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

ARHS Varsity Athletics at Home – Wednesday-Saturday

Catch ARHS varsity athletes at home events this week. Girls Volleyball vs. Agawam, Wednesday at 6:00 pm and vs. Baystate Academy on Friday at 6:00 pm. Boys Golf vs. Frontier on Thursday at 3:30 pm (at Amherst Golf Club). Boys Soccer vs. Pittsfield on Friday at 4:30 pm. Boys Football vs. Smith Vocational & Agricultural H.S. on Friday at 7:00 pm. Girls Field Hockey vs. Smith Academy on Saturday at 5:00 pm (at Amherst College Gooding Turf Field). MORE

Town Council Public Forum – Monday

The Finance Committee and the Town Council host a public forum on Monday about the proposed borrowing authorization of $750K to fund an assessment of the town’s wastewater and sewer facilities. Monday, 6:30-6:45 pm in Town Hall and on Zoom. MORE

Town Council – Monday

The Town Council meets on Monday after the public forum. The meeting opens with two hearings about petitions from Eversource regarding the placement of utility poles in two locations in town. The Council then will consider votes on the proposed borrowing authorization for the study of the town’s wastewater and sewer facilities, the two Eversource petitions, and the proposed removal of the mini roundabouts on Heatherstone Road that were approved for installation in June 2024. The Council also will review and potentially confirm various Town Manager appointments, and will get an update about the Regional Schools Fiscal Sustainability Group. Monday, 6:45-10:30 pm in Town Hall and on Zoom. MORE

Joint School Committees – Tuesday

The Regional, Amherst, and Pelham school committees meet on Tuesday to hear a presentation of a report completed by the MA Association of Regional Schools on the financial situations of the four member towns of the Regional school district. Members of the Amherst Town Council and Finance Committee, as well as members of the Select Boards and finance committees of Leverett, Pelham, and Shutesbury, will be in the audience. Tuesday, 5:00 pm in the library at ARHS and on Zoom. MORE

Regional School Committee – Tuesday

The Regional School Committee holds its regular meeting after the joint meeting on Tuesday. At the meeting, the RSC will hear a report on the final spending for FY25, discuss the middle school roof repair project funding (grant through the MA School Building Authority), as well as scheduling for the 4-Towns fall meeting. They’ll also consider entering executive session to discuss strategy related to the lawsuit filed by Tania Cabrera in August 2024 aleging retaliation against her for her religious beliefs. Tuesday, 6:00 pm in the library at ARHS and on Amherst Media. MORE

Amherst Then & Now Opening Reception – Wednesday

The Amherst History Center hosts an opening reception for its inaugural exhibition Amherst Then & Now: A Pictorial Retrospective of 125 Years of Memory Keeping on Wednesday. The exhibition is a collaboration between the Amherst Historical Society and students at Amherst Regional High School. The curator of the exhibition, Elizabeth Cardarapoli, will be on hand and give a brief gallery talk starting at 6:00. Wednesday, 5:00-7:00 pm at the Amherst History Center (45 Boltwood Walk). MORE

Conservation Commission – Wednesday

The Conservation Commission hosts public hearings on several subjects at its meeting on Wednesday. At their meeting, the Commission will discuss scheduling a hearing about updates to the town’s Land Use Policy, an emergency certification for Gull Pond, water quality at the Echo Hill Association pond on Oak Knoll, and more. Wednesday, 7:00-10:00 pm on Zoom. MORE

Community Safety and Social Justice Committee – Wednesday

The CSSJ Committee meets on Wednesday to hear updates on the work of the DEI and Community Responders for Equity, Safety, and Service (CRESS) departments, and to discuss the Liberatory Visioning project report, their budget request, the work to create a Resident Oversight Board for the police department and to create a youth empowerment center, and a request to meet with the Town Council. Wednesday, 6:30-9:00 pm on Zoom. MORE

Writers Reading: Michael Mercurio and More – Thursday

Head to UMass Downtown on Thursday for this month’s Writers Reading, a curated series featuring local authors. This week’s line-up is curated by featured writer Michael Mercurio. Mercurio and fellow authors JJ Starr-McClain, Kirun Kapur, and Patrick Donnelly will share selections from their work.

A poet, editor, and occasional critic, Michael Mercurio lives and writes in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. His poems, interviews, and reviews have been published or are forthcoming in Palette Poetry, Thrush, The Common, Cream City Review, Sierra (the magazine of the Sierra Club), Sugar House Review, Lily Poetry Review, and elsewhere. Michael is the founder and curator of What The Universe Is: A (Virtual) Reading Series, where established and emerging poets read together monthly on Zoom. In addition, he serves on the planning committee for the Tell It Slant Poetry Festival, held each September at Emily Dickinson’s house, and he is an instructor for the Pioneer Valley Writers’ Workshop. Thursday, 7:00-8:30 pm at UMass Downtown (108 N. Pleasant St.). MORE

Jones Library Board of Trustees – Thursday

The Trustees of the Jones Library meet on Thursday and will hear an update on the building project as well as fundraising for the Annual Fund and the Capital Campaign. Thursday, 4:00-6:00 pm on Zoom. MORE

History Bites: Native Plants in the Early 19th Century Garden – Friday

The fall season of Amherst Historical Society’s History Bites lecture series kicks off on Friday with a lunchtime talk from Christie Higginbottm. Today’s gardeners have come to value the environmental benefits of growing native American flowering plants and shrubs as well as the beauty these plants bring to the landscape. New Englanders of the 1700s and 1800s also admired native plants planted alongside their favorite Old World flowers and shrubs. This program recommends a variety of native plants for the home garden with information about their historic use and their cultivation. Friday, 12:00-1:00 pm at the Bangs Community Center. MORE

Tree Planting – Saturday

The Amherst Public Shade Tree Committee invites you to join in a tree planting event in order to help make Amherst a greener, more livable town! No experience is necessary and all ages are welcome. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own work gloves if they have some. Saturday, 9:00 am-12:00 pm, location to be announced. MORE

Salsa in the Park – Saturday

Get ready for the 5th Salsa in the Park Amherst of the year! Head to the pavilion at Mill River Recreation Area for outdoor dancing, great music, and food from the Thai Chili food truck. Rain or shine! Saturday 6:00-7:00 pm, free salsa lesson with Ray & Rebeccah of Salsa Worcester; 7:00-9:30 pm, free Latin Dance Social (Salsa, Bachata, Merengue) with DJ Picu. In the pavilion at Mill River Recreation Area. Saturday, 6:00-9:30 pm at Mill River Recreation Area. MORE

Nomination Papers Available – Now through September 16

Nomination papers for all town elected positions are now available at the Town Clerk’s office for the upcoming Amherst Town Election. Nomination papers will remain available through the deadline of 5:00 pm on Tuesday, September 16. Learn more about the elected positions and who’s running on our 2025 Election Central!

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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.