Williamstown Harvest Supper Cancelled

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Second Congregational Church in Williamstown Harvest Supper Cancelled

 

Second Congregational Church in Williamstown will not be holding its annual Harvest Supper this year. The mid-October event is the latest activity the congregation has been forced to cancel because of the pandemic, including the strawberry festival and the church auction and pot-luck supper fundraiser. The church has, however, resumed worship services outside, weather permitting, and indoors if necessary.

 
 

North Adams Public Library Storywalk

The Dot Storywalk will be on display on the grounds of the North Adams Public Library on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 3:30 to 5:30 PM.  

 

StoryWalk is an interactive way for people to enjoy reading while being outside at the same time. Participants follow a designated path around the library where laminated 2-spread pages from the children's book "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds will be displayed in intervals. 

 

Children who participate in the Storywalk will receive a bag of books and an opportunity to sign up for a library card.  Families interested in registering for a library card are asked to please bring a photo ID and a piece of mail with a current address.

 

Registration is required as space is limited. Call 413-662-3133 or email naplyouth@northadams-ma.gov with questions.

 

October First Fridays Artswalk

The First Friday Artwalk continues through October with a mural unveiling Oct. 2 ay 5 pm.  

 

Pittsfield’s Artscape will unveil the mural "THE SUN WILL RISE" at 443 North Street. "THE SUN WILL RISE" is a 20 x 16 foot mural created by Jesse Tobin McCauley along with Jay Tobin and Stephanie Quetti.

 

The Artswalk starts at 2 pm and ends at 5 pm.

 

Be sure to maintain a physical distance of 6 feet from other individuals and wear your mask.

 

Click here for a map of all indoor and outdoor locations, including hours for the indoor shows.

 

Sharing Stories: The Importance of Oral Histories and Listening in These Unprecedented Times

Join the Berkshire Museum online on Friday, Oct. 2 at 5:30 pm for a live panel discussion to open an updated, virtual version of the 2019 exhibition Their Stories: Oral Histories from the NAACP.

Judith Monachina will lead a conversation about the Housatonic Heritage Oral History Center as featured in the exhibit and the ways oral histories and sharing and listening to each other can help communities meet the unique challenges of today including the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing fight for social justice.

 

Panelists for the evening will include community activist, educator, and Founder of the Rites of Passage and Empowerment Program, Shirley Edgerton, and NAACP Berkshires President, Dennis Powell.

Learn more and register at explore.berkshiremuseum.org.

 

Andrew Erdman To Lecture For Ventfort Hall On "Eva Tanguay, The I Don’t Care Girl."

Historian and author Andrew Erdman will present for Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum a visual presentation via Zoom on "Eva Tanguay, the I Don’t Care Girl or Lady Gaga of the Gilded Age." He will give his talk from his home in New York City on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 3:30 pm.  He originally gave this talk before an audience at the museum on July 28 without Zoom.  

Erdman’s latest book "Queen of Vaudeville:  The Story of Eva Tanguay," is the first-ever biography of the performer. Showbiz circles of her day nicknamed her the "I Don’t Care Girl" after her trademark song "I Don’t Care," which she first introduced as part of a vaudeville act in 1905. 

 

Erdman served as a staff reporter at Fortune magazine where he wrote a weekly human-interest column and profiles of the world’s billionaires. He also has written for National Lampoon, Diversions, Women.com and LifetimeTV.com.

Tickets for the Erdman lecture are $20 per person. To view him on Zoom register at https://ventfort10032020.eventbrite.com

Reservations for viewing him at Ventfort Hall on Zoom are strongly recommended as seating will be strictly limited. For reservations to attend at the mansion call us at (413) 637-3206. Tea cannot be served until further notice due to the coronavirus.

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

Free Vaccinations Available Throughout Berkshire County

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fall season is also the flu season, which means vaccine clinics are now available.

The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will provide public vaccination clinics in Berkshire communities this fall, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. There are about 49 clinics. 

The collaborative began during COVID-19 to help vaccinate people across Berkshire County. Berkshire Health Systems started the Get Vaccinated Berkshires website and still manages it. The group works with the Pittsfield Public Health Department, Community Health Programs, and the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.

"The majority of people will always get the flu [vaccine] because, as I said, if you've ever gotten the flu, you will always get a flu vaccine because it's so bad. And just so you know, the flu is already in Berkshire County. It's an early season this year," said Leslie Drager, who is the senior public health nurse at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Drager said last year they issued 2,705 vaccines, with more than 1,100 of them being for COVID-19 and more than 1,500 being flu. In total, they were able to vaccinate 1,669 people in Central and North County, in addition to Pittsfield.

Drager also said she will be carrying three types of COVID vaccines this year, which is in high demand.

"We have a high demand of COVID vaccine, which is awesome," she said. "So we're doing a lot of COVID vaccines. Also, I provide Pfizer, and this year I have Moderna and the Novavax, which I think is real important to get out there because the Novavax, a lot of people want, people with long COVID. So I'm carrying all three vaccines this year, which I normally only carry the Pfizer."

Public health departments also can help people access other vaccines such as for measles or meningitis when they cannot get them through a pediatrician, she added.

Using the website, people are able to get vaccines even if they are homebound by filling out a form.

All public Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are free of charge, but registrants are asked to provide insurance information, when available, in order to defray costs. The clinics are open to anyone 6 months of age or older, the age group recommended to receive an annual flu vaccine and the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

"I always encourage everybody to wear a short sleeve shirt because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get at," Drager said. "And children, we do carry the nasal flu, the live virus of nasal flu for kids that are afraid to get needles."

Registration is highly recommended for the clinics. Walk-ins may be accepted depending on the number of vaccine doses available at each clinic, with preference given to those who are registered.

"It's really important. I'm really encouraging vaccinations for the schools, because not only you know if the kids are vaccinated and the teachers are vaccinated, the schools won't have the flu go wild right through it," Drager said. "And of course, the best way to prevent infections: washing your hands. So don't touch your face, and wash your hands."

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