Sing Along Sea Shanties At Arrowhead

03:52PM / Monday, July 07, 2025Print Story | Email Story

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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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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