Williamstown digest

12:00AM / Thursday, March 11, 2004Print Story | Email Story

Dramatic reading The Story-time Adventure Troupe, juniors and seniors at Williams College, will present a dramatic reading of â€œRumplestiltskinâ€ Saturday, March 13, at 11 a.m. in the David and Joyce Milne Library children's room. The story of the young queen forced to spin straw into gold and her resort to otherworldly help â€” at a cost â€” is among the Brothers Grimm collection. The students will use costumes and simple sets to enliven their stories. The story is suitable for youngsters 3 and older. Buxton play WILLIAMSTOWN â€” Buxton School will present â€œThe Best of All Possible Worlds,â€ a play based on Voltaireâ€™s â€œCandide,â€ at the Buxton Theater on Friday, March 12, at 8 p.m. Admission is free and the public is welcome. â€œThe Best of All Possible Worldsâ€ was chosen this year as Buxtonâ€™s All-School Play, which was also presented to three audiences in Philadelphia, Pa., during the first week of March. Each year, the entire Buxton student body is involved in the schoolâ€™s All-School Play in some capacity: on stage, backstage, make-up, costuming, set design or orchestra. The play is taken on the road during the All-School Trip and then performed again at Buxton School upon the studentsâ€™ return. Local students participating are Elyse Derosia and Sophia Giordano of Williamstown. The play is directed by Pete Smith, and costumes are by Ruth Giordano, both of Williamstown, with Choreography by Kathleen Oliver, of Pownal, Vt. The school thanked Shakespeare and Co. of Lenox, for fencing lessons given to students in preparation for the play. Information: 458-3919. Legion breakfast American Legion Post 152, 117 Latham St., will host a pancake breakfast buffet on Sunday, March 14, from 8 to 11 a.m., featuring pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, home fries, juice, coffee and tea. Donation: $5. The public is welcome. Irish entertainment WILLIAMSTOWN â€” Derek Mann will perform â€œComedy and Music with an Irish Flavorâ€ Sunday, March 14, at 4 p.m. at Sweetwood. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Mann performed on the concert stage and later in cabarets at Londonâ€™s leading hotels before becoming cruise director with the Royal Viking lines, for which he entertained passengers for 23 years while sailing over 1 million miles. Public meetings A schedule of public meetings in or about Williamstown, as provided by Town Clerk Mary C. Kennedy, 458-9341, from official postings. Meetings are held at the municipal building, 31 North St., unless otherwise indicated: Thursday, March 11, McCann School Committee 7 p.m., school; Finance Committee, 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 15, Council on Aging, 3 p.m., Harper Center. Tuesday, March 16, Elementary School Committee, 7 p.m.; Rent Control Board, 7:30 p.m., Spruces Hall; Democratic Town Committee, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, Mount Greylock Regional Administrative Reorganization Subcommittee 7 p.m., school. Thursday, March 18, ZBA, 7 p.m.; Finance Committee 7:30 p.m. Harper Center Elder Services Nutrition Program serves hot meals. Call 458-8250 or 458-5156; 48-hour notice is appreciated. Voluntary donations for van transportation are 50 cents one-way from Williamstown and $1 one-way from North Adams. Service is available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Thursday, March 11, 10 a.m., tai chi; 11 a.m., van to Wal-Mart; 11:30 a.m., lunch; 1 p.m., crafts; 3:30 p.m., knitting group. Friday, March 12, 10:30 a.m., exercise; 11:30 a.m., lunch; 1 p.m. bingo. Sunday, March 14, 11:30 p.m., lunch. Monday, March 15, 10:30 a.m., exercise; 11:30 a.m., lunch; 1 p.m, line dancing. Tuesday, March 16, 9 a.m., oil painting; income tax assistance by appointment; 9:45 and 10:45 a.m., van to Stop & Shop; 1 p.m.Wednesday, March 17, 9 a.m., van to Price Chopper; 10:30 a.m., exercise, 11:30 a.m., lunch. Deaths Roland Bernard Boucher, 73, of 1100 Mohawk Trail North Adams, died Sunday March 7, at the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington, Vt. He was born in North Adams, on June 11, 1930, a son of Armand Boucher and Edith (LaBombard) Boucher. He attended schools in North Adams, including the former Notre Dame Parochial School and Drury High School. He was a veteran of the Korean War and entered the U.S. Army on Feb. 25, 1952. He served as a corporal in the European Theater of Operations for 18 months until he transferred to the Army Reserve on Feb. 9, 1954. He was awarded the National Defense Medal and the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal for his service. He then served in the Army Reserve as a member of the Massachusetts National Guard in Adams for 20 years. He was last employed in the food service department of Williams College for about 15 years until his retirement in 1992. Prior to that, he was employed by the state of Massachusetts. Mr. Boucher was a communicant of St. Anthony of Padua Church. He was a member of the Frank R. Stiles Post 125 American Legion in North Adams. He was a member of the Retired Menâ€™s Club. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, playing cards and spending time with his family. He leaves his wife, the former Elizabeth Ann Giorgenti, whom he married on May 12, 1956, in St. Anthony of Padua Church; a son, Ronald A. Boucher of North Adams; two daughters, Lynn M. Bizzi of Williamstown and Katherine A. Dean of Adams; three Sisters ,Jeannette Heidemann of Clarksburg, Rita Rowley of Pittsfield and Lillian Schwenk of Sterling Heights, Mich.; three grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Four brothers, Albert, Alfred, William and Bernard Boucher, are deceased. The funeral was today at the Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna funeral home, West Chapels, 521 West Main St. North Adams. A funeral Mass at St. Anthonyâ€™s was celebrated by the Rev. Daniel J. Oâ€šHear, pastor. Burial was in Southview Cemetery, North Adams. Donations are suggested for the St. Anthony kitchen, in care of the funeral home. Jean Morel, 70, of 992 Green River Road, Williamstown, died Tuesday evening, March 9, at his home. He was born in Bourg-En-Bresse (Ain) France on Oct. 2, 1933, a son of Claudius and Emilie (Temporel) Morel. He attended schools in France and was a member of the France Government Army. He moved to the United States in 1961 and settled in New York City, where he was employed as a chef at several restaurants for 10 years until moving to Williamstown in 1971. He was the owner and chef of the Lâ€™Hostellerie Bressane Restaurant, now the Lâ€™Aubergine Restaurant in Hillsdale, N.Y., from 1971 to 1996. He leaves his wife, Madeleine (Meslay) Morel, whom he married on Sept. 21, 1957, in France. At Mr. Morelâ€™s request, there will be no funeral service or calling hours. Burial will take place in France. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested for the VNA & Hospice of Northern Berkshire, through the Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna funeral home, West Chapels, 521 West Main St., North Adams MA 01247. Edna (Gifford) Phillips, 98, formerly of 56 Bachand Ave., Williamstown, died Thursday, March 4, at the Village of Fillmore Ponds in Bennington, Vt., where she had been a resident for three years. She was born in Middletown, N.Y., on Feb. 7, 1906, a daughter of George and Emma (Dunlap) Gifford. She attended schools in Middletown and graduated from Middletown High School in 1923. She graduated from the Ramsdell Business School in 1924. She was employed as a bookkeeper for several businesses in Middletown and was an active member of the First United Methodist Church there, as well as being a volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program. She moved to Williamstown in 1986 and became a member of the First United Methodist Church and its Womenâ€™s Club. She also was a member of the Williamstown Friendship Club at the Harper Center. She married Franklin B. Phillips on April 9, 1925. He died on May 21, 1959. She leaves a son, Richard G. Phillips of Somers, N.Y.; a daughter, Margery Janes of Williamstown; a sister, Lela Ferguson of Vancouver, Wash.; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Graveside services will be at a later date at the family plot in Wallkill Cemetery, Phillipsburg, N.Y. Memorial donations are suggested for Hospice Care of Bennington, Vt., Area Home Health or the charity of the donorâ€™s choice through the Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna funeral home, West Chapels, 521 West Main St., North Adams.

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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

02:13PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."

The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School.

The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday.

The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season.

The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations.

"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.

"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."

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