What’s Happening In Amherst

by Art and Maura Keene

It’s summer and things have slowed down around town. You can help us make our events calendar more comprehensive 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 AUGUST 5: STARLIGHT YOUTH THEATER PERFORMS BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – A DISNEY MUSICAL. Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium, 11 a.m.- Noon. 170 Chestnut Street.
Beauty & the Beast Jr will be the summer performance of the Starlight’s Youth Theatre 2022-23 season. Over 50 students will come together for one week to put up the classic ‘tale as old as time’. The performance will be held Saturday August 5th at 11am at the Amherst Middle School auditorium, 170 Chestnut St. Amherst, MA. Tickets are $5 available at the door. More information

SATURDAY AUGUST 5: TONY TRISCHKA – EARL JAM, A TRIBUTE TO EARL SCRUGGS. The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street, 8 p.m. Tix: $20 GA, $30 Premier. Together with his ace band — Michael Daves on vocals and guitar, fiddler Nate Lee, mandolin player Jacob Jolliff, and bassist Jared Engel — they will trace the story of Scruggs from his childhood to his final years. More information. Full Schedule

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 9: ONLINE WORKSHOP. PROMOTING RESILIENCE AND HEALTHY OUTCOMES FOR LGBTQ STUDENTS. 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Presented by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This session will review the laws, policies, resources, and best practices for supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning students, with a focus on transgender and gender nonconforming students. More information and Zoom registration.

FRIDAY AUGUST 11: NAOMI NYE AND KIMAYA DIGGS. 6 p.m. South Common Naomi Nye was raised in Western Massachusetts. She spent much of the last decade performing with her husband in their duo Date Night, and recently joined the Kimaya Diggs all-star band. Kimaya Diggs, born and based in Western Massachusetts, creates a genre defying style that celebrates the power and dexterity of her voice. Part of the 3rd annual Friday Night Summer Concert Series on the South Common! This summer concert series has been made possible with the generous support and sponsorship of Encharter Insurance. Beer, wine, and cider vendors.

SATURDAY AUGUST 12: 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.

FRIDAY AUGUST 18: AMHERST COMMUNITY BAND.  6 p.m. Sweetser Park. A Treasury of Disney Music. Amherst Business Improvement District Summer Music Series.

TUESDAY AUGUST 22: SOUTH CHURCH CHICKEN BBQ AND AMHERST COMMUNITY BAND CONCERT. 5-7 p.m. South Amherst Common 1066 South East Street. Annual event Sponsored by the Amherst South Congregational Church. Band concert starts at 6 p.m. Reserve your BBQ Chicken dinner at 253-2977 or office@amherstsouthchurch.org.

TUESDAY AUGUST 29: COMMUNITY BREAKFAST. 7:30- a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Student Union Ballroom. UMass. Tix: $12-$14, UMass and the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce will host the annual Community Breakfast. The breakfast will be catered by the award-winning UMass Dining and is an opportunity to reconnect with community and campus leaders, welcome newcomers and see old friends, as we kick off a new academic year in the Amherst area. Contact the Office of External Relations and University Events at 413-577-1101 or events@umass.edu with questions or special requests.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 30: VETERANS MONTHLY LUNCH. Noon – 2 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst. 121 North Pleasant Street. Be Heard Veterans, you and your spouse or partner are invited to enjoy lunch Sponsored by Town of Amherst CRESS Department (Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service). Last Wednesday of Every Month. More Details

THURSDAY AUGUST 31: THE AFROSEMITIC EXPERIENCE. The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tix: $ 15 adv. $20 at the door. The Afro-Semitic Experience is an American roots jazz band with a difference.  They are a group of Jewish-American and African-American musicians who have been performing, recording, and teaching together for 25 years.  Their friendship ignites their passion and purpose: Together, as a band, they merge their musical roots, Jewish and Afro-diasporic melodies and grooves, combining the core concepts of àse and shalom – power, action, unity, and peace.
More information. Full schedule of events.

ONGOING AND MULTI-DAY EVENTS
FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH. 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 (EXCLUDING JULY): 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 (EXCLUDING JULY): 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.

LAST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH (EXCLUDING JULY) : 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 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

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 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 2: ANNUAL JURIED SHOW AT GALLERY A3.
28 Amity Street 1D. TH-SUN 2-7 p.m. Gallery A3’s 8th Juried Show, undercurrents: Art that Reveals the Underseen,showcases work that illuminates the overlooked and the unknown. More information

NOW through TUESDAY AUGUST 29: FRONT WINDOW GALLERY EXHIBITING THE WORK OF DAN DELISLE. Mill District Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road. M-F. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. SAT-SUN. 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
The Mill District Local Art Gallery welcomes Westfield artist and educator, Dan Delisle, to the Front Window Gallery for the month of August. Come appreciate his larger paintings of images that incorporate people and animals within natural settings as well as the frames he constructs from recycled bard board and boards that have washed up on riverbanks. More information

NOW through THURSDAY AUGUST 31: EXHIBIT- DANIEL ELLSBERG, A LIFE IN TRUTH. W.E.B. Dubois Library, UMass, M-F, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The UMass Amherst Libraries host “Daniel Ellsberg: A Life in Truth,” a physical and digital exhibit drawing from activist and truth teller Daniel Ellsberg’s vast collection of documents, photographs, and artifacts. The Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center acquired the collection in 2019. The exhibit is located in two locations in the W. E. B. Du Bois Library until September 2022. It begins on Floor 25 in the Reading Room of the Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center and continues on the Lower Level in the Learning Commons (accessible during regular Library and SCUA hours).The exhibit documents Ellsberg’s 90-year life as an academic, activist, defendant, government contractor, Marine, pianist, Vietnam observer, and whistleblower.  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.