Lenox Jazz Stroll Begins Sept. 15

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LENOX-- The third Lenox Jazz Stroll will kick off at the Lenox Library this week, running from Sept. 15 to 17.

The event is a collaboration with the Milltown Foundation, Berkshire Jazz Collective and the Lenox Chamber of Commerce. The festival will begin Thursday with a screening of a documentary film by George Schuller, The Modern Jazz Quartet: From Residency to Legacy.

Friday Night launches the musical performances at The Gateways Inn at 6:00 p.m. with a performance by the Ted Rosenthal Trio. The actual stroll is on Saturday, Sept. 17, with performances throughout the day in various locations in downtown Lenox. 

The Lenox Jazz Stroll started in 2020, organized by Andy Wrba, Founder, Berkshire Jazz Collective and Program Manager, Milltown Foundation, also a local musician and music teacher.

“The Lenox Jazz Stroll continues to evolve from its inception in 2020. In that first year, we were restricted to gathering in small groups in outdoor settings so the idea of having several jazz performances in walkable locations was a welcomed idea by both musicians and listeners alike. Now in its third year, the Jazz Stroll has quickly become a staple of the regional music scene with performances from top musicians from the Berkshires, Boston, and New York.” -Andy Wrba 

The Lenox Cultural District is a supporter and sponsor of the event.

Performance Schedule - Saturday, September 17

Gateways Inn         12:00-1:00 pm     Richard Stanmeyer Quartet

Lilac Park                1:00-2:00 pm      Don Mikkelsen Quartet

Campfire                 2:00-3:00  pm     Dave Bartley Trio

Lilac Park                3:00-4:00  pm     Dominique Eade with The Armen Donelian Trio

Campfire                 4:00-5:00  pm     Suzi Stern

Gateways Inn         5:00-6:00 pm      Jeanne Laurin, John Sauer, Bob Ferrier

Lilac Park                6:00-7:00 pm     Mukana

Gateways Inn         7:00-9:00  pm     Green Street Trio

Firefly                     8:00-11:00 pm    Wanda Houston Band

 

For more information: Jenn Nacht at jenn@lenox.org or (413) 637-3646. For more general information please go to https://lenox.org/jazzstroll


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Pittsfield Council Endorses 11 Departmental Budgets

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council last week preliminarily approved 11 department budgets in under 90 minutes on the first day of fiscal year 2025 hearings.

Mayor Peter Marchetti has proposed a $216,155,210 operating budget, a 5 percent increase from the previous year.  After the council supported a petition for a level-funded budget earlier this year, the mayor asked each department to come up with a level-funded and a level-service-funded spending plan.

"The budget you have in front of you this evening is a responsible budget that provides a balance between a level service and a level-funded budget that kept increases to a minimum while keeping services that met the community's expectations," he said.

Marchetti outlined four major budget drivers: More than $3 million in contractual salaries for city and school workers; a $1.5 million increase in health insurance to $30.5 million; a more than  $887,000 increase in retirement to nearly $17.4 million; and almost $1.1 million in debt service increases.

"These increases total over $6 million," he said. "To cover these obligations, the city and School Committee had to make reductions to be within limits of what we can raise through taxes."

The city expects to earn about $115 million in property taxes in FY25 and raise the remaining amount through state aid and local receipts. The budget proposal also includes a $2.5 million appropriation from free cash to offset the tax rate and an $18.5 million appropriation from the water and sewer enterprise had been applied to the revenue stream.

"Our government is not immune to rising costs to impact each of us every day," Marchetti said. "Many of our neighbors in surrounding communities are also facing increases in their budgets due to the same factors."

He pointed to other Berkshire communities' budgets, including a 3.5 percent increase in Adams and a 12 percent increase in Great Barrington. Pittsfield rests in the middle at a 5.4 percent increase.

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