AMHERST — WinterFest Amherst, being called eight days of frosty fun, is beginning with cold-weather games and activities at Mill River Recreation Area and the Mill District in North Amherst on Saturday afternoon.

Coinciding with school vacation week, WinterFest 2025 kicks off from 1 to 4 p.m. with a kids’ carnival, snowball games, a doughnut-eating contest, street hockey with high school hockey players, crafts and s’mores. The day is organized by Amherst Recreation.

Becky Demling, outreach director for Amherst Recreation, said in a statement that most events are free or have minimal admission costs. “Whether you’re looking for active fun, educational experiences, or ways to enjoy the cold weather, WinterFest has you covered,” Demling said.

A full schedule of events is at amherstma.gov/WinterFest2025, with more information at facebook.com/WinterFestAmherst.

Other programs during the week include a WinterFest Story Walk with the Hitchcock Center for the Environment; a “Step Back in Time” at the Beneski Museum of Natural History; art and activities at the Mead Art Museum; a program about how people have kept warm over the years at Amherst History Museum; and the science behind ice cream at Herrell’s Ice Cream in the Mill District. The Jones Library and its branch libraries are also hosting events for all ages.

There will be free performances during the week by Roger Tincknell, Chhandika Chhandam Institute, and Carrie Ferguson and the Grumpy Time Band.

WinterFest ends on Feb. 22 with Fire & Ice on the Town Common, with ice sculpture creation starting at 3 p.m., hot cocoa, s’mores and fire pits, winter tie dye crafting, metal sculptures by Kamil Peters, a wood carving demonstration by Cody Stosz of Kodiak Carving, a visit from Sparky, and a Fire Department truck and a fire-juggling performance by Matica Circus at 5:30 p.m.

The day is capped off by a luminaria at 6 p.m.

Police officers recognized

Several Amherst police officers recently received recognition from Police Chief Gabriel Ting for their work to keep people safe and for their community service.

A letter of commendation went to patrol Officers Dominick Corsetti, Stephen Worthley and Andrew Coblyn related to a Nov. 30, 2024 substance-abuse evaluation response, in which a violent man was found, armed with a razor, covered in blood after a fall. The officers were able to provide medical treatment and get the man to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for an evaluation.

Sgt. Jesus Arocho and patrol Officer Scott Thurston got a letter of merit for their response to an Aug. 9, 2024 incident in which a man shot himself in the leg at the Norwottuck Fish & Game Club. They applied a tourniquet to the man’s thigh to stop the bleeding and located the entry and exit wounds on his right calf before paramedics got there.

Both Detective Marcus Humber and Detective Joshua Harris earned letters of merit for investigations into possession of child pornography that led to convictions against perpetrators, with their work beginning in 2019 and 2022, respectively.

Letters of merit were issued to Sgt. Gregory Wise, Detectives Benton Carr and Harris, and patrol Officer Lindsay Carroll, for their handling of an incident on Aug. 30, 2022, in which teens were found undressed in a vehicle, and which led to a man being sentenced to four years on charges of rape of a child and enticing a minor under 16.

The most recent recognition was for the response of patrol oOfficers Justin Satkowski and Anthony Clark, who got a letter of appreciation for their service on Jan. 1 when a resident died at his home, leaving behind two children, ages 9 and 10. The officers “exhibited extraordinary professionalism and compassion by comforting and engaging the two young children hours at a time” as they were overcome by grief. The officers have also returned to do check-ins on their well-being.

‘As Schools Match Wits’

Amherst Regional High School’s quiz team will be facing off against Minnechaug Regional on the “As Schools Match Wits” program, being broadcast Saturday at 7 p.m. on New England Public Media.

This the 64th season for the competition, hosted by Beth Ward and taped at Westfield State University. Amherst Regional has won the competition 11 times, most recently in 2018.

Aster + Pine celebration

Aster + Pine is holding a one-year anniversary party, both Friday and Saturday, at its 189 North Pleasant St. store.

The celebration will include a wine tasting with Beauco Wine and oysters from Protocol from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday.

Then on Saturday, from noon to 3 p.m., will be a wine tasting by Pure Italian and music from John and Kai Coban.

Leverett Together

About 80 Leverett residents, spanning all generations, came to a potluck meal at the Mount Toby Meetinghouse on Feb. 8 to learn more about six ongoing projects in town as part of a new initiative by Leverett Together.

The “Building Community in Leverett in a Time of Uncertainty” event, with music by Ron Meck of Shutesbury, included presentations by Steve Weiss from the nonprofit Leverett Educational Foundation; Leverett Library Director Hannah Paessel, who introduced landscape plans for community gatherings; and Cynthia Baldwin, who talked about the North Leverett Sawmill’s renovation into a museum and community space.

Jacob Park updated the gathering about the recently launched Amherst-Leverett Alliance, the Leverett Co-op’s ongoing improvements were described by Martin Pittman, and Seth Seeger announced that the listserv Leverett Connects has more than 900 subscribers.

Tom Wolff, a longtime community organizer, invited attendees to brainstorm for future community events.