Ninth Annual 'Moby-Dick' Read-A-Thon

10:50AM / Thursday, July 24, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. —The Berkshire County Historical Society's annual "Moby-Dick" Read-a-Thon will begin July 31 at 10 am, continuing daily until the book is finished.

Participants will read aloud for 15 minutes with the next participant picking up where the prior reader left off.

The event is held at Melville's historic home Arrowhead where the novel was written. Advanced sign up is required by using the BOOK NOW button at berkshirehistory.org. Participation is free, but a $5 donation is suggested. The annual event commemorates Melville's birthday Aug. 1, 1819.

On Aug. 3 beginning at 9 a.m., hikers are invited to celebrate the day (Aug. 5,1850) Melville met Nathaniel Hawthorne on a literary hike up Monument Mountain to read local poet William Cullen Bryant's "Monument Mountain," by joining BCHS for a similar hike and literary talk. The guided hike takes approximately 2 1/2 hours and is appropriate for families.

Hikers should meet at the Monument Mountain Reservation Parking lot on Route 7 and should be prepared with their own water, proper footwear, hiking gear and bug repellent. Parking is free for members of the Trustees of Reservations only.

Tags: arrowhead, historical event,

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Dalton Fire District Seeks State OK for Permanent Chief

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
03:26PM / Wednesday, March 11, 2026

DALTON, Mass. — The Fire District is considering interim Fire Chief Christopher Francis Cachat for the permanent chief position, pending required state approval.

Cachat has been serving as chief since January 2025, with the duties being split between himself, Administrative Deputy Chief Charlotte Crane, and Capt. Dennis Tinker.

However, one challenge to making his appointment permanent is that Cachat is older than 65, the mandatory retirement age for firefighters in Massachusetts.

In 1987, the state eliminated the maximum age and mandatory retirement requirements for most public employees, but firefighters were exempt from this ruling.

The law requires the personnel administrator to study whether a firefighter can serve past the mandatory retirement age, considering job risks, physical demands, and the costs of injuries for older personnel.

Towns and cities can seek a home-rule petition from the state Legislature and governor to allow an individual to continue serving in a position past the age of 65, and the Fire District is in the process of doing just that.

State Rep. Leigh Davis filed a home-rule bill last March on the district's behalf to allow Cachat, who has been with the department for four decades, to continue serving until age 70, provided he remains physically and mentally capable of fulfilling the role’s duties.

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