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Classes and individuals who participated in the annual pie auction had their desserts appraised by several judges who awarded first, second and third ribbons.
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Florida School's Pie Auction Raises $1,500 for Local Charities

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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The benefit auction raises funds for the Berkshire Humane Society,  the local food pantry and the American Legion's Christmas dinner. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Gabriel Abbott Memorial School's 351 Project has raised just under $1,500 for charity. 
 
Students in the community service learning project held their annual Oh Be Thankful Pie Auction on Tuesday at the American Legion along with a chinese auction of donated gifts from local businesses and individuals and a 50/50 raffle. 
 
The pie auction included other goodies, such as award-winning peanut butter and chocolate balls  and a pumpkin roll, and goods were produced by teachers, staff, parents and classes at both the Florida school and Clarksburg School. 
 
Several judges selected their top three desserts and frequent among the winners were the fifth-grade's no-bake cookies, the kindergarten's apple pie, preK's mud pies, Clarksburg Grade 8's s'mores pie, and a pink lemonade pie from Clarksburg.  
 
Chris Howard, the school's physical education teacher (who won a couple ribbons for her pecan pie) was again the auctioneer and she urged the attendees to cough up more dough. 
 
Confections by Heidi Dugal, Florida's retired principal who started the event more than two decades ago, again got the top bid with her rasberry cheesecake going for $100 (down from $140 last year) and cream puffs for $60. Howard's pecan pie went for $75 and the no-bake cookies and peanut butter balls for $55 each. 
 
This reporter picked up a pineapple sour cream pie by Wendy Miller for a song at $20 and it was hit on Thanksgiving Day. 
 
Proceeds from this year's auction will again help the Al Nelson Friendship Center Food Pantry, the Berkshire Humane Society and the American Legion's Christmas dinner. 
 

Tags: auction,   benefit,   Gabriel Abbott School,   

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Freight Yard Pub Serving the Community for Decades

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

One of the eatery's menu mainstays is the popular French onion soup. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Freight Yard Pub has been serving the community for decades with a welcoming atmosphere and homemade food.
 
Siblings Sean and Colleen Taylor are the owners Freight Yard Pub. They took it over with their brother Kevin and Colleen's first husband in 1992. The two came from Connecticut and Boston to establish a restaurant and said they immediately felt welcomed in their new home.
 
"The reception that the community gave us in the beginning was so warm and so welcoming that we knew we found home," Colleen Taylors said. "We've made this area our homes since then, as a matter of fact, all of our friends and relationships came out of Freight Yard Pub."
 
The pub is located in Western Gateway Heritage State Park, and its decor is appropriately train-themed, as the building it's in used to be part of the freight yard, but it also has an Irish pub feel. It is the only original tenant still operating in the largely vacant park. The Taylors purchased the business after it had several years of instability and closures; they have run it successfully for more than three decades.
 
Colleen and Sean have been working together since they were teenagers. They have operated a few restaurants, including the former Taylor's on Holden Street, and currently operate takeout restaurant Craft Food Barn, Trail House Kitchen & Bar and Berkshire Catering Co. 
 
"Sean and I've been working together. Gosh, I think since we were 16, and we have a wonderful business relationship, where I know what I cover, he knows what he covers," she said. "We chat every single day, literally every day we have a morning phone call to say, OK, checking in."
 
The two enjoy being a part of the community and making sure to lend a hand to those who made them feel so welcome in the first place.
 
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