Annual DZ24 Wiffle Ball Tournament Slated for Oct. 18

03:05PM / Sunday, October 05, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The 6th Annual DZ24 Wiffle Ball Tournament and Raffle Fundraiser is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Deming Park in Pittsfield.

This event serves as a fundraiser for the Dave Zerbato Scholarship Fund, which provides financial support to graduating seniors from both Pittsfield and Taconic High Schools. All proceeds from the day will benefit the fund.

Teams of four will compete in a tournament structure, with competition brackets organized by age. Prizes will be awarded to the winners in each age group.

The cost to participate is $10 per person or $40 per team. The deadline for team registration is Thursday, Oct. 16. Teams must register by emailing Justin Hopkins at justinhop@nycap.rr.com and providing their team name, members, and all members' ages.

In addition to the tournament, event T-Shirts will be sold. Pre-ordering is highly recommended to ensure availability, as quantities will be limited. The pre-order cost is $20, while the price increases to $25 on the day of the event. Those pre-ordering should indicate the number of shirts and the adult sizes required in their registration email. The event will also feature the sale of raffle tickets, food, and beverages.

Payments—including registration fees and purchases—can be made via cash, PayPal, check (payable to the "Dave Zerbato Scholarship Fund"), or Venmo (@davezerbatoscholarship). For those unable to attend but wishing to support the cause, donations are also strongly encouraged.

Organizers note that in the event of rain, the tournament will be moved to an alternate location at Rip City Academy in Dalton.

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Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action.

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature."

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures.

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis.

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.

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