These are a few of our favorite things about Amherst

Published on August 25, 2006

Amherst Center is a monthly column addressing local issues from a centrist point of view. It is written by Town Meeting members Baer Tierkel and Clare Bertrand and School Committee member Andy Churchill.

Summer is winding down and the business of fall will soon be upon us. So many things will capture our attention: next year's school and town budget process, the master plan, or fall Town Meeting. But wait! Before we jump back into our civic duties, let's take a moment - a moment to breathe, a moment to reflect. We've had a chance to spend some quality time in and around town this summer; let's take a moment to savor the many reasons that we love our town, our Amherst:

The beauty of the landscape - a fertile valley ringed by picturesque hills.

Watching our kids sing in the school chorus with a diverse rainbow of classmates.

The rhythm of a college town - relaxed in the summer; new energy in the fall.

Getting to buy ice cream from the folks who own the cows.

Excellent public schools.

Lots of good cafes.

Ultimate Frisbee!

All the cafes have free wireless connections.

Great parks and pools: Groff Park, Sweetser Park, Mill River, War Memorial.

Accessible walking and hiking trails all over town.

Biking, skating, walking, running on the Rail Trail.

Walking around town for lunch, dinner, beers, music, galleries, shopping.

Feeling like you know people around town.

Friendly, helpful, sensitive police.

Downtown post office - it opens at 8 a.m., the clerks are friendly, actually making jokes, and there are (mostly) no lines.

LSSE: pools, sports, camps, classes.

Little League Baseball and Stan Ziomek.

The Zen of driving behind a John Deere tractor.

Swimming in the warm summer rain at Puffer's Pond.

Three community-supported farms: Brookfield Farm, Food Bank, and the new one in North Amherst, Simple Gifts.

The Merry Maple - lights, singing, and hot cider warding off the winter chill.

Sledding at Cherry Hill, Amherst College, Wildwood, and Crocker Farm.

Seeing Pete Seeger lead the audience in singing 'Over The Rainbow' at the LSSE Wizard of Oz stage production.

Home-grown bands like Amity Front; and national acts stopping in the area between New York and Boston.

Cool architecture like our town hall and police station.

A good bus system, the PVTA.

The cultural and employment benefits of having access to Five Colleges.

Great museums - art for adults and children, natural history, historical, etc.

Restaurants from around the world.

The Yiddish Book Center.

Tons of things to do with small children.

The Amherst Fire Station open house and their SAFE program.

The wonderful Jones Library, where you can crawl into a big comfy chair and be enriched, by a book or a neighbor.

Playing Frisbee or just meditating on the common.

The Town Fair.

The Taste of Amherst.

The Amherst Bulletin's weekly police report.

Adopting pets from Dakin Animal Shelter.

The Moan & Dove pub - barrels of peanuts and the Big Beer Fest.

Hastings stationery store.

Atkins Farms market.

Andrew's Greenhouse.

The Notch Visitors Center and the Hitchcock Center.

Maple sugaring and eating fresh pancakes at a local sugar shack.

Pick-your-own everything.

Salamander crossings, and beautiful birds, frogs, deer, you name it.

Canoeing & kayaking.

Star-gazing at Amherst College's observatory or watching the sunset from Mt. Pollux.

Special spots at UMass, like the Japanese garden and conservatory.

The many benefits of having Northampton nearby.

Transperformance and the Ko Festival.

Good skiing only 45 minutes away.

Other regional attractions: the Butterfly Museum, the Bridge of Flowers, Dr. Rock gem store, the Quabbin, Lake Acadia, Mass MOCA, and on and on and on.

Knowing that people care (whether it makes things easier or not).

Special spots at UMass, like the Japanese garden and Durfee Conservatory.

'Amherst' is also 'hamster,' if you look at it right.

The daily special at Antonio's. Enough said.

These are just a small part of the quality of life that is ours to sustain. Do your part to help keep Amherst special! From the Conservation Commission to the Public Transportation Committee; from the LSSE Commission to the Planning Board, from the Historical Commission to the master plan for the future, our volunteer committee system offers lots of ways to get involved.

As we leave this restful summer behind, and get to work on important decisions that affect our town, let's make sure that we are truly focused on sustaining Amherst's special quality of life for the future.