Black heritage
STOCKBRIDGE — The founding meeting of the African American Heritage Educators Network will take place on Monday, April 12, at 4:30 p.m. in the library of Berkshire Country Day School.
Local educators will unite in an attempt to enhance the teaching of black history, literature and culture in area schools. The project is an affiliate of the African American Heritage Trail, an early initiative of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area.
Great Barrington resident Rachel Fletcher will present a report on the trail. Other items to be discussed are curriculum on local black history, in-service programs for teachers and school activities such as field trips, performances and lectures. The meeting is open to all educators and the public.
The trail is a regional effort to recognize African Americans of national and international prominence and to fully document the “invisible†local history of African Americans in Berkshire and Litchfield counties. It is a collaborative effort that includes scholars from Williams College, the Massachusetts College of Liberate Arts, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Berkshire Community College, Simon’s Rock College and Westchester Community College, as well as local historians, spiritual leaders and historical societies.
The group is planning an inventory of significant sites, people and events and exploring ways to make them more well-known. The educators network will help make such information available to schools, teachers and students. Information: Richard Courage, 528-2562 or racourage@hotmail.com, or Ellen Broderick, 637-4031.
Memorial lecture
STOCKBRIDGE — Chesterwood Museum and the Stockbridge Library Association will sponsor a lecture and book signing by architectural historian Christopher A. Thomas, author of “The Lincoln Memorial and American Life,†on Wednesday, April 14, at 7 p.m. at the library on Main Street. Refreshments will be served. The cost is $5.
Thomas, associate professor of history in art and department chairman at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, has published several articles and books relating to Canadian and American architecture. His recent book focuses on the history of the memorial and how it sparked public debate. Chesterwood is the former country home and studio of sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), best known for creating two great national symbols, the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln in the memorial and The Minute Man in Concord. The museum is open to the public daily, May 1 to Oct. 31.
The library association, founded in 1864, is a private library open to the public Monday to Friday from 9 to 5 p.m.; Saturday 9 to 4 and Monday and Friday evenings 7 to 9. French’s bronze working model of Abraham Lincoln (1910-11) for the Nebraska State Capitol, loaned by the Williams High School Alumni Association, is on exhibit in the Bement Room. The standing statue was completed several years before the memorial statue.
Composting workshop
STOCKBRIDGE – Berkshire Botanical Garden will offer “Composting for Gardening†on Saturday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to noon. Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at the intersection of Routes 102 and 183 in Stockbridge.
The discussion is designed to provide the what, how and why of composting food and yard waste to produce a homemade soil conditioner for gardens and lawns. Composting in the backyard can be a great way to discard household organic material that will eventually enhance the garden with rich nutrients.
Instructor Dicken Crane operates Holiday Farm in Dalton, a farm dedicated to preserving open space and providing homegrown products, from maple syrup to compost. He will demonstrate techniques for creating great compost and evaluate samples, and the group will observe an active compost pile.
The cost for the lecture and demonstration is $12 for members and $15 for non-members. Registration is required: 298-3926. Information about upcoming programs: www.berkshirebotanical.org .
Baseball tryouts
HINSDALE — Dan Duquette Sports Academy will sponsor an Amateur Athletic Union Baseball team for players 12 and younger, beginning on May 1.
The team will play a 28-game schedule, with home games at the academy on 101 Michaels Road. It will play other union teams throughout the state, including America's Past Time in Hudson, The Worcester Heat and the South Shore Seadogs from Hingham. The academy will provide transportation to the games for players.
Tryouts will take place Friday, April 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 10, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Rip City, at the Berkshire Eagle Clock Tower building in Pittsfield, and Friday, April 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the academy. Information: Thad Bzomowski at the Sports Academy 413 655 8077.
"AAU Baseball is designed to run in conjunction with organized Little League and Cal Ripken programs because they schedule their games in tournament formats on weekends," said Sports Academy Director Kent Qualls.
"We hope that this is one of many teams that we sponsor for local kids at the Sports Academy,†said owner Dan Duquette.
Grange event
STOCKBRIDGE — Jim Martin, retired police chief from Cummington, will speak at the Stockbridge Grange Hall on Friday, April 9 at 8 p.m. on “How to Prevent Identity Theft.â€
The presentation is free, open to the public and will last about a half-hour. A covered-dish, potluck supper will precede the meeting at 6:30. Information: 443-4352.
Grange dinner
Stockbridge — The Stockbridge Grange will host a roast pork dinner, family style, in its hall on Church Street from 1 to 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 18.
The public is welcome. The cost is $8 for adults, $4 for children under 12. Take-outs are available. Information: 298-3185.
Riverwalk workday
GREAT BARRINGTON — The Housatonic River Walk will celebrate Earth Day with its first volunteer workday of the season on Saturday, April 17, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The workday will mark the project's 17th year of clean-up and trail-making activities. This year, a special project will showcase a variety of restoration techniques and demonstrate new possibilities for severely abused locations along rivers. These will include a water-collection-and drip-irrigation system, applications of “compost tea,†containing microorganisms for healthy soil development, and planting with native species. New safety upgrades, as well as trailway and trail-entrance renovations, will take place.
Simon’s Rock College, Searles Middle School and others will participate in service-learning education programs. River Walk’s ongoing “Native Natives†program will train interns to propagate native plants from locally collected seeds, while volunteers will continue to remove invasive species and plant buffers of native willows, grasses and other flora.
River Walk has received grants of $10,000 from the Robbins-de Beaumont Foundation, $2,300 from the Lenox Garden Club, a $2,000 Stream Team Implementation Award from Massachusetts Riverways, $2,500 from the Katherine L. W. and Winthrop M. Crane III Charitable Trust, $500 from the Greater Berkshire Foundation Inc. of Berkshire Bank and donations from several local individuals, and businesses, including the Turkeybush Foundation, Windy Hill Farm, Clark and Green, Wheeler and Taylor and the Pittsfield Cooperative Bank.
Workday volunteers are asked to meet at the W.E.B. Du Bois River Garden by the Searles Middle School parking lot on River Street, near Bridge Street. Morning coffee and lunch will be provided. Volunteers can work on other days with landscapers Heather Cupo and Monica Fadding of Marconica. Telephone ahead to make arrangements. Special workdays with other schools and groups may also be arranged.
To date, more than 1,750 volunteers have worked over 15,500 hours to restore the riverbank to its native ecology and to produce a mile of public trail. The easement is managed by the Great Barrington Land Conservancy. Information: www.gbriverwalk.org , Rachel Fletcher, 528-3391, or e-mail river@gbriverwalk.org.
Packer talk
PITTSFIELD — Tina Packer, founder and president of Shakespeare & Company, will be the keynote speaker for this year’s Berkshire County Business Women’s Conference, ‘Women and Power,’ at the Country Club of Pittsfield on Friday, April 16, from 9 to noon.
Sponsored by the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, the conference will explore the manner in which today’s women assume and exert power and authority. In her address, Packer will discuss her ambivalence with the concept of power as she rose from the ranks of performer in England to become one of the leading experts on Shakespeare and theater arts.
Following the address, a panel of area business and civic leaders will lead a discussion outlining their attitudes and observations on women and the use of power. Panelists will include Ruth P. Blodgett, Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Kathryn Mickle and Susan Mongue.
Blodgett is the senior vice president of system planning and program development for Berkshire Health Systems in Pittsfield. Prior to assuming this position, she served as chief operating officer and senior vice president at Berkshire Medical Center and held various positions with Boston area hospitals. She serves on numerous community boards and committees including Berkshire United Way, Berkshire Community College, Hancock Shaker Village and the Colonial Theatre restoration project.
Farley-Bouvier, co-founder of WHEN (Women Helping Empower Neighborhoods), is a councilor-at-large for Pittsfield. Elected in 2003, she serves on the ordinance and rules, finance and public buildings subcommittees and is the liaison to the School Committee. Most recently she was the regional coordinator for the Young Adults with Learning disabilities project.
Mickle is founder and owner of New England Dynamark Security Center of Pittsfield, which provides security equipment and monitoring to area homes and businesses. She served on the national advisory board of the franchise before establishing an independent operation in 1977. She is secretary for the board of the Mass Systems Contractors Association. She is a past chairwoman of the board for the Central Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.
Mongue, senior management counselor for the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, will facilitate the discussion and networking sessions. The program is co-sponsored by the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Banknorth Massachusetts, Berkshire Bank, Hoosac Bank and Legacy Banks.
The cost of the workshop with continental breakfast is $40, and lunch will be provided at noon for an additional $12. Registrations can be made at 499-0933 or www.msbdc.org.
Checks should be made payable to the University of Massachusetts. Information: Susan Mongue or Nancy Bergmann, 499-0933.
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Berkshire County to Elect DA, Governor, More in Primary Election
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield and beyond will elect a Massachusetts governor, attorney general, district attorney for Berkshire County, and other positions in the 2026 state election.
The City Council OK’d the issuance of the State Primary Election warrant, to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and designated polling locations, hours, and police details.
The early voting period for the state primaries will be Aug. 22-28, while early voting for the Nov. 3 state election will be held Oct. 17-30.
In the primary election, voters choose the candidates they prefer for a political party to nominate in the general election held on Nov. 3.
The following positions will be on the primary ballot:
Senator in Congress for the Commonwealth
Governor for the Commonwealth
Lieutenant Governor for the Commonwealth
Attorney General for the Commonwealth
Secretary of State for the Commonwealth
Treasurer of State for the Commonwealth
Auditor for the Commonwealth
Representative in Congress for the First District
Governor's Councillor for the Eighth District
Senator in General Court for the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden Districts
Representative in General Court for the Second Berkshire District
District Attorney for Berkshire County
Register of Probate for the Berkshire Middle District
There are no challengers on the Democratic primary ballot for the re-election of the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and auditor.
On the Republican primary ballot, Michael Minogue of Hamilton and Brian Shortsleeve or Barnstable are vying for the gubernatorial nomination to take on Maura Healey in November; there are no other GOP primary races involving the Berkshires.
As there are no Republican nominees on the primary ballot for secretary of state or auditor, and no independent running in the general election, meaning the primary will essentially determine the winner in those two elections.
For U.S. senator, Edward Markey is being challenged by Seth Moulton in the Democratic primary; the winner will face off against John Deaton of Bolton, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
For the Massachusetts 1st District representative in Congress, Richard Neal is being challenged by Jeromie Whalen of South Hadley; the winner will face off against independent Nadia Milleron of Sheffield.
Closer to home, Paul Mark is unchallenged for state Senate and Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Leigh Davis for state representatives in the Democratic primary, but John Barrett III is being challenged by Andrew Fitch in the 1st Berkshire District.
Tara Jacobs of North Adams is being challenged as District 8 Governor's Councillor by Michael Fenton of Springfield.
There are no Republican or independent candidates for these seats so the winners will essentially be determined by the Democratic primary.
Polling locations for Pittsfield's 7 wards are as usual; polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. during the primaries on Sept. 1.
Pittsfield polling locations:
Ward 1, Precinct A Reid Middle School, 950 North Street
Ward 1, Precinct B Reid Middle School, 950 North Street
Ward 2, Precinct A Morningside Community School, 100 Burbank Street
Ward 2, Precinct B Somerset Fire Station, 9 Somerset Avenue
Ward 3, Precinct A Providence Court, 379 East Street
Ward 3, Precinct B Egremont School, 84 Egremont Avenue
Ward 4, Precinct A Herberg Middle School, 501 Pomeroy Avenue
Ward 4, Precinct B Williams School, 50 Bushey Road
Ward 5, Precinct A Pittsfield Library, One Wendell Avenue
Ward 5, Precinct B Pittsfield Library, One Wendell Avenue
Ward 6, Precinct A Columbus Arms Housing, 65 Columbus Ave.
Ward 6, Precinct B Silvio 0. Conte Community School, 200 West Union St.
Ward 7, Precinct A Pecks Road Fire Station, 54 Pecks Road
Ward 7, Precinct B Capeless Elementary School, 86 Brooks Avenue
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
