AMHERST — Fireworks will conclude Amherst’s July 4th celebrations Monday night, but there will be plenty of other activities for families in the hours leading up to the pyrotechnics display.
The annual event, organized by the town’s Leisure Services and Supplemental Education department, begins at 5 p.m. on the playing fields near McGuirk Alumni Football Stadium on the University of Massachusetts campus.
“It’s going to be another good event from all the work it takes to put together,” said Linda Chalfant, LSSE director.
Three student interns have been spending significant time organizing the event, including Jill Powers and Tim Hanlon, both sports management majors at UMass, and John Shea from Westfield State University.
“This is really something that is grassroots, where there is no town support to fund this, but just a lot of people donating time,” Chalfant said, who estimates it costs $20,000 to put on the event.
During the evening, there will be carnival rides, a mini railroad, hot air balloons, blueberry pie eating and corn husking contests and mascots from Six Flags and Texas Roadhouse.
Among the new events are Hoop Joy by Stephanie O’Keeffe, running from 6 to 8 p.m., and Henry the Juggler from 7 to 7:45 p.m.
Various food items for sale will include hamburgers and hot dogs, fried dough and ice cream.
Live music will be supplied by Amherst Community Band beginning at 8:15 p.m.
Powers said a raffle will feature gift certificates from Amherst Cinema, Elements Hot Tub and other businesses and tickets to UMass sporting events.
“There will be lots of good prizes,” Powers said.
Parking is $5 per car, but PVTA buses will provide free transportation to and from the event from various apartment complexes, Powers said.
Chalfant said she expects many local families to show up, as well as those who have fond memories of the event. “We see a lot of people coming from outside the area who may have once called Amherst home,” Chalfant said.
Meanwhile, Independence Day events start in South Amherst in the morning on the Fiddler’s Green common, where the community has gathered on July 4 for nearly 140 years.
A children’s costume parade steps off at 10 a.m. and a variety of games will be played on the green, with free lemonade, watermelon and ice cream served to those attending.
Books, compacts discs, DVDs and vinyl record albums are being collected for the 67th annual League of Women Voters Book Sale.
While the sale won’t happen until the last weekend in July and the first weekend in August, people can drop off items in good condition daily, though July 20, at receptacles set up at the Super Stop & Shop at Campus Shopping Plaza in Hadley and at Fort River School, 70 South East St.
The book sale, which will be held at Fort River School, is a fundraiser that helps the organization finance voter service programs and publications.
A series of eight clothing repair workshops will be held Thurdsay afternoons this summer at the Amherst Survival Center, 138 Sunderland Road.
The workshops will begin July 7 and run through Aug. 25, with each session scheduled from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
The workshops include experienced volunteer sewers, organized by resident Roxy Schneider, and will be held in the center’s training and workshop room.
“This is a great opportunity for community members who have clothing that needs to be hemmed, patched or repaired to get expert assistance and access to sewing machines and sewing supplies to learn how to make those repairs,” said Tracey Levy, the center’s program director, in a statement.
Advance sign up is requested and each workshop is limited to five people. Sign up can be in person, by sending email to tracey@amherstsurvival.org or by calling 549-3968, ext. 102.
The Local Vocal Chord Bowl, held at Amherst Regional High School in April, brought in $6,000 that will be divided evenly between the public schools in Amherst and Northampton to support musical enrichment.
The concert, held for the second time in the school auditorium, included the Northampton High School Northamptones, the Amherst Regional High School Hurricane Singers and the Amherst Regional High School Chorale, along with three college groups and three adult groups.
In addition to ticket sales, a grant from the Amherst Cultural Council supported the program.
