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Betty Sacco got all dressed up to take glamour shots with her fellow residents on Wednesday.
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Mount Greylock Care Residents Get Dolled Up For Glamour Shots

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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The residents were treated to makeup and their hair styled. 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Betty Sacco doesn't get all dolled up much anymore.
 
The senior citizen lives at Mount Greylock Extended Care Facility and doesn't get her hair and makeup done very often.
 
But on Wednesday, she was styling.
 
Sacco is one of two dozen residents who got all dressed up to take "glamour shots." 
 
"I love it because it is dressing up, you don't do this every day," Sacco said. "They do a good job. They really know what they are doing. There are no complaints here."
 
Sacco had just sat down with Pam Ellis, who carefully applied makeup. And then she moved to Hope Fontaine, who did her hair. And finally, with a prop rose in her hand and a jaunty hat, she posed as Shavonn Melendez took a number of photos.
 
Melendez will edit the pictures, provide copies to Sacco's family, and create a display in the nursing home hallway.
 
"You're in a nursing home and you don't like getting your photo taken. You don't always feel glamorous. This just gives them a chance to feel beautiful and get individual attention," Melendez, director of admissions and marketing, said.
 
The glamour shots are just one of the activities Mount Greylock provides for its residents. Fontaine, the activities director, said it stemmed from an activities council meeting in which one of the residents brought in glamour shots she had taken in the 1980s. And the council thought it would be a fun idea.
 
"We try to provide activities for the residents that are fun, dignified, person-centered care," Fontaine said.
 
And it has been well received. For hours on Wednesday, the residents came to a common area for the event. And Fontaine expects families to be asking for the photos by the end of the day.
 
"The families love it. They'll start emailing me by the end of the day saying 'can I have my copy?'" Fontaine said.
 
Fontaine said the program, which has been done three times, has quickly become one of the most popular among the women at Mount Greylock. The residents keep coming back — Sacco hasn't missed one yet — and there are always new faces. 

Tags: good news,   nursing home,   

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Tickets On Sale for Berkshire Flyer

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Amtrak, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), announced tickets are now on sale for the Berkshire Flyer.
 
The Berkshire Flyer is a seasonal summer passenger rail service that operates between New York City from Moynihan Train Hall and Pittsfield. The service, which began as a successful pilot in 2022, is scheduled to resume on Friday, June 21 through Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day weekend. Trains depart New York City Friday nights and return at the end of the weekend, leaving Pittsfield Sunday afternoon.
 
In addition, for the first time this year, the Berkshire Flyer service now includes a train from New York City to Pittsfield on Sunday mornings.
 
"We're thrilled to announce this season's Berkshire Flyer service," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. "The Berkshire Flyer makes visiting Western Massachusetts on weekends convenient, relaxing, and easy. We are pleased to continue our successful partnership with Amtrak, the New York State Department of Transportation and CSX."
 
The Berkshire Flyer departs from Moynihan Train Hall at 3:16 p.m. on Fridays and arrives at Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield at 7:27 p.m. The train will make all intermediate station stops as the scheduled Amtrak Empire Service train does in New York State on Fridays, which include Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff, Hudson, and Albany-Rensselaer Station. 
 
The Sunday return trip, making all the same station stops, will depart Pittsfield at 3:35 p.m. and arrive in New York at 7:55 p.m. The new Sunday Berkshire Flyer train from New York City to Pittsfield will depart Moynihan Train Hall at 10:50 a.m. and arrive in Pittsfield at 3:15 p.m.
 
The Berkshire Flyer is building upon two successful seasons where some of the Pittsfield-bound trains were sold out well in advance. Based on that experience, passengers planning a trip are encouraged to purchase tickets early by visiting Amtrak.com, the Amtrak app or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL.
 
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