Enjoy 14 different art shows featuring work by more than two dozen accomplished regional and student artists in Pittsfield's bustling Upstreet Cultural District during theFirst Friday Artswalk, and all month long! In most venues, artists will be present from 5-8 p.m. A free guided tour begins at 5 p.m. at the Intermodal Center @ BRTA, 1 Columbus Ave.
Lichtenstein Center for the Arts will host the annual Berkshire Art Association (BAA) Fellowship Show. View the work of 16 students chosen for the show. The BAA Fellowship Show provides college art students with Berkshire connections a rare opportunity to show their work in a juried, group show in a professional gallery space. The Awards Reception will be held on April 5 from 5-8 p.m. during First Fridays Artswalk.
Max Creekcelebrates its 48th anniversary with a concert at The Colonial. The band mixes rock, country, reggae, soul, jazz and calypso in with their own songwriting, and it all comes out sounding like Creek. 8p.m. $25 and up. Misty Blues opens in The Garage at 6:30 p.m.
From Monday through Friday, Berkshire Museum will offer special, themed programs ideal for children from birth to age 5 with their families and care providers in celebration of the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Week of the Young Child. Enjoy sing-a-longs, farm-to-table day, art-making, treasure hunts and more.
Journey to Health Workshopsare FREE healthy lifestyle workshops held on Mondays at Zion Lutheran Church from 5:15-6:15 p.m. with Dr. Mark Pettus and the Berkshire Health Systems Wellness Team. Workshops include the topics of exercise, nutrition for families, improving your thrive-ability, sleep, and mindfulness.
Bisque, Beads & Beyond is open and ready for you to bring your creativity, family, friends and refreshments. Try out the new fused glass (kiln-fired glass). Grab a canvas and one of the many designs and paint the day away! Or pick one of the 200+ pieces of pottery in the studio! Friday 6-8 p.m. and Saturday 12-4 p.m.
Berkshire Earth Expois a community fair focused on energy efficiency, climate resilience, and the protection of nature and our health. Learn how to take action to reduce your energy use, and to save money. This event features student exhibits, eco-friendly vendors and organizations, food, games and fun for the kids, arts and crafts, WordxWord, and much more. Boys & Girls Club, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
From a graffiti artist speaking out against domestic violence in the favelas of Brazil to a dancer rehabilitating sex-trafficking survivors in India, Little Stones profiles four women, each of whom are contributing a stone to the mosaic of the women's movement through their art. The film and accompanying education initiative have been designed to raise awareness about global women's rights issues, and to celebrate creative, entrepreneurial, and arts-therapy based solutions to the most pressing challenges facing women globally.
The Tyler Street Lab @ 730is a pop-up that creates a community space out of an underutilized storefront. The city's Office of Cultural Development, in collaboration with the Transformative Development Initiative, is putting out two calls for art: a storefront configuration challenge and a community art installation challenge. For both, they are looking for ideas that reflect the eclectic nature of Tyler Street and the surrounding Morningside neighborhood. There will
be a stipend of up to $850 to the award-winning designs - one from each challenge. For more information, contacttylerstreetlabpitt@gmail.com.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
State Fire Marshal: New Tracking Tool Identifies 50 Lithium-Ion Battery Fires
STOW, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services' new tool for tracking lithium-ion battery fires has helped to identify 50 such incidents in the past six months, more than double the annual average detected by a national fire data reporting system, said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine.
The Department of Fire Services launched its Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Investigative Checklist on Oct. 13, 2023. It immediately went into use by the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office, and local fire departments were urged to adopt it as well.
Developed by the DFS Fire Safety Division, the checklist can be used by fire investigators to gather basic information about fires in which lithium-ion batteries played a part. That information is then entered into a database to identify patterns and trends.
"We knew anecdotally that lithium-ion batteries were involved in more fires than the existing data suggested," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "In just the past six months, investigators using this simple checklist have revealed many more incidents than we've seen in prior years."
Prior to the checklist, the state's fire service relied on battery fire data reported to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS), a state-level tool that mirrors and feeds into the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). NFIRS tracks battery fires but does not specifically gather data on the types of batteries involved. Some fields do not require the detailed information that Massachusetts officials were seeking, and some fires may be coded according to the type of device involved rather than the type of battery. Moreover, MFIRS reports sometimes take weeks or months to be completed and uploaded.
"Investigators using the Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Checklist are getting us better data faster," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "The tool is helpful, but the people using it are the key to its success."
From 2019 to 2023, an average of 19.4 lithium-ion battery fires per year were reported to MFIRS – less than half the number identified by investigators using the checklist over the past six months. The increase since last fall could be due to the growing number of consumer devices powered by these batteries, increased attention by local fire investigators, or other factors, State Fire Marshal Davine said. For example, fires that started with another item but impinged upon a battery-powered device, causing it to go into thermal runaway, might not be categorized as a battery fire in MFIRS or NFIRS.
Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.
click for more
Between disagreements about site design and a formal funding process not yet established, more time is needed before a decision can be made.
click for more
The Ordinances and Rules subcommittee on Monday unanimously supported a pay raise for election workers, free downtown parking for veterans, and safeguards to better protect wetlands.
click for more
A parking study of North Street will be presented at Tuesday's City Council meeting. The design maintains parallel parking while expanding pedestrian zones and adding protected bike lanes. click for more