PreviousNext

Berkshire Community College Welcomes Community to 65th Anniversary Fest

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College is turning 65, and the entire Berkshires community is invited to join the festivities at Community Fest, happening Saturday, Aug. 16, from 10 to 4 on the main campus.

Admission is free, but registration is recommended. More than 60 activities are planned, ranging from live music and food trucks to workshops, exhibits, athletic tournaments and family-friendly events.

Community Fest offers a wide range of interactive experiences and exhibits:

• Food trucks all day, featuring food for purchase from local favorites like BB's Hot Spot, Copsicle, KJ Nosh, Krispy Kone and La Chalupa y La Enchilada

• Beer & wine garden opens at noon, showcasing products for sale from Balderdash Wine Cellars, Big Elm Brewing and Hot Plate Brewery

• Free live performances at the amphitheater: Brian Hailes (10–11 a.m.), Ron Ramsay (11 a.m.–noon) and Laura Cabrera with Gael Berthelly and Liberty Ortiz (noon–1 p.m.), followed by DJ Seth P. from 1–3 p.m.

• "Gene Expression: Choose Your Own Adventure," a scavenger hunt at the library

• Archive open house, a tour of BCC's history through years of memorabilia

• Robotics demos in the Berkshire Science Commons

• Fire safety showcase and tours aboard fire trucks with the Fire Science program

• Drone flights

• Tarot readings

For younger visitors:

• Build-a-Bird workshops, where the first 200 children make a stuffed Burke the Falcon mascot

• SGA lawn games

• "Meet the Critters" at Hoffmann Environmental Center

• Hands-on crafts, art mural project, face painting and more

Athletics and Wellness

• Soccer tournament culminating in a championship at 2:20?p.m.

• Pickleball competitions

• Volleyball jamboree in the gymnasium

• Free access to the Paterson pool and fitness center, a Pilates class, and chair massages offered by BCC massage therapy students

• "Free Community College" info sessions, FAFSA support and admissions guidance

• One-stop tours, highlighting student success at BCC

Discover new horizons with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at BCC, a member-led organization providing exciting educational, social and volunteer opportunities for people over 50 years old:

• Mini-classes starting at 10:30 a.m. on subjects like "The Language of Film," "Thomas Paine's Writing," "Milestones in Medicine" and "African Rooted Dance."

• Social meet-up with light refreshments at noon for an opportunity to mingle and learn more about OLLI's programs

BCC has served as the pioneering public community college in Massachusetts since 1960. Over the decades, it has expanded educational access, built state-of-the-art facilities, and innovated in areas like modern labs, science commons and the One Stop Enrollment Center. Community Fest honors these milestones and welcomes everyone to see how far the institution and its vision have come, including the introduction of free college for eligible students.

For accessibility arrangements or disability accommodations, contact foundation@berkshirecc.edu or call 413-236-3071.

WWII Veteran Reflects on D-Day at VFW Post Induction

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
12:25PM / Saturday, June 06, 2026

The members in the picture are Bret Miller, Coast Guard, Desert Storm; Hank Morris, Army, Vietnam; Brad Havill, Navy, Global War on Terror; VFW Post 448 Vice Cmdr. Mark Pompi, Army, Global War on Terrorism, Afghanistan; Post Cmdr. Arnold Perras, Korea; Joe Difillipo, Army, Vietnam; Teri Billington, Navy, Desert Storm; and Carmen Ostrander, Air Force, Afghanistan.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Anthony Salatino Jr. says his memory is getting a little foggy about his time in the Army. 

But he remembers how terrible D-Day was, and feeling lucky he wasn't among those in the initial invasion force 82 years ago. 

 

"One of the most horrible things was in Normandy. We went shortly after D-Day. I got lucky, very lucky on D-Day. We went to a staging area the night before … and at the very end, somebody called, I was in headquarters, they called all the headquarters personnel at the center," the 103-year-old said. "We did not go. There's about 30 of us. The rest of the battalion was gone, and the reason for that was because there was another battalion coming from the States, and they had no headquarters. 

 

"We stayed back, but we did go to Normandy shortly after that, and when we went to Normandy, it was all over."

 

Salatino was attending an induction ceremony on Thursday at the Lt. John N. Truden VFW Post 448. Joseph Texidor, who served in the Army for 17 years with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was sworn in as the post's newest member. 

 

Salatino served in the Medical Corps and wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, a World War I veteran wounded at Verdun. Salatino was in the Army for about three years.

 

"The whole memory is what I just told you, very, very alive to me," he said. "That is, I can never forget, never forget that."

 

D-Day on June 6, 1944, was the start of Operation Overlord, and the largest invading force to cross the English Channel since 1066. Their goal: to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany.