Pittsfield to Host Second Annual Winter Festival at Clapp Park

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield's Department of Community Development Recreation Program has announced the second annual Winter Festival, set to take place on Monday, Feb. 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Clapp Park.
 
The event, designed to kick off the winter break, will feature a variety of activities for children, families, and community members of all ages.
 
Among the scheduled activities are group-led outdoor experiences, including a Winter Senses Safari with the Berkshire Natural Resources Council and snowshoeing with Mass Audubon.
 
The festival will also feature a Snow Sculpture Contest, open to participants ranging from novices to professional artists. Contestants are encouraged to bring their own tools to shape their creations, with judging taking place by the end of the event.
 
Additionally, a Cardboard Sled Design Contest invites children and families to construct sleds using only glue, tape, paint, and decorations. Plastic or store-bought sleds are not permitted. Awards will be given in three categories: Best Use of Materials, Most Creative Sled, and Largest Sled Design. Participants must register at the Clapp Park sledding hill by 11 a.m., with open sledding available throughout the event and awards announced at 12:30 p.m.
 
Other festival highlights include a campfire with s'mores and hot chocolate, sponsored by Indulgence Salon, as well as a Touch-A-Truck exhibit, where children can explore city vehicles such as a firetruck, police car, and plow truck, pending city emergencies.
 
All activities are free to the public. Attendees are encouraged to donate plastic or purchased sleds to the Clapp Park Little Sled Library, which provides free sleds for children throughout the winter season.
 
The Winter Festival is part of Pittsfield's annual 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival, which runs from February 13-23 and is hosted by the city's Cultural Development Office. 
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Pittsfield Seeks CPA Funds for Bike Racks, AED

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city plans to apply for Community Preservation Act funds for park bike racks and an AED machine at the pickleball fields. 

On Tuesday, the Parks Commission endorsed Pittsfield’s applications for CPA funds. 

"Both of those projects are certainly, relative to CPA funds, low cost but high benefit," Commissioner Anthony DeMartino said. 

Through CPA, bike racks are proposed for a few city parks, and the Berkshire Mountain Pickleball league is looking to place an automatic external defibrillator at the Benedict Avenue pickleball fields. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath and Recreation & Special Events Coordinator Jennifer VanBramer presented the two small project applications, which will go through an eligibility period before full consideration in the spring of 2027. 

During the city’s free, six-week, summer playground program, it was observed that many kids access parks by bicycle. The plan is to buy between six and eight racks to be placed at Durant Park, the Common, and Clapp Park; other parks are being considered as well. 

McGrath explained that the three parks hosting the playground program don’t have bike racks, and they wind up on the ground and sometimes become a distraction. 

"The ancillary benefit to having bike racks is that it encourages that mode of transportation for folks that want to come to the park on their bike," he said. 

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