Happy Father’s Day to all the men who look after others.

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Garden report: The snapdragon and sweet William have bloomed. I had a wonderful surprise, as gardeners often do. I was tying up tomato plants, looked over into the next bed and there was a cucumber, ready to be picked. It wasn’t very large, but perfect. It is very early for a cucumber to be ripe but I will enjoy it with my volunteer dill plant.

There are blossoms on the sugar snap peas and pepper plants.

Monday’s storm created a power outage in Orchard Valley. A tree hit a wire on Pomeroy Lane. Rain is great for the garden, but lightning doesn’t help.

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Juneteenth, which is now a legal holiday, will be celebrated with daylong activities Saturday, June 19, beginning at 10 a.m. at the West Cemetery and ending at 6 p.m. with a sunset reception at the Mill District. Food and entertainment will be at 1 p.m on the Town Common.

Check the town website for details.

Jennifer Moyston at Town Hall has been organizing the celebration. It’s free.

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Zoe Poli Laddis, granddaughter of Dean and Ann Poli of Amherst, just completed her junior year in high school at the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York. She was named the recipient of the Rensselaer (RPI) Medal in Science. This award was given to Zoe for her accomplishments in advanced classes, “her love of learning, high principles, and extraordinary potential.” We are very proud of her, according to an email from Ann.

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Bruce Penniman of Amherst sent me an email about a public reading and discussion of Frederick Douglass’ famous “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” speech Sunday, July 4, at 3 p.m. It’s sponsored by the South Congregational Church.

UMass Professor Amilcar Shabazz will introduce and lead a discussion of the speech.

Here’s how you can participate: 

■Volunteer to read 1-2 paragraphs of the speech: Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/IreadFD by June 25.

■Register to attend the reading at https://tinyurl.com/RFDT21.

For information or to volunteer, contact Bruce at penniman @umass.edu.

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The annual South Amherst Fourth of July parade will be held Saturday, July 3, at 10 a.m. on Fiddlers Green, the South Amherst Common. The South Amherst Thursday Club, of which I am a member, leads the march. Decorated bikes, floats and costumed marchers are welcome. Volunteers are needed. Contact Jennifer Page. The paper did a story on her and the parade. It’s free.

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