Cultural Pittsfield This Week: Sept. 30-Oct. 6

Print Story | Email Story

 
 
 
 
September 30 - October 6, 2016
SATURDAY The 9th Annual Berktoberfest
 
Berktoberfest, an annual fundraiser held to benefit the Elizabeth Freeman Center and Moments House, will be held from 1-6 p.m.* on McKay Street. The 9th annual fest will feature regional brews from Bright Ideas, Big Elm, Wandering Star, Angry Orchard, Sam Adams, Glass Bottom, White Lion, von Trapp and many more. 
 
Plus enjoy food from your favorite local restaurants, including Flavours of Malaysia, Lucia's Latin Kitchen, On A Roll, Berkshire Bakes and Otto's, and live music by the Hotshot Hillbillies, Rev Tor, Tom Corrigan, and Cassandra Redd Music. 
 
*A VIP ticket gets you in an hour earlier - at Noon!
 
MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE
Wear your heart on your sleeve. Or anyone's heart, really. Join Gabriel Squailia for the release of their gleefully macabre second novel, Viscera, at Methuselah Bar & Lounge from 7-11 p.m.

Attire: blood-drenched and completely over the top. The event kicks off at 7 p.m., with a reading by the author at 8 p.m. Books will be on hand for sale and signing. DJ BFG will provide a playlist from beyond the grave for post-launch fun.

Extras with pre-orders include: 
* Gutsy nibbles from Red Apple Butchers and Methuselah
* Wearable art from Ethian fashions, including papier-mâché organ jewelry you can take home
* A complimentary bloodbath. Nothing to wear? There will be plenty of high-quality fake blood to go around
* A signed copy of the book
Plus... 
FRI The Shadow Twisters at The A FRI White Liger at Mission FRI Blue Light Trio at Rainbow | SAT Memories of Patsy: Patsy Cline Tribute Show at The Colonial | SAT A Sondheim Trilogy Part III at The Whit | SAT Latin Night Out at The A | SAT Mary Ann Palermo & First Take at Rainbow | SUN Domingo Brunch with Redshift at Dottie's | SUN Et at South Mountain Concerts MON Games on North at Hotel on North TUE Craft on North at Hotel on North TUE Flight Night at Rainbow WED Gruppo Mondo at Rainbow THU Jazz Vespers at Zion Lutheran Church THU 1Berkshire Spark! at Berkshire Museum THU Jonathan Edwards at The Colonial
 
FAMILY FRIENDLY
From 6-7 p.m., explore the Something Scary galleries with just your trusty flashlight during this spooky, kooky, after-hours Museum adventure! After your search is complete, enjoy a Little Cinema screening of the classic scary movie, The Goonies, at 7 p.m. The Berkshire Museum
 
Plus...  
| FRI WeeMuse: Adventures at Berkshire Museum | SAT WeeMuse: Art Lab at Berkshire Museum | TUE WeeMuse: Littlest Learners at Berkshire Museum | THU+ Teen Book Giveaway at Berkshire Athenaeum
 
WELLNESS
Join Amanda Marsh at Berkshire Yoga, Dance & Fitness for a 4-week introduction to meditation, Wednesdays from 8-9 p.m. from Oct. 5-Oct. 26. $40 for the series or $12 to drop-in. Pre-registration is highly recommended as each class will build on the last. 
Plus... 
THU New Adult Hip-Hop Class at Berkshire Yoga, Dance & Fitness
 
GET CREATIVE
 
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer invites you to paint "Autumn Birch Trees" with Berkshire Paint & Sip at Tavern at The A from 6-8 p.m. All painting materials and a donation are included in the $35 price. Cash bar.

 
Plus... 
FRI Paint "Scarecrow Friend" at The Dirty Brush SAT "Basketball" Four on Four Blue Challenge Fundraiser at Berkshire Paint & Sip | SUN "Butterfly" Alzheimers' Assoc. Benefit at Berkshire Hills Country Club MON-TUE Paint Your Own Pottery at The Dirty Brush TUE Craft on North at Hotel on North
 
PERFORMANCE
Barrington Stage Company presents Mark H. Dold and Debra Jo Rupp in a Pulitzer Prize-nominated work by A.R. Gurney. This is a touching, funny and ultimately moving story of a 50-year correspondence between two childhood friends whose relationship weathers time and distance. St. Germain Stage at
36 Linden Street.
Plus...  
SAT Rainbow Seniors Play Readings at Berkshire Athenaeum | WED+ Camping with Henry and Tom Previews at Barrington Stage
 
COMMUNITY
Berkshire Carousel presents "A Friday at the Races: The Berkshire Downs," a fundraiser to support The Alzheimer's Association & The Carousel, at 50 Center Street from 7-10 p.m.

Spend an evening watching the carousel horses race! There will be a Hat Contest, prizes, entertainment, the chance to win big on a 50/50 raffle, a light buffet, a beer and wine tasting, the Mint Julep Challenge, as well as non-alcoholic drinks available for purchase.

Tickets are $25 per person and are available at The Berkshire Carousel at 50 Center St., and at Home Instead Senior Care at 66 Wendell Ave.
Plus... 
FRI
Pink & Purple Hair Extensions Fundraiser at Moments House |
SAT
Harvest of Hope Festival at The Common Park | SADowntown Pittsfield Farmers Market |
SAT
Westside Neighborhood Cleanup at Conte School |
TUE
Pink & Purple Hair Extensions Fundraiser at Moments House |
WED
Creating a Trauma-Informed Berkshire County at The Colonial | THU Mental Illness Awareness Rally at Park Square | THU 1Berkshire Spark! at Berkshire Museum | THU+ Sale & Ski Swap at Plaine's 
 
LEARN
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) presents an engaging talk on philanthropy by one of its foremost experts, Abbie J. Von Schlegell. Learn about the impact of, and what the future holds for, philanthropy in the Berkshires, in America, and worldwide. 10:30 a.m. at Berkshire Community College, 1350 West Street. Tickets are $10 for OLLI members, and $15 for non-members. BCC students and youth 17 and under are admitted free. 
Plus... 
ONGOING
West African & Caribbean Drumming Classes at The Lichtenstein |
SAT
Historic Walk on the Shaker Trail at Hancock Shaker Village |
TUE
Basic Geneology at Berkshire Athenaeum |
WED
Greylock Critters in Song & Story at Berkshire Athenaeum |
WED+
Timber Framing Workshop at Shire City Sanctuary |
THU
Broadway, Schrafft's & Seeded Rye at Knesset Israel 
 
FILM
Welcome to Me
at The Little Cinema

A mentally unbalanced lottery winner (Kristen Wiig) goes off her medication, buys a talk show and uses it as a platform to broadcast her bizarre opinions on a wide variety of topics.
 
 
Plus... 
ONGOING
See What's New at The Beacon Cinema |
FRI-SAT
The Goonies at The Little Cinema
What's Showing at The Licht
Pittsfield's city-owned community arts center, the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, features nine working artist studios, a ceramics studio, a community room and an art gallery with changing exhibitions, classes, performances + more! 

28 Renne Ave. | Wed-Sat, 11-4
 
The Mastheads Construction Exhibit
Now - October 1. 
 
 
This exhibit will showcase the final designs of five writing studios that will be constructed in Pittsfield in 2017 as the backbone of a new writers' residency program in the city. The Mastheads project recognizes Pittsfield's legacy of writers of the American Renaissance, including Melville, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Longfellow, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, while providing a platform for new voices to engage with the contemporary city through the written wordThe exhibit will focus on the innovative construction techniques of the writing studios, which will be composed of panelized cross-laminated timber, so that they can be re-installed each summer at new sites across the cityThe studios and exhibition are designed by architects Chris Parkinson and Tessa Kelly.

 

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

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.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories