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Emergency responders and volunteers set up for last year's toy drive at Walmart. They will be at the store again on Saturday for the 2025 toy drive.

North Adams Emergency Services Collecting Toys for Local Children

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — If you see emergency vehicles at Walmart on Saturday — give them a toy. 
 
The annual Emergency Service Toy Drive will be accepting new, unwrapped toys for needy families from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. 
 
The emergency responders will be set up near the Walmart entrance and will be accepting suitable toys for ages zero to 12 like board games, dolls and action figures, building blocks, art supplies and sports equipment.
 
Toys can also be dropped off until Dec. 11 at the police station, fire station, ambulance station and Bright Ideas Brewery. Monetary donations can be dropped off at the police station to MaryAnn King's attention. 
 
The city's Police and Fire Departments and Northern Berkshire EMS have been running the drive for about decade now. 
 
But organizer King said this year the need is greater than ever. The drive already has 62 families and more than 120 children signed up.
 
"It seems likes it's going to be a tough year and we want to make sure everybody gets something," said King. 
 
Families and children are mostly identified through the Berkshire Community Action Council; volunteers, including from Berkshire Family and Individual Resources, help organize the toys by age and wrap them up for distribution in December. 
 
All of the donations will be given out to children in the community. 

Tags: Christmas story,   emergency services,   toys,   

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New North Adams Restaurant Main & Mill Holds Soft Opening

Staff Reports
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Main & Mill quietly opened its doors on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
 
Colleen Taylor, Main & Mill operator, posted to social media Tuesday that the new eatery was open until 9 p.m. She said they planned to open the next day, Aug. 5, at 7 a.m. for coffee, adding that they will remain in a soft opening through the week.
 
Main & Mill advertises as a "modern American Restaurant" serving coffee, lunch, and dinner. Read the full menu here
 
The former TD Bank building on Main Street has been boarded up for the bulk of the summer as workers transformed the space into a new restaurant operated by the Taylors, owners of Freight Yard Pub among other local eateries.
 
The building is owned by Ginko on Main Street LLC, which has granted 20 years of exclusive possession of the property to Latent Builds as the developer. Jack and Suzy Wadsworth, behind Ginko, are development partners with Salvatore Perry and Karla Rothstein of Latent.
 
The bank closed in early 2021 and was purchased by Ginko late that year. 
 
The building has hosted some pop-up eateries.
 
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