It’s Monday and we’re back with our roundup of the week’s events. Here are the town government meetings, and cultural, recreational, and athletics events that caught our eye.

ARHS Varsity Athletics at Home – Monday-Saturday

Catch ARHS Varsity teams at home this week. Girls Soccer on Monday, 4:15pm vs. Easthampton and on Thursday, 4:30pm vs. Monson; Girls Volleyball on Wednesday, 6:00pm vs. Longmeadow; Girls Field Hockey on Friday, 4:15pm vs. Franklin Tech; Boys Football on Friday under the lights, 7:00pm vs. Northampton; Boys Soccer on Saturday, 10:00am vs. Belchertown.  MORE

Town Council – Monday

The Town Council meets on Monday evening and will review and vote on amendments to the bylaw on nuisance property. The Council also will review and potentially approve several Town Manager appointments to Town committees. Monday, 6:30-10:30 pm in Town Hall and on Zoom. MORE

Poetry & Resistance: Tibetan Experience – Tuesday

Bhuchung D Sonam is a poet, writer, translator and publisher. His books include Songs from Dewachen, Songs of the Arrow and Yak Horns: Notes on Contemporary Tibetan Writing, Music and Film & Politics. He has edited Muses in Exile: An Anthology of Tibetan Poetry and has compiled and translated Burning the Sun’s Braids: New Poetry from Tibet. He is a founding member and editor of TibetWrites and its imprint Blackneck Books, which promotes and publishes the creative works of Tibetans.

His writings are published in the Washington Post, Asahi Weekly, Journal of Indian Literature, HIMAL Southasian, Hindustan Times and Tibetan Review among others.

In June 2022, he was awarded the Ostana Prize Youth Award in the category of ‘Writings in Mother Tongue’ and was profiled in the New York Times for his literary contributions. He has attended Bangalore Poetry Festival, Sahityotsav 2023 – A Festival of Letters and Jaipur Literature Festival (2024). The event is cosponsored by Resistance Studies Initiative, Sociology Department and UMass Students for a Free Tibet. MORE

International Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day – Wednesday

Wednesday is the annual Safe Routes to School International Walk, Bike, and Roll to School day! Students and families across Massachusetts will walk, bike, and roll to school to enjoy a safe, healthy, and active lifestyle. There will be several rally points for Amherst elementary school students wishing to bicycle to school, each rally point will have adult volunteers who will ride with the students. Find out more and RSVP, here.

Striving for Restorative Justice & Repair in Academe – Wednesday

The Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series at UMass continues on Wednesday with a lecture by educational sociologist and urban education scholar Timothy Eatman about the roles of publicly engaged universities and impassioned educators in the work of reparations. Professor Eatman’s address will be opened by reflections from western Mass grassroots racial and economic justice organizers Tanisha Arena (Executive Director, Arise for Social Justice) and Rose Webster-Smith (Executive Director, Springfield No One Leaves). A public Q&A will follow, moderated by Feinberg Series co-director Sigrid Schmalzer (Professor, UMass Amherst History Department). The 2024-25 Feinberg Series is a yearlong series exploring “What are universities for?” and the struggles for the soul of higher education. Wednesday, 6:00pm at the UMass Honors College Events Hall and on Zoom. Free. MORE

Energy & Climate Action Committee – Wednesday

Among the several topics on the agenda for the Energy & Climate Action Committee on Wednesday is a recycling ban request as well as discussion on the Town’s waste hauler program proposal. Wednesday, 5:30-7:30 pm on Zoom. MORE

Five on Film presents “Nomadland” – Thursday

Bring on the school spirit! Amherst Cinema continues its “Five on Film” series with a screening of “Nomadland,” winner of the Oscars® for Best Picture, Best Director, and Actress in a Leading Role. The series, “Five on Film,” pays tribute to the artistic talents that have been cultivated, educated, and perhaps even inspired by the five colleges area. This week’s event highlights the contributions of Mount Holyoke College alumna Chloé Zhao, Class of 2005. The film will be introduced by series co-curator Danielle R. Holley, President of Mount Holyoke College.  In the spirit of celebrating school pride, guests who come wearing college apparel (from any institution of higher learning) will receive a special “School Spirit” discount on tickets purchased at the Box Office. Who knows—the next great film auteur might just be sitting right next to you! Thursday, 7:00pm at Amherst Cinema. $  MORE

Cuppa’ Joe with Paul and Stephanie Ciccarello – Friday

The Town of Amherst invites community members to join us for coffee and conversation with Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman and Director of Sustainability Stephanie Ciccarello. The Town is promoting several innovative and impactful sustainability initiatives that Ciccarello will share and answer questions about including Valley Green Energy, Valley Bike Share, and a new Heat Pump program.

The “Cuppa’ Joe with Paul” coffees are a monthly event and rotate around the Town. Each time, Paul is joined by a different Town department head or official. Residents and others are welcome to share their concerns, offer suggestions, or just get to know each other. Friday, 8:00-9:30am at Futura Coffee Roasters. Free. MORE

Valley Players Presents: “Constellations” – beginning Friday

Beginning this Friday, the Valley Players present “Constellations”, Nick Payne’s play about fate, free will, love, multiverse theory, and honey. “Constellations” begins when Marianne, a theoretical physicist, and Roland, a beekeeper, first meet at a barbecue. The action then splinters into multiple lines of action that explore the different possibilities of their relationship, touching on fidelity, infidelity, marriage, cancer, ballroom dancing, quantum mechanics, beekeeping, and more. Branching across timelines, through humor and through tears, “Constellations” asks questions about choice and chance, love and death, and how the bond between two people can change with the change of just a single word or decision. Shows are on October 11-13 and 18-20 at the Munson Memorial Library. 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 2pm on Sundays. Pay what you can for tickets. Reservations recommended. MORE

All Week: Fall Foliage!

It’s peak Fall foliage season and a great time to get outside and take it all in. Use the new, interactive Fall foliage map that the State Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) rolled out this week. Select a date on the map website and the map will show where across the state leaves will be at peak color change. Read more. Access the map HERE.

COMING SOON: Arts & Social Justice Series Book Group

Through an Indian’s Looking-Glass: A Cultural Biography of William Apess, Pequot, will be the focus of a two-session book group, October 23 and November 6, at 7:00 PM at South Congregational Church. The group is free and open to the public. Registration is requested at office@amherstsouthchurch.org or 413-253-2977. Copies of the book are available at Amherst Books at a discounted price and through the library.

One aim of the series has been to complement reflection on our own history with the unearthing of hidden histories, especially in our region. The story of William Apess certainly fits that goal. He was born in Colrain and later came back to live there, and he was active in Massachusetts for much of his life, particularly as a Native rights advocate and as a writer. His work is a powerful rebuttal to the myth of indigenous erasure in the Northeast. MORE

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Want more? We’ve gathered the event and program calendars from the many organizations and committees in Amherst onto Community Calendars. Check it out to find even more upcoming events.

Have an event you’d like us to spotlight? Email us TheAmherstCurrent@gmail.com.