South County notes

12:00AM / Wednesday, June 02, 2004Print Story | Email Story

Housatonic vision HOUSATONIC â€” â€œThe Heartbeat of Housatonic,â€ sponsored by Housatonic The Beautiful Fund Inc. and all its volunteers, is continuing work on plans to revitalize downtown. During visioning sessions held in February and March, facilitated by planning consultant Richard Beatty, the residents and merchants of Housatonic identified improvements they wanted for the town center. The visioning sessions were funded by a grant from the state Department of Housing and Community Development through Emmy Hahn, downtown revitalization specialist, who visited last summer to help set the town's visioning grant application in motion. The town has established committees to implement several initiatives: Public Improvements, Special Events, School Re-use, Business Development, Recreation, Library and Youth Activities. There are other grants available to assist communities with implementing specific improvements, but local funds are needed up front to prepare plans and cost estimates for the town to use in grant applications. Housatonic The Beautiful Fund is looking to residents and merchants to help with this effort. Over 50 meetings of the various special focus groups and committees have been held in the past few months. On April 16, Walter Cudnohufsky, a landscape architect and designer, met with community members, walked the town and subsequently submitted a proposal to design a plan for landscape improvements in the village center. On Saturday, June 26, the first of weekly Village Markets will be held on the school grounds in the center of town from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. There will be a variety of vendors, organic farmers, booths of artists and craftspeople, baked goods and books. The Recreation Committee has met several times to revive the Old Maids Swimming Hole in Housatonic and begin the process of utilizing the riverfront. A logo and identity for Housatonic The Beautiful has been developed. T-shirts and other products, reinforcing the community's identity and its effort to preserve its history and traditions, will be available for sale along with photos of old Housatonic. A Housatonic The Beautiful Web site is also under construction. To keep an eye on the progress of fundraising, an artful â€œmeasuring vehicleâ€ was constructed by Housatonic residents and will be positioned outside the post office this weekend. The colorful sign will document the stream of contributions and grants awarded. Periodically, resident Deb Koffman will mark the new donations to the town as the effort continues. Information: Lisa Newmann, lnewmann@bcn.net. Open House SHEFFIELD â€” The Sheffield Historical Society will celebrate another year of special events, educational programs and changing exhibitions at its annual meeting on Friday, June 11, at 7:30 p.m. on the grounds of the Historical Society, 159 Main St., Route 7. A presentation on the societyâ€™s recent collections-care initiative will begin the program. Members will then stroll the grounds and view the buildings, including the Mark Dewey Research Center, the Parker Hall Law Office and the Dan Raymond House. Special behind-the-scenes tours of the societyâ€™s collections areas, highlighting the newly purchased storage equipment, will also be available. The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served. In the event of inclement weather, the program will begin in the Fellowship Room of Old Parish Church. Tours of the Dan Raymond House are available Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Mark Dewey Research Center is open Monday and Friday from 1:30 to 4 p.m. and by appointment. The exhibition â€œGardening Through the Yearsâ€ will open on June 5 in the Stone Store; hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Information on society programs: contact the Sheffield Historical Society, 159-161 Main St., P.O. Box 747, Sheffield, MA 01257, 229-2694 or e-mail shs@sheffieldhistory.org. Lee practice LEE â€” The physicians and staff at Lee Family Practice will host an open house at its new medical building at 11 Quarry Hill Road from 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 8. The building, in the Lee Community Development Corp.â€™s Quarry Hill Business Park on Route 102, was completed last month, and the practice is providing health care there to people of all ages. Refreshments and entertainment will be provided. Childrenâ€™s chorus GREAT BARRINGTON â€” The Berkshire Childrenâ€™s Chorus will present a spring concert, â€œThis Shall Be For Musicâ€ on Saturday, June 12, at 7 p.m. at the Great Barrington Congregational Church. The concert will feature selections from this yearâ€™s repertoire and will be presented by all three of the choruses. Accompanists will be Lee Dixon and Nancy King. Nancy Loder is the founder and director. The children of the Berkshire Childrenâ€™s Chorus are sixth-through ninth graders from 17 communities in Massachusetts and New York who work together weekly on the most challenging childrenâ€™s chorus music available. They have held numerous local concerts within the community, have traveled extensively and continue to appear in various locales. The apprentice chorus, the Start Up Chorus, comprises students in grades three to five. The High School Chorus, Coda, is for students in grades 10 to 12 who wish to continue on with their chorus experience. Each of the choruses will present several selections from various countries and periods of history. The children who will tour in England this summer will present one or two of their selections as well. Special guest will be Tari Wheeler on the flute and the penny whistle. The suggested donation is $15 at the door. Information: office, 229-2465 or Loder, 528-9285. BCC standouts PITTSFIELD â€“ Berkshire Community College recognized and honored its 33 long-term employees and 15 retirees at a dinner held on May 21 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Pittsfield. The retirees honored included Karen Border, 39 years; James Border, 34 years; Mary Jane Burke, 13 years; Nicholas DelGreco, 24 years; Sylvia Desautels, 32 years; Linda Dillon, 24 years; Richard Ferren, 32 years; John Lambert, 34 years; Lewis Markham, 26 years; Maureen Masoero, 37 years; Dennis Maxwell, 19 years; Michael Pelle, 21 years; David Roche, 6 years; Victoria Singer, 6 years and Alexandra Warshaw, 25 years. Richard Lausier was honored for working at BCC for 25 years. Staff and faculty honored for 20 years of service include Christine Adams, Jean Aulisio, Deborah Carderella, John Collins, Robert DeLuca, Linda Fields, Pamela Lange and Wendy McArdle. Those honored for 15 years of service include David Cohen, Catherine Dargi, Andrew Howitt, Alice Jehle, Karen MacDowell, William Mulholland and Ruth Reynolds. Staff and faculty recognized for 10 years of service include Sharon Aleksa, Heidi Bailey, Marziale Carlopoli, Deborah Cote, Michele Darroch, Lois Gromacki, John Paskus, Rose Shaw, Theresa Tooley and Mary Vrabel. Employees honored for 5 years of service include Kellie Dillon, Jeffrey Gardner, Jeremy LaCrosse, Kevin O'Donnell, Nancy Sherman, Linda Tully and Thomas Tyning. Community Garden GREAT BARRINGTON â€” Berkshire South Regional Community Center has invited the public to help plant a Community Garden on Saturday, June 5, at 15 Crissey Road, off Route 7, just north of the Price Chopper Plaza. Beginning at 9 a.m., Project Leader Tamera Strobel will lead volunteers through the planting process. Children participating in â€œCamp Action Adventureâ€ and â€œSunshine in the Summerâ€ day programs at the community center will tend the garden over the course of the summer. Information about activities families can participate in while visiting the garden this summer will be available at the front desk beginning June 28. The Community Garden program is funded through a grant from the Robbins de Beaumont Foundation. Berkshire South is a nonprofit community center open to all; financial aid is available. Information: 528-2810 or www.berkshiresouth.org. Evensong Series LENOX â€” Trinity Parish has announced that a sung service of evening prayer, or Evensong, will be offered on Sunday, June 6, at 5 p.m. in the church on Walker Street. The Evensong Choir, composed of members of Trinity's Parish Choir as well as other singers from throughout Berkshire County, will be led by Jeff Hunt, Trinity's organist and choirmaster. Interested singers are asked to call Hunt at 499-7320 ahead of time to reserve scores. Choir rehearsal will be held at 3:30 in the choir room. The Evensong will be the fifth in a monthly series, following the form in the Book of Common Prayer, Rite I. Trinity offers evening prayer weekly on Sundays at 5. Evensongs take place on the first Sunday of each month. The public is welcome. There is no admission charge. Information: Hunt, 499-7320.

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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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