Splash Park Opening Makes a Big ... Well, Splash

Children of all ages came out to mark the opening of the splash park on Thursday. Find more photos from the event here.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Temperatures already had soared in the 80s on Thursday morning at the new North Adams splash park at Noel Field as a group of hot and eager children was gathered to wait for the official opening of the city's latest recreational offering.

But the park was dry, and Mayor Thomas Bernard said it would stay that way until he gave his official remarks.

Which would last about, say, 45 minutes, he teased a group of children waiting with bathing suits and baited breath.

"I've been practicing the whole time," he told them, eliciting a chorus of "noooooos" from the kids.

At 11 a.m. sharp, though, right on time, Bernard and a group of officials from the city's Parks and Recreation and Water departments stood in front of the first of two blue ribbons tied to water elements. And he said only a few words before the first ribbon was cut.

"We're going to have a lot of fun today, right, everybody?" Bernard said before thanking the state and local officials who made this latest improvement a reality, especially the public service employees who tested the park to ensure it was ready to be open. "These guys worked tirelessly. It's a great team we have here."

After that team cut the first ribbon, water sprouted from several of the green and blue features, eliciting shrieks of joy and surprise from those who joined the celebration. Then it was time for Bernard to move to the main event: cutting the second ribbon and standing below the giant bucket feature. Hamming it up for the kids surrounding him, Bernard talked about how he didn't have anything like the splash pad when he was growing up.

"If we were lucky, we had a hose, and we had a sprinkler," he said, continuing to tell stories. "And I'm going to stand here, and I'm going to talk some more, because there's no chance anything is going to happen."

The kids all laughed and cheered, because they knew what was about to happen. The mayor kept talking, and sure enough, a few minutes later, the bucket filled up and tipped over, dropping its 35 gallons on the all the kids -- and the mayor.

"It's terrific. It was a long time coming," Bernard said a few minutes later as he dried his face, talking about how the city crews had worked hard to test the splash pad over the last few days, including holding a "soft opening" earlier in the week. But he was happy to hold the grand opening on the holiday, he said.

"We had to do it on the Fourth of July," he said.

Bernard also said he was happy just water had fallen from the bucket, as he had wondered if the workers had a special ice bucket challenge-style surprise waiting for him.

"They didn't give me any special treatment," he said.

The splash pad is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily throughout the summer. Fall hours will be announced at a later date.

But on Thursday, it was all about the kids of all ages running around, laughing and cooling off.

"It was good," said one shy and wet little boy from Adams.

"It was a good day to open it," his father agreed.

North Adams Jewelry Store Has New Owner

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:34PM / Thursday, December 18, 2025

Cheryl Coppens put out a call for someone to take over the jewelry business she began last spring  — jewelry maker Alexandra Padilla answered the call.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Artful Jeweler has a new owner who is looking to expand its offerings.

Cheryl Coppens opened the jewelry store in May, showcasing local artists, offering fine jewelry, and jewelry repair.

But a new grandson in Texas, and the difficulties in flying back and forth to see him, had her looking to move closer to him.

Last month, she posted on the business's Facebook that she wanted someone to take over the space and continue the venture. Alexandra Padilla reached out to her and Coppens said she met all her criteria she was looking for in anew owner.

"You have to really want to be in retail. You have to want to be in this community, priced where people can afford it. Alex is native to North Adams. Her husband, she's got two great kids, so it just felt like they would be able to continue the store," Coppens said. "So the criteria really was somebody that would work the store, not somebody that would just come in and hire employees. I didn't want that."

Padilla started taking over the store in the beginning of December. She has been selling jewelry for about three years, and has an online shop, and has worked in wholesale jewelry for about 15 years.

"I always wanted to have my own thing on it, and I wanted to bring something new, and I want to involve my family, my kids do something, and I want to be independent," she said.

Now Padilla showcases her jewelry in the Ashland Street store and plans to keep some of the local artists' items, like stained glass made by Coppens' mother.

Padilla customizes jewelry and tailors pieces to her customers.

She plans to work around her job at Berkshire County Head Start so she can open store for more hours. 

She also plans to redesign the store a little bit and bring in a couple more lines, like more rings and pearls. 

The store is open on Saturdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays 9 to 2, Fridays 9 to 6, and Sundays 9 to 3. The store has also been open on Mondays 10  to 5 and Tuesdays 10  to 3 for the holidays. 

Padilla thanks Coppens for trusting her and hopes customers continue to support the Artful Jeweler.

"Thank you for trusting me. I'm going to try and do my best and work hard to make it happen," she said. "This is our first time selling retail, so we hope the community supports us in here."

Coppens will be helping Padilla until she is comfortable operating the store on her own. She said it will continue to be a space of community support.