What’s Happening in Amherst?
Photo: istock
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.
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.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 31: SALSA CON AMIGOS HALLOWEEN LATIN SOCIAL. 9 to 11 p.m., 3 Amigos Restaurant, 68 Cowls Road. Get ready for a spooky night of dancing and Halloween fun brought to you by 3 Amigos and Salsa con Tacos Dance. Come dressed in your best costume for salsa, bachata, merengue, reggaeton music and dancing, and a costume contest. All ages welcome. $10 cover.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1: WALKING TOUR OF THE UPPER MILL RIVER FACTORY HOLLOW. 2 to 3:30 p.m., Location provided on registration. If you walk along the Mill River conservation trail in North Amherst today, you will see little to suggest that this small, shaded valley — situated roughly between Pine Street and Pulpit Hill Road — has changed much in the three centuries since Hadley farmers first moved into the area. But a glance at some of the old maps tells a different story: “Factory Hollow” was once the scene of intensive use of the river to power early industry in Amherst, ranging from grist mills to substantial textile and paper mills. In fact, the river — along nearly its entire Amherst course from Leverett in the north to Hadley in the west — powered more than three dozen mills and factories, beginning at least as early as 1727 and continuing in production well into the twentieth century. Bryan Harvey will lead a walking tour along the conservation trails in this area, giving an overview of the Mill River History Project — a community-based exploration of the ways in which the Mill River in North Amherst has been harnessed over the years — and pointing out key sites and features (some still visible). Registration required. $10 for Amherst Historical Society members, $15 for others. Weart comfortable footwear.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1: POSITIVELY AFRICANA: NOVEMBER ZUMBA MASTER CLASS. 6 to 8 pm., Studio 116, 460 West Street. Join Aimee Salmon and Hind Elkalai in and energizing Zumba Master Class filled with music, movement, and connection. All fitness levels welcome. Members free. Nonmembers $20. Registration.
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 5: 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.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 5: ARTS NIGHT PLUS. 5 to 8 p.m., Downtown Amherst. The BID is excited to bring back the event quarterly. This free community event brings together local artists, downtown businesses, and cultural spaces for an evening of art. All are invited to stroll through downtown and enjoy the artwork of 12 local artists. This Fall’s participating artists include Chloe Torres, Diana Stiles, Diane Steingart, John Romanski, Laura Holland, Nancy Meagher, Nina Rossi, Amy Dawn Kotel, Christine Mirabal, Gary Smith, Hadassah Fiorini, and Julie Kumble. Their work will be featured at participating downtown businesses and community spaces, including Masuda’s Cafe, The Toy Box, the Visitor Information Center, The Hive Collective, Zanna, The Unitarian Universalist Society, 189 N. Pleasant St. (formerly Aster & Pine,) and UMass Downtown. Visitors can also explore more of Amherst’s arts scene at locations including the Mead Art Museum and Gallery A3, which will be open during the event. Arts Night Plus also offers an opportunity to discover Amherst’s new Electrify Amherst art boxes, featuring artwork by Monica Aguilar near the Spring Street Lot, Ron Lebrasseur near Douglas Funeral Home, and Peter Zierlein near PeoplesBank. These public art installations add to the creative landscape of downtown and offer another way to experience local art throughout the community.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 5: RUBY IBARRA AT UMASS. 7:30 p.m. Bowker Auditorium, UMass. Odds are, you don’t need us to tell you how amazing Ruby Ibarra is. Maybe you’ve been with her from the moment she emerged onto the national scene back in 2011. Or, like a lot of us, watched her 2025 championship Tiny Desk concert over and over. It only ever takes one experience. You stumble into so much as half a song and you’re hooked. On the other hand, you might need us to advise you not to sleep on scoring tickets to this show. Yeah, it’s general admission, and where you end up in the house will have more to do with when you arrive than when you buy. But consider these factors: Her popularity is growing exponentially. And, again, she’s working these days with fellow Filipino American June Millington. You may or may not be aware that Millington is the co-founder and artistic director of Goshen’s Institute for the Musical Arts. She’s been part of the western Massachusetts community for twenty-five years now. This show is going to melt Bowker Auditorium. And you’re going to want to be there to see it. Tickets $35. $20 for students.
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: STORYTELLER ANDY DAVIS AT SONG AND STORY SWAP. 7 to 9 p.m., First Church, 165 Main Street. The monthly Song & Story Swap, now in its thirty-first year, is sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Folklore Society of western Massachusetts. Visit the Folklore Society website at https://pvfs.us. Guest performer for the November Song & Story Swap will be storyteller Andy Davis of Tamworth, New Hampshire. Davis began telling comic tales by candlelight in refugee camps while doing human rights work in Guatemala in the 1990s. He later spent 22 years co-directing the World Fellowship Center, a family camp and retreat center devoted to peace and social justice. His stories blend multicultural folklore, magical realism, grassroots history, and personal experience, from shaggy-dog tall tales and New England mountain and woods lore to poignant family stories and portraits of political courage. Davis has performed as far north as County Down, as far east as Paris, as far south as Bamako, Mali, and as far west as San Diego. He is also known for bringing stories to audiences by bicycle. One summer he pedaled about 900 miles over two tours to give 20 performances between Lake Champlain and Provincetown, with no carbon emissions. Jo Radner, former president of the National Storytelling Network and the American Folklore Society, said of his story “The Sweater,” “Only Andy Davis could weave a story of such complexity and such sparkling novelty.” $10 donation suggested. Free parking behind the church.
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: SUGAR SKULL! A DIA DE MUERTOS MUSICAL ADVENTURE. 3 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass. Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure is a bilingual/bicultural musical for young audiences and families that uses traditional regional music and dance from Mexico to tell the story of twelve-year-old Vita Flores. Vita thinks her family has gone loco planning a celebration for deceased loved ones. Why throw a party for the dead? But when a spirited candy skeleton suddenly springs to life, Vita finds herself on a magical, musical journey to unravel the true meaning of Día de Muertos. With her skeletal new friend, Vita dances with ancient ancestors, sings with a sorrowful sorceress, escapes the trickster chaneques, and even meets the famous Catrina Calavera. But can this clever youth gather the missing pieces needed for her family ofrenda before it’s too late? Tickets $35, Youth $10. Family pack available.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 8: CHAMBER MUSIC AT THE WOMAN’S CLUB. 3 to 4:30 p.m., Amherst Woman’s Club, 35 Triangle Street. Talented UMass student musicians will treat the public to a chamber music concert in the parlour room of the mid-19th century Italianate Renaissance mansion. All are welcome. Tickets $20, $5 students. Free for children under 12. Proceeds go towards scholarships for Amherst High School seniors and grants to community service agencies.
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.
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.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19: BALLETX. 7:30 p.m., Frederick Tillis Performance Hall, UMass. Philadelphia’s premiere contemporary ballet company returns to UMass. Founded in 2005 and led by Artistic and Executive Director Christine Cox, BalletX unites artistic innovation with technical excellence to forge new works of athleticism, emotion, and grace. The company has commissioned 150 world premiere pieces from more than eighty choreographers from around the world, helping to expand the vocabulary of contemporary ballet while positioning itself at the forefront of innovation in the field. Tickets from $39, students $20.
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.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 22: FULL MOON HIKE TO MOUNT NORWOTTUCK. 4:30 p.m., Sweet Alice Conservation Area, 73 Bay Road. Hiking at night can change your perspective of what it means to spend time outdoors. Come experience a guided night hike on Sunday, November 22, 1:00-4:30 PM, for a moon-rise climb to the top of Mount Norwottuck on the Mount Holyoke Range. The full moon in November is called the Beaver Moon.This hike, in partnership with Adventure East, will begin at our Kestrel Land Trust headquarters located at the foot of the beautiful Mount Holyoke Range. We’ll climb for approximately an hour and a half before arriving to the top of Norwottuck. Once there, we will stop to take in the iconic views and watch the moon rise over the Pelham Hills and enjoy a snack provided by your Adventure East guide. Returning to the trailhead, we’ll have the unique opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of the forest at night, guided by the light of the moon. Headlamps will be provided. Registration is required, and Kestrel members receive a 20% discount for this event by using the discount code: KLTMOON. Your discounted price will be $32 instead of $40.
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.
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.
NOW 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.
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.