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Weekend Outlook: Halloween-Themed Activities & More

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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There are several events in the Berkshires this weekend, including Halloween-themed activities, live music, and more. 
 
Editor's Pick
 
Downtown Pittsfield … It's Alive
Various Venues, Pittsfield 
Time: Noon to 7 p.m. 
 
It's alive!!! Well, at least Downtown Pittsfield will be on Saturday. There will be several Halloween-themed events to celebrate the spooky season, including live music, arts and crafts, face painting, and more. 
 
Various venues will host events for people of all ages throughout the night, including tarot card readings, a Kids' Fun Zone, vendors, live performances, a beer garden, and more. 
 
More information here. 
 
Friday 
 
Karaoke Night
Dalton American Legion
Time: 7 to midnight
 
Sing your heart out to your favorite tunes and have a drink. More information here.  
 
Musical Bingo Fundraiser 
North Adams American Legion Post 125
Time: 6:30 p.m. 
 
Northern Berkshire Youth Baseball is raising funds with a musical bingo event. More information here. 
 
Saturday 
 
Barktoberfest
Roxie's Barkery & Boutique, North Adams
Time: 11 to 4 p.m.
 
Celebrate Halloween with your pup by visiting Roxie's Barkery for its Barktoberfest, which will feature doggie beer flights, including barkyard pupkin head, bow-wow beef light, and chickorona, photo props, doggie pawretzels, more. 
 
More information here. 
 
Saturday Yoga
North Adams Public Library
Time: 10 to 11 a.m.
 
Free hatha yoga sessions for all ages 16 and older of varying experience in the third floor meeting room. Space is limited and registration is required by contacting Adult Services Librarian Ryan Miller at rmiller@northadams-ma.gov or 413-662-3133, Ext. 16.
 
More information here. 
 
Pumpkin Party 
Bigg Daddy's Philly Steak House, North Adams  
Time: 4 to 6 p.m. 
 
The Philly steak house, outside the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, is having a pumpkin carving event that will also feature live music from Mixtape, face painting, and more. 
 
Information here. 
 
Annual Zombie Pub Crawl
Downtown Pittsfield
Time: 5 to midnight
 
The 15th annual Zombie Pub Crawl starts off at Hot Plate Brewing and ends the Madison with a costume contest. This is a fundraiser for Soldier On so bring cash for zombie merchandise, donations and a 50/50 raffle. Dress is your best zombie or other makeup, bring ID (must be at least 21 years of age) and have a safe plan for avoiding the zombies on your way home. 
 
More information here.
 
Harvest Festival 
Downtown Bennington Vermont
Time: 10 to 5 p.m. 
 
Main Street and School Street will close down to make room for fall activities including more than 60 vendors, food trucks, live music, and more.
 
This event is free and open to the public, and there is plenty of parking downtown. Information here. 
 
All Hallows Lee
Lee Library to 51 Park
Time: Noon to 5 p.m. 
 
Celebrate Halloween with this family-friendly event featuring a vendor village, live music, and performances by Berkshire Be Witches and Chalk Gremlin Circus Company.
 
More information here. 
 
Deadfall 3 Music and Arts Festival
The Stationery Factory, Dalton 
Time: 3 to 11 p.m. 
 
This family-friendly event features bands like Dead Man's Waltz and Mystic Dead, craft vendors, food, and more. 
 
Tickets range between $27.38 to $43.14. Information here. 
 
BonJourneyNY
Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield
Time: 7:30 to 9 p.m. 
 
Several hits from Bon Jovi and Journey will be performed. Tickets are $34. More information is here. 
 
Sunday
 
Sukkot Pumpkin Festival 
Whitney's Farm Market & Country Gardens, Cheshire 
Time: 2 p.m. 
 
Learn about the fall harvest festival of Sukkot with a holiday craft and enjoy all the fun of the center's Pumpkin Fest with PJ Library. Tickets are $10 cash per family. Information here. 
 
Fall Festival and Craft Fair
Berkshire Hills Country Club, Pittsfield 
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
 
There will be over 28 different crafters in the club's ballroom. Each vendor brings a variety of different homemade items to choose from, including jewelry, accessories, candles, clothing, children and pet toys, and more. 
 
More information here. 
 
Fall Fest After Sale
Notre Dame School, Adams
Time: 9 to 1
 
St. John Paul II Parish is hosting its annual after Fall Fest sale in the lower hall of the school at 21 Maple St. The handmade, country store, and fall shops still have some wonderful items to shop for. Everything in the Christmas shop is half off. There will also be many other items at half off and French meat pies for sale. Rain or shine
 
'Voices from the Grave' Cemetery Tour
Springfield Cemetery
Time: 1 to 3 p.m. 
 
The Springfield Preservation Trust will be hosting a cemetery tour.  The one-hour tours begin at 1 p.m., departing every 15 minutes. 
 
Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for non-members, with a $5 discount for using the "SPTMember" promo code. The event will proceed rain or shine.
 
More information here. 
 
Multiple Days
 
Purgatory Road Jr. 
190 Cleveland Road, Dalton
Oct. 19 and 20 from 4 to 7 p.m.
 
Although the annual Purgatory Road event is not taking place this year, there is still an opportunity to support the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention. This year, however, the event is kid-friendly. 
 
According to a Facebook post from the organization, the haunted house will return in 2025. This year, the event is designed with younger kids in mind and is not scary. 
 
It will include a path through a cornfield that should take about 15 to 20 minutes to walk through. As you stroll through the maze, you will be accompanied by Halloween music and decorations. There will also be the possibility of encountering some carnival characters.
 
The maze will also include games and obstacles for children between the ages of 3 and 8. During the games, children can win tickets and exchange them for prizes at the end. 
 
Face painting is offered to all ages. Food and balloons will be available for purchase. Tickets cost $10 for children ages 3 to 8 and $5 for adults and older children. 
 
More information here. 
 
Fall Foliage Train Rides 
Hoosac Valley Train Ride, Adams
 
Gaze at Berkshire County's fall foliage on Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum hour-long train ride on its fully restored, 100-hundred-year-old coaches. 
 
The rides will take place Saturday and Sunday at 11, 1:30, and 3 p.m. Tickets range from $13 to $24. More information here. 
 
Whitney's Farm Pumpkin Fest
Whitney's Farm, Cheshire
Sept. 23 until Oct. 29 – Friday, 2 to 5:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 
 
Pick pumpkins, ride on a hay wagon, get glitter tattoos, walk through a corn maze, and more every weekend through Halloween. 
 
The event also features a new scarecrow shooting gallery, a giant slide, jumpin' pumpkin, a bounce house pumpkin, and a new playground. 
 
More information here. 
 
Connecticut Renaissance Faire
Lebanon (Conn.) Country Fairgrounds, 122 Mack Road
Time: weekends from Sept. 21 to Oct. 20, 10:30 to 6
 
The 26th annual fair features armored combat, jousting, demonstrations, marketplace, feasting, performances and music. Admission $10 to $16, children 6 and younger free. 
 
More information here. 
 
13 Nights at Jiminy
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock 
Terror runs through Oct. 31 
 
The mountain resort known for its snowy hills and winter recreation is transformed into a fright destination. 
 
Many locals fly to Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort for its "13 Nights Haunted House" to be scared out of their wits.
 
The resort's grounds and buildings are decorated to instill terror as hidden actors give the willing participants a fright every Friday through Sunday from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. throughout October.
 
The age recommendation is age 10 and older. Haunted House admission costs $29. 
 
Participants are also welcome to ride through the darkness with the resort's Mountain Coaster for $15 a ride. 
 
More information here.
 
The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show
Naumkeag, Stockbridge
Sept. 27 thru Oct. 27 
 
Take a breath from fright and relax at Naumkeag for its pumpkin show. 
 
The museum decorates the gardens with more than 1,500 jack-o'-lanterns, hundreds of mums, pumpkins, and countless gourds — most of which were grown at Naumkeag. 
 
Hot cider and fall treats will be available for sale on-site.
 
Tickets must be purchased online in advance. Ticket time represents your arrival window. More information here.

Tags: weekend outlook,   

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NAHA Board Accepts Director's Resignation, Unlocks Tenants Association Office

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Housing Authority Board of Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Hohn and restored access to the Tenants Association office.

The board held a special meeting Thursday to vote to accept Hohn's resignation and determined that there are currently no plans to replace her.

"We didn't make any final determinations in terms of the executive session so we will schedule another meeting at another time," Chairwoman Leigh Uqdah said after returning from more than an hour session. "Day-to-day operations will continue to be managed as normal by staff."

Per their bylaws, board member Marie Harpin will continue to handle finances, and Uqdah will manage contracts.

Hohn stepped down on Oct. 8 after 24 years leading the agency. Her resignation followed rising tension between her and the NAHA Tenants Association, culminating in the scheduling of a formal grievance hearing between both parties.

The boiling point was the locking of the association's office this summer. Tenants alleged the lockout was retaliation for posting a video on social media depicting improperly functioning door alarms. Hohn claimed the office was locked for tenant safety and to stop the spread of misinformation.

Tenants Association President Corey Fortin asked if Hohn's security access had been removed. Uqdah confirmed her credentials were revoked the day she resigned, meaning she can no longer monitor security cameras remotely.

Jennifer Barbeau, a former city councilor who was liaison to the Housing Authority, asked when the board met to discuss Hohn's severance package. Uqdah stated that Hohn did not have one.

The board also accepted the resignation of Commissioner Richard Lavigne, though they will vote officially on the matter at their next meeting.

The open portion of the meeting was brief, with nearly an hour and a half spent in executive session. Before entering executive session, the board opened the floor to tenants.

"The tenants requested an opportunity to talk to the board," said Uqdah. "It has been quite a while, but we have decided to honor that."

Fortin, who posted the original video to social media, was the first to speak. He was clear in his request: unlock the office door.

"Let's cut straight to the chase tonight. The former resigned Director Jennifer Hohn ordered the office locked," he alleged. "She is gone. The lockout is a direct violation, and the board has a duty to end that tonight."

He cited federal and state laws that mandate the tenants association be provided with office space, including computer and network access.

"We are here with a direct administrative demand. We demand that the board vote tonight to unlock the doors," he said. "Do not let a resigned director's illegal action remain the board's ongoing liability. Open our door tonight, and let us get back to work."

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