AMHERST — Grace Episcopal Church is concluding its year-long sesquicentennial events with a “salute to founders” procession through downtown Amherst, a world music performance and visit by Bishop Doug Fisher Sunday morning.
To celebrate the founding of the 150-year-old church, the procession will begin at 9 a.m. in front of the home of Mary Jones, at the corner of Amity Street and Lincoln Avenue, where a small group of people met in September 1864 to organize a parish.
Four banners created for the birthday celebration, drummers and puppets depicting earlier worshippers will be part of the procession, which will move along Amity Street to the Amherst Cinema parking lot, the site of the former Amherst Academy, where Grace Church held services for almost two years, before heading down South Pleasant Street to Hastings, which is located near another site where church services happened, before returning to the Boltwood Avenue church for the 9:30 a.m. Pentecost service.
Meanwhile, the church has been installing placards in each pew with the names of the families who originally rented the pews current church members sit in.
A large patio that will be used by Amherst Works members and for other events is taking shape near downtown’s main intersection.
The outdoor space, which can accommodate between 20 and 30 people at a time, should serve to enhance the coworking space, as well as the business district, said General Manager Jerry Guidera.
“I think it will help liven up the downtown there,” Guidera said.
Though many restaurants and cafes have outdoor space, Guidera said that the west facing patio is unique in Amherst. It is being built by contractors working for building owner Barry Roberts from a design by John Kuhn of Kuhn Riddle Architects.
A longtime chemistry professor at the University of Massachusetts who for many years years led the procession at commencement is being honored by the class celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The class of 1967 is aiming to raise money in the name of the late George Richason so that the Old Chapel’s lobby can be dedicated in his memory. Richason died in 2015 at the age of 99.
A gift-announcement event at the chapel begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, led by Class President John Mullin and Rick Metz, associate head of the Chemistry Department.
Dave Adams, a member of the 1967 class and a chemistry professor emeritus, said in an email that Richason touched many lives at UMass.
“I call him ‘Mr. UMass.’ I don’t know of anything at the university with which he was not involved,” Adams said.
A previous gift from the class was the University Mace that Richason carried at commencement. Richason grew up in Turners Falls, taught algebra and math at Turners Falls High School and then joined the Naval Reserve in World War II, before teaching at UMass for more than 30 years.
A breakfast to raise money to care for Puffer’s Pond will be held at Mill River Recreation Area, 95 Montague Road, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday.
The 26th annual breakfast will feature pancakes and sausage with ingredients from local farms and coffee from Pierce Brothers.
There will be a raffle for prizes from local businesses, music by the Juggler Meadow String Band and fun with the Swedish lawn game “Kubb.”
Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children.
National Doughnut Day on Friday will be celebrated at Glazed Doughnut Shop, 19 North Pleasant St., with a one-day doughnut flavor voted on by customers
Proceeds from the sale of that doughnut will go to Cooley Cares for Kids, which raises money to help local children receive rehabilitation therapy services at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.
Glazed owners Nick and Keren Rhodes’ son, who is on the autism spectrum, benefited from this therapy. “Our son was helped tremendously by the therapy he received at Cooley,” Keren Rhodes said.
A monthly community dinner at the Black Sheep Deli, 79 Main St., featuring political speakers continues at 7 p.m. Monday.
Michael Klare, a professor of Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College, will speak at 7:30 p.m., following the dinner.
Klare is the author of “Blood and Oil,” and other books about petroleum and geopolitics.
MONDAY: Traffic Calming and Complete Streets Subcommittee, 3:45 p.m., Conference Room, Department of Public Works; Select Board, 6:30 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall; Community Preservation Act Committee, 7 p.m., First Floor Meeting Room, Town Hall.
TUESDAY: Finance Committee, 10 a.m., First Floor Meeting Room, Town Hall.
THURSDAY: Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall.