image description — Crosby School's fourth-grade class poses on Monday with the snowplow they named through a state contest.

Crosby Kids Get Visit From 'Flurry Fighter' Snowplow

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:13PM / Monday, April 10, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A state plow named by Crosby School's fourth-grade class is fighting snow on city streets.

On Monday, state Department of Transportation representatives traveled to the elementary school to congratulate the students on winning the snowplow naming contest.

The victorious title, "Flurry Fighter," was a mixture of the 13 students' top choices.

Khalessi Daury-Jackson enjoyed the collaboration.

"We all came up with it as a class," she explained. "Randomly, half the class said one name, the other half said another name so we kind of just smushed it together and we came up with that."

The class was one of 12 name winners out of more than 900 entries. The contest ran in December and two plow trucks were named in each of the six highway districts.

"I don't know if you guys saw the truck going down the road doing the snow this year but we did a lot of work this year to keep those roads clean and safe for everybody," District One maintenance engineer Michael Fabiano said.

"You'll see the vehicle in the future. They're based right out of here in our Pittsfield depot so I'm certain you'll see them going up Route 20 or down 7."

MassDOT gifted the class with a Flurry Fighter sign and a $100 gift card, which teacher Danielle Bradley said will be spent on classroom seating.

"They were very excited," she explained. "There were other classes in the building that submitted names, too, so they were excited that they won."

Excitement was in the air as the students took pictures in front of the plow.

"It reminded me of boxing," Maxton Powell said.

Ethen Zama explained that the name reminds him of Canada and how he wants to go there.

"I just think it’s an awesome idea, I think the collaboration was amazing," Principal Candy Allessio said.

The second truck named in District 1 is "Sled Zeppelin," named by sixth-graders at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School in Shelburne Falls. They're plow made a visit earlier on Monday.

The other "Name A Snowplow" contest winners are Flurry Fighter, Luke Snowalker, Plower Ranger, Sherlock Snowmes, Snowdrop, Arctic Beast, Snow day No Way, Blizzard Wizard, Snow Big Deal, Snow Time to Lose, and Blizzard of Oz.

The aim is to celebrate the snow and ice season and recognize the hard work of public works employees and contractors during winter storms.

Tags: contest, Crosby School, MassDOT, snowplow,

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John Rubinstein on 'Eisenhower,' Trump, Fosse, Sondheim & Williamstown Theatre Festival

By Alan PetrucelliSpecial to iBerkshires
12:10PM / Thursday, September 17, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It's a rainy Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio, and John Rubinstein is driving to the Berkshires. He left his Los Angeles home a few days ago, and his next stop is Cleveland. Once he gets to Pittsfield, he readies for his return appearance as Dwight D. Eisenhower in "Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground," a one-man show Rubinstein first did at the Barrington Stage Company last summer.

The show has been brought back by rave reviews and popular demand; it opens Sept. 16 and runs through Sept. 26.

Rubinstein, who turns 80 in December, has been crisscrossing the country, doing the show for the past four years: "I can't wait to do it again and again and again," he said. "It's one of the great crowning pieces of luck of my career."

And what a career: "Crazy Like a Fox," "Family," numerous Broadway plays and musicals and TV movies and feature films and two Tony awards for "Pippin" (1972) and "Children of a Lesser God" (1980). A surprise many fans don't know: Rubinstein has scored the music to several films and TV shows, including "Jeremiah Johnson," "The Candidate," "The Dollmaker" and "China Beach."

During an exclusive interview over a 75-minute phone call, Rubinstein talks about liking Ike and loving "Eisenhower," as well as Donald Trump, Stephen Sondheim, Bob Fosse and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

How did you hook up with 'Eisenhower?'

Director Peter Ellenstein sent me an email that said, "I have a play about Eisenhower, and I'd like to send it to you to consider." I read it. It was 40 pages long and single-spaced, one guy talking. I thought. "Jesus Christ, I don't know if anybody's gonna want to hear that, a two-hour monologue." But I liked it. I respected it. I found it fascinating but (a) I wasn't sure it would work as a play, (b) if I could memorize it and (c) if I could memorize it and it was a good play would anyone want to go see it? So I didn't commit myself at first. But Peter said, "Why don't you come and meet with me and the playwright, Richard Hellesson, and read the play out loud?"

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