AMHERST — CRESS Connections, a new program of the Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service, is bringing together the unarmed public safety professionals with local youths to build more meaningful relationships.

“This initiative is to inspire students through reading and hands-on activities,” CRESS Director Camille Theriaque told the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee at a recent meeting.

Launched in April for primary and secondary students in town, CRESS Connections is supported by a portion of the $450,000 Amherst was awarded through an Equitable Approaches to Public Safety grant, through the state’s Division of Violence and Injury Prevention. Northampton also received a similar grant.

The money is aimed at public safety reform and “to ensure that any public safety response is anti-racist, equitable, just, and fair” and that CRESS will offer “services that get at the root of assisting our community members to avoid necessitating public safety involvement in the first place.”

Theriaque said the first book 18 students read was “My Pet Slime,” by Courtney Schmeinmel, and the activity was slime making. The second book 27 students read was “The Wild Robot” by Peter Brown, with the activity being robot making.

The second book generated a lot of excitement, she said. “We had to tell the teacher to stop sending people because there were so many kids who wanted to do these activities,” Theriaque said.

Memorial Day events

Amherst will mark Memorial Day with a brief parade from the North Common to the War Memorial Pool Monday morning.

Starting at around 9:15 a.m., people will gather in front of Town Hall and then proceed to the pool off Triangle Street, where a ceremony will take place at the flagpole and monument around in front of the pool at 10 a.m.

The Town Council Monday adopted a proclamation urging “all residents of Amherst to recognize the sacrifice of past residents and observe this day in remembrance of them.” The proclamation for Memorial Day also notes the nearly 30 Black soldiers enlisting on Amherst’s behalf as members of the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and the 5th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Calvary during the Civil War and that their names are among the Amherst residents displayed on the restored Civil War tablets given to the town in by the Grand Army of the Republic in 1893.

“It is appropriate that all Massachusetts citizens remember the bravery of those who gave their lives, so that their sacrifices serve as a reminder of the cost of our freedom,” the proclamation states.

Hadley will hold its Memorial Day events Sunday at 2 p.m., with a parade beginning at the American Legion on Route 9 and ending on the town green on West Street, near the General Hooker Monument.

Friends gathering

The Friends of the Amherst Senior Center and the Amherst Council on Aging are inviting area seniors to the Atkins Farms Country Market outdoor pavilion at 1150 West St. to meet each other, have a beverage and a cider doughnut, Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m.

Picnic tables will be available, though people can bring their own chairs, as well.

This free event is for building the community of senior citizens and having them get to know each other. Wednesdays are also when senior citizens get discounts on groceries at Atkins.

Pavilion opens

A pavilion to honor workers at the University of Massachusetts, and to serve as a place for contemplation, recently opened on Prexy's Ridge, part of the Orchard Hill section of the campus.

Designed by Sigrid Miller Pollin, a professor emerita in the Department of Architecture, and created as the result of a $7 million anonymous donation, the project features a 1,600-square-foot pavilion with a trellis-covered, 620-square-foot deck on one end, and a 620 square-foot stone patio on the other end.

UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes used social media to talk about the occasion and shared photos of those on hand, including a former chancellor who accepted the donation a few years ago.

“Kudos to Professor Emerita Sigrid Miller and the design team at Sigrid Miller Pollin Studio,” Reyes wrote. “And, what a treat to see former Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy back on campus.”

The Department of Architecture also staged its graduation celebration from the building.

The site for the pavilion was selected in 2023 after a previous location, the Dakin Meadow at the UMass Renaissance Studies Center on East Pleasant Street, drew opposition from residents and others who use that property.

Japanese restaurant closes

Japanese restaurant Arigato, which replaced China Inn at 11 North Pleasant St. in 2005, recently closed due to the retirement of its owner.

“We feel deeply grateful for all the support we have received from this community,” reads a sign posted on the door.

The restaurant has specialized in sushi, sashimi and rolls and also offered a selection of Korean BBQ dishes and Japanese Katsus. For a time, there was also Arigato II Hibachi and Steak House on Boltwood Walk.

Meeting

TUESDAY: Finance Committee, 2 p.m.