App-led walking tour of a local orchard
Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deerfield recently launched “Doorways: Mirth and Memory,” an “episodic and informative audio-visual experience” that features stories and other reflections about the land, narrated by local performers, paired with art and music.
“Doorways” is, in a sense, a walking tour — as the project’s website puts it, “a story installation bridging a fourth-generation orchard with its past, present and future.” Each story is geofenced to a circular “sound pool.”
Those stories include a history of the oldest apple trees in the orchard, the backstory on the orchard’s large apple sculpture, a poem about frogs, a personal story about growing peaches, and more.
To access “Doorways: Mirth and Memory,” download the free Echoes Interactive Sound Walk app on the App Store.
Jazz drummer Kassa Overall in Holyoke
Grammy-nominated jazz drummer Kassa Overall will perform at De La Luz in Holyoke on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 8 p.m.
The show is part of Overall’s release tour for his new album “Cream,” which will be out digitally, on CD, and on vinyl on Friday, Sept. 12.
On the new album, “Overall pays homage to the twin passions of his youth — hip-hop and jazz drums in the tradition of Elvin Jones,” a press release said. “Across eight instrumentals, the visionary drummer and producer transforms hip-hop classics by The Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, A Tribe Called Quest, OutKast, Digable Planets, and Juvenile into timeless standards that are rhythmically adventurous, witty, and often sublime.”
“’Cream’ isn’t just covers — it’s a full-on reimagining of hip-hop through jazz, digging into the musical guts and soul of both,” Overall said in the release. “It’s a fresh take on how these genres talk to each other — not just a collision, but a conversation that’s been brewing since the ’90s.”
Tickets are $25 in advance via delaluz.org or $30 at the door.
‘Moulin Rouge!’ in Amherst
Amherst Cinema will screen the Baz Luhrmann jukebox musical “Moulin Rouge!” on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 1:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m.
The movie is about a young writer named Christian (Ewan McGregor) who falls in love with a showgirl, Satine (Nicole Kidman), who works at the famous Moulin Rouge in 1890s Paris. The two have to contend with the Duke, who wants Satine for himself and will stop at nothing to make her his.
The movie is 127 minutes and is rated PG-13.
Tickets for the Sunday showing are $10.75 for adults and $9.75 for students and seniors (age 65 and older) via amherstcinema.org; tickets for the Tuesday showing are $1 higher in each category.
Music of the African and Jewish diasporas
The New Haven band The Afro-Semitic Experience, a group that plays music from the African and Jewish diasporas, will perform outdoors at the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m. as part of the museum’s Wednesday Folk Traditions concert series.
The Afro-Semitic Experience draws on spiritual, world, funk, cantorial, gospel, salsa, and swing, and it “creates an artistic response to anti-Semitism and racism, a shared common humanity to create a more harmonious, inclusive society,” according to a press release.
Picnickers are welcome starting at 1 p.m.
Admission is $12 for adults and $2 for children 16 and under, cash only.
‘Nutcracker’ auditions for children
Children ages 4 to 11 are invited to audition for Pioneer Valley Ballet’s 2025 production of “The Nutcracker” at the Academy of Music on Friday, Sept. 19, and Saturday, Sept. 20.
The audition times are 5 to 6 p.m. on Friday for children ages 6 to 7; 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday for ages 8 to 9; and 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday for ages 10 to 11. Children ages 4 to 5 do not need to audition, but their parents need to sign them up online.
During the audition process, children will learn a few simple dance steps to perform with their group, then get measured for a costume. All children who register and take part in their age level’s casting day will be cast in the show.
“The Nutcracker” will run Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Academy of Music.
For information about fees, or to sign up your child, visit pioneervalleyballet.org/season/auditions. For more information, email frontdesk@pioneervalleyballet.org.
Cuddle party in Florence
On Saturday, Sept. 6, at 6 p.m., certified cuddle party facilitator Doug Pouliot will host a cuddle party at the Hidden Temple (suite #320) at the Brushworks Arts & Industry Building in Florence.
If you’ve never been to a cuddle party, the premise is simple: it’s a platonic, clothes-on event where people gather to share nonsexual touch (only as much as they could consent to — which could mean simply observing without participating) with strangers, which could be in the form of, for example, hugs, backrubs, holding hands, high-fives, and, of course, cuddles.
The evening begins with a one-hour consent workshop to go over the rules, which include things like “You don’t have to touch anyone at a Cuddle Party, ever,” “You must ask permission and receive a verbal yes before you touch anyone,” and “If you’re a yes, say yes. If you’re a no, say no.” After that will be the main focus of the event, about two hours of “freestyle cuddling.”
Guests should wear comfortable clothing – pajamas, sweatpants, etc. (Also encouraged, but not required, is a pillow, blanket, or stuffed animal.)
Guests should also bring a snack to share. Juice and sparkling cider will be provided.
Admission is $30, suggested donation, via Eventbrite. Tickets are limited to 25 people. (If cost is an issue, organizer Doug Pouliot asks that you come at 4:30 p.m. to help set up, then stay until 10 p.m. to help with tear-down.)
Kaleo in Deerfield
The Icelandic blues rock band Kaleo will perform at Tree House Brewing Company in Deerfield on Monday, Sept. 8, at 6:30 p.m.
Their most famous song, “Way Down We Go,” has more than 769 million views on YouTube, as of this writing, and was called “TV’s most ubiquitous soundtrack” by TV Guide because of its appearances in a number of TV shows and trailers, including, but not limited to, “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Riverdale,” “Suits,” “Teen Wolf, “Quantico,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “Empire,” “The Good Fight,” and “Lucifer.”
Quarters of Change and Júníus Meyvant will open.
Tickets are $61 general admission or $172 VIP via treehousebrew.com/live-music-and-events.
