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.
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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.
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