Amherst Oyster Bar pushes opening day to April 1

By SCOTT MERZBACH

April Fool’s Day will also be the opening day for the Amherst Oyster Bar, the long-planned restaurant in Amherst center that will replace Judie’s Restaurant.

From the field to your screens: Two seniors take Frontier Community Access Television’s sports broadcasting to new heights

By CHRIS LARABEE

If you take a look at the spreadsheets on Mason Smith and Tyler Wolkowicz’s computer screens, you might think they’re undertaking an extensive math project.

Around and About with Richard McCarthy: ‘Give it 120%’: Stories from the life of a TV producer turned Death Doula

By RICHARD MCCARTHY

Nan Bernstein lives in Tyringham, a town in the Berkshires, 29 miles west of the Gazette offices as the crow flies. She grew up in York, Pennsylvania, in the 1950s and ‘60s. Her grandfather was a tailor and her father owned and operated a small clothing factory.

Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner: Suzanne Symanski of Hatfield

Suzanne Symanski of Hatfield says her family loves a corned beef and cabbage one pot meal around Saint Patrick’s Day. “It’s easy to prepare and delicious served with a nice rye bread. Great leftovers, too.”

They ‘don’t come to play around’: Ten local students will compete in Third Annual Academy Regional Youth Poetry Slam next month

By CAROLYN BROWN

Ten local high school students will take the stage at the Academy of Music on Saturday, April 5, at 7 p.m. to compete in the Third Annual Academy Regional Youth Poetry Slam. The event, a competition for young spoken word poets, is the only one of its kind in the Pioneer Valley.

The globalization of Irish traditional music: Celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day in our own Happy Valley

By ROSEMARY CAINE

A few decades ago, we would have been grateful for any kind of pub gig or a hospitable venue that would allow us to play any day, but especially Saint Patrick’s Day.

Arts Briefs: Carle puppet show at UMass, seawall paintings in Easthampton, and more

Children’s author Eric Carle, who lived in Northampton for decades, was known for books including “Brown Bear, Brown Bear,” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” Now, those books (and a few others) are part of a puppet show, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show,” which will be at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Tillis Performance Hall on Sunday, March 16, at 3 p.m.

Speaking of Nature: It’s enough already: Mallards bring signs of spring

By BILL DANIELSON

The first week of March came with a roller coaster of emotions. Saturday, March 1 was absolutely amazing. For the first time in months the weather seemed to be warming and there was a moment when I actually considered cleaning off the table on my deck and sitting outside in the sunshine. A large flock of red-winged blackbirds and common grackles arrived that morning and suddenly the yard was full of songs and the murmur of hundreds of birds talking about their plans for the day. It was joyous, it was refreshing, and it was short-lived.

What is possible when you get to the root?: The peer-run Wildflower Alliance redefines mental health care

By MELISSA KAREN SANCES

Her phone pinged and a grey bubble rose to the surface: “Are you ready to come back?”

She’s every woman: Meet the western Mass chapter of the International Order of Mrs. Ropers

By CAROLYN BROWN

A character from the 1970s/1980s sitcom “Three’s Company” is bringing people in western Mass (and beyond) together for fun and good vibes.

Valley Bounty: Year-round access to local food: Fresh, frozen, canned and more available at Greenfield Winter Farmers’ Market

By LISA GOODRICH

“When people think of farms, they tend to think of the summer, abundance, corn fields, and flowers. What people don’t realize is that farms function year-round, and there are many business models that allow farmers to grow products year-round or have products year-round to sell,” says Hannah Logan, Market Manager of the Greenfield Winter Farmers’ Market.

Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner: Patricia Myerson of Leeds

Patricia Myerson of Leeds brought these fried pierogi with sour cream to an Academy Award watch party in honor of the film “Porcelain War,” which was nominated for Best Documentary. Myerson noted that she served them “in blue and yellow dishes for Ukraine.”

‘On Golden Pond,’ directed by a therapist: Easthampton Theater Company will stage play about complex relationships later this month

By CAROLYN BROWN

In the play “On Golden Pond,” three generations of a family reconnect at a summer home in Maine, exposing complicated relationships and vulnerabilities. Easthampton Theater Company’s upcoming production of the show runs the weekends of March 15-16 and March 21-23 at Williston Theater.

Arts Briefs: Magical opera at UMass, ‘Hedwig’ filmmaker at Mount Holyoke, and more

John Cameron Mitchell, the writer, director and star of the movie musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” will take part in a screening and discussion of the movie at Mount Holyoke College’s Gamble Auditorium on Monday, March 10, at 5 p.m.

Only Human with Joan Axelrod-Contrada: Songwriting in the shower: I’d call my imaginary song ‘Words Like Pixie Dust’

By JOAN AXELROD-CONTRADA

I was taking a shower, basking in the scent of my green tea shampoo when — poof! — a phrase popped into my mind like a gift from the muses. “Words, like pixie dust, falling down.”

Speaking of Nature: Opportunity taken: Omnivorous scavengers eat just about anything during the tough months of winter

By BILL DANIELSON

Last week I regaled you with a story about a red-tailed hawk. This bird kept showing up in my yard and forlornly staring out across my back yard in the hopes of finding something to eat. At the time, the problem was one of precipitation, or, rather, the precise combination of temperature and precipitation. Snow, followed by rain, followed by prolonged temperatures below freezing had resulted in a landscape that was covered by a thick shell of ice.

Climb every mountain: Valley photographer’s new book chronicles transformative Appalachian Trail thru-hike

By CAROLYN BROWN

Some people dream of taking months away from their jobs to hike the Appalachian Trail. For local photographer Carly Rae Brunault, hiking the trail from Georgia to Maine and meeting people along the way helped her deal with grief – and she’s since turned that experience into a book.

Aging With Adventure: The challenge of caring

By ERIC WELD

I made a mistake.

Valley Bounty: Makes sense, saves cents: Local CSA programs advantageous for farms and consumers

By LISA GOODRICH

For local farmers, winter is a time for planning the next growing season, catching up on small business tasks, and maintaining structures and equipment. For the local community, winter is the time to lock in prices on produce for the growing season by signing up for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership.

Back Porch Festival returns next weekend: Tribute to Neil Young, ‘Bluegrass Spectacular’ and Lucinda Williams will headline

By CAROLYN BROWN

The roots music festival Back Porch Festival, which takes place in downtown Northampton, will return for its 11th year from Friday, March 7, through Sunday, March 9, with more than 60 performers.