Northern Berkshire Community Contra Dance

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On Saturday, July 12 there will be a community contra dance.
 
North Berkshire Community Dance will hold its monthly contra dance with calling by Fern Bradley, and live music by local musicians.
 
All are welcome. Most people change partners for each dance throughout the evening. New dancers and families with children are encouraged to arrive by 7:30 for instruction in the basics.
 
Liz Nelson will call all dances, starting the evening with easy dances friendly to newcomers and families with children. The caller teaches new moves and skills as needed, so that beginners can dance with everyone right from the start.  Music will be live, by local musicians in varied small ensembles, organized by Seamus Connor. 
 
In addition to the volunteer musicians (anyone familiar with the genre is welcome), there will be an introductory calling workshop (3-5 PM) for new dancers.  Check out the details at www.NorthBerkshireDance.org
 
The dance will run 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Community Hall of the All Saints Episcopal Church, 59 Summer St., North Adams.  Use the door closest to the post office.  Admission is pay-as-you-can:  $10 - $20 suggested (no one turned away for lack of funds).
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Berkshire Reign Baseball Program Hosts Inaugural Tournament

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – With the fall high school sports season just around the corner, the boys – and women and men – of summer are still going strong.
 
The next week or so features a plethora of baseball and softball games around the county, with the Berkshire Adult Baseball League finals this weekend, the North Adams Women’s Softball League tournament building to next Thursday’s semi-final round and the county’s newest summer offering: the 1791 Classic youth baseball tournament that gets underway on Friday in North Adams and Dalton.
 
The 1791 Classic is the brainchild – or Reign child – of Berkshire Reign baseball coach Kristopher Ireland.
 
Since 2022, the Reign program has been offering local youngsters a chance to develop their skills on the baseball diamond in Berkshire County and beyond, including road trips to compete in tournaments from Maine to Maryland.
 
Now, the non-profit is ready to offer the same experience in its backyard.
 
“Since 2022, 23 wanted to get a feel for the landscape, make some contacts out and about,” Ireland said this week. “The plan was always to host a tournament. We wanted to leverage Wahconah Park, but, obviously we can’t use that now. The surrounding towns have been awesome – Pittsfield, North Adams, Dalton.
 
“Ultimately, what I’d love to have is a 50- to 100-team tournament where could have a North County Division, Central County Division and South County Division and everyone meets at the new Wahconah Park for the final. That’s what I’m seeing in Upstate New York, seeing in Maine, seeing in Boston.
 
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