What’s Happening in Amherst?
Photo: public domain
by Art and Maura Keene
Help us make our events calendar more comprehensive by sending us your listings, including contact information and/or a link for more information. Send event listings to amherstindy@gmail.com.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 24: NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wildwood School, 71 Strong Street. Properly dispose of unused and unwanted medications to prevent prescription drug misuse. This twice-yearly initiative allows residents to safely dispose of unused or expired prescriptions and over-the-counter medications for both humans and pets.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 24: AMHERST DOG PARK’S HALLOWEEN PAWTY 2-4 p.m., The annual Halloween dog costume “Pawty” is on for Saturday October 24 (rain date Sunday, October 25) from 2-4p.m. Bring your spooky and adorable dogs. We will have judges for the best dog costumes and the best dog/human duo for both little and big dogs. There will be prizes, raffles, food and lots of fun. This event is free to attend – suggested donation of $5. All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Amherst Dog Park. Volunteers are needed for this event. Please email the Amherst Dog Park or fill out this Volunteer Form. The Amherst Massachusetts Dog Park is located on 1.5 acres of town-owned property along the southwest side of Old Belchertown Road, off Route 9. The Amherst Dog Park is open year-round, from dawn to dusk, and is free to all visitors. The park is ADA compliant. It is governed, run and maintained by volunteers, collectively called the Friends of the Amherst Dog Park.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 24: CRANBERRY FAIR AT FIRST CHURCH AMHERST First Church Amherst, 165 Main Street, will host its annual tag sale The Cranberry Fair on Saturday, October 24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A thrifter’s delight, the fair offers bargains on toys, clothing, housewares, books, antiques, games and puzzles, children’s books, and more. Baked goods will also be available, along with a silent auction. The Fair Café will serve a hearty lunch, as well as coffee, tea, and cider. Free parking is available in the parking lot behind the church. Cash and Venmo accepted.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 25: COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE CELEBRATING SHOLEM ALEICHEM & FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. Join us for a community open house, and get to know all the Yiddish Book Center has to offer! This year we will focus on Sholem Aleichem, the most beloved of Yiddish writers, whose famed stories about Tevye the Dairyman became the basis for Fiddler on the Roof. At 2:00 pm, the Valley Light Opera will perform an exclusive sneak peek of songs and scenes from their upcoming production of Fiddler on the Roof, followed by a talkback with scholar Ilan Stavans on the meaning of Fiddler today. Free, no registration necessary.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 25: WALKING TOUR OF WEST CEMETERY: MARKS OF TRUE SORROW. 2 to 3:30 p.m., West Cemetery. Elizabeth C. Dearden will lead a cemetery tour of West Cemetery as a case study of funerary symbolism in relation to the antecedent events of the American Revolution. From Puritan iconography to Whig inspired Neoclassical imagery, these symbols were used for memorialization, persuasion, sustained momentum, and inspiration for the Patriot cause. Dearden is a public historian from Western Massachusetts. She received her MA in history from Salem State University with a graduate certificate in public history. Each October she usually can be found haunting local burying grounds and old houses: giving tours or as a costumed interpreter. Registration required.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 25: HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR. Noon to 3:30 p.m. Area businesses collaborate with the Amherst BID to offer free trick or treat bags and treats . The bags can be picked up at the Recreation Department at the Bangs Center or the Visitor Information Center at 35 South Pleasant Street. Between 1 and 1:15 there will be a costume parade beginning at the North Common, followed by the Haunted House and Kids Carnival on the North Common.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 27: FEED DEMOCRACY WITH REP. DOMB. 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Amherst Survival Center, 138 Sunderland Road. Join Rep. Mindy Domb for an open conversation about inflation, jobs, housing and you. Submit questions to: Miranda@AmherstSurvival.org.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28: RAINBOW CONNECTIONS LUNCHEON & INTERGENERATIONAL CONVERSATION WITH THE AMHERST COLLEGE QUEER RESOURCE CENTER. 12 to 2 p.m., Friedmann Room, Keefe Campus Center, Amherst College. In honor of LGBTQ+ History Month, we’ll enjoy lunch provided by the Black Sheep Cafe and conversation at Amherst College. All students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend. Please respond to Rainbowandallies@gmail.com if you would like to attend, so we know how many people to prepare for.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28: TRUNK OR TREAT AT THE MILL DISTRICT. 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., North Square Plaza in the Mill District, 91 Cowls Road. Bring the whole family for a fun and festive Halloween celebration! Our Trunk or Treat event features creatively decorated car trunks, plenty of candy. Herrell’s Ice Cream will have Teal Pumpkin toy treatsand activities for kids of all ages. Dress up in your best costume and enjoy a night full of laughter, community spirit, and spooky fun. Register here. Free.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28: NORTHAMPTON JAZZ WORKSHOP WITH ATLA DECHAMPLAIN AND FELIPE SALLES. 7:30 p.m., the Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Jazz vocalist Atla DeChamplaine and Brazilian tenor saxophonist Felipe Salles join the Green Street Trio for the Jazz Workshop at the Drake. $10 cover, $5 for students, free to jam participants.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 29: AMHERST EDUCATION FOUNDATION’S 32ND ANNUAL TRIVIA BEE. 6:30. p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Join us for the annual TRIVIA BEE — a fun community tradition that brings people together in support of our local public schools. Proceeds from the Trivia Bee help fund innovative projects and educational opportunities for students across Amherst, Leverett, Pelham, and Shutesbury. REGISTER OR BUY RAFFLE TICKETS HERE.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 29: THE BUSINESS OF BORDERS: PANEL DISCUSSION. 6 p.m. on Zoom. The Feinberg Distinguished Lecture Series at UMass will present a panel discussion with Aviva Chomsky, professor of history and coordinator of Latin American Studies at Salem State University, Julio Flores, a former leader of the Salvadoran teachers’ union, and Cecilia Guerrero, chair and founder of A Luta Sigue. UMass History Professor Kevin Young will moderate. Policies toward immigrants go hand in hand with imperial intervention abroad, with roots in centuries of colonization and displacement. Even as capitalists and governments have insisted on a “strong border,” they have selectively ignored national borders when laying claim to foreign resources, labor, and markets. Panelists will illuminate the relationship between national borders, capitalist profits, and workers’ well-being while suggesting pathways for worker resistance. Register here. Free.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 30: FALL ART OPENING AT THE MILL DISTRICT. 5 to 7 p.m., Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road. Please join us in celebrating the current collection of art on exhibit and available for purchase by over 30 local artists! Don’t miss this wonderful evening of conversation, art, and complementary light refreshments. Please RSVP. Free.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 30 THROUGH SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7: 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. Times vary. UMass Department of Theater, Rand Theater, UMass. By William Finn (music and lyrics) and Rachel Sheinkin (book) Director: Gina Kaufman.Can you spell J-O-Y? Finn and Sheinkin’s musical follows a motley crew of spelling bee competitors in a delightful story that is by turns sweet, poignant, and laugh-out-loud funny. As they navigate a gauntlet of words, the tweens candidly reveal hilarious and heartfelt stories from their home lives, each hoping to avoid the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life-unaffirming ding of the bell that signals a misspelling. Buy a ticket and brush up on your spelling — intrepid audience members can volunteer for the spelling bee hot seat at every performance! Recommended for ages 13 and up due to adult humor and situations, and references to sex. Tickets $19, $7 for seniors and students. Author Rachel Sheinkin will be present at the 2 p.m. performance on October 31.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3: RHIANNON GIDDENS AT MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE. 5:30 p.m., Mary Woolley Hall, Chapin Auditorium, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley. Rhiannon Giddens has built an iconic career stretching folk music—and its deep historical roots—into just about every field imaginable. A two-time GRAMMY Award winner, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, Pulitzer Prize winner, and composer of opera, ballet, and film, Giddens centers her work on lifting up previously overlooked contributors to American musical history. A founding member of the landmark Black string band Carolina Chocolate Drops and supergroup Our Native Daughters, Giddens is as much curator as creator. She serves as Artistic Director of the Yo-Yo Ma–founded Silkroad Ensemble, hosts PBS’s My Music with Rhiannon Giddens, and hosted the podcasts Aria Code and American Railroad. Her discography on Nonesuch Records includes solo releases, collaborations with Francesco Turrisi, Silkroad’s American Railroad (2024), and What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow (2025) with Justin Robinson. Tickets
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 4: STEVE GUNN WITH SPECTRE FOLK. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Steve Gunn is a New York-based guitarist and songwriter. With a career spanning nearly 15 years, Steve has produced volumes of critically acclaimed solo, duo and ensemble recordings. Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door. See complete schedule here
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 5 THROUGH SUNDAY NOVEMBER 8: VALLEY LIGHT OPERA PRESENTS “FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.” 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Academy of Music, Northampton. Stage Director Rose Schwietz Malla, Music Director Matthew Bertuzzi, Choreographer, Marybeth Mizula Vargas. Preshow talk at 1 p.m. before both matinees by Joshua Horowitz of the Yiddish Book Center. Four shows only. Order your tickets now!
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 6: TABLE TO TABLE: A COMMUNITY DINNER. AMHERST HEART AND SOUL. 5-7 p.m. Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Join us for a meal, meet fellow Amherst coimmunity members, and talk about what makes our town special. Meal by Atkins Farms, Pasta e Basta, and Carefree Cakery. Childcare available on request. Register and more info here.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6: NEW CONSTELLATIONS WITH VOX REA. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Portland-based duo Harlee Case and Josh Smith have spent years building something real. Their debut single “Hot Blooded” has already crossed 220 million streams. Their debut album is out now. They have played 38 sold out US shows. Don’t miss them. Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door. See complete schedule here.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7: WMUA BATTLE OF THE BANDS. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. WMUA presents the Battle of the Bands, where local artists from the 5 colleges will compete for fame, campus bragging rights, and fortune ($250). Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door. See complete schedule here.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 8: OPENING RECEPTION 37th ANNUAL CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION CELEBRATION AT R. MICHELSON GALLERY 4 to 6 pm Come meet more than 50 of your favorite Illustrators and Authors, at our biggest party of the year! The Eric Carle Museum will be here selling books and, as always, this event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome! The celebration will run November 8, 2026 – January 31, 2027
MONDAY NOVEMBER 9: HOW TO BUY YOUR OWN COUNTRY. 6 p.m., on Zoom. The Feinberg Distinguished Lecture Series at UMass will present a lecture by Steven Press, Associate Professor of History at Stanford Center for Law and History. As President Trump continues to push for a purchase of Greenland and tech titans discuss setting up model cities from Argentina to California, the world map seems positioned for change, and the world order seems on the brink of collapse. People may wonder, “Is this legal?” A glimpse at modern history can offer some instructive notes of perspective, analogy, and caution. Register here.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 12: JAZZ AT MASUDA’S. 5-7 P.M. 17 Kellogg Ave. Hosted by Prof. Jason Robinson, Jazz at Masuda’s is a monthly series at Masuda’s Café (17 Kellogg Ave, Amherst) that celebrates community, culture, and music in the heart of Amherst Center. An opportunity for students, staff, faculty, and the local community to enjoy tasty snacks and refreshments while listening to the region’s finest jazz musicians, the event is also an excellent opportunity for Amherst College and Five College students interested in jazz to deepen their studies by sitting in with the band and hearing the music in its performed context. Featured performers for November 12: Jason Robinson (saxophone), Joe La Creta (guitar), Fumi Tomita (bass), and Jon Fisher (drums). Free and open to all.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14: UMASS CHILLY CHALLENGE FOR A VIOLENCE-FREE COMMUNITY. 10: 30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Puffers Pond, State Street. Each fall we gather to plunge into chilly water to raise awareness & funds for critical services for survivors and a violence-free community. Whether you’re cheering from the shore, going all in, or anything in between, all are invited to join us! This year, we will be crowning two “Chilly Champions” for the people who raise the most funds and the most awareness (by getting others to sign up too). Champions will receive bragging rights and a special photo op. Learn more when you sign up! Warm drinks & chili are provided, along with a DJ, games, and a photo op in the Chilly Champion’s Ice Throne. Registration $10-$25 for students, $25-$100 for community members.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14: LOTUS GIRL AUTHOR HELEN TWORKOV: READING AND PUBLIC INTERVIEW. 3 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 18 Spring Street. Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America traces Helen Tworkov’s personal spiritual journey alongside the emergence of Buddhism as a significant presence in American cultural life. Moving between memoir and cultural history, the book offers an insider’s perspective on the teachers, communities, ideals, experiments, and challenges that accompanied Buddhism’s development in the West. Following selected readings from Lotus Girl, Tworkov will join Kell Julliard for an interview exploring her life, the arrival and evolution of Buddhism in America, the promises and complications of bringing ancient contemplative traditions into modern Western culture, and what she has learned from a lifetime of practice. This event should be of particular interest to meditators and members of Buddhist and other contemplative communities, but it is designed equally for readers, students of religion and American culture, and anyone curious about the search for meaning in contemporary life. Free and open to the public. Register here.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 15: PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT TO BENEFIT THE FRIENDS OF THE JONES LIBRARY. Hatfield Rally House, 255 West Street, North Hatfield. The Friends of the Jones Libraries is excited to host its third annual Pickleball Tournament. Proceeds of the Tournament support programs and services of the three branches of the Jones Library. This is This is a recreational friendly tournament, open to anyone 18 years or older, following USA Pickleball Rules (PDF). The Tournament is a Round Robin with up to 32 players per Session. In each Session there will be a 1st Place Prize Winner and a 2nd Place Prize Winner. Your player number will be drawn when you arrive to play. There are also free raffle prizes. Food and beverages will be provided. With 32 players, the games will be held on 8 indoor courts. Everyone will play a minimum of 7 rounds, each round with a different partner. You will have 12 minutes to play a game to 11 points (or more, if necessary, to win by two points). Once time is called, whichever side is ahead is the winner.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 20: DAMES, DISHES, AND DEGREES: A BOOK TALK WITH AMY MITTELMAN AT “HISTORY BITES.” 1 to 3 p.m., Bangs Community Center. Join us for a look back at the role of faculty wives in this new book by local author Amy Mittelman! At a time when the hidden labor that sustains major institutions is receiving renewed attention, a new book uncovers the overlooked role faculty wives played in building American academic life. In Dames, Dishes, and Degrees: Faculty Wives in America, historian Amy Mittelman explores how highly educated women – often barred from university employment by anti-nepotism rules and gender discrimination – organized faculty wives clubs that hosted events, mentored newcomers, supported philanthropy, and helped shape campus culture throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first.
Session I
- Mixed Gender Intermediate, Level 3.0-3.4, 8:30 am – 10:45 am: The player has good mobility; good stamina; able to sustain medium length rallies; has some understanding of pickleball strategy; and successfully implements various shots.
Session II
- She/Her/They Advanced Intermediate, Level 3.5-3.9, 10:45 am – 1:00 pm: The player has very good pickleball footwork; very good mobility to cover the court; very good hand-eye coordination, as well as very good quickness for hands and feet; has command of many shots consistently; and is able to sustain medium to long rallies.
Session III
- Mixed Gender Intermediate, Level 3.0-3.4, 1:00 pm – 3:15 pm (limited to 16 players)
- He/Him/They Advanced Intermediate, Level 3.5-3.9, 1:00 pm – 3:15 pm (limited to 16 players): The player has very good pickleball footwork; very good mobility to cover the court; very good hand-eye coordination, as well as very good quickness for hands and feet; has command of many shots consistently; and is able to sustain medium to long rallies
Session IV
- She/Her/They Advanced Intermediate, Level 3.5-3.9, 3:15 pm – 5:30 pm (limited to 16 players)
- Mixed Gender Advanced, Level 4.0+, 3:15 pm – 5:30 pm (limited to 16 players): The player has excellent pickleball footwork, mobility, and hand-eye coordination, as well as quick hands and feet; has excellent stamina; understands and implements strategies at game speed; consistently employs all shots; and can sustain long rallies of varied pace.
Registration $60. Registration closes on October 31.
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 2: FEMINIST MOVEMENTS CONFRONTING OLIGARCHY. 6p.m. on Zoom. The Feinberg Distinguished Lecture Series at UMass will present a panel discussion with Elisabeth Armstrong, Professor of Women and Gender at Smith College, and Emily Callaci, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison. This panel explores the feminist and anticapitalist Wages for Housework movement of the 1970s. What can we learn from these social movements? How can they help us confront oligarchy in the present to build a future where all people have value ? Register here.
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: RACIAL JUSTICE VIGIL We Stand for Peace and Justice Amherst. 4-4:30 p.m. in the center of town in front of the Bank of America Building (1 S. Pleasant St.) Join Amherst community members from various affiliations, who come together every Tuesday to stand out in downtown Amherst for social justice, peace, and in support of our immigrants neighbors in danger. We often sing while standing together, accompanied by a guitar or drum. More info
FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: COUNCIL ON AGING SENIOR LUNCH. Noon. Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk.
FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH. RAINBOW COFFEE HOUR. 9:30-11 a.m. Amherst Senior Center, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. The Rainbow Coffee Hour is a LGBTIA+ social coffee group for ages 50 and above. Join us for this welcoming space to socialize. No format, no agenda, just community. More information
TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS, SATURDAYS, AND SUNDAYS: DROP IN PICKLEBALL. 8 a.m. to noon, Mill River Recreation Area, 95 Montague Road. Drop-in to play pickleball at Mill River Recreation Area. Nets are available on-site to put up and play! Free and open to the public. Sponsored by Amherst Recreation.
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
EVERY WEDNESDAY : CAFE. Bangs Community Center, Room 101, 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. Pastries provided generously by Atkins Farms Country Market. 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 Wednesdays, Come for the coffee, stay for the connections! Email seniorcenter@amherstma.gov or call 413-259-3060 with questions.
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 (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 THURSDAY: IRISH MUSIC AT THE HARP. 4 to 7 p.m., The Harp, 163 Sunderland Road. Banish the cold and damp of the past months with Irish music. There may be Fiddle, Flute, Tin Whistle, Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo, Bagpipes, Bouzouki, Bodhran and ?. It’s always a surprise who shows up. Jigs, Reels, Hornpipes, Flings, Polkas, Slides, and Waltz’ from around the Celtic world. Food, drink, friendship and a relentless cacophony of rhythmic tones. Undeterred by the chaos and heartbreak of our troubled world, As a favorite jig of mine says, We’re always Happy to Meet and Sorry to Part. Who knows? .it might help banish misfortune for a moment. And, you may find out what a Luachrachan is. Or how to pronounce “Cuil Aodh.” I hope to see you.
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.
EVERY FRIDAY IN JULY, BEGINNING JULY 10: SUMMER CONCERT SERIES. 5 to 8 p.m., Town Common. Kick off your weekends with live music on the Amherst Town Common! The Summer Music Concert Series returns Friday, July 10 and continues on July 17, 24, and 31 from 5–8 PM. Free and open to all, these concerts feature local and regional artists bringing the community together for music, dancing, and summer fun.
Bring your lawn chairs, picnic blankets, friends, and family, and enjoy a variety of live music performances under the summer sky. Free. Sponsored by the Amherst Business Improvement District.
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 FROM APRIL 18 THROUGH NOVEMBER 21: AMHERST FARMERS’ MARKET. 8 to 1:30 p.m., Amherst Town Common, Boltwood Avenue. The Amherst Farmers Market is 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 the food, music, events, and community offerings in Downtown Amherst. Saturdays from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm during the 2026 season of April 18 – November 21
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.
SUNDAYS SANDLOT BASEBALL. 4 to 6 p.m., Amherst Regional Middle School field, Chestnut Street. Get your bat, gum, and cleats ready to play some sandlot baseball! Every Sunday, from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM, at the Amherst Middle School field you are invited to play with enthusiasts of the sport. Remember, this is for fun, open to all skills levels! $5 Drop-In Fee. Remember, this is for fun, open to all skills levels!
THIRD SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH APRIL THROUGH OCTOBER: CARS AND COFFEE AT THE MILL DISTRICT. 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., 91 Cowls Road. The free car show for all! This FREE community event invites car lovers of all ages to enjoy an exciting morning filled with cool cars, coffee, and family fun. Spectators get a free drip coffee token and information on entering our raffle for a $50 gift certificate to the Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery. There will also be an on-site playground and coloring activities to keep the kids entertained. Trophies awarded for the top cars in several categories. Pre-register your vehicle here.
NOW THROUGH THE END OF SEPTEMBER: EXHIBIT BY LOCAL ARTIST AMY DAWN KOTEL Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Avenue. Amy Dawn Kotel is a multidisciplinary artist whose creative path spans dance, puppetry, education, and fitness, all of which inform her vibrant fine art practice. Bursting with color, movement, and imagination, Kotel’s work invites viewers into richly layered worlds where countless forms converge to create expansive landscapes, dreamlike narratives, and unexpected connections. After years working in movement-based and community-centered arts, Kotel returned to visual art as a primary outlet, using drawing, painting, collage, and upcycled fabric sculpture to explore her inner world. Her work is characterized by bold color, dynamic movement, and intricate compositions built from small shapes that form larger images. Blending elements of nature, abstraction, and surrealism, her pieces often oscillate between expressing emotional depth and imagining beauty, inviting viewers into a space that is at once playful, heartfelt, and introspective. In addition to Kotel’s large art life, she is also a mom, wife, community organizer, tree hugger, and educator.
NOW THROUGH SUNDAY JANUARY 3: “MY BEAUTIFUL, PITIFUL AGE:” THE 20TH CENTURY THROUGH THE THOMAS P. WHITNEY COLLECTION. Mead Art Museum, Amherst College. The multipart exhibition at the Mead Art Museum and the Amherst Center for Russian Culture will offer the first in-depth exploration of the Thomas P. Whitney Collection of art and rare books. Exhibition materials will be shown in galleries in both locations throughout the 2026-2027 academic year: A graduate of Amherst College, Thomas P. Whitney (1917–2007, Class of 1937) worked as an economic analyst and then as a diplomat and journalist in Moscow from 1944 to 1953. Upon returning to the United States, he became known as an expert in Soviet affairs and a translator of Russian literature. Driven by a special interest in Russian-speaking networks of thought and visual art, he assembled a library of rare books, manuscripts, and periodicals that formed an intellectual whole with his art holdings. The literary materials established the Amherst Center for Russian Culture in 1991, followed a decade later by the gift to the Mead of approximately 700 artworks by over 160 artists from the Russian Empire and Soviet Union. Today, these holdings remain one of the most comprehensive North American collections of art and literary materials from that region. The art collection encompasses the late Russian Empire and the Soviet Union while tracing artists’ global trajectories across the territories of present-day Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and beyond. Holdings include Orthodox icons from various periods and regions, as well as the artwork of important late 19th- and early 20th-century figures like Léon Bakst, Alexandre Benois, and Nicholas Roerich; radical modernists including Vassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Naum Gabo, Alexander Archipenko, Sonia Delaunay, Natalia Goncharova, Alexandra Exter; as well as major Soviet nonconformists like Vladimir Veisberg, Oskar Rabin, and Ülo Sooster. The collection combines paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, rare books, and manuscripts, with a special focus on the dialogue between visual art and literature.
NOW THROUGH SATURDAY OCTOBER 31: VARIATIONS/SENSATIONS ART EXHIBIT BY JANET W WINSTON. Gallery A3, 28 Amity Street. Gallery hours: Thursday through Sunday 2 to 7 p.m. Opening reception Saturday, October 2, 5 to 7 p.m. In paintings and prints, Janet W. Winston revisits and reinterprets themes that have held great meaning for her over the years, with expressive variations depicting the Mayan ruins in the Mexican Yucatan, the fluttering movement of butterflies, and the rolling dunes of Cape Cod. A precision of line and a joyous profusion of color characterize all her work, but her artistic trajectory suggests an arc leaning towards abstraction. “My inspiration comes from nature, from the smallest of delicate butterflies to rolling sandy dunes or distant mountains in dry hot climates where colors change from whiter light to dark-colored shadow,” Janet explains. Her particular interest in butterflies comes from a stint as a scientific illustrator in Entomology and what she describes as “a magical trip to the wintering sites of the Monarch butterflies in central Mexico.” The architectural geometry of the ancient Mayan ruins in the Yucatan also intrigued her, appearing in early large paintings as well as later, smaller prints.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 30 THROUGH SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7: 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. Times vary. UMass Department of Theater, Rand Theater, UMass. By William Finn (music and lyrics) and Rachel Sheinkin (book) Director: Gina Kaufman.Can you spell J-O-Y? Finn and Sheinkin’s musical follows a motley crew of spelling bee competitors in a delightful story that is by turns sweet, poignant, and laugh-out-loud funny. As they navigate a gauntlet of words, the tweens candidly reveal hilarious and heartfelt stories from their home lives, each hoping to avoid the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life-unaffirming ding of the bell that signals a misspelling. Buy a ticket and brush up on your spelling — intrepid audience members can volunteer for the spelling bee hot seat at every performance! Recommended for ages 13 and up due to adult humor and situations, and references to sex. Tickets $19, $7 for seniors and students. Author Rachel Sheinkin will be present at the 2 p.m. performance on October 31.