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 – Monday-Friday

Catch ARHS varsity athletes in action at home this week! Girls Field Hockey vs. Franklin County Tech, Monday at 6:00 PM. Girls Volleyball vs. Westfield, Wednesday at 6:00 PM. Boys Soccer vs. Ludlow, Wednesday at 6:15 PM. Girls Soccer vs. Northampton, Thursday at 4:30 PM. Boys Football vs. Taconic, Friday at 7:00 PM. MORE

Reading: Tatsiana Zamirovskaya – Monday

Belarusian writer, journalist, and cultural critic Tatsiana Zamirovskaya reads from Can I Speak to a Real Person?, her first book in English. The short story collection, which won Unbound Edition Press’s “Fiction Resisting Conventions” open call and is due out in 2028, explores displacement, language, and belonging. The reading will be followed by a discussion of her work and the status of literary fiction in exile, and a reception. Open to the public. Monday, 4:30–6:00 PM, Webster Hall, Room 202, Amherst College. MORE

Town Council — Monday

The council will hold a public hearing on removing the affordable housing restriction at 49 Deepwoods Drive and then vote on the removal, hold the annual tax classification hearing, and take up a proposal to join Mayors for Peace.

The council will host a listening session at 7:30 PM on six major structural changes proposed in the Charter Review Committee’s final report. The consent agenda includes the tax rate and exemptions, adoption of the 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan update, an amendment to the Bylaw Review Committee’s charge, and Town Manager appointments to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Conservation Commission, and Percent for Art Advisory Committee. Monday, 6:30 PM, in person at Town Hall, via Zoom, and on Amherst Media channel 17. MORE

Union 26 and Regional School Committee Joint Meeting — Monday

The committees will go into executive session to discuss strategy in preparation for contract negotiations and/or conduct contract negotiations with Superintendent Dr. E. Xiomara Herman, with the intention of returning to open session before adjourning. Monday, 6:30–9:00 PM, in person only, in the Library at Amherst Regional High School. MORE

Public Art Commission — Monday

The commission will receive reports from the Percent for Art Advisory Committee, Electrify Amherst, and ArtsNight Plus, and discuss task-sharing and a future agenda to develop. Monday, 7:00–8:00 PM, via Zoom. MORE

Finance Committee — Tuesday

The committee will receive a presentation on the FY25 financial audit, review the FY27 First Quarter Report, discuss FY28 budget guidelines, and review its meeting schedule. Tuesday, 1:00 PM, via Zoom. MORE

Amherst School Committee Special Meeting — Tuesday

The committee will hold a listening session to gather community feedback on proposed transportation routes. Tuesday, 4:30–6:30 PM, in person in the Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium and via Zoom. MORE

Historical Commission — Tuesday

The commission will review a porch design proposal for 27-29 Phillips Street. Tuesday, 7:00–9:00 PM, via Zoom. MORE

Kwaidan at Amherst Cinema – Tuesday and Sunday

Amherst Cinema’s Spooky Season brings back Masaki Kobayashi’s 1965 anthology of four ghost stories, adapted from Lafcadio Hearn’s collections of Japanese folklore. This new 4K restoration is the original three-hour Japanese cut, presented in the U.S. for the first time. Known for its surreal, richly colored sets and luminous cinematography, the film runs 193 minutes including a ten-minute intermission. Tuesday, 7:00 PM, and Sunday, 1:00 PM at Amherst Cinema. MORE

Department of Public Works Building Committee — Wednesday

The committee will review project updates from Weston & Sampson, the updated space needs assessment and room data sheets, and findings from the geotechnical and environmental site assessments. It will also review conceptual site layouts for the S. Pleasant Street and Ruxton sites, compare the two sites, and discuss next steps and a budget update. Wednesday, 10:00 AM–12:30 PM, in person at Town Hall, Town Room, and via Zoom. MORE

Transportation and Parking Commission — Wednesday

The commission will discuss parking on North Pleasant Street at Kendrick Park, a proposal to turn the intersection of Bay Road, South East Street, and Canterbury Lane into a four-way stop along with traffic safety on Bay Road, and pedestrian safety on Station Road, and will plan future meetings. Wednesday, 4:00–6:00 PM, via Zoom. MORE

Energy and Climate Action Committee — Wednesday

The committee will discuss the Bylaw Review Committee with Athena O’Keeffe, Clerk of the Council, plan its retreat, and discuss the landlord heat pump initiative, coordination with local groups, and the Education Series. It will also receive updates on the UMass Climate Plan, transportation, and regional and state policy. Wednesday, 5:30–7:30 PM, via Zoom. MORE

Free Screening: Signals: A Space Adventure with Q&A – Wednesday

East Germany’s state film studio DEFA made this 1970 space opera, directed by Gottfried Kolditz, in a bid to rival Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. A crew searching for a lost research vessel picks up strange radio signals from the asteroid belt. Newly restored in 6K from the original 70mm camera negative, the German-language film with English subtitles is introduced by cartoonist and critic Stephen R. Bissette, Vermont’s Cartoonist Laureate, and followed by a discussion with Bissette and Victoria Rizo Lenshyn, associate director of the DEFA Film Library. The screening is part of the Cinema’s Community Nights series. Free to the general public; tickets are first-come, first-served at the Amherst Cinema box office, in advance or at the door. Wednesday, 7:00 PM at Amherst Cinema. MORE

Lecture: “Who Else Opposed Monarchy in 1776?” with Priya Satia – Thursday

In a lecture marking America at 250, Stanford historian Priya Satia examines forms of republicanism in the 18th-century world that were overshadowed by colonial conquest. She argues that losing sight of them has fed myths about the exclusively European origins of the idea of freedom and its supposedly individualistic character. Satia explores British and American republicanism and how it engaged with South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Indigenous American republican ideas. She is the author of Time’s Monster, Empire of Guns, and Spies in Arabia. The talk is part of the UMass Amherst Department of History’s 2026–27 Feinberg Series, which looks at the global history of oligarchy and the popular movements that have resisted it. Thursday, 5:30–7:00 PM, Cape Cod Lounge, Student Union, UMass. MORE

Public Hearings: Planning Board and Community Resources Committee — Thursday

The two bodies will hold joint public hearings on proposed zoning amendments: at 6:35 PM, changes to Accessory Dwelling Unit floor area, half-stories, and attics (gross floor area, minimum or maximum floors, and the definition of “attic”), and at 7:00 PM, amendments to prohibit data centers (use classifications and standards, and definitions). Andrew Mikula will then present on Ballot Question 7, the statewide Legalize Starter Homes initiative, followed by a general housing discussion with updates on a potential zoning amendment to allow housing in the Professional and Research Park district and on a potential Campus Adjacent Zone. Thursday, 6:30–9:00 PM, via Zoom. MORE

Christian McBride & Ursa Major at Bowker Auditorium – Thursday

Eleven-time Grammy winner Christian McBride brings his band Ursa Major to the UMass Fine Arts Center. McBride, a bassist, bandleader, and composer who has hosted NPR’s Jazz Night in America and served as artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival from 2015 to 2025, leads four rising-star players: Nicole Glover on saxophone, Ely Perlman on guitar, Mike King on piano, and Savannah Harris on drums. Formed in 2022, the band is rooted in jazz and draws on R&B, soul, funk, and disco. Their first album, Points of Light, comes out October 30 on Mack Avenue Records. Thursday, 7:30 PM, at Bowker Auditorium, UMass. MORE

Autumn Drive & Small Pond at The Drake – Thursday

Two New England indie groups share the bill. Autumn Drive, rooted in New Bedford, has built a following across Massachusetts college towns and the Cape and Islands bar scene, and plans a debut LP in 2027. Small Pond, formed on the New Hampshire seacoast and now based in Portland, Maine, releases its sophomore album Soft Burn the day before the show. Thursday, 8:00 PM (doors 7:00) at The Drake. $15 in advance, $18 day of show. MORE

Mill River History Project: What’s New and What’s Next – Friday

Few traces remain of the industry that once lined the Mill River conservation trail, but the river powered more than 60 businesses in 32 mill and factory buildings at 12 locations, starting at least as early as 1727. Bryan Harvey, a Trustee for the Amherst Historical Society, updates the work of the Mill River History Project, a major follow-up to his March 2025 History Bites talk, covering the latest findings and the research tools behind them. The project is sponsored by the District One/North Amherst Neighborhood Association and funded in part by Community Preservation Act money. Friday, 1:30–2:30 PM, Bangs Community Center. MORE

Cranberry Fair at First Church Amherst – Saturday

First Church Amherst’s annual tag sale returns with bargains on toys, clothing, housewares, books, antiques, games and puzzles, and children’s books, plus baked goods and a silent auction. The Fair Café serves a hearty lunch along with coffee, tea, and cider. Free parking is available in the lot behind the church; cash and Venmo accepted. Saturday, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM at First Church Amherst. MORE

Walking Tour: “Marks of True Sorrow” in West Cemetery – Sunday

The Amherst Historical Society and public historian Elizabeth C. Dearden lead a guided tour of West Cemetery exploring how New England gravestone imagery, from Puritan iconography to Whig-inspired Neoclassical symbols, was used to memorialize, persuade, and build momentum for the Patriot cause in the run-up to the American Revolution. Registration is required. Sunday, 2:00–3:30 PM at West Cemetery. MORE

Save the Date: Amherst Education Foundation’s 32nd Annual Trivia Bee – Thursday, October 29

Put together a team and test your trivia skills at the Amherst Education Foundation’s 32nd annual Trivia Bee, a Jeopardy-style team competition, complete with its own “Daily Double,” that raises money for the public schools. High school students are welcome to enter teams, and middle schoolers should be accompanied by adult team members; no teams with children younger than middle school age, please. Costumes are highly encouraged, and pizza, drinks, desserts, and snacks will be available. Thursday, October 29, doors open at 6:00 PM and the program begins at 6:30 PM (teams should arrive by 6:15 PM) at The Drake. MORE

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Want more? Check out our Community Calendars page to find even more upcoming events.

Have an event you’d like us to spotlight? Email us TheAmherstCurrent@gmail.com. We publish the Amherst Week Ahead on Mondays; events that are submitted by Friday at midnight will be considered for the following Monday’s post. If your event is on a weekend, please submit it at least 10 days before the event.