'Tanglewood In The City' Coming To Pittsfield This Summer
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Boston Symphony Orchestra will be broadcast live to the Common on July 19.
Mill Town Capital and the BSO are launching Tanglewood in the City in downtown Pittsfield this summer. The event will be free and the event will feature some food vendors and a beer garden, operated by Barrington Brewery.
"This is a very similar event that the BSOP already holds in the Boston Common," said Caroline Holland of Mill Town Capital. "It will be broadcast live at the Boston Common and the Pittsfield Common."
The jumbo screen measuring 15-feet by 27-feet will be erected in front of the pavilion and if there is rain, the First United Methodist Church will serve as the backup location. The concert starts at 8 p.m. but there will be videos running prior to that and there will be an emcee.
The event is one of many the Parks Commission approved this week. The Eagles Community Band will also be returning to the Common for the 24th year. The Eagles plan a show on June 25 at the Common and one on July 23 at Springside Park. Both events run 7-9 p.m.
A third date hasn't been decided. The group wanted to perform on Aug. 13 at the Common but that conflicts with Shakespeare in the Park. The Eagles Band will be working with the city to determine the date of that performance.
Shakespeare in the Park will again run in the Common for two weeks. This year's play is Much Adu About Nothing. The performances will be Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday starting on August 15.
The fifth annual Polar Plunge will return to Onota Lake on March 31. The event calls on people to take a cold swim in the lake to help raise money for the Special Olympics.
The Vietnam Veterans Day Service will return to Park Square on March 30. The event features a short ceremony to remember the men and women who served, a rifle volley, Taps, and the reading of the names of local people who died in the war.
Springside Park will get cleaned up on April 20 and on Sept. 21. The Friends of Springside have been organizing the cleanups for 30 years and typically draw some 50 to 100 people.
The Berkshire African Festival and Picnic will return to the Common on July 27. The festival was first held last year but rain dampened the attendance. Organizer Francis Someah-Kwaw is hoping for a better turnout this year.
On Aug. 3, the Berkshire Jazz Showcase will be held at the Common. The free concert features local musicians. The event brought a total of 500 people to the Common, in and out over time, last year.
"It is a free concert, five local bands, there will be food vendors currently licensed by the city," said President of Berkshire Jazz Edward Bride.
The Berkshire Cycling Association will hold bike races at Springside Park on Sept. 1. The races will go all day in heats. Organizer Michael Ward said there were issues with the event in 2017 but he's since worked on contingency plans. Ward said the issues was that there was a lot of rain and the bikes ended up damaging sensitive areas.
"We have a redesigned course that avoids the areas of concern," Ward said.
He added that the organization also created a backup course just in case there is more rain that would threaten those areas of concern.
After a brief hiatus, Artscape will return with public art installations this year. Recreation Coordinator Rebecca Manship said Artscape will be placed three sculptures downtown and one in Park Square.
Tags: BSO, Pittsfield Common, public parks,
