring a listening session on affordable housing at the Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk on Tuesday, June 20 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. More Information.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 21: LUCIEN MILLER READING AND TALK. 6 p.m. Amherst Books, 8 Main Street. Lucien Miller will read from & talk about his new book, Jesus in the Hands of Buddha: The Life & Legacy of Shigeto Vincent Oshida, OP, an enthralling memoir of Father Shigeto Oshida, a man who was at once a Japanese Zen Buddhist master & a Catholic Dominican priest.   Guided by the hand of God & the Buddha dharma, he became the founder & director of the Takamori Hermitage in the Japanese Alps, a place where pilgrims have been drawn for decades.   He was a unique pioneer in the encounter between Eastern & Western religions. Miller, professor emeritus at UMass, is author of many books, including, South of the Clouds: Tales from Yunnan & The Hidden Side of the Mountain: Encounters with Wisdom’s Poor & Holy.   He taught comparative literature & Chinese at UMass & was a Roman Catholic deacon at the Newman Catholic Student center for many years.

THURSDAY JUNE 22: DEAN CYCON READING AND TALK. 7 p.m. Amherst Books, 8 Main Street. Dean Cycon will read from his new novel, Finding Home (Hungary, 1945). For nine months in Auschwitz, eighteen-year-old Eva Fleiss clung to sanity by playing piano on imaginary keyboards. After liberation, Eva & the five remaining Jews of Laszlo, Hungary, journey home, seeking to restart their lives. Yet the town that deported them is not ready to embrace their return. Through Eva, Cycon examines the problem that many Survivors had in returning to their pre-war homes. Dean Cycon, founder of Valley’s coffee roaster Dean’s Beans, is an author, lawyer, human rights advocate, & social entrepreneur who has lived & worked in over sixty countries. Recently, he raised money & worked in Poland to help transport Ukrainian refugees to safety. He is author of the travel essay, Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee.

SATURDAY JUNE 24: COMMUNITY SAFETY DAY. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Mill River Recreation area 95 Montague Road. Join the Senior Center, Fire Department, Police Department, CRESS, the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office, and Northwestern District Attorney’s Office for the second annual Community Safety Day. Become a safety expert and get to know your local first responders. This event is geared toward promoting public safety awareness for all ages. Events will feature Touch-A-Truck, fire safety demonstrations, scam prevention, K9s, jaws of life presentation, face painting, balloon art, car and car seat checks, food, live DJ and more.

SUNDAY JUNE 25: BAD NEWS BEARS JAZZ. 6 p.m. Sweetser Park. Sponsored by the Amherst Business Improvement District, the Mass Cultural Council, and Encharter Insurance. Free.

SATURDAY JULY 1: ANNUAL INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION. 5 p.m. Warren McGuirk Stadium, UMass Amherst. Join us for the Town of Amherst’s Annual Independence Day Celebration and Fireworks Display at UMass Amherst McGuirk Stadium on Saturday, July 1st. Festivities will start at 5:00 PM with a fireworks display starting at dark.  The rain date for this event will be Saturday, July 8th at the same time and location.  Bring a blanket, the folding chairs, we’ll have food and beverages for sale – we want you to sit-back and relax, get a bite to eat, listen to some music and CELEBRATE at this annual tradition. This event is FREE and food, beverage, and novelty items will be available for purchase.  Parking will be available on site, more details coming soon. Parking will be free but donations are welcome.  Restroom facilities will also be available. For more details, see, https://www.amherstmarec.org/3727/Independence-Day-Celebration .

FRIDAY JULY 14: ZOE AND CLOYD CONCERT. 5 p.m. Wesley United Methodist Church, 98 North Maple Street, Hadley. Join ARHS grad fiddler/vocalist Natalya Weinstein Roberts and multi- instrumentalist John Cloyd Miller in their annual return to Western Massachusetts. The two reside in Asheville, North Carolina. The duo recently released their fifth album, “Songs of Our Grandfathers” which they describe as “klezgrass”, a combination of traditional Jewish klezmer music with bluegrass and traditional folk music.

SATURDAY JULY 15 AMHERST COMMUNITY BAND. 6 p.m. Sweetser Park. July 16 will feature “ACB Favorites aka The Greatest Hits”. July 22 will be “A Good Evening’s Laugh.” Sponsored by the Amherst Busness Improvement District, the Mass Cultural Council, and Encharter Insurance. Free.

SATURDAY JULY 22: AMHERST COMMUNITY BAND. Sweetser Park. July 16 will feature “ACB Favorites aka The Greatest Hits”. July 22 will be “A Good Evening’s Laugh.” Sponsored by the Amherst Busness Improvement District, the Mass Cultural Council, and Encharter Insurance. Free.

ONGOING AND MULTI-DAY EVENTS

FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH BEGINNING JUNE 6: RAINBOW COFFEE HOUR. 10-11 a.m. Amherst Senior Center, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. The Rainbow Coffee Hour is a new LGBTIA+ social coffee group for ages 50 and above. Join us for this welcoming space to socialize. No format, no agenda, just community. The July coffee hour will be held on July 11, due to July 4 being the first Tuesday of the month.

FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: NORTHAMPTON JAZZ WORKSHOP. The Drake. 44 North Pleasant Street. 7:30 p.m. Free (donations accepted). Featuring the Green Street trio with a special guest. Featured set at 7:30 followed by an open jam session. Bring your axe. Full calendar of events here.

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.

FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: MOBILE FOOD PROGRAM. 1-2 p.m. The Boulders, 156 Brittany Manor Drive. Free produce. No registration necessary. Open to everyone. Brought by the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and the Amherst Survival Center. The Food Bank truck will be in the parking lot near apartments 115-125.

FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: COVID 19 VACCINE CLINIC. Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. 3:00-5:00 p.m. Free. The clinics offer Pfizer and Moderna Bivalent Boosters for ages 12 and up and Pfizer Bivalent Booster for ages 5 and up.  Registration is preferred, but walk-ins are accepted. To schedule an appointment, click here. More information

LAST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: CRAFT AND CONVERSE. Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road. 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Are you tired of creating in solitude? Looking to connect with other artistic individuals? Grab your sketchbook, knitting bag, or water color gear and join our monthly coworking group! Craft and converse, hosted by Easthampton artist Kaia Zimmerman, is held the last Wednesday of every month from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. This welcoming, intentional space is designed for community members to come together for a casual, social evening while pursuing their own creative projects. Drop-ins welcome, but registration encouraged for any weather-related changes in schedule. Bring your own arts or crafts project (BYOA) to work on. Ages 16+.

EVERY WEDNESDAY : CAN’T REMEMBER CAFE. Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Are you or a loved one experiencing memory loss? At the Amherst Senior Center, we understand memory changes and have developed a new program based on the popular Memory Café format. The Can’t Remember (CR) Café offers fun, relaxation, and of course, snacks. This program is perfect for caregivers, people with mild memory loss, or anyone in the community who enjoys good conversation and strong coffee. Each Can’t Remember Café opens with a coffee and conversation hour, followed by a group activity. Join us on Wednesday, November 30th for a performance by our special musical guests, “Healing Hearts with Harmony” at 11:00am. Come for the coffee, stay for the connections! Email seniorcenter@amherstma.gov or call 413-259-3060 with questions. 

EVERY THURSDAY: STITCH CIRCLE. 4 to 6 p.m. Mill District Local Art Gallery and General Store, 91 Cowls Road. Grab your needles, venture to the General Store, and join us for our first Stitch Circle. Knitters, quilters, embroidery artists, and crocheters are all invited. Free.

EVERY FRIDAY JULY 21 THROUGH AUGUST 11: MUSIC ON THE TOWN COMMON. 6 p.m. Jazz in July All-Star concert on July 21. Mr G and Eric Lee on July 28, Sponsored by the Amherst Busness Improvement District, the Mass Cultural Council, and Encharter Insurance. Free.

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.

EVERY SATURDAY THROUGH NOVEMBER 18: AMERST FARMERS” MARKET. Amherst Town Common. 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. This year’s market will features 45 vendors (so far) and has room to sign up a few more. More information

SATURDAYS JUNE 24 THROUGH AUGUST 19: CRAFTS FOR KIDS AT SIMPLE GIFTS FARM. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Simple Gifts Farm 1089 North Pleasant Street. June 24 is decorating planting pots. Free, but limited to 20 children. Sign up at https://checkout.square.site/buy/NZPOILQLBXAW3RGLJHXQ2GEN

SATURDAYS JUNE 24 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2: COMMUNITY FUN NITES. 5-7 p.m. at Simple Gifts Farm 1089 North Pleasant Street. Game nights, acoustic open mic nights, and poetry slams. We have plenty of chairs and a few 6-foot tables. Feel free to bring you own. Our bubble machine will be going full blast to add to the fun community atmosphere. The farm store will remain open for any snacks and drinks you may want to purchase. Go to https://www.simplegiftsfarmcsa.com/events/ for a schedule.

SECOND SATURDAY OF THE MONTH (JUNE THROUGH OCTOBER): ART ON THE LAWN. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Amherst History Museum 67 Amity Street. Art on the Lawn at the Amherst History Museum takes place on the second Saturday of June, July, September and October; June 10, July 8, September 9 and October 14. Artists and crafters will be set up on the lawn of the museum from 11:00am to 3:00pm when the museum is open for visitors. Stop by to visit and chat with the artists. Come into the museum to see our newest exhibit, The Magnificent Life & Art of Mabel Loomis Todd, take a tour of the newly reinstalled rooms in the house, peruse books in the reading room, and view our extensive clothing textile collection. Entry to the museum is free, but a $5 donation is suggested.

THIRD SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH APRIL THROUGH OCTOBER: CARS AND COFFEE AT THE MILL DISTRICT. Hosted by the Mill District General Store, 91 Cowls Road, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. It is free for collectors to display their cars and compete for trophies in four categories: best domestic, best foreign, best exotic, and best overall, based on votes of the public. Plus, there will be coffee from Futura Coffee Roasters which will soon be joining the Mill District. Cars and Coffee will be held rain or shine.

Now through FRIDAY JUNE 30: EMILY DICKINSON’S GHOSTS AT GALLERY A3. Gallery A3, 28 Amity Street 1D. A new exhibit by Laura Holland and Nancy Meagher that is inspired by Emily Dickinson. .There will be an opening reception on Thursday, June 1 from 5-7 p.m. and a free, online art forum on Thursday June 15 at 7:30 p.m.  Gallery Hours: Thursday – Sunday 3-8 p.m. Register here for the forum. More information

THURSDAY JULY 13 THROUGH SUNDAY JULY 16: YIDSTOCK: THE FESTIVAL OF NEW YIDDISH MUSIC. Yiddish Book Center, 1021 West Street. Yidstock: The Festival of New Yiddish Music is back! Now in its eleventh year, Yidstock brings the best in klezmer and new Yiddish music to the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. From July 13 to 16, this four-day festival will include musicians and performers at the forefront of the Yiddish music scene. In addition to seven concerts, the lineup also includes four workshops, eleven talks, and one special film screening, all in celebration of Yiddish music, language, and culture. Build your own itinerary by purchasing tickets to concerts, individual talks, workshops, and the film screening. Information at: https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/yidstock

NOW through FRIDAY JUNE 30: ARTWORK OF DR. SHIRLEY JACKSON WHITAKER AT LOCAL ART GALLERY IN THE MILL DISTRICT. Artist, activist and local nephrology specialist, Dr. Shirley Jackson Whitaker, will bring her etchings, paintings, and storytelling to the Front Window Gallery at The Mill District’s Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road, for a new exhibit that will run through the end of June.  Whitaker weaves her love of art into all aspects of her life, connecting medical conundrums to trauma, to racism, to ongoing lynching, and then to canvas and the page.  Social Justice and a healthy community are her goals. A protégé of renowned artist Leonard Baskin, Whitaker uses her talent in etchings, drawings, paintings, photography, children’s books, and cinematography to “roar for change.” More information

NOW through SUNDAY JULY 2: GOD MADE MY FACE: A COLLECTIVE PORTRAIT OF JAMES BALDWIN. Meade Art Museum, 41 Quadrangle Street, Amherst College. Look here for days and hours. This exhibit presents works from iconic artists such as Richard Avedon, Marlene Dumas, and Kara Walker alongside archival materials in order to explore the life, work, and legacy of James Baldwin (1924–1987). More information

NOW throughout THE SUMMER: THE MAGNIFICENT LIFE & ART OF MABEL LOOMIS TODD. Amherst History Museum, Strong House, 67 Amity Street. The 2023 Season at the Strong House brings a fresh look at our founder, Mabel Loomis Todd with an exhibit that explores Todd’s work as a nature writer, painter, conservationist, lecturer, and the editor of Emily Dickinson’s poetry. Visitors will have the opportunity for a before-and-after look at several of Todd’s botanical paintings that have not been on view in decades due to needed repairs. Open Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and by appointment.

NOW throughout -SUMMER 2023: ANCESTRAL BRIDGES EXHIBITION AT FROST LIBRARY TO CELEBRATE BLACK AND AFRO-INDIGENOUS FAMILIES WHO LIVED AND WORKED IN AMHERST Frost Library at Amherst College, 61 Quadrangle Drive, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. This exhibition, the first partnership between the Ancestral Bridges Foundation  and Amherst College, seeks to center this long-neglected aspect of town history and to reveal the rich and complex lives of the Black and Afro-Indigenous community of Amherst. Our families’ old black-and-white photographs complement oral histories–some yet to be recorded – and other artifacts available locally and at the college. I hope these images and stories raise questions, prompt further research, and challenge us all to meet our collective responsibility to build a more just and equitable future. All are welcome. On view through the summer of 2023. Free.