Kettlebell Workout Studio Opens in North Adams

Evan Webb has opened a fitness studio for working with kettlebells.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Kettlebells will offer a new kind of workout experience in North Adams.

Owner and certified kettlebell instructor Evan Webb said this is his first business venture, but he has been working with the round metal weights for near seven years.

"When I started using them seven years ago there was really no place to learn about kettlebells except the Internet, which can be hazardous to your health," Webb said. "I love kettlebells so much, and I want to create a place that is the type of place I would have like to have gone to."

Webb's gym, at 151 Eagle St., held its grand opening Friday;^. Webb said classes start Monday.

He hopes to add to the growing fitness-minded culture in North Adams.

"We had the Mayor's Fitness Challenge and there are several other local businesses that are doing their specialty fitness thing that seems to be doing well," he said. "So I would like to create a small little niche, but I would also like to support the wider fitness community of North Adams and the Northern Berkshires."

Webb said anyone can benefit from a kettlebell workout.

"There really isn't any limitation because all moves can be modified for anybody," Webb said. "You can pretty much get strength training and conditioning with very limited equipment and pretty much take them anywhere with you so it's pretty much a minimalist fitness."

Webb said he is not concerned with expanding too much or competing with other fitness establishments.

"I just hope this business becomes the small business I want it to stay," Webb said. "I have no intention of getting a larger space or making some huge fitness center like that. I want it to be a fitness boutique."

People can register for Webb's classes on his website. The workout is an hour long and costs $50 for a six-week class. At the moment, Webb offers a level one introductory class and a level two class for people with kettlebell experience.

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.