The volunteers adjusted some of the events. The snow painting event went on but on large rolls of paper. More photos from the event can be found here.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Winter Carnival had a snow problem on Saturday.
The problem was there wasn't any.
But that didn't stop the Springside Conservancy from hosting a winter celebration to bring families out to the park.
A few dozen families found their way to Springside Park on Saturday afternoon for a series of games and competition.
"We started this because we wanted kids to come out with families in the park," President Lisa Tully said. "We weren't making money off of this. We just wanted people to come."
The lack of snow caused some alterations to the events. The highly demanded cardboard box sledding competition went on anyway but in the mud. The conservancy was even loaned a snow gun in hopes to make enough snow for a small sledding race.
But, the temperatures overnight were too warm. In the end, the hill had just some slush that quickly turned to slick mud.
"It was really kind of funny seeing the kids go down in the mud. And they didn't seem to mind it," Tully said. "I wish there was snow and it would have probably brought more people. They were probably thinking it wasn't going to happen because it didn't snow. But we made the best of a no snow situation."
The children seemed to enjoy it as they carried their decorated boxes in hopes to win the most creative sled to the top of the hill and cruised down, over and over again. The fastest and the most creative took home prizes.
The ice skating rink had to be scrapped, though. The Fire Department had been on board to create an ice skating rink there, as it had historically done at the First Street Common and Osceola Park. But temperatures held that back, too.
"I was out until 2 in the morning trying to get the ice rink going. The Fire Department was here a long time. They helped us with the snow gun last night," Tully said.
Snow painting was adjusted with large sheets of paper for the children to paint on instead. An array of children's games from golf to bowling went off without a hitch. An obstacle course, scavenger hunt, and dodgeball all went as planned. Berkshire Bike and Board had fat bike demonstrations.
While the weather didn't cooperate, those who did attend had smiles on their faces. And the hope is that maybe some of those families will think of the park on the days when there is snow and go sledding and spend time together at the park. It was the first Winter Carnival since the once-popular event ceased in 2011 after nearly 70 years.
The event was just one of four the conservancy hopes to roll out this year to draw attention to the park. Next up is a 5K running race and beer festival on July 28 sponsored by the Berkshire Running Center.
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Pittsfield School Committee Sees $78M Budget Proposal
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The district is seeking a budget increase of more than 8 percent in fiscal year 2024, with a majority of the funding going to special education, career technical education, and contractual obligations.
The School Committee got a first look at the upcoming budget request on Wednesday. The $78,310,016 ask is an 8.17 percent — or $5,911,754 — increase from FY23's budget of $72,398,262.
"Our goal continues to be to create meaningful and most importantly, sustainable change for the children of our city," Superintendent Joseph Curtis told the committee.
"Meaningful and sustainable change takes time. We are impatient because our decisions affect children's lives every day but any rush to change is reactive and typically is not embedded systematically. Changes that do not impact our systems are prone to quickly revert back to prior practice."
The School Committee got a first look at the upcoming budget request on Wednesday. The $78,310,016 ask is an 8.17 percent — or $5,911,754 — increase from FY23's budget of $72,398,262.
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