image description — Contestants pose after 20 minutes of eating hot dogs to raise more than $1,000 toward the Eagle Street Initiative.

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North Adams Dog-A-Thon Raises Over $1,000 for Eagle Street

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
07:42PM / Friday, April 14, 2017Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Over $1,000 was raised at the first NAMAzing Dog-A-Thon to benefit the Eagle Street Initiative.

A small group formed at the pocket park on Eagle Street on Friday evening to watch six worthy competitors dressed in their Sunday best ingest as many Jack's Hot Dogs as they could in in very long 20 minutes.

After going over the universal signal for choking and strategically placing a barf bucket near the table, competitors Benjamin Lamb, Geeg Wiles, Mike Walker, Annie Rodgers, Nathan Rodgers and Piper Jacobs, 8, loaded their plates.

What started out as a sprint soon became an endurance contest as Nathan and Annie Rodgers tapped out early while Lamb, Wylde and Walker fought it out to the bitter end.

Although Jacobs was named the winner, earning a Jack's T-shirt and coupon, Lamb inhaled 10 dogs and was able to down half of a dog to cheers from the small crowd before time ran out, raising $330 on his own.

The Dog-A Thon is only part of fundraising efforts to raise $25,000 for a MassDevelopment matching grant to revitalize Eagle Street. Lamb, City Council president, has been spearheading the effort by the NAMAzing Initiative through the crowdfunding website Patronicity and with the nonprofit Partnership for North Adams as the financial agent.

The fundraising has reached more than $13,000 with another 21 days left. The funds could be used to create pop-up "parklets" for more social space, gateways to mark each entrance of the historic street, branded trash and recycling receptacles and highly visible signage for each business.

Lamb thanked Jack's Hot Dogs for its donation as well as all those who attended the event.

"Thank you all so much for coming out and thank you for your support both being here and cheering us on and watching us destroy ourselves and contributing to the Eagle Street Initiative," Lamb said after regaining his composure.

The entire 20 minute contest was streamed through Facebook Live here.

Tags: fundraiser, good news, hot dogs,

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North Adams Unveils Renovated Armory Basketball Court

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:04AM / Friday, October 16, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Two years after a sprinkler malfunction flooded half of the North Adams Armory's gym, and after a lengthy back-and-forth with the insurance company, the city has unveiled the gym's long-awaited new flooring.

Children, families, and elected officials gathered Friday to break in the court during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. While 9-year-old Noah Morrissey scored the first basket, the city obtaining the funding to replace the gyms flooring was a score of its own.

When the city first submitted its claim to the insurance company, Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, it was initially denied, prompting the city to file another claim, Mayor Jennifer Macksey said.

"We pushed harder on them. Then they came back and said they wanted to replace half the floor. How do you replace half of a basketball court?" she said.

So, the city challenged the insurance company's vice president to visit the gym and to do a few laps on it, after which he saw what the paperwork couldn't convey: the gym floor had dead spots and ripples, meaning the entire floor needed to be replaced.

The city brought in Dupee Flooring to help make its case to the insurance company for a full replacement. Once approved, the company installed a new subfloor to level the surface and refinished the court lines.

Following the $300,000 renovation, the gym now has layouts for three pickleball courts, one volleyball court, and a basketball court. It is also the home of North Adams Youth Basketball League and other teams from Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School in Adams and Buxton School in Williamstown.

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