Enjoy a dozen different art shows featuring work by more than two dozen accomplished regional artists in Pittsfield's bustling Upstreet Cultural District during the First Fridays Artswalkand all month long!
In most venues, artists will be present from 5-8 p.m. A free guided tour begins at 5 p.m. at the Intermodal Center @ BRTA, 1 Columbus Ave. Mary McGinnis, co-founder of First Fridays Artswalk, will bring you through the various exhibits!
The Office of Cultural Development will host their 3rd annual Holiday Wreath Art Auction at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts. The wreaths will be on display during a $10 ticketed event, with a preview from 5-6:30 p.m. There will be grab and go options for wreaths, with a live auction of featured wreaths at 6:30 p.m. All proceeds benefit Pittsfield Food Pantries.
PechaKucha Night #18 has the theme of Creativity.Kick back in the galleries with light refreshments and a cash bar, and enjoy a series of lightning-fast presentations on creativity: 20 slides, 20 seconds each! 7 p.m.
The Albany Berkshire Ballet is bringing its annual tour of the holiday classic to The Colonial for four performances. Choreographed by Madeline Cantarella Culpo, with lavish sets and scenery by designer Carl Sprague and costumes by Rita Watson and Victile Donahue, this year's Nutcracker will feature local dance students in special children's roles alongside the professional dancers of the ABB.
Hancock Shaker Village invites you to join them for a relaxing afternoon as you design and create a swag wreath to take home. Staff will guide you as you make this much-loved holiday classic with fresh greenery and natural decorations. 1-3 p.m. $40/$36 HSV members.
The Outlet at Pine Cone Hill'sannual family and friends Handmade Fair will take place from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Handmade items will include home and holiday décor, stuffed creatures, jams, sewn and knitted accessories, and more. Purchase from a crafter and get 20% off Outlet store purchases of area rugs, duvet covers, coverlets, pillow covers, loungewear, scarves, decorative pillows and more.
OLLI: The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at BCC invites everyone to stop in and learn more about what OLLI has to offer. From 10-11:30 a.m. at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, enjoy refreshments, meet interesting people, and get a sneak preview of the winter semester of classes from the instructors.
Break the Chains is a one-day film festival facilitating constructive conversations between Williams College and Pittsfield Public Schools through films about trauma, resiliency and blackness. Ayiti Mon Amour by Guetty Felin will be shown at 4 p.m. followed by a 30 minute discussion.Whose Streets? by Sa baah Folayan will be shown at 6:45 p.m. with a discussion to follow. In between the screenings will be dinner with food provided. FREE.
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 and more!
28 Renne Ave. | Open Wednesday - Saturday from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts will host its 3rd annual Holiday Wreath Art Auction during the First Fridays Artswalk on Dec. 1 beginning at 5 p.m. The live auction of 10 featured wreaths begins at 6:30 p.m.
FREE HOLIDAY PARKING
Please note there will be free parking in the City of Pittsfield on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 23 and Friday, Nov. 24.
Additionally, there will be no restrictions on timed parking throughout the city on both days.
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State Fire Marshal: New Tracking Tool Identifies 50 Lithium-Ion Battery Fires
STOW, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services' new tool for tracking lithium-ion battery fires has helped to identify 50 such incidents in the past six months, more than double the annual average detected by a national fire data reporting system, said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine.
The Department of Fire Services launched its Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Investigative Checklist on Oct. 13, 2023. It immediately went into use by the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office, and local fire departments were urged to adopt it as well.
Developed by the DFS Fire Safety Division, the checklist can be used by fire investigators to gather basic information about fires in which lithium-ion batteries played a part. That information is then entered into a database to identify patterns and trends.
"We knew anecdotally that lithium-ion batteries were involved in more fires than the existing data suggested," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "In just the past six months, investigators using this simple checklist have revealed many more incidents than we've seen in prior years."
Prior to the checklist, the state's fire service relied on battery fire data reported to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS), a state-level tool that mirrors and feeds into the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). NFIRS tracks battery fires but does not specifically gather data on the types of batteries involved. Some fields do not require the detailed information that Massachusetts officials were seeking, and some fires may be coded according to the type of device involved rather than the type of battery. Moreover, MFIRS reports sometimes take weeks or months to be completed and uploaded.
"Investigators using the Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Checklist are getting us better data faster," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "The tool is helpful, but the people using it are the key to its success."
From 2019 to 2023, an average of 19.4 lithium-ion battery fires per year were reported to MFIRS – less than half the number identified by investigators using the checklist over the past six months. The increase since last fall could be due to the growing number of consumer devices powered by these batteries, increased attention by local fire investigators, or other factors, State Fire Marshal Davine said. For example, fires that started with another item but impinged upon a battery-powered device, causing it to go into thermal runaway, might not be categorized as a battery fire in MFIRS or NFIRS.
Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.
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Between disagreements about site design and a formal funding process not yet established, more time is needed before a decision can be made.
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The Ordinances and Rules subcommittee on Monday unanimously supported a pay raise for election workers, free downtown parking for veterans, and safeguards to better protect wetlands.
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A parking study of North Street will be presented at Tuesday's City Council meeting. The design maintains parallel parking while expanding pedestrian zones and adding protected bike lanes. click for more