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 JUNE 8: TOWN SHADE TREE PLANTING. 9 a.m., Snell Street and Northampton Road. A cooler day for a cool activity. Once again, Saturday is shaping up to be a beautiful day for planting trees. Don’t sit on the sidelines – come join the Public Shade Tree Committee, even if just for moral support. Just look for the yellow town truck. We’ll have a shovel ready for you, or you can bring your own. Or just bring donuts and cheer us on.
SATURDAY JUNE 8 AND SUNDAY JUNE 9: WILDWOOD SCHOOL PGO TAG SALE. 8 to 11 a.m. at Wildwood School, Strong Street. Multi-family tag sale to raise money for the Parent-Guardian Organization.
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.
SATURDAY JUNE 8: POP UP SIGNING WITH TEEN AGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE ARTIST ERIC TALBOT. Noon to 4 p.m. Local Art Gallery and Mill District General Store, 91 Cowls Road. You can meet one of the original illustrators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Eric Talbot will be here with copies of his new TMNT 40th anniversary—exclusive variant comic cover available to purchase and get signed. Prints, comics, and original illustrations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ink creatures and other Talbot creations will also be available for purchase. Register here.
SUNDAY JUNE 9: WILDWOOD SCHOOL PGO TAG SALE. 8 to 11 a.m. at Wildwood School, Strong Street. Multi-family tag sale to raise money for the Parent-Guardian Organization.
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 See events below.
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.
TUESDAY JUNE 11: COUNCIL OF AGING POT LUCK. 12 to 1:30 p.m., Town Hall. Come and have lunch with your neighbors, get your iPhone questions answered, and leave with a full belly. We look forward to seeing you.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 12: BUENO DAY FOR BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.
11 a.m to 10 p.m. Eat at the Amherst, Northampton, Deerfield, West Springfield, or Springfield locations of Bueno Y Sano. Enjoy a meal or purchase some gift cards! Because of the generosity of owners Bob Lowry and Rolando Saravia, 50% of the total day’s sales from all five locations will be gifted to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County! Take a photo with Owner Bob Lowry from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Northampton location and post on your social media to celebrate his 10 years of generosity and your dedicated community support!
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.
THURSDAY, JUNE 13: INTERVIEWS FOR NONVOTING MEMBER OF THE TOWN COUNCIL’S FINANCE COMMITTEE. 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. The Governance, Organization, and Legislation Committee of the Town Council will interview five candidates for two open positions on the Finance Committee. Link to meeting.
SATURDAY JUNE 15: FORT RIVER DAY. Groff Park, 43 Mill Lane. 10 a.m. – Noon. Learn about what is being done to help the Fort River. Explore information tables describing current projects Try out the interactive stream table. Learn about river advocacy and preserving ecology for all. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by Connecticut River Conservancy, fortriver.org, Hitchcock Center, Kestrel Land Trust, Town of Amherst, Fort River Watershed Association. Free and open to the public.
SATURDAY JUNE 15: CELEBRATE DWIGHT DAY IN THE HISTORIC VILLAGE OF DWIGHT IN NORTH BELCHERTOWN. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Dwight Chapel, 885 Federal Street, Belchertown, Massachusetts. “Dwight Day” will feature history talks, live music, food, children’s activities, antique autos and a cemetery tour at Dwight—the once well-known nineteenth-century railroad destination and farming community in North Belchertown. This first-ever event will feature talks by Stone House Museum Archivist Cliff McCarthy, Artist Elizabeth Pols and Springfield Republican and New England Public MediaContributor Michael Carolan. Living History Educator Dennis Picard will portray the famous abolitionist minister Henry Ward Beecher, who gave his first sermon at a schoolhouse here. Dwight Day will feature accomplished local artists and their works—from painting and sculpture to mosaics and photography. Music will be provided by local favorite Jacques “Pop” Hooten and the Ne’er-Do-Wells. Magician Fran Ferry will perform. There will be children’s activities and spinning demonstrations. Even descendants of the original Dwight Family will be on hand. The event is free and open to the public.
SATURDAY JUNE 15: JUNETEENTH ON THE COMMON. 3. To 6 p.m., Amherst Town Common. Please join us on the Town Common for some music and relaxation. A Community gathering to help spread kindness and good cheer. Come and meet representatives from several Community Partners who work hard daily to make Amherst vibrant and strong. Sponsored by the DEI Department. For a full listing of Amherst’s Juneteenth activities. More information
SATURDAY JUNE 15: CHAINS TO CHANGE: A STORY SLAM EVENT. 7 p.m., The Drake. A Juneteenth Story Slam showcasing the evolution from historical struggles to modern movements for positive change. This event delves into the essence of freedom. A program for all ages. Free registration.
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.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 19: FREDDIE BRYANT WITH THE NORTHAMPTON JAZZ WORKSHOP. 8 p.m., The Drake. Join us for a special Juneteenth presentation of the Northampton Jazz Workshop. Guitarist Freddie Bryant will play selections from his composition project Upper West Side Love Story and other works. Cover Charge at the door.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 19: 80 ACRES PRESENTS “LIBERATION IN OUR TIME: JUNETEENTH GALA.” 40 University Drive.
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.
SUNDAY JUNE 30: MEET THE NEW CRESS DIRECTOR AND POLICE CHIEF. 2:30 to 4:30 at Mill River Recreation area. The League of Women Voters of Amherst is sponsoring this event.
WEDNESDAY JULY 10: AMHERST SURVIVAL CENTER PICNIC. 12 to 3 p.m., Mill River Recreation Area. Everyone Welcome! The Jones Library will be joining us for summer story time. Pool passes available. D. J. Matt Peterson will provide music.
FRIDAY JULY 19: ZOE AND CLOYD BLUEGRASS MUSIC. 5 p.m., Wesley United Church, 98 North Maple Street, Hadley. Come hear husband and wife, John Cloyd Miller and Leverett native Natalya Zoe Weinstein, who form the duo Zoe & Cloyd, perform bluegrass, old-time, and American roots music, and klezmer. The duo is based in Ashville, NC, but make an annual visit to the Valley and northeast bluegrass festivals. Admission.
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.
TUESDAYS IN JUNE: SUMMER LUNCHES WITH AMHERST NEIGHBORS. 12 to 1 p.m., Kendrick Park. Meet other Amherst Neighbors members in person for general camaraderie and discussion. Bring your own lunch and a lawn chair or blanket (picnic tables may be available) and join us at Kendrick Park.
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: IRISH MUSIC SESSION. White Lion Brewery. 24 North Pleasant Street. 4 p.m – 7 p.m.
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 : 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 June 16..
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 protest
NOW THROUGH SATURDAY JUNE 29: PAINTINGS BY JOHN KRIFKA. Gallery A3 28 Amity Street 1 D. With his selection of old and new paintings at Gallery A3 in June, John Krifka reflects on his evolution towards abstraction. Hours are Thursday-Sunday, 2 p.m.-7:00 p.m. There will be a free online art forum (preregister at www.gallerya3.com) on Thursday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m. More information
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.