Annual Father-Daughter Dance Comes Full Circle

The Northern Berkshire Father and Daughter Dance was held at the Eagles on Sunday night. The semi-formal included music, refreshments and drawings, all to benefit the Gabriel Abbott playground. See more photos here.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The annual Father-Daughter Valentine's Day Dance came full circle this year.

The sold-out affair held at the Eagles Hall on Sunday night offered a chance for fathers and other guardians to spend quality time with the little girls in their lives.

The event also raised money for a project that 21 years ago prompted the idea of the dance: The playground at Gabriel Abbott Memorial School.

Jennifer Bean, co-coordinator of the event, said the dance has become a tradition in the area with a long history of creating memories and helping organizations.

"The Father and Daughter Dance has become a tradition in the community," Bean said. "It brings people together for a night of dancing, prizes and fun, all while helping an organization in need."

Bean said the dance was established in 1995 by Terri and Jay Cooper to raise money for the Florida Playground Project. The dance started out very small for the first few years and each year the proceeds helped further construction of the playground.

After the playground was completed, the dance was firmly placed into the community and over the past 21 years has raised more than $40,000 donated to local organizations in Berkshire County. Last year, the proceeds helped fund a new playground to replace Wacky World in Adams.

After 20 years of organizing, planning and working the dance, the Coopers handed the reins over to their niece and daughters this year.

Bean said along with the dance shifting hands, the dance's proceeds are going toward a not so foreign subject.

"After 21 years, the [Florida] playground is in desperate need of repairs and safety upgrades," Bean said.

Bean said the dance has always had the support of the community. Many local businesses have sold tickets throughout the dance's history, supplied flowers, refreshments, music, and even limos.  

The support that the dance has had over the past 21 years has been overwhelming. We truly, have an amazing community," she said. "This event could not be held without the businesses that help us out."

Bean said the dance is a wonderful event for fathers and daughters that will continue to return to the Eagles Hall every year.

"Our hope is that this dance gives back to the community in many ways and especially in the memories that it provides for dads and daughters," she said. "We are so grateful to everyone who has helped make the Northern Berkshire Father & Daughter Dance a tradition and success for 21 years."

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.