Winterfest 2014 Brings Hundreds Downtown

	Hundreds of people descended on downtown North Adams to sample local chowder and watch ice sculptures being made. See more photos here.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — For the first time in several years, winter arrived for Winterfest.

The storm that blew through the region left more than enough snow for Saturday's 17th annual event.

The festivities included music at various venues, pony rides from Bonnie Lea Farm and marshmallow roasting at the fire pit on Holden Street, ice sculptures crafted by onsite and the popular Chowder Cookoff.

Holding on to to first for the second year in a row was Bounti-Fare with a seafood chowder. The judges — Matt Schilling of The Hub (which came in third last year but didn't enter this year), Ed Damon of The Berkshire Eagle and iBerkshires' Editor Tammy Daniels — also selected Boston Sea Foods for second and Williams College Dining Services for third.

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.