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A group of Berkshire County officials work a state semi-final football game last month. A different crew is headed to Gillette Stadium on Friday to officiate the Division 7 State Final.

Berkshire County Officials to Work Friday Game at Gillette Stadium

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A crew of eight Berkshire County high school football officials will take the field on Friday afternoon at Gillette Stadium to officiate the Division 7 State Championship Game.
 
Referee John Wellspeak will lead a crew that includes umpire Michael Lyon, line judge Marc Field, head linesman Mark Pompi, field judge Matt Conant, side judge John Ciliberti and back judge Gary Pemble. Peter Ochs will serve as the game's clock operator.
 
The Berkshire County officials will be in charge when West Boylston, which eliminated Wahconah in the state quarter-finals, takes on St. Bernard's for the D7 crown, one of eight state title games to be contested over the next two days.
 
In the Division 8 final on Saturday morning, KIPP Academy, which upended Lee in the quarter-finals, will face Hull at 10.
 
The only game involving a Western Massachusetts school comes at 12:30 on Saturday, when Springfield Central goes for a fourth straight state title in the Division 1 final against St. John's Prep.
 
All eight games will be streamed live at patriots.com and CBSBoston.com.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Toy Library Installed at Onota Lake

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Feel free to use or leave a toy at Onota Lake's newest infrastructure meant to foster community and benefit kids.

Burbank Park now has a toy library thanks to Wahconah Regional High School senior Alexandra Bills. Located along the wall at the beach area, the green and blue structure features two shelves with sand toys that can be used to enhance children's visits.

The Parks Commission supported Bills' proposal in February as part of her National Honors Society individual service project and it was installed this month. Measuring about 4 feet wide and 5.8 feet tall, it was built by the student and her father with donated materials from a local lumber company.

Friends and family members provided toys to fill the library such as pails, shovels, Frisbees, and trucks.

"I wanted to create a toy library like the other examples in Berkshire County from the sled library to the book libraries," she told the commission in February.

"But I wanted to make it toys for Onota Lake because a lot of kids forget their toys or some kids can't afford toys."

Bills lives nearby and will check on the library weekly — if not daily — to ensure the operation is running smoothly.  A sign reading "Borrow-Play-Return" asks community members to clean up after themselves after using the toys.

It was built to accommodate children's heights and will be stored during the winter season.

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