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North Adams Downtown Celebration Set for Wednesday

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The 21st annual Downtown Celebration will fill downtown North Adams on Wednesday, Aug. 16, from 5:30  to 9 p.m. 
 
Downtown Celebration is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, MountainOne, and the city of North Adams. This event is free and open to the public. In the case of inclement weather, there will be an announcement on Wednesday morning to use the rain date of Thursday, Aug. 17.
 
The evening will be filled with music, food, vendors and booths with local organizations and businesses. 
 
Points of interest: 
  • JP Murphy will be performing at the Berkshire Bank Plaza starting at 6.
  • Terry A La Berry  and Friends will perform at the bus stop near the entrance to the Kid Zone. Performance times: 6 to 6:50 and 7:10 to 8.
  • The Berkshire Rhythm Keepers will be performing African drumming on Eagle Street starting at 7.
  • Interns from Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art are planning something fun; you can find them under the Mohawk marquee
Performances
There will be performances throughout the evening by groups including the Berkshire County Line Dancers, Freedom Dance, J Star Gymnastics, Studio North Dance, and the  Drury High School Junior Cheerleaders.
 
Eagle Street
Serenity Circles will be back performing with hula hoops and with plenty for attendees to try out. Johnny Mystic will perform magic and Mary Poppins may appear again or perhaps an ice queen. Friendly Berkshire Mountain Faeries will be waiting to help you create your own magic wand and try your luck at the Dragon's Breath putt-putt. Please note that parents must accompany children in these projects. 
 
City Services
North Adams Fire and Police departments will to be at the top of Main near Eagle, with vehicles and demonstrations. The North Adams Ambulance Service will be offering free car-seat safety checks. (Please pull up to the area using the Ashland or American Legion entrances to the Steeple City Plaza parking lot.
 
Food
Downtown restaurants and cafés will be open and street food will be available from the Chuck Wagon, Marki's, Fat Boy's,  CIAO, Boston Sea Foods, Mr. Ding-a-ling, SereniTea Parlor, Grazie, Christo's, and many bake sales by local nonprofits.
 
CCB Kid Zone is in the Steeple City Plaza Parking lot entrance
Child Care of the Berkshires, Elizabeth Freeman, Northern Berkshire Pediatrics, Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, UNO, The Family Place, South Bay Community Services, WIC, Berkshire Community Action Center, Headstart, Parents As Teachers, Berkshire Nursing Families, and the North Adams Ambulance Service will be participating in the Child Care of the Berkshires Kid Zone offering  games, activities and free face painting. Berkshire Nursing Families offers a family area where families are welcome to rest, nurse, feed, or change their babies and relax. 
 
There will be no parking allowed on Main or Eagle Street after 1 p.m. on the day of the celebration. Cars that remain parked on these streets will be towed at the owner's expense.
 
For more information please contact: Suzy Helme, director of community events at 413-664-6180 or tourism@northadams-ma.gov.

Tags: community event,   downtown celebration,   street fair,   

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North Adams to Begin Study of Veterans Memorial Bridge Alternatives

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Mayor Jennifer Macksey says the requests for qualifications for the planning grant should be available this month. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Connecting the city's massive museum and its struggling downtown has been a challenge for 25 years. 
 
A major impediment, all agree, is the decades old Central Artery project that sent a four-lane highway through the heart of the city. 
 
Backed by a $750,000 federal grant for a planning study, North Adams and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art are looking to undo some of that damage.
 
"As you know, the overpass was built in 1959 during a time when highways were being built, and it was expanded to accommodate more cars, which had little regard to the impacts of the people and the neighborhoods that it surrounded," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey on Friday. "It was named again and again over the last 30 years by Mass MoCA in their master plan and in the city in their vision 2030 plan ... as a barrier to connectivity."
 
The Reconnecting Communities grant was awarded a year ago and Macksey said a request for qualifications for will be available April 24.
 
She was joined in celebrating the grant at the Berkshire Innovation Center's office at Mass MoCA by museum Director Kristy Edmunds, state Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver, District 1 Director Francesca Hemming and Joi Singh, Massachusetts administrator for the Federal Highway Administration.
 
The speakers also thanked the efforts of the state's U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, U.S. Rep. Richie Neal, Gov. Maura Healey and state Sen Paul Mark and state Rep. John Barrett III, both of whom were in attendance. 
 
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