North Adams To Host Annual Tree-Lighting Ceremony

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city of North Adams gears up for the holiday season with the annual tree-lighting celebration, set for Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 6 p.m. The rain date for this event will be Friday, Nov. 30.

Residents are invited to gather around the tree at Monument Square on Main Street (between the First Congregational and First Baptist churches) and count down the seconds until the switch is thrown and thousands of twinkling lights adorn Main Street.

After the tree lighting, the North Adams Fire Department's fire engine and the Drury High School Band lead the way down Main Street with a very special guest: Santa Claus. Santa will bring goody bags for the first 500 children.

This year, the Downtown Bike Around will join the procession down Main Street with bikes decorated in lights. The Downtown Bike Around encourages community members to join them for this holiday ride, starting at 5:15 p.m. from the Peebles/V&V parking lot. Riders are encouraged to decorate their bikes and themselves with lights, glow sticks and festive attire.

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.