Letter: New Name for Apkin

To the Editor:

George Apkin & Sons Inc., would like to share with you some exciting news about our company. We have been working on a strategic plan to ensure that we will be able to continue servicing all our industrial and dealer customers seamlessly for the long term. To ensure that success, we have recently partnered with the Joseph Freedman Co. in Springfield and its affiliates, Perlman Recycling in Pittsfield and Eastern Vehicle Recycling in Westfield.

We are very excited for the depth that this partnership brings. They have a long history dating back 132 years, a great reputation, a professional and friendly team, and a full suite of metal recycling services to further complement our operations.

The only real change will be a small name change to: Apkin Inc. All of our employees in Adams are staying onboard in their current positions, and both of us (Joe Apkin and Bill Apkin) will be staying on as well. Joe Apkin will be leading the company as president, and Bill Apkin will be staying onboard in an advisory role. Sally Cable and Cindi McLain will remain in the office for anything you need.

We appreciate the community that we work with, and it is important to us that we sustain the reputaton and the standing that we have built. To ensure that, we have worked trelessly to make sure that we have partnered with a company that shares our values. We are confident that you will not be disappointed by the transiton.

Thank you to all who have supported us through the years, we look forward to a new chapter.

Joe & Bill Apkin, the Apkin Team
Adams,Mass. 

Adams Marks 250 Years of the Declaration With History, Hope and Look Toward the Future

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:41PM / Saturday, July 18, 2026

George Washington (Joseph Nowak) addresses the gathering at the Greylock Glen. Look for more photos later. 

ADAMS, Mass. — On July 18, 1776, the first reading of the Declaration of Independence was held in Massachusetts. 

 

Now 250 years later, the reading not only stands as a reminder of the country's history but also serves as a beacon of hope for change. 

 

On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered at the Greylock Glen Outdoor Center, nestled at the base of Mount Greylock, the tallest mountain in all of southern New England. The clouds rolled over and rain came pouring down but that did not dampen the voices of the people. 

 

Dressed as George Washington, Selectman and Adams 250 committee founder Joseph Nowak was handed the Declaration of Independence, by two horsewomen played by Kathy Foley and Donna Digrigoli of Aisling Mountain Farm. 

 

Sections of the Declaration were read by resident Christian Rowe; re-enactor Michael Duncan Smith; retired historian Barry Emery as Thomas Jefferson; and the Stafford Hill Boys, Ken Milman and Ed Chase, who are descendants of Deacon Stephen Carpenter, who fought in the Battle of Bennington.

 

As it was read, history and the present stood together, with reenactors dressed in period clothing alongside Adams American Legion veterans, dressed in modern day regalia — a demonstration of how history and present are forever intertwined. 

 

"We were given the roles of speaking the grievances, and the original writers of the Declaration made it very clear that it was the duty of the people to petition in redress for grievances against the governing authorities," Chase said.