'Moby-Dick' Read-a-thon

11:21AM / Monday, July 29, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society's annual Moby-Dick Read-a-Thon will begin Thursday, Aug. 1, at 10 a.m., continuing daily until the book is finished.

Participants will read aloud for 15 minutes with the next participant picking up where the prior reader left off. The event is held at Melville's historic home Arrowhead where the novel was written. Advanced sign up is required by using the BOOK NOW button at berkshirehistory.org. Participation is free, but a $5 donation is suggested.

The annual event commemorates Melville's birthday August 1, 1819.

On Aug. 4 beginning at 9 a.m., hikers are invited to celebrate the day (Aug.5,1850) Melville met Nathaniel Hawthorne on a literary hike up Monument Mountain to read local poet William Cullen Bryant's Monument Mountain, by joining BCHS for a similar hike and literary talk. The guided hike takes approximately 2 1/2 hours and is appropriate for families. Hikers should meet at the Monument Mountain Reservation Parking lot on Route 7 and should be prepared with their own water, proper footwear, hiking gear and bug repellent. Parking is free for members of the Trustees of Reservations only.

Tags: arrowhead, Melville,

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Lanesborough Officials Begin Budget Deliberations

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
11:35AM / Monday, March 09, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board and Finance Committee last week began a detailed look at the needs for the fiscal 2027 budget from the Police, Fire and Library departments.

Both the Police and Fire departments will be asking for capital funds toward replacement vehicles.

Chair Deborah Maynard laid out the format and cautioned the participants that it was going to "be a civil meeting."

"There's not going to be any yelling or talking out of turn, but we certainly would recommend and be glad to hear questions from the audience as we discuss these department budgets," she said.

There have been recent complaints about angry comments and yelling at some town board meetings.

Police Chief Rob Derksen presented a budget increase of $277,717, around 4 percent, but noted that police salaries are currently in negotiations. He separated his budget from the Baker Hill Road District, which is currently under discussion to be dissolved. The draft said the department had a 44 percent increase, but that was combined with the Baker Hill Road District.

Derksen said the department is running under budget and that compared to the national average spending on local law enforcement of $407 per capita annually, Lanesborough spends around $313. He also said the average operating budget is 10 to 15 percent of the municipal budget and that the department is operating at almost 7 percent.

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