Cultural Pittsfield This Week: Aug. 18-Sept. 3

03:56PM / Thursday, August 27, 2020Print Story | Email Story

This Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 29-30 is Tax-free Weekend in Massachusetts. Retail items of up to $2,500 - purchased in the state for personal use - will be exempt from sales tax on these two days. Special deals in downtown Pittsfield include a double tax-free discount at Carr Hardware, an end-of-summer sale at Dory & Ginger, and more!

Tune in to WAMC Northeast Public Radio this Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. to hear Songs of Comfort, a live concert held at Hancock Shaker Village starring Anjimile, Emanuel Ax, Billy Keane, Yo-Yo Ma, and Chantell McFarland, with remarks by Deval Patrick. The audience will consist of local essential workers including teachers, nurses, firefighters, farmers, police officers, grocery store workers, food bank volunteers and more.

FUN & LEARNING

Tanglewood in the City will light up The Common Park on Friday, Aug. 28 for four screenings, limited to 50 people each: 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m & 8 p.m. These FREE screenings will be an archival performance of Beethoven's ninth symphony performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Pre-registration is required: email events@milltowncapital.com (please indicate your first two preferred screening times and number of people in your party). Picnics are encouraged; social distancing is required!

Berkshire Opera Festival presents its first ever virtual concert! Comprised of musical selections from across the operatic spectrum and beyond, "From Stage To Screen: The Show Must Go On(line)" will feature performances from the internationally renowned cast of BOF's (now canceled) 2020 production of Don Giovanni. The concert will premiere on Vimeo on Friday, Aug. 28 at 7:30 p.m., and will be available for on-demand viewing through Friday, Sept. 4.

The 53rd annual Hilda Vallin Feigenbaum Memorial Lecture will be given by National Public Radio (NPR) political reporter Mara Liasson. The topic is Election 2020: America at the Crossroads and will be held virtually on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Plus...

Radiance Yoga Classes | Berkshire Yoga Dance & Fitness Classes | Antil Fitness Classes | Classes w/Berkshire Music School | Berkshire Fitness & Wellness Classes | Classes w/IS183 Art School | Painting Tutorials w/Berkshire Paint & Sip | Drumming Classes with aimee@gaiaroots.com | View All 1Berkshire Town Halls | ONGOING Godspell at The Colonial | ONGOING BLM Call for Art | THU-MON Tours at Arrowhead | FRI DLE Virtual Breakfast Club | FRI PillowTalk: Black Creatives w/Theresa Ruth Howard | NOW-SAT The Hills Are Alive with Rodgers & Hammerstein at Barrington Stage | SUN Barnyard Yoga at Hancock Shaker Village SUN Leslie Kritzer: Is It Over Yet? at Barrington Stage | MON 1Berkshire Virtual Entrepreneurial Meetup | MON Word X Word: Grouped MON-TUE Ann Hampton Callaway: Diva Power at Barrington Stage | TUE Art, Women, Nature & Hope | WED The Death of Expertise w/Tom Nichols | THU Live Storytelling w/BCC Alums THU Creative Photographic Composition w/IS183 at Hancock Shaker Village

FAMILY FRIENDLY

Join Berkshire Music School at its Fall Open House on Saturday, Aug. 29 from 10 a.m. - noon, on the lawn at 30 Wendell Ave. This
free, socially distanced event will feature mini-classes and demos for all ages. Faculty and staff will be available to answer questions
and register students for private lessons and small group classes. Registration fees will be waived for students registering for fall classes at the event.

Berkshire Museum is celebrating the limited-time return of The Art of Warner Bros. Cartoons with a round of trivia questions pulled from the world of animation, followed by a round designed to test your knowledge of life under the sea. Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m.!

The annual Backpack Challenge will be held at all four Pittsfield Haddad Dealerships on Wednesday, Sept. 2 from 1-4 p.m. FREE backpacks filled with school supplies will be handed out to local students via this drive-through event. Please remember to wear a mask upon arrival. Backpacks will be handed out on a first come, first served basis. This event is brought to you by The Berkshire Eagle and Haddad Dealerships.

Plus...

SHOP LOCAL / EAT LOCAL

Roots Rising's Virtual Farmers Market is open for viewing all week long! Online shopping is available from Monday at 12 p.m.- Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., or until the maximum order limit is reached. If you would like to volunteer to help Roots Rising with Saturday packing and delivery, click here.

RESOURCES

It's not too late to take The 2020 Census! You can respond online, by phone, or by mail. Your response matters! Census results help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding are allocated to states and communities each year, and determine how many seats in Congress each state gets.

Plus...

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Elder Services Celebrates More Thann 50 Years While Navigating Federal Challenges

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
02:27PM / Sunday, November 01, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Elder Services of Berkshire County celebrated 52 years at its annual meeting Friday.

Guests gathered at the Country Club of Pittsfield to honor service members and hear about healthy aging in the county from keynote speaker Beth Dugan, a gerontology professor at the Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences at University of Massachusetts at Boston.

Executive Director Chris McLaughlin welcomed everyone and recognized community partners and board members. He said the agency is supported by 135 employees and 260 active volunteers who help bring the nonprofit's mission to life.

"As the Aging Services Access Point and Area Agency on Aging for our 32 communities, Elder Services is the trusted resource for older adults and their caregivers, supporting their desire to remain at home safely," he said. "Whether it's a referral to a community resource or to one of our many programs, it's our job to meet people during some of life's most challenging times and to help them find solutions that enable them to remain independent," he said.

McLaughlin said he thought back on last year's meeting where they worried about cuts in federal funding and programs associated with the Trump administration's dismantling of the Administration for Community Living that never materialized. While that did not affect them he raised concern about Medicaid changes expected to take effect in January, including projected reductions in federal funding to Massachusetts and loss of Medicaid eligibility for some consumers because of the implementation of Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill."

"These changes will remove $3.5 billion in federal funding for Massachusetts and Medicaid eligibility for many, including some of our consumers, with disastrous consequences," he said.

Another challenge for the agency was a cap put in place on their enrollment for their home care program.

"Our state Home Care program, our agency's largest program, deploys homemakers, home health aides, and companions to the homes of Berkshire older adults and continues to grow at unprecedented levels," McLaughlin said. "The implementation of a cap on the number of Enhanced Community Options Program consumers we can enroll has basically cut in half the number of individuals we can service in this program. These individuals qualify clinically for nursing home level of care. This cap will remain in effect for the near future."

But they are still looking up for the future.

"We understand more than ever before that in 2027 there will be changes designed to limit state spending for older adults and this will be compounded by even more older adults becoming eligible for our services. We look forward to learning more about how the Rural Health Transformation Program will benefit older adults in Berkshire County. We are of course worried about how MassHealth changes will impact our consumers and whether the Commonwealth will reduce our funding to support those who will lose Medicaid eligibility," McLaughlin said.

"Despite these challenges we remain optimistic about the future and will respond to them as we always do, with purpose and resilience."

The nonprofit also highlighted its successes through the Hospital Liaison Program that works with local hospitals to help older adults return home rather than enter a nursing home. Although its original funding had ended, Berkshire Medical Center secured a grant expected to support the program for another 30 months.

Volunteers also helped more than 4,000 Berkshire residents make Medicare and other health-insurance decisions. One volunteer helped a woman undergoing chemotherapy qualify for assistance with co-pays and find grants to address an outstanding bill and was able to complete her treatments without the added stress.

The lunch also awarded Elder Services employees. Lauren Larison, Laura Sexton, Jillian Tatro, Christine Barcus, Lisa Jamros, Nichole Pervere, Janet Richardson, Fred Minkle Jr., Karen Decker, Larry Belanger, Diane Cote, and Mary Moran were recognized for five years with Elder Services. Linda Gilardi, Judith Desjardins, and Sara Dastoli were recognized for 15 years with the agency and Bill Marsh and Deb Aldrich-Jegtvig were celebrating 30 years of service.

The meeting included a change in the board with new President Kalee Carmel taking over for Barry Kriesberg, while recognizing Teresa Caldwell on her term ending.

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