AMHERST — More than 500 people have signed up to be part of the second annual Amherst Pride, which will feature a parade with various community groups, live performances and community resource fair on Sunday.

The celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and allies will run from noon to 3 p.m., kicking off with a parade from the high school that will head to the Town Common. Sign-making for the parade will start at 11 a.m.

Live performances and a resource fair takes place at 1 p.m., with speakers, community leaders and performers honoring LGBTQ+ voices and experiences. Attendees will be able to connect with local organizations and businesses offering support, services and information.

“As a town and a community, Amherst proudly supports our LGBTQIA+ residents, families and visitors,” said Philip Avila, assistant director of the Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Avila points out that the town has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2025 Municipal Equality Index, earning a perfect score of 100 and reflecting an ongoing commitment to equity and inclusion.

“Celebrating together is part of what makes Amherst a welcoming place for everyone,” Avila said.

The business community also is a booster for the event, which drew more than 1,000 people in 2025.

“We take great pride in Amherst being an inclusive, welcoming and thriving community,” said John Page, executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District. Page observes that there have been a number of queer-led programs throughout the month that help to uplift and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.

We Read campaign

A new Jones Library-led campaign is underway to get more people of all ages to read, what Library Director Sharon Sharry describes as making reading as important as seatbelts and broccoli.

The We Read campaign includes a brochure and will inform people how reading helps strengthen problem-solving skills and develops empathy. Reading has other benefits, such as lowering stress, improving self esteem, enhancing sleep and increasing annual salary.

Already, staff are creating videos about books they are reading, while a website will be developed with more information.

Sharry praised staff. “They did a magnificent job,” Sharry said.

Appointment fallout

A Planning Board applicant who was turned down for the position in a recent vote by the Town Council returned to express concern after he was informed councilors had spent 40 minutes dragging “my name through the mud.”

“Most of your characterization of me last week had zero factual basis,” Evan Naismith said at the council’s June 8 meeting.

Naismith has spoken to the council extensively about finding housing solutions that meet the town’s values of progressivism and equity, but has been critical of policies written to benefit homeowners, which he said had been done when representative Town Meeting still existed.

“If you want racial justice in Amherst, you must start with housing policy,” Naismith said.

He is proposing to bring forward several bylaws this summer aimed at making Amherst more affordable.

The appointment discussion came after Jesse Mager was reappointed for three years and councilors debated about whether Naismith or Fred Hartwell, a current member, should be named to the panel.

District 3 Councilor George Ryan made a motion to substitute Naismith for the Community Resources Committee’s recommendation of Hartwell, noting that “offering someone, anyone, 12 years on this body, unless under the most extraordinary circumstances, just seems wrong.”

While Ryan said Naismith is passionate about housing issues and “evidence driven, not ideological” and understands the town is in a housing crisis, and represents the future of the town, others pushed back on this prior to the vote.

Culvert information

Those coming to the Amherst Farmers Market Saturday will be able to drop by a tent to get more information about the Fort River Watershed Culvert Improvement & Prioritization Plan Project.

Conservation Commission member Bruce Stedman said he will be at a tent providing details about the challenges posed by failing or undersized culverts and what can be done to address this problem.

DPW Building Committee

Town Engineer Jason Skeels and Holly Young, the town’s procurement officer, are being named to the Department of Public Works Building Committee.

One position remains open on the temporary committee that is advising the town on the design and construction of a new building. The committee this week interviewed designers and architects to work on the project.

Interested residents should submit a Community Activity Form at www.amherstma.gov/CAF, with applications to be reviewed starting July 6.