What’s Happening in Amherst?

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 NOVEMBER 16: FULL MOON HIKE.  3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Kestrel Headquarters, 37 Bay Road. Hiking at night can change your perspectives of what it means to spend time outdoors, but it can be daunting to try it on your own. This guided group hike, in partnership with Adventure East, will begin at Sweet Alice Conservation Area. We’ll climb for about an hour and a half before arriving at the top of Norwottock. Once there, we will stop and watch the moon rise over the Pelham Hills and enjoy a snack provided. $40,  $32 for Kestrel members. Register.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 16: UMASS THEATER GUILD ROMEO AND JULIET. Matinee at 1 p.m., Evening performance at 7 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass. Join the UMass Theater Guild for our production of the greatest love story ever told, William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. A tale of forbidden love, passion, and tragedy put on by one of UMass’ oldest RSOs. Come and enjoy the magic of our fair Verona this November. Tickets  $8-$12.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 18: PUBLIC FORUM ON THE FY26 BUDGET. 6:30 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall or on Zoom. Public Forum on the Town Budget – Charter Sec. 5.3. Residents are welcome to express their views for up to 3 minutes, at the discretion of the Town Council President, based upon the number of people who wish to speak. The Council will not engage in a dialogue or comment on a matter raised during Public Comment. This precedes the regular council meeting.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 18: WHAT ARE THE HUMANITIES FOR? UMASS FEINBERG SERIES. 4 p.m. on Zoom. With Christopher Newfield, Director of Research at the Independent Social Research Foundation. Public disappointment with universities has reached epidemic proportions: the tuition is too damn high, the student debt is unjust and unaffordable, the job outcomes are unreliable and unliberating. In the Feinberg Series fall capstone, Christopher Newfield, a distinguished scholar who has written extensively on the history of universities, argues that addressing these problems requires a wholesale redefinition of higher education around intellectual and social benefits rather than monetary ones. The talk will identify the role the humanities disciplines play in realizing these benefits, lifting up literary study as a field that has done exemplary work in generating radical thought with great, though misunderstood, public value.  Register.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 19: HUNGRYTOWN INDIE FOLK DUO CONCERT.  6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Woodbury Room, Jones Library, 43 Amity Street. Hungrytown is the duo of Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson. Their program features the duo’s original, award-winning songs performed on a variety of instruments and features Hungrytown’s trademark harmony singing. They have crafted Hungrytown into a true artistic hybrid, able to hold Celtic and Americana, ballads and psychedelia, sunshine and darkness, joy and despair – not only within the same album, but within the same song. Free and open to the public!

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 19: NO-NO BOY. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. No-No Boy’s music will challenge your concept of Americana. And a good bit more than that. No-No Boy is a persona and project of songwriter and scholar Julian Saporiti, whose music is equally reflective of his hometown, Nashville, and his Vietnamese American roots. Developed as the central component of Saporiti’s PhD at Brown University, No-No Boy employs country, bluegrass, and other American roots music forms — performed using an array of European, African, and Asian instruments — as the foundation for songs that explore Asian American the experience. His subjects include prisoners at Japanese American internment camps who started a jazz band, Vietnamese musicians turned on to rock ‘n’ roll by American troops, and a Cambodian American painter who painted only the most beautiful landscapes of his war-torn home. Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door, $12.50 students.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 21: ELECTION RESULT PROCESSING SUPPORT. 6 to 8 p.m., Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Coinciding with the Becoming a Beloved Community event,  the DEI Department and CRESS will be holding a separate space for community members to process the election results with one another also in the Bangs Community Center in Room 101. Facilitated by Camille Theriaque, Director of the Community Responders for Equity, Safety, and Service (CRESS), this discussion is meant to bring community together and support a path forward. 

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 21: BECOMING A BELOVED COMMUNITY: NAVIGATING DIFFERENCES. 6 to 8 p.m., Large Activity Room, Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Join a community discussion hosted by The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office as we discuss Navigating differences. Registration strongly encouraged.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 21: THEY CALLED ME MAYER: PAINTED MEMORIES OF A JEWISH CHILDHOOD IN POLAND BEFORE THE HOLOCAUST WITH BARBARA KIRSCHENBLATT-GIMBLETT. 7 p.m., Online. Mayer Kirshenblatt was born in 1916 and left Poland for Canada in 1934. He taught himself to paint at age 73 and made it his mission to remember the world of his childhood in living color, “lest future generations know more about how Jews died than how they lived.” In this talk his daughter, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, will discuss her father’s legacy and recent exhibitions of his work, including the current exhibition at the POLIN Museum, which presents a dialogue between Mayer’s depictions of his youth in the shtetl and today’s Opatów, a post-Jewish town with no remaining Jewish community. Free.  Register.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 22: SEO JUNGMIN: ONE, MY UTOPIA! 7:30 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass. Seo Jungmin is a Korean artist and composer who pushes the boundaries between traditional and contemporary music with her exceptional skills on the 25-string gayageum. Jungmin first achieved international acclaim as half of the Korean traditional music duo Su:m, and over the years she has continued to draw heavily on tradition while exploring opportunities for innovation. In One, My Utopia!, Jungmin’s masterful gayageum playing is complemented by You Byoungwook’s percussion and Kim Yulhee’s pansori (traditional Korean story song) vocals. A remarkable musician whose innovative approach to traditional Korean music has earned her worldwide acclaim, Jungmin’s exceptional talent and creativity continue to make her an influential figure in the contemporary music scene. Tickets $32.50, $25, Students $15, $12.50.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 22: NOCHE LATINO. 7 p.m., UMass Amherst Campus Center Auditorium. Noche Latina is a cultural event showcasing Latinx culture on our campus. Latinos Unidos (LU) strives to bring a diverse audience at UMass Amherst to connect with one another through a night full of culture in food, performances, and live music. Tickets $18.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 23: ROADTOWN TURKEY TROT 5K RUN AND WALK. 9 a.m., Shutesbury Elementary School, West Pelham Road. This is a fundraiser to support the new Shutesbury Library. The countdown is on for the 2nd Annual Roadtown Turkey Trot and we couldn’t be more excited to bring back the joy, community spirit, and fun that made last year’s event such a memorable day. Join us on Saturday, November 23rd, at 9 am at Shutesbury Elementary School for this lively event open to runners and walkers. Whether you’re looking to beat last year’s time or simply enjoy a crisp fall morning with friends, this race is for you! Register now at roadtown.org for $35 until November 22nd. Day-of-race registration will be available for $40. A Children’s Fun Run around the track at Shutesbury Elementary School will begin at 9:30 am, with registration just $15. All proceeds from the race will help furnish and equip the new Shutesbury Public Library, which is already under construction. 

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 23: ANNUAL SLEIGHBELL FAIR. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., South Congregational Church, 1066 South East Street. Annual Sleighbell Fair at South Church featuring crafts, baked goods, jams, a great lunch, art raffle, white elephants, clothing & accessories and more. Come for the fun!

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 30: SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY. Choose to shop local this holiday season and help our #downtown and main streets everywhere thrive.  #Amherst downtown has unique and boutique retailers for everyone “from Amherst Books to Zanna. Our rich assortment of restaurants, salons, and experiences also have gift cards available that make great gifts!

MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY DECEMBER 1-7: SHOP LOCAL WEEK. the Amherst BID encourages shopping local all week-long, December 1-7 at downtown retailers celebrating Shop Local Week in Amherst culminating in special promotion days for small businesses on Friday & Saturday, December 6 & 7 called the “Downtown Holiday Shopping Extravaganza” with discounts up to 20% in local retailers.

MONDAY DECEMBER 2: THIRD ANNUAL ELLSBERG LECTURE: BACK TO THE WALL, FACE TO THE SUN: WHERE WE STAND IN THE CLIMATE FIGHT WITH BILL MCKIBBEN. 7 to 8:30 p.m., Old Chapel, 144 Hicks Way, UMass. Sponsored by the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. Free and open to all.

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4: YAA SAMAR! DANCE THEATRE. 7:30 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass. Led by Founder and Artistic Director Samar Haddad King, the New York-based Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre, seeks to create invigorating education and performance programs that expand access to, and promote understanding through, the arts. Yaa Samar! has an international reach. King is Palestinian American. And company members are based in a variety of countries, including the United States, Palestine, the United Kingdom, and Japan. At UMass, the company will perform Losing It, an exploration of generational trauma through solo dance of a female Palestinian living in a war zone, and Noah, which presents themes of love, courage, and regret through one man’s personal history. Tickets $37, Students $15.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 5: WHAT DO YOUR DREAMS MEAN TO YOU? ONLINE PROGRAM WITH ILAN STAVANS. 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Zoom. What do our dreams say about us? And what do they tell us? Roughly a third of our day is spent asleep, yet dreams are frequently seen as garbled mind work. According to the Talmud, sleep is one-sixtieth of death. The Egyptians saw dreams as prophecy. For Thomas Acquinas, dreams are communications with either the divine or the devil. Sigmund Freud argued that dreams are expressions of our subconscious. What kind of relationship do we have with dreams? This program will navigate the delicate line separating the private from the collective. Sponsored by Amherst Neighbors. No registration necessary. Link.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 6: SENIOR CENTER DECK THE HALLS PARTY. 1 to 3 p.m., Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Join us as we deck the halls and make merry! Cozy up by the virtual fire and enjoy refreshments, music, and mirth.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 6: LIGHTING OF THE MERRY MAPLE. 3 p.m., North Common. Annual tree lighting and celebration is co-sponsored by the Amherst BID and Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. Details to follow.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 7: A VERY SLAMBOVIAN CHRISTMAS WITH THE SLAMBOVIAN CIRCUS OF DREAMS. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. The Slambovian Circus of Dreams have been expanding the borders of the Americana genre with their fantastic stories and performance since the late 90’s in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Their connection with audiences at shows taps into a greater human-ness and captivates with charismatic band leader Joziah Longo center ring presiding. Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 8: AMHERST COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ANNUAL MEETING. 2 to 4 p.m., The Newman Center, 111 Thatcher Road. Catch up on the accomplishments of ACLT in the past year and help plan for the future for increasing home ownership and preserving neighborhoods in Amherst. All are welcome.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 8: ELECTRIC ROOT PRESENTS THE SOUND OF (BLACK) MUSIC. 3 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass. We bring the fall portion of our season to a close with a family matinee presentation of a show that has delighted audiences and critics alike. “Do-Re-Mi” is recast as a soul-jazz number. “The Lonely Goatherd” departs the yodeling Alps for West African landscapes as envisioned by avant jazz composer Sun Ra. “So Long, Farewell” takes on the feel of ’70s pop funk. The Sound of (Black) Music is a vibrant one-act concert reimagining the songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved musical The Sound of Music through a utopian, Afrofuturistic lens full of love. Cherished songs including “Edelweiss,” “I Have Confidence,” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” are recast through a soulful music kaleidoscope of jazz, gospel, blues, soul, funk, and Afrobeat. Vocalists C. Anthony Bryant, Brianna Thomas, Charenee Wade, and Zhanna Reed are supported by an electrifying band to bring to life the most joyous and loving presentation. The Sound of (Black) Music is the brainchild of Electric Root, a dynamic and vibrant collective of artists with a powerful mission: to heal, uplift, and bring joy to communities across the United States through the soul-stirring magic of Black music. Tickets $35-$60. Students $15.

^{THURSDAY DECEMBER 12: SENIOR CENTER FIELD TRIP TO THE ERIC CARLE MUSEUM.  10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (lunch included), Eric Carle Museum, 125 West Bay Road.. Join us for an intergenerational field trip to see the new exhibit: Free to Be… You and Me: 50 Years of Stories and Songs. Registration is required ends Tuesday, December 3rd. Call (413) 259-3060 to sign up. If you require transportation, let us know.}

SATURDAY DECEMBER 14: AMHERST COMMUNITY BAND HOLIDAY CONCERT. 6 p.m., St. Brigid’s Parish Center, 122 North Pleasant Street. Parish entrance is on North Prospect Street.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 14: AMHERST MEDIA’S RAISE YOUR VOICE GALA. 5:30 p.m., UMass Student Union Ballroom. Honoring Jacqui Wallace and the Amherst Gospel Choir with the Jean Haggarty Award for Community Engagement and Social Justice. Dinner and dancing with DJ Don, Cash bar, our year in review, performances. Tickets $75 until November 30, $100 until December 8.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 19. THIRD ANNUAL SIP AND STROLL AND MAKERS AND ARTISAN MARKET. 5 to 9 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Join us on Thursday, December 19, 5-9PM for the Third Annual Sip ’n Shop Stroll — a magical evening in Downtown Amherst filled with all the spirit of the holiday season. Take a horse-drawn carriage through town and support local shops and restaurants. Purchase the perfect gift or enjoy a special meal with loved ones.In addition, a beautifully curated Markers and Artisans Market will take place at The Drake: Live Performance and Music Venue at 44 N. Pleasant Street, overflowing into the lobby of adjacent CAIA Association at 11 Amity Street.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 20: SENIOR CENTER COOKIE SWAP. 1 p.m., Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Have a favorite cookie or recipe you’re proud of? Show it off at the cookie swap. Hang out while you sample a few or take some to go to enjoy later. Please bake at least two dozen cookies so there are enough to share. Label cookies that contain nuts, gluten, or other allergens. Store bought cookies are fine too.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 22: WINTER SOLSTICE CANDLE LIGHT STROLL. 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Wildwood Cemetery, 70 Strong Street Come and toast to the winter, to the living and to those who have passed.  Walk a loop (with candles) in the cemetery or stay and socialize in the Farmhouse.  Hot chocolate and cookies provided.  Free, but donations gladly accepted!  RSVP if you can, but if not, just come!  RAIN, SNOW OR SHINE .RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeN_hRE4reQwxLTPHnRrTP7Lak3_4dVyG8HGwyV2YtdCfLEEQ/viewform or call 413-549-4649.

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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.

EVERY TUESDAY FROM NOVEMBER 12 THROUGH DECEMBER 31: LUNCH IN TOWN WITH AMHERST NEIGHBORS. 12 to 1:30 p.m., Police Station Community Room, 111 Main Street. Meet other Amherst Neighbors members in person for general camaraderie and discussion. Bring your own lunch. 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.

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 : 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.

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. 

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. 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.

THURSDAYS OCTOBER 31 THROUGH DECEMBER 5: STOLEN BEAM SERIES. 7:30 to 8:50 p.m. on Zoom. Would you welcome a place to learn why some people are talking about reparations for African-Americans? A 5-session class will take place this fall, called The Stolen Beam Series. This educational series was developed by members of the Reparations Committee of the Jewish Community of Amherst and will be facilitated by members of that committee.The class will meet via Zoom for five Thursdays this fall (October 31, November 7, 14, 21, and December 5) from 7:30 – 8:50 pm. This course requires reading, viewing, active participation, and a commitment to show up for each session. Registration is now open, and closes on October 22. Learn more and register.

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.

EVERY SATURDAY UNTIL NOVEMBER 23: 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.

NOW UNTIL FRIDAY DECEMBER 13: CLAUS FOR A CAUSE. Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. For the second year in a row, the Amherst Council on Aging is sponsoring Claus for a Cause to bring cheer to older adults who need a pick me up around the holidays, whether they’re homebound, have recently felt a loss, have no family in the area, etc. The Senior Center is collecting donations of puzzle books, hard candies, low-sugar hard candies, tea, hot chocolate, lotion, lip balm, warm clothing, self-care items, etc. that will be used to fill gift bags for seniors. These bags will be delivered beginning Wednesday, December 18. Donations can be brought to the Bangs Community Center until 3 p.m. on Friday, December 13. If you are interested in volunteering to deliver bags, please call Julia MacFadzen at 413-259-3038. Have a friend or neighbor you’d like to nominate? Call Lucas Schildbach at 413-259-3062