St. Stanislaus School benefit, 9 to 4 in Kolbe Hall, Adams. Bake sale, snack bar, games, Chinese auctions, money raffle, crafts, and pierogi.
Blackinton Union Church, 1373 Massachusetts Ave., North Adams; 10 to 2. Crafts table, bake sale, Chinese auction, the Christmas table, and kid's grab bag. Lunch $4, $2 kids.
First Congregational Church, North Adams, 9-2.
Nov. 28 Becket Federated Church, Route 8, holiday bazaar from 9-3. Lunch, crafts, baked goods, holiday and other items. Information: Mary Peltier, Parish House, 413-623-5217.
Dec. 5
Holiday Fair at First Congregational Church, 25 Park Place, Lee, from 10 to 3; handcrafted items, raffles, children's shop, bake sale, cut Christmas trees and lunch from 11 to 1. Includes angel-themed goods from SERRV. Information, 413-243-1033 or www.ucc-lee.org.
Dec. 12-13
North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Information: Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.
Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here.
We're trying out blogs to offer shorter, easy-to-find news. Let us know what you think.
Send press releases and announcements to info@iberkshires.com. Need to contact someone at iBerkshires? Here's how.
Mammography Dispute The government's issued controversial new guidelines stating that women shouldn't get annual mammograms until age 50, rather than age 40.
iBerkshires will be meeting with local medical experts Monday. Have a question you'd like answered on this issue? Send it info@iberkshires.com with "mammogram" in the subject line.
Staff reports iBerkshires 05:17PM / Thursday, November 20, 2008
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — James Van Dyke didn't expect to spend so much time in classrooms.
But the vice president of environmental sustainability at Jiminy Peak Ski Resort has been finding himself speaking more and more to students about the wide range of possibilities for those considering careers in the environment, energy and engineering — among a host of other disciplines — because of the resort's landmark wind turbine.
"They all come into play," he told a crowded theater of area juniors and seniors last week at the Berkshire STEM Career Fair at Berkshire Community College.
"It's turned to be a probably bigger portion than we had anticipated," he said later, because of the resort's wind turbine Zephyr. "The public's reception of the project has been absolutely huge. ... When possible, we try to do outreach in the schools."
That's included talking with Taconic High School students who did a presention on Zephyr at the Region 1 Science Fair in May.
"It's showing the real-world applications of what they're learning," said Julie Hannum, BCC's tech prep coordinator. The college is the lead agency of the Berkshire Tech Prep Consortium, a partnership among local colleges, Berkshire County public high schools and area employers.
Hayden Kuhn, Ian Jones and David Jones of Mount Greylock
The Berkshire STEM Pipeline promotes careers and further education in science, technology, engineering and math.
Van Dyke was the keynote speaker for the event, which brought nearly 400 students from 11 Berkshire high schools together with 29 local employers and higher education institutes ranging from the Pittsfield Fire Department to Interprint to Unistress to the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts to the Marine Corps.
The fair covered two floors of the Susan B. Anthony Center and students milled around the tables, watching videos, peering through microscopes and perusing brochures as they peppered employers with questions about opportunities, salaries and requirements.
"We're looking for apprentices," said Mark Kuenzel, training director for the local. "There's been a lot of interest."
To keep them moving, each table handed out a sticker to be placed on the student's fair badge; once they got 20 stars, they could drop their badge into a raffle for Berkshire Mall gift certificates, BCC and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts items, flash drives and more.
Some students, like Kayla Whitman and Nissa Kuta of McCann Technical School in North Adams, already know what they want to do — accounting — but were looking for places to do it, Covanta Energy Crop. Pam Crawford and Katie Duerr, both seniors at Mount Everett Regional School, were both interested in nursing and checking out the tables related to health care to look at possibilities. Hayden Kuhn, Ian Jones and David Jones of Mount Greylock Regional High School were intrigued by the types of technology being used right here in the Berkshires.
Some STEM aspects weren't readily apparent at some tables, which helped prompt students to ask questions.
"How does this relate to science and technology," a student asked Randy Stein, a firefighter in the Pittsfield Fire Department. Stein replied that firefighters have to carry 70 pounds of equipment; "Engineering equipment that weighs less can be a lifesaver."
It can also mean working on anything from high-tech heat and smoke detectors to inflammable materials, he said.
