(12/30/06) Here are this year's last little bits and pieces of news and information.
Calling all politicos: The Annual Town Election is just around the corner (March 27th) and nomination papers are available at the Town Clerk’s office for Select Board, School Committee, Library Trustee, Moderator, Housing Authority, Redevelopment Authority, Oliver Smith Will Elector and Town Meeting. All offices except Town Meeting require at least 50 signatures from registered Amherst voters. Town Meeting member nominations require at least one signature from a registered voter who lives in the nominee’s precinct. (Yes, your own signature is good enough.) Nomination papers must be returned to the Town Clerk’s office by 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 6th.
No challengers yet: As of Friday afternoon, December 29th, only Select Board incumbents Gerry Weiss and Robie Hubley, and Oliver Smith Will Elector incumbent David Farnham, had taken out papers for town-wide offices.
Cyber tour: Ever been to the Eric Carle Museum? A terrific audio tour and slide show is available, through Boston.com’s “Audible Art” feature in the “Explore New England” section. Check it out. And go to the museum too – live, you know, off-line.
In the money: Proceeds from October’s Shelter Sunday campaign were recently distributed to area agencies. More than $26,000 has been contributed to date, and $24,000 has been distributed, with the remainder held over to assist with possible emergency situations and to cover the event’s start-up costs for 2007. Shelter Sunday is organized by Amherst Friends for the Homeless (AFFH.) Its Board of Directors (of which this reporter is a member) voted to give $6,000 each to the two local shelters serving our community: The Grove Street Inn and the Hampshire County Interfaith Shelter; and $4,000 each to the Amherst Survival Center, Not Bread Alone and Jessie’s House. AFFH thanks the 300+ UMass students who went door-to-door collecting this year, the dozens of community volunteers who assisted before the event and on the Common; Florence Savings Bank, which has generously underwritten the event since 2001; and Integrity Development and Construction, an event sponsor this year. Thanks also to all the individuals, families and businesses that contributed to this important fundraiser.
Very Harry New Year: The Amherst Cinema will be showing the Harry Potter movies at 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays through January 20th. Had this nugget been published in a more timely manner, you could have seen the first in the series on December 30th, but alas. Do mark your calendars for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets January 6th, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on January 13th, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on January 20th.
Also at the Cinema: Andrew Bujalski, the acclaimed director of Mutual Appreciation, will be on hand January 5th to present that film. Show times are undetermined as of this writing, so check the Cinema’s site for more details.
Just in case: The Amherst Fire Department is creating an emergency mobile COMMANDPOST in a converted FEMA travel trailer. Bank of America is generously financing the conversion, and a recent $16,600 Homeland Security grant will provide ten radios to link police, fire, DPW and the schools, as well as computer equipment for the trailer. According to a press release from the Town, the COMMANDPOST will be used “by the Town at protracted fires, law enforcement or disaster events.”
Multitasking: The Mullins Center is home to the UMass Basketball and Hockey teams, who both play in the same arena but on very different surfaces. So how does that work exactly? Watch this very cool time-lapse photography presentation to find out. Photos by Thom Kendall.
Happy New Year to all!
-- Stephanie O’Keeffe
