Sort of garden report: A friend told me forsythia can now be cut and forced indoors. Having bright yellow flowers in the house would be lovely this time of year.

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The Amherst Historical Society is holding its Founder’s Day program Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. in the Jones Library, according to an email from Gigi Barnhill, society president.

Samuel Redman, history professor at UMass, will discuss his book “The Museum: A Short History of Crisis and Resilience,” which traces how cultural institutions responded to episodes of crisis over the past century in the United States.

The Conch Shell Award will be presented to members of the organizing committee for Cambodians in Amherst: A History of the Khmer Community.

The program is free and open to the public.

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The sixth annual Youth Performance Festival will be held Feb. 8 and 9 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Northampton Center for the Arts, 33 Hawley St., Northampton, according to an email from Sarah Marcus, co-director of festival. YPF is a free opportunity for youth artists ages 8-18 to create original performance pieces under the guidance of mentor artists in the fields of music, dance, theater, poetry/spoken word, and animation/video, she wrote.

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Happy Valentine’s and Galentine’s day to all. Do something nice on Feb. 14 for yourself or someone else.

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Kaelyn Zakaitis, the daughter of Robert Zakaitis Jr. and granddaughter of Robert and Alice Zakaitis, all of Amherst, was named to the dean’s list at Elms College, where she is majoring in sports management.

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The South Amherst Thursday Club, of which I am a member, will host a program by the Wilde Irish Women, on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. at the Munson Memorial Library. The program is free and open to the public.

FYI: The Thursday Club sponsors the holiday lights on the tree on the South Amherst Common.

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Good news — it’s maple syrup time. Soon the sugar shacks will be steaming as the syrup boils down.

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Send items for the Lehrer Report to phyllehrer@gamil.com.