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Culture to Do: Oct. 9, 2024

Black Birch Vineyard in Hatfield has a fantastic lineup of events and offerings planned for their 7th annual Crush Fest on Saturday, Oct. 12 from 12:30 – 5:30 p.m., including grape crushing.

NEPM presents Paula Poundstone
Academy of Music, Northampton
Saturday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m.
Here’s a bit of advance notice: Paula Poundstone is coming to Northampton next weekend! If you listen to Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! On 88.5 NEPM, you know about her clever humor and spontaneous wit. Did you know that she was the first female comic to perform standup at the White House Correspondents Dinner? And her HBO special, "Cats, Cops and Stuff," marked the first time a female comedian won Best Comedy Special at the Cable Ace Awards.

The NEPM Book Club: Swift River
Thursday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. on Zoom
NEPM Book Club host Erin O’Neill invites you to attend the next meeting to talk about “Swift River” by Essie Chambers. The novel starts in the summer of 1987 in a New England mill town as Diamond Newberry is learning how to drive. Ever since her Pop disappeared seven years ago, she and her mother hitchhike everywhere. Ma is determined to declare Pop legally dead so they can finally move on. “Swift River” is a sensational debut about how history shapes us. You still have time to read the book, and you can sign up for the meeting at nepm.org/bookclub.

Fran Lebowitz: A State of the Union Conversation
Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall, UMass
Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Author, essayist, satirist, actor, and raconteur, Fran Lebowitz is America’s leading teller of harsh and unfiltered truths. If you’re nervous about the outcome of what will surely go down as one of the most important presidential elections in United States history, Fran Lebowitz is not very likely to make you feel better. But she might help you get your head around what’s happening, for better or for worse. And she’ll certainly give you a thing or two to think about and laugh about.

Valley Players presents Constellations
Munson Memorial Library
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 11 – 20
Constellations begins when Marianne, a theoretical physicist, and Roland, a beekeeper, first meet at a barbecue. The action then splinters into multiple parallel universes that explore the different possibilities of their relationship, touching on fidelity, infidelity, marriage, cancer, ballroom dancing, quantum mechanics, beekeeping and local honey, and more. Though originally set in London, this production is set in the Valley and is filled with numerous references and “Easter eggs” about the Valley community.

Queer Curiosities: Outdoor Art Market
Between the E. John Gare Parking Garage and Thornes Marketplace
Northampton
Saturday, Oct. 12 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Majestic Saloon presents Queer Curiosities, a new outdoor art event in Northampton featuring the work of over twenty local LGBTQIA+ artists, makers and crafters. The market will also feature live music by DJ Cachetona and a raffle of items donated from the artists, with proceeds going to local non-profit Translate Gender.

Crush Fest!
Black Birch Vineyard, Hatfield
Saturday, Oct. 12 from 12:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Black Birch Vineyard has a fantastic lineup of events and offerings planned for their 7th annual Crush Fest. Poor Monroe will be back this year with their traditional and original New England bluegrass sound! There will be wagon rides, face-painting, raffle prizes, cider donuts and food trucks. Grape stomping starts at 12:30 and will continue until the grapes are crushed. Be sure to wear roll-up-able pants!

Paradise City Arts Festival 30th Anniversary
3 County Fairgrounds, Northampton
Saturday, Oct. 12 – Sunday, Oct. 14
More than 220 juried artists and makers from across the country will be exhibiting original works in ceramics, painting, decorative fiber, art glass, furniture, jewelry, metal, mixed media, photography, large-scale sculpture, wearable art and woodworking. There will be activities, demos, live music, and delicious dining options. Plus, this year, you can participate in painting a collaborative mural with Renowned artist and esteemed professor, Rick Freed.

Harvest Festival
Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge
Saturday, Oct. 12 and Sunday, Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
This iconic Berkshire event dates back to the Berkshire Botanical Garden’s founding. This year, the Harvest Festival will include continuous family entertainment: a botanical bakery serving sweets, treats, chili, and bisque, a beer garden, food trucks, games, 80-plus craft vendors, an obstacle course, a huge plant sale, live music performances, and more.

Enshrinement Weekend
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield
Saturday, Oct. 12 and Sunday, Oct. 13
Enshrinement weekend, right here in the birthplace of basketball, is one of the most highly anticipated events in the sporting world. This year marks the addition of four new “SuperFans” — Billy Crystal, Alan Horwitz, Spike Lee, and Jack Nicholson. The Class of 2024, which includes Chauncey Billups, Michael Cooper, Walter Davis, Seimone Augustus and others, will be enshrined at a ceremony at Symphony Hall on Sunday evening.

A Peddler’s Pack of Eerie Tales from Hill and Valley with Dennis Picard
Historic Deerfield
Saturday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m.
While researching various topics in town records, journals, and old newspapers, local historian Dennis Picard has been surprised at finding stories of the supernatural. Tales of witches, vampires, and weird occurrences are mixed in with otherwise mundane daily records. Picard has saved these stories in his files and will share some of his favorites. Plus! Dennis Picard will be at the Amherst Historical Society & Museum on Sunday, Oct. 20 to give a lecture on the history of New England cider making.

Fuzuê Family Day with Roger Mello
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst
Sunday, Oct. 13 from 12 – 4 p.m.
Spend the afternoon at The Carle with award-winning artist Roger Mello! Mello will read from his book, Griso: The One and Only, about a unicorn who travels the world in search of another unicorn. Additional activities throughout the day include a lively dance workshop with Brazilian dancer Luana Dias David and a special art activity in the Art Studio where kids can create a wearable art headpiece inspired by Griso the Unicorn. This event is related to the museum’s current “Fuzuê! Invention & Imagination in the Art of Roger Mello” exhibit.

Jenn Colella & Seth Rudetsky Bring It, Broadway
Academy of Music, Northampton
Sunday, Oct. 13 at 4 p.m.
Broadway’s own Tony Award nominee Jenn Colella and SiriusXM radio star Seth Rudetsky will present an afternoon of song and laughter. Seth will host the concert and accompany Jenn on the piano. Like concerts Seth has given in New York City, London, Provincetown, Los Angeles and San Francisco, “Bring It, Broadway” will feature show-stopping music and, spontaneous interviews between songs, which makes every concert completely unique. Jenn Colella is currently appearing on Broadway in “Suffs,” the Tony Award-winning musical telling the story of the suffragists who fought for women’s right to vote. This event is presented by Paradise City Dragon Boat.

Back Porch Songwriter Night: The Songs of Lucinda Williams
Shea Theater, Turners Falls
Sunday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
The Back Porch Songwriter Series explores the work of Lucinda Williams for its first ever show at the Shea Theater. Williams had her breakthrough in 1998 with the classic album Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, which won a best album GRAMMY award. This is the 9th show in the Back Porch Songwriter series. It will feature an all-star backing band including the Deep River Ramblers and JJ O'Connell. Other special guest artists include Lisa Bastoni, Kris Delmhorst, Mark Erelli, Evelyn Harris, Ali McGuirk, and Lisa Bastoni.

Berkshires Jazz presents: Grace Kelly with Strings
Shakespeare & Company’s Tina Packer Playhouse, Lenox
Sunday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Alto saxophone lioness and vocalist Grace Kelly brings her quartet and string section, augmented by the Berkshires-based Kids 4 Harmony advanced ensemble, to Shakespeare & Company. It is the only western New England performance of music from her new CD, “Grace Kelly with Strings: At the Movies.” Inspired by the legendary concert and recording “Charlie Parker with Strings,” the repertoire reimagines themes from recent and classic movies into a cohesive opus for jazz quartet and orchestra.

Springfield Public Forum presents: Mo Rocca
Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks, and Triumphs
Springfield Symphony Hall
Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m.
Journalist, humorist, and frequent Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! panelist Mo Rocca will introduce us to the people past and present who peaked when they could have been puttering. With passion and wonder Rocca will recount the stories of yesterday’s and today’s strongest finishers. Because with all due respect to the Golden Girls, some people will never be content sitting out on the lanai.