Primetime Saturday Night Card Show in Springfield Oct. 1

By Brian RhodesiBerkshires Staff
10:20AM / Sunday, September 25, 2022Print Story | Email Story

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Primetime Saturday Night, an event for sports card enthusiasts to trade and discuss cards, will be held at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame from 6 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1

Beginning at 7 p.m., guests can take center court for a free "Trade Show" to trade cards, discuss their hobby, play big-screen games and more. The event is part of the New England Card Show's 2022 Fall Classic, which will run throughout the weekend from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the nearby MassMutual Center.

"Bring your grandparents all the way to your kids. It's a great family event," said John DeMorais, organizer of the New England Card Show.

The night will open with a "Hobby Talk" panel hosted by Rob Girard, sports card therapist, from 6 to 7 p.m., where guests from Santiago Sports, Breakout Cards, and Murph's Card town will discuss the hobby. Admission to the panel, which will be in the hall of fame's theater, is $20.

"[Springfield is] becoming a good place to do a show because it's a walking city," he said, noting the main show at the MassMutual Center is within walking distance of Primetime Saturday Night. "It has so much stuff we can walk to versus going to these larger cities in Boston in Atlantic City works. Traditional bigger shows are are run."

Morais said both the New England Card Show and the Primetime Card Show, which he operates in New Britain, Conn., have seen significant growth in recent years. He said the number of tables at the Springfield show has doubled, and the event generally sells out.

"I've gone to 300 tables, two-day event, in a matter of about 16 months," he said. "... I know how to manage, that's my strength. I know how to manage and coordinate and schedule stuff. So I took that experience and said, 'let's apply it to card shows.' And I went to every major card show, took notes, met people, got business cards."

The COVID-19 pandemic, according to DeMorais, pushed many sports fans to get into cards. In addition to boosting the popularity of sports cards, he said the pandemic also increased interest in other collectible cards.

"What happened is the only way they really can get their sports fix during COVID was to get caught up in this craze about cards," he said. "You can trade cards with COVID. You can trade cards on eBay. You can trade cards on Instagram or Twitch. And it started becoming the social bubble that started to bubble up, and it was like replacing going through a game."

More information on Primetime Saturday Night, as well as the main event, can be found at primetimecardshow.com/calendar-of-events

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North Adams Airport Hires New Manager

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
10:30AM / Saturday, October 24, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission unanimously voted this week to hire Skyler Friedman as the new airport manager.

The vote came after a brief interview Tuesday. Although two candidates were scheduled to be interviewed, only Friedman was in attendance.

In total, there were four resumes that a subcommittee knocked down to two finalists.

"All were qualified," Commissioner William Hooper said. "One was less qualified, two were equally qualified, and one was a step above. The two you have this evening were the two determined to be the most qualified."

The commission planned on interviewing both candidates, but only interviewed Friedman. Although the second candidate indicated she would be present remotely for the interview, she never called in.

Friedman was the manager from June until September through the city's contract with Hewison Aviation, a New York-based flight school operating in North Adams. The company provided management services to the city but decided to end this arrangement in the fall.

The commission faced losing Friedman as manager and urged him to apply when they advertised the position.

Friedman spoke about communication, noting he suspected it would be easier as an employee of the city. He also spoke about larger projects at the airport he would like to follow through on, including the creation of a flying club. He said he wants more people at the airport and interested in aviation.

He was asked if he planned to leave the position in the near future for other opportunities.

"I would not be here now if that were my goal," he answered.

He added that the area does not have a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), a position he hopes to fill. He said he hopes to "merge his interests" as the manager and a CFI, eventually relocating permanently to North Adams instead of commuting from Albany.

Otherwise, he said there will be no disruptions, as he has already done the job. Instead of learning a new position, he said he is ready to tackle projects he had to step away from when the contract ran out.

"The past five months have been that process, and I will pick up where I left off," he said. "I stumbled upon things in the interim, and there will be no transition."

In other business, the Airport Commission saw another response to the proposed restaurant RFP. Only one organization responded: East Fork Bread.

Although there was some back-and-forth between the RFP subcommittee and the bread makers, the subcommittee ultimately could not recommend their proposal as it did not fit their requirements.

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