What’s Happening in Amherst?
Photo: istock
by Art and Maura Keene
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 MAY 25: SPECIAL STORYTIME WITH AUTHOR ANDREW HACKET. 11 to 11:30 a.m., Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road. Join author Andrew Hacket for a reading of Curlilocks & The Three Hares.
SUNDAY MAY 26: ADAPTIVE WEAVING DEMO: 1 to 3 p.m., Mill District Local Art Gallery and General Store, 91 Cowls Road. Join Northampton Took Storm in a drop-in demonstration of adaptive weaving techniques. Free.
MONDAY MAY 27: MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATION. 9:00 a.m., Town Common. Parade begins at the Town Common and proceeds to the War Memorial Pool, where there will be a ceremony beginning at 9:30.
WEDNESDAY MAY 29: FIVE COLLEGE JOB FAIR. 1 to 4 p.m., Smith College Indoor Track and Tennis Complex. The event offers job seekers an opportunity to explore hundreds of jobs open at each of the five colleges. The fair will feature high-priority openings in a wide variety of departments and attendees will be able to talk with campus representatives and explore job opportunities. Refreshments will be available and gift bags of campus souvenirs will be raffled off to attendees. The campus departments with the most openings include: Administration, Campus Safety (security officers), Dining Services (cooks, kitchen assistant, cashiers), Facilities/Custodial Services, Financial Services, IT technicians. For more information, visit fivecolleges.edu/jobfair.
WEDNESDAY MAY 29: “THE ONION” A NEW OPERA ABOUT THE BRAIN. 7 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass. The UMass Amherst Initiative on Neurosciences is staging the first half of a new Opera titled, “The Onion”, which deals with issues of thought and consciousness. It was composed and directed by Amherst College professors, Eric Sawyer and Ron Bashford. Two cast members are UMass alums. The performance will be followed by a conversation with noted philosopher and author on the subject of consciousness, Daniel Dennett, and Harvard neuroscientist, Florian Engert. They will be joined by composer/librettist Eric Sawyer, director/librettist Ron Bashford, and members of the cast. The conversation will be moderated by the director of the UMass Initiative on Neurosciences, Paul Katz. Free. No tickets required.
FRIDAY MAY 31 AND SATURDAY JUNE 1: GARDEN DAYS AT THE EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM. As summer temperatures arrive in Amherst, Emily’s garden begs to be tended. Join a group of fellow volunteers to aid in the cultivation of the historic Dickinson landscape. Participants will help to weed, divide older perennials, plant new perennials and annuals, edge flower beds, and more! Two sessions each day: 9:30 to 12:30 and 1:30 to 4:30. Space is limited, register in advance!
SATURDAY JUNE 1: ANNUAL PUFFER’S POND PANCAKE BREAKFAST. 8:30 to 11 a.m., Mill River Recreation Area, North Amherst. Help keep Puffer’s Pond Conservation Area clean and safe. Join the Friends of Puffer’s Pond for coffee and all you can eat multigrain pancakes made from ingredients donated by local farms. There will be gluten-free pancakes and local sausages. As usual, we will real maple syrup, live music, fabulous raffle prizes, and tons of community spirit. $12 adults, $10 kids, $6 extra for sausage. Rain or shine.
SATURDAY JUNE 1 (RAIN DATE JUNE 2): CYANOTYPE WORKSHOP. 12 to 3 p.m., Mill District Local Art Gallery and General Store, 91 Cowls Road. Learn how to take a photograph without a camera with Northampton artist, Jennifer Ablard. This fun workshop shows you the basics of making cyanotypes by placing objects directly on the paper and exposing them to sunlight. Make several prints with common household objects and plant materials. $35 per adult, $45 for adult and child. Ages: 8+ with adult accompaniment. Limited seats available, so sign up today!
SATURDAY JUNE 1: 10TH ANNUAL NEPM ASPARAGUS FESTIVAL 10 a.m to 7 p.m., Hadley Town Common. The family-friendly NEPM Asparagus Festival features a full day of fantastic local food, drink, music, games, and fun for everyone. Come celebrate the region’s legacy of agriculture and community.
SATURDAY JUNE 1: AMHERST EDUCATION FOUNDATION MINI-GOLF FUNDRAISER. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Western Mass Family Golf Center, 294 Russell Street, Hadley. Please join us on Saturday, June 1st from 10am-1pm for a fun event that will also have a raffle (you don’t have to attend to enter) and refreshments. All proceeds will go towards funding valuable education grants to public school teachers and staff in Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury. $50 per group includes 18 holes of mini-golf and refreshments. Come play and support our schools!
Register at bit.ly/2024-aef-minigolf .
SATURDAY JUNE 1: MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO PROFESSOR BILL STRICKLAND. 3 to 5 p.m., Theater Room, New Africa House, 180 Infirmary Way, UMass. A Memorial Tribute in honor of Professor Bill Strickland. Sunrise 1/04/37 to Sunset 04/10/24. In person and on Zoom.
SATURDAY JUNE 1: PIONEER VALLEY FOLKLORE SOCIETY ALL BEATLES TRIBUTE AND FUNDRAISER. 7 p.m., First Church, 165 Main Street. Performers are invited to sign up to sing up to two songs by the Beatles or a former Beatle. Instruments should be of the acoustic variety (guitars, ukes, hand drums, accordions, sitars, etc.). Electronic keyboards and direct lines are OK. Microphones for instruments and vocals will be available. Performers are asked to register at https://www.facebook.com/events/758875223087163 or to email Paul Kaplan at paulkaplanmusic@gmail.com. Appearance slots and song choices will be first come, first served. Pete Nelson, Doc Hollister, and Lauffrey are among the first wave of musical acts already signed up to perform. The public is invited to sing or just listen. Free, but donations of $5 to $10 are welcome.
MONDAY JUNE 2: LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF AMHERST MEMBER CONSENSUS ON TOWN CHARTER REVIEW. 2 to 4 p.m., on Zoom. League Members only. The public is cordially invited to participate or just listen in to the public discussion. The first part of the discussion will be the presentation of potential amendments to the Charter, how they may relate to good government principles, and how five years of experience has demonstrated whether an amendment is or is not needed. We will then open to public comments. Zoom link.
TUESDAY JUNE 4: WESTERN MA TAKE BACK OUR DEMOCRACY SUMMIT. 6:30 to 8 p.m., on Zoom. Please join us for presentations from Ohio, Montana, Arizona, and Texas Democrats involved in their critical Senate races (where we’ll be phonebanking), plus many other activities we will offer in the 413 area. Welcoming remarks from Senator Warren, Congressman McGovern, Governor Healey, Senator Comerford, and Ava Pujado from the UMass Dems.
We’ll be canvassing in New Hampshire, phone banking in the above four US Senate races, writing letters and postcards, and doing voter registration and voter protection. Please come hear about these and other important races and the many ways to volunteer. This is a must year – we all need to help Biden win, take back the House, and keep the Senate. This summit will be the chance to hear all of the ways to help.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 5: CELEBRATE ROBERT PAM. 4 to 5 p.m., Goodwin Room, Jones Library. Join us as we celebrate Bob Pam in recognition of his distinguished service as a Jones Library Trustee from 2013 to 2024.
SATURDAY JUNE 8: COMMUNITY DAY AT PORTER-PHELPS-HUNTINGTON MUSEUM. 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 130 River Drive, Hadley. residents of Amherst, Shutesbury, and Leverett are invited to a Community Day on Saturday, June 8th for a free guided tour from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM, available every half hour. The museum features a tour that foregrounds the lives of six enslaved Africans at the site–Zebulon Prutt, Cesar, Peg, Phillis, Rose, and Phillis–in addition to exploring the home’s transition into a museum. Guests can relax on the back veranda with complimentary refreshments and conversation after the tour. The museum is located at 130 River Drive, Route 47, Hadley MA 01035. The museum and its grounds are a smoke-free site. For more information, please call (413) 584-4699 or go to www.pphmuseum.org/community-days.
SUNDAY JUNE 9: 42ND ANNUAL LAKE WYOLA RUN. 9:30 a.m., 6 Shore Drive, Shutesbury. 4.8 mile run, walk and 1.6 mile fun run to benefit the Lake Wyola Association. Prizes, refreshments, and a raffle. T-shirts to pre-registrants. Register here. (note: not an Amherst event, but Indy staffers Maura and Art Keene are race directors).
SUNDAY JUNE 9: AMHERST YOUTH HERO AWARDS ANNUAL PICNIC. (and also Mill River Basketball Tournament and Race Amity Day Celebration). Afternoon. Mill River Recreational Area 95 Montague Road More details to come.
SUNDAY JUNE 9: MILL RIVER BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT AND RACE AMITY DAY CELEBRATION.9 a.m., Mill River Recreation Area. The Human Rights Commission in collaboration with Citizens for Race Amity Now and the Mill River Basketball Tournament Committee invite you to the 3rd Annual Mill River Basketball Tournament. Youth Hero Awards and Race Amity Day celebration at 2 p.m. Register here. Payment due on game day. Lunch provided.
MONDAY JUNE 10: STATE SENATOR JO COMERFORD AND THE PEOPLE’S TOWN HALL. 5:30 to 7 p.m., Cohn Family Dining Commons, Greenfield Community College, 1 College Drive, Greenfield. My team and I will offer timely updates. We’ll also look forward to what’s ahead. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions, share ideas, and offer feedback. Simultaneous American Sign Language and Spanish interpretation will be available, as well as large print slides. Physically accessible and free to all. We’ll provide beverages and healthy-ish snacks. The Town Hall will be recorded and shared online for those who are unable to attend in person. Registration is encouraged. Sign up via this Registration Form.
MONDAY JUNE 10: PUBLIC FORUM ON HOUSING. 7 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall. Town of Amherst and the Affordable Housing Trust invite your input as we explore developing a new shelter and housing facility. We’ve secured a property for a new resource for unhoused residents of Amherst, and are working with an architect to create a conceptual plan with ideas and support from stakeholders and the community. Which services are most vital? What are the keys to viability and sustainability? How might we design for welcome, safety, and empowerment? Join us to help craft a vision as we seek to redevelop 457 Main Street into a new resource for unhoused residents in Amherst. Details herePublic Forum – Monday 6/10 – Let’s Support Vulnerable Neighbors with New Housing and Shelter. Free and open to the public.
THURSDAY JUNE 13: AMHERST PRIDE DAY. 3p.m., Pride flag raising at Town Hall. 4 p.m., “Celebration of the Goodrich Decision” at Amherst College Alumni House with Justice Roderick Ireland. Justice Ireland was a member of the four-justice majority in a case called Goodridge v. Department of Public Health. The 2003 case established Massachusetts as the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. The forum for the panel discussion will be restricted to Justice Ireland and members of Amherst’s community who were invited to speak on the panel. If attendees wish to speak with Justice Ireland, or any of the LGBTQIA couples, they will have an opportunity to do so following the panel’s completion. We decided on this format in the interest of time and preserving the intended integrity of this programming.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 19: AMHERST AREA GOSPEL CHOIR AT PORTER-PHELPS-HUNTINGTON MUSEUM. 6:30 p.m.Picnickers welcome at 5 p.m., 130 River Drive, Hadley. The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum continues the 43rd season of Wednesday Folk Traditions concert serieson Wednesday, June 19th with The Amherst Area Gospel Choir presenting the 12th annualHorace Clarence Boyer Memorial Gospel Concert with a compilation of songs deriving from slave spirituals, African Diaspora, Boyer’s music, and contemporary pieces in celebration of Juneteenth, which recognizes the Emancipation Proclamation. This and all other performances are held Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm in the Sunken Garden at the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum, 130 River Drive, Route 47, Hadley MA 01035. Admission is $12, $2 for children 16 and under. Picnickers are welcome on the museum’s grounds starting at 5:00 pm. The museum and its grounds are a smoke-free site. For further information please call (413) 584-4699 or view www.pphmuseum.org.
FRIDAY JUNE 21: CELEBRATE CHIEF NELSON’S RETIREMENT. 4 to 6 p.m., Courtyard Marriott, 423 Russell Street, Hadley. Municipal officials, elected officials, and community members are invited to the Courtyard Marriott, 423, Russell Street, Hadley, MA 01035. Speakers will include: Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Town Council President Lynn Griesemer, CRESS Director Camille Theriaque, Police Chief Gabriel Ting, Chief Nelson’s colleagues from around the Pioneer Valley, and his Civil Air Patrol colleagues. Light refreshments will be served. Following, an informal gathering / Toast & Roast will take place at The Amherst Public House, 40 University Drive, Amherst. Register.
SUNDAY JUNE 23: QUEER ARTISAN MARKET. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mill District, 91 Cowls Rd. This family friendly event will host makers of all sorts of lovely goods from members of the LGBTQIA+ community.This event will be ideally outdoors in front of the former Provisions space in the center of North Square in The Mill District. In the event of rain, we will be able to pop-up inside of the former Provisions space to have an indoor event.
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.
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.
FIRST AND THIRD FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH: VETERAN’S COMMUNITY BREAKFAST FOR ALL -8 a.m – 9 a.m. Large Activity Room, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. At each breakfast (bagel/donut/coffee), a veteran or veteran ally, will tell his or her personal story regarding military service. Generation after generation reveals that those going to war to defend our country come back spiritually and morally wounded, regardless of the bodily consequences of combat. We want to bring veterans together for food and friendship to help coalesce a spirit of camaraderie to enable authentic, veteran-oriented communities to flourish. WELCOME: Veterans, Spouses, Caregivers, Amherst Community Members. Let’s Build a Thriving Veterans Community. There are 387 Veterans in town! Sponsored by CRESS. FOR MORE INFORMATION: CALL THE CRESS OFFICE, (413) 259-3370 OR GENE HERMAN, VIETNAM VETERAN, (240) 472-7288 – CRESS VETERAN’S OUTREACH VOLUNTEER.
SATURDAYS BEGINNING MAY 28: WATERCOLOR PAINTING SERIES WITH GRETCHEN HOLESOVSKY. 10 to 12 p.m. at the Mill District Local Art Gallery and General Store, 91 Cowls Road. Dive into color theory, color mixing, and application techniques in this thorough watercolor series at the Mill District Local Art Gallery.Five consecutive Saturdays. $100.
EVERY SATURDAY UNTIL NOVEMBER: AMHERST FARMERS’ MARKET. 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Amherst Town Common. Widely known as one of the best places for local food, fun, and community. Offering farm to table produce and selections from your local growers and valley producers. Come out for food, music, events, and community offerings in downtown Amherst.
SATURDAYS UNTIL OCTOBER 2024: CAMBODIANS IN AMERICA. Exhibit 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Amherst History Museum, 47 Amity Street. Cambodians in Amherst exhibit: a history of the Khmer community. Telling the 45-year history of Cambodians in Amherst through oral histories, photos, art, and archived footage. On exhibit until October 2024. Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or any other day by appointment.
EVERY THIRD SUNDAY FROM APRIL THROUGH OCTOBER: CARS AND COFFEE AT THE MILL DISTRICT. 8:30 to noon, Mill District, 91 Cowls Road. CARS & COFFEE IS OPEN TO EVERYONE – Exhibitors and Spectators alike are welcome! CAR OWNERS: There is no fee to exhibit your car, and pre-registration is NOT required. Aim to arrive by 8:30am for best parking spots. We’ll have our trophy ceremony at 11:45am and the show wraps up at 12 noon sharp. SPECTATORS : Come to the HQ tent and pick up your ballots. Vote for your favorite Domestic, Import, Exotic, and Best Overall. Every complete ballot returned puts you into a drawing for a Mill District Gift Card! Enjoy our expanding array of shops and discover your favorites! Next Cars and Coffee is May 19.
NOW THROUGH SATURDAY JUNE 1: STORIES I TELL MYSELF, MIXED MEDIA EXHIBIT BY DIANE STEINGART. Gallery A3, 28 Amity Street 1D. Hours: TH-SUN 2-7 p.m. Meet the artist: Diane will be at Gallery A3 to meet with gallery visitors on Friday May 10 and Friday May 17, 4:30–7pm and Saturday May 18, 2–4:30 pm. These sessions offer a wonderful opportunity for the artist and local art lovers to connect, so come to Gallery A3 and spend some time looking at the work and talking with Diane about art. More information
NOW THROUGH FRIDAY JUNE 7: DAILY YOGA AT THE MUNSON LIBRARY. Free outdoor yoga is now inside at the Munson Library. The schedule is: Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays at 8 a.m., Mondays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays at 7:30 a.m., Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 a.m. No pre-registration necessary. Bring your own mats, blocks, straps, and blankets. Donations welcome.
NOW THROUGH SUNDAY JUNE 9: SLOW WALK WITH TREES: ALICIA GRULLON PHOTO EXHIBIT. Mead Art Museum, Amherst College. The exhibition is a call to consider notions of land and labor as interconnected systems through various mediums. Grullón’s new photographs of trees and pictures of a single masked person are each paired with text. The compilation of texts reflects Grullón’s research of recent protests in a range of industries such as mining, shipping, and entertainment.
NOW THROUGH NOVEMBER 3: METAFICTION IN ART. Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road. The art in this exhibition contains an extraordinary sense of playfulness and surprise. It comes from metafictive books: those that tell stories about stories and about the art of storytelling itself. Artists experiment with styles, typography, and page design to delightfully disrupt the rules of how books usually work. Guests can enjoy work by 29 artists in a variety of media. They can read books and “remix” story titles on a magnetic bookshelf. Gallery graphics add a sense of surrealism. Open Wednesday through Sunday.