Things are truly moving! This week we officially welcomed Cheesy Street Grill with a Ribbon Cutting at the food court at the Hampshire Mall.

We joined the Town of Amherst and CPA Committee members in the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the brand new Kendrick Park Playrground this past Tuesday. With ample space for play and creativity, using natural elements, including the repurposing of a beautiful Black Locust tree removed from the site, the playground offers ample opportunity for families to enjoy, explore, sit, play, and escape in this bucolic setting. The sun shone brightly while the surrounding trees provided a natural canopy for this wonderful downtown greenscape. The site work was coordinated by DPW Tree and Grounds Division Director and Tree Warden Alan Snow. Read more below.

And cheers to Mary Beth Ogulewicz who is on the move to District Attorney, David Sullivan's office. She has been an outstanding partner throughout COVID leading seniors, vaccination clinics, working on homelessness and helping to feed our most vulnerable and with ours and the Amherst Business Improvement District's team to support our neighbors with the weekly delivery of Dinner Delights program during our darkest hours last winter. Her inspiring dedication will never be forgotten and we know that her new team is in excellent hands. You will be missed Mary Beth!

And we look forward to meeting our incoming President and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Health Care Lynnette M. Watkins. Welcome to our community! Read more below.

Students are also on the move. As you may have noticed yesterday, the Amherst College freshmen move-in has begun. Let’s display patience as these parents are finally able to drop their children off to a new semester. Here is your full move-in guide:

And we were certainly on the move last week. We gathered with 20 Margarita’s, over 40 partners, and 50+ raffle items at the Young Men’s Club of Hadley, who generously opened their pavilion for us, and oh what a night! Congratulations to our winners:

First Prize - The Hangar Pub & Grill – Habanero Pineapple Ginger Margarita!

Second Prize – Encharter Insurance – Enchartarita!

Third Prize – Amherst Innovative Living – Peach For the Stars!

And to the committee, who hung in there throughout last year when we had to pivot our outdoor event to a Restaurant Bingo supporting participating restaurants, thank you for remaining committed while we shifted countless tickets, sponsorships and activities.Thank you to our entire business community for moving along with us to finally make it possible, especially Steve Lewis Subaru who stayed along for the ride – see what I did there! And a special shout out to Youssef Fadel of NEPM our Committee Chair and his wife Laurie Fadel of Encharter Insurance for hosting us year-after-year with amazing margarita inspiration while leading this ENORMOUS effort.

Please thank this incredible Margarita Committee when you see them:

Margarita Madness is just one more reminder to keep supporting local restaurants through dine-in, takeout, gift cards, and more! Check out the 413 Let's Get Out Campaign here. And more Margarita acknowledgments to come!

Last night we were on the move with the final movie of our Outdoor Cinema series. We collected $310 in donations for our beloved Amherst Cinema while creating momentum for future outdoor film events to build community. In gratitude to our partners: Amherst Cinema, The Mill District, North Square Apartments, sponsor UMassFive College Credit Union and CJC Lighting & Event Productions! You brought cinema to our back yard! And thank you for throwing a retro dance party Cinda. You know how to make everyone feel included and celebrated!

Unfortunately, the delta variant is on the move too but renewed protocols are meant to keep us healthy and reduce our risk of exposure. While indoor restrictions increase there are still many options to meeting in person safely. Firstly, we know the Governor has made the call for all K-12 to be masked in school and our various towns now have indoor mask mandates including Amherst and Hadley. Sunderland is reviewing data this week. Here are the COVID information and guidelines for our local colleges and University on the Five College Consortium's website.

And the Rotary Fair is back! Join in the fun tomorow through Sunday with the following hours: Friday 6-11; Saturday 12-11; and Sunday 12-6 on the Amherst Common, enjoy the Amherst Farmer's Market on Saturday and be sure to check out the Farmers & Artisan Market over at the Mill District tonight and every Thursday through the Fall. Use your own discretion and comfort level in attending any events but all are following current local guidelines.

The virus is still with us and we need to find ways to work together while supporting our local businesses and one another. Remember, take-out, online purchases and delivery are still options! Let’s practice humility, kindness and community as we move together, and patience as short-staffing is a true global pandemic!

We look forward to welcoming UMass students on campus, at Adventure Into Amherst from noon -2pm on Saturday, in downtown Amherst and at Mall Madness at the Hampshire Mall on Saturday, 9-Midnight, and at the UMass Campus Center on Monday from 12-2pm.

On the move for our community and always in your corner.

Claudia Pazmany, Executive Director

Chamber Champions engage throughout the year deepening their relationship with the Chamber and its business community. If you are interested in learning more about the Chamber Champion Program contact Claudia at [email protected]

Strategic Partners are organizations with whom your Amherst Area Chamber have agreements that allow us to promote one another while gaining value for you, our Members.