Today is Indigenous People’s Day and public schools, Town Hall, and some businesses are closed. Here are this week’s town government meetings, and cultural, recreational, and athletics events that caught our eye.

ARHS Varsity Athletics at Home – Monday-Friday

Catch ARHS Varsity teams at home this week. Girls Soccer on Monday, 4:30pm vs. Northampton; Boys Soccer on Wednesday, 4:30pm vs. E. Longmeadow and on Friday, 4:30pm vs. Westfield; Girls Volleyball on Thursday, 6:00pm vs. Springfield Central; Boys Football on Friday under the lights, 7:00pm vs. E. Longmeadow. MORE

Amherst School Committee – Tuesday

The Amherst (elementary) School Committee meets on Tuesday and will discuss a proposal from a community group to launch a new private school in Amherst. (State law requires all private schools to be approved by the school committee in the community in which the private school is located.) The SC also will discuss MCAS data and district designation as well as the FY26 budget development process. Tuesday, 6:30pm in the Library at ARHS and on Amherst Media. MORE

Sejal Shah: A Reading and Conversation – Wednesday

The Visiting Writers Series at Amherst College continues on Wednesday with a reading and conversation with Sejal Shah. Shah is the author of the debut short story collection How to Make Your Mother Cry: Fictions and the award-winning debut essay collection, This Is One Way to Dance, an NPR Best Book of 2020. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, Conjunctions, Guernica, the Kenyon Review, and Literary Hub. In 2021, she was named an influential AAPI Leader by Good Morning America and ABC News. Sejal lives in Rochester, New York. Wednesday, 7:00pm at the Think Tank in the Lyceum at Amherst College. Free and open to the community. MORE

Five on Film presents “Armageddon” – Wednesday

Bring on the school spirit! Amherst Cinema continues its “Five on Film” series with a screening of ‘90s blockbuster “Armageddon.” This screening honors the work of UMass Amherst alum Jonathan Hensleigh, Class of 1981, who co-wrote the film. The film is co-curated with Chancellor Javier Reyes, 31st leader of UMass Amherst, and will be introduced by Maria del Guadalupe Davidson, Dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at UMass Amherst. 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! Wednesday, 7:00pm at Amherst Cinema. $  MORE

Full Moon Hike / Hike for Hunger – Thursday

Hiking at night can change your perspective of what it means to spend time outdoors. Head to the Kestrel Land Trust HQ to experience a guided night hike on Thursday for a moon-rise climb to the top of Mount Norwottuck on the Mount Holyoke Range. Presented in partnership with Adventure East, this hike is part of the Amherst Survival Center’s Hike for Hunger, a fun, monthlong opportunity to explore outdoor spaces while raising funds for the Amherst Survival Center to ensure our neighbors have access to food. Your participation fee will benefit the Survival Center. Read more about the Hike for Hunger, here. Learn more about the hike and register here. Thursday, 4:30-8:00pm at the Kestrel Land Trust HQ.

Zoning Board of Appeals – Thursday

The Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing and public meeting on Thursday to review the proposal by Way Finders, Inc. to build a 31-unit mixed-income rental housing in a three-story development, with 14 proposed parking spots on the premises of 31 South East Street and a 47-unit mixed-income rental housing in a three-story building, with 46 proposed parking spots on the premises of 70 Belchertown Road. Thursday, 6:00-9:00pm on Zoom. MORE

Cimafunk with Gentleman Brawlers Trio – Friday

Head to the Drake on Friday for an evening of Afro-Cuban and Afrofunk. Cimafunk is a Grammy-nominated, Afro-Cuban Rockstar. His name refers to his heritage as a “cimarrón,” Cubans of African descent who resisted and escaped slavery, as well as to the essence of his music that aims to subvert classical Cuban rhythms with innovative mixes of funk, afrobeat and hip hop. Cimafunk is redefining contemporary Cuban music as well as Afro-Latin identity and the fusion of black cultures. His latest album, El Alimento, was nominated at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album. Brooklyn collective Gentleman Brawlers Trio opens. When they perform, it’s more than a concert: It’s an electrifying experience. Led by creative duo Becca Fox and Matt Walsh, the band channels musical inspo Talking Heads with their distinct brand of Afrofunk and indie dance music that becomes a visual as well as auditory feast on stage. Friday, 8:00pm at The Drake. $ MORE

Frankenstein Live – Friday

Start the spooky season right with a thriller of an evening featuring a bit of culture and a load of fun! UMass Fine Arts Center is partnering with the Pioneer Valley Symphony for a screening of the classic 1931 sci-fi horror film Frankenstein featuring a live performance of composer Michael Shapiro’s original score. Though director James Whale’s loose adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, starring Boris Karloff as the Monster, was a smash success on release and has endured as a cultural touchstone, the film was created without a musical score. Shapiro was commissioned to “correct” that omission in 2001, and the film with his score was premiered the following year at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Jacob Burns Film Center. Friday, 7:30pm at Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall. $ MORE

A Cup for a Thirsty Traveler: New England Cider Making – Sunday

On Sunday, the Amherst Historical Society hosts a presentation about traditional New England cider making. What is understood today as “apple cider” is not the same as cider during the 18th and 19th century. The closest product to what we now think of as apple cider was sweet cider or the “must” of the mill. What was meant by “cider” is what is usually referred to today as hard cider. Cider was considered the normal drink in New England, to be consumed at every meal. The basic method of making cider is relatively simple and because it is, as one writer in the Early 1800s pointed out, so much could go wrong. Come learn about the mills, machinery, and products of New England’s cider making tradition. Presented by Dennis Picard. Sunday, 2:00-3:30pm in the Woodbury Room at the Jones Library. Free. 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 from the State Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). 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

---

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.