Williamstown digest

12:00AM / Wednesday, May 26, 2004Print Story | Email Story

Donations sought WILLIAMSTOWN â€“ Because of the recent defeat of the Proposition 2-1/2 override, Mount Greylock Regional High School, Williamstown Elementary School and the Williamstown Youth Center are seeking financial contributions to offset cuts to next yearâ€™s budgets. According to members of the GAP Fund, extra donations are needed to pay for essential programs, in addition to fund-raising requirements arising from cuts to last yearâ€™s budgets. They have urged residents to consider giving the amount their taxes would have increased had the override passed. Tax-deductible contributions for Mount Greylock may be sent to The GAP Fund, P.O. Box 615, Williamstown MA 01267. Information: Lisa Hiley, 458-3077. Contributions to the elementary school may be sent to WES Annual Fund, P.O. Box 44, Williamstown MA 01276. Information: Suzanne Dewey, 458-0139, or Kaatje White, 458-2258. Contributions to the Youth Center may be sent to Williamstown Youth Center, 270 Cole Ave., Williamstown MA 01267. Information: Jonathan Igoe, executive director, or Michelle Merchant, 458-5925. School picnic WILLIAMSTOWN â€“ The Williamstown Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization invites the public to join students and parents for their spring picnic on June 12 from 4 to 6:30 p.m., with a brief presentation at 5:30. The picnic will honor David Rempell, who is retiring after 17 years as principal, and will be held at the schoolâ€™s outdoor field. People attending should bring their own picnics and chairs. Grills for food will be available at the field, and the PTO will provide beverages and dessert. In case of rain, the event will be held in the cafeteria. New hours The Elizabeth Freeman Center has changed its office hours at the municipal building to the second Tuesday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon, or by appointment, Police Chief Arthur A. Parker Jr. announced. The satellite office was established in partnership with the Williamstown Police Department as another way to provide for the victims of domestic abuse and their children. To schedule an appointment or for more information: the center, 663-7459. Student art WILLIAMSTOWN â€” Williamstown Public Schools has invited the public to view the annual WES Student Art Show on Monday, June 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the school gymnasium. The show will culminate with the celebration and opening of the second annual WES Childrenâ€™s Permanent Art Collection, to be unveiled at 6 p.m. in the school lobby on Church Street. Thanks to PTO funding, a collection of studentsâ€™ artwork has been selected and framed to create an ongoing permanent display in the lobby of the new school. In selecting the artwork, thought was given to representing students across grade levels. The childrenâ€™s response to the guidelines for each lesson was taken into consideration, as was the level of craftsmanship and care with which they created each piece. School officials thanked the PTO, art teacher Merry Harsch and local merchants Karen Pedercini of Goodmanâ€™s Jewelers and Jackie Abbott of Artist Technical Services for their contributions. 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: Friday, May 28, Mount Greylock Regional School Committee, 3 p.m., exectuive session. Tuesday, June 1, Housing Authority, 9 a.m., 35 Adams Road. Wednesday, June 2, Sign Commission, 5 p.m.; Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, 7 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, May 27, 10 a.m., tai chi; 11 a.m., van to Wal-Mart; 11:30 a.m., lunch; 1 p.m., crafts/covered dish dinner; 3:30 p.m., knitting group. Friday, May 28, 10:30 a.m., exercise; 11:30 a.m., lunch; 1 p.m. bingo. Sunday, May 30, 11:30 a.m., lunch. Monday, May 31, Harper Center closed for Memorial Day. Tuesday, June 1, 9 a.m., oil painting; 9:45 and 10:45 a.m., van to Stop & Shop; 12:30 p.m., Reading Buddies pizza. Wednesday, June 2, 9 a.m., van to Price Chopper; 10:30 a.m., exercise; 11:30 a.m., lunch; 1 p.m., bridge. Deaths Richard B. Norcott, 96, a former resident of 82 Emerald Lane, The Spruces, in Williamstown, died Thursday on May 20, at the Mount View Center in Rutland, Vt. He was born in North Adams on May 18, 1908, a son of Louis Norcott and Mary (Bullard) Norcott. He attended schools in North Adams and graduated from Drury High School in 1925. He was a baritone horn player with the first Drury High School Band, which played at The White House in 1925 prior to a reception with President Calvin Coolidge. Mr. Norcott was honored at the 70th reunion of the band in 1993. He graduated from Amherst College in 1929 with a bachelor of arts degree with a major in English. He also studied at the Harvard University Business School. He worked for the former Arnold Print Works in North Adams from 1930 until the company closed in 1942. He joined Sprague Electric Co. in 1942, where he was employed as a cost-estimating manager until his retirement in 1973. He and his wife were residents of Stamford, Vt, from 1946 to 1963. While in Stamford, Mr. Norcott served as the town auditor and was a charter member of the Stamford Volunteer Fire Department. He was a member of the Sprague Management Club and the Sprague Quarter Century Club. He was a longtime member of the First Congregational Church of North Adams. He was an avid reader and Boston Red Sox fan and enjoyed cycling and swimming well into his 80s. His wife for over 70 years, Ellen A. (Winsor) Norcott, died on Jan. 11, 2003. They were married on June 11, 1932, at the Ascension Episcopal Church in Wakefield, R.I. After the death of his wife, Mr. Norcott moved to the Rutland, Vt. area to be near his family. He leaves a son, Richard B. Norcott Jr. of Poultney, Vt., two step-grandchildren and five step-great-grandchildren, all of Poultney. He was predeceased by a daughter, Suellen Mary Norcott, who died at the age of 5 months in 1942, and a brother, Louis S. Norcott, who died in 1981. The funeral was Monday at the Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna funeral home, 521 West Main St. North Adams, with the Rev. Jill Graham, pastor of the First Congregational Church of North Adams, officiating. Burial follwed in the family plot in Eastlawn Cemetery, Williamstown. Memorial donations are suggested for the First Congregational Church of North Adams, through the funeral home. Marion Hope (Griswold) Perrier, 86, of 2 Horn Place, Adams, died Monday, May 17, at the Williamstown Commons, where she had been a resident since January. She was born in North Heath, daughter of Albert Griswold and Louis LaPine Griswold, on March 4, 1918. She came to Adams with her parents as a young girl and attended C.T. Plunkett Junior High School and the former Adams High School. Her main avocation was in childcare for several Adams families and as a housewife. She was a Scout Leader for the St. Thomas Girl Scout Troop for many years and a communicant of Notre Dame/St. Thomas Aquinas/St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish. She also was an accomplished seamstress and was the purveyor of bakery goods for her family and neighbors. She married Louis Perrier on July 16, 1938, at Notre Dame Church. The Perriers celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with the family members last July. Besides her husband, of Adams, she leaves five daughters, Mary Lou Rodovick, Phyllis A. LaRocque, Barbara J. Solomon and Carrie P. Brown, all of Adams, and Linda L. Gwozdz of Cheshire; a brother, Franklin Griswold of Cleveland, Tenn.; two sisters, Gladys Pleshaw and Phyllis Griswold, both of Adams; 13 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews. She was predecreased by a daughter, Shirley A. Gomeau, in 1972 and two sons, Arthur L. â€œPerkyâ€ Perrier and James F. Perrier, in 1965 and 1972, respectively. She was also predeceased by a brother, Albert Griswold. A Liturgy of Christian Burial was celebrated Thursday in St. Thomas Aquinas Church by the Rev. Daniel J. Boyle, pastor. Burial followed in the family plot in Bellevue Cemetery, Adams. Memorial donations may be given to the charity of the donorâ€™s choice, through the McBride Funeral Home, which was in charge of arrangements. Gloria E. (Dennett) Straub, 71, of Sebring, Fla., formerly of 187 Main St., Williamstown, died Thursday, May 20, at the Florida Hospital in Sebring. She was born in Williamstown on Dec. 2, 1932, daughter of William E. and Genevieve A. (Chenaille) Dennett. She attended elementary schools in Williamstown and graduated from Drury High School in North Adams in 1950. She worked for several years in the payroll department at the Beaver Street office of the former Sprague Electric Co, North Adams. After her children were grown, she worked for several years as a teller at the former Adams Savings Bank in Adams. She was a longtime Williamstown resident, moving to Florida six years ago. She was a communicant of St. Raphaelâ€™s Church in Williamstown and enjoyed her family, playing the organ, bridge and shuffleboard. She leaves her husband, Edward A. Straub, whom she married on Nov. 8, 1952, in Williamstown; two sons, Stanley A. Straub of Cambridge and Matthew J. Straub of Pittsfield; five grandsons, two great-grandsons, an aunt and several nieces, nephews and cousins. A son, Edward W. Straub, died on Sept. 11, 2001. A Liturgy of Christian Burial was scheduled to be celebrated today [Thursday, May 27] at 11 in St. Raphaelâ€™s, with the Rev. Joseph Devlin, S.J., officiating. Burial was scheduled to follow in Eastlawn Cemetery, Williamstown. The family suggests memorial donations to the American Cancer Society, through the AugÃ©-San Soucie-Simmons Funeral Home, 46 North Church St., North Adams MA 01247, which is in charge of arrangements. Blanche M. (Boyer) Young, 85, of 55 Pines Lodge Park, Williamstown, died Sunday, May 15, at Williamstown Commons. She was born in Williamstown on Feb. 24, 1919, daughter of Hector and Cecilia (Reopel) Boyer, and attended Williamstown schools, including the former Williamstown High School. She worked at the former General Cable Corp. in Williamstown for over 30 years, retiring in 1984. She was a communicant of St. Patrick & St. Raphaelâ€™s Parish in Williamstown. Her husband, William C. Young, whom she married on May 3, 1952, in Pownal, Vt., died on June 27, 1989. She leaves two daughters, Linda King of Ballground, Ga., and Liz Chesbro of Williamstown; a brother, Donald Boyer of Williamstown; three sisters, Madeline Boyer and Gertrude McGowan, both of Williamstown, and Doris Mazza of North Adams; two grandchildren, several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. A brother, Bernard Boyer, is deceased. A Liturgy of Christian Burial was celebrated on Wednesday, May 19, at St. Raphaelâ€™s Church, Williamstown, with the Rev. Mark Burke, S.J., pastor, officiating. Burial followed in Southlawn Cemetery, Williamstown. Memorial donations may be made to Village Ambulance Service, Williamstown, through the AugÃ© San Soucie-Simmons Funeral Home, 46 Church St., North Adams MA 01247, which is in charge of arrangements.

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Friends of Great Barrington Libraries Holiday Book Sale

12:15PM / Wednesday, December 17, 2025

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Friends of Great Barrington Libraries invite the community to shop their annual Holiday Good-as-New Book Sale, happening now through the end of the year at the Mason Library, 231 Main Street.

With hundreds of curated gently used books to choose from—fiction, nonfiction, children's favorites, gift-quality selections, cookbooks, and more—it's the perfect local stop for holiday gifting.

This year's sale is an addition to the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Stroll on this Saturday, Dec. 13, 3–8 PM. Visitors can swing by the Mason Library for early parking, browse the sale until 3:00 PM, then meet Pete the Cat on the front lawn before heading downtown for the Stroll's shopping, music, and festive eats.

Can't make the Holiday Stroll? The book sale is open during regular Mason Library hours throughout December.

Proceeds support free library programming and events for all ages.

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