Amherst remembers the fallen

Amherst Color Guard leads the parade

This morning Amherst celebrated Memorial Day in a somber but fitting manner, reaching back 150 years to the most bloody conflict in American history, the Civil War.  Retired Amherst College physics professor Robert Romer discussed the 300 men from Amherst--57 who gave their last measure of devotion (5 of them black)--to save the Union and emancipate the slaves.

Continuing with this historical perspective Stan Rosenberg read aloud the letter from President Lincoln --made famous by the movie "Saving Private Ryan"--to a mother who lost five sons in the great conflict.  Stan also announced that before the 150th anniversary year of the war closes he and Representative Ellen Story will find a way to get the restored "Sacred Dead Tablets" put on public display.

Bob Romer, retired Amherst College professor, discussed the town and Amherst College's contributions to the Civil War

Stephanie O'Keeffe, John Musante, Stan Rosenberg, Diana Stein, Alisa Brewer

Amherst Fire Department

Amherst Police Department

AFD Quint

Goodwin Memorial Zion and Hope Community Church Choir

Hopkins Academy Marching Band (parked) 

The event at War Memorial Pool (built soon after War World 2 ended) was rich in symbolic ceremony: The Star Spangled Banner, the Pledge of Allegiance, taps played twice, the second time in a hauntingly softer manner, reading names of veterans lost over the past year and finally restoring Old Glory from half to full staff with everyone in uniform standing at attention saluting, the crowd with their hands over their hearts. 

Nearby house

Remembered

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air...

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark or even eagle flew --

And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

John Gillespie Magee, Jr

Hadley Highlights Parade

Hadley Color Guard front and center 

God and Hadley make a great team:  He (or she) provides stunning weather, and the town puts on a grand old fashioned patriotic parade reminiscent of Norman Rockwell's glory days.  Trucks, tractors, Boys and Girl scouts, politicians, high school marching band, horses, antique cars and cheering folks aplenty lining both sides of Rout 9.  Of course, aging veterans led the procession with the stars and stripes held high.

Joyce Chunglo Hadley Select Board, DA Dave Sullivan, Senator Stan Rosenberg

Hadley Fire Department

Hadley Cub Scouts

Hopkins Academy Marching Band

Kathy Roberts, Muddy Brook Horse Farm

Patriotic Wagon

Lots of tractors, but no cows

Antique car

Yes they allowed candy tossed to the kids. Parents supervised. My kids got a ton

A yard a few houses down from parade route

Oh say you can't miss

Amherst Town Center Sunday 12:25 PM

Amherst has broken out the really BIG ceremonial flag purchased last year to accompany the 29 commemorative flags in the downtown on the six holidays they are allowed to fly.  Friday of course the big one went up to honor and remember Memorial Day, so tomorrow it will be at half staff from sunrise until noon.

Today, as they have done for almost 40 years, the anti-war protesters showed up at high noon.  Although not as many as Occupy Amherst turned out yesterday, their longevity underscores a resolve that's hard to beat.

Weird lady shows up sporadically but keeps to herself (much to the relief of organized protesters).

Occupy Amherst Center

Occupy Amherst town center 12:25 PM

A few dozen folks descended on the most visible corner in Amherst town center Saturday morning, the same one "occupied" by anti-war protestors every Sunday for the past 40 years, and they even had a brass band.  By 1:15 PM they were gone.  It was kind of hot and muggy.

According to their press release speakers were going to address:

• Corporate Personhood,
• Student Debt,
• Racism in the Amherst schools,
• Justice for Charles in Springfield,
• SComm and immigrant rights,
• Shutting down the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant and
• foreclosures in Hampshire and Hampden counties. 

Hmm...Okay it's Amherst so I can see the anti Corporate Personhood, and Amherst Town Meeting just overwhelmingly passed an anti SComm advisory article to champion immigrant rights. And we are loaded with students (although not at the moment), so the student debt issue could resonate. Although I wonder if anyone held a bow and arrow to their heads to force them to take on the debt in the first place.

But the one I question is, "Racism in the Amherst schools". Really?

Like loaves & fishes

 249 South Pleasant Street, Amherst

The Planning Board will discuss this cute Amherst College owned house in my neighborhood as AC goes before them on June 6 for the easy to attain site plan review permission to double from a one to a two family dwelling thus allowing, duh, two families--or as is the case with conversions in most other parts of town, eight unrelated housemates (code for "college students").

This makes the third Amherst College owned house (out of 31 formerly "single family") to recently double in ocupancy, although planner Christine Brestrup confirms it will be the last for a while.  Amherst College is also busy building the new $200 million science center, and a bevy of renovation projects including a dormitory, Pratt Field, and the old Fiber Arts building in downtown Amherst.

Fiber Arts Building, downtown Amherst

Ready...Aim...

I think perhaps my daughter Kira will start backing up my Public Documents requests from now on.