AMHERST — Local Tibetans will commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising on Sunday, beginning a march at 9 a.m. from the steps of Amherst Town Hall that will take them along Route 9 in Hadley to Northampton City Hall, and finally to the Easthampton Municipal Building.

As the day commences, the Tibetan flag will be raised in front of Amherst Town Hall and there will be a reading of a proclamation adopted by the Amherst Town Council on Monday.

That proclamation, on behalf of the Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts, describes the 1959 event as a response to a brutal annexation of the country and pays tribute to more than a million Tibetans who lost their life in their struggle for the freedom of Tibet. It also states “the annexation and ongoing suppression of human rights and freedom in Tibet, egregious Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism and the intentional marginalization of Tibetan language, culture, and identity should continue to be a concern for all freedom-loving people everywhere.”

“We are honored to host this commemorative event and have done so since our change of government in 2018,” Council President Lynn Griesemer said in a statement. “It presents a wonderful moment to acknowledge and celebrate the robust contributions of the Tibetan community in exile throughout the Valley. We continue to stand with our neighbors and friends to acknowledge the difficult past as we look forward to a better future.”

Because the walk is taking place on a Sunday, coinciding with services at several downtown churches, Town Manager Paul Bockelman said arrangements are being made to ensure there is sufficient parking and space for participants to join in the ceremony and the walk.

The event comes a week after U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern helped the University of Massachusetts Students for a Free Tibet in celebrating the Tibetan New Year at the Campus Center Auditorium.

Pre-St. Patrick’s Day preparation

Public safety officials and emergency responders will be staffed up on Saturday for the possibility that college students will be participating in pre-St. Patrick’s Day revelry.

Known previously by its bar promotion name Blarney Blowout, alcohol consumption on the last Saturday before March 17 often begins in the morning and continues throughout the daylight hours.

Last year, the use of blackout rage gallons, or borgs, by participants led to a regional medical task force being activated, with 38 Amherst Fire Department medical calls and 35 patients between 18 and 25 being brought to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton throughout the day.

Farm store to close

With Dave Tepfer and Jeremy Barker Plotkin, who have run Simple Gifts Farm at 1089 North Pleasant St., starting new jobs, and no buyer yet identified for the operation, the farm store will be closing at the end of March, when winter greenhouse salad greens stop producing.

Tepfer will be working with All Farmers on a new site in Agawam, supporting immigrant farmers as they grow food for their communities, while Barker Plotkin will be working with the American Farmland Trust, helping connect farmers across the state with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement climate-smart practices.

A March 1 date to get greenhouses started for a full farm season has already been missed, and no farm shares are being offered because no vegetable production for the season is being planned.

“We are honored to have had the opportunity to be your farmers for the past 18 seasons, and thank you all for all of the support along the way,” Barker Plotkin wrote in message to the community. ” We have many happy memories of people connecting with the land and the food, and have built many relationships with our community, customers, farm crew, and family alike.”

Fines and liquor licenses

Fines for labor law violations levied by the state attorney general’s office against the owners of two new Amherst restaurants have led to questions being brought to the Board of License Commissioners about its approval of liquor license transfers in late 2023.

At a recent meeting, Chairwoman Marian Walker said the enforcement actions, including hefty fines, were not something known about when the licenses were transferred to the Amherst Public House at 40 University Drive and Uptown Tap & Grille at 104 North Pleasant St.

“It’s bad, not great, publicity for them, when coming into a new town,” Walker said.

“I don’t know what we can do beyond checking all of that out ahead of time,” Walker said, noting that the owners, who run restaurants in Plymouth, had those licenses renewed.

“We do want people that are good and fair business owners, we want them to serve alcohol in responsible ways, and we want them to be good to their employees, too,” Vice Chairman Doug Slaughter said.

Licensing Coordinator Steven McCarthy said a supplemental application page could be created with local questions, in addition to the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission’s standard questions. Those would put the onus on applicants to reveal more about their business practices.

Song & Story Swap

Jaskcon Gillman, known as the stand-up chameleon, performs as a mime, actor, songsmith and storyteller at the Pioneer Valley Folklore Song & Story Swap on Saturday at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 165 Main St.

In keeping with the season, Gillman will present an Irish-themed program, including songs and tales about Guinness beer.

Meetings

TUESDAY: Public Shade Tree Committee, 5:30 p.m., and Amherst Regional School Committee, 6:30 p.m.