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Pat Masoero, financial director of the Christian Center, shows some of the children's games and activities at the annual Community Day on Saturday.
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The celebration was located at Tucker Park and in front of the The Christian Center on Robbins Avenue. Part of the street was blocked off.

Christian Center Holds Community Day, Celebrates 130 Years

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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The Civitan Club has been providing picnic food for the event for a number of years.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A portion of Robbins Avenue was filled with a celebration on Saturday as the Christian Center held its annual Community Day and marked 130 years as an organization.

"To be honest, for the last 130 years, the Christian Center has done essentially the same thing," Executive Director  Betsy Sherman said, explaining that the center offers food, clothing, paths to jobs, and referrals to housing with the goal of helping people have a more secure life.

It was founded in 1892 as the Epworth Mission by the Methodist Church and has been at its current location since 1906. Sherman explained that in the late 1800s, many immigrants came to the West Side looking for a better life.

They were in need of basic necessities, which led to the first iteration of the Christian Center.

"All of these people needed housing, they needed food, they needed clothing, they needed a place to live," Sherman said. "And that's what we've been doing."

The free celebration included kids' games and prizes, arts and crafts, a bouncy house, and food provided by the Civitan Club of the Berkshires. Community agencies including Berkshire United Way were also present at the event to offer information about their services.

The Civitan Club is an all-volunteer, non-profit, service organization and has been providing food at the event for a number of years. The menu included hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, chips, and dessert all free of charge.



"Our mission is to analyze the community's needs and provide service volunteers to help organize and do whatever needs to be done," President Janet Smargie said.

At the end of the day, any leftovers is donated to the Christian Center or another similar organization.

Sherman said the center got a small grant to address safety issues in the house for women and children and is looking to do that work in the near future.

"We're thinking of combining that with the fire safety week in October to make a big push for fire safety in the fall and winter and around Halloween," she explained. "So these are some things we've been talking about and they'll firm up."

The Christian Center offers a food pantry Monday through Thursday from 10 to 1 and on Friday from 8 to noon; a clothing and housewares boutique on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9 to 1; a hot lunch Monday through Thursday from noon to 1 and a cold lunch on Friday from noon to 12:30 p.m.


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Pittsfield Board Suspends Bei Tempi's Liquor License for Underage Service

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The Licensing Board on Monday voted to suspend Bei Tempi's liquor license for five days, determining that it was "more likely than not" that the bar served at least one underage patron alcohol. 

The penalty will begin on July 6. 

"I just think the conventional wisdom would dictate that two minors don't go into a bar on multiple occasions to get juice," board member Jon Lifvergren said, referring to the contents of a glass in video surveillance. 

"It's conceivable, it's possible, but conventional wisdom- just, every fiber of my being is just saying, what's the likelihood of that? That they've been there, from what I understand, on multiple occasions, to have some juice?" 

Earlier this year, Police Capt. Matthew Hill received a call from an upset parent about her 19-year-old daughter patronizing Iztac Mexican Restaurant at night and being served.  Those photos resulted in a two-week liquor license suspension for Iztac, which is now closed, and the same mother submitted an almost identical complaint about Bei Tempi, accompanied by photos.  

At the last hearing, the board watched security footage from the night, around 11 p.m., which does not display the establishment's door or bar, and heard from the patron's mother.  

Attorney Ken Ferris on Monday argued that there isn't enough information to substantiate the claim, specifically that video footage only showed a reddish liquid in a glass held by one of the girls and that they didn't appear to be stumbling. 

He said they were there to dance and not to drink. 

Board member Kathy Amuso said the police wouldn't have brought the incident forward if they didn't feel underage people were drinking. 

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