Around Amherst: Sustainability Festival returns to Town Common Saturday

AMHERST — A full day of environmentally focused activities takes place on the Town Common Saturday, as the 14th annual Amherst Sustainability Festival is held

Running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and coinciding with the regularly scheduled Amherst Farmer’s Market, which kicked off April 18, the festival is a free and family-friendly event featuring local farmers, environmental vendors, advocacy groups, live entertainment, hands-on demonstrations and sustainable crafts. 

“The Amherst Sustainability Festival has become a beloved event and is a reflection of our community’s commitment to environmental stewardship,” Director of Sustainability Stephanie Ciccarello said in a statement, adding that it is a celebration of collective efforts toward a more sustainable future. 

Various businesses and organizations dedicated to sustainability and environmental protection will be set up, such as renewable energy vendors, energy efficiency product suppliers, advocacy groups and sustainable artisans. 

One booth will offer information about the Amherst Heat Pump Program, which aims to have 30 heat pump installations in Amherst by the end of 2026. Six spots remain for homeowners to participate in the program that provides financial assistance, expert guidance and education for installing energy-efficient heat pump systems.

Local musicians and artists will perform throughout the day, and hands-on hands learning experiences, with experts in various fields, will be part of a demonstration area.

Attendees can also check out performances by Henry the Juggler, an electric vehicle display with test drives, sustainable crafts and the Amherst Fire Department’s hybrid ambulance.

For more details about the event, go to amherstma.gov/Sustainability-Festival

Flower Show returns

The Amherst Woman’s Club, 35 Triangle St., is celebrating the arrival of spring with its annual Flower Show and Sale on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. at the Hills Memorial Club
House.

The theme for the four-hour show is “Everything Gardening,” with flower arrangements, potted plants, garden gifts, books and magazines, a silent auction and refreshments available for purchase.

At 1 p.m., Bonnie Bloom will present a talk titled “Living Your Best Life.”

Admission is $10 at the door or online at amherstwomansclub.org/events.

Funds raised at the event provide college scholarships and $1,500 grants to service agencies, which this year are going to the Amherst Mobile Market, the multilingual farmers market that delivers food to communities with limited food access and income, and the Amherst Survival Center, which connects people to food, clothing, health care and community.

Last year, the $2,000 scholarships went to 2025 Amherst-Pelham Regional High School graduates Ivanilse Varela Vaz and Alana Texidor Melendez.

Membership at the club is open to all women of Amherst and surrounding communities. For more information, go to amherstwomansclub.org.

Poetry reading

New York City poet and novelist Cheryl J. Fish and Amherst poet Eileen P. Kennedy, both members of the Straw Dog Writers Guild, will read from their new collections of eco-poetry at the Jones Library, 101 University Drive, Saturday at 2 p.m.  

Fish’s collection “Crater and Tower” explores the impact of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Mount St. Helens’ volcanic eruption on the lives of families, women, workers and the natural world, while Kennedy’s collection “Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth” respond to the captivating art by Norwegian artist Irene Christensen to showcase the feminine presence of the environmental movement.

Both authors draw on folklore and mythology as well as research and the emotional impact of traumatic upheaval to create spell-binding poems. 

The reading is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Daffodil Run

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County will benefit from the 16th annual Daffodil Run, being held Sunday.

Funds raised from the run support one-to-one mentoring for young people.

The celebration begins at 9 a.m. at the Porter House next to the Town Common, with a complimentary breakfast for participants. Warm-up begins at 9:30 a.m., with the timed and certified 10k beginning at 10 a.m. and the 5K at 10:15 a.m. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

Draft Hazard Mitigation Plan

Residents, businesses and surrounding community members are invited to learn about and provide input on Amherst’s draft Hazard Mitigation Plan, with a public meeting to be held at Town Room at Town Hall April 30 starting at 6:30 p.m.

This plan will assess Amherst’s risks from natural hazards and climate change impacts, and provide an action plan to reduce the town’s vulnerabilities. It is being completed with assistance from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Once approved, it will makes the community eligible for federal and state mitigation grant
funding.

Jones Library project update

Fontaine Brothers is about halfway through the project to expand and renovate the Jones Library, according to Trey Logie, the owner’s project manager with Colliers International.

Logie told the Jones Library Building Committee at a recent meeting that the structural design for the oversteel, which attaches the new addition to the 1928 building, is now complete.

Logie said that April 28 is the anticipated date for the remaining delivery of steel, and then the contractor will have the envelope of the building complete, allowing for framing, drywall and finishes to get underway.

“I am still confident that by the end of February they will get this wrapped up,” Logie said.

Meetings

Monday: Design Review Board, 4:30 p.m.; Town Council, 6:30 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall.