Friend's Grille Wins People's Choice at 22nd Wing Fling

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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More than a dozen local restaurants participated in the 22nd annual Wing Fling at Wahconah Park.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Friend's Grille took home the People's Choice Award at the 22nd annual Wing Fling.

The contest was revamped this year after Downtown Pittsfield Inc. took the event over from the Pittsfield Family YMCA. Nearly a thousand people filled Wahconah Park on Saturday night to dine on chicken wings from more than a dozen local restaurants.

Friend's took home the People's Choice title won last year by wings favorite Old Forge, which did not enter this year. Friend's also finished third in the best original wing category.

Krispy Cone won the Best Original Award, with One West at the Crowne Plaza coming in second. Zucchini's Restaurant won the best traditional wings — as it did last year — while newcomer Adams Ale House came in second and Garden Grille and Tavern in the Berkshire Mall, third.

The Garden also won in the best hot wing category (last year's winner Halpin's Grub and Grog is closed), with Port Smitts and Flavours of Malasysia coming in second and third, respectively. Flavours won both ribs categories, original and barbecue.

"We had a lot of downtown restaurants participating that haven't in the past," said Pamela Tobin, executive director of Downtown Pittsfield.


For years, the event was held at Berkshire Community College as a fundraiser for the YMCA. The YMCA felt the fundraiser didn't fit its mission statement and gave the event to Downtown Pittsfield. Ten percent of the money raised by the event will go to the YMCA while the rest will go to Downtown Pittsfield.

Downtown Pittsfield moved the event to Wahconah Park, where Tobin said the event was able to reach a wider demographic.

"All around, it is a great place to have an event," Tobin said.

A stage was set up in centerfield and the vendors lined the outside of the infield, providing the outfield space for attendees to congregate. The bands Static and Whiskey City performed while radio station Live 95.9 held a contest challenging attendee to sling-shot a rubber chicken into a makeshift house.

"It was smooth," Tobin said of the event, but acknowledged it was a "monster" for planning.


Tags: downtown,   food contest,   Wahconah Park,   

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Pittsfield Super Details Emergency Communication with Families

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — When faced with a possible security threat, the Pittsfield Public Schools' first priority is to ensure staff and students are safe. 

Then, the goal is to provide families with timely and accurate updates and a sufficient explanation once the incident has passed.

That's what Superintendent Joseph Curtis told a joint meeting of the School Committee and City Council last week, as he reviewed the district's emergency response communication to families.

"It's incredibly important that we first, when we have an incident, be it small or something larger, before we communicate with our community, including our parents, we ensure that all staff and students are safe," he said.

"It's very important to know we don't have a communication department. There is no one that takes the lead on communicating with our families. It is us."

The presentation referenced a September incident that caused Pittsfield schools to shelter in place.  The Pittsfield Police Department was pursuing a man wanted for murder in the state of Maine and because of Taconic High School's proximity to the chase, it was locked down.

Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren pointed out that the agenda item was influenced by a "very well articulated" email from a student. Curtis and Mayor Peter Marchetti met with the student to discuss her concerns.

School Committee member Sara Hathaway was touched by the communication, as "she described herself as being terrified and that was horrifying, of course."  

"This is a bigger problem than Pittsfield can solve. School Violence and urban violence in general are big problems across the country," Hathaway said, pointing to a safe gun storage resolution that was passed last year.

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