Lafesta Baseball Exchange Holds Pasta Dinner on June 28

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The LaFesta Baseball Exchange, a North Adams youth baseball staple, holds its Pasta & Meatballs Dinner on Thursday, June 28, to fundraise for their annual baseball exchange series between North Adams and the North End of Boston.

In its 28th season, the LaFesta Baseball Exchange celebrates its 100th game played this year. Several hundreds of kids from across the Northern Berkshires and the North End of Boston have participated in the exchange, enjoying America’s pastime whilst exploring what the other team’s hometown has to offer.

The dinner, sponsored by the Community Italian American Organization of the Berkshires, will take place at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish Center on Thursday, June 28, from 4-7 p.m. The $10 tickets for the dinner include the pasta and meatballs, a salad, and a beverage. There will also be home-made dessert available for purchase.

Tickets for the dinner can be purchased for either a LaFesta baseball player or at the door the night of the dinner. For more details, head to http://www.facebook.com/LaFestaBaseballExchange.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.