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A mural painted by Kyle Strack on the wall of the Armory was unveiled on Saturday. The painting features six supporters or youth sports with plans to add more.

Mural Honoring Community Contributors Unveiled at North Adams Armory

By Brian RhodesiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Well over a hundred people filled the basketball court at the Armory on Saturday to see the unveiling of a mural commissioned by the North Adams Youth Basketball League, honoring the history of the community and the building itself.

"This has morphed into something way bigger than the initial thought," said NAYBL board member Mark Moulton, who presented the finished mural to the crowd Saturday afternoon.

The mural honors six people whom Moulton said contributed to the league and youth sports in North Adams: state Rep. and former Mayor John Barrett III, Bernard "Bucky" Bullett, John Gaudreau, Caleb Jacobbe, Jim Shaker and Gene Wein. Local artists Kyle Strack and Anna Bond created the mural.

Moulton shared the stories of all the people on the mural, saying he felt for years that something should be on the previously empty wall. He also briefly invited family members of those on the mural to share their words and thanks with the crowd.

The league's plan for the mural is to add more faces from the city's history to the wall in the future.

"We're going to have a new board for this project; it's going to be long-term," said NAYBL board member Mark Moulton. "We'd like to honor a lot more people. I have a list of 30 people, probably. And they keep coming in."



Mayor Jennifer Macksey said her focus was making sure the mural told the story of the Armory and community members who have contributed. She said picking just six people to honor was hard.

"The one thing we've done today is we've invested and we've focused on the people that made this all possible," she said. "While we want to engage with all you young people, and we wanna teach you how to shoot that ball and score and win, we also have to remember the people who got us here."

Barrett was in attendance for the unveiling and went into the history of when the city acquired the Armory in 2007. He said this acquisition could not have been successful without the help of the basketball league and the support people put toward the youth in the community.  

"They raised $20,000 in that first year and opened up the basketball league that assumed all of the costs that went with this," he said. "That's what community is all about, and what North Adams and Northern Berkshire has always been about ... I thank you for the honor you've given me today because it's probably my proudest honor that I can say in my years of public service."

Moulton thanked people who donated toward the mural and the others who made its creation possible. He gave special thanks to Adams Community Bank, which donated $10,000.


Tags: Armory,   murals,   youth sports,   

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Hoosic River Revival to Host Hybrid Fundraiser and Community Events

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Hoosic River Revival is scheduled to host a hybrid internet and event fundraiser from June 9 to June 21, 2025, which includes an online silent auction and an in-person walk and gathering at MASS MoCA.
 
The online "Confluence Of Two" Silent-Auction Fundraiser will run from June 9 to June 20 at 12 p.m. This auction provides an opportunity to bid on one-on-one time with various Berkshires-celebrated VIPs, with proceeds benefiting the non-profit Hoosic River Revival. The VIP experiences offer winning bidders the chance to walk up to one mile with a community leader as they lead registered walkers in the "Hoosic River Run" on the morning of June 21.
 
The "Hoosic River Run" is a mile walk and timed 5k race, hosted by Hoosic River Revival and the City of North Adams. The event begins and ends at MASS MoCA, following a route along a section of the Hoosic River that is lined with flood chutes. For those who do not win auction lots, in-person registration to walk or run will be available on June 21, starting at 7 a.m.
 
At 7 a.m. on June 21, the "Confluence Of Two" meetup and photo opportunity will take place at MASS MoCA Courtyard A. Winning bidders and their VIP walking partners will be introduced by Hoosic River Revival. Participants will receive Hoosic River Run T-shirts and swag bags, and each duo will be photographed for publication.
 
Also at 7 a.m., conceptual designs for a new architectural riverwalk will be premiered. These designs, recently commissioned by Hoosic River Revival, in collaboration with the City of North Adams and internationally-acclaimed architecture firm Group Work, aim to transform the river into a central asset for the city. The visualized concepts are intended to enhance flood safety, ecology, infrastructure for recreation, and riverside accessibility for residents and visitors. They include the option for a riverwalk loop that could connect diverse neighborhoods and potentially link to the Natural Bridge State Park, expanding on the vision of Hoosic River Revival Founder Judy Grinnell since 2008.
 
The one-mile walk will commence at 8 a.m., following the same route as the timed race. Participants will traverse the MASS MoCA campus, pass the Little Hoosac Tunnel, and circle back at Western Gateway Heritage State Park. At the park, students from the Berkshires' Academy for Advanced Musical Studies (BAAMS), accompanied by founding musician Richard Boulger, faculty, and alumni, will premiere an original song titled "The Wise Old Hoosic," dedicated to the Hoosic River.
 
Following the outdoor gatherings and race awards presentation at Courtyard A, MASS MoCA Community Day will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering additional special events. Visitors can view the industrial-engineering perspective of the "Confluence Of Two" branches of the Hoosic River from The Prow balcony in Building 6, which was redesigned by Bruner/Cott Architects.
 
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