WinterFest Brings Hundreds to Downtown North Adams

	Above, spooning out chowder at the North Adams Commons booth at 85 Main. Left, 'Chowder Girls' Heather Ethier, left, and Laurie Lemarc and Bounti-Fare's winning seafood chowder. More photos here.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Winter, again, refused to cooperate in providing snow but that didn't stop hundreds of people from descending on the downtown for the 16th annual WinterFest.

Chowder was spooned out at 85 Main and on Holden Street, while ice sculpture artists displayed their creations along Main Street. Children and adults carted around by David Larabee and his team of Belgians, and

Music and activities were offered at the library in the morning and David Larabee and his team of Belgians carted adults and children around in the afternoon. There was also face painting at The Local, hot chocolate at Hoosac Bank and sidewalk coloring outside 103 Main.

New this year was a firepit, or campfire, on Holden Street that proved a popular attraction for marshmallow toasters (a few people even brought their own food to spit, like hot dogs.)

Organizers had hoped to shut down the street for snow activities but the recent rain and threat of or more sleety precipitation later Saturday canceled that idea.
 
The Winterfest Chowder Cook-off, which ran from noon to 2, provided some heat (including the spicy kind) for festgoers.

Winners of the People's Choice Award hadn't been announced yet so we'll add those in later.

Those trying out the chowder also got a chance to vote for their favorites. Taking the People's Choice Award was Aramark, the dining service for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. In second was North Adams Commons and third was The Hub.

Participating restaurants also included Boston Sea Foods, Hops & Vines, Gramercy Bistro, MCLA's Aramark, North Adams Commons and Williams College Dining Services.

WinterFest continues Saturday night with a skate party at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink from 7 to 9.

Sponsors for the event were Adams Community Bank, Berkshire Bank and Greylock Federal Credit Union; ice block sponsors were Berkshire Emporium & Antiques, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Desperados, Eclipse Mill, I Got Goodies, MCLA Gallery 51, North Adams Regional Hospital and Shear Madness.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.