South County notes

Print Story | Email Story
Bush Bash LENOX — More than 300 community members attended the Beat Bush Bash Saturday, a dance-party fundraiser at Eastover Resort, organizers said. Sixty attendees also signed up to canvas for Sen. John Kerry in swing states. The $6,500 raised will go to Kerry’s General Election Legal and Compliance Fund, to ensure sure that every vote is countable, counted and that if a recount is needed, there are the resources to fight for it, said Amy Cotler, spokeswoman for the South County book club that organized the event. The fundraiser was made possible through the support of Eastover, The BFG disc jockey, auction donors and numerous volunteers and local businesses, who planned, worked and cooked countless dishes, Cotler said. She said the "event" will continue, as local volunteers hold tag and bake sales to raise additional funds and start to canvas in swing states. Information: Cotler, 232-7174. Mahaiwe boost GREAT BARRINGTON — Lola Jaffe, president and chairwoman of Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center Inc., has announced that the Berkshire Bank Foundation has made an additional pledge of $250,000 toward the restoration of The Mahaiwe Theatre on Castle Street. With the gift, The Mahaiwe has fully matched a $500,000 grant approved by the Legislature in June, Jaffe said. The Berkshire Bank Foundation’s gift, along with gifts from two Mahaiwe board members and the state grant, total $1 million in new monies for The Mahaiwe, she said. The gift was Berkshire Bank Foundation’s third for The Mahaiwe’s renovation, which in the aggregate stands at more than $500,000. The lobby of The Mahaiwe will be named for the Berkshire Bank Foundation. “Berkshire Bank has been a tremendous partner through this entire renovation process,” Jaffe said in a news release. The Legislature initially approved the state grant in June, but that was vetoed by Gov. Mitt Romney. His veto was subsequently overturned. “Smitty Pignatelli, Peter Larkin and Andrea Nuciforo worked miracles to get this funding for Berkshire cultural organizations, and now we are thrilled to be able to meet the match so quickly,” Jaffe said. “The $500,000 voted by the Legislature leveraged increased capital commitments from the Berkshire Bank Foundation and two members of our board of directors. With $1 million in new monies, we can now repair the stage roof and complete our sprinkler system before we have our October events. This will also be a good base for us to start on for the next phase of work, which will start late December.” Planned restoration from December through May includes decorative painting and lighting, a renovated exterior, including a new marquee and new front steps with wheelchair access, a reinforced theater grid and installation of a 35mm film projection system with Dolby Surround Sound. Future phases will include a new box office, new restrooms and new seats. Fundraising for this $6.5 million project has well exceeded its halfway mark, Jaffee said. Candidates Forum GREAT BARRINGTON—With the Democratic primaries fast approaching, the Southern Berkshire Democratic Coalition has announced a Candidate’s Forum on Wednesday, Sept. 8, at the Monument Mountain Regional High School auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m. The forum will feature the two Democratic candidates for Berkshire County district attorney, David Capeless and Timothy Shugrue, as well as Democratic candidates for Governor’s Council, Isaac BenEzra, Peter Vickery, Michael Bissonnette and Tim Rooke. The forum is designed to allow Berkshire County residents to meet the candidates as well as members of their Democratic Town Committees. A question and answer period will follow each candidate’s presentation. Bob Feuer of Stockbridge will moderate. The event is free and open to the public. The Southern Berkshire Democratic Coalition is composed of several chairmen of Democratic Town Committees in the Southern Berkshires. Sheffield lecture SHEFFIELD — The Sheffield Historical Society will present “Sheffield’s Remarkable Greek Revival houses,” a power-point presentation with Gillian Hettinger on Friday, Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Dewy Memorial Hall (Route 7). A stroll through Sheffield and Ashley Falls reveals outstanding examples of Greek Revival architecture. Many local public and private buildings have the striking simplicity and classic proportions characteristic of the architectural style that became known as the National Style and was practiced between 1820 and 1850. The program will focus on recognizing the hallmarks of this distinctive type of architecture, with the goal of preserving and valuing a Sheffield heritage to be treasured. The event is open to the public and refreshments will be served. Hettinger holds a doctorate in British literature from Drew University, where she was a Garden State Fellow. She has also received fellowships to Princeton and Columbia Universities and most recently, a Geraldine R. Dodge fellowship to study the work of Ernest Hemingway in Spain. She teaches high school English and is editing a work on 17th-century Chinese history, which will be published by Harvard University Press. Tours of the Dan Raymond House are available Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Mark Dewey Research Center is open Monday and Friday from 1:30 to 4 p.m. and by appointment. The exhibition “Life Along the River” is on view in the Old Stone Store. Hours are Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Information: Sheffield Historical Society, 159-161 Main St., P.O. Box 747, Sheffield, MA 01257, 229-2694 or e-mail shs@sheffieldhistory.org. Tub Parade LENOX — The 13th annual Lenox Tub Parade will be held Saturday, Sept. 11, at 1:30 p.m. in Historic Lenox Village. Once again, the Lenox Chamber of Commerce will join with the Colonial Carriage and Driving Society in presenting a re-enactment of the historic tradition. The Lenox Tub Parade is designed to commemorate a great period in history — the Gilded Age, during the latter part of the 19th century, when such fabled tycoons as Westinghouse, Carnegie and Proctor America’s “royalty” made Lenox their summer retreat. Each September, those first families of American industry closed their mansions and marked the end of the season with a parade down Main Street showcasing their prized horses, carriages (also known as “tubs”) and flowers. Many of the tubs in this year’s parade are antiques that have been restored to their original form. Each Tub Parade honors those who have made a significant contribution to our community. This year, the parade will honor state Rep. William J. “Smitty” Pignatelli for his work helping to secure a substantial tax credit for the town. Immediately following the parade, there will be a Victorian tea at Ventfort Hall from 2 to 5. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children and includes a guided tour. Ventfort Hall, a Gilded Age mansion built by Sarah and George Morgan in 1893 as a summer home, has undergone extensive restoration over the last several years. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and most recently was the site of the orphanage in the acclaimed film “Cider House Rules.” Ventfort Hall Museum of the Gilded Age is at 104 Walker Street in Lenox. Information and reservations for the tea: www.gildedage.org or 637-3206. Also on Saturday, The Mount Estate & Gardens will be open for tours from9 to 5. The cost for a tour is $16 for adults, children under 12 free. The Mount is on the corner of Route 7 and Plunkett Street. Information: www.edithwharton.org or 637-6900. The Berkshire Scenic Railway and Museum also plans to offer a 2 1/2-hour round-trip excursion from Lenox Station to Stockbridge, narrated by a uniformed conductor. Using a diesel locomotive from the 1950s and vintage standard gauge coaches from the 1920s, the ride provides an introduction to the history of railroading in Western Massachusetts and across the country. The museum includes antique rail equipment, two model railroads, local history, gilded age displays and a gift shop. The cost for the excursion, which includes admission to the museum, is $13 for adults, $11 for seniors and $8 for children 4 to 14. The Berkshire Scenic Railway is at Housatonic Street and Willow Creek Road. Information: www.berkshirescenicrailroad.org or 637-2210. Donations to the Tub Parade: Chamber Executive Director Victoria Ross, 637-3646 or e-mail info@lenox.org. Pool nights GREAT BARRINGTON — Berkshire South Regional Community Center has invited families to enjoy a new program in its Aquatic Center. “Wicked Water Mania” will be offered every Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., featuring music, large floats and water versions of popular games such as volleyball and basketball. In addition to games in the main pool, the Children’s Splash Playground will be open for younger children. The program is free to members. Day passes for guests are $10 for adults, $5 for children 5 to 18, with a $25 family maximum. Information: 528.2810 or visit the center at 15 Crissey Road, just north of the Price Chopper Plaza. Berkshire South Regional Community Center is a nonprofit organization open to all. Financial aid is available. Note: The Community Center will be closed on Monday, Sept. 6 for Labor Day and from Sept. 7 to Sept. 11 for its annual shutdown for maintenance and cleaning. For those wanting to sign up for a program or membership during that time, a receptionist will be available Tuesday through Friday from 9 to noon to handle phone or fax registrations accompanied by credit-card payment. The center will reopen on Sunday, Sept. 12, at 8 a.m. to begin the new programming session. Charity golf STOCKBRIDGE — The Marians of the Immaculate Conception have announced that the annual charity golf tournament, "Slice of Heaven," on July 16 at the Egremont Country Club raised over $20,000 for Berkshire County charities. More than 100 local and regional businesses donated money and prizes to the annual tournament, which drew over 35 teams to compete. Proceeds of the tournament benefited the Catholic Youth Center, Catholic Schools of Pittsfield, Children’s Health Program and HospiceCare of the Berkshires. Since its beginning in 1997, the Slice of Heaven tournament has raised over $140,000 for local charities, according to a news release. The Rev. Dan Papineau, chairman of the event, said, "The success of this tournament is due to the outstanding generosity of the local business community and to our wonderful volunteers. The Marian congregation and our employees have a long history of supporting local charities, and it is a joy to support these worthy causes." The Marians of the Immaculate Conception is a congregation of some 600 priests and brothers in 17 countries around the world. In addition to being the custodians of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, the congregation operates the publishing apostolate Marian Press. This apostolate publishes the magazines Marian Helper, Fuente De Misericordia and Roze Maryi. Dance programs GREAT BARRINGTON — Berkshire South Regional Community Center has announced three new dance programs. Karl Finger will run a “Dancercize and International Folk Dance” program on the first, third and fifth Monday of each month, September through February, from 7 to 9 p.m. Instruction will take up the first hour, with more ambitious dancing the second hour. No partner is necessary. The cost for each evening is $5 for members, $7 for non-members. Finger will also lead a “Contra & Square Dance Class & Dance Party” on the second and fourth Monday of each month, September through February, from 7 to 9. Again, the first hour will consist of instruction, and the second will be open dance party based on that instruction. The cost for each evening is $5 for members, $7 for non-members. The Community Center will also offer a Friday night “Social Dance Party,” the second Friday of each month, September through February, from 7 to 9. “Dancin’ Dave” will teach popular dances then open the dance floor for social dancing. No partner is necessary. Dances will include merengue, salsa, fox trot, ’50s swing, East Coast swing and cha cha. The cost again will be $5 for members, $7 for non-members. Information or to register: 528-2810, or visit the center, 15 Crissey Road. Fire safety LENOX — State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, D-Lenox, joined colleagues in passing a new fire safety bill that requires installation of sprinklers in nightclubs with a capacity of over 100 people. The legislation was the result of efforts by legislators, firefighters and families of the victims of the Rhode Island Station Nightclub tragedy. In addition to the sprinkler mandate, the bill provides an increase of $11.5 million in funding for fire departments and fire-safety education. It also establishes criminal penalties for dangerous conditions in public-assembly buildings and for individuals who violate provisions of the state building or fire codes when such violations result in significant injury or death. “Massachusetts got a wake-up call last year, and our Legislature acted swiftly and appropriately,” Pignatelli said in a news release. “The House and Senate worked together with the public-safety community and others who expressed grave concern over this issue. By doing so, we have been able to produce a comprehensive, fair bill that can help Massachusetts protect individuals without placing a tremendous burden on businesses.” The bill includes a provision that eases the financial burden on any business that complies with the new law by providing an accelerated tax-depreciation deduction for the purchase of an automatic sprinkler system required to be installed as a retrofit in existing nightclubs, discotheques, dance halls or bars. It also creates a “two-strike” system for clubs with occupancies of less than 100 that exceed capacity. If a business is cited for such an occupancy violation twice in the same year, it will be compelled to install an automatic sprinkler system within 90 days or shut down. Monthly tea GREAT BARRINGTON — Berkshire South Regional Community Center will host a monthly “Feng Shui Chi Tea” on the second Sunday of each month, beginning Sept. 12 and running through February. Local Feng Shui practitioner Jeanette Maguire will host each tea from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the center. Feng Shui is the art of altering the flow of Chi in a home or business through the manipulation of furnishings and the use of color. An environment with good Feng Shui reportedly creates an invigorating yet peaceful sanctuary while yielding health, wealth, intimacy and self-esteem. Maguire, a second-generation Feng Shui practitioner, began studying Feng Shui in the early 1990s and culminated her training with an 18-month,one-on-one apprenticeship with her mother, Master Jacquelyn Patricia. Maguire lives in the Berkshires and consults throughout the United States. Each tea is designed to be an intimate gathering, limited to 10 people, to discuss the use of color and the manipulation of furnishings. Refreshments will be served. Advance registration is required. The cost for each session is $5 for members, $7 for guests. Information and registration: 528-2810 or visit the center at 15 Crissey Road. Literacy training LEE — The Literacy Network of South Berkshire, a free one-on-one adult literacy program based at the Lee Library, is offering a hands-on, five-session training for volunteers wishing to learn how to teach adults basic reading and English as a Second Language and to help prepare adult learners for the GED (high school equivalency exam). The training will be held at the Fisher Science Building at Simon’s Rock College in Great Barrington for five nights beginning Tuesday, Sept. 7, and ending Tuesday, Sept. 21. All sessions are free and will run from 6 to 9 p.m. Given the diversity of students, the Literacy Network has an increased need for new tutors, according to Education Director Karen Shreefter. She said there is a particular need for tutors to work with adults wanting their GED. According to a recent New York Times article, there is a nationwide trend among adult literacy programs, which are seeing students in their late teens and early 20s needing a high school diploma or GED. The Literacy Network is also experiencing an increase in that student population, Shreefter said. “In the last year, we have seen a 150-percent increase in the number of students wanting to get a high school diplomaa,” she said in a news release. Space is limited, and those interested should call 243-0471 or e-mail karens@litnetsb.org to register or for more information. The training will begin with an orientation session and will focus on the Literacy Network and “The Adult as Learner.” It will be led by Shreefter and Literacy Network ESOL Coordinator Judy Waters. The Sept. 13 and 14 training will concentrate on learning disabilities, language and reading components and how to teach reading. The sessions will be led by Literacy Network co-founders Zoë Dalheim and Peg Smith, who are specialists in teaching adults with learning disabilities and teaching adults how to read. Joining them will be Shreefter. The final sessions on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21 will examine, “Teaching English as a Second Language.” The Monday session will focus on individuals with little or no English and will be led by Waters. The Tuesday session will concentrate on individuals with some English and will be led by ESOL Specialist Christine Polk. “The primary qualifications for being a tutor are: patience, attendance at all training sessions, preparation for tutoring sessions and a commitment to your student,” Shreefter said. For over a decade the Literacy Network has trained almost 500 volunteer tutors to work with adults in South County. Tutors and students meet at mutually convenient times and places once or twice weekly, depending upon the student. Information: www.litnetsb.org. Film festival GREAT BARRINGTON — The Chinese Film Festival that began this spring at Simon’s Rock College of Bard will continue through the fall, offering seven more films on alternate Wednesdays through Nov. 17. Offered in conjunction with this festival and overlapping for several weeks, the Queer Asian Film Festival will present gay-and lesbian-themed Asian films every Wednesday through Oct. 6. Sponsored by the Gender Studies and Asian Studies programs, the festivals were curated by faculty member in Chinese and Asian Studies John B. Weinstein and his students. All of the films will be offered free at 6:30 p.m. in the Lecture Center. Information: 528-7281. The schedule is as follows: Sept. 8, Chinese Film Festival/Queer Asian Film Festival screening of Ang Lee’s “The Wedding Banquet;” Sept. 15, Huang Yushan’s “The Twin Bracelets;” Sept. 22, Tsai Ming-liang’s “Vive L’Amour;” Sept. 29, Takehiro Nakajima’s “Okoge; Oct. 6, Zhang Yuan’s “East Palace, West Palace;” Oct. 20, Mabel Cheung’s “An Autumn’s Tale;” Nov. 3, Ann Hui’s “July Rhapsody;” Nov. 17, Huang Shuqin’s “A Soul Haunted by Painting.”
Share
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
View Full Story

More Stories

Sports
image description

Lee Executes Game Plan to Perfection in Quarter-Final Win

Sports
Sports
image description

Lenox Volleyball Reaches State's Final Four

Sports
Sports
image description

Mount Greylock Boys Win 3rd Straight Regional Crown

Sports
Sports
image description

Mount Greylock Girls Again Top Monson in Western Mass Final

Sports
Sports
image description

Lenox Sweeps Its Way to Western Mass Crown

Sports
Community News
image description

North Adams License Commission Sees Little Need for License...

Community News
Latest Stories
Previous Next

What's Trending?