NEPM Book Club: The Bluest Eye
Thursday, July 24 at 7 p.m. on Zoom
The next selection for the NEPM Book Club was recently announced, giving you plenty of time to read Toni Morrison’s 1970 debut — "The Bluest Eye." It is one of her most powerful novels, and a significant work of American fiction. “The Bluest Eye” tied for third on the American Library Association's list of the most challenged books of 2024. Shunned by the town’s prosperous Black families, as well as its white families, 11-year-old Pecola Breedlove lives with her alcoholic father and embittered, overworked mother in a shabby storefront. In awe of her clean, well-groomed schoolmates, she wishes for the blue eyes of a white girl.
Dino Map Adventure
Be a dino track explorer in western Mass.
Chances are very good that you, like me, know a number of young people who are crazy for dinosaurs. So here’s a reminder of a fabulous outdoor activity that is perfect for springtime exploration. Last year, we partnered with Tumble Media, the creators of the Tumble Science Podcast for Kids, to produce a place-based audio experience highlighting the rich history of dinosaurs in the Pioneer Valley. While visiting dinosaur sites along the Connecticut River from Gill to Chicopee, dino explorers can go to an interactive map at NEPM.org to access short interviews with local experts.
Della Mae
Iron Horse, Northampton
Friday, May 23 at 7 p.m.
Della Mae is an all-woman string band featuring founding Celia Woodsmith (lead vocalist/guitarist) and 2-time Grand National champion fiddle player Kimber Ludiker, along with guitarist Avril Smith, and two-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year Vickie Vaughn. Hailing from across North America, and reared in diverse musical styles, Della Mae is one of the most charismatic and engaging roots bands touring today.
Adams Theater Opening Weekend
Ghost Funk Orchestra on Friday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Comedian Shafi Hossain on Saturday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m.
The Adams Theater in Beckett is kicking off its 2025 season with a funk-filled, funny weekend of events. On Friday, Ghost Funk Orchestra takes the stage with a genre-blending sound of soul, psych rock, salsa, and beyond. On Saturday, check out comedian Shafi Hossain who is known as “the funniest chemical engineer in the world.” While he moved from Bangladesh to the U.S. to study, Shafi fell in love with standup, and has been rising through the NYC circuit since.
Memorial Day Weekend at MASS MoCA
Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25
This weekend, MASS MoCA is completing its year-long 25th anniversary celebration with a bang. Roof Piece (1971) by the iconic choreographer Trisha Brown is a trailblazing site-specific work that forever changed the notion of dance’s relationship to the environment in which it’s performed. Two performances on Saturday will highlight the physical structure that anchors MASS MoCA’s place as one of the world’s most unique art institutions. Also, you can get a first look at the opening of Just a Dream…, Vincent Valdez’s first major museum survey, co-organized with Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.
Paradise City Arts Festival
Three County Fairgrounds, Northampton
Saturday, May 24 – Monday, May 26
New England’s leading fine and decorative arts festival is now entering its 31st year with paintings, sculpture, jewelry, fashion, woodworking, furniture, and more on exhibition from over 200 juried artists and makers. Local restaurants and food trucks will be delivering a range of delicious food options, plus you can go to the new Bubbles Bar for a glass of champagne. It’s a family-friendly event, with hands-on activities for all ages including Play with Clay and Crafting with Color. live music, artist demonstrations, and special exhibits add to the experience.
Here Be Dragons
Springfield Museums
Opens Saturday, May 24
Here Be Dragons is an immersive exhibition that brings visitors face-to-face with live reptiles and paleontological discoveries that blur the lines between fantasy and reality. Explore the real-life animals — past and present — that may have inspired myths and fantasy. Explore fossils and reconstructions of ancient creatures that were real dragons trapped in stone. Feel the texture of scaled skin and fossilized bones. From prehistoric flying reptiles to their modern relatives, this exhibition combines education, interaction, and a touch of magic.
Shakespeare & Company Community Day
Saturday, May 24, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shakespeare & Company invites guests of all ages to come to their Lenox campus to enjoy performances, interactive activities, film screenings, food trucks, and the This year’s Community Day will feature a full schedule of events, including a Shakespeare Training workshop and an air broadsword demonstration, trivia, live music, photo opportunities, scavenger hunts, drag story hour and more. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about more than two dozen nonprofit and community organizations that serve the Berkshires and beyond.
Odenong Powwow
Amherst-Pelham Regional High School
Saturday, May 24 from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, May 25 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Now in its fifth year, the Odenong Powwow is an inter-tribal event, organized by of multiple Native nations and communities, including Ojibwe, Odawa, Mohawk, and others. Every year, it offers the opportunity for local Native folks to connect, and share skills in singing, dancing, and art with each other and with the local non-Native community. This event is free and open to the public.
Claudia Schmidt in Concert
UU Society of Amherst
Saturday, May 24 at 7 p.m.
Claudia Schmidt brings her exuberant music and love of humanity to the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst to close their 2024–2025 Community Concert Series. With her multi-octave voice, 12 string guitar and mountain dulcimer, and after more than 50 years of writing and composing, Claudia weaves together song, story and spoken word into a one-of-a-kind presentation that will fill your heart and refresh your soul.
Pioneer Valley Symphony Summer Sing
Handel's Messiah with Tianhui Ng
Most Holy Redeemer Parish Hall, Hadley
Tuesday, May 27 at 7 p.m.
It’s a pop-up Messiah! The Pioneer Valley Symphony’s Summer Sings are informal, fun events open to all who wish to sing or play through the work. Choral enthusiasts and instrumentalists of all experience levels are welcome to attend for an informal and musically rewarding experience. Singers don’t need to have performed the work before but you’ll probably get the most out of the experience if you can sight-read or are familiar with the work. Instrumentalists can a pick-up chamber orchestra, led by PVS accompanist Larry Picard.
The Elephant Man
Unicorn Theater, Stockbridge
Wednesday, May 28 – Sunday, June 15
Bernard Pomerance’s Tony Award-winning drama, The Elephant Man, is a deeply human story about the need for connection and understanding. Set in Victorian England, the play follows Joseph Merrick, a man whose severe physical deformities make him a target of cruelty and exploitation. Rescued from a life in a traveling sideshow, he finds refuge in a London hospital, where he forms an unlikely bond with a celebrated physician. The Elephant Man explores the struggle to be seen for who we truly are.
Yōkai: Japanese Ghosts, Demons and Monsters
Springfield Museums
Open through Sunday, July 20
Showcasing a stunning collection of Japanese woodblock prints and decorative arts, this exhibition features the diverse forms and stories of supernatural entities known as yōkai. These tales have been retold for centuries and have attracted renewed interest through contemporary media, including games, anime, and movies like Pokémon, Howl’s Moving Castle, and The Grudge.