There are several events this weekend to help you recharge from your week, including festivals, live music, and more.
Editor's Pick
The Big Chill
Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield
Time: 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The village will have a range of activities, including walking tours, ice harvesting talks, maple tree tapping demonstrations, crafts, farm animals, and more.
The event is part of the Pittsfield's Office of Cultural Development 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival, during which several organizations and businesses will hold events from Feb. 13 through 23.
All activities are included with the $15 admission ticket, free for members and children 12 and under. More information here.
Multiple Days
The 14th Annual 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival
Throughout Pittsfield
February 13 through 23
The 10x10 Festival returns with theater, music, visual arts, dance, outdoor activities, and more.
Highlights include the 10x10 New Play Festival at Barrington Stage Company, A Taste of Downtown by Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., a mural exhibition, a winter festival, and more.
This event is not this weekend but we thought it was worth the mention given next week is school break.
The museum is traveling to BCC for this offsite event which will give your kids the opportunity to learn about a range of topics from nature, animals, dinosaurs, and more.
Berkshire Pride is celebrating love, passion, and community this Valentine's Day with a party. The event features tunes by DJ BFG, drag performances, and a costume contest.
Tickets range from $20 to $50. More information here.
Children's Valentine's Day Dance
Berkshire Dream Center, Pittsfield
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Dress in your best party clothes and bring your family for an evening of dancing, karaoke, games, and sweet treats.
This free event is open to all children up to age 12; children under five must have an adult present.
Future Labs Gallery is partnering with Plant Connector to help visitors create glow-in-the-dark terrariums.
The event focuses on building community and strengthening bonds rather than romance. There is a suggested donation of $10 to $20 to help cover supplies. More information here.
Goodnight Moonshine
Studio 9, Porches, North Adams
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Railway Concerts hosts Goodnight Moonshine, the husband and wife duo of Eben Pariser and Molly Venter, with their signature and jazz and folk rhythms.
The city will close roads on Main Street until American Legion Drive, Holden, and Eagle from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to make room for its annual Winterfest.
The event will feature horse and carriage rides, an artisan craft fair, children's games, a chowder cook-off, and more.
There will be a waffle truck parked at Tube Town to help visitors fueling up for a day on the slopes or taking a break between adventures. More information here.
Apres-Ski
Ski Butternut, Great Barrington
Time: 2 p.m.
Spend some time skiing and then take a break to warm up by listening to cover songs by popular artists spun by DJ Pup Daddy via 45 RPM records. The event will take place at Channing's Upstairs Bar at the resort's Upper Lodge.
Aging in Community: Dancing our Joys and Challenges
Zion Lutheran Church, Pittsfield
Time: 11 to 12:30 p.m.
The church's Common Room will be taken over by Jacob's Pillow for a free dance and movement workshop about aging and community, led by artists Michael Richter and Liv Schaffer. More information here.
Paint Your Partner
Dottie's Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield
Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
Grab your partner and bring them to Dottie's for this super fun night where you paint a portrait of your partner with the help and guidance of local artist, Mike Carty. Tickets are $55 per couple.
The recovery center will have an open mic night to give people the chance to share their music, poetry, comedy and and more. More information here.
Sunday
The Jake Hescock Win the Day Foundation Fundraiser
The Stationery Factory, Dalton
Time: 1 to 8 p.m.
Dance while supporting the Jake Hescock Win the Day Foundation. The event features five bands and light appetizers.
The foundation aims to spread awareness about the importance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator training and encourages testing for cardiac anomalies in children in honor of the late Jake Adam Hescock.
Bring your gal pals and enjoy a mimosa bar, snacks, tunes, and vendor popups by some local women run businesses. More information here.
28th Annual Winter Lecture: Jacqueline van der Kloet
Lenox Middle High School
Time:
Jacqueline van der Kloet, the internationally acclaimed garden designer, author and one of Holland's best-known gardening authorities, will be the featured speaker at Berkshire Botanical Garden's 28th Annual Winter Lecture.
The lecture will include a talk on bulb basics, color combinations, seasonal care for bulbs, layering bulbs, growing bulbs on a larger scale, and integration for constant blooms in the garden. The event will include a book signing and a coffee and cookie reception.
The garden will decide by decide by Saturday morning regarding whether reschedule for the snow date, which is currently scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m.
There will be a performance by Tyler Ramsey, formerly of Band of Horses. His new album "New Lost Ages," produced by Phil Ek, features 10 songs that blend indie, rock, and folk.
The Sing for your Slumber series, which hosts free shows with artist donations encouraged, is supported by Bose.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Pittsfield School Committee Votes to Close Morningside
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There were tears as the School Committee on Wednesday voted to close Morningside Community School at the end of the school year.
Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said the purpose of considering the closure is to fulfill the district's obligation to ensure every student has access to a learning environment that best supports academic growth and achievement, school climate, equitable access to resources, and long-term success.
"While fiscal implications are included, the7 closure of the school is fundamentally driven by the student performance, their learning conditions, the building inadequacy, and equitable student access, rather than the district's budget," she said.
"…The goal is not to save money. The goal is to reinvest that money to make change, specifically for our Morningside students, and then for the whole school building, as a whole."
Over the last month or so, the district has considered whether to retire the open concept, community school at the end of the school year.
Morningside, built in the 1970s, currently serves 374 students in grades prekindergarten through Grade 5, including a student population with 88.2 percent high-needs, 80.5 percent low-income, and 24.3 percent English learners. Its students will be reassigned to Allendale, Capeless, Egremont, and Williams elementary schools.
The school is designated as "Requiring Assistance or Intervention," with a 2025 accountability percentile of seventh, despite moderate progress over the past three years, and benchmark data continues to show urgent literacy concerns in several grades.
School Committee member and former Morningside student Sarah Muil, through tears, made the motion to approve the school's retirement at the end of this school year.
Over the last month or so, the district has considered whether to retire the open concept, community school at the end of the school year.
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On Tuesday, the college highlighted this "step towards technological modernization" that was made possible by a $133,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. click for more
The District Attorney's Office has determined that the police officer who fatally shot Biagio Kauvil during a mental health incident in January acted lawfully.
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At the Boys and Girls Club of the Berkshires child care center in Pittsfield, Secretary of Education Stephen Zrike heard from community-based preschool educators about workforce needs and the impact of the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative. click for more
Less than a month into spring, the town received its first dust complaint after an overnight storm on March 31 blew sand and fine dust onto Raymond Drive, sending air monitoring data off the charts.
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Dozens of people bid farewell to the Wahconah Park grandstand on Saturday with a round of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," hot dogs, and stories about the ballpark. click for more