Pittsfield Celebrates Housatonic

12:00AM / Thursday, July 29, 2004Print Story | Email Story

On Saturday, August 7th, in downtown Pittsfield, artists, musicians, actors, dancers, writers, and other performers will recognize and honor the Housatonic River in Pittsfield with a variety of performances. The celebration is co-sponsored by the Storefront Artist Project, the Berkshire Music School, and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in collaboration with the region-wide Housatonic River Summer 2004. The performances are free and open to the public. The first performance, a multimedia, multicultural celebration entitled RiverMASS, will be held at 2pm at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on Park Square. RiverMASS celebrates the east and west branches of the Housatonic River uniting in Pittsfield with a vibrant ceremony/performance that includes pageantry, bang-on-a-can style music and audience participation. RiverMASS, which is created and directed by singer/songwriter JoAnne Spies, features a variety of performers including the dancers and drummers of Youth Alive; the River Festival Chorus, directed by Berkshire Music School director Tracy Wilson; jazz tap dancer Sherry Salerno; musicians from Manos Unidas' Latin American Music Project; and five to eight-year-old art students from the Becket Art Center, who will perform River Myths in costume. Other participating musicians include Hector on Stilts, who will be performing a song entitled "The River" by John Hyatt; harpist Lynne Davis; singer Shirley Edgerton, who will perform "Wade in the Water;" and Ed Stander, who will perform the Pachebel Canon on water glasses. In addition, dancer/choreographer Stefanie Weber will present a world premiere of Eschun Exuvia, a interactive sculpture/performance based on the Yoruban water goddess Eschun and the role that dragonflies play in both the ecology of the Housatonic River and the tracking of pollution in it. In addition to music and performances, Housatonic River Initiative founder Tim Gray will read "A Letter from the Hopi Elders;" Michael Johnson will lead "Calling in Our Ancestors;" artist Susan Hartung will read "Water I Had Not Known You;" Sufi leader Aftab will lead a water dance; Reverend Gay Rahn will perform a water blessing; and Janice Wahita Young will lead attendees in a Buddhist blessing and chant. Longtime Pittsfield artist Edwin Treitler will read a poem written for the occasion entitled, "A Prayer for our Rivers." Treitler organized a celebration/ceremony for the Housatonic River in Pittsfield in the early 1980s that led to the establishment of Pittsfield's Fred Garner Park along the Housatonic.

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Unpaved Cycling Event to Benefit Jimmy Fund

Community submission12:36PM / Monday, September 14, 2026

LENOX, Mass. -- The Pan-Mass Challenge will once again bring together hundreds of cyclists and volunteers in the scenic Berkshires of Massachusetts for PMC Unpaved, the organization’s charitable gravel ride and camp experience on Saturday, Oct. 3.

All money raised through PMC Unpaved goes directly to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 2026, the PMC aims to raise a record breaking $79 million.

The 2026 event marks the fifth annual PMC Unpaved. The experience will kick off on Friday, Oct. 2, as participants gather around a campfire at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac to enjoy s’mores, live music, and a shared mission to end cancer.

Cycling begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and includes three gravel route options spanning 20, 30, and 50 miles. Riders enjoy the paved and unpaved country roads of the Berkshires through western Massachusetts and even into New York state.

Immediately following the ride, the PMC Unpaved camp experience continues with live entertainment, activities for riders and their loved ones, and a speaking program featuring PMC leadership and members of PMC’s Living Proof community, riders and volunteers who were previously treated or are currently undergoing cancer treatment and who serve as Living Proof of the progress made through raising funds for cancer research and treatment.

Those interested in experiencing PMC Unpaved for themselves can visit unpaved.org for more information, including details about day-of registration.

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