AMHERST — Bars and nightclubs in downtown Amherst attract a fair share of college students who can drink legally.
But for many students who haven’t turned 21, evening entertainment options away from the three Amherst campuses, especially in the town’s business core, are more limited.
Changing that perception was one of many points discussed this week at a workshop called “Visioning a Vibrant and Safe Nightlife Locally: It’s Your Turn to Speak Up!”
Some of the ideas that emerged from the discussion include:
Having more places for performances or dance parties, such as church halls;
Creating events like silent discos;
Building entertainment venues like bowling allies.
These and other ideas would help establish a more dynamic business center that encourages co-mingling of people of all ages and reduces the perception students are not welcome, attendees said.
The discussion was sponsored by the Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High-Risk Drinking, which is a partnership between the University of Massachusetts and officials in Amherst and other surrounding towns.
Sarah la Cour, executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District, said she used this discussion to talk about how to overcome a lingering feeling from many college students that they aren’t wanted in the downtown.
“It was a terrific opportunity for the town and university and a variety of folks to think out of the box what kind of things are healthy and fun and safe, and will attract students and teenagers,” la Cour said.
The aim is to find ways to create events that could attract a broader cross-section of the community, supplementing events that bring a spectrum of the community out, such as the September Block Party, where Amherst College’s basketball teams spend time shooting hoops with children, and the December Merry Maple celebration with a performance by the UMass Minuteman Marching Band.
La Cour said she understands that Amherst is not going to be able to recreate the vibe in Northampton, where Calvin Theater, the Parlor Room and other performance spaces can attract established musicians — and where there is plentiful entertainment not featuring alcohol.
Instead, she said, Amherst could turn to private halls, such as churches and Pacific Lodge, as places to stage concerts and dances.
Tony Maroulis, director of external relations at UMass, said this talk is about trying to find ways to revitalize the local economy by promoting fun and entertainment for people of all ages.
“It was a good, robust discussion on what all-ages options we would like to see here in Amherst,” Maroulis said.
One of the challenges, Maroulis said, is that many college students are unaware that there are spaces they could use, and even if they know about them, aren’t sure how to access them.
This is happening even though student leadership has suggested ways to bring more student-related activities to downtown, such as those that are part of the once a month UMass Night Out.
UMass Night Out features events without alcohol several places around campus, such as last month, when students could participate in a coffee and canvas where they painted a watercolor, along with ice skating at the Mullins practice rink, a pool party at Totman Gymnasium and an outdoor movie at the Metawampe Lawn.
“The idea is that use of facilities beyond campus would be a good thing,” Maroulis said.
There are other spaces that could also be activated, Maroulis said, such as the Bank of America parking lot on Amity Street, between the bank building and the Amherst Cinema building, which would be ideal for an evening performance or exhibition.
The potential of bringing in larger numbers of teens was seen in September, when Counterfeit Cow Productions created a Pokemon Go “lure night” that drew several hundred highschoolers and college students to downtown as they played the game using their smartphones.
Maroulis said the ideas developed at the visioning evening, which also came from UMass students, will be compiled into a report that will supplement work already being done by the Amherst BID, the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce and the University-Town of Amherst Collaborative.
The hope is to have three to five concepts designed to attract underage people to downtown launched next spring.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
