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Weekend Outlook: Third Thursday Returns, Guthrie Center Walk

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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Berkshire County will be offering a variety of indoor and outdoor events this hot cloudy weekend including museum activities, concerts, fundraising walks, and farmers markets. 
 
Third Thursday
Pittsfield Common, East Street
 
Third Thursday runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on the Common after a two-year hiatus.  
 
This month's theme is youth and the evening will include entertainment on the mainstage and activities, food and vendors.
 
The presenting sponsor is General Dynamics Mission Systems, which will offer catapult building using household objects; the Flying Cloud Institute and Berkshire Art and Technology Charter School with also be offering interactive STEAM experiments. 
 
Some highlights will be screen printing of a custom Pittsfield poster with the Blog Bus; crafts and more with Berkshire Macaroni Kid; pottery wheel demos with Jim Horsford; the Berkshire Athenaeum Book Bike; Thistle & Thorn Floral and the Plant Connector.
 
 
 
Pittsfield High School Orchestra 
The Foundry, West Stockbridge.
 
The Pittsfield High School Orchestra performs at the Foundry, located at 2 Harris St., this Friday at 6 p.m. 
 
The concert is directed by Alla Zernitskaya with solo performances by PHS seniors Leila Paredes and Joseph Weinberg.
 
The students will be performing a variety of works including major chamber works and pieces from professional and individual artists. 
 
The orchestra has been awarded for most original music selection and has performed in venues including Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood and the David Geffen Hall Stage at Lincoln Center.
 
Admission for the event is free and seating and bar open at 5 p.m. All guests will be required to wear a mask when they are not eating or drinking and proof of vaccination will be required at the door. 
 
For more information visit the Eventbrite page.
 
 
Arlo Guthrie's 'Historic Garbage Trail Walk to Massacree'
The Guthrie Center, Great Barrington 
 
The annual fundraising walk for Huntington's disease that has raised more than $185,000 to support related causes returns in person this Sunday with registration beginning at 8:45 a.m. 
 
The goal is to raise funds for lesser recognized Huntington-related charities, especially newer ones.
 
Registration is free with a $25 donation option to receive a 2022 HD Walk T-shirt. Registration will be taking place at the Guthrie Center until 9:45 a.m.
 
After registering, participants will get a ride to Theresa's Stockbridge Cafe, where they will be presented with a free continental breakfast. The walk will begin at 10.
 
There will be stops along the way with water, refreshments, music and small parties, as well as fingerprinting on a souvenir card at the police station. A light lunch and music will follow at the Old Trinity Church. 
 
For those who are unable to complete the 6-mile course, there will be Volkswagen drivers circulating along the route to drive participants back to the center to await the arrival of the fellow walkers. 
 
For more information visit the event Facebook page.
 
 
Open House: Museum of Vintage Trail Bikes
Museum of Vintage Trail Bikes, Cheshire
 
Museum of Vintage Trail Bikes, located at 192 Henry Wood Road, will be having an open house this Saturday starting at 11 a.m. 
 
Participants will have the opportunity to see vintage motorcycles, boots, and trophies from races past collected by owner, restorer, and curator Jim Hoellerich. 
 
Hoellerich collection is vast and consists of antique and hard to find motorcycles from a variety of manufacturers.
 
"Inside are more than 80 antique OSSAs and more than a half-dozen Bultacos, as well as hard to find marquees such as Penton, Dalesman, Yankee and Rokon, brands that are likely unfamiliar to street riders. Just how many bikes Hoellerich has is hard to peg because he's always adding more," Motorcycle Classics wrote in "Destinations: Museum of Vintage Trail Bikes, Cheshire, Massachusetts."
 
 
Ghost Tours with Robert Oakes
Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum, Lenox 
 
Author of "Ghosts of the Berkshires" Robert Oakes is leading a tour through the historic estate while sharing stories of the hauntings.    
 
"Stand in the places where the eerie encounters occurred, listen to the first-hand accounts of those who experienced them, and maybe even experience something unusual yourself. This is not an active investigation," Ventfort Hall's website says.
 
Reservations are required and tickets are non-refundable or exchangeable. Proof of vaccination is also required. Participants must be 12 years or older and cost $27. Tickets can be purchased by calling .413-637-3206. For more information, visit Ventfort Hall's website
 

Farmers Markets

Pittsfield Farmers Market
The Common, Pittsfield
 
Powered by Roots Rising, the market will be open this and every Saturday rain or shine from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. until Oct. 8.
 
Each week the market will have fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables, along with meat, eggs, cheese, baked goods by local vendors. Participants can shop for flowers, and artisan goods while listening to music and participate in family activities. 
 
For more information, visit the website
 
Great Barrington Farmers Market
10 Church St., Great Barrington 
 
The market will be open this and every Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. until the end of October.  
 
Every week there will be locally grown food, flowers, and plants along with other local vendors. 
 
For more information, visit the Facebook page
 
Williamstown Farmers Market
Spring Street, Williamstown
 
The market will be open this and every Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. into October in the parking lot at the bottom of Spring Street. 
 
This year the market will feature returning and new vendors, including a fish monger, knife sharpener, baker, chef, and much more. 
 
More information here
 

 


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Pittsfield ConCom OKs Wahconah Park Demo, Ice Rink

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Conservation Commission has OKed the demolition of Wahconah Park and and the installation of a temporary ice rink on the property. 

The property at 105 Wahconah St. has drawn attention for several years after the grandstand was deemed unsafe in 2022. Planners have determined that starting from square one is the best option, and the park's front lawn is seen as a great place to site the new pop-up ice skating rink while baseball is paused. 

"From a higher level, the project's really two phases, and our goal is that phase one is this demolition phase, and we have a few goals that we want to meet as part of this step, and then the second step is to rehabilitate the park and to build new a new grandstand," James Scalise of SK Design explained on behalf of the city. 

"But we'd like these two phases to happen in series one immediately after the other." 

On Thursday, the ConCom issued orders of conditions for both city projects. 

Mayor Peter Marchetti received a final report from the Wahconah Park Restoration Committee last year recommending a $28.4 million rebuild of the grandstand and parking lot. In July, the Parks Commission voted to demolish the historic, crumbling grandstand and have the project team consider how to retain the electrical elements so that baseball can continue to be played. 

Last year, there was $18 million committed between grant funding and capital borrowing. 

This application approved only the demolition of the more than 100-year-old structure. Scalise explained that it establishes the reuse of the approved flood storage and storage created by the demolition, corrects the elevation benchmark, and corrects the wetland boundary. 

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