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'We're Going on a Bear Hunt,' a 1989 children's picture book written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, has inspired a local bear hunt in the Berkshires this weekend.

Local Woman Organizing 'Bear Hunt' in Berkshires This Weekend

By Rebecca DravisiBerkshires Staff
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Update, 12 p.m. Friday, April 3:

Access a Google map of participating homes here.

 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A local woman is spearheading a "bear hunt" this weekend - bears of the toy kind, that is.

Inspired by the book "We're Going on a Bear Hunt," which Susan Wrba likes to read with her 2-year-old son, Wrba is organizing a "bear hunt" across the Berkshires from Friday, April 3, to Sunday, April 5.

Families can participate in two ways: One, they can put a stuffed, toy or otherwise creatively designed bear in their front window or porch. (Wrba said her father-in-law is planning a mechanical bear of some sort at his home in Pittsfield.) Families who do this should go to the Facebook event page Wrba has set up here to let people know what street they can spot a bear in. And two, families can drive around looking for the bears -- safely from their car, or, if many bears are located in a single neighborhood, by taking an appropriately socially distanced walk along that neighborhood.

Wrba said she got the idea from a friend in Haverhill, where a similar project happened in March. It appealed to her not only because the book was one of her son's favorites but also because she was looking for ways to connect to the outside world during this time of isolation.

"I've been trying to think of ways to feel connected that aren't virtual," said Wrba, who lives in New Lebanon, N.Y., with her husband her two children, which include a 7-week-old baby boy in addition to the 2-year-old. "I love that you are able to be creative in your own home but also get out in a way that's safe and interesting."

Wrba said she was worried it wasn't catching on at first, but thanks to the power of social media and some friends with downtown Pittsfield connections, she's hopeful it will be a success. As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly two dozen people had posted addresses (posting a street names only is fine, as it adds a little challenge to the hunt and protects people's privacy) on the Facebook page.

"It's been great," she said, adding that the format of asking people to leave bears out over a three-day period will allow families to "jump in and participate" in a way that fits their schedule.

Wrba said a similar Easter egg hunt is being planned for next weekend by Berkshires Macaroni Kid and she hopes that more events like these can help keep kids entertained and creative during these challenging times.

"Hopefully there can be things happening in lieu of in-person events," she said. "People are really coming together."


Tags: books,   childrens activities,   COVID-19,   family,   


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Select Board Conditionally OKs May Carnival at Berkshire Mall

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The springtime carnival will return to the Berkshire Mall property in a couple of weeks, if the hosts reach an agreement with emergency medical services.

On Monday, the Select Board approved a community event application for Gillette Shows' carnival from May 1 to May 11, pending a reasonable donation to the Ambulance Gift Account for EMS services.

"This isn't a new concept. We discussed this after last year's carnival," EMS Director Jen Weber said. 

The department saw an "exponential" increase in the need for services at the event as its attendance continues to rise. In 2024, there were 20 transports to the hospital over the two weeks, not counting refusals or minor injuries.

"We ended up, last year, mobile posting up there just to make sure that we were there in case something happened," Weber said.

"So we had discussed it last year, and it also came up in a department head meeting that really it's come down to either they need to hire an ambulance to sit there like County Ambulance or Northern Berkshire, or we would be willing to mobile post for a donation into our gift account so that we are able to kind of compensate not being able to be where we usually are, not having bathrooms that aren't mobile."

The two entities have not yet agreed on the donation amount, and a monetary value for services hasn't been set. Mobile posting means that the EMS is still on duty, and mutual aid would be called if a situation arose while Lanesborough wasn't on site.

"We went from like two transports the year before last year to 20, and it just seemed like it was necessary more for us to be up there, because of all the people," Weber said.

"They had a lot more people last year."

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