Historic Eagle Street Closing for First Friday Block Party

12:40PM / Tuesday, August 02, 2022Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — This August's First Friday is a block party on Eagle Street from 4 to 9 p.m.

The Friday's event will feature music, street games, activities and gallery openings. Mayor Jennifer Macksey will host a downtown gathering and Desperados Mexican Restaurant on Eagle Street will offer beer and wine for sale.

The monthly downtown event was established last year with local gallery owner and Public Arts Commission Chair Anna Farrington taking the lead in collaboration with downtown businesses.

Farrington, in a press release, said there will be more Eagle Street business collaborations "with the intention of providing positive, uplifting experiences free for all city residents, and providing opportunities for local businesses to thrive."

Eagle Street will be closed to car traffic on the First Friday evenings Aug. 5, Sept. 2, and Oct. 7. The historic street was also closed last fall for a street market.

"We closed Eagle Street to car traffic during First Friday last October for the Eagle Street Night Market, and it went beautifully! We had a lot of participation from local businesses, artists, and residents," said Harrington, owner of Installation Space Gallery at 49 Eagle. "I'm thrilled to work with the city again to close Eagle Street for First Fridays this season to bring more fun activities to the street."

Activities and entertainment include live music in the Eagle Street pocket park sponsored by Eagle Street Music, a photo booth curated by Polka Dot Portraits, local photographer Tiffany Fleishman Weissbrodt, street games and activities donated by a number of local organizers and institutions including Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' Intramural Department, and Desperado’s Mexican Restaurant will offer a beer and wine bar.

Andrew Fitch, another organizer and owner of Eagle & Main, the buildings at the corner of Eagle and Main streets, said, 'I see so much opportunity in downtown North Adams for collaboration and development. I have a vision for a bright and bustling city downtown we can all be proud of and participate in. First Friday street closures are a great step towards realizing that vision. It's an honor to work on this initiative with Anna."

The project is supported by the city of North Adams and the North Adams Chamber of Commerce. First Friday also welcomes the opening of new businesses to the neighborhood including Hearts Pace Tea and Healing Arts Lounge and Future Labs Gallery.

Tags: block party,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Northern Berkshire United Way: Founding in the Depression Era

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:45PM / Sunday, February 01, 2026

Northern Berkshire United Way is celebrated its 90th anniversary this year. Each month, will take a look back at the agency's milestones over the decades. This first part looks at its founding in the 1930s.

Northern Berkshire United Way has scrap books dating to its founding, recording the organization's business and the work of the agencies it has funded.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — It was in the depths of the Great Depression when a group of local leaders came together to collectively raise funds to support social service agencies.

The idea wasn't new; community chests had been established by the hundreds across the country in the years following World War I. Even President Franklin Roosevelt had promoted the concept, calling on communities to pool their resources during the hard times.

North Adams had been discussing a charity fund at least since Pittsfield had established one a decade earlier.

It was late 1935 when the North Adams Chamber of Commerce finally moved forward, with some of the city's most notable businessmen leading the way.

The North Adams Community Chest wouldn't be formally organized until January 1936. Over the next 90 years, it would raise millions of dollars to support families, public health, child care, social services as the Northern Berkshire United Way.

Herbert B. Clark, inheriting the presidency of North Adams Hospital from his late father, would be the impetus to transform talk into action. One of his first actions was to inform the board of directors that the hospital would not run its annual appeal — and that it was all in with the new community chest.

View Full Story