Ephemeral films get big-screen night at Amherst Cinema

Amherst Cinema will welcome Rich Remsberg and Shawn Rosenheim for a curated evening of ephemeral films: vintage classroom instruction, industrial animations, forgotten children’s TV shows, declassified military training films, religious movies, scraps of stock footage and a bunch of weird science stuff.

Travel with Remsberg and Rosenheim through the old, weird America that’s part of “Cinema Ephemera: The Human Machine,” which screens on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m.

From 1920s personal hygiene guides to NASA’s zero-gravity experiments to amateur disco exhibitions, this is a celebration of the ordinary and the forgotten. Some of them are funny. Some are disturbing. Much of it is unbelievably beautiful — a revelation of our world in all its poverty and extravagance.

Tickets for the screening are $11.75 for general admission, $10.75 for seniors and students and $8.25 for Amherst Cinema Members. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Amherst Cinema box office, or online.

Remsberg is an Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated archival producer, consulting with such directors as Ron Howard, Ben Stiller and Lawrence Kasdan for documentary films on Netflix, HBO, Disney+, and PBS.

Rosenheim teaches film, nonfiction audio, and literature at Williams College, where he co-founded the Documentary Today conference. He has consulted on Errol Morris’ documentaries, and his work includes interviews at Mass MoCA and Williams College with Werner Herzog, Ken Burns and Frederick Wiseman, among others.

Applications available for senior, veteran tax work off program

NORTHAMPTON — The city is accepting Senior and Veteran Tax Work Off applications for the 2027 program year.

Since 2014, the program has provided nearly $381,000 in property tax relief. In 2025, 42 participants provided volunteer services to city departments while earning $51,706 in property tax relief. The current 2026 program ends Oct. 31.

This program provides an opportunity for eligible residents in the community to share their skills and expertise to the benefit of the city while earning tax credits toward their property taxes.

The Senior Tax Work Off program is open to seniors age 60 and older who own property in and pay real estate taxes to the city of Northampton. Income limits for the 2027 program follow the Massachusetts median income levels. Participants must complete 133.33 hours of volunteer service to receive the full $2,000 tax credit. The city cannot guarantee that it will be able to provide a participant with the full service hours to receive the full abatement.

The Veteran Tax Work Off Program is open to veterans, regardless of income limits,  who own property in and pay real estate taxes to the city. The program offers a maximum of $1,500 in tax credit, which requires 100 hours of volunteer service. The program is set to run from Jan. 1, 2027 to Oct. 31, 2027. 

Applications may be downloaded from the website or may be picked up in person at the Assessor’s Office, Senior Center or Veterans Services Office. Completed applications must be received in the Assessor’s Office or completed online no later than 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 13.

Eric Carle to hold Halloween bash on Saturday

AMHERST — The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art will hold its annual Halloween BOO-k Bash, billed as a “not-too-scary” family event, on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 125 West Bay Road.

Christy Mandin will read at 11 a.m. and Shawn Harris at 2 p.m., and each will sign books afterward. Costumed visitors can join a creepy costume parade and the BOO-k Bash Mash dance party at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., weather permitting. A trick-or-treat scavenger hunt, seasonal films and art-making activities will run all day.

The event is free with museum admission, which is $15 for adults and $10 for youth ages 1 to 18, students, teachers and seniors 65 and older. Members get in free. Information: carlemuseum.org.

Tapestry Health to officer free HIV testing Thursday

SPRINGFIELD — Tapestry Health and the Hispanic American Library will hold a free community health fair, Salud con Orgullo, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Greek Cultural Center, 22 St. George Road, in recognition of National Latinx HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

The fair will offer free HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing, prevention education, and information on prevention options including PrEP, a daily HIV-prevention medication, and DoxyPEP, an antibiotic taken after sex to prevent some bacterial infections. Tapestry staff and partners will also connect attendees with harm reduction, recovery, housing, food and behavioral health services.

Organizers say stigma, cultural and generational sensitivities and distrust of institutions can keep people from seeking care. Tapestry notes that Hispanic and Latino communities are disproportionately affected by HIV nationally.