Amherst Briefs

Published on October 06, 2006

Give blood

A blood drive, sponsored by the American Red Cross, will be held Oct. 9 from 2 to 8 p.m. at the South Amherst Congregational Church. Childcare and snacks will be provided.

Walk-ins are welcome. The need for blood is critical, according to he Red Cross. For information, e-mail jeanneesposito@msn.com.

All libraries closed for holiday

All town libraries will be closed on Sunday and Monday in observance of Columbus Day. Library materials may be returned using the outdoor bookdrop at the library any time that the building is closed. Town Hall, the Bangs Center and local public schools will also be closed Oct. 9 for Columbus Day.

Author to discuss novel

Cammie McGovern, author of ' Eye Contact,' a riveting, literary mystery about a 9-year-old autistic boy who witnesses a murder, will read and discuss her novel at the Jones Library, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Friends of the Jones Library System.

McGovern's second novel, 'Eye Contact,' a thrilling novel of psychological suspense, is climbing up best-seller lists and garnering critical acclaim. In this poignant and suspenseful book, McGovern brings her own experience as the mother of an autistic child to articulate the struggles - and the victories - that consume the lives of parents raising children with special needs. It is a powerful story of the tangled emotional bond between mother and son.

Books will be on sale, courtesy of the Jeffrey Amherst Bookshop.

For ASL interpretation, a minimum of two weeks advance notice is required.

Call Beth Girshman at 259-3168 for information or visit www.joneslibrary.org.

Hear about health care

Residents can speak up about health care at a public hearing, 'Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act,' Oct. 21, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Forum Auditorium at Holyoke Community College. The public hearing on a national single-payer health-care bill is sponsored by the Western Massachusetts Single Payer Network and 30 local organizations. U.S. Rep. John Olver will be the chairman at the hearing, which is free an open to the public. Former Northampton Mayor Mary Ford will moderate.

According to Ford, 'A number of studies done in individual states, as well as by the Institute of Medicine, the single-payer approach to health-care reform is the only plan that provides for affordable access to health care for all Americans, while also saving money as a result of administrative streamlining.'

The Medicare for All Act is currently before the U.S. House of Representatives as HR 676 and would provide for a universal single-payer health care system for all Americans. It is sponsored by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and 75 other co-sponsors.

The hearing will be a unique opportunity for people to air their concerns to lawmakers who have the ability to support meaningful health-care reform legislation. Panels of experts will address the issues of health-care quality, access and affordability.

A recently released U.S. Census Bureau report indicates that the number of uninsured Americans increased by 1.3 million last year, for a total of 46.6 million. The report also notes that employer-based health coverage has declined from 69 percent to 59 percent since 2000, making clear the urgent need for the passage of meaningful health-care reform legislation.

Printed materials and a variety of health care reform resources will be available. For information, contact Jon Weissman at 737-0640 or wmjwj@wmjwj.org.

Trivia Bee to be held

The 12th annual Trivia Bee will be held Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Amherst Regional High School auditorium. The event is a benefit for the nonprofit Amherst Education Foundation and co-sponsored by Northampton Cooperative Bank.

The proceeds are used to fund grants to schools. Last year, $14,000 was distributed according to Linda Rotti, who is organizing the bee along with Linda Michaud.

The bee has changed over the years, said Rotti, who served on the AAEA board and like Michaud, is a real estate agent with Jones Town & Country Realty Services Inc. More teams participate now and that means there are three rounds instead of two. As a result, fewer questions are asked in each round, she said. The trivia questions cover music, literature, science, general knowledge and sports.

The winners of each round go on to a final elimination round, in which they vie for the championship. The winning team has its name engraved on plaque that is kept for the year.

The event includes prizes for best costume and spirit, both of which are evident.

'People wear some great outfits. It's so much fun, people enjoy it,' she said. Tickets are $3 and students are free. Refreshments will be sold and there will be a 50-50 raffle. A cheesecake baked by former school Superintendent Gus Sayer will be auctioned.

Rep. Ellen Story will again serving as emcee and ask the questions. Suzie Lowenstein, on piano, will provide appropriate mood music during deliberations. Gai Carpenter of Hampshire College, Town Manager Laurence Shaffer and Youssef Fadel, president of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, will serve as judges.

Teams consisting of four members pay $125 to participate. So far, the following will sponsor teams: the Amherst Club, the Amherst Rotary Club, A.J. Hastings, Robert L. Stern Financial Services, Pioneer Training, the Springfield Republican, the Florence Savings Bank, National Evaluation System, New England Finishing, Bank of America, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Wanderers, Realty World Sawicki, Teagno Construction, Jones Town & Country, New England Greenscape, the Northampton Cooperative Bank, Jones Properties, The Harp Grays, Northampton OB/GYN Associates, Elly's Team, Monkey Business, Seewald, Jankowski and Spenser P.C. and PeoplesBank.

For information, call Rotti at 549-3700.

Amherst FD members land national certification

Four Amherst Fire Department firefighters graduated with national firefighter I/II certification from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy last week.

Nathaniel Burgess, of Pelham, John Cooney and Gary Flynn, of Amherst, and Thomas Valle, of Sunderland, completed the 12-week Recruit Firefighter Program, according to a release. The rigorous curriculum includes training in structural fires, vehicle rescue and hazardous material mitigation. The class included 72 firefighters from 40 fire departments across the state.

Burgess and Cooney were the last of five new firefighters hired by the town in January from a federal SAFER grant that reimburses Amherst $500,000 over four years for the five firefighters' salaries. Amherst was one of two towns in the state that won the nationally competitive grant available from FEMA.

Fund application deadline looms

Oct. 11 is the deadline to submit applications for funds from the Amherst Club, a local service organization. The club, founded 24 years ago, is seeking applications from local human service groups.

Applicants must meet the following criteria: the program must be based in the area, serve the Amherst community and contribute to the funding of one or more specific projects, rather than be used for general operations. Grants will be awarded for programs that meet people's basic human needs, help people to help themselves and improve the general welfare of the Amherst community.

The Amherst Club will raise funds at its annual Love Notes Benefit Concert that will be held in February 2007. The club's goal is to raise $10,000 to 15,000 to distribute to local service organizations.

For information about applications write to Jim Wald, the club's Allocations Committee chairman, 454 Old Montague Road, Amherst, MA 01002, or e-mail jjwald@comcast.net.

Dance a jig

A blend of Scottish and Irish music will be performed by North Sea Gas at a concert at the Cushman Market and Cafe, 491 Pine St., Oct. 15.

The folk music and sing along as well as humor will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Refreshments will be on sale starting at 5 p.m.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling 549-0100.

For more information, call Dunphy Productions at 548-9860 or send e-mail to booking@dunphyproductions.com.

See the Annual Autumn Showcase

HADLEY - The fourth annual Autumn Showcase, featuring songs of inspiration, will take place at the North Hadley Congregational Church Oct. 15.

The benefit performances by Evelyn Harris, Fred Bashour, Sarah Buteux, the Raging Grannies, High Definition and Emelyn and Nazira Bashour begin at 2 p.m. at the church, 243 River Drive.

Tickets, available at the door, are $10 for adults, $ 8 for seniors and $5 for children.

For more information, call 584-7097 or 549-5515.

Recycle for a day

HADLEY - A recycling day sponsored by the Hadley Mothers' Club will take place Oct. 14 at the Young Men's Club, 138 East St.

The recycling day, which runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., offers a chance for residents to dispose of items for a fee that will be collected to pay for the disposal costs and at the same time benefit the club to sponsor projects in town.

Prices for disposal range from $25 for refrigerators and freezers to $20 for air conditioners and stoves and $5 for camcorders and laptops.

Cellphones will be recycled for free.

The Hadley Field Development Committee will have a coinciding bottle and can collection to raise money for building and sustaining athletic fields.

For more information, call Denise at 584-1859 or Maureen at 549-7976.

Meet, hear Mr. Watson

LEVERETT - Local author and Daily Hampshire Gazette columnist Bruce Watson will be discussing his book 'Bread and Roses: Mills, Migrants and the Struggle of the American Dream' Oct. 25 at the Leverett Library, 75 Montague Road.

The annual Friends of the Leverett Library meeting begins at 7 p.m., with Watson's presentation on his book, which takes place at the Lawrence Mills in the winter of 1912, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Refreshments will be served.

For more information about the free event, call the library at 548-9220 or 548-9207.

Christian music coming

HADLEY - Contemporary Christian recording artist Mitch McVicker will perform in Hadley Oct. 14 as part of his first New England tour.

The stop at the Wesley United Methodist Church at 98 North Maple St. is part of the grand opening for the church, which recently moved from Amherst.

The concert will take place in the church's sanctuary beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 apiece or $12 each for groups of 20 or more people. They can be purchased by calling the church at 549-1550, online through iTickets.com, or by e-mail request to office@wesleyfamily.org