Ten Days of Play Encourages Learning Through Play at Berkshire Museum

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Ten Days of Play will return to Berkshire Museum with nearly 40 hours of indoor playtime plus special performances and activities Friday, Feb. 14, through Sunday, Feb. 23.

First launched in 2012, this annual festival features hands-on activities throughout the museum for children of all ages that are designed to encourage learning through play. This year's event features new programs including The Art of Warner Bros. Cartoons Animation Station and Bubble Trouble with Jeff Boyer, and free regular admission for children under 18. Ten Days of Play is part of Pittsfield's 10x10 Upstreet Winter Arts Festival.

Activities will kick off during the after-school hours of 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14. Free Community Play Night will be held Friday, Feb. 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

"Child-directed play is key to fostering and supporting every young child's creativity, problem solving ability, and self-worth," said Craig Langlois, Berkshire Museum's chief experience officer and founder of Ten Days of Play. "Museums like ours are the perfect environment for families and caregivers to practice child-directed play. We invite them to jump between active play during scheduled activities and passive play as they explore the galleries and engage with our collection and exhibitions. It is the balance between these two experiences that make Ten Days of Play so special."

The following Ten Days of Play activities are included with regular museum admission:

Daily Play

Friday, Feb. 14, 3:30 to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 15, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 16, noon to 3 p.m.; Monday to Saturday, Feb. 17 to 22, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 23, noon to 3 p.m.

Kids of all ages are invited to build, collaborate, experiment, and learn with the big blue blocks of the Imagination Playground, colorful Bilderhoos boards, magnetic Tegu blocks, and tables piled high with LEGO bricks at the center of the museum. In the popular Tinker Lab, older children can take apart old electronics to create something new. At the Animation Station, kids and adults will explore the world of animation and learn how to create their own animations using various methods as part of The Art of Warner Bros. Cartoons.

Daily Aquarium Program

Saturday, Feb. 15, to Sunday, Feb. 23, Monday to Saturday, 12:45 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.

Help prepare delicious, nutritious meals for the creatures in the Aquarium or meet the residents of the Aquarium’s Discovery Tank in guided, drop-in experiences each day.

Berkshire Music School’s Instrument Petting Zoo

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 1 p.m.

Records and Burpee Zoo Show

Monday, Feb. 17, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Meet live animals from the Records and Burpee Zoo and learn about their adaptations, how they survive in the wild, and the consequences of keeping wild animals as pets.

Berkshire Children's Theater's "Disney’s Winnie the Pooh"

Thursday, Feb. 20, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 21, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The talented young performers of Berkshire Children's Theater return to the museum to perform their original musical version of the classic story "Winnie the Pooh" under the direction of Kara Demler.

Bubble Trouble with Jeff Boyer

Saturday, Feb. 22, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

A bubble volcano. Bubble roller coaster. A kid in a bubble? Jeff Boyer takes bubbles to the max in this one-man bubble extravaganza. It’s the most creative bubble show around. Jeff juggles bubbles, sculpts and builds with bubbles, makes fog-filled bubbles and more. Mixing comedy, music and interactive bubble-magic, he engages and delights audiences of all ages.

Performance tickets include museum admission. Advance ticket purchases for special ticketed performances may be made online or by calling 413-443-7171, ext. 360.

Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. 

 

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

 

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

 

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature." 

 

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures. 

 

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis. 

 

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.