Steeple City Sound Concert Series

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A three-day series of free concerts, featuring North Adams musicians playing improvised music, will take place at three locations throughout the city starting June 18. 
 
The concerts will be among the first sets of live music to be played in the Northern Berkshires since the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions on public gatherings.
 
Steeple City Sound, organized by the saxophonist and clarinetist Zachary Hann, will present the Berkshire Jazz Collective (6:30 p.m. June 18 in the parking lot of the North Adams Armory); cellist Paul de Jong (6:30 p.m. June 19 in Bracewell Park); and Hann's own quintet (2 p.m. June 20 at Windsor Lake).
 
"Steeple City Sound was produced with two goals in mind," Hann said. "To offer performance opportunities for local musicians and to shed light on the world-class musical talent residing here in North Adams."
 
The Berkshire Jazz Collective, founded in 2012 by Berkshire County native Andy Wrba, will feature violinist Todd Reynolds, a composer and educator and soloist.  In addition to Reynolds and Wrba, a bassist, the group includes Connor Meehan on drums and Jason Ennis on guitar.
 
According to a press release, de Jong, a cellist, is considered a legend in the world of sample-based art music. He's known for having amassed an enormous collection of obscure media of all types, which he calls the "Wall of Found." He uses the collection to create multi- disciplinary work that often deals with music and film. He will be playing both solo and with a drummer, with the music accompanying black-and-white historic movie cuts.
 
Hann will be bringing his newly formed quintet to North Adams for the first time. The group includes a former college classmate, Kalia Vandever, on trombone; Matthew Rotker-Lynn on guitar; Soloman Gottfried on bass; and Quinton Cain on drums.
 
Steeple City Sound is funded with grants from the North Adams Artist Impact Coalition (a Mass MoCA initiative) and the Mass Cultural Council. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs, blankets, food, and drink. No tickets are required.
 
Here's the lineup:
  • June 18: Berkshire Jazz Collective featuring violinist Todd Reynolds, 6:30 p.m. in
  • the parking lot of the North Adams Armory
  • June 19: Paul de Jong, 6:30 p.m. at Bracewell Park

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Clarksburg Gets 3 Years of Free Cash Certified

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Town officials have heaved a sigh of relief with the state's certification of free cash for the first time in more than three years.
 
The town's parade of employees through its financial offices the past few years put it behind on closing out its fiscal years between 2021 and 2023. A new treasurer and two part-time accountants have been working the past year in closing the books and filing with the state.
 
The result is the town will have $571,000 in free cash on hand as it begins budget deliberations. However, town meeting last year voted that any free cash be used to replenish the stabilization account
 
Some $231,000 in stabilization was used last year to reduce the tax rate — draining the account. The town's had minimal reserves for the past nine months.
 
Chairman Robert Norcross said he didn't want residents to think the town was suddenly flush with cash. 
 
"We have to keep in mind that we have no money in the stabilization fund and we now have a free cash, so we have now got to replenish that account," he said. "So it's not like we have this money to spend ... most of it will go into the stabilization fund." 
 
The account's been hit several times over the past few fiscal years in place of free cash, which has normally been used for capital spending, to offset the budget and to refill stabilization. Free cash was last used in fiscal 2020.
 
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