MCLA Celebrates STEM Week with Virtual Programming

08:05AM / Thursday, October 14, 2021Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — MCLA and the Berkshire STEM Network will offer virtual programming for local public school students, K-12 educators, and the general community during Berkshire County STEM Week (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) from Oct. 18-22.

A complement to the statewide STEM Week initiative, Berkshire County STEM Week's theme is "See Yourself in STEM." Free and open to the public, the week will feature a series of unique virtual panels, workshops, speakers, tours and information about opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math in the Berkshires and beyond.

Pittsfield Community Television (PCTV) will be the platform host for the week's series of events. Community members can access programming on cable access or at www.pittsfieldtv.org. See a full program schedule at www.mcla.edu/stemweek.

Each day of Berkshire STEM Week is theme-based and is robust in part due to the partners in the Berkshire County STEM network.

Monday, Oct. 18: Food, Farming and Sustainability with contributing programming sessions from Berkshire Grown: "How to Keep Farmers Farming"; fall owling with Williams College; organic agriculture by Full Well Farm; and a LIVE Zoom session with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

Tuesday, Oct. 19: Careers in STEM with programs in building trades, nursing, mental health and design technology.

Wednesday, Oct. 20: STEM in Business, with sessions from Berkshire Innovation Center partners.

Thursday, Oct. 21: STEM Education, with programs from Flying Cloud Institute, the Berkshire Museum, MCLA, BCC, and Williams, as well as the MassHire Berkshire Career Centers Virtual Job Fair from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Employment opportunities include STEM and manufacturing careers as well as internships and jobs for youth. The program also will have educational resources. An in-person STEM Café will be hosted in the Connector at BCC.

The week will also include all three episodes of "Project Frontline" by Boyd Studios, an Internship and Job Information Session by General Dynamics for MCLA and BCC students, a STEM Education panel hosted by the Berkshire Innovation Center with educators and students, and in-person STEM family programs at the Berkshire Museum on Oct. 23. The Flying Cloud Institute will also offer STEM art kits for families participating in Berkshire STEM Week.

Tags: MCLA, STEM,

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North Adams Restaurant to Closing in Two Weeks

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
02:18PM / Wednesday, November 04, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A downtown restaurant announced on Wednesday that it will be closing.

In a Facebook post, Door Prize stated its last day of service is Saturday, Nov. 14.

"We are not making this decision lightly and wish there was another way forward," read the post by owners Bryan "Swifty" Josephs and Jenny Klowden.

"We feel great pride for our successes and for a wonderful year of serving our community. Now on to the next adventure!"

They also thanked their staff and patrons who enjoyed their food

The restaurant opened over a year ago in Hotel Downstreet after Josephs and Klowden previously had a residence at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, where they sold some of their signature dishes, as well as working in area restaurants, bringing their food to farmers markets and operating a catering business.

The two named the restaurant after a John Prine song that they danced to at their wedding. Josephs described their fare as European comfort food, with one of their most popular dishes being pierogies.

They also successfully renovated the covered porch outside the restaurant for dining, raising $7,000 through a Kickstarter

While their post did not allude as to why they are closing, iBerkshires has reached out for more answers.

The 90-room hotel has reportedly been sold, with a closing expected by the end of the month. Owner Peregrine Group put the former Holiday Inn up for sale earlier this year after purchasing the property for $4.45 million in 2021. According to reports in The Berkshire Eagle, the cost of renovations to the 55-year-old property put a dent into revenues that limited the hotel's ability to cover obligations.

It's not clear if this has anything to do with the restaurant, which operates as a separate entity.

"We are not looking for a public discourse on our business model or the closure," the Door Prize post states, inviting patrons to personally contact the Josephs or Klowden rather than comment on the posting.

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