The VFW gave out donations to local groups including the Clarksburg Fire Department. See more photos here.
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9144 played Santa Claus on Sunday (with a little help from the jolly old elf) at the town's tree lighting.
The post handed out nearly $10,000 in donations to worthy organizations.
Santa arrived on a fire truck with the Clarksburg Volunteer Fire Department and was greeted with cheers but a large crowd of children. He helped VFW members Joseph Bushika and Edward Denault in lighting the young tree, which replaced an older permanent tree.
The crowd headed to the pavilion for pictures with Santa and cookies and hot chocolate provided by the VFW.
In between, the VFW recognized organizations that have helped the town and the larger community with monetary donations. This has been an annual event using proceeds from the golf tournament hosted by the post.
"All these donations have been doubled this year," said Denault. "Reason being as the golf tournament was so successful. Thanks everybody who donated so we got extra money to give out."
The post gave $250 to St. Elizabeth's Rosary Society for its scholarship program; $500 to the Drury High School band for its participation in the Memorial Day event; $500 to the town's Council on Aging; $1,000 each to two local cancer charities, the AYJ Fund and PopCares, and $1,000 each the town library, the Historical Society and and Fire Department.
The Clarksburg School PTG was gifted with $3,500. Denault said the VFW often gave its donations toward field trips and other events but feels the PTG would know best where the money would do the most good for the children.
The evening concluded with the prekindergarten class at Clarksburg School singing "Must Be Santa" and then Santa lead everyone in singing "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer."
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North Adams Hopes to Transform Y Into Community Recreation Center
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Mayor Jennifer Macksey updates members of the former YMCA on the status of the roof project and plans for reopening.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city has plans to keep the former YMCA as a community center.
"The city of North Adams is very committed to having a recreation center not only for our youth but our young at heart," Mayor Jennifer Macksey said to the applause of some 50 or more YMCA members on Wednesday. "So we are really working hard and making sure we can have all those touch points."
The mayor said the city will run some programming over the summer until an operator can be found to take over the facility. It will also need a new name.
"The YMCA, as you know, has departed from our facilities and will not return to our facility in the form that we had," she said to the crowd in Council Chambers. "And that's been mostly a decision on their part. The city of North Adams wanted to really keep our relationship with the Y, certainly, but they wanted to be a Y without borders, and we're going a different direction."
The pool was closed in March 2023 after the roof failed a structural inspection. Kyle Lamb, owner of Geary Builders, the contractor on the roof project, said the condition of the laminated beams was far worse than expected.
"When we first went into the Y to do an inspection, we certainly found a lot more than we anticipated. The beams were actually rotted themselves on the bottom where they have to sit on the walls structurally," he said. "The beams actually, from the weight of snow and other things, actually crushed themselves eight to 11 inches. They were actually falling apart. ...
The fate of the facility attached to Brayton School has been in limbo since the closure of the pool last year because of structural issues and the departure of the Berkshire Family YMCA in March.
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