Cultural Pittsfield This Week: Aug. 7-13

05:31PM / Friday, August 07, 2020Print Story | Email Story

For the month of August, the First Friday Artswalk has been re-imagined to encompass outdoor locations perfect for a socially distanced walk around downtown, plus three indoor locations. Enjoy four new art shows, PHS student art, and Artscape's Pittsfield Paintboxes featuring work by more than a dozen accomplished regional artists on Friday, Aug. 7 from 5-8 p.m. and all month long! Be sure to maintain a physical distance of six feet from other individuals and wear your mask. See you soon!

FUN & LEARNING

A shy Midwestern man leads an outrageous double life as a cocky Londoner in Barrington Stage Company's sexually charged and wickedly funny one-man thriller Harry Clarke, starring Mark H. Dold. Moving to NYC, Harry presents himself as a Brit and charms his way into a wealthy family's life, but his increasingly risky behavior threatens to undo more than his persona. Now - Sunday, Aug. 16.

This week at the Virtual Pillow: As part of its virtual summer festival offerings, Jacob's Pillow invites you to dance with your family, hear from choreographer Liz Lerman, take a modern master class with Darrell Grand Moultrie, catch a performance by Bereishit Dance Company, and more.

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FAMILY FRIENDLY

Mass Audubon's properties are now open and the organization is currently holding in-person and online classes for all ages. Children can explore the ins and outs of Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary or participate in virtual camp adventures. Adults can enjoy hikes and birding at The Mount or virtual ecology talks.

Sign up now to join Otha Day and Berkshire Music School for Drum2TalkTEENS from August 17-21. FREE. Space is limited; pre-registration required at 413-442-1411. This is a hands-on experience for teens to experience drumming while connecting with each other. This is an opportunity to process emotions and experiences they've encountered during a very stressful 2020, including their own relationships to race, diversity, and belonging in America.

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SHOP LOCAL / EAT LOCAL

Hotel on North's outdoor culinary and cocktail experience, "The Backlot," welcomes back M & J's Taste of Home, plus lawn games and a full bar! Friday & Saturday from 4-9 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

Roots Rising's Virtual Farmers Market is open for viewing all week long! Online shopping is available from Monday at noon until Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., or until the maximum order limit is reached. Shopping for Benefits Day is on designated Tuesdays at noon. If you would like to volunteer to help Roots Rising with Saturday packing and delivery, click here.

RESOURCES

Do you have a photograph, story, song, video, artwork, letter, or object that captures some aspect of your or your community's experience with the COVID-19 pandemic? Share them with Berkshire Museum, the Berkshire Athenaeum, and the Berkshire County Historical Society! In the future, your contributions will help tell the story of how our lives were changed during this remarkable time in history.

1Berkshire has compiled a list of online sites where you can find information on a number of topics, including an explanation of our state's reopening plan. You can also visit the City of Pittsfield's COVID-19 webpage for updates and helpful resources.

Plus...

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If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

State Fire Marshal: New Tracking Tool Identifies 50 Lithium-Ion Battery Fires

10:35AM / Friday, April 26, 2024

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.

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