'Voices for Recovery' Event Set for Saturday in North Adams

A sign on the lawn of North Adams City Hall advertises the event.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The bracelet on Susan Cross' wrist says it all: "Stamp out stigma."

Cross showed her bracelet to Mayor Thomas Bernard on Tuesday afternoon as she and Bernard chatted about the upcoming Voices for Recovery walk and celebration, set for Saturday, Sept. 21, from noon to 4 p.m. at Colegrove Park.

Cross is a prevention and recovery program associate with the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition; joining her and Bernard at City Hall was Barb Reeves, a volunteer at the coalition's Beacon Recovery Community Center, which is officially hosting the sixth annual event for the first time since its opening earlier this year.

Stigma, Cross said, has the ability to hinder a person's recovery efforts.

"Feeling the shame and guilt prevents you from getting the support you need," she said, adding that there is a common saying in the recovery community: "You are as sick as your darkest secret."

Lifting that stigma is one of the major goals of the Voices for Recovery event, which starts at noon in Colegrove Park with informational tables and family activities, continues at 1 p.m. with a ceremony of remembrance for those lost to recovery followed by a walk up Main Street to City Hall for a brief standout, then ends up back at Colegrove Park from 2 to 4 p.m. for a diverse lineup of inspirational speakers, including members from the faith community, representatives of organizations fighting addiction and others sharing their personal recovery stories. A food truck will be on-site with food available for purchase. T-shirts will be available for a requested donation; register online at the coalition's website.

One of the speakers will be Stephen Murray, a shift supervisor Northern Berkshire EMS, who will share his personal story of being in recovery for more than eight years and how that informs his job with the emergency medical services.

"He's never publicly told his story," Cross said. "He has chosen this event to tell a beautiful story of recovery. He's going to have wonderful words."

Both Cross and Bernard said the theme of the event, "Together We Are Stronger," emphasizes the need to share resources and build networks across the community and across the country to support the many paths to recovery. That's something they both said is emphasized at the Beacon Recovery Community Center, which is open for anyone to drop in Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Wednesdays from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. at The Green inside 85 Main St.

The theme also reminds everyone that mental and substance use disorders affect all of us and that we are all part of the solution, because even if addiction hasn't touched you personally, it has touched the community as a whole.

"This is happening everywhere," Bernard said. "This is not a problem that's happening 'over there.' These are the people who make up our community."

And those people still need the help and support of the rest of the community, even as the numbers of overdose deaths have decreased slightly in the region — a reason for hope, Bernard said, but not "a cause for complacency."

Still, like with many other awareness walks and events, the goal is to eradicate the need for such an event in the future — a sentiment Bernard remembered hearing at a previous walk.

"The vision for the event is that you don't have to have this event anymore," he said.

Blue Vista Motor Lodge Brings Hospitality & View to Guests

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:47AM / Monday, April 21, 2025

Among the upgrades at the renovated lodge is a sauna to refresh after a day of skiing and hiking. 

FLORIDA, Mass. — The Blue Vista Motor Lodge is still bringing hospitality to the town of Florida — even 100 years, many owners, names, and renovations later.

 

"When we were working on renovation plans, we found a postcard online from 1923 from the Whitcomb Summit Motor Lodge so that's kind of exciting that for over 100 years, people have been coming here and I think you can see why," owner Stella Downie said.

 

It all started with a small shack on Whitcomb Summit offering souvenirs and drinks that opened up with the highway in 1914. With growing popularity along the scenic byway, small cottages were built for motorists to stay on the Mohawk Trail's highest point.  

Unfortunately, in 1938, the store and a restaurant burned and the cottages started to get run down. In the 1960s, the cottages were replaced with the current building, named Whitcomb Summit Lodge. 

 

There were attempts to rejuvenate the summit for tourism over the preceding decades that fell by the wayside — from campgrounds and timeshares to fine dining and condominiums.

 

Downie purchased the building in December 2021, renovated the lodge in 2022 with a soft opening that fall, and officially opened in early 2023.

 

"We really wanted to clean it up and make it a beautiful place again for people to come and visit and really highlight the views," she said.

 

When Downie took over the property, she said it needed fixes and moving around. She took down all of the bordering dilapidated buildings that had long been abandoned, including the shuttered restaurant, to enhance the grounds.