1Berkshire Kicks Off 2025 with Winter Marketing

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — As the Regional Tourism Council (RTC) representing The Berkshires, and the official tourism promoter for the region, 1Berkshire is working on winter-themed marketing campaigns.

These tactics target visitors in New York, Boston, and surrounding New England areas, specifically young professionals, families, and members of the BIPOC community. Promoting the region as a preferred place to visit, play, and stay speaks directly to 1Berkshire's mission: to advance Berkshire County’s economy by advocating for the business community and attracting visitors.

"We have campaigns that run all year long, but our primary focus right now is the shoulder season when our local economy benefits from a boost. We want to share the message that this is a wonderful place to visit in any season, and winter holds its own unique, special appeal. It’s always a great time to explore outdoor recreation, culture, food, and wellness #intheberkshires," said Lindsey Schmid, Senior Vice President of Tourism & Marketing for 1Berkshire.

A ski campaign featuring the Berkshires’ ski resorts and other cold weather activities launched in mid-December; this campaign was produced in partnership with other MA RTCs and Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT), and is expected to garner 10M impressions for the Berkshires. Also produced in December was 1Berkshire’s Winter Brochure, a piece that is supported by members and highlights many of the ways to enjoy the region December through March. This year’s brochure has seen a 135 percent increase in views over last year, with 2,200 views in December alone. A great tool for all Berkshire businesses to use, it can be linked on websites or included in e-communications to customers, and will help further amplify the message: "Welcome to the Berkshires in winter - we are open for business!"

This past holiday season, 1Berkshire hosted a Storybook Holiday familiarization tour, sending four journalists to iconic Berkshire locations including the Dr. Sax House, Haven, Red Lion Inn, Winterlights at Naumkeag, and the Norman Rockwell Museum. Stories, such as this Instagram reel, continue to roll out and will ultimately garner the Berkshires thousands of PR impressions.

In its role as the destination marketing organization for the Berkshires, 1Berkshire hosts berkshires.org - the region’s #1 travel planning site, which receives 1.2M+ sessions annually and has more than 800K users. 1Berkshire also reaches an average of 3.5M visitors with its e-communications. Combined tourism promotion efforts continue to drive the visitor economy, an important cluster from the Berkshire Blueprint, and the focus on winter marketing means greater visibility for all Berkshire businesses during the shoulder season.

Berkshire Habitat ReStore Overwhelmed With Unwanted Donations

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
07:21AM / Saturday, March 22, 2025

The lot is under surveillance and the stores is considering cracking down on dumpers.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity ReStore won't be taking any donations on Saturday — because it's already overloaded with items dumped on its property.

 

ReStore on Hubbard Avenue sells donated furniture, building supplies and home improvement materials to help keep bulky items out of landfills and to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.

 

But people have been dumping their unwanted items on the property without an appointment and sometimes after hours. That's left a pile of trash for the nonprofit to deal with. 

 

"So people just, you know, came and even if it's closed, I personally catch several people in the camera out of hours," said ReStore general manager Alex Valdivieso.

 

Valdivieso has been the general manager for less than a year but says last summer was a big problem with dumping and with the weather getting nicer, people have started to come again to dump their unwanted items. 

 

To help get rid of the waste, 20 to 25 teens are volunteering from Lenox High School to help fill dumpsters and clean up the lot that's now littered with items needing to be thrown away.

 

Valdivieso says he has two 30-foot-long trash roll-offs that will be filled this weekend.