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.
Olympia Drive Fire Update
The Town of Amherst issued an update at 5:00 pm on November 9 about the fire on Olympia Drive. The State of Emergency was rescinded and regular water use may resume. The fire was contained and the apartment building at 57 Olympia Drive has been demolished. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Read the full update, HERE.
Housing & Zoning Subcommittee of the Planning Board – Monday
The Planning Board’s subcommittee on Housing & Zoning meets on Monday to debrief and review comments from last month’s listening session in North Amherst about a potential zoning overlay for existing apartment complexes. The subcommittee also will discuss general zoning priorities and revisions as well as areas in town that the Planning Board has identified for housing and redevelopment. Monday, 11:00 am-12:30 pm on Zoom. MORE
Hazard Mitigation Plan Public Meeting – Monday
Join this hybrid meeting to learn more about the natural hazards and climate impacts in Amherst and to provide input on the Town of Amherst Hazard Mitigation Plan. Live interpretation will be available on Zoom in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. The purpose of the Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) is to assess Amherst’s risks from natural hazards and climate change impacts and provide an action plan to reduce the town’s vulnerabilities. The HMP is being completed by the Town of Amherst with assistance from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) and is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Upon completion, the plan will be submitted to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and FEMA for review and approval. A FEMA-approved HMP makes the community eligible for federal and state mitigation grant funding. Monday, 6:00-7:30 pm in Town Hall and on Zoom. MORE
School Committee – Monday
The Regional SC meets jointly on Monday with the Amherst and Pelham school committees to discuss a strategic plan for the 3 districts, to review and potentially vote on the superintendent goals for the 2025-26 school year, and to hear a presentation from the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). The Regional SC will then consider entering executive session to discuss strategy related to litigation from Maureen Fleming, the district’s Director of Mental Health & Behavioral Services. Tuesday, 6:30 pm in the library at ARHS and on Amherst Media. MORE
Cinema Seminar: The Art of Costume Design for Film & TV – Monday
Head to Amherst Cinema on Monday for a special screening of Clueless and a Cinema Seminar on The Art of Costume Design for Film and TV. Featuring Mona May, costume designer of Clueless and author of The Fashion of Clueless; seminar moderated by Anika Lopes, milliner and founder of Ancestral Bridges Foundation. Monday, 7:00 pm at Amherst Cinema. MORE
Veterans Day Breakfast & Ceremony – Tuesday
The Town of Amherst, CRESS, and Central Hampshire Veteran Services are celebrating Veterans Day by hosting a Veterans Breakfast and Ceremony to honor all veterans of all eras and all wars. The event will begin with breakfast at the Bangs Community Center and end with a ceremony on the North Common in front of the Town Hall. All are welcome to attend the breakfast and ceremony! Tuesday, 9:45 am-11:00 am; ceremony at 10:45 am. Bangs Community Center & North Common in front of Town Hall. MORE
Finance Committee – Wednesday
The Finance Committee meets on Wednesday to discuss budget development for the next fiscal year. The Committee will review the discussion at last week’s financial indicators presentation, discuss the budget schedule, and discuss key financial guidelines targets. Wednesday, 10:00 am-12:00 pm on Zoom. MORE
Ryan Montbleau Band – Wednesday
Head to The Drake on Wednesday to hear Ryan Montbleau Band. A relentless road warrior and masterful wordsmith, Ryan Montbleau has spent the better part of thirty years cultivating a devoted audience on the strength of his ecstatic live shows and exhilarating sonic versatility. He’s collaborated with artists as diverse as Trombone Shorty, Galactic, Steel Pulse, Tall Heights, Martin Sexton, Anders Osborne, and George Porter, Jr; shared bills with the likes of Tedeschi Trucks Band, Ani DiFranco, Todd Snider, The Wood Brothers, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Mavis Staples; and racked up more than 150 million streams on Spotify alone. NPR’s Mountain Stage compared his “eloquent, soulful songwriting” to Bill Withers and James Taylor, while Relix celebrated his “poetic Americana,” and The Boston Herald raved that “he’s made a career of confident, danceable positivity.” Wednesday, 8:00 pm at The Drake. MORE
LWVA Talk: Youth-Driven Community Programming – Thursday
The Amherst League of Women Voters will present Recreation Department Director Rey Harp and Outreach Director Becky Demling who will talk about their Youth-Driven programming, such as the Morning Movement and Mentoring before-school programs and the series “Rise Together” on diversity and inclusive leadership. This is an online discussion open to everyone as part of the League’s Judy Brooks Conversation Series. Thursday, 7:00-8:30 pm on Zoom. MORE
Film Screening: Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors – Thursday
In conjunction with the exhibition “A Contentious Legacy: Paintings from Soviet Ukraine”, the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College is pleased to host a screening of the Ukrainian filmic masterpiece Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965). The screening will begin shortly after 6pm in the campus theater (inside Keefe Campus Center), and will be introduced by Professor Michael Kunichika. According to Janus Films, Shadows is “Widely considered the most important film in the history of Ukrainian cinema” and “a masterwork that boldly combines folkloric pageantry, fairy tale mysticism, and frenetic, hallucinatory cinematography…Shadows is steeped in the earthy atmosphere of the Carpathian mountains; filmed by Sergei Parajanov and cinematographer Yuri Ilyenko with an eye for constantly innovative camera movements and vivid color; and suffused by Hutsul culture in the form of composer Myroslav Skoryk’s collage-like score, which brings together Ukrainian folk melodies with modernist, experimental orchestration. It is one of cinema’s singular productions, capturing the spiritual majesty of the past by creatively forging the medium’s future.” Thursday, 6:00 pm in the Keefe Theater in Keefe Campus Center at Amherst College. MORE
The Brandee Younger Trio – Thursday
Head to Bowker Auditorium at UMass on Thursday to hear jazz artist The Brandee Younger Trio. It isn’t nearly enough to say that Brandee Younger picks up where jazz harp legends Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane left off.
She does. But she also does not. Younger’s work has always nodded to the women who established her instrument in jazz. But Younger’s own distinctively innovative approach to her instrument is unmistakable, whether she’s cutting across genres as a side player with performers ranging from Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, and Makaya McCraven to John Legend, Lauryn Hill, and Moses Sumney, or blending the sounds of R&B and hip-hop into her expansive vision of jazz. Thursday, 7:30 pm at Bowker Auditorium at UMass. MORE
Cuppa Joe with Paul & Finance Director Sean Mangano – Friday
Join Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman for coffee and conversation with Finance Director Sean Mangano. The conversation will focus on the upcoming FY27 budget including revenue & expenditure projections, potential challenges, and capital projects.
Sean recently returned to the Town of Amherst after previously serving as the Town’s Finance Director from 2020 to 2023. Prior to this, he held various roles with the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District, including their Director of Finance. These experiences give him a comprehensive understanding of both municipal and school budgets, as well as the complex relationship between educational and municipal financial needs. Friday, drop in or out anytime between 8:00-9:30 am at Futura Coffee Roasters. MORE
Next to Normal – Friday
Head to the Rand Theater at UMass on Friday to see the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, Next to Normal. How do you hold onto reality amidst a whirlwind? Diana’s ordinary home-maker life of managing family dynamics and school lunches quickly disintegrates amid the twin challenges of bipolar disorder and grief. Meanwhile, her family members do their best to keep up under the strain of their own individual struggles. Next to Normal looks at the ripple effects of mental illness, stress, grief, secrets, and tremendous love — all set to a driving rock score. Seven performances November 14-22. Open Friday, 7:30 pm at Rand Theater at UMass. MORE
Paint & Poetry Open Mic for Amherst Survival Center – Sunday
Paint & Poetry is a 90-minute gathering of reflection, creativity, and connection. Come as you are to share your words, listen deeply, and paint as inspiration unfolds. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting stained as we will be playing with acrylic paint. Please bring poetry or other written material that you would like to read or present. You do not need to be the author.
Light refreshments provided. Free. Ages 16+. Please RSVP as there is limited seating. Sunday, 1:00-3:00 pm at the Mill District Local Art Gallery. MORE
Correction: This post was corrected to update the date of the Regional School Committee meeting. The SC is meeting on Monday, not on Tuesday.
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.
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