Around Amherst: Big spooky weekend for kids, dogs

AMHERST — Children and adults, as well as canine companions, will all get in on Halloween fun over the weekend, first with an event at the Amherst Dog Park on Old Belchertown Road on Saturday afternoon and then in downtown Amherst the following day.

The third annual Halloween “Pawty” runs Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the dog park, with a suggested donation of $5 to benefit the facility. The event, in which people can bring their large and small dogs in costume, will be postponed a day if there is inclement weather.

Myra Lenburg, who chairs the Friends of the Amherst Dog Park, said some of the dogs expected to come will include a greyhound dressed as a chicken, a small fur ball as a phoenix, and another in a Boston Red Sox baseball uniform.

The dog park, since opening in 2022, has built a community, Lenburg said, with those bringing their dogs looking after each other, holding birthday parties and doing volunteer lawn mowing and weeding, along with taking care of any holes dug by dogs.

On Sunday, Amherst Recreation is putting on the Halloween Spooktacular. The event will kick off with trick-or-treating downtown from noon to 1 p.m., a collaboration with the Amherst Business Improvement District and the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. Participating businesses will be identified by flyers displayed at their locations, with free trick-or-treat bags available at the Amherst Visitor Information Center, 35 South Pleasant St., and the recreation office at the middle school this week.

A costume parade steps off from the North Common at 1 p.m., while the Bangs Community Center at 70 Boltwood Walk will be open until 4 p.m. for a haunted house, carnival, crafts and story time put on by the Jones Library.

For more information, contact Amherst Recreation Outreach Director Becky Demling at demlingb@amherstma.gov or 413-259-3151.

Town manager evaluation

Public comment is being taken on the performance of Town Manager Paul Bockelman through midnight on Oct. 31.

As part of the annual evaluation done by the Town Council, the written comments will help councilors assess Bockelman, identify areas for improvement, and set goals for both policy and management. All documents, including the goals and Bockelman’s self-evaluation, are at engageamherst.org/tmeval24/.

While councilors and Bockelman will read the comments, they will not be released publicly. Comments can be submitted through Engage Amherst, emailed to towncouncil@amherstma.gov or sent by conventional mail to the Town Council at Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave.

Wine tasting

A wine tasting, a fall fundraiser for the Amherst Woman’s Club, 35 Triangle St., will be held Nov. 1 at 5:30 p.m.

Guests will learn about interesting wines from around the world from experts at Spirit Haus, with appetizers and desserts and socializing, as well.

Admission is $35 and reservations can be made online at amherstwomansclub.org or by emailing hello@amherstwomansclub.org.

Electrify Amherst postponed

Artists will not be painting three utility and electrical boxes until next spring as part of Electrify Amherst, a project of the Public Art Commission.

Though originally scheduled for this fall, with artists selected over the summer for a theme of Celebrating Amherst Youth, Commission Chairman Tom Warger said a delay was necessitated by the onset of lower temperatures.

“The town undertook a legal review of the artist’s contract language and has not yet finished it,” Warger said. “With colder weather coming, conditions will not be good for painting and paint-curing.”

Black Feminist Archivefounder honored

Irma McClaurin, the founder of the Black Feminist Archive at the University of Massachusetts, was recently recognized by the UMass Libraries at an annual reception.

In 2016, McClaurin, a three-time UMass graduate, founded the archive, housed in the Rob S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center at the W.E.B. Du Bois Library. McClaurin is an activist and biocultural anthropologist who studies the social construction of inequality, as well as an award-winning poet and author and past president of Shaw University.

The Black Feminist Archive works to identify Black women from all walks of life who are artists, activists and academics, but may not be well known, and document their contributions to society.

Roundabout ribbon-cutting

Completion of the roundabout at Pomeroy and West Pomeroy lanes and West Street, which opened a few months ago and was supported with a $1.5 million grant from the MassWorks Infrastructure program, was recently celebrated with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and visit from state Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao.

Bockelman explained the importance of removing the traffic signals to the numerous businesses in the Pomeroy village center. “Traffic now flows smoothly and calmly through a busy and thriving village center that we hope will continue to grow and flourish,” Bockelman said.

Among those applauded at the event were Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford Mooring, engineering staff members Jason Skeels, Paul Dethier, Jim Jordan and Nate Vannoy, and Caracas Construction.

New firefighters

Amherst firefighters Allison Cote and Cassandra Cote were among 16 area firefighters who recently completed the 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program, giving them the skills to work alongside veteran firefighters.

“The hundreds of hours of foundational training they’ve received will provide them with the physical, mental, and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely,” State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine said in a statement.