AMHERST — Buried on the grounds of Fort River School in 1994 to mark the 20th anniversary of the school’s opening, a time capsule is being uncovered Sunday afternoon, 11 years after the original scheduled date to dig it up.

While the school remains open for another year, with a new building rising just south of the current campus on South East Street, its eventual demolition is prompting some of those who organized the burial 31 years ago to come together at 2 p.m.

Jayne Pearl, parent of a student at the time, said after not getting permission to locate the time capsule in 2014, and having a hard time getting former parents and teachers together for an event, this time she worked with parent Paul Kaplan and his daughters, Brittany and Siena, who mentioned their interest in such an event, and former principal Russ Vernon-Jones.

“Personally, given the divisive nature of national and local politics, I’m excited to be part of a town event that has no political edge, and that will help those who attend rally and bond around a joyous celebration of our school’s and our town’s history,” Pearl said.

Alumni, current and former parents, students and staff will be present. In case of inclement weather, the event will be pushed back a week.

The capsule includes two metal boxes buried in front that hold items from all K-6 classes at the time, reflecting something about the 1970s, when the school first opened, or looking forward 20 years to imagine what the school, town and students would be like. After opening the time capsules, Pearl and another former parent, Jeanne Horrigan, will hold up each item, then place each item on one of two long tables for attendees to look at after the conclusion of the program.

The program will include opening remarks by Vernon-Jones, as well as a historical perspective about time capsules from Amherst Historical Society President Georgia Barnhill. There will also be songs sung.

More information about the Fort River Time Capsule Celebration is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1644020409841487.

Host families sought

The UMass Civic Initiative seeks families or people to participate in a one-night homestay with two international undergraduate students, coming from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan and Tunisia.

An eligible home will be no more than an hour’s drive from Amherst and, in addition to meals, hosts can arrange local activities, such as a sporting event or a museum tour. Homestay dates are from June 27 to July 14 and those interested should contact Theresa Wodecki at twodecki@donahue.umass.edu or 413-575-1709.

The Civic Initiative has been running exchange programs in the region since 2003 and more than 1,500 alumni from over 100 countries and homestays have been part of the exchange experience. Civic Initiative staff handles the drop-off and pick-up transportation for the visiting scholars.

Mini-golf fundraiser

Amherst Education Foundation is holding its fifth annual Mini-Golf Fundraiser on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Western Mass Family Golf Center in Hadley.

To register for the event, go to bit.ly/2025minigolf.

The foundation, which each fall puts on the Trivia Bee, is also raising money through a raffle of gift certificates from various businesses. All proceeds go toward funding education grants to public school teachers and staff in Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury. 

History of Emancipation and Juneteenth

The Jones Library is giving people the opportunity to learn more about the Juneteenth federal holiday during a presentation by Christopher Daley via Zoom on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Daley, a retired history teacher in Kingston, will talk about the abolitionist movement, the presidential election of Abraham Lincoln, Fremont’s Emancipation, Hunter’s Emancipation, and General Benjamin Butler’s “Contraband of War” orders, before tracing Juneteenth’s evolution from a local celebration in Galveston, Texas to its recognition as a national holiday.

To register via Zoom, go to https://www.joneslibrary.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=17050.

For more information about the program funded by the Friends of the Jones Libraries, contact Janet Ryan at ryanj@joneslibrary.org.