Northampton to host school funding presentation

NORTHAMPTON — Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra and Northampton Public Schools Superintendent Portia Bonner will host a Massachusetts Association of School Committees presentation on state school funding. The presentation will take place on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Northampton Senior Center, 67 Conz St.

The presentation will also be broadcast live by Northampton Open Media and will include a hybrid component.

The presentation will be led by Tracy Novick, school finance field director at the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. Novick will address the challenges posed by the budget deficit and shed light on Northampton’s status as a minimum aid community. Additionally, she will discuss various factors influencing Chapter 70 state funding and explore strategies for advocating for changes to the funding formula.

Church hosts Easter bake, soup sale

HAYDENVILLE — Haydenville Congregational Church is again hosting its annual Easter Soup and Bake sale. Hot cross buns, pies and containers of soup will be among the foods on sale Saturday, March 30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

According to event organizer and church trustee Megan Jewett, “Our church is blessed with terrific cooks and bakers. In addition to hot cross buns we are expecting cakes, cookies and pies to be on sale.”

Frozen homemade soups will be sold in pint and quart containers.

Haydenville Congregational is at 143 Main St., Haydenville. Parking in the rear.

Holyoke BikePed is looking for members

HOLYOKE — The Holyoke Biking and Pedestrian Committee is looking for residents interested in making the city more walkable and bikeable.

The committee works closely on city infrastructure projects, Safe Routes to School initiatives, and events including the Bike Ride with the Mayor and Bike Night at the Armor Yard.

Meetings are held the first Monday of the month at 6 p.m. via Zoom or in person in the City Hall Annex 4th floor. Those interested are invited to email mimcoordinator@holyoke.org or attend a committee meeting.

Hopkins drama program to perform ‘Clue: On Stage’ 

HADLEY — The Hopkins Academy Theater Arts Club is producing the play, “Clue: On Stage,” which is based on the 1985 cult classic film by Jonathan Lynn, “Clue,” and inspired by the board game of the same name.

The play, written by Sandy Rustin, is a hilarious farce, wherein the familiar characters of Col. Mustard, Mrs. Peacock, Prof. Plum, Miss Scarlet, Mr. Green, and Mrs. White all become suspects when their dinner party host, Mr. Boddy, winds up dead. Along with the butler, Wadsworth, they attempt to unravel the mystery of who did it, where, and with what.

Performances will be held on Friday and Saturday nights, March 29-30 and April 5-6, at 6 p.m. on the stage at Hopkins. Tickets are available at the door. General admission is $15 and students and seniors get in for $12. Cash and check are accepted. Concessions will be available before the show and at intermission. Donations are always welcome, as the school’s club is a self-funded program.

Amherst Cinema’s free movie series

AMHERST — Amherst Cinema’s continues with its “series sampler” of three films reflecting the diverse range of programming offered by the cinema through its Restoration & Rediscoveries, Cinema Seminars, and Bellwether series. All shows are currently on sale.

The second show in the series, “Rock.Paper.Grenade,” is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public; tickets available only at the box office.

Directed by Iryna Tsilyk, the 92-minute film tells the story of a young boy growing up in a shaky, post-Soviet Ukraine, who, looking for a mentor, befriends an Afghan war veteran.

After the film, Tsilyk and Ivan Kozlenko, Amherst College visiting researcher and eminent former director of the Dovzhenko Center in Kyiv, will discuss working across modes of documentary, feature film, and animation, and adapting literary works to the screen.

The final show in the series, “American Glass Factory,” is set for Thursday, March 28, at 7 p.m. It is free to Amherst Cinema members.

In a live performance from the forthcoming audio series "Trust Issues," director Jason Fox explores the 60-year long relationship between Direct Cinema and Democratic Party politics. Fox will be on hand for a post-screening conversation.

Tickets are on sale online and at the box office. For more information, visit AmherstCinema.org.