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Mother's Day Weekend Outlook: ArtWalks & Gardening

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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This warm but cloudy weekend is offering a wide array of events for families to celebrate Mother's Day. Berkshire County will be hosting a variety of indoor and outdoor events including music, farmers markets, Art Walks, and museum activities. 
 
First Fridays Artswalk
Downtown Pittsfield
 
First Friday Artswalk is starting this Friday with an open reception at 5 until 6 p.m. throughout a variety of venues in downtown Pittsfield and will feature 11 brand-new art shows and exhibits. Although the reception is on Friday, most of the art will be on display all month long.
 
During the event, participants will have the opportunity to meet the artists. Participants can download the Downtown Pittsfield Inc. app from the Google Play or App Store to get a virtual walking tour. 
 
Participating venues include, Hotel on North, Berkshire Museum, Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, NUarts Open Studios, and many more. For a complete list of participating venues and artist visit the Art Walk website
 
The Berkshire Museum will also offer free admission to its newest exhibition "Project Vaccine: Our Best Defense" during the event on Friday. 
 
 
Berkshire Botanical Garden 
Stockbridge, Mass. 
 
Berkshire Botanical Garden will be hosting a few activities this weekend including its 45th annual Plants and Answers Plant Sale, the Hunt Country opening reception, and the Beginner Botanical Watercolors and Mimosas for Mother's Day, and the. 
 
Plant Sale
The plant sale starts Friday at 11 and through Saturday and include hundreds of perennials, annuals and vegetables that were curated by BBG's horticulture staff with donations from Broken Arrow Nursery, Callander's Nursery & Landscaping, Spring Meadow Nursery, and Old Farm Nursery. 
 
Traditionally held on Mother's Day since it began in 1977, this year the BBG continues the tradition with a modern twist. In collaboration with Two-Thirds for the Birds, BBG will also be providing site-specific plant lists created by local designers including Deborah Munson, Page Dickey and Robert Reimer. 
 
Each designer had pollinators in mind to enhance the shopping experience so that shoppers can improve their gardens with pollinator-friendly patches as part of the new community project A Garden in Your Arms. 
 
Berkshire Botanical Garden encourages the community to Plant "A Garden in Your Arms" and share its progress on social media this summer by tagging BBG and using the hashtag  #agardeninyourarms.
 
"Ask Me" staff and volunteers will be available for customers if expert advice is needed. Parking and admission is free and all proceeds from purchases will be in support of the Berkshire Botanical Garden's horticulture and education programs. 
 
Garden members have a chance for early buying on Friday from 9 until 11 and will receive a discount on BBG plant purchases. For more information visit the event page
 
Hunt Country Opening Reception
 
New exhibit "Hunt Country" will be on view through June 5 and features Hunt Slonem's signature paintings of bunnies, butterflies, tropical birds and orchids that contemplate his subjects as hollowed works of nature. 
 
For more information visit the exhibits event page
 
Beginner Botanical Watercolors and Mimosas for Mother's Day
 
The adult mother and daughter watercolor class is Sunday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
 
Mothers or mother figures will get a chance to bond with their daughters while drinking mimosas and learning how to sketch and paint botanicals with watercolors. 
 
No previous experience is necessary and scholarships are available for all classes. To purchase tickets visit the event page
 
Local Market Days
Lanesborough, Mass. 
 
The market is this Saturday from 10 until 4  at Lanesborough Local located at 20 Williamstown Road.
 
According to the Facebook page, Lanesborough Local is a store that sells locally sourced products including "artisan gifts, craft beer and wine, and groceries."
 
Every first Saturday it hosts this dog friendly event that features craft, farm, and food vendors. Perused the vendor while listening to music and enjoying food and drinks. 
 
Bennie & The Jets: A Tribute to Elton John
Capitol Theatre, Pittsfield, Mass. 
 
A Bennie & The Jets tribute band performs this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Capitol.
 
The tribute band will be performing some of Elton John's famous hits including "Rocket Man," "Daniel," "Tiny Dancer," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Bennie & The Jets". 
 
According to the Facebook event page, the performers are trying to give the audience a nostalgic Elton John concert experience from "yesteryear with the spectacular plumage and costumes along with superb vocals and musicianship." 
 
For more information or to purchase tickets visit Berkshire Theatre Group's website
 
Norman Rockwell Museum
Stockbridge, Mass. 
 
Rockwell Museum is offering a virtual event from 2 to 3 p.m. on Sunday about Daniel Chester French's Lincoln Memorial. Harold Holzer, biographer of French and co-chairman of the Lincoln forum, will discuss the artist's 50-year career and the now century-old memorial. Free for Rockwell and Chester Museum members; $10 for the general public. The museum is also featuring the works of printmaker Anne Bascove through June 5. 
 
Mother's Day Craft Event
North Adams, Mass.
 
The Northern Berkshire Community Coalition will be celebrating Mother's Day with a free craft this Saturday from 1 until 3 pm at Artsy Avenue located at 151 Eagle St.
 
Space is limited to 12 participants. Those interested in registering can call 413-663-7588 or email bhantman@nbccoalition.org
 
 
MCLA Art Exhibition: 'Stigmas and Stories: Changing the Narrative'
North Adams, Mass. 
 
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' Gallery 51 on Main Street will host "Stigmas and Stories: Changing the Narrative," featuring artwork from students in the classes of 2020-2022, with an in-person opening reception at the gallery from 5-6:30 p.m. on Friday. 
 
This event free and is open to the public, and refreshments will be served.  
 
This exhibition will feature three graduating senior artists — Kennedy Sobon, Nhi Lam, and Ana Sheehy — as well as the work from from the 2020 and 2021 classes.  
 
According to a press release, the artists explore how art can re-tell and re-shape common narratives. From mental illness to fairytales and culture, this exhibition shows how artists use their mediums to explore the different facets of storytelling by telling their own personal stories or the stories from their cultures.  

 


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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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