Taconic High Station to Broadcast Colonials Games

By Larry KratkaBerkshire News Network
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Taconic senior Billy Madewell, WBTR's program director, will be a color commentator for the Colonials this summer.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Colonials will be on the air as they return for a second season at historic Wahconah Park with the help of some Taconic High broadcasters.

The Pittsfield School Committee on Wednesday approved an educational partnership between the Pittsfield School System and the Canadian-American League team that will enable the team's home games to be broadcast on Taconic High School's FM radio station, 89.7 WTBR. 

Buddy Lewis, co-owner of the Pittsfield Colonials, told the School Committee that WTBR will broadcast 51 of the 54 home games from Wahconah Park and possibly some away games as well. Lewis also said two WTBR students would be hired by the Colonials as student interns — one to do the PA announcing and another to work with Colonials play-by-play announcer, Chad Cooper, as color commentator. 

WTBR student adviser Larry Kratka, morning news host for Vox Communications stations in the Berkshires, said he was most happy about the two students landing summer jobs. 


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"Billy Madewell is the current student program director and he hopes to pursue sports communications at MCLA in the fall," said Kratka, adding Madewell considers this a dream job.

The student-run radio station offers more than 80 hours of programming a week and has some three dozen students and more than a dozen adults working to keep the signal going. The 89.7 WTBR-FM 400-watt signal is quite powerful and can be heard all the way to Cheshire to the north, New Lebanon, N.Y., to the west and Lee to the south. WTBR also streams live on the Internet. 

Lewis said a press conference will be held next week to release more details of the partnership.
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Pittsfield Parks OKs Annual Events, Hears Wahconah Park Idea

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Parks Commission signed off on some annual city events on Tuesday. 

Commissioners approved the 80th annual Eggstravaganza Egg Scramble, the Westside Legends' 6th annual Easter egg hunt, and another lineup of Eagles Band concerts in the park.  The Eagles Community Band is in its 90th year. 

Pittsfield's 80th egg hunt will be held at The Common on Saturday, April 4 (rain date April 11) from 10 to noon. The free event is open to children ages 2-11 and will feature a balloon artist, a face painter, the Easter bunny, and, of course, plastic eggs filled with small prizes. 

The Westside Easter Egg Hunt, organized by the Westside Legends, is on the same day, April 4, from 1 to 3 p.m at Durant Park.  It was scheduled to not conflict with the city's event, and will include tabling from community organizations, and some raffles. 

City officials are also planning an opportunity to appreciate the Wahconah Park grandstand's century of history in Pittsfield. Demolition is currently out to bid, and prices are expected the first week of March. 

"We want to have some conversation around opening up the grandstand one last time for the community to come in and look around and share memories," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath reported. 

"I think it would we'd be remiss if we just brought in the wrecking ball and people were like, 'Wait a minute, I didn't have a chance to have one last look out from my favorite spot in the grandstand,' So we're going to figure out how to do that, how to get that done safely, and just how to celebrate this with some folks." 

He has been in touch with Larry Moore of Berkshire Baseball to share facts about the park, "and just remind people how much of a storied past Wahconah Park has had, and just keep hope alive for the next iteration of Wahconah Park, whatever that looks like." 

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