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Some of the members of the local chapter of the Fire and Iron Motorcycle Club. (Photo courtesy of Fire and Iron Station 100.)

North County Firefighters' Motorcycle Club Turning Non-profit

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Photo courtesy of Fire and Iron Station 100.
ADAMS, Mass. — A group of North County firefighters are hoping to turn a small motorcycle club into a non-profit agency.

The local branch of Fire and Iron, a nationwide motorcycle club for firefighters, have been organizing fundraisers for local charities since their 2006 formation and donating all of their income each year.

However, without nonprofit status, they have been unable to give businesses who donate the proper information for tax purposes, according to President Cory Adelt. Attaining nonprofit status could help the club do even more for local charities by increasing donations.

"We've been wanting to do this since we started but we never had the extra cash to do so," Adelt said of lawyer fees to file the paperwork with the state. "We get donations from businesses but we have nothing to give them... maybe a handwritten note."

To raise the funds for an attorney, the group organized the first fundraiser that will benefit the club.

On Saturday, Nov. 3, Fire and Iron is hosting an adult comedy show with Bucky Lewis at the American Legion in North Adams. Tickets are $20 and are still available, Adelt said.

The event is to "help us help you" by increasing the organization's ability to fund raise, Adelt said.

"We don't have a building to pay for or anything and there is no reason for us to take a profit," Adelt said of the group of about 14  volunteer firefighters from Adams, Cheshire and Clarksburg, and Stamford, Vt.

The group formed out of the Adams Fire Department and has maintained its membership and involvement. With a few years and events under their belt, members have gotten to the point where they feel they can do more and be more in the public eye.

Recently, they held a separate local motorcycle run for those who could not attend the annual Fall Run and raised about $700 for Shriners Children's Hospital in Springfield — presenting the check at the North Adams event. They've also held a motorcycle run to help with medical bills for Adams resident Zack Porio, who was paralyzed in a dirt bike accident.

They've donated to the Boy Scouts and the Florida Fire Department and donated their time to help the Northern Berkshires ROPES program. Outside of the county, they attend and help fundraisers the other chapters in the Northeast are holding.

"It's all about local charity and helping fire departments," Adelt said. "We try to switch up events."

With the members working full time and volunteering with fire departments, the organization isn't planning on organizing any major annual events but instead hosting many smaller events for a variety of charities.

"We branch out a lot of different areas," Adelt said, adding that at the group's annual meeting in January, members will be choosing events and any charity that would like help should contact them.

Adelt said they want their next event to be for a veterans services agency but have yet to finalize the details.

Tags: firefighter,   fundraiser,   motorcycle club,   

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Clarksburg Gets 3 Years of Free Cash Certified

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Town officials have heaved a sigh of relief with the state's certification of free cash for the first time in more than three years.
 
The town's parade of employees through its financial offices the past few years put it behind on closing out its fiscal years between 2021 and 2023. A new treasurer and two part-time accountants have been working the past year in closing the books and filing with the state.
 
The result is the town will have $571,000 in free cash on hand as it begins budget deliberations. However, town meeting last year voted that any free cash be used to replenish the stabilization account
 
Some $231,000 in stabilization was used last year to reduce the tax rate — draining the account. The town's had minimal reserves for the past nine months.
 
Chairman Robert Norcross said he didn't want residents to think the town was suddenly flush with cash. 
 
"We have to keep in mind that we have no money in the stabilization fund and we now have a free cash, so we have now got to replenish that account," he said. "So it's not like we have this money to spend ... most of it will go into the stabilization fund." 
 
The account's been hit several times over the past few fiscal years in place of free cash, which has normally been used for capital spending, to offset the budget and to refill stabilization. Free cash was last used in fiscal 2020.
 
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