image description — Coretta Scott King, left, watches President Ronald Reagan sign the bill creating Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

Holiday Hours: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

10:58AM / Thursday, January 15, 2026Print Story | Email Story

The Rev. King waves to the hundreds of thousands gathered on the Washington Mall in 1963 when he gave the 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is being celebrated Monday, Jan. 19. It is a federal holiday to commemorate the birthday of the civil rights activist born Jan. 15, 1929. It is observed on the third Monday in January.

King, a Baptist minister, led the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s by espousing nonviolent protest. His best-known address, the "I Have a Dream" speech, was given in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to a crowd of 250,000 who participated in the March on Washington. The 1964 Nobel Prize winner was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

While the reverend was born in Atlanta, he has ties to Massachusetts. He earned his doctorate from Boston University and met and married his wife, Coretta Scott, in Boston. The state's U.S. Sen. Edward Brooke sponsored the first bill to declare a holiday in his honor in the 1970s. MLK Day was first observed as a federal holiday in 1986 but a number of states, particularly in the South and West, did not add it to their list of state holidays until some years later.

While federal and state offices are closed, only about a third of businesses give their employees the time off.

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition will hold its annual Day of Service on Monday and present the annual Peacemaker Award in MCLA's Venable Hall gym. This year's award will be presented to Wendy Penner, a volunteer community organizer and champion for public health approaches; the celebration begins with check-in at MCLA's Church Street Center at 11 a.m. with presentations and lunch provided by the Berkshire Food Project. Volunteers will depart to their service sites or stay on site to work on activities at the gym at 12:45 p.m.

Berkshire Community College will start off its annual Day of Service event with keynote speaker Alÿcia Bacon, the community engagement officer for equity and inclusion at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, and breakfast at Price Memorial AME Zion Church at 10 a.m. This event is co-sponsored by the Berkshire Branch of the NAACP. Volunteer activities at local service sites will follow.

Multicultural BRIDGE will host a weekend of activities with community partners beginning Friday, Jan. 16, with the theme "Mission Possible, Part II: Building Community and Unification in a Nonviolent Way." Volunteer opportunities on Friday include packing and delivering food and supplies; a community concert will be held that evening at Barrington Hall, which will also host a family- and youth-centered concert on Saturday.

Sunday centers on worship at Macedonia Baptist Church; Monday focuses on service, memory, and civic engagement with a public reading of King’s 1968 speech, intergenerational service projects. A facilitated community conversation on "Trust & Safety" will be held with residents, civic leaders, and public safety partners to reflect on both actual safety and the perception of safety in the community

More information and sign up for activities here.

Greylock Glen Outdoor Center in Adams will host a reading at 5 p.m. of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail" followed by a potluck shared meal. You don't have to bring a potluck or read to attend but both or either are welcome. Interested in reading? Contact info@greylockglenresort.com.

Closed:

Federal, state and local offices; no mail delivery.
Banks
Stock markets
Public colleges and schools, most private schools
Public libraries
Some offices and businesses
BRTA is not running; office is closed

Berkshire Food Project

Open:
Most retail outlets, groceries
Restaurants and bars
Convenience stores

Tags: holiday hours,

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NBSU Committee Open to Discussing Apportionment Changes

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:12AM / Friday, January 16, 2026

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Clarksburg's partners in the North Berkshire School Union agreed to take a look at the assessment structure for the union's administration and the union agreement.

Town and school officials have questioned Clarksburg's share of administration costs, which is now more than 50 percent.

Select Board Chair Daniel Haskins presented the "super" NBSU School Committee last week with a proposal of a base contribution of 10 percent for each district except for Monroe, which would be 5 percent, and then a ratio based on enrollment.

"Over my four years on the Select Board, I've observed a steady increase in presented percentage that Clarksburg contributes to the North Berkshire School Union as our student enrollment has grown," he said. "The reason behind this proposed adjustment is straightforward: The North Berkshire School Union provides services for all member towns. These include oversight of the principals, management of school facilities, food services and special education programs."

He also pointed to the state reporting and reviews, preparation of school budgets, and meeting attendance.

"For example, the union is not attending five times as many school committee meetings for Clarksburg as it is for Savoy, nor is it overseeing three additional principals for Florida," he said. "While I fully acknowledge that the NBSU staff does spend more time on Clarksburg-related matters than those of the smaller towns, it is worth asking whether the current ratios accurately reflect the difference."

The five towns of Clarksburg, Florida, Monroe, Rowe and Savoy share the services of central office that includes the superintendent, assistant/special education director, information technology director, business administrator, support staff, supplies and rent and utilities for the space in North Adams.

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