Free Community Day at Hancock Shaker Village

07:52AM / Tuesday, November 05, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Hancock Shaker Village announced its annual Community Day will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 from 11 am to 4 pm.

Admission is free all day for all ages.

Activities at the museum on Community Day craft demonstrations of woodworking, blacksmithing, and weaving; interpreter-led tours and Shaker talks; and visits with the barnyard animals. All buildings in the historic village are open for exploration as well as several special exhibitions like Sisters Harvest featuring artists Alyssa Sakina Mumtaz and Maggie Pate, and Bright Passage: An Illuminated Interior by artists Melissa Thorne.

This year the Village will partner with Berkshire Museum in hosting "Muh-he-con-ne-ok: the People of the Water That Are Never Still," one of Berkshire Museum’s Mobile Museum Units. The unit will be on display and staffed by Berkshire Museum staff throughout the day.

The accessible, one-mile Farm and Forest Trail, is also open for everyone to explore. A specialized slate of food and beverage offerings will be available in our Café and the Mercantile Store will be open for a curated shopping experience.

In addition to free admission for all, Hancock Shaker Village is pleased to make our programs accessible to the Spanish-speaking members of the community with a Spanish language audio tour available through a smartphone app.

In support of Community Day, Hancock Shaker Village is collaborating with Mill Town Foundation.

"We are excited to partner with Hancock Shaker Village to help open up this cultural site to our local community, free of charge," noted Mill Town Foundation Program Manager, Andy Wrba.

"The Village blends an enriching combination of arts, history, education, and outdoor access that tells a unique part of our region’s history, and we are happy to help share that experience with more members of our community," he added.

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Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action.

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature."

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures.

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis.

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.

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