Pittsfield to Welcome 'Irish Idol' Winner

Staff reportsiBerkshires
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PITTSFIELD — A delegation from Pittsfield's Irish sister city Ballina arrives in the city today along with the winner of Ireland's own version of "American Idol" — Liam Geddes.

Pittsfield and Ballina, located in County Mayo, have been sending official delegations of civic leaders and residents for the past decade. In July, 41 area residents traveled to Ballina to celebrate the sister cities' 10th anniversary during the 10-day Ballina Street Festival.

The Pittsfield Irish Sister City Committee is hosting the visit by from Ballina's Councillor Mary Kelly and son, Jason Kelly; Matt Farrell, Sister City Committee member and chairman of both the Ballina Street Festival and the St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festivities; and "Irish Idol" sensation and Ballina native Geddes and his parents, Deirdre and Liam Geddes Sr.

The public is invited to a reception at 2 on Wednesday, Oct. 8, in the City Council Chambers at City Hall by Mayor James M. Ruberto, the Pittsfield City Council, the Sister City Commission and the Irish Sister City Committee. The delegation will visit schools and area attractions.

Highlighting the week, Liam Geddes will make his American debut at Pittsfield's Colonial Theatre at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10. Appearing with him will be the Pittsfield Sister City Jazz Ambassadors, guest vocalists Caroline Sinico, Vicky True and Daniel Alberts and the Stepdancers from the Michael Farrell School of Irish Dance. 

The Colonial event will benefit the St. Joseph's High School boy's basketball Cultural Exchange Trip to Ballina in July 2009. St. Joseph's hosted 20 boys from the Ballina Brave's basketball team for a nine-day visit in November 2007. Tickets are available at the Colonial box office at 413-997-4444 or www.thecolonialtheatre.org.

The delegation will be welcomed tonight at the Crowne Plaza and will head to O'Laughlin's Restaurant and Pub.

Geddes will visit St. Joseph's High School on Wednesday morning at 10 and will be a guest on WBEC-1420 AM from 11 to 11:30 before attending the City Hall reception.

On Thursday, Geddes and his parents will appear on Taconic High School's radio station WTBR-87.9 FM from 8 to 8:30 a.m.; Geddes and the Sister City Music Ambassadors will appear on Channel 16's "Jerry's Place" from 7 to 8 p.m. on PCTV/Pittsfield Community TV.

Following Friday's show at the Colonial, there will be a meet and greet at Jae's Spice on North Street.
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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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