Calendar

Music

 · Amherst Musical Showcase - Dick Partridge performs music of the '40s and '50s FRIDAY, Feb. 17, 2 p.m., Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk, Amherst. Free. Refreshments.

Hampshire Life: U.S. Rep. Silvio O. Conte's legacy as Republican moderate

One day in October 1990, Silvio Ottavio Conte - a month from winning his 17th election in the 1st Congressional District and four months from being felled by complications of prostate cancer - granted his umpteenth newspaper interview. "I think people feel we're part of a family - Democrat, Republican or whatever," Conte, a Republican, told a reporter for The Boston Globe. Not everyone in Congress was celebrating that family feeling. Even then, the "whatever" ranks were thinning.

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Gardener's Checklist

Moisten germination (seed-starting) mixes before sowing seeds. This is especially important when using soil-less mixes consisting mostly of peat moss, which is slow to absorb water. I put my germination mix in a large dishpan, add water and knead until it is uniformly moist. At that point, it is ready for my seed flats or pots.

Headliners

Two women, 10 strings

Best known as a member of Crooked Still, the Boston-based band that has "blazed new trails with their explorations of mostly traditional American roots music put to a freshly woven string groove" (Fiddler magazine), Brittany Haas is adept at bluegrass, Celtic, Scandinavian and swing, as well as fiddle and banjo styles so modern they don't have a name - a versatility all the more remarkable considering she's been a full-time musician for less than two years since graduating from Princeton University in 2009. Not far behind her in fiddling virtuosity is Lauren Rioux, who, originally trained as a classical violinist, has been a fixture as a teacher and performer in her native Maine for a decade or so and who boasts a beautiful singing voice as well.

Movie Capsules

THE ARTIST: In 1927 Hollywood, as silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) worries about the arrival of the talkies, he begins a friendship with Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), a young dancer set for a big break. Also stars John Goodman, James Cromwell. Rated PG-13.

Movie Times

Contact theaters to verify titles and times, which are subject to change.

AMHERST CINEMA 28 Amity St., Amherst 253-2547 amherstcinema.org

The Artist (PG-13) Daily 2 (2:20 on Sat.), 4:45, 7:25, 9:35; Sun.-Mon. also 11:30 a.m.

A Dangerous Method (R) Daily 1:45, 4:30, 7:10, 9:20; Sat.-Mon. also 11:15 a.m.

Leonardo Live (NR) Sat. noon

Style Stop: Joel Otero

Newlyweds Joel and Shelly Otero of Trumbull, Conn., were in Northampton celebrating their first Valentine's Day together when Hampshire Life's style team noticed Joel's exceptional color coordination.