Pittsfield Joining North Adams in Mayor's Fitness Challenge

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Little known fact: North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright starts his day by drinking a glass of ice cold Diet Coke. And up until last spring, he spent the day refilling that glass over and over again with soda.

But last spring, when he participated in the city's inaugural Mayor's Fitness Challenge program, he took the advice of Mass in Motion Coordinator Amanda Chilson and made a change: Instead of refilling the glass with soda throughout the day, he refilled it with water.

Those kinds of small changes are the aim of the Mayor's Fitness Challenge.

"This gave me the opportunity to change a few things," Alcombright said Monday. "It's about making subtle changes in your life that will hopefully stick and lead to other changes."

Alcombright was speaking in the North Adams City Council Chambers at an announcement that the Mayor's Fitness Challenge, a national program that came to North Adams last year, is returning this year with a new twist: The city of Pittsfield and its mayor, Daniel Bianchi, also are participating this year in a friendly rivalry between the county's two cities.

Bianchi said that like many other local endeavors this will benefit from getting more county residents on board.

"We're much stronger in any initiative ... when we think of the broader community," he said.
 

The challenge works by encouraging individuals and teams to sign up for the 10-week program and track their healthy habits using a point system, everything from drinking water to hiking at Windsor Lake and to attending a lecture on nutrition. New this year are "mega bonus points" rewarded to North Adams participants who attend a Pittsfield event and Pittsfield participants who attend a North Adams event. It is open to anyone who lives in or works in North Adams and Pittsfield; prizes will be awarded at the end.

In its inaugural year in North Adams, more than 600 people signed up, Chilson said, with about half that number finishing the challenge and submitting completed forms. That exceeded her expectations.

DiLego Jewelry to Close After Nearly 100 Years in Business

By Daniel MatziBerkshires correspondent
05:28AM / Tuesday, May 07, 2024

Sisters Pamela Costine, left, and Cynthia Lamore have been operating the store since their aunts retired in 1987. Both started working in the business as teens.  Lamore's decided it's time to retire. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — DiLego Jewelery Store, the family-owned business that has been a staple of North Adams for nearly a century, will be closing this summer. 

 

The closure was announced on the store's Facebook page late Sunday night, where it immediately drew comments of remembrance and well-wishing.

 

Cindy Lamore, whose great uncle Frank DiLego opened the store on Main Street in the late 1930s, said the shop will cease operations following her retirement, slated for June 30. A 20 percent off Mother's Day sale will begin immediately, with increasing discounts leading up to the closing date.

 

It took Lamore "a couple of years" to reach the decision to close. Witnessing the passing of lifelong friends or their struggles with debilitating illness prompted her to reconsider her priorities, especially considering the extensive time devoted to running a small business. 

 

"You really question what you're waiting for," she reflected.

 

While recognizing that changing consumer habits have led to a decrease in jewelry and watch sales in recent years, Lamore stressed that her decision to close was a personal one. She and her business partner and sister, Pamela Costine, wanted "to do it on our terms," she said.

 

Comments on Facebook praised the store's customer service, and friends, family, and customers alike reminisced about buying jewelry for special occasions, stopping in for watch repairs, and the perennial rite of childhood for many: getting ears pierced.