Letter: BART Pleased With Community Support of Virtual Fundraising Event

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To the Editor:

On Saturday, April 10, Berkshire Arts & Technology (BART) Charter Public School hosted our first-ever virtual Get BART Smart fundraiser – and raised $20,000 to support student programming! A huge "thank you" to all who played and made it a great evening!

The night couldn’t have happened without the support of many local organizations and businesses.

Thank you to our Valedictorian sponsor for the evening, Adams Community Bank!

Thank you to our High Honor Roll sponsors: Aladco Linen Services, Berkshire Bank, Cordmaster Engineering, and MountainOne. We also thank our Honor Roll sponsors: HR Knowledge, Interprint, and Scarafoni Associates.


The list above doesn’t include all of the additional local businesses that supported at other sponsor levels or donated prizes. We are grateful for all of your amazing support!

BART is a nationally recognized, award-winning, college-preparatory, public middle and high school located in Adams. The only charter school in Berkshire County, it is consistently ranked among the top schools in Massachusetts for student academic achievement and growth. BART serves students in grades 6-12 from cities and towns throughout the Berkshires.

Finally, many thanks to the trustees, faculty, staff, and others who contributed their time, money, and effort to bring to life this virtual event. Their dedication to the BART community is truly humbling.

Sincerely,

Fred Puddester
Williamstown, Mass.
Member BArT Board of Trustees

 

 

 


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Rising Cost of Fireworks Cancels Annual Cheshire Cruz Nite

Staff Reports
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The annual Cruz Nite is pausing after 35 years because of rising costs. 
 
In a post on Facebook post on Wednesday, the Cheshire Fire Department said the company, "after much consideration, has made the difficult decision to cancel our annual Cruz Nite and Fireworks event for 2026. This pause will allow us time to regroup and determine the best course of action for future events and fundraisers."
 
The August event has featured activities, food trucks, performers, and fire trucks, with a fireworks finale. 
 
"When Cruz Nite first began, proceeds from the event were enough to cover the cost of the fireworks display. Over the years, however, the rising cost of fireworks has made it increasingly difficult to cover that expense through event proceeds alone," according to the post. 
 
Last year, the 20-minute display cost $8,500 and had to be supplemented from the hose company's reserves, and this year the quoted price was $12,500. Searches for other operators only turned up higher prices reaching as much as $17,500. 
 
More than 90 percent of fireworks are imported from China and prices have risen dramatically largely because of high tariffs. The National Fireworks Association said in February that the "fluctuating tariff layers and duty rate increases" have been exceeding 30 percent.  
 
The decision to cancel this year was made at the Hoosac Hose Company's quarterly business meeting on Monday. The post states the vote was unanimous. 
 
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