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Weekend Outlook: The Return of Solid Sound

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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Berkshire County will be offering a variety of indoor and outdoor events this hot rainy weekend including music festivals, concerts, fundraisers, and farmers markets. 
 
Solid Sound 2022
Mass MOCA, North Adams
 
Grammy award-winning band Wilco will be headlining at the Solid Sound Festival this Friday through Saturday. 
 
Solid Sound happens every other summer on Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art's 16-acre campus. Wilco selected a diverse group of artists and young talents to perform in front of more than 8,000 visitors per day during this three-day festival. 
 
Festival-goers from all over the world will get a chance to see performers like Japanese Breakfast, Nick Offerman, Sun Ra Arkestra directed by Marshall Allen, Story Pirates, and many more at the three outdoor stages, two smaller indoor venues, and virtually everywhere else. Food will be available through food trucks and vendors from Berkshire County. 
 
This family-friendly event will have child-specific programs, kid-friendly activities, and Mass MoCA's Kidspace for families interested in attending the event. 
 
Children 5 and under will get free admission with an accompanying adult. Children between the ages of 6-12 will receive a reduced price of $59. Although this event is child friendly the venue is unable to accommodate strollers. 
 
For more information visit the Mass MoCA.
 
 
Mount Greylock State Reservation is open and Bascom Lodge is hosting two events.
 
Jazz Dinner Saturday: the lodge hosts its first weekly Jazz Dinner from 7 until 9 p.m. 
 
Patrons can enjoy dinner while listening to music by this weeks performers The Wes Brown Trio with vocalist Jill Connolly. Reservations required at 413-743-1591.
 
Sunday Music by Oakes Smith: Free and open to the public on Sunday at 6 p.m.
 
For more information visit Bascom Lodge.
 
 
Craft Fair and Tag Sale
Lanesborough Elementary School
 
This craft fair and tag sale that will feature more than 40 local crafters and artisan vendors this Saturday at 10 p.m. until 3 p.m. Peruse tables with tag sale items, baked goods, and food vendors while listening to music by the Cosmos. 
 
For more information, visit the Facebook event page.
 
Lawn Sale Fundraiser 
Ventfort Hall Mansion, Lenox
 
The museum is having a one-day lawn sale from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. this Saturday The sale was organized and donations were made by the members of the program committee, staff, volunteers and board of directors of Ventfort Hall. 
 
For more information visit the website
 
Pittsfield Suns Home Game
Wahconah Park, Pittsfield
 
The Pittsfield Suns' home opener is this Friday at 6:30 p.m. against the Norwich Sea Unicorns. 
 
The first pitch will take place at 6:35 p.m. and the gates open 5:30, with a laser show following the game.
 
Following the game there will be a laser show.                                       
 
Tickets can be purchased here.
 
 
Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair
Cummington Fairgrounds, Cummington 
 
The 46th annual Sheep and Woolcraft Fair will be happening this Saturday and Sunday thanks to sponsorships from Pioneer Valley Sheep Breeders Association, the Massachusetts Federation of Sheep Associations and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources 
 
Admission is free with parking being $10 for a day or $15 for both days. 
 
For more information visit Western Mass website
 
 
Westside Block Party
Westside Riverway Park, Pittsfield
 
Berkshire Environmental Action Team will be having the Westside Block Party this Saturday from noon  until 4 p.m. 
 
This family friendly event will include music, face-painting, food, games, and more. BEAT will also be offering the Kids in Kayaks program For more information visit BEAT's website
 
 
Berkshire Lyric Presents: Mozart and Brahms at Ozawa Hall 
Tanglewood, Lenox
 
The Berkshire Lyric Chorus performs its annual concert Sunday at Seiji Ozawa Hall for the first time since 2019. 
 
The oldest and largest community of choruses in the area has been around since 1963 with members ranging in age from 6 to 83. Members explore the power of choral art and its ability to impact both the singer and the listener.
 
The chorus will be performing the last piece that Mozart wrote before he died in 1791, "Mozart Requiem," which is a Mass for the dead. They performed this in 2016 and had not planned on performing it again so soon but felt that the tone of the work is relevant to the world's current climate. 
 
The chorus will be accompanied by a full orchestra and a solo quartet that will include Maria Valdes, Sam Krausz, Marjorie Dix, and John Demler. 
 
Tickets cost $30 and children 6-18 are free with and adult. 
 
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the website
 

Farmers' Markets

Lenox Farmer's Market
80 Church St., Lenox
 
The market will be open in its new location 80 Church Street, formerly the Cafe Lucia, this Friday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
 
Participants can persue local vendors while enjoying food and listening to music. 
 
For more information visit Lenox's Chamber of Commerce page
 
Sheffield Farmers' Market
125 Main Street, Sheffield
 
The Sheffield Farmers' Market is open this Friday from 3 until 6 p.m. at First Congregational Church located at 125 Main St. 
 
The market will feature healthy food and products from a variety of local vendors in an attempt to nourish the community by protecting "local small farms, land, bees, and economy."
 
For more information visit the market's website
 
Pittsfield Farmers Market
The Common, Pittsfield
 
Powered by Roots Rising, the market is open every Saturday rain or shine from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. through 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
18 Church St., Great Barrington 
 
The market is open 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 their website
 
Williamstown Farmers Market
Spring Street, Williamstown
 
The market is open 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
 
North Adams Farmers Market
St. Anthony Municipal Parking Lot
 
Market opens on Saturday, June 4. 

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Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.
 
More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.
 
Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.
 
One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 
 
"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."
 
Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.
 
Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC. 
 
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