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Weekend Outlook: Festivals, Cardboard Box Races, and More

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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There are a variety of events this weekend in the Berkshires including festivals, Valentine's Day themed events, and more.
 
Editor's Pick 
 
10×10 Festival
Pittsfield
Time: various
 
Berkshire County business and organizations join forces with Pittsfield's Office of Cultural Development for the annual 10x10 Festival, a week of events to celebrate the winter season beginning Thursday.
 
This weekend's festivities include the inaugural Clapp Park Winter Festival, Hancock Shaker Village's The Big Chill, art exhibits, live music, and more. 
 
More information here.
 
Saturday 
 
WinterFest
Various venues, North Adams
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
 
Celebrate the winter season with a festival from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Participants have a range of activities to choose from including the Chowder Cook-off, crafters' market, horse-drawn wagon rides, Main Street bonfire, free ice skating, Children's Winter Carnival, and more. 
 
More information here
 
Berkshire Grown Artists Opening Reception
The Stationery Factory, Dalton
Time: 5 to 8 p.m. 
 
There will be an opening reception for a new exhibit at the live music venue. 
 
Twelve Berkshire Grown Artists will exhibit their works of art Monday through Friday from 9 to 4 and during public events from Feb. 17 to March 24.
 
More information here
 
Winter Wildlife Tracking at Mount Greylock State Reservation
Mount Greylock Visitor Center, Lanesborough
Time: 12:30 
 
Explore woodlands and wildlife of Mount Greylock during this three-hour guided hike led by Mass Appalachian Trail Management Committee member Jim Pelletier and Janice Tassinari. 
 
Registration is required by calling 413-499-4262; more information here
 
Cardboard Box Race
Otis Ridge Ski Area
Time: 1 p.m. 
 
Grab some duct tape and craft a cardboard sled for a day of cardboard racing. The only rule is sleds must be made of cardboard and duct tape. There will be prizes including the fastest, more creative, and more. 
 
No registration fee but canned or non-perishable donations will be accepted for the Otis Food Pantry.
 
Registration and information here
 
Inaugural Clapp Park Winter Festival
Clapp Park, Pittsfield
Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
 
This free event features outdoor activities including snowshoeing, wildlife tracking, a bonfire, and soups and s'mores by Otto's.
 
Construct a sled using cardboard, glue, tape, decorations, and possibly wax on the bottom for the city's first Clapp Park Winter Festival Sled Race. Plastic or purchased sleds will not be considered for the competition. 
 
Awards will be given to the fastest and best designed sleds in each race. Helmets must be worn during all the races. 
 
Participants must register at Clapp Park the day of the event between 10 and 10:45 a.m.
 
More information here
 
Kids Craft Day 
Carr Hardware, North Adams, Lenox, and Pittsfield
Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
 
The hardware store will be having craft days at some of its locations. Register for the event early to hold your planter painting kit. 
 
More information here
 
Sunday 
 
Winter Wonderland Activity Day
Mount Greylock State Reservation Visitor Center, Lanesborough
Time: 1 p.m. 
 
The freshly fallen snow makes this Sunday the perfect opportunity to participate in Mount Greylock Visitors Center's Winter Wonderland Activity Day.  
 
This self-guided free event will be packed with winter activities including winter- themed crafts, scavenger hunts, board games and make-your-own snowman or sledding. Bring your own sled if you have one.
 
The activity day is free for all ages but children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
 
For more information call the center at 413-499-4262 or contact via Facebook for weather updates. 
 
Multiple Days
 
The Big Chill
Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield
Dates and Times: Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
 
The festival featurs walking tours, ice sculpting, maple tree tapping demonstrations, live music, farm animals, and more. 
 
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for members, and children age 14 and under are free.
 
Library Passes, North American Reciprocal Museum Association, and electronic benefit transfer cardholders receive the member rate and need to purchase their tickets at the admissions desk.
 
More information here
 
Family Valentine's Day Dance
191 Church St., Cheshire
Dates and Times: Friday and Saturday, 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. 
 
This semi-formal dance will be held over two nights and is open to all families for $10 per person. Tickets include dancing, refreshments, and a door prize drawing. A separate raffle will be held to benefit future community events.
 
More information here
 
Zambezi Dance Party
'62 Center, Williamstown
Time: Friday 7 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m.
 
Inspired by traditional Zimbabwean music as well as contemporary African styles, these dance parties are free and open to the public; get tickets here.

 


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Markey Pledges Support for 'Converging' Projects in North Adams

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Mayor Jennifer Macksey and Commissioner of Public Services Timothy Lescarbeau explain the temporary fixes, below, to the flood chute along Building 6 at Mass MoCA. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — U.S. Sen. Edward Markey pledged his support as the city and its partners embark on an ambitious plan of refashioning the downtown, the Hoosic River, the bike path and the connections to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.
 
"A vision without funding, that's an hallucination," said the state's junior senator as he got the rundown on the studies underway during a tour of Mass MoCA on Thursday. 
 
North Adams and MoCA received a $750,000 grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act's Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program for a study focused on the deteriorating Veterans Memorial Bridge.
 
The Hoosic River Revival and the city are working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a  $3 million, three-year engineering and feasibility study for the 70-year-old flood control system.
 
And the North Adams Adventure Trail is in the works to run a bike path from Williamstown through the downtown. 
 
"There's a really unique moment in all these projects converging in North Adams and on the Mass MoCA campus and to really think creatively about how to combine those things to create a force multiplier between those different projects  rather than piecemeal," said Andy Schlatter, director of facilities and campus planning, as he pointed out areas of interest on a model of the museum's campus.
 
Steve Jenks, vice chair of the Mass MoCA board, likened it to the Big Dig that transformed the center of Boston into in green space. 
 
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