AMHERST — As the week began with wet weather in the region, coming during a summer with mostly dry conditions that have prompted drought advisories, some Amherst residents joked the rain might be signal the arrival of the annual Amherst Rotary Town Fair.
What is true is that this year’s fair, traditionally held in the spring and sometimes accompanied by precipitation that leaves the Town Common covered in mud, took place last weekend.
The Amherst Rotary Town Fair, put on for at least 50 years, is a major fundraiser for the club, which meets the first and third Thursdays at noon at 30 Boltwood. Proceeds from the fair go to funding scholarships, assisting many local nonprofits in the community through grants and other projects done by the club since its founding in 1926.
Early voting for the Sept. 6 state primary begins Saturday at the First Floor Meeting Room at Town Hall.
Early voting in Amherst will run Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., which is also the last day to register to vote, and continues Monday, Aug. 29 through Friday, Sept. 2, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.
A five-session class that will focus on reparations for African Americans is being held weekly via Zoom beginning Sept. 22.
The Stolen Beam Series, as it is known, is sponsored by the Jones Library and the town’s African Heritage Reparation Assembly, and was developed by members of the Reparations Committee of the Jewish Community of Amherst.
The goal of the series is educational engagement with a narrative of American racial history different from what many experience in schools. The class will focus on the legacy of African enslavement, what was stolen, what may be owed and historical examples of reparations.
Online registration is underway and will continue through Sept. 13 at noon. Registration details are at www.joneslibrary.org. For more information, contact Janet Ryan at ryanj@joneslibrary.org.
At a recent African Heritage Reparation Assembly meeting, Marcie Sclove, chairwoman of the Racial Justice Committee of the League of Women Voters, told the committee that education is a way that her organization will be supporting a study group focused on reparations for Black residents.
“Our hope is through Stolen Beam and through education, that we get League members excited about creating a study group,” Sclove said.
Sclove said the League supports getting reparations off the ground at the local and state level.
A temporary location for the North Amherst Library opens Monday at 3:30 p.m. at 81 Cowls Road.
The new site is needed as the 8 Montague Road undergoes an expansion project that will make the 19th century building handicapped accessible and add public bathrooms and a community room.
Meanwhile, the Jones Library is seeking members for the new Equity, Justice and Inclusion Subcommittee, with those appointed to represent the town’s socioeconomic and racial diversity. Financial stipends will be available to encourage participation.
Letters of interest should be submitted by Sept. 1. For more information, visit www.joneslibrary.org.
A picnic and potluck, with attendance by Democratic candidates for Governor’s Council and the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office and other elected officials, is being held by Amherst Democrats on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.
Online registration is required to attend and anyone interested in participating should RSVP at www.amherstmademocrats.org. At that point, registrants will receive details on the location and parking for the event.
WEDNESDAY: CDBG Advisory Committee, 7 p.m.
