Cultural Pittsfield This Week: Nov. 21-27

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Shop Local This Holiday Season!

Shop Local. Eat Local. Spend Local. Enjoy Local.  You will notice these signs around Pittsfield.  As you begin to dive into the holiday shopping season, please keep in mind all that the retailers and restaurants and art galleries (see below) of Pittsfield have to offer.  Think outside the box this season and before you click "Buy Now" consider buying that item locally.  Happy shopping!


Pop Up Art  

Friday-Saturday+: Pop Up Art Show at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts

Give the gift of art this Holiday Season!  Start your shopping at the The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts  Pop Up Art Show, taking place during two weekends this month.  Featured artists include:  Michael Boroniec; Mario Caluori;  ‎Lucie Castaldo; Tom Ciaburri; Joanie Ciolfi; Peg Dotchin; Crispina Ffrench; Susan Himmel; John Houseman; Michelle Iglesias; Edward J. Moran; Stephanie Quetti; Allan Seppa; Ellie Spangler; Scott Taylor; Donna Tukel; Warren Vienneau; Nicole Webster Clark.  Click here for more information.

Friday-Saturday, November 21-22 AND Saturday, November 29 | 11am-4pm | Lichtenstein Center for the Arts | 28 Renne Avenue | 413-499-9348 | NO COVER


 

Friday+: Berkshire Museum's Festival of Trees 2014: On Safari!

The 2014 Festival of trees is open!  This year you can view a wildlife expedition through the galleries! More than 100 holiday trees are decorated to evoke an exotic safari adventure.  The trees are on view  through Sunday, January 4. Don't forget your binoculars!

Through January 4 | 10am-5pm Monday-Saturday; 12pm-5pm Sunday | Berkshire Museum | 39 South Street |413-443-7171 | $13 adult; $6 child; Museum members & children 3 and under FREE


 

Friday: Wee-Muse Adventures At Berkshire Museum

Little ones can explore the Aquarium and three Museum galleries!Each week features songs, stories, scavenger hunts, play time, and more. Check our weekly e-news for each week's theme. This program is geared towards children 18 months to 3 years. Older and younger siblings are always welcome.

Friday, November 21 | 11am-11:30am | Berkshire Museum | 39 South Street | 413-443-7171 x 10 | FREE with admission


 

FridayFriday Night Fashion at Berkshire Running Center

Join the Berkshire Running Center as they go through their Fall and Winter apparel collection! This is not your traditional fashion show with models parading around (although we will have some modeling!) It is much more informative.  They'll be going through the different apparel options to keep you running through the winter.

Friday, November 21 | 5pm-7pm | Berkshire Running Center | 42 Summer Street | 413-344-4472| NO COVER


 

Friday: Paint And Sip Night at The Dirty Brush

Enjoy an evening of fabulous appetizers and $3 drinks while painting the featured canvas: red poinsettia. There will be individualized and classroom style instruction to teach you how to paint a large wall size professional canvas. No experience necessary.  The party continues at 9pm with free entertainment.

Friday, November 21 | 6pm-9pm | The Crowne Plaza | One West Street | 413-442-9300|$35


 

Friday: Benefit Concert at South Congregational Church

Tommy T & Black Velvet have generously donated their time and talent to help kick off this wonderful event.  The suggested donation is $15 and all proceeds will go to the "Thanksgiving Angels", the 13 faith-based groups in the City that will provide Thanksgiving meals for an estimated 1,400 families, roughly between 5,000 and 6,000 men, women and children.

Friday, November 21 | 7pm | South Congregational Church | 110 South Street| 413-442-7357 | $15


 

Friday-Monday: Art And Craft at The Little Cinema

Mark Landis has been called one of the most prolific art forgers in US history. His impressive body of work spans thirty years, covering a wide range of painting styles and periods that includes 15th Century Icons, Picasso, and even Walt Disney. And while the copies could fetch impressive sums on the open market, Landis isn't in it for money. Posing as a philanthropic donor, a grieving executor of a family member's will, and most recently as a Jesuit priest, Landis has given away hundreds of works over the years to a staggering list of institutions across the United States. But after duping Matthew Leininger, a tenacious registrar who ultimately discovers the decades-long ruse and sets out to expose his philanthropic escapades to the art world, Landis must confront his own legacy and a chorus of museum professionals clamoring for him to stop.

Friday-Monday, November 21-24 | Fri-Mon 7pm Mon 3pm | Berkshire Museum | Little Cinema | 39 South Street |413-443-7171 | $5 Museum Members $7.50 Museum Non Members


 

Friday: Opera Notte at The Whitney

Enjoy an evening of Arias from the golden age of opera. The show begins promptly at 7:30pm; seating beings at 6:45pm. Wine, champagne and beer are available to order, along with light snacks, at a very reasonable prices.

Friday, November 21 | 7:30pm | The Whitney Center for the Arts| 42 Wendell Ave | 413-443-0289 | $20


Harvest Fest at Bousquet  

Friday: Fall Harvest Jamboree at Bousquet

This Fall Harvest Jamboree features the Rev Tor Band with special guest Chris Merenda.  Come early for a
special harvest themed prime rib dinner for only 12.00 per person from 6pm to 8pmReservations are required for the dinner.

Friday, November 21 | 8pm (doors open at 7pm) | Bousquet | 101 Dan Fox Drive | 413-442-8316 | $7 in advance $10 at the door


 

Saturday: Grand Opening Celebration at Berkshire Yoga Dance & Fitness

The Grand Opening Celebration will introduce the studio to the community, giving guests the opportunity to meet the Berkshire Yoga Dance & Fitness instructors and enjoy free classes. Mayor Bianchi will kick-off the celebration with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:15 am, followed by free sample classes every half hour until 4 pm, along with free chair massage, postural analysis, acupuncture and nutrition response testing. A 10-class punch card to the studio valued at over $100 will be raffled off, Jade yoga mats will be available for sale with a special discount, and healthy snacks and drinks will be provided.

Saturday, November 22 | 9:15am-4:30pm | Berkshire Yoga Dance & Fitness | 55 North Street | 413-358-1267 | FREE


 

Saturday: Pre-Holiday Sales at Hancock Shaker Village

The Village Store at Hancock Shaker Village has announced its pre-holiday sale dates. For three weekends, the museum Store will offer the shopping public a cup of hot cider and 20-percent off on purchases of oval boxes and other wood items, including seed carriers and trays. (Members of Hancock Shaker Village get even deeper discounts.) All of the Store's specialty food items and children's toys are also 10-percent off. Many of the oval boxes on sale are the product of expert staff and volunteer box-makers at Hancock Shaker Village who crafted them during  demonstrations for the general public.

Saturday-Sunday, November 22-23 | 10am-5pm | Hancock Shaker Village | 1843 West Housatonic Street | 413-443-0188 | NO COVER


 

Saturday: Play And Learn With Jenn at Berkshire Athenaeum

Come hear stories, sing songs and play some games! This playgroup is co-sponsored by Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) and the Berkshire Athenaeum. For ages 1 1/2 – 5. Children under age 10 must be accompanied by an adult, age 18 or older, at all times. No registration required.

Saturday, November 22 | 10:30am-12pm | Berkshire Athenaeum | One Wendell Ave | 413-499-9480 | FREE


 

Saturday: Bears In Massachusetts at Berkshire Museum

Ralph Taylor, District Fish and Wildlife Supervisor for the Connecticut River Valley Wildlife District, will talk about black bears of Massachusetts, including their history, the current status of the species and behavioral changes, human/bear conflicts, and how to co-exist with black bears.

Saturday, November 22 | 11am | Berkshire Museum | 39 South Street |413-443-7171 | FREE with museum admission


 

Saturday: Chow Time At Berkshire Museum

Join the staff in the aquarium for an interactive look at what it takes to feed some of Berkshire Museum's most interesting residents. Prepare some heaping salads for some of our largest reptiles as we discuss what the aquarium animals eat here in the museum and what they would find in the wild. 

Saturday, November 22 | 12:30pm-1pm |Berkshire Museum | 39 South Street | 413-443-7171 | FREE with Museum admission


 
 

Saturday: Corvettes Doo Wop Revue at The Colonial

The Corvettes Doo Wop Revue is dedicated to preserving and performing the greatest music ever made—the music of the 1950's Doo Wop era. From New Hampshire to New Orleans and Virginia to Vegas, The Corvettes perform this outstanding music with a fresh new energy. Their incredibly entertaining show and comical stage antics have left many a happy audience screaming for more! In the tradition of Doo Wop revivalists ShaNaNa, every Corvettes show is more than a concert, it's an all out Doo Wop Celebration! Don't Miss It! 

Saturday, November 22 | 7:30pm | Colonial Theatre | 111 South Street | 413-997-4444 | $24.50


 

Saturday: Comedy At The Plaza 25

Three professional New York City comics (Carie Karava, Rob Falcone and Mark Riccadonna) will perform at the Grand Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza. Please pre-purchase tickets on sale now, this show should sell quickly. Absolutely no admittance after 8pm. Please arrive early, get the best seats at your table, get a drink and get ready to laugh!

Saturday, November 22 | 8pm | Crowne Plaza | 1 West Street | 413-447-9023 | $25


 

Saturday: Polysonic Joy Video Premiere Variety Show at the Whitney Center For The Arts

Join Polysonic Joy at the Whitney Center for the Arts for the release of THREE videos, appearances by Dr. Moustache, Thaddeus Tofuberg, Brunton Pianos, and characters you've NEVER SEEN or even HEARD OF!
That is reason enough to un-bore you in November? 

Saturday, November 22| 8pm | Whitney Center For The Arts | 42 Wendell Ave| $5


 

Tuesday: Excel 102 Computer Class at Berkshire Athenaeum

Participants will gain experience entering and manipulating data in a basic spreadsheet, explore some common formulas, and be introduced to adding data from outside sources. An optional guided half hour of practice will be available at the end of the session. 

Tuesday, November 25 | 9:30am-11am | Berkshire Athenaeum | One Wendell Ave | 413-499-9480 |


 

Tuesday: Poetry and Prose: the Conflicts and Similarities at Berkshire Athenaeum

Local author, J. Peter Bergman, presents Poetry and Prose: the Conflicts and Similarities with examples drawn from his own work. Free and no registration required.

Tuesday, November 25 | 7pm | Berkshire Athenaeum | One Wendell Ave | 413-499-9480 | FREE


 

Wednesday: Thanksgiving Eve Concert at First Church

This year's festival  brings together a number of local jazz, folk and blues artists – including Carlton Maaia II, Linda Worster, Charlie Tokarz, Jon Hadad, Andy Kelly, Between the Banks and Hal Lefferts– who will share their musical talents.  The proceeds benefit the Pittsfield Area Council of Congregation's Fuel Assistance Fund.  PACC is Pittsfield's oldest Inter-Faith organization bringing Christian, Jewish and Muslim congregations together to cooperate for the common good. This year special guests will include the Gospel Gang who will share acoustic songs from the country gospel tradition, too.

Wednesday, November 26 | 7pm | First Church of Christ | 27 East Street | 413-447-7351 | Free Will Donation


 

Wednesday: Dave Davies at The Colonial

Dave Davies founded the Kinks in the early 1960s and forever changed music after he sliced up the speaker cone of a little green amp and created a revolutionary, distorted guitar tone and frenetic solo on the song You Really Got Me. Davies is one of the most unpredictable and original forces in rock, without whom guitar-rock styles including heavy metal and punk would have been inconceivable. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Dave's massive guitar sounds have inspired bands from Van Halen to Green Day. Dave's new album I Will Be Me is a return to his groundbreaking guitar sound and innovative songwriting.

Wednesday, November 26 | 7:30pm | Colonial Theatre | 111 South Street | 413-997-4444 | $30-$70


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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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