Weekend Outlook: Last First Fridays of Summer

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
12:14PM / Thursday, September 04, 2025Print Story | Email Story

Check out the events happening this weekend, including the two cities' First Fridays, picnics, and more.

Editor's Picks

Ice Cream Social: Sweet Scoops and Live Tunes
320 Main St., Williamstown
Time: 1 to 4 p.m.

Celebrate the Williamstown Youth Center with live music from Vermont's TechnicalDUFFiculties and ice cream. Every scoop Saturday benefits the youth center's afterschool program for Grades 1 through 6.

More information here.

Franklin County Fair

Wisdom Way, Greenfield

Time: opens Thursday and Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m.

The 176th Franklin County Fair features a midway, demonstrations, truck and horse pulls, demolition derby, animals, agricultural competitions and exhibits, vendors and performers.

Admission is $10 to $15; ticket purchases and more information here.

First Fridays

Downtown Pittsfield
Time: 5 p.m.

The city center will be alive with activities, including a maker's market and family fun zone on North Street, live music at Persip Park, a dance zone at Dunham Mall, an art walk, and more.

More information here.

Downtown North Adams
Time: 5 to 9 p.m.

Music, art, and games will fill the downtown for the event themed "Play Downtown." DJ Rebelbeat Soundsystem will perform at the Eagle Street Pocket Park for a dance party with the Hatchlings.

There will be games, art, special events, and downtown and businesses will have extended hours. More information here.

Friday

Back to School Carnival
491 Berkshire School Road, Sheffield
Time: 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Celebrate back to school with live music, games, hayrides and more. Everyone is welcome to come and celebrate. Kick off the school year on a fun note.

More information here.

September Ghost Tours

The Mount, Lenox

Time: 8:30 p.m.

The spooky season begins with nighttime ghost tours at Edith Wharton's summer home each Friday. Tours last around two hours and include outside areas, uneven terrain and stairs. Not appropriate for young children.

More information and tickets here.

Saturday

Coffee Tasting Event

Adams Theater, Park Street

Time: 9 a.m.

Wake at the Adams Theater by going "Around the World in 80 Cups," a tasting event from 11 to noon featuring coffee and pairing from Oaxaca, Mexico. Theater opens at 9 for a la carte coffee and baked goods from Shire Cottage Bakery.

Tickets are $12; more information and tickets here.

Sheffield Fair
Frederic Lane, Sheffield
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m

Enjoy a day at the fair with food, hayrides, vendors, cars, music, food and livestock competition.

More information here.

Sunday

Puppet Workshop

Adams Theater, Park Street

Time: 11 a.m.

David Lane of New England Puppet Arts and collaborators host a family-friendly puppet exploration with craft paper and masks. Intended for ages 8 and up accompanied by an adult.

Free admission but capacity is limited; RSVP at info@adamstheater.org.

Lane also brings a puppetry adaptation of Emile Zola's novel "The Belly of Paris" on Saturday night at the theater. Tickets and more information here.

Sunflower Sunday

225 Peckville Road, Shelburne

Time: 10 to 3

Apex Orchards hosts a sunflower fair with pick your own flowers, wagon rides, crafters and vendors, food and coffee, doughnuts and brewery. Live music by Tobey Sol La Roche at noon.

Free admission; more information here.

Jimmy Bernardo Memorial Ride

63 Wendell Ave., Pittsfield

Time: 10:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

This motorcycle ride honors the life of Jimmy Bernardo, who was murdered at the age of 12, and raises essential funds for Berkshire County Kids' Place to help children and families heal from abuse and violence. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m., the ride at 11. The 90-minute ride ends at the Tavern on the A; the after party is open to the public.

More information here.

Tree ID Walk

Kennedy Park, Lenox

Time: 10 to noon

Join Chelsey Simmons of Berkshire Environmental Action Team for an informative walk, during which participants will learn key characteristics of commonly encountered trees. Walk is 1 to 1.5 miles long, lasting around 2 hours, and will include many slow-paced stops. Meet in the parking lot of Lenox Commons off Route 7.

Limited to 15 participants; register at chelsey@thebeatnews.org. More information here.

Farmers Markets

Great Barrington Farmers Market
18 Church St.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The market is open every Saturday. Every week, locally grown food, flowers, and plants will be available, along with other local vendors. The market accepts and offers doubling SNAP, HIP, WIC, and Senior market coupons. More information is here.

Lee Farmers Market
The Town Park
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The market offers locally grown produce, prepared foods, locally created arts and crafts, and herbal products. YogaLee offers free community yoga from 9:30 to 10:30 on the first Saturday of each month.

The market accepts SNAP, HIP, Senior Coupons, and WIC Coupons and also offers Market Match. More information here.

Lenox Farmers Market
St. Ann's Church
Friday: 11 to 3.

This market is open every Friday through Sept. 12 and features fresh produce, pastries, cheeses, and more.

More information here.

New Marlborough Farmers Market
Village Green
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The market has local vendors that offer a variety of goods from produce, eggs, baked goods, jams, hand-knit items, maple syrup, and more. More information here.

North Adams Farmers Market
Main Street
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The south side of Main Street from American Legion Drive will be closed to make room for the city's weekly farmers market, which will kick off this Saturday. Explore downtown North Adams and discover local businesses and fresh produce from local farms. More information here.

Pittsfield Farmers Market
Pittsfield Common
Saturday, 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Roots Rising, the region's first teen-run market, will hold an indoor farmers market this Saturday. The event will feature live music, chef demos, workshops, children's activities, and more. More information here.

Sheffield Farmers Market
125 Main St.
Fridays, 3 to 6 p.m.

The market features healthy food and products from a variety of local vendors, aiming to nourish the community by supporting "local small farms, land, bees, and economy."

More information here.

Williamstown Farmers Market
Spring Street
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The market features a diverse range of local food and artisan vendors, along with local services and live music. More information here.

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Capeless Students Raise $5,619 for Charity

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
11:13AM / Friday, December 19, 2025

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Students at Capeless Elementary School celebrated the season of giving by giving back to organizations that they feel inspired them.

On Monday night, 28 fourth-grade students showed off the projects they did to raise funds for an organization of their choice. They had been given $5 each to start a small business by teachers Jeanna Newton and Lidia White.

Newton created the initiative a dozen years ago after her son did one while in fifth grade at Craneville Elementary School, with teacher Teresa Bills.

"And since it was so powerful to me, I asked her if I could steal the idea, and she said yes. And so the following year, I began, and I've been able to do it every year, except for those two years (during the pandemic)," she said. "And it started off as just sort of a feel-good project, but it has quickly tied into so many of the morals and values that we teach at school anyhow, especially our Portrait of a Graduate program."

Students used the venture capital to sell cookies, run raffles, make jewelry, and more. They chose to donate to charities and organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Berkshire Humane Society and Toys for Tots.

"Teaching them that because they have so much and they're so blessed, recognizing that not everybody in the community has as much, maybe not even in the world," said Newton. "Some of our organizations were close to home. Others were bigger hospitals, and most of our organizations had to do with helping the sick or the elderly, soldiers, people in need."

Once they have finished and presented their projects, the students write an essay on what they did and how it makes them feel.

"So the essay was about the project, what they decided to do, how they raised more money," Newton said. "And now that the project is over, this week, we're writing about how they feel about themselves and we've heard everything from I feel good about myself to this has changed me."

Sandra Kisselbrock raised $470 for St. Jude's by selling homemade cookies.

"It made me feel amazing and happy to help children during the holiday season," she said.

Gavin Burke chose to donate to the Soldier On Food Pantry. He shoveled snow to earn money to buy the food.

"Because they helped. They used to fight for our country and used to help protect us from other countries invading our land and stuff," he said.

Desiree Brignoni-Lay chose to donate to Toys for Tots and bought toys with the $123 she raised.

Luke Tekin raised $225 for the Berkshire Humane Society by selling raffle tickets for a basket of instant hot chocolate and homemade ricotta cookies because he wanted to help the animals.

"Because animals over, like I'm pretty sure, over 1,000 animals are abandoned each year, he said. "So I really want that to go down and people to adopt them."

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