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Last Chance to see 'Baseball in the Berkshires' 2025 Exhibit in Lee

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LEE, Mass. – One weekend remains to see “The Fascinating Story of Baseball in the Berkshires” at the Lee Premium Outlets.
 
The summer 2025 home of the Baseball in the Berkshires museum project has welcomed 3,000 visitors over the past couple of months, including people from more than 23 countries and 30 states.
 
Guides John Belland, John Connolly, Marc Simon, Krysten St. John, Stan Tracy and Larry Moore gave the visitors a “lay of the land” and let them cover the bases which spanned almost 8,000 square feet of a former furniture store.
 
The local stories of more than 40 Major League players were remembered along with two who have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Frank Grant and Jack Chesbro. The voices of Art, Dale, the Terminator, Turk, the Babe, Lou, Willie and Jackie Mitchell could be heard telling their Berkshire stories as well.
 
But there were also memories of more than 220 minor leaguers and scores of non-player professional personnel that were umpires, groundskeepers, concessionaires and of course,  head office employees.
 
The future and past stars of recreational baseball were remembered as well, from the pictures, their artifacts and many jerseys and jackets hanging from the ceiling.
 
All will come down after Labor Day as the sun sets on another year’s celebration of baseball in the Berkshires.
 
 
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Construction is underway to transform the former Harry's Supermarket into a restaurant

Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building. 

"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu. 

A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building. 

White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.  

He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns. 

Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot. 

A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use. 

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