Kilpatrick Athletic Center launches SwimAmerica Lessons

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Kilpatrick Athletic Center (KAC) has partnered with SwimAmerica to launch a series of Fall 2024 swimming lessons to the community.
 
SwimAmerica, a national learn-to-swim program designed to teach new swimmers endurance and technique, works with coaches and athletic trainers to offer lessons to their communities, including community members beginning their training at the age of three. 
 
"Our goal in SwimAmerica is to teach water safety skills and excellent swimming technique. Every child that participates in our program will come out of it with more knowledge and skills to be safe in the water," said Assistant Aquatics Director John Vitell. "The Kilpatrick Athletic Center is proud to have been offering swim lessons for 26 years — since its opening."
 
The Kilpatrick houses an eight-lane, 25 yard pool with a minimal level of chlorinated, locally-sourced spring water, which leaves the water soft and without chemical smell or taste, while also making it safe to swim in.
 
The Kilpatrick will launch lessons for young swimmers hoping to kick the school year off with a splash beginning Tuesday, September 10th. Pre-School learners - ages three and four - will begin Tuesdays, Sept. 10 to Oct. 29, 5:15 - 5:45 p.m; Parent and Infant (seven months to three years old) lessons begin Tuesdays, Sept. 10 to Oct. 29, 4 - 4:30 p.m. 
 
School-age lessons for ages 5 to 13 will begin Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 10 and 12 through Oct. 29 and 31, and will be broken into separate groups: Stations 1-5 will have class from 4:30 p.m and 4:40 - 5:10 p.m. Stations 6-10 will attend from 5:20 - 6:00 p.m. If this is your child's first time in our program, please register them for a stations 1-5 time slot, where the first class will be an evaluation.
 
Programs consist of seven lessons. Lessons will pause the week of October 1st and 3rd and resume the following week. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to John Vitell at jvitell@simons-rock.edu
 
Register for classes here: https://simonsrock.captyn.com/
 

Tags: bard college,   swimming,   

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BRIDGE Hosts Earth Day 2026 Activities

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Multicultural BRIDGE will host its Earth Day 2026 celebration on Wednesday, April 22, at Solidarity House, marking both the opening of the growing season and the next phase of its Solidarity Farm & Garden at April Hill.
 
This year's gathering brings together state leaders, regional partners, and community members to advance a shared vision for environmental justice, food sovereignty, and climate resilience in the Berkshires.
 
Gwendolyn VanSant, CEO and founding director of BRIDGE, will moderate the panel with Lina Maria Polo Caijao. Panelists include Betsy Harper, chief of the Environmental Protection Division in the Attorney General's Office; 
Elizabeth Cardona, community engagement manager for the state Department of Environmental Protection; and Charles Redd, DEI officer with Berkshire Health Systems.
 
After five years of growing at the Great Barrington Fairgrounds, BRIDGE's Solidarity Farm has supported the development of a strong cohort of community growers. As part of this next phase, several Solidarity growers are now ready to expand beyond community plots into more independent, production-oriented farming.
 
The April Hill site in South Egremont represents the next evolution of this work, building on the World Farmers' Flats Mentor Farm model in Lancaster and adapting it for the Berkshire context of BIPOC emerging farmers. Partnering with Greenagers in a values-aligned effort across constituencies, trainings and agricultural resources.
 
This expansion includes new grower plots supporting transition to independent farming; expanded mutual aid and community distribution capacity; culturally specific crop cultivation; integration of climate-resilient agricultural practices, and youth engagement 
 
April Hill serves as a partner hub in the first year with expanded plots to meet urgent food security needs, supporting growers as they evolve our community-based growing model toward long-term land access, increased food sovereignty and economic sustainability.
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