Weekend Outlook: Fresh Start

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
12:04PM / Thursday, January 01, 2026Print Story | Email Story

Check out the events happening this weekend, including hiking, volunteering, fundraisers, and more.

Editor's Pick

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

The new year is here so kick it off with music, art, and games that will fill downtown North Adams for its First Friday event, themed "Fresh Start."

Participating businesses will have extended hours and many galleries will host openings, closings, and other special events.

More information and event line-up here.

Friday

Discover Greylock Hike
Mount Greylock Visitor Center, Lanesborough
Time: 1 p.m.

Celebrate the great outdoors with a walk in the woods to explore seasonal changes the signs of wildlife along an easy-moderate trail.

This family-friendly 2-mile hike follows the Bradley Farm Trail with a gradual 440-ft elevation gain.

Hikes may include tree identification, local history and orienteering. Be aware that trail conditions may be snow-covered, icy or muddy.

More information here.

Future Labs Gallery All Members Reception
43 Eagle St., North Adams
Time: 6 to 8 p.m.

View artwork by more than 40 Future Labs Gallery member artists. More information here.

Collaged Coasters for Tweens and Teens
Milne Public Library Williamstown
Time: 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

"Decompress and Decoupage." Decoupage is the art of applying a collage of paper onto a surface. Make collage wooden coasters whether it's a gift or a piece of art to hang on your wall. More information here.

Karaoke
Dalton American Legion
Time: 6 p.m.

Sing your heart out while supporting the local American Legion Post. More information here.

Joni Mitchell Tribute Band Performance
17 Main St., South Egremont
Time: 8 p.m.

Big Yellow Taxi, a Joni Mitchell tribute band, will perform many of Mitchell's popular songs.

Tickets are $20. More information here.

Saturday

Music Bingo
Wahconah Country Club
Time: 6 p.m.

Help raise money for the girls and boys basketball program by playing a game of musical bingo. More information here.

Lecture by Former Peace Corps Volunteers
Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield
Time: 2 p.m.

Two former Peace Corps volunteers Eduardo and Edmundo tell their story of collecting used equipment from the Berkshires and shipping it to Honduras. More information here.

Tracking Winter Wildlife for Beginners
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Lenox
Time: 11 a.m.

Take a beginner-friendly walk through fields and forests to search for tracks, scat, and signs of the delicate but exciting interactions between predators and their prey.

With any luck, you will find signs of coyotes, foxes, deer, rabbits, and more. Tickets are $15 for Mass Auburn members and $20 for non-members.

More information here.

'The Princess and the Frog' Screening
Milne Public Library, Williamstown
Time: 1 p.m.

Bring your family to the library for a free screening of the Disney classic, "The Princess and the Frog." Enjoy popcorn and to be more sustainable bring your own bowl.

More information here.

Volunteer to Build Lee's Rink
Lee Athletic Field
Time: 10 a.m.

Volunteers are needed to help build Lee's skating rink. Email the Youth Commission to let them know you can make it.

More information here.

Full Moon Winter Hike

Hilltop Orchards, Richmond

Time: 6:45 p.m.

There will be a guided hike by Holly Brouker, under the full moon. The event also features a bonfire ceremony and wine and cider tasting.

More information here.

Sunday

First Sunday Free

Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

Time: 1 to 4

The museum is opening its doors for free to provide people the chance to see its permanent and temporary collections.

For the 2025 to 2026 First Sunday Free season, its focus will be on the outdoor sculpture exhibition "Ground/work." This month's theme is "Force of Nature."

Visitors can view art by Yo Akiyama, who combined clay, fire, and water to create Oscillation: Vertical Garden, a sculpture that seems to erupt from the earth of the Clark’s campus.

The day will feature interactive activities including a clay art workshops with North Adams Clay, a collaborative sculpture exhibition, an exploration of elemental themes in the Print Room, self-guided nature walks, and borrow complimentary snowshoe rentals for outdoor activities.

More information here.

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Licensing Board OKs Pittsfield Businesses Alterations

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:22PM / Wednesday, December 31, 2025

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Licensing Board OK'd alterations for several local businesses during its last meeting of the year on Monday.

This includes an amendment to the Berkshire Museum's entertainment license in advance of its reopening after capital improvements, a change of license category for Hot Plate Brewing Co., and a change of catering company for Berkshire Hills Country Club.

It's been a good year for Hot Plate, as they were nominated No. 3 in USA Today's list of "Best New Brewery," and can now serve all alcoholic beverages. Because of a new state law, businesses can trade an existing beer and wine license for an all-alcohol license.

"The state saw this as an opportunity to enhance businesses all across the commonwealth of Massachusetts," Chair Thomas Campoli explained.

The Berkshire Museum was granted an entertainment license that runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. as it works on a $12 million renovation of its 1903 structure.

Executive Director Kimberley Bush Tomio explained that there are no proposed changes in entertainment from the former license, and board members suggested moving the license's hours later than 5 p.m. in case of an event at the museum.

"It's going to be phenomenal when we get open," she said. "And we do hope to help support the museum through rentals and things like that, so it's helpful to have this license in place."

Berkshire Hills Country Club will have a new in-house food provider, as the board approved a management agreement with Berkshire Hospitality Group, which operates the restaurant at Shire Breu-Haus in Dalton.