What’s Happening in Amherst?
Photo: Wikimedia commons.
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 (more or less)
SATURDAY MARCH 22: CREATIVEBUG ART MORNING: BIRD NESTING BALLS. 10 to 11 a.m., Jones Library, 43 Amity Street. Spring is just around the corner and birds will start building nests soon. We’ll create a ball filled with a variety of nesting material to hang in your yard. For ages 16+. Space is limited Register via email, call 413-259-3096, or visit the Reference desk. Made possible by the Friends of the Jones Library.
SATURDAY MARCH 22: TABLE-TOP GAME SWAP. 1 to 4 p.m., Jones Library, 43 Amity Street. The Jones Library Community Gaming Group is organizing a game swap. You don’t need to bring a game to take one. Board games and table-top role-playing games are welcome. You can also drop in and we’ll show you how to play some of our favorites. Leftover games will be donated to our gaming group and to Amherst Public Schools.
SATURDAY MARCH 22: STORYTIME WITH ARTIST JUANA MARTINEZ-NEAL. 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road. Join Juana Martinez-Neal while she reads and shares all about Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa (written by Sara Andrea Fajardo), her new picture book biography about Peruvian scientist Alberto Salas, “the godfather of potatoes.” Come along with Alberto and Juana on the hunt for wild potatoes before they go extinct. Learn how Alberto’s work is essential to continue feeding the world and how you can be part of preserving this, too! This not-to-be-missed event includes a drawing demonstration from Juana, who is a Caldecott honoree, Pura Belpré medalist, and Robert F. Sibert medalist. Free with museum admission.
SUNDAY MARCH 23: PRO-PALESTINEAN ACTIVISM: THE ROAD AHEAD AMID POLITICAL UPHEVAL. 1:30 to 3 p.m. on Zoom. The Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership is proud to co-sponsor a timely conversation on the future of pro-Palestinian activism. Please join us to hear leading activists Huwaida Arraf (Palestinian-American activist/attorney) and Rabbi Alissa Wise (Jewish Voice for Peace and Rabbis for Ceasefire) share powerful insights and practical guidance for activists, students, educators, and community leaders. Registration required.
SUNDAY MARCH 23: SPRING EQUINOX SING, SIT, OR STROLL. 4 to 5 p.m., Wildwood Cemetery, 70 Strong Street. Come and toast to the spring, to the living and to those who have passed. Take a loop in the cemetery or stay and socialize in the garden (or inside if it is raining). Mint tea and seed packets provided. Free, but donations gladly accepted! RSVP if you can, but if not, just come!
RAIN OR SHINE! RSVP if you can here.
MONDAY MARCH 24: AUDITIONS FOR “HERCULES” WITH MISSOULA CHILDREN’S THEATRE. 4:15 p.m., Amherst Regional Middle School, 170 Chestnut Street. Presenting the latest great audition opportunity for kids from the Amherst Community Theater. Once again, we’ll be bringing in Missoula Children’s Theatre’s one-week musical theater experience for kids in grades K-12. Our past experiences with this group have been really terrific–the kids who were involved had a great time, and it was a wonderfully immersive way to have a theater experience. Many of the children who have been involved in these Missoula productions have gone on to pursue larger theater experiences in the schools and throughout the Valley—and beyond! Auditions are very entertaining and non-threatening. In general, there are spaces available for 60 cast members. In recent years everyone who auditioned was cast, but there have been years when over 100 children have auditioned for only 60 spaces. We anticipate that we may have a larger audition pool again this year, so please be aware—some auditioners may not be cast. If your child is cast, you can expect a full and very fun week, capped off with two performances in the ARMS Auditorium on Saturday, March 29th! Open large group audition… no signup or prior registration is necessary… just come and be ready to begin at 4:15pm sharp on Monday March 24th at Amherst Middle School (ARMS) cafeteria. Those auditioning should arrive at 4:00pm and plan to stay the full two hours. Rehearsals are every evening, Monday through Friday.
MONDAY MARCH 24: SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS RALLY. 6 p.m., Town Hall steps. We will make noise and greet Town Councilors as they enter the building for the Town Council Meeting. Town Council Meeting Monday March 24th @ 6:30pm – Join In Person if you can. If not, join via Zoom. Can’t do that? Send written comment.
TUESDAY MARCH 25: VOYAGE TO THE UNDERWORLD: SELECTED LATINO POETRY FROM 1523 TO THE PRESENT. 7 to 8 p.m., Woodbury Room, Jones Library, 43 Amity Street. Join us for an exploration of Latino poetry. Dr. Ilan Stavans leads a reading and discussion of selected poems from Latino Poetry: The Library of Ameirca Anthology, edited by Rigoberto Gonzalez and Lamentations of Nezahualcoyotl, retold from the Nahuatl by Ilan Stavans, just published by program partner Restless Books.
TUESDAY MARCH 25: TYLER HILTON AT THE DRAKE. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. From portraying Elvis Presley in “Walk the Line” and garnering a cult following as musician Chris Keller on the CW hit show “One Tree Hill,” to writing and touring with the likes of Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, and Joe Cocker, Tyler Hilton has enjoyed an award-winning career spanning music, film, and television. With Jessica Carter Altman. Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door. See full calendar here.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 26: NORTHAMPTON JAZZ WORKSHIP WITH THE GREEN STREET TRIO AND JULIETA EUGENIO. 7:30 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Julieta Eugenio is an Argentinian saxophonist based in New a Eugenio is an Argentinian saxophonist based in New York City. Featured set followed by a jazz jam session. Bring your axe to sit in! $10 cover, $5 for students, free for jam participants. See full calendar here.
THURSDAY MARCH 27: STORYTIME PRESENTED BY STUDENTS FROM MASSMAMMALS WATCH. 10:30 to 11:15 a.m., Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst College. We will be sharing stories about bears and learning about how we can take care of them as citizen scientists, followed by time to explore the museum. Recommended for ages 0-5.
FRIDAY MARCH 28: HISTORY BITES “THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1936.“ 12:30 p.m., Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Josh Shanley will give a talk on the Great Flood of 1936. Free and open to the public.
FRIDAY MARCH 28: FAREWELL PARTY FOR SENIOR SERVICES DIRECTOR HAYLEY BOLTON. 1 to 3 p.m., Senior Center Lounge, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Please join us as we bid farewell to Senior Services Director Hayley Bolton at a going away party on Friday, March 28th from 1-3 PM in the Senior Center Lounge. Refreshments and cake will be provided by the Friends of the Amherst Senior Center.
SATURDAY MARCH 29: CHILDREN’S THEATER PRESENTS “HERCULES.” 2 performances: 1:30 and 4 p.m., Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium, 170 Chestnut Street. A fresh look at an age-old favorite comes to Amherst Community Theater from March 24-29, 2025 when the Missoula Children’s Theatre and more than 50 local students present HERCULES. This musical adaptation of HERCULES is part of the Missoula Children’s Theatre’s unique international touring project and is presented locally by Amherst Community Theater. For information and tickets, see here.
SATURDAY MARCH 29: AMHERST COLLEGE BIOLOGY STUDENTS COMMUNITY SCIENCE SHOWCASE. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Jones Library, 43 Amity Street. What is a biologist? Come and find out. From botany to immunology, we will have stations set up to learn about what biologists do in the interactive drop-in program. This program is recommended for ages 2-10.
FRIDAY MARCH 28: BATTLE OF THE BANDS. 7:30 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. WMUA 91.1 FM presents the Battle of the Bands where local artists from the Five Colleges will compete for fame (campus bragging rights) and fortune ($250). Presale tickets $15. $20 at the door. See full calendar here.
SATURDAY MARCH 29: THE SLACKERS WITH SOME SKA BAND. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. The Slackers capped this comeback with a series of frenetic tours in 2022 and 2023. They are also working on a 20th anniversary reissue of their classic album “Close My Eyes” and a new single of original music. Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door. See full calendar here.
SUNDAY MARCH 30: AN AFTERNOON OF POLISH CLASSICAL MUSIC. 3 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass. Works by Wieniawski, Paderewski, Bacewicz, and Chopin with Wojciech Niedziolka on violin and Tony Lin on piano. Free and open to the public.
SUNDAY MARCH 30: HABIBI. 7:30 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Co-founded by Detroit natives Rahill Jamalifard and Lenny Lynch, Habibi got its start in Brooklyn in 2011, earning early raves. Habibi’s mesmerizing new record marks a major sonic evolution for the band to arrive at a singular swirl of analog and digital elements that underpin their search for spiritual and physical transcendence—a blend of musical styles filtered through the band’s shared love of Middle Eastern psych music. Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door. See full calendar here.
TUESDAY APRIL 1: EMILY DICKINSON IN UKRAINE: A READING AND CONVERSATION WITH SERGE TKACHENKO AND JANE WALD. 4:30 p.m., Center for Russian Culture, Webster 202, Amherst College. Please join us for a reading and conversation with poet and translator Serge Tkachenko and Jane Wald, Jane and Robert Keiter Family Executive Director of the Emily Dickinson Museum. Tkachenko will read several of his translations of Emily Dickinson into Ukrainian, after which he and Wald will discuss the poems and Dickinson in Ukraine. Reception to follow.
TUESDAY APRIL 1: “DON’T LOOK UP:” SCIENCE ON SCREEN AT AMHERST CINEMA. 7 p.m., Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity Street. Directed by Adam McKay, 2021. Two astronomers (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) go on a media tour to warn humankind of a planet-killing comet hurtling toward Earth. The response from a distracted world: Meh. Speaker: Ethan Zuckerman, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Information, and Communication, UMass Amherst, “Seeing is (Not) Believing: Navigating mis/disinformation in an era of fake news and digital discourse.” Tickets.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 2: PANEL ON AMHERST REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES. 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. The League of Women Voters of Amherst presents guest speakers Jennifer Shiao (Chair) and Deb Leonard (Secretary) of the Amherst School Committee. The program will include time for questions. Register at http://lwvamherst.org/.
THURSDAY APRIL 3: FINDING BALANCE TO MINIMIZE FALL RISK. 4 to 5:15 p.m. on Zoom. Linda Castronovo will guide participants to understand the factors that affect balance, why balance changes as we age, and practical strategies for improving one’s balance and reducing the risk of falls. An Amherst Neighbors program. Zoom link. No registration required.
THURSDAY APRIL 3: PIONEER VALLEY JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL: MIDAS MAN. 7p.m., Yiddish Book Center, 1021 West Street. Celebrate Opening Night of the 19th Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival with MIDAS MAN at the Yiddish Book Center! Set against the kaleidoscopic backdrop of Swinging Sixties London, this stylish biopic explores the genius and demons of the trailblazing Jewish manager hailed as the “fifth Beatle.” Brian Epstein’s visionary efforts catapulted The Beatles from a scrappy Liverpool band into the biggest music phenomenon that defined a generation. This captivating film chronicles Epstein’s unyielding belief in The Beatles’ potential, and the personal toll he paid as he sacrificed everything to elevate his artists to the pinnacle of fame. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT) stars in the lead role, alongside Eddie Marsan and Emily Watson. Tickets. Please join us at 6:30 PM before the film for a festive Opening Night reception. For a complete listing of films in the 19th annual Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival, see here.
SATURDAY APRIL 5: GLOBAL VILLAGE FESTIVAL. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Amherst Town Common. This annual event is dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity and promoting inclusivity within the community. The festival will feature a vibrant array of activities, including international food trucks offering cuisine from various cultures, live performances showcasing traditional music and dance, and local vendors representing diverse crafts and products. By fostering a welcoming atmosphere, the Amherst Global Village Festival aims to bring together individuals from all backgrounds, encouraging dialogue and understanding while highlighting the rich tapestry of global cultures in a fun and engaging environment.
SATURDAY APRIL 5: EMPTY BOWLS FOR THE AMHERST SURVIVAL CENTER. 12 to 4 p.m., Amherst Survival Center, 138 Sunderland Road. Join us for a heartwarming meal that makes a difference. Savor a delicious hearty soup while chatting with local celebrity hosts and enjoying live music, pick out a gorgeous handmade bowl from a selection of hundreds donated by local artists, and soak in the warmth of community spirit! With soups from your favorite local restaurants—plus bread, salad, and dessert—there’s a warm bowl of goodness for everyone, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Every ticket and every donation helps fill empty bowls for the 11,500+ people who rely on our Food and Nutrition Programs each year. Tickets $50 with a handcrafted bowl, $30 for meal only, $10 for children.
SATURDAY APRIL 5: LOCAL VOCAL CHORD BOWL. 7 p.m., Amherst Regional High School Auditorium, Mattoon Street. Come and enjoy this annual fabulous multi-generational night of acapella music that benefits the music and arts programs at Amherst Regional High School and Northampton High School. This year’s concert will feature nine groups, including the Chorale and the Hurricane Singers from ARHS and two groups from Northampton High, college groups from UMass and Smith, and local adult groups. Suggested admission: $15 for adults, $10 for students. Under 12 free. No one turned away.
SATURDAY APRIL 5: 27TH ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ FESTIVAL. Workshop sessions 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Bezanson and Tillis Hall, Fine Arts Center, UMass. Workshops are Free. 7:30 p.m. High School ensemble performances. 8 p.m. Etienne Charles concert. Trinidad-born trumpeter and bandleader Etienne Charles’ compositions evoke musical traditions from the Caribbean and across the African diaspora while remaining firmly rooted in jazz. Tickets $30 to $40, Students $15.
SUNDAY APRIL 6: YIDDISHLAND: A PLACE WITH NO BORDERS. 11 a.m., Yiddish Book Center,1021 West Street. This captivating documentary offers an upbeat, witty, and timely exploration of a global community of artists who are rediscovering and revitalizing the endangered Yiddish language through their progressive and provocative creative works. Together, as we travel through Yiddishland – not a homeland but a heartland without borders – we journey across continents, from Melbourne to Berlin, New York to Haifa to meet the diverse array of individuals who find solace, identity, and inspiration within Yiddish language and culture. Tickets. Post-screening discussion with Lisa Newman, Director of Publishing and Public Programs, and Caleb Sher, Senior Bibliography Fellow, at the Yiddish Book Center. For a complete listing of films in the 19th annual Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival, see here.
SUNDAY APRIL 6: TOWN WIDE RUBBISH ROUND-UP: 12 to 2 p.m., Mill River Recreation Area, Town Hall-North Common, or Groff Park. The Town of Amherst is excited to announce our upcoming Rubbish Roundup on Sunday, April 6th! This community clean up event aims to bring residents together for a day of camaraderie and positive change. We invite all town residents and groups to participate, including community organizations, businesses, families, neighborhood associations, student clubs, religious communities, and any small group or individuals eager to connect with their neighbors. Together, we can make our town cleaner, greener, and even more beautiful than it already is. Volunteers will report to clean up sites throughout Amherst. Each site will be staffed by a team of captains with supplies, safety instructions, and assignments. Supplies will be provided but we encourage you to bring your own work gloves and eye protection (safety glasses or sunglasses) if you have them. Additionally, please remember to bring water, wear closed toe shoes, and apply sun protection for your comfort and safety. Sign up by March 30.
SUNDAY APRIL 6: THE GLORY OF LIFE. 2 p.m., Yiddish Book Center, 1021 West Street. Set against the picturesque Baltic Sea coast in 1923, this tender drama captures Franz Kafka’s final year, transformed by the redemptive power of love. The fragile writer, battling tuberculosis and an overbearing family, finds an unforeseen connection with Dora Diamant, a spirited young woman working at a Jewish community center. Their romance blooms into a profound partnership, carrying them through Berlin to an Austrian sanatorium where Kafka confronts his mortality with newfound peace. Tickets. For a complete listing of films in the 19th annual Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival, see here.
MONDAY APRIL 7: “THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS:” SCIENCE ON SCREEN AT AMHERST CINEMA. 7 p.m., Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity Street. Rated R. Directed by Jonathan Demme, 1991. Young F.B.I. cadet Clarice Starling enlists the help of an incarcerated cannibal to help catch another serial killer. Speaker: Erik Cheries, Senior Lecturer in the Dept. of Psychological & Brain Sciences at UMass Amherst. “The Science of the Lambs?: What Hollywood’s most famous crime thriller tells us about serial killers, psychopathy, and the birth of Forensic Psychology. Tickets.
TUESDAY APRIL 8: PHYLLIS BENNIS IN CONVERSATION WITH MICHEL MOUSHABECK. 7 p.m., Room 106 Thompson Hall, UMass. Presented by the Students and Faculty for Justice in Palestine. A crucial new book is arriving at the perfect time. Understanding Palestine and Israel by renowned activist and political analyst Phyllis Bennis, with a foreword by noted Palestinian analyst Omar Baddar, cuts through the noise and delivers clear, accessible answers to the most pressing questions about the situation—questions that many have never had the opportunity to ask. The book covers events right up through Israel’s genocidal war and the 2024 US elections. You’re invited to this discussion between Phyllis Bennis and Michel Moushabeck, Palestinian American founder of Interlink Publishing. Books will be available for purchase at the event that will conclude with a book signing. Tickets. Free.
TUESDAY APRIL 8: THE BLOND BOY FROM THE CASBAH: PIONEER VALLEY JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL SCREENING. 7 p.m., Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity Street. Please join us for Closing Night of the Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival at the Amherst Cinema. Passionate filmmaker Antoine travels to his birthplace, Algiers, with his young son to present his new film: an account of his childhood in 1960s Algeria during the country’s civil war. As he wanders through the city, the filmmaker immerses us in the moments of laughter and tears of his childhood – spent between school, friends, and his Sephardic Jewish family. Growing up in the final moments of Algeria’s pre-independence period, the young Antoine discovers his profound fascination with cinema and starts to understand who he truly is. A joyful and nostalgic love letter to the Algiers of prolific French filmmaker Alexandre Arcady’s youth, this enchanting semi-autobiographical drama won Best Film at the UK Jewish Film Festival. Tickets. Post-screening discussion with Dr. Simon Sibelman, Professor Emeritus, French and Holocaust Studies, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. For a complete listing of films in the 19th annual Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival, see here.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9: “ON TRANSLATING MY LANGUAGE IS A JEALOUS LOVER”: A READING AND DISCUSSION WITH MASS BOOK AWARD-WINNERS VICTORIA OFFREDI POLETTO AND GIOVANNA BELLESIA CONTUZZI. 4:30 p.m. UMass Downtown,108 N. Pleasant St. Join the Edwin C. Gentzler Translation Center at UMass Downtown for a special event with Victoria Offredi Poletto and Giovanna Bellesia Contuzzi. They will read from and discuss their translation of Adrián N. Bravi’s My Language Is a Jealous Lover, which won the 2024 Mass Book Award for Translated Literature. This is a Mass Book Awards Speakers Bureau event, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book. For more information, visit the MA Literary Events Calendar.
FRIDAY APRIL 11: AWARD WINNING FILM DIRECTOR JOHN CAMERON AT UMASS. 8 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass. John Cameron Mitchell, director and co-creator of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, presents a hair-raising, hilarious romp of songs, stories and characters. Mitchell is a one-stop shop when it comes to bringing an artistic vision to life. He’s an award-winning actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer, and director. Tickets $40 to $75. Students $15-$20.
SATURDAY APRIL 12: DOWNTOWN DESSERT CRAWL. 3 to 6 p.m. Join us for the Amherst Dessert Crawl – a sweet adventure through Downtown Amherst! Indulge in exclusive dessert samples from local businesses, participate in a fun scavenger hunt, and support our vibrant community. Step 1: Get Your Wristband – Pick up your wristband at the Visitors Information Center (35 South Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002) on event day. Wristbands can be purchased in advance or at check-in. Stay tuned for purchase details! Step 2: Visit Participating Venues – Show your wristband at each stop to enjoy complimentary dessert samples. Step 3: Join the Scavenger Hunt (Optional) – Complete fun challenges along the way for a chance to win prizes! Follow @amherstdowntown for the latest updates on wristband sales, participating venues, and event details. Participating Businesses: Protocol, The Toy Box, Aster & Pine, Inn on Boltwood, Amherst Cinema, GoBerry ‘n Cream, Kwench, Ten One Teahouse, and more.
TUESDAY APRIL 15: “THE POD GENERATION:” SCIENCE ON SCREEN AT AMHERST CINEMA. 7 p.m., Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity Street. Directed by Sophie Barthes, 2023. Living in the not-so-distant future, a New York couple takes a wild ride to parenthood after landing a coveted spot at the Womb Center, which offers couples a convenient and shareable pregnancy by way of detachable, artificial wombs. Speaker: Carrie N. Baker, Professor and Chair of the Program for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Smith College. “Pushing the Limits: Ethics, Opportunities and Perils of Reproductive Technologies.” Tickets.
THURSDAY APRIL 17: PHOSPHORESCENCE CONTEMPORARY POETRY SERIES. 6 p.m. on Zoom. April’s featured poets are Carlene Kucharczyk, Avia Tadmor, and Silvia Bonilla. Emily Dickinson, phosphorescence was a divine spark and the illuminating light behind learning — it was volatile, but transformative in nature. Produced by the Emily Dickinson Museum, the Phosphorescence Contemporary Poetry Series celebrates contemporary creativity that echoes Dickinson’s own revolutionary poetic voice. The Series features established and emerging poets whose work and backgrounds represent the diversity of the flourishing contemporary poetry scene. Join us on a Thursday evening each month to hear from poets around the world as they read their work and discuss what poetry and Dickinson mean to them. Free, but registration required.
SATURDAY APRIL 26: 14TH ANNUAL UMASS DINING DINE AND DASH 5K. 11 a.m. at the Southwest horseshoe, UMass. Promote health and wellness at UMass Amherst while raising funds for the Amherst Survival Center. Over the past 13 years, UMass Dining has raised over $50,000 for the Amherst Survival Center. The schedule for the April 26 event includes check-in at the Southwest Horseshoe starting at 9 a.m., followed by a free fun run for children 8 years old and younger at 10 a.m. The race itself begins at 11 a.m. followed by an awards ceremony at 11:30 a.m., and lunch in the Berkshire Dining Commons at noon. The race fee is $15 for all Five-College students, $25 for UMass Amherst faculty and staff, and $30 for the general public. Children 8 years old and under are free to participate. The race fee includes registration, and a complimentary meal at the university’s award-winning dining facilities in the Berkshire Dining Commons. Online registration ends April 24.
SUNDAY APRIL 27: 15TH ANNUAL DAFFODIL 5K/10K WALK/RUN FOR BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY. 10 a.m., Town Common. This community event has become the first marker of spring for the town of Amherst and draws hundreds ofcommunity members to the area to participate and cheer on their family and friends. Look forward to 5K Run/Walk & 10K Run post-race party with delicious food, and family-friendly fun. The Daffodil Run helps sustain the power of youth mentoring through Big Brothers Big Sisters by connecting adult mentors with young people in our community. Once matched they go on to build a meaningful, positive relationship that empowers the potential inherent in each child. Register.
ONGOING AND MULTI-DAY EVENTS
EVERY MONDAY EXCEPT HOLIDAYS: AUTOHARP WORKSHOPS. 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Senior Center, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Join Marie Hartwell-Walker and autoharp players throughout the country who participate on Zoom. Participants on Zoom also welcome.
TUESDAYS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY: AMHERST NEIGHBORS LUNCH IN TOWN. 12 to 1 p.m., Community Room, Amherst Police Station, 111 Main Street. The Lunch in Town series continues in January and February. A mixture of regulars and newcomers show up every week. Come join with a bagged lunch. There will be no gathering on January 28. Canceled if the town closes for weather.
FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: COUNCIL ON AGING SENIOR LUNCH. Noon. Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk.
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.
SECOND TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH: ARTIST SOCIAL AND CRITIQUE. 6 to 8 p.m., Local Art Gallery, Mill District, 91 Cowls Road. All local artists, both beginners and established, are invited to attend our Artist Social and Critique that meets every 2nd Thursday of the month in The Local Art Gallery from 6-8pm. Help us create a safe space for a supportive and constructive artistic feedback while expanding your connections to other artists. Artist social time from 6 to 6:30 p.m., Artist critique from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Share digital images by emailing to gallery@cowls.com in advance. For information, contact Shannon Borrell at gallery@cowls.com or 413-835-0966.
EVERY WEDNESDAY: WEEKLY WEDNESDAY MARKET. 10 to 11:30 a.m., Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Since its launch in May 2024, the Wednesday Market has served over 700 community members. The Market is open to all, and there’s no registration and no questions asked. Just come and enjoy. We distribute fresh produce, dairy, prepared food, and delicious treats.
EVERY WEDNESDAY: BEGINNER BIRDING. 9:00-9:30 a.m. Notch Visitor Center, 1500 West Street. For ages 12 and up. An easy, level, 1/4-mile guided hike to discover more about birds: their behaviors, needs, habitats and significance. Listen, observe, sketch, photo or journal. Free
LAST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH (EXCLUDING JULY AND JANUARY): 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.
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 : 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. Our 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 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. The Amherst Public House, 40 University Drive. 4-7 p.m. Fiddle, Flute, Tin Whistle, Guitar, Mandolin, Bouzouki and more. Jigs, Reels,Hornpipes, Polkas, Slides, and Waltz’ from around the Celtic world.
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 AND SUNDAYS: LIVE JAZZ AND GOOD EATS AT THE BLACK SHEEP. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Black Sheep Deli, 79 Main Street. Frist and third Saturdays: Masala Jazz, Second, Fourth and Fifth Saturdays: Simmer Music Presents, Sundays: the Catalytics. Tip Jar.
SECOND AND FOURTH SATURDAYS JANUARY THROUGH MARCH: WINTER FARMERS’ MARKET. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Bangs Community Center., 70 Boltwood Walk. The Amherst Farmers’ Market is excited to announce the launch of its Winter Market at the Bangs Community Center, right in downtown Amherst. The Winter Market will run from 10 am to 2 pm every Saturday in December and on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of January, February, and March. This new venue offers a spacious and familiar environment for local farmers, artisans, and crafters to showcase their goods to the community.
NOW THROUGH SATURDAY MARCH 29: EXHIBITS BY SUE KATZ AND GLORIA KEGELES. Gallery A3, 28 Amity Street 1D. Photographs and painted wood and metal assemblages by Katz explore patterns, while photographs by Kegeles find abstract form in motorcycles and brake rotors. The artists will present an Art Forum online, on Thursday, March 20, at 7:30 p.m. (Register here). Gallery Hours Thursday-Sunday, 2:00- p.m.- 7:00 p.m. More information
NOW THROUGH SATURDAY APRIL 5: YOUTH ENTREPRENEURIAL WORKSHOP. 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. for five Saturdays, Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. For grades 6-12. The DEI Department, in association with the Black Business Association of Amherst Area, is excited to announce their first program: A Youth Entrepreneurial Workshop! Young people in grades 6-12 are encouraged to join us for this free five-week program where they will learn the skills needed to develop a business and actively create and sell their own products, getting hands on experience in the process. Materials and snacks will be provided. Sign up here and we will be in touch by mid-February with an additional details. If you have questions, you can email Philip Avila at avilap@amherstma.gov.
NOW THROUGH WEDNESDAY APRIL 30: PAINTINGS BY ELAYNA STURM. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, Town Hall Art Gallery, 4 Boltwood Avenue. The public is invited to meet the artist at a free reception in the gallery on Friday, March 7th, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Elayna’s mediums range from murals, visual art, creative writing, and fiber arts to education and coaching. A self-described hopefully curious person, Elayna blends the divine and the mundane to expose overarching patterns in a visual storytelling of interconnectedness. About their art, Elayna says, “Shedding Layers explores both what we can shed to feel lighter and what we can transform to create the lives and worlds we want to be a part of. Venturing to get to the core of what matters, Shedding Layers seeks to cultivate brighter joy and deeper roots.” Elayna resides in Western Massachusetts and has ties to the North Shore of Massachusetts, the Bay Area of California, and the Olympic forests of Washington state.
NOW THROUGH WEDNESDAY APRIL 30: MULTIVERSE: AN EXHIBIT FEATURING MULTIPLE ARTISTS. Hampden Gallery, UMass. curated by D. Dominick Lombardi, from Feb. 17-April 30. “Multiverse” focuses on the recognition, conscious or subconscious, and interpretation of the concept of the multiverse in contemporary visual art. Showcasing digital art from Europe and the Americas juxtaposed with analog works by artists from the northeastern U.S., Lombardi gives visitors the opportunity to see and discuss previously unimagined possibilities. A reception and curator’s talk with Lombardi is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. on Friday April 4. Information.
NOW THROUGH FRIDAY MAY 9: IS ANYTHING THE MATTER? DRAWINGS BY LAYLAH ALI AND HIGH FIVE/TAKE FIVE. UMass Museum of Contemporary Art. “Is anything the matter?” includes more than one hundred drawings by Ali dating from 1993 to 2020. Though the drawings range in format – including ink, colored pencil, soluble crayon, colored marker and mixed media works – each piece explores Ali’s ongoing interest in the amalgam of race, power, gendering, human frailty and murky politics. High Five / Take Five” is an interactive exhibition featuring five art works from the museum’s permanent collection. Each piece will be accompanied by a prompt that asks participants to engage their senses, look closely and respond to the artworks through drawing, listening and writing. Gallery Talk: Wednesday, February 19, 4 to 5 p.m. More information.
NOW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 7: PORTRAITS IN RED: MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS PEOPLE BY NAYANA LAFOND. D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield Museums. In her powerful series of portraits, artist and activist Nayana Lafond sheds light on the crisis affecting Indigenous peoples, particularly women, who are eleven times more likely to go missing than the national average. Each portrait depicts a missing or murdered Indigenous person, a family member, or an advocate, rendered in shades of gray and marked by a vivid red handprint—the only color visible to spirits—to raise awareness, inspire action, and honor the lives and stories of those impacted by this crisis. Lafond, a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, graduated from Amherst High School and lives in Western Massachusetts. After studying at the Massachusetts College of Art, she became a full-time painter and has served as a curator and community arts organizer for over twenty years. Visit her website.
SUNDAY MARCH 23 THROUGH THURSDAY MAY 8: Daily performances by the UMass Department of Music and Dance. Most are free. Various locations for performances by UMass students and faculty. See here for a complete listing.
THURSDAY MARCH 27 THROUGH FRIDAY MAY 9: (OFF) BALANCE: ART IN THE ATE OF HUMAN IMPACT. UMass Museum of Contemporary Art. The Graduate Curatorial Exhibition, co-curated by Adeyemi Adebayo, M.F.A. studio arts candidate, Eva Barajas, M.A. art education candidate, and Bo Kim, M.F.A. studio arts candidate, invites viewers to explore the intricate ways we interact with, interpret and shape our environment and challenges audiences to reflect on themes of transformation, human intervention and the tension between destruction and conservation. Opening reception Wednesday, March 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. Information.
THURSDAY APRIL 3 THROUGH WEDNESDAY APRIL 30: BE REVOLUTIONARY: UMASS STUDENT SOLIDARITY WITH CENTRAL AMERICA IN THE 1980s: STUDENT CURATED EXHIBIT.9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Lobby of Bromery Center for the Arts. In the fall of 2024, students in a UMass Amherst graduate history course set out to research, curate and design an exhibit on the history of student activism at UMass Amherst in conjunction with this year’s Feinberg Series, What Are Universities For? Struggles for the Soul of Higher Education. Focusing on anti-imperialist organizing in the 1980s, the exhibit tells the story of how UMass students joined forces with the broader Central America solidarity movements in Massachusetts and across the country to demand the end of U.S. military aid to authoritarian regimes. Titled Be Revolutionary: UMass Student Solidarity with Central America in the 1980s, the exhibit opens on Thursday, April 3 from 12-2pm, with a student-run program featuring remarks by Professor Diana Sierra Becerra and a panel with the curators, followed by dedicated time to reflect on the exhibit through art-making and alter-creation. Student- and community-oriented workshops organized by the UMass Alliance for Community Transformation will be held in the space from 4-6pm. The exhibit will remain on display through April 30 in the Bromery Center for the Arts Lobby. Join us! Openiing Thursday, April 3, 12 to 2 p.m.