Sing Along Sea Shanties At Arrowhead

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. On July 10, the Berkshire County Historical presents a program of sea shanties with old-world folklorist Alex Harvey. 
 
The program will take place in Arrowhead's historic barn at 7 pm. Come early and picnic on the grounds and step into the "tavern" and warm up those swashbuckling vocal chords with hard ciders from Berkshire Cider Project for sale during the event.  
 
Tickets are available by using the BOOK NOW button at berkshirehistory.org - $15 BCHS Members, $20 nonmembers. This program is sponsored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
 
According to a press release: 
 
Alex Harvey performs street ballads and songs of the sea in a project he calls Shinbone Alley. At his performances listeners learn to celebrate the haunting intercultural exchange of 18th and 19th century maritime music - whose ingredients travelled from the furthest corners of the globe to be remade and stitched anew by sailors of every shade and shape in port and at sea. By teaching the audience to join in on most of the tunes in his concerts, Harvey and his Shinbone Alley builds bridges through communal singing. From Sea Shanties to Broadsheet ballads to Come-All-Ye's to Last Good Nights to Hard Luck Satires to Lovesick Dirges to Whaling Serenades - this music was meant as the earliest form of group therapy. And so it is again - a sepia-toned balm for our topsy-turvy time.
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Pittsfield's Christian Center Seeks Community Input on Services, Name

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Worker Dionisio Kelly, left, board member Kenny Warren, Executive Director Jessica Jones, and Food and Services Director Karen Ryan.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It's a new year, and The Christian Center is looking at how it can serve the area in 2026 and beyond. 

This includes a possible new name fueled by community forums in late January and early February. 

"We're hoping people will come in and talk about the name, talk about what programs, what services they would like to see from us. What would be most meaningful," Executive Director Jessica Jones said. 

"Because the population in this area has changed quite a bit, and we no longer serve just the West Side. We serve people from other parts of Berkshire County. So the hope is just to make it more inclusive." 

The Christian Center was a stop on Berkshire Community College and NAACP Berkshires' Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

The nonprofit will hold three input sessions at 193 Robbins Ave. to inform future programs and branding, and ensure that West Side voices are heard. 

The sessions will be held on: 

  • Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. 
  • Thursday, Feb. 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. 
  • Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. 

The center dates back to the early 1890s, when it was the Epworth Mission started by the Methodist Church to serve newly arrived immigrants and help them assimilate. The Christian Center was incorporated in 1974. 

Over the decades, it has drifted away from a faith-based organization to a space for anyone who needs a meal, a warm jacket, a place to bring their child, or a meeting place. A space for everyone. 

This is what center officials wanted reflected in the name. 

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