Berkshire County will be kicking off Pride month this warm sunny weekend with a variety of indoor and outdoor events including festivals, parades, crafts, art walks, and farmers markets.
Berkshire Pride Festival and Parade!
The Common Park, Pittsfield
Pittsfield will be celebrating Pride Month this Saturday with a Berkshire Pride Festival and Parade from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Participants are encouraged to bring their friends and family, that includes pets, to watch Pittsfield’s first ever pride parade which will start at 11:30 on Eagle Street.
This rain or shine event will be hosted by Boxxa Vine and will provide “live entertainment, vendors, resource fair, food, and more.”
To learn more about this rain or shine event visit the website.
First Fridays Artswalk
Downtown Pittsfield
The first Friday of June is here and art enthusiasts know what that means, Downtown Pittsfield’s First Fridays Artswalk is back.
Participants will get a chance to see 9 brand new art shows and exhibits at various venues in Downtown Pittsfield.
Participating venues include, Hotel on North, Berkshire Museum, Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, Brothership Building Window, and many more. For a complete list of participating venues and artist visit the Art Walk website.
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.
Mass Audubon's Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Lenox
Mass Audubon’s Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary will be having a Family Fun Day this Saturday from 10 until 3.
During this rain or shine event, families will get a chance to explore the ponds, forest, and meadows that the sanctuary has to offer guided by naturalists.
Naturalist and field biologist, Tom Tyning will be having a live animal show about turtles from 11 until 11:45 a.m. It is requested that participants register in advance here.
Naumkeag will be hosting its first Berkshire Pride Family Picnic this Sunday in the garden thanks to sponsorships with Berkshire Stonewall and BlueQ.
There are two time slots participants can choose from: 10 a.m. until 12:30 or 12:30 until 3.
Each of these time slots will have music, games, crafts, and performances for the whole family to enjoy in celebration of pride month.
Biggin's Diggins BBQ will be available on site and will be offering a breakfast option for the earlier time slot. A food ticket is available for purchase at checkout and will include a main dish and 2 sides and will cost $15. There will be a vegetarian and gluten free options available.
Lenox will be kicking of its weekly Lenox Loves Music series at the new location, Lilac Park, this Sunday at 3:30.
Kicking off this music event will be Dave Bartley Duo who play improvisational jazz, blues, soul, and a touch of pop.
They have performed in spots all around Massachusetts including Shaker Farms Country Club, Gateways Inn in Lenox and more. They have also worked with artists such as Dan Broad, Fran Curley, and more.
Comedian Colin Mochrie from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and hypnotist Asad Mecci will be at The Colonial Theatre this Saturday at 7:30 bringing their comedy experience to Berkshire County.
Twenty random volunteers from the audience will be selected to be put under hypnosis and Colin Mochrie will improvise with the top five volunteers.
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."
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.
Market opens for the season on Saturday, June 4, and runs from 9 to 1. Saturday's market also includes a seedling exchange sponsored by Hoosac Harvest. You don't have to bring one to take one, and you don't have to take one to bring one.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Ordinances and Rules subcommittee on Monday unanimously supported a pay raise for election workers, free downtown parking for veterans, and safeguards to better protect wetlands.
Workers will have a $5 bump in hourly pay for municipal, state and federal elections, rising from $10 an hour to $15 for inspectors, $11 to $16 for clerks, and $12 to $17 for wardens.
"This has not been increased in well over a decade," City Clerk Michele Benjamin told the subcommittee, saying the rate has been the same throughout the past 14 years she has been in the office.
She originally proposed raises to $13, $14 and $15 per hour, respectively, but after researching other communities, landed on the numbers that she believes the workers "wholeheartedly deserve."
Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso agreed.
"I see over decades some of the same people and obviously they're not doing it for the money," she said. "So I appreciate you looking at this and saying this is important even though I still think it's a low wage but at least it's making some adjustments."
The city has 14 wardens, 14 clerks, and 56 inspectors. This will add about $3,500 to the departmental budget for the local election and about $5,900 for state elections because they start an hour earlier and sometimes take more time because of absentee ballots.
Workers are estimated to work 13 hours for local elections and 14 hours for state and federal elections.
The Ordinances and Rules subcommittee on Monday unanimously supported a pay raise for election workers, free downtown parking for veterans, and safeguards to better protect wetlands.
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A parking study of North Street will be presented at Tuesday's City Council meeting. The design maintains parallel parking while expanding pedestrian zones and adding protected bike lanes. click for more
Amy Schirmer was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year for creating a weekly therapeutic art class at the George B. Crane Center to help those in recovery from substance use. click for more