7th annual Berkshire Junior Solar Sprint at Reid Middle School

09:16AM / Tuesday, May 08, 2007Print Story | Email Story

On Saturday, May 19, area middle school students will gather at Reid Middle School in Pittsfield to enter their model solar cars in the seventh annual Berkshire Junior Solar Sprint (JSS). Roughly 50 students from across Berkshire County are expected to participate in the JSS this year. The JSS is a fun and educational competition for students in grades 5-8 who work in teams to build model vehicles powered by the sun. In the process they learn firsthand about non-polluting transportation. The races and judging will begin at 10 a.m. and end at noon. Registration for students begins at 9 a.m. The solar vehicles will be judged for speed, craftsmanship, innovation and technical merit, and the top three winners in each category will be eligible to compete in the regional JSS championship. The Center for Ecological Technology, coordinator of the Berkshire JSS, will host a Greener Transportation Exhibit during the JSS to educate participants and visitors about alternative transportation options. The exhibit will run from 9 a.m. to noon and feature a variety of hybrid vehicles, a bio-diesel car, and an electric bike. The BRTA will also be on hand to promote bus transportation and to distribute schedules. The JSS is sponsored by The Berkshire Gas Company, Berkshire Bank, Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Western Massachusetts Electric Company and the U.S. Department of Energy. For more information about the JSS or CETâ€™s solar energy curriculum, contact Nancy Nylen (nancyn@cetonline.org) or Cynthia Grippaldi (413.445.4556 ext. 25 or cynthiag@cetonline.org). CET is a non-profit community organization working to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste management and environmental education in western MA. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary year, CET is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

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North Street Restaurant Serving Authentic Afro-Caribbean Cuisine

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:41AM / Friday, February 13, 2026

Andre Lynch has transformed the former Lulu's on North Street into a bright and sunny space to serve his Caribbean cuisine.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dre's Global Kitchen is bringing the flavors of the Caribbean to North Street starting this weekend.

The new restaurant at 137 North St. is holding its grand opening on Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.

Owner and chef André Lynch said the cuisine is straight from his mom's cooking.

Deborah Burchell, a well-known chef and instructor in New York, grew up in Trinidad and learned to cook when she was little. Lynch has taken her recipes and also made his own modifications to her cookbook.

"Thirteen of us grew up in a household eating home-cooked Trinidadian meals every single day in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, mostly, which is a very thick West Indian or Caribbean community," he said.

Once he left New York, he realized not many other places share the influence of his mom's cooking.

"Leaving New York, Brooklyn, really opened our eyes to how much Caribbean influence was not in other places."

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