Community Contra Dance in Williamstown

04:01PM / Wednesday, October 09, 2024Print Story | Email Story

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The North Berkshire Contra Dance will hold its monthly community contra dance on Saturday, Oct. 12, with live fiddle music, and all dances taught by caller Quena Crain.

Come alone or with a partner; most people change partners for each dance throughout the evening. New dancers and families with children are encouraged to arrive by 7:30 for instruction in the basics.

Music will be provided by Cedar Stanistreet on fiddle and Michael Sokolovsky on guitar -- the duo version of the popular contra dance band, Sycamore.

The dance will run 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Community Hall of the First Congregational Church, 906 Main St., Williamstown. Admission is pay-as-you-can, $12 - $20 suggested, and barter (especially help with cleanup) is also welcome.

Covid Policy: Please stay home if you feel ill or have cold symptoms. Masks appreciated but ot required. Be aware that contradance isn't made to social distance, as whoever your partner, you'll wind up dancing with everyone in the room. You may wish to bring a spare mask to change into for comfort throughout the evening.

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Williamstown Looking at How to Enforce Smoking Ban for Apartments

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:24AM / Friday, January 09, 2026

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Board of Health and town health inspector are consulting with town counsel on how best to enforce a ban on smoking in apartment buildings passed by town meeting in May.

Although the meeting overwhelmingly approved the new bylaw, the Attorney General's Office in Boston took until December to rule that the restriction, believed to be the first of its kind in Massachusetts, complied with state law and precedent.

On Tuesday, Health Inspector Ruth Russell told the board at its monthly meeting that the town's lawyer told her to work on an enforcement policy.

She indicated that counsel said some things need to be clarified in the smoking ban.

"Their understanding was the bylaw was very clear when it came to enforcement of common areas but very unclear when it came to non-common areas [i.e., residents apartment units]," Russell said.

"That would be the issue. If we got complaints about smoking in someone's own unit, town counsel had concerns about how it would go forward. … Could we even get a warrant to inspect, and how do we go down that road."

Russell said she would investigate as soon as practical after a complaint is lodged, but given the ephemeral nature of smoke from cigarettes and discharges from vaping products, it would be difficult to prove violations of the ordinance.

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