The North Adams Council on Aging and the Berkshire County Chapter of the American Red Cross have teamed up to offer a four-part family caregivers training series.
    This series is designed to provide information and skills that will enable family members, friends, and volunteers to better care for an elderly spouse, parent, or friend at home. The training series will be held at the Mary Spitzer Senior Center, 116 Ashland St., North Adams, from 1 to 3 p.m. on May 17, 24, 31 and June 7.
    Learning objectives of the series include being sensitive to the physical and psychological needs of the elderly; supporting and maintaining the rights of the elderly; encouraging the recipient of care to be as independent as possible; providing basic care; and acting as an advocate for the recipient of care as needed. Each part of the series will focus on particular topic areas.
    The first part, The Art of Caregiving, will focus on the Six Principles of Care: Safety, Privacy, Independence, Communication, Infection Control, Dignity, and Legal Documentation in Health Care. The second part is Keeping People Safe and Measuring Life Signs. This part will include information on what to do in the case of an emergency or sudden illness until professional help arrives. The third part will focus on Providing Personal Care, Healthy Eating, and Care for Specific Illnesses. The fourth part will focus on Providing Care for People with Alzheimer's Disease and Other Related Dementia.
    The series is open to anyone in Berkshire County. Contact the North Adams Council on Aging at 662-3126 to register or for more information.
    The North Adams Tree Commission will celebrate Arbor Day on Friday, April 28, beginning at 10 a.m. This year's activities will take place at Sullivan Elementary School. Mayor John Barrett III and Ken Gooch, from the state Department of Environmental Management's Division of Forests and Parks, will speak on the history of Arbor Day and recent Tree Commission awards. Samantha Therrien and Charles Toomajian, both fifth-grade students, will read the Arbor Day proclamation. Musical events will include presentations from both the Sullivan School Band and Chorus. A Bradford Pear tree will be planted in recognition of this special occasion. The public is invited to attend.
    Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and the city of North Adams will hold the 9th Annual Community Cleanup Day on Saturday, April 29, beginning at 10 a.m. This annual volunteer service program clears debris from public parks and recreational areas, streets, and local cemeteries each spring. Last year, 150 volunteers cleaned 17 North Adams sites, resulting in 10 tons of trash. More than 20 sites have been selected for this year's cleanup events. If you or your organization are interested in volunteering, call 662-5251 to preregister (leave a message); walk-in volunteers are also accepted.
    Papyri Books, Main Street, North Adams, ends National Poetry Month with an event of its own creation - the whimsical Poetry Jam, where community members are invited to join in a variety of fun, exploratory, Poetry "jam sessions."
    The event will take place Saturday, April 29; a reception will be held at 7 p.m.; the jam will start at 7:30 p.m.
    The Adams Historical Society will repeat "Events of the 20th Century," a local history talk by Eugene Michalenko with slides from the society's collection, on Sunday, May 7, at 3 p.m. in the Memorial Hall of the Adams Free Library, Park Street.
    The program, which was originally presented in early March to a standing-room-only audience, covers highlights, lowlights, and little-known but intriguing stories of the 1900s in Adams, including tales and photographs of natural disasters, buildings that came and went, crimes of the century, and prominent local figures and sports heroes.
    The public is invited to attend; there is no charge for admission. Memorial Hall, on the second floor of the library, is accessible to people with disabilities by elevator.
    All aboard for the second program in the Family Fun series at Western Gateway Heritage State Park's Visitors Center on Sunday, April 30, at 2 p.m. when John McDonough's Pumpernickel Puppets perform.
    The program, sponsored by the Department of Environmental Management, will include Sir George and the Dragon and The Lion and the Mouse.
    Based in Worcester, Pumpernickel Puppets have appeared at more than 200 locations a year. Sponsors have included the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Our National Heritage, the Puppet Showplace Theatre, and the New England Puppetry series. For more than 20 yeas, the Pumpernickel Puppets have entertained family audiences with colorful and humorous adaptations of classic folk and fairy tales.
    John McDonough uses handcrafted puppets, live music, sound effects, and fast-paced, humorous scripts to involve the audience. A behind-the-scenes demonstration of the workings of a puppet show follows the performance. Those attending are asked to bring a blanket or a sleeping bag to sit upon. A donation of a non-perishable food item is requested for the Northern Berkshire Community Action Food Pantry. The park is located on Route 8 between State and Furnace streets in North Adams. For more information, call 663-6312.
    Election of officers for the 2000-2001 year took place at the April 5 meeting of the North Adams Lions Club, with the current slate of officers unanimously re-elected by the members present.
    As of July 1, Paul J. Moriarty will begin his second consecutive term as King Lion, with Robin Martin, Robert Green Jr., and Daniel Perreault serving as first, second, and third vice-president, respectively. As treasurer, Philip Fosser will serve his first full term, having been appointed to the post in September following the death of long-term treasurer and club member Nini D'Arcangelo. Lisa Jarisch will begin her fifth year as the club's secretary, with James Sprowson and Henry Contois elected to continue their positions of Tail Twister and Lion Tamer.
    In other business, the club has scheduled its annual meeting for Saturday, June 17, at the Holiday Inn Berkshires, with new members to be installed and officers to be sworn in. Lions clubs from Berkshire County, as well as district officers and special guests will be invited to attend.
    The club also approved a request for assistance for the purchase of eyeglasses for a local child, and reported on the donation of coloring books and crayons to several departments at North Adams Regional Hospital.
    The North Adams Lions Club meets the first and third Wednesday of each month in September through June, with a 7 p.m. dinner meeting at the Holiday Inn on Main Street. Visiting Lions, guests and local residents interested in the Lions Club are welcome to attend.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
click for more
