President Allen Hanson called the meeting of
the Amherst Club to order at noon on Tuesday, October 25th, 2016, at
the Monkey Bar/Bistro 63, and welcomed us
all.
Now that we are meeting only twice each month, on the second and fourth Tuesday, several members suggested that we have a brown bag lunch at one of the member’s homes on the third Tuesday of the month. Allen thanked Nancy Brose for inaugurating this process by graciously inviting the members to her house for a brown bag lunch on Tuesday, October 18th. Twelve people came and had an enjoyable time! Allen asked if any member would like to host a similar event for November15th at noon. So far no one has offered to host this date, although Barbara Freed offered to host a brown bag lunch on December 20th, and Jean Miller will host one on January 17th. If anyone would like to host November 15th, please let Allen know. Our Talented Members: Phyllis Lehrer congratulated Ellen Kosmer for winning third prize at the juried art show now on display at the Amherst Historical Society’s Strong House. Announcements: Saturday, November 12th. Save the date – The 2016 Amherst Historical Society’s House Tour will take place on Saturday, November 12, from 10 am to 4 pm. This popular event is one of their largest fund raisers. This year’s tour features one of the oldest homes in town and the newest institutional building. A recurrent theme in five of the six buildings is renovation. For example, the earliest house on the tour, built circa 1770, has served as a home, a tavern, a public meeting place, an antique store, and a law office. Buy tickets securely online with PayPal or credit card, or you can purchase tickets at A.J. Hastings, Hadley Garden Center, and at the Strong House, 67 Amity St. Tickets are $20 for AHS members, $25 for non-members in advance, $30 on the day of the tour. Further information at info@amhersthistory.org . Saturday, November 19th. Friends of the Jones Library Holiday Book Fair. 9 AM - 3 PM Friends of the Jones Library sale of gently used books for adults and children, CDs and DVDs at bargain prices. Donate your like-new books to them now! Make room on your shelves for nice new books from the Sale! Speaker: Ellen Kosmer introduced our speaker, Judith Lorei, co-founder of Green Burial in Massachusetts. As a young woman, Judith apprenticed with a funeral enbalmer and funeral director. She decided this wasn’t the career for her but as a result of what she learned in her apprenticeship she became interested in the whole process of modern burials in America – so expensive both financially and in terms of usage of the earth’s resources. Her organization, Green Burials in Massachusetts, promotes a form of natural burial which uses no enbalming, no metal casket, and no burial liner or vault – none of which is required by Massachusetts law. In fact, no state laws regulate burial practices: they are controlled by the town and the particular cemetery – if you choose to use a cemetery: if you have enough land, you may bury people at home. Some cemeteries are now setting aside a portion of their land for green burials. Judith gave examples of someone who was buried in a hand-made rattan casket, and other people who disposed of the casket altogether and were buried in a shroud – all acceptable, if the cemetery allows it. One legal requirement is to have a funeral director present at the burial to ensure that things are done properly. The family must also fill out the necessary paperwork as required by your town. Plain pine boxes or more elaborate carved wooden boxes may be bought from some craftsmen and from some monasteries. For more information, go to www.greenburialma,org or info@greenburialma,org, or call 617-393-5011. Raffle: Phyllis Lehrer won the wine. Nancy Brose won the $10. Your scribe, Linda Honan |
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