Amherst to host music festival, trail run to Northampton, and library feedback session
Events include a Five College music festival, a regional trail run to Northampton, and a community feedback session at the Jones Library.
The Amherst area is hosting a series of events in mid-September, including a regional run connecting Amherst and Northampton and a community feedback session for the Jones Library.
Amherst residents and visitors can participate in cultural performances, community celebrations, and civic discussions over the coming week.
The 8th Annual Five College New Music Festival runs Friday through Sunday at UMass and will feature four free performances of works by 18 composers performed by 38 musicians. The program, themed "Music Without Royalties," includes nine premieres exploring themes of power, politics and tyranny through works by composers including Berio, Davies, and Schoenberg. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday.
On Sunday, the Drake and the Iron Horse are launching Miles for Music, an 8.1 mile run, walk, or relay from downtown Amherst to downtown Northampton along the Norwottuck Rail Trail, with live music and a finish-line celebration at Taste of Northampton. The event starts at the Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street in Amherst.
The Jones Library's Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Committee is holding a community feedback session Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at UMass Downtown, 108 North Pleasant Street. Dr. Pat Romney and Angelica Castro will facilitate a listening session to gather feedback on how residents feel about belonging and security in the library space. Childcare is available with registration, and refreshments will be provided.
The 13th Annual Block Party takes place Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. on North Pleasant Street in downtown Amherst. The free event will feature live music, performances by aerialists, acrobats, stilt walkers, and jugglers, along with dining and shopping from local restaurants and retailers.
On Friday morning, town residents can join Planning and Economic Development Director Jeff Bagg for coffee and conversation at Izote Latin and American Kitchen, 460 West Street, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. The monthly "Cuppa Joe with Paul" event will include discussion of the Hampshire Campus Zoning Study, Affordable Housing Projects, Downtown Design Standards, and the Open Space and Recreation Plan.
Amherst Regional Middle School will host a Special Fall Tree Planting on Saturday at 9 a.m., though details were incomplete in the original source.