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Cultural Pittsfield This Week: March 24-30

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March 24 - March 30, 2017
Curious about BCC's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)? Join them in the Colonial Theatre lobby to learn about their spring semester of classes and special events. Meet their spring instructors, other OLLI members, and featured speaker Kate Maguire, the artistic director of Berkshire Theatre Group. 10-11:30 a.m.
 
MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE
Hotel on North and Spirited Wines present Wines of Portugal with Jack Couto, president of wine importer Grape Moments.
Enjoy a perfectly paired 4-course dinner crafted by Executive Chef Ron Reda and Sommelier Dan Thomas. A reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by a 3-course dinner at 7 p.m. Afterwards, enjoy a stand-up Port tasting with desserts, cheese, and nuts. $75 per person including tax & gratuities.
Plus... 
FRI Blue Light Trio at Rainbow | FRI The Lucky 5 at Hotel on North | FRI Misty Blues at Mission | FRI Acoustic Groove at The A | SAT ZipStohr's Comedy at Crowne Plaza | SAT David Bartley Trio at Rainbow | SAT Skeeter Creek at The A | SAT Orquesta Alegre Salsa Band at Bousquet | SAT Shyne at Crossroads | MON Dining for Dogs at Applebee's | MON Trivia with Double Entendre at Thistle & Mirth | MON Jazz Night with Pamela Means at Mission | MON Mixology 101 at Methuselah | TUE Craft on North at Hotel on North | WED Gruppo Mondo at Rainbow | THU Berkshire Nursing Families Fundraiser at Thistle & Mirth
 
FAMILY FRIENDLY
Berkshire Yoga, Dance & Fitness presents a 7-week class with instructor Julie Pellerin-Herrera, held every Thursday from 4-5 p.m. Children ages 6 - 10 will have fun developing self-awareness, strength, balance, and flexibility! Kids' Yoga provides children a safe and exciting way to physical health, emotional stability, and positive self-expression. 
Plus...  
FRI WeeMuse: Adventures at Berkshire Museum SAT David Grover at the Colonial SAT Kitchen Ka-Boom! at Berkshire Museum SAT Chow Time at Berkshire Museum SAT Kids' Paint Party at Berkshire Paint & Sip SUN Happimess at The Colonial MON Tiny Tots Story Time at Berkshire Athenaeum TUE WeeMuse: Littlest Learners at Berkshire Museum WED Youth Community Conversation at Boys & Girls Club THU Preschool Play & Learn at Berkshire Athenaeum THU+ Sister Act at Taconic High School
 
WELLNESS
Berkshire Community College invites the public to enjoy Wellness Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Activities will include chair massages, sample exercise classes, food sampling and raffles, along with educational booths on how to care for yourself and loved ones. The event is free, with nominal fees for massages and classes. All proceeds go to EMPOWERSCI, a non-profit that enables individuals with spinal cord injuries to lead happier, more meaningful and independent lives. 
Plus... 
SAT Hatha Flow at Berkshire Yoga, Dance & Fitness | WED Run to North at Hotel on North | THU Qigong with Jeffrey Gordon at Knesset Israel
 
GET CREATIVE

The Progressive Palette presents a night of painting and dining at Mazzeo's Ristorante. From 6-8 p.m., paint Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and enjoy an appetizer buffet. The $50 cost includes two hours of painting instruction, all supplies needed to create your acrylic masterpiece, and the buffet. 
Plus... 
FRI Create Your Own Salvaged Art Key Hook at The Funky Phoenix | SAT "Animal Butts" HCC Vet Tech Club Benefit at Berkshire Paint & Sip SAT Earring Workshop to Benefit Moments House at Yummy Treasures | TUE Craft on North at Hotel on North | WED Open Studio at Berkshire Paint & Sip | THU "Red Poppies" Lenox Preschool Benefit at Berkshire Paint & Sip
 
COMMUNITY
The 1Berkshire Career Fair invites you to Berkshire Community College's Patterson Field House on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Get in front of Berkshires-based businesses at this annual event. Connect with employers looking to hire someone like you. This event is open to the public and free. No registration is required. See website for a list of participating businesses.
Plus... 
FRI-SAT Spring Clearance Sale at Berkshire Running Center | FRI-SUN The Whale by Town Players at The Whit | FRI-SUN Spring Sleepwear Sale at The Outlet at Pine Cone Hill SAT Earring Workshop to Benefit Moments House at Yummy Treasures | MON Commission on the Status of Women Legislative Breakfast at BCC | MON Dining for Dogs at Applebee's | THU League of Women Voters Public Information Meeting at The Whit
 
LEARN
SAT Screen Printing Class at Shire City Sanctuary
Shire City Sanctuary, at 40 Melville St., will offer its monthly screen printing class beginning at 9 a.m. Participants will make a single color print to take home and learn the basics of stencil cutting, transparency printing, and screen preparation, and touch upon multiple color print planning. All inks and emulsions are water based and non-toxic, and paper used is 100% recycled. Cost is $20 general public, $15 SCS members.
Plus...  
FRI-SAT Docent-led Tours of Tell Me More Exhibit at Berkshire Museum SAT Mindful Living Workshop at Moments House SUN The Challenges of Urban Chicken Keeping at Berkshire Humane Society MON Songs We Cherish at Knesset Israel MON Drum Class at The Lichtenstein | MON Mixology 101 at Methuselah | TUE Cinema of Law: One Big Home at Berkshire Athenaeum | TUE Last Word Toastmasters Meeting | THU Qigong with Jeffrey Gordon at Knesset Israel
 
FILM
Antarctica: Ice and Sky
at The Little Cinema

From Oscar-winning director Luc Jacquet (March of the Penguins) comes a stirring portrait of French glaciologist Claude Lorius, whose groundbreaking research in Antarctica gave us the first clear evidence of man-made global climate change.

 
Plus... 
ONGOING
See What's New at The Beacon Cinema | TUE Cinema of Law: One Big Home at Berkshire Athenaeum
 
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PARKING METER PLAN
Five things to remember about the new downtown parking system:
 
1. Always enter your license plate number - even for the FREE first 30 minutes.
 
2. On-street parking is $1 per hour; lot parking is 50 cents per hour. There are also nearly 400 free parking spaces on the city's side streets.
 
3. You can pay by coin, credit card, or by downloading the Passport parking app.
 
4. You do not need to display the parking receipt on your dashboard.
 
5. Parking is FREE on evenings and weekends!
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. | Hours Wed-Sat 11am-4pm  
 
The Berkshire Art Association (BAA) College Fellowship Show features the work of Berkshire County residents enrolled as art majors at any college in the country, as well as non-residents currently majoring in art at a Berkshire County college. Prizes will be awarded to students whose work is selected. The mission of the BAA is to connect artists and the community in order to inspire creativity and increase access to the visual arts.
 

 

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.

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