Letter: BART Pleased With Community Support of Virtual Fundraising Event

To the Editor:

On Saturday, April 10, Berkshire Arts & Technology (BART) Charter Public School hosted our first-ever virtual Get BART Smart fundraiser – and raised $20,000 to support student programming! A huge "thank you" to all who played and made it a great evening!

The night couldn’t have happened without the support of many local organizations and businesses.

Thank you to our Valedictorian sponsor for the evening, Adams Community Bank!

Thank you to our High Honor Roll sponsors: Aladco Linen Services, Berkshire Bank, Cordmaster Engineering, and MountainOne. We also thank our Honor Roll sponsors: HR Knowledge, Interprint, and Scarafoni Associates.

Fred Puddester
Williamstown, Mass.
Member BArT Board of Trustees

North County Marks Memorial Day With Mount Greylock Trek, Ceremonies

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
01:07PM / Sunday, May 24, 2026

Laurie Boudreau sings the national anthem during Memorial Day ceremonies at Clarksburg Town Hall on Sunday. 

ADAMS, Mass. — As they do every Sunday before Memorial Day, local veterans braved the elements to pay respects on Mount Greylock to fallen comrades.

 

"Past commanders have been coming up here for 93 years. I have been coming up for 64," said Adams American Legion member Donald Sommer. "We have had all kinds of weather, but this is some of the worst. It shows the dedication that we have for those who have gone before us and made the ultimate sacrifice."

 

Heavy winds and sleet met the motorcade at the summit. The Veterans War Memorial Tower — first built to honor World War I veterans — was barely visible and the 30 or so veterans and their families made their way to the memorial arm and arm, fighting the wind. 

 

The ceremony was held inside of the monument with only a rifle squad and taps player briefly stepping outside to conduct their part of the truncated ceremony. 

 

"It is important that we continue these ceremonies, not only for us, but for everyone else," Sommer continued. "So they remember what happened."

 

Veterans met early at the Adams American Legion Post 160 and promptly formed a motorcade to scale the mountain. The oppressive weather forced the Legion Riders off their motorcycles.

 

The group met at the Jones Nose Parking lot about halfway up the mountain to enjoy a traditional cocktail and toast fellow veterans.