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.

250th: Common Soldier, Uncommon Hero – Monday

Join the Jones Library as historian Bruce E. Mowday discusses the common soldier at Valley Forge, focusing on one with a strong New England connection, Connecticut’s own Joseph Plum Martin, and his diary. Martin wrote about the condition of American troops, and Lafayette’s review of his troops is recognized. Monday, 7:00-8:00 PM via Zoom. MORE

Amherst School Committee — Tuesday 

The Amherst elementary School Committee will review and potentially vote on the evaluation of the superintendent and vote on a revised policy about the use of physical restraint with students that was approved by the Regional School Committee earlier in June. Tuesday, 7:00 PM in the Town Room in Town Hall and on Amherst Media. MORE

Public Art Commission — Tuesday 

The commission will hear updates on the Town Hall Gallery and social media, will discuss the Electrify Amherst electrical box paintings and Boltwood Garage ‘poetry boxes,’ and will select commission members to join an advisory committee related to the Percent for Art program. Tuesday, 7:00-8:00 PM via Zoom. MORE

Summer Seminar Series: From Flyway to Feeder – Wednesday

The UMass Downtown Summer Seminar Series continues on Wednesday with From Flyway to Feeder: The Science Behind Bird Migration, Habitat Stewardship, and Public Engagement.

Have you ever wondered where your birds go when they leave your backyard? Billions of birds migrate every spring and fall, flying thousands of miles through human-altered landscapes to chase resources and raise young.

Join Rozy and Sebastian, two UMass ornithologists, as they discuss scalable conservation from your backyard to the remote reaches of migration corridors. Wednesday, 6:00-7:30 PM at UMass Downtown. MORE

North Amherst Society of Sketch – Wednesday

Do you enjoy sketching? Wearing silly costumes? Then head to the Mill District Local Art Gallery on Wednesday for a free, 90-minute sketching session of folks wearing fun costumes. Society of Sketch meets on the first Wednesday of each month. Wednesday, 6:30-8:00 PM at The Mill District Local Art Gallery. MORE

Independence Day Celebration & Fireworks – Friday

Join the Town of Amherst for our annual celebration on Friday, July 3rd at UMass Amherst’s McGuirk Alumni Stadium South Lawn. This free event features dazzling fireworks, live entertainment, tasty food vendors, and a range of family-friendly activities. 

Festivities kick off at 5:30 PM and the fireworks display will be at dark. Food, beverages, and novelty items will be available for purchase. Some activities are cash only. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs. Friday, 5:30 PM at South Lawn of McGuirk Alumni Stadium. MORE

Reading of the Declaration of Independence – Saturday

The Amherst Historical Society will be presenting a communal reading of the Declaration of Independence at noon on Saturday, July 4th from the steps of the Amherst Town Hall. 

The event will be marked by the ringing of church bells throughout the town at noon, followed by a summoning of the community to Town Hall by the blowing of a conch shell. Historically, a conch shell was used to call the residents of Amherst to gather to conduct town business. The Historical Society has several examples of conchs used by town officials over the years, including the original dating back to the 18th century. The conch to be used was purchased for the event and is not historic.   

Members of the Town Council will present a proclamation and after that, Representative Mindy Domb will begin the reading with the Preamble. The public is invited to join in following the opening statements. Anyone wishing to participate as a reader, please contact the Amherst Historical Society at info@amhersthistory.org. Saturday, 12:00-1:00 PM in front of Town Hall. MORE

America 250 – Off the Beaten Path Hike: The American Revolution in our Backyard – Sunday

Join a Holyoke Range State Park Interpreter on a guided, moderate to strenuous hike from the Notch Visitor Center. Learn about how the American Revolution manifested in Western Massachusetts. Explore the Horse Caves where rebellion leaders hid! Ages 12 and up; registration required. Sunday, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM beginning at the Notch Visitor Center. MORE

Reading Frederick Douglass Together – Sunday

In what has become an annual tradition, South Congregational Church, in partnership with the Town of Amherst Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, will host Reading Frederick Douglass Together, a public recitation of Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” speech.

In addition to the reading, the program will also include a performance by the Amherst Area Gospel Choir and a discussion of the speech by youth, mid-career, and elder panelists. Sign up to be a reader! The community-based planning committee is actively seeking area residents of all ages to read portions of Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” speech. Sunday, 3:00 PM at South Church Amherst. MORE.

Big Screen Classics presents 2001: A Space Odyssey – Sunday

Amherst Cinema’s Big Screen Classics series presents 2001: A Space Odyssey on Sunday. Stanley Kubrick’s dazzling, Oscar-winning achievement is a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion.

Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) first visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever) into colonized space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted space, perhaps even into immortality. Sunday, 1:30 PM at Amherst Cinema. MORE

---

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.