Yom Kippur greetings to all our Jewish friends and neighbors.
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Garden report: New green leaves are sprouting on the lilac bush that lost all its leaves earlier. The New England asters have bloomed. They end the flowering season for me.
I harvested the last of the onions and leeks. I will make potato leek soup on a rainy Monday. The basil is still doing well and I will cut some to dry.
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Carlie Tartakov of Amherst sent me an email about the annual Roger Wallace Excellence in Teaching Award that will be presented to Ruth Killough-Hill, a school adjustment counselor at Fort River Elementary School. The award will be presented at a dinner Sunday, Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. at Valentine Hall, Amherst College. The award is named after Wallace, who retired after teaching for decades.
Tickets are $30. For reservations, email Russ Vernon-Jones at russyj@gmail.com.
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Bruce Stedman of Amherst sent me an email about the Fort River cleanup that will be held Saturday, Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at Groff Park at 9:30 a.m. for coffee and snacks. Bring boots, long pants, and a water bottle. Register online at https://fortriver.org/cleanup/.
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Estela Olevsky of Amherst sent me a email saying 2023 is the 100th birth anniversary of the late Arnold Black, founder of the Mohawk Trails Concerts. A concert and party is planned to celebrate him and the concert series stated in 1970. The event will be held Saturday, Sept. 23, at 3 p.m. at the Charlemont Federated Church.
Arnie directed MTC until his death in 2000. He was succeeded by his wife, Ruth, who directed the series until 2014. Estela, a pianist, is retired from the UMass Music Department.
She took on a leadership role to ensure the series continued. She has also performed each summer.
Performers for the anniversary program include Maria Ferrante, Mark Fraser, Jerry Noble, Olevsky, and Masako Yanagita. A reception follows the concert. The suggested donation is $75, but all are welcome with whatever is affordable, she wrote. RSVP to info@mohawktrailconcerts.org.
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The Amherst League of Women Voters, of which I am a member, continues its Judy Brooks Conversation series with CUNY Law Professor Matthew Charity about The Role of Race in Voting Rights and Education on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. via Zoom, according to an email from Bonnie Isman of Amherst.
Matthew Charity previously served on the faculty of Western New England University in the areas of international law and human rights. He also chaired the Amherst Human Rights Commission. Visit lwvamherst.org to register for the Zoom link.
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Elizabeth Dominque Lloyd-Kimbrel (Nikki) of Amherst sent me an email saying there will be a casual reading and book launch for her poetry chapbook, “Matrimonies,” on Wednesday, Sept. 27, at Amherst Books.
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