Recent Grants and Donations to BAAMS

04:17PM / Saturday, February 11, 2023Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Berkshires' Academy for Advanced Musical Studies, Inc., (BAAMS) announced it has recently garnered support from several donors and foundations, all contributing to the expansion of its mission and increasing its ability to serve more young music students from Berkshire County and beyond.

A donation was received from Michelle Daunais and Rick Seto of Weymouth, double matched by Takeda Pharmaceutical, as well as funds raised through Network for Good, and funds were also donated in Memory of John T. "Jack" Gould, of North Adams, who passed away in December, 2022, made possible by the family of Jack Gould and the Flynn & Dagnoli Funeral Home.

BAAMS also received a grant from the William J. and Margery S. Barrett Fund, for young music students from Adams, Cheshire, and Savoy, as well as a grant from the Guardian Life Insurance Company, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to support scholarships and reduced tuition for its students.

According to a press release, the number of the region's school children who may learn from BAAMS will be increased by taking part in a music-educational experience, as the Massachusetts' Cultural Council has recently approved three STARS' Residency Program grants for BAAMS.

The state agency has granted funds for BAAMS Faculty to conduct STARS Residencies for students in Grades 4-8, set to take place in Spring 2023 in the following schools: Greylock Elementary School, Gabriel Abbott Memorial Elementary School, and Clarksburg Elementary School.

Additionally, the Gateway Fund and Pauline Young Music Fund, through the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, has provided an award to further support these STARS' Residencies, leveraging what BAAMS' faculty will be able to provide for students who participate from North Adams, Clarksburg, and the town of Florida.

The Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, a local cultural council which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, has also chosen to support BAAMS' after-school music education during the federal fiscal year 2023.

In other important news, support has been pledged from the Pittsfield Educational Enrichment Fund, through the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, for approximately eight low-income students residing in Pittsfield to attend the 5th Berkshires' Summer Jazz Band Day Camp in August, 2023.

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North Adams Restaurant to Closing in Two Weeks

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
02:18PM / Wednesday, November 04, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A downtown restaurant announced on Wednesday that it will be closing.

In a Facebook post, Door Prize stated its last day of service is Saturday, Nov. 14.

"We are not making this decision lightly and wish there was another way forward," read the post by owners Bryan "Swifty" Josephs and Jenny Klowden.

"We feel great pride for our successes and for a wonderful year of serving our community. Now on to the next adventure!"

They also thanked their staff and patrons who enjoyed their food

The restaurant opened over a year ago in Hotel Downstreet after Josephs and Klowden previously had a residence at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, where they sold some of their signature dishes, as well as working in area restaurants, bringing their food to farmers markets and operating a catering business.

The two named the restaurant after a John Prine song that they danced to at their wedding. Josephs described their fare as European comfort food, with one of their most popular dishes being pierogies.

They also successfully renovated the covered porch outside the restaurant for dining, raising $7,000 through a Kickstarter

While their post did not allude as to why they are closing, iBerkshires has reached out for more answers.

The 90-room hotel has reportedly been sold, with a closing expected by the end of the month. Owner Peregrine Group put the former Holiday Inn up for sale earlier this year after purchasing the property for $4.45 million in 2021. According to reports in The Berkshire Eagle, the cost of renovations to the 55-year-old property put a dent into revenues that limited the hotel's ability to cover obligations.

It's not clear if this has anything to do with the restaurant, which operates as a separate entity.

"We are not looking for a public discourse on our business model or the closure," the Door Prize post states, inviting patrons to personally contact the Josephs or Klowden rather than comment on the posting.

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