Arcadia Folk Festival returns
NORTHAMPTON – Signature Sounds Presents and Mass Audubon announce the return of the third annual Arcadia Folk Festival on Sept. 19, at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, 127 Combs Road, Easthampton. This outdoor fall musical event, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., will bring the community together around music in the heart of the Pioneer Valley to celebrate 75-plus years of Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary.
This festival will serve to engage more people with Arcadia’s mission, raise funds to help expand the reach of Arcadia’s programming through the Arcadia Climate Action Center, and celebrate the community’s tremendous support. Environmental education activities will be integrated into the festival. The festival will also feature the best in local food vendors and Makers Market craft vendors making work inspired by nature or environmentally friendly, up-cycled art.
Tickets are $49.99 in advance, kids 10 and under are free. For more information, call 413-341-3317, or to buy tickets, visit www.arcadiafolkfest.com.
UMass Live Wind Faculty Performance
AMHERST – The University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Music and Dance will present a free performance on Sept. 4 by Bandwidth, a new collaborative project by wind faculty members Cobus du Toit, flute; Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet; Jonathan Hulting-Cohen, saxophone; Joshua Michal, horn; and Remy Taghavi, bassoon.
The performance will take place in Bezanson Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. All patrons, and visitors to on-campus events sponsored by the Department of Music & Dance must wear a face mask regardless of vaccination status.
The concert, the first live performance by UMass faculty since February 2020, will also include UMass faculty member Edward Arron, cello; graduate flutist Sarah Galgano, and Smith College faculty oboist Charles Huang.
Free parking after 5 p.m. is available in nearby University lot 71 off Massachusetts Avenue and lot 62 via Thatcher Way or Stockbridge Road. Metered parking is also available near the Fine Arts Center on the Haigis Mall.
Mount Toby Concerts to resume
Mount Toby Concerts will resume next month featuring musician and songwriter Paul Kaplan on Sept. 18. The concert will take place outdoors at 2 p.m. at Mount Toby Friends Meeting, 194 Long Plain Rd. (Route 63), Leverett. Distancing and vaccinations are required. Masks are optional.
Kaplan has been an enthusiastic participant in the folk music world since the late 1960s. The concert includes a suggested donation of $15 to $30. For more information and reservations: diacrowe@yahoo.com, or call Diane at 413-336-2589.
‘To Bee or Not to Bee’ musical buzzes to Westhampton
Piti Theatre Company, based in Shelburne Falls, is bringing its award winning all ages musical “To Bee or Not to Bee” to the Greenberg Family Conservation Area in Westhampton on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 3:30 p.m. The free outdoor event is hosted by Kestrel Land Trust.
“To Bee” tells of Farmer James’ comic, tragic and hopeful story complete with puppets, clowning, live music and plenty of audience participation. The performance is designed for ages 4 and up and is 45 minutes long.
Piti Theatre’s new play with music that inspires wonder and curiosity about honeybees and by extension the natural world. The show raises awareness about the honeybee’s plight and gives children and adults tools for helping bees thrive in their communities.
Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Visit kestreltrust.org to reserve your tickets.
Odyssey Bookshop’s September events
SOUTH HADLEY – The following events will take place at Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College St., during the month of September:
An in-person conversation with Sabina Murray, author of “The Human Zoo,” on Thursday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. Murray’s new novel follows a Filipino American journalist’s return to dictatorship-ruled Manila to research her book on tribes. Murray grew up in Australia and the Philippines and is currently a member of the MFA faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This event is free and open to the public. To register, visit: https://www.odysseybks.com/ event-rsvp
A Zoom conversation with Atticus Lish around his sophomore novel, “The War for Gloria,” will take place on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. Lish’s new book tells a gripping story about fathers and sons, regret and redemption. Lish is the author of “Preparation for the Next Life,” which won the 2015 Pen/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the 2016 Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine. This event is free and open to the public. To register, visit: https://www.odysseybks.com/ event/atticus-lish
An in-person talk with Ruth Ozeki, author of “The Book of Form and Emptiness,” on Thursday, Sept. 23r, at 7 p.m. Joining Ruth in conversation will be Carole DeSanti, author of “The Unruly Passions of Eugénie R.” Ozeki is a novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest. She is the award-winning author of three novels. This event is free and open to the public. To register, visit https://www.odysseybks.com/ event-rsvp
