St. Joseph's Polish Picnic Set Sunday

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The annual St. Joseph's Polish Picnic will be serving up thousands of pierogies and gallons of kapusta this Sunday. 
 
Held on the church grounds at 414 North St., it runs from noon to 5 p.m. and is free to the public.
 
The Polish picnic is one of the last ethnic festivals in the Berkshires, and the event is expected to draw several thousand people.
 
"It's not just for Polish people. I mean, it draws all kinds of people to the event, and it's for the non-Polish people, who this is the one time a year that they can try that kind of food," said volunteer Peter Lafayette. "If you go to these different ethnic festivals, and it's just you're tasting food that you don't normally have. So, so that's a treat."
 
The event was originally held by Holy Family Church and continued on once it merged with St. Joseph's.
 
"It started at Holy Family Church in Pittsfield, which was originally a Polish parish, and they started to have this festival each year," Lafayette said. "And then the Holy Family Church merged with St Joseph's Church, I think, about 12 or 13 years ago, and one of the things that they wanted to do was to maintain this tradition."
 
Now the tradition has been carried on for more than 60 years.
 
"There is a core group of people from the original Polish parish whose parents worked the festival, and it was always a big homecoming weekend for people from that parish who moved away, and it still is," he said. "So that's one of the incentives or motivations that keep it alive. And then it moved kind of into the merge of the other parish, which I belong to, a lot of non-Polish people. ...
 
"We all became kind of Polish people for a week, or at least that day. And so we help out to keep it alive, and it's a lot of fun bringing people together."
 
Lafayette said parish volunteers started in May making the pierogies every Saturday. They make around 5,000 pierogies, 2,800 golumbki, and 8 gallons of kapusta.
 
An outdoor Polish Mass will kick off the festivities at 11 a.m. Eddie Forman Orchestra will play Polish music at 1 p.m. and "KiddyLand" will provide games and activities for children. Raffles will also be available for adults.

Tags: community event,   community picnic,   

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Friday Front Porch Feature: Allendale Pines North

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Are you looking for an inexpensive home to raise your family in? Then this might be the home for you. And if not, there's a couple other options.

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week we are showcasing model homes at Allendale Pines North.

Teton Management is opening its new manufactured housing development next Allendale Pines at 395 Cheshire Road, and has three different model homes to choose from.

The Monroe with a full porch and with a half-porch, and The Aspire are available to move into in March. 

All the models have three bedrooms and two baths in 1,280 square feet, and include two parking spaces. The Monroe full-porch is on the market for $194,900, Monroe half-porch $189,900, and The Aspire for $204,900. View a video tour here.

The lot rent is $550 a month and it includes trash removal and recycling, as well as water and sewer. Tenants are responsible for their own utilities and lawn care/snow removal. Dogs and cats are allowed, for up to two pets.

We spoke with Val Whaling from Teton Management about the new homes.

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market? 

The three models — Monroe Full- Porch, Monroe Half -Porch, and The Aspire — are Titan Home products manufactured by Champion Homes and stand out in the current market because:

  • The purchase price of these homes is well below current market rate single-family homes in Berkshire County.

  • The 5 Star Energy-Efficient rating (featuring energy-efficient windows and high- performance insulation) and one-year warranty on the home, sets these homes apart from older, stick-built homes.

  • These homes are built to strict HUD standards and include structural integrity in order to meet federal standards for durability, safety and wind resistance.

Are there any stand-out design features? 

Stand out features include: open concept floorplan, covered porches, stainless steel appliances, large laundry room /mudrooms, and large glass walk-in showers.

What kind of buyer do you see this home being perfect for? 

First time homebuyers/ professionals preferring home ownership vs. renting, empty nesters wanting to downsize, and cost-conscious individuals preferring the affordability of these homes.

What's the neighborhood like? 

Allendale Pines North will be comprised of 22 brand-new homes, on individual lots, set on beautiful property, neighboring the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. The property is located at 395 Cheshire Road, Pittsfield, offering proximity to retail shopping and dining. Additionally, Allendale Pines North property is well managed by a reputable owner/operator. (All adult community residents are approved via community application approval process.).

What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space? 

"Imagine the cost savings of owning a brand-new, energy-efficient home, easy to maintain and allowing the convenience of modern day and easy living, in a quiet, well-managed community."

What does the home come with? 

Included are: Stainless steel Whirlpool appliances (refrigerator with icemaker, dishwasher, and gas stove/oven), and closets equipped with shelf/hanging rod. Plus an 8-by-10-foot Amish built shed, two wooden entrance stairs with wooden handrails and black wrought iron spindles, two-car driveway, sidewalks and brand-new water/sewer infrastructure.

You can find out more about these homes on its listing here.

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.

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