Rockwell boost
STOCKBRIDGE — The Norman Rockwell Museum will be featured in a Thanksgiving Day segment airing on the ABC News program "Nightline," Thursday, Nov. 27.
Nightline correspondent John Donvan and a production crew visited the museum on Nov. 24 to film the segment, which focuses on Norman Rockwell's classic "Four Freedoms" paintings. Donvan interviewed Museum Director Laurie Norton Moffatt and other staff members about the continued significance of the paintings, which celebrate their 60th anniversary this year.
The program, hosted by Ted Koppel, will air at 11:35 p.m. on the ABC-TV network.
Berkshire ARC wins major grant
PITTSFIELD —The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded a grant of nearly $1.4 million to the Berkshire County Association for Retarded Citizens to assist a residential program that allows adults with developmental disabilities to live independently while having 24-hour staff support.
U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, announced the award Monday.
“Berkshire County ARC has a long and successful history in our community for funding strong and productive programs,†Olver said in a news release. “This project is vital to the community in supporting the residents as an integral part of our society.â€
Berkshire County ARC is one of only five programs in Massachusetts to receive HUD funding this year, and the $1.39 million grant is the largest award. It will fund the rebuilding of two of the association’s co-op apartment buildings at the corner of First Street and Maplewood Avenue in Pittsfield. According to local officials, the aging structures, dating back to the 1800s, are becoming less and less suitable for their 12 residents, who now range from 40 to 60 years old. Some of the residents have physical limitations, and neither of the buildings is accessible to the handicapped. The apartments are also in great need of upgrading.
The project received letters of support from more than 70 community leaders who recognized the project as valuable to Pittsfield’s revitalization goals.
Berkshire County ARC’s residential program began in 1971 and now has more than 30 sites, including community residences, staffed apartments, apartments with 24-hour staff access known as co-ops, independent apartments and shared living accommodations.
Berkshire County ARC has a mission of assisting and supporting individuals in their quest to identify and realize their chosen lifestyles. Co-ops provide an opportunity for adults with mental retardation to live in apartments with 24 hour access to staff support. The downtown location of the side-by-side buildings has been critical in allowing the residents independence and ease in community integration, according to Berkshire County ARC.
The rebuilding will be carried out in cooperation with the city of Pittsfield in a way that blends with the community, officials said.
The HUD Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program is an assistance program that provides capital advance financing and project rental assistance to nonprofit sponsors for the development and operation of supportive housing to enable persons with disabilities to live as independently as possible.
Information: Berkshire County ARC, 499-4241.
Moonlight Madness this weekend
SHELBURNE FALLS —Moonlight Madness will open the holiday shopping season in Shelburne Falls on Friday, Nov. 28, at 4:30 p.m., adding special features to the traditional evening of family fun and holiday treasure hunting.
Stores and galleries will stay open into the evening for holiday sales, and the streets will be filled with caroling choirs, sidewalk sales, art events and craft demonstrations.
Moonlight Madness, a community tradition, is held annually on the Friday after Thanksgiving and coincides with the annual “Holiday Lighting of the Village.†Mole Hollow Candle Company will provide luminaria to light the sidewalks throughout the village. They will be lit at 5 p.m.
This year, sections of Bridge Street on the Shelburne side and State Street on the Buckland side will be closed in an effort to deal with past safety issues. There will be more room for vendor tables, lights and pedestrians. The closed sections of the streets will be filled with live music and roving performers from 5 to 9 p.m. In order to provide parking for those spots eliminated by the closing of the streets, there will be auxiliary parking lots at Buckland-Shelburne, Arms Academy, West County News and the Trolley Museum yard.
Father Christmas will arrive by water at 4:45 p.m. He will navigate down the Deerfield River into Shelburne Falls on a Zoar Outdoor raft and then parade across the iron bridge to his workshop while being serenaded by the Mohawk Trail Regional High School Select Chorus. He will go to his workshop in the old Aubuchon’s building on State Street in Buckland, where he will greet children all evening. The Mohawk Select Chorus will move on to perform in the lobby of the Bank of Western Massachsetts on the Shelburne side.
Moon Passes, which entitle the holders to participate in special activities and promotions, are on sale at World Eye Book Store in Greenfield, Avery’s Store in Charlemont, Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters, the Trolley Museum, Boswell Books and through the Shelburne Falls Area Business Association at the Visitors Information Center. Passes are $10 for 16 years and older, $5 for 15 years and younger and $25 for families of up to five.
The Moon Pass is not an entrance fee to Moonlight Madness; it is completely optional. People may attend several events without purchasing a pass. Some Moon Pass activities and promotions will be good only on Friday night, while others will extend through the entire weekend of Nov. 28 to 30.
Other activities will include the Santa Claus Express at the Trolley Museum. Santa will visit from the North Pole in his private, brightly decorated caboose, parked next to the Salmon Falls Artisans Showroom. This will also be an opportunity to ride the restored Trolley No. 10 at night. The Cost is $2; children under 6 and Moon Pass holders free.
The Trolley Museum will provide coloring books and offer ornament and jewelry making in the caboose for a small fee, with proceeds to benefit the Western Mass Food Bank. There is parking space in the museum yard.
At the Shelburne Senior Center, the Mountain Masonic Lodge will sell two kinds of soup and give away a cup of coffee or hot chocolate to Moon Pass holders and carolers.
The Senior Center is planning a craft table. Across the street at the Visitors’ Information Center, the Shelburne Falls Women’s Club will hold its annual Cookie Shoppe, with pre-packaged assortments of cookies for the holidays. There will also be hot cider and single cookies for sale. The Information Center will be open to provide public restrooms. On Sunday, Nov. 30, the annual Tuba Christmas street concert will start at 3 p.m.
Moonlight Madness is sponsored by the Shelburne Falls Area Business Association. Information: Art Schwenger, 625-2526 or moonmad@sfaba.org
Darrow School launches campaign
NEW LEBANON, N.Y. — Darrow School, a private coeducational boarding and day school for grades nine through 12, has announced the public launch of its first comprehensive capital campaign: “Changing Lives: A Campaign for Darrow.â€
The campaign kicked off at an appreciation dinner for friends and donors at the school on Oct. 18. Darrow leaders announced a goal of $6 million in gifts and pledges by June 2004.
The board of trustees started the “quiet†phase of the campaign in 2000. Since then, Darrow has raised nearly $5.5 million, more than the school has ever raised in such a short period in its 71-year history.
Capital gifts from the campaign are being used to fund construction of the school’s fine arts center, improve the school’s infrastructure and renovate its historic Shaker buildings. The money will also be used to increase the endowment, provide resources for multi-year programs and for the annual fund. Specific projects have included upgrades to the school’s water system and expansion of technology and computer resources.
Donations to the campaign have included Darrow’s first-ever $1 million-plus gifts: one from a graduate of the school and the other from a private foundation funded by the bequest of an alumnus. Those gifts, along with other contributions from alumni and friends, have made possible the first free-standing facility built at Darrow in more than 30 years, the Joline Arts Center, a 12,000-square-foot building housing studios and lab spaces that opened in September 2002.
“Darrow is in one of its strongest positions in its history,†said Earl “Trip†Samson‚ chairman of the capital campaign and former board chairman. “We are gaining wider recognition among parents and educational consultants as a small, high-quality, college-preparatory boarding school.â€
The school almost closed 12 years ago due to financial difficulties and declining enrollment during tough economic times. In the early 1990s, leaders began an endeavor to redefine the school’s mission and strengthen its programs, admission standards and finances.
The school is now operating in the black, with annual contributions reaching record highs. Opening enrollments for the past three years have reached more than 120 students with diverse nationality, race, ethnicity and religious traditions from 17 states and seven foreign countries. This year, 24 local students from Berkshire and Columbia counties attend Darrow, of whom 15 are enrolled as day students. More than 100 alumni still live in the area.
BCC closed
PITTSFIELD — All Berkshire Community College facilities in Pittsfield, including the Paterson Field House, and the South County Center in Great Barrington, will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27 and 28, for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Pittsfield campus and the South County Center will reopen on Monday, Dec. 1.
Verdura to host celebration of garlic
GREAT BARRINGTON — The Eastern Native Seed Conservancy, in association with Berkshire-Columbia Slow Food, will present a Garlic Society Dinner on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 5 p.m. at Verdura Restaurant.
To celebrate and highlight the versatile bulb, the Garlic Society will bring New York chef Mark Ladner of Lupa’s into the Verdura kitchen to team up with chef William Webber.
New York magazine included Lupa’s in the “Best of New York,†describing it as “the town's winningest new spiritual bistro ... with no attitude.â€
Verdura Restaurant has been described by Collette Rossant of the New York Daily News as “one astoundingly good restaurant.†It is a small trattoria serving rustic Italian food in the heart of Great Barrington, featuring an open kitchen with a wood-burning oven and grill, using only fresh seasonal and organic ingredients.
The two chefs, devoted to garlic and simple traditional rustic Italian cuisine, will create a five-course “feast of the senses†designed for garlic lovers. The purpose of the meal is to highlight the diversity of garlic, the need for its conservation, and the contribution chefs make to support and promote local food.
According to event organizers, most people do not realize that the garlic they buy in the store is nothing like the garlic that can be grown locally in the Northeast. Typically, the store-bought is a single variety, more often than not from California and in most cases grown and processed with chemicals. The garlic grown by small farmers around the region is a wide array of types with a great range of garlic flavors. Dozens of garlic varieties exist.
Because of high public demand, seating for the Garlic Society Dinner has expanded to the adjoining Due Wine Bar and an additional 40 people can be accommodated for the theme meal.
The Garlic Society is an informal gathering of serious garlic lovers at occasional meals that serve as fundraisers for the conservancy's food conservation programs. A substantial portion of the price of the meal will go directly to this organization.
The $69 charge for the dinner includes service and tax but will not cover the cost of wine or other beverages. Wine selections, paired with each course, will be available for purchase by the glass or bottle.
The dinner will also feature a small silent auction, which will include dinners at New York restaurants, such as Craft. Seating is by pre-paid reservation only. Reservations: the Conservancy, 229-8316 or 229-3946, or Verdura Restaurant, 528-8969.
BRTA inks contract
PITTSFIELD — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority has signed a contract with First Transit Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio, for fixed route bus management services effective Jan. 1, 2004.
The contract is for two and one-half years, with two one-year options. First Transit will take over for ATC/Vancom, an Illinois-based company, which has managed the BRTA bus operations since 1982; its contract will expire Dec. 31.
A nationwide solicitation for proposals began in August. A dozen firms requested a copy of the specifications, and three submitted proposals that were reviewed by an evaluation committee comprising three BRTA Advisory Board members. After negotiations and review, First Transit was chosen by BRTA Administrator Chuck MacNeil.
Under the state statute that created the BRTA, management of bus operations must be provided through public competitive procurement. Thus, all bus operations and maintenance personnel are employed by a private company under contract with the BRTA.
The BRTA, which employs six full-time employees, including MacNeil, is responsible for applying for and administering federal, state and local funds, managing all contracts, overseeing a transit program that provides 50,000 annual trips throughout the Berkshires for seniors and disabled individuals and operating a brokerage for Human Service Agency transportation.
The BRTA staff is also responsible for all capital assets and rolling stock, including the recent acquisition of 10 new buses and the construction of the new transit center in downtown Pittsfield.
The BRTA is one of the eight original regional transit authorities created in 1974. Today, there are 14 transit authorities throughout Massachusetts.
Shop promotes ‘green’ power
LENOX — To promote GreenerWatts New England, a new venture of the Center for Ecological Technology, the Arcadian Shop has donated a green Perception Sparky kayak that will be the prize in a drawing.
All Berkshire residents and small businesses signing up for the program before Dec. 1 will be eligible for the prize.
GreenerWatts New England is one of the renewable-energy choices available to Massachusetts Electric Co. customers through the GreenUp program. It gives people an option to support electricity produced from clean sources such as sun, hydropower and wind.
“We believe in the inherent beauty and mystery of the outdoors. It’s our mission to encourage people to get outside and explore the world around them. We also encourage people to join GreenerWatts New England as a direct and powerful way to make a positive difference in protecting the earth,†said Larry Lane, owner of the Arcadian Shop.
Burning fossil fuels, the leading cause of climate change, harms forests, obscures mountain vistas and degrades waterways, according to CET. Officials fear that shorter, warmer winters will worsen conditions for skiing, skating, ice fishing and other outdoor winter activities and believe that increasing the use of clean, non-polluting energy is essential to stemming climate change.
“GreenerWatts New England is a way that many people can directly support clean energy,†said Laura Dubester, CET executive director. “The Arcadian Shop’s support demonstrates the positive connection of renewable energy and outdoor recreation.â€
Information: CET, 800-238-1221, or www.GreenerWattsNewEngland.com.
Legal clinics
PITTSFIELD — The Berkshire Fatherhood Coalition will host free legal clinics on family law on Dec. 3 and 17 at 7 p.m. in dining room A of the Berkshire Medical Center.
Rinaldo Del Gallo, a practicing family law attorney, will be available for questions.
The first clinics of 2004 will be held on Jan. 7 and 21, and Feb. 4 and 18, also at 7 p.m. in the dining room. Information: 443-3150, berkshirefamilies.com or Berkshire_Fatherhood_Coalition@hotmail.com.
Child Care gets grant
NORTH ADAMS — The Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund has announced that Child Care of the Berkshires, in a partnership with Berkshire Center for Families and Children, has received a $35,000 grant to offer “Parenting Journey,†a parenting education and support program.
The Parenting Journey will offer parents free supportive training for being responsible, nurturing parents. By supporting families, the program strengthens the community and help to reduce incidences of child abuse, according to child care officials.
The 12-week program will feature discussions on how to become a better parent. Each meeting will begin with a meal to build a sense of community among those participating.
The group is open to all parents with young children under age 6. It serves residents of North Adams, Adams, Williamstown and Pittsfield. Transportation and childcare are available.
The program, offered by Child Care of the Berkshires, will begin in January at the Sullivan School in North Adams (district-wide outreach) and at the MacInerney Parent Center in Pittsfield. There will be a group as well at the Haskins School in North Adams. Information and registration: Joanne Ranzer, 664-4725, in North Adams; Susan Dawdy, 499-3556, ext. 14, in Pittsfield.
Holiday Fair & Art Walk coming
HOUSATONIC —The sixth annual Holiday Fair and Art Walk, sponsored by aHa! (Association of Housatonic Artists), will be held on Saturday, Dec. 6, from10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In addition to open studios and galleries, there will be a Holiday Fair at the Housatonic School, where Berkshire artists will offer fine art and craft, including wearable art, jewelry, holiday ornaments and more.
A number of shop and galleries will be open for the event, including Tokonoma Gallery & Framing Studio, Front Street Studio/Gallery, Carol Gingles Studio, Housatonic Fine Art, Berkshire Mountain Photographic Workshops, Deb Koffman Studio and Fox-Martin Fine Art, which will also feature Cut it Out/functional garden art, and Claymania, where visitors can paint holiday ornaments.
Fuchsia Homes (doing business as Crispina) will hold its annual holiday sale at Jack’s Grill, and wreaths and holiday greenery will be for sale at the Corner Market. Sabine Vollmer von Falken will make memento portraits at her photography studio on Route 183 in Glendale, just a few minutes drive up the river, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A variety of homemade food by local chefs will be available throughout the day, along with an old-fashioned bake sale. Berkshire Mountain Bakery will be open, featuring sourdough bread.
Events will include live music, a performance from Bob Balogh’s Village Theatre Project and a raffle drawing of items donated by Berkshire artists and local businesses. The raffle will help fund a collaborative arts scholarship/mentoring program for students.
Maps will be available at all locations. Information: Tokonoma Gallery, 274-1166.
Guest lecture
STOCKBRIDGE — The next in the series of Friday night guest lectures at the Erikson Institute for Education and Research will be “Freedom on Fire: Human Rights War and America’s Response,†by John Shattuck.
The lecture will take place on Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. in the large conference room of the Austin Riggs Center, 25 Main St.
Shattuck, the CEO of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in Boston, served as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, from 1993 to 1998 and U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2001. He is the author of “Freedom on Fire: Human Rights Wars and America's Response†(Harvard University Press 2003).
Shattuck will talk about the forces of disintegration he witnessed in Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Rowanda, Haiti and the Middle East, focusing on the relationship between the struggle for human rights and the recent upsurge of terrorism. He will use the lessons derived from the human rights wars of the 1990s to outline a strategy for peace that integrates American values with American diplomacy and strength.
Space is limited. Reservations: Rita Omark, 298-5519, ext. 466.
Knesset Israel Honors Simons
For ‘outstanding contribution’
PITTSFIELD — Community members, friends and family gathered at Congregation Knesset Israel to honor attorney Richard A. Simons for “outstanding contribution†at the annual congregational dinner on Sunday, Nov. 2.
Simons grew up in Pittsfield and attended local schools. He received a bachelor’s degree from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., and a law degree from Boston University School of Law. He began his professional career as an assistant district attorney in Norfolk County and worked for a law firm in Boston before relocating to the Berkshires in 1989 to establish a private practice in Pittsfield, where he is a partner in the firm of Simons, Smith & Gerrard.
He is the secretary of the Berkshire Bar Association, a hearing officer for the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, a member of the Human Rights Committee for Berkshire County ARC and a member of the Berkshire Bar Players.
He was honored by Massachusetts Lawyers’ Weekly in 1999 as one of 10 “Lawyers of the Yearâ€.
“K.I. has always been ‘my home away from home,’ †Simons said. “As far back as I remember, I have been involved in synagogue life. Growing up, I held leadership positions in Junior Congregation and United Synagogue Youth. When I returned to Pittsfield, I joined the board. K.I. is an integral part of our family life.â€
Congregation President Bobbi Cohn said of Simons, “He is a person for whom the words of Torah extend beyond the walls of the sanctuary and into every part of his life. He is truly a role model.â€
The gala evening featured a gourmet meal prepared by the Knesset Israel Men’s Cooking Team and an art gallery with works by Joan Barber, Mitchell Overbee, Evelyn Zwerner, Steve Filmus, Naomi Schwatz and Paul Graubard. Musical entertainment was provided by the Straight Forward Jazz Combo, with Andy Kelly, John Meyers and Carl Easton.
Special Olympics
GREAT BARRINGTON — The Berkshire Area of Special Olympics Massachusetts has received a $2,100 grant from the Central Fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation to support athletic programs and participation in local and state competitions for athletes from Dalton, Becket, Peru, Hinsdale, Cummington, Washington and Windsor.
Jennifer Dowley, president of Berkshire Taconic, announced the grant after its approval by the board of directors on Nov. 17.
More than 25 Special Olympic athletes from the Central Berkshire area participate in adult and youth sport programs in nine different sports throughout the year. The Central Berkshire Fund, formed in 2001, is a permanently endowed fund of the foundation. Its purpose is to improve the quality of life for residents of the towns of Central Berkshire County.
Information: Berkshire Taconic, 271 Main St., Suite 3, Great Barrington, MA, 800-969-2823, or www.berkshiretaconic.org
Christmas concerts
CUMMINGTON — The Hilltown Choral Society will present its 47th annual Christmas Concerts, under the direction of Sandra Epperly, with accompanist Amy Renak, beginning on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the First Congregational Church of Worthington.
Additional concerts will be presented Sunday, Dec. 7, in the Village Congregational Church of Cummington at 4 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 4 in the First Congregational Church of Dalton at 4 p.m. Those attending the concerts have been asked not to wear fragrances.
The suggested donation for each concert is $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Tickets are available in advance or at the door. Information: 442-7237.
Disability grants
PITTSFIELD — The Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation is accepting grant applications from local programs, services and special initiatives that concern individuals in Berkshire County with a physical or developmental disability.
The deadline for grant requests is Jan. 31, 2004. Applicants must be nonprofit agencies with tax-exempt status, i.e., IRS Code Section 501(c)(3).
A board of trustees composed of Berkshire County residents will review all applications and award grants in the spring. Funded initially at $2.5 million, the Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation maintains an annual giving target of $100,000.
In its most recent funding cycle, the foundation awarded 17 grants totaling $103,666 in support of a broad variety of initiatives throughout the Berkshires. For example, the 2003 gifts purchased specialized swimming pool equipment for the Pittsfield Family YMCA, funded an audio-tour guide upgrade and handicapped-accessible seating at Mass. MoCA and enabled Western Massachusetts Legal Services to service a greater number of disabled clients in Berkshire County.
The foundation was chartered in 2001 to honor the 150th anniversary of the founding of Berkshire Life Insurance Company and its merger with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.
Applications may be obtained by writing Laura Rotenberg, Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation, 700 South St., Pittsfield, MA 01201.
Cancer recovery
The American Cancer Society will offer two “Look Good ... Feel Better†programs in December for Berkshire County women undergoing cancer treatment.
The free sessions will be on Monday, Dec. 8, at Steeples Restaurant in North Adams, from 2 to 5 p.m., and Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association and the National Cosmetology Association, “Look Good ... Feel Better†is designed to be a first step toward renewed self-esteem, confidence and emotional recovery for cancer patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy. All sessions will be conducted by licensed cosmetologists.
Women who participate will learn to enhance their appearance using cosmetics and skin-care products. Side effects of treatment, such as hair loss, dry skin and nail changes, will be dealt with in each session. Those participating will learn how to disguise hair loss using wigs, turbans and accessories.
Registration (suggested): American Cancer Society, 445-0005. Further information and support for cancer patients: 800-ACS-2345 or www.cancer.org.
PFLAG meet
WILLIAMSTOWN — The Williamstown / Berkshire Chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, Main Street. Information: 528-6952 or 243-2382.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant
Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.
"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.
A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.
White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.
He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.
Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.
A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.
Cassidy Flynn scattered five hits in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox upset top-seeded Hoosac Valley, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament. click for more
Brayden Durant struck out seven and walked one in a complete-game effort on the mound Saturday to pitch the Drury baseball team to a 6-0 win over Keefe Tech in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament at Joe Wolfe Field. click for more
Jason Codey struck out 13, walked two and allowed just an infield single as the Generals earned a 7-1 win over Wahconah to claim their third straight regional title. click for more
Gracelyn Wright struck out eight, and Genevieve Lagess went 3-for-5 with four runs batted in as the Hurricanes beat Monson, 17-3, to claim their first Western Mass title in four years. click for more
For the boys, Ward Bianchi helped lead the way with a win in the shot put and a second place in the javelin as the Mounties finished 16 points ahead of runner-up Pittsfield (pending the results of the pole vault, which were unavailable at 11 p.m. Friday night). click for more
