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Adam Steele, left, and Tyler Purdy opened The Tap Room in the former location of the Lanesborough Local Country Store.
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The space features darts, a stage for live music, pool tables, cornhole, karaoke, and ping pong.
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The owners are also encouraging patrons to start their own leagues for the various games available in the space.
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The Tap Room features a busy schedule of themed events.

The Tap Room in Lanesborough Offers Food, Music & Themed Events

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
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The Tap Room is open Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to closing, and Saturday and Sunday from noon to closing.
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Adam Steele and Tyler Purdy opened The Tap Room on Nov. 25, a new space designed for community members and visitors to gather.
 
Purdy, whose wife Ana Bradbury owns the Lanesborough Local Country Store, took over the original storefront after Bradbury moved her business to a larger location across the parking lot.
 
"When we moved over to the bigger location, I did a lot of work in this space initially and didn't really want to give it away to someone else. Me and him have always talked about just, like, opening a bar, a brewery, or doing something," Purdy said.
 
Lifelong friends, the duo always wanted to start some sort of business venture together. Steele operated a home brewery for 15 years, and together the pair previously ran a mobile bar business called Farm Truck Catering Company. When the storefront became available, they decided it was the right moment to establish a dedicated space for people to enjoy.
 
"We wanted to make a cool spot that has a lot of games, TVs with, like, cool stuff on—you don't typically see, like skiing and fly-fishing and mountain biking, stuff that's not typical—and have good drink options, good beers, and live music a lot, because it just seems like this area is lacking all of those things," Purdy said.
 
Purdy noted that few local establishments offer the variety of activities found at The Tap Room. The space features darts, a stage for live music, pool tables, cornhole, karaoke, and ping pong. His experience at the country store often involved tourists asking for recommendations on local entertainment.
 
"When we have people, like tourists from the Lanesborough Local, and they always ask, 'What food is there to do around here?' And really it's a lot of, like, restaurant bars; like, there's not a lot of, like, activity places," Purdy said.
 
The Tap Room features a busy schedule of themed events: Mondays are "Bring Your Own Vinyl" night, followed by Trivia Tuesdays, Open Mic Wednesdays, and Karaoke Thursdays. Fridays and Saturdays are dedicated to live music, while Sundays feature tournaments.
 
"We're very open to suggestions with things. We've had people suggest bands. We've had people suggest beers, and we've changed them. People suggest something, yeah, we'll get it, and we get it," he said.
 
The owners are also encouraging patrons to start their own leagues for the various games available in the space.
 
When renovations began in October, Steele and Purdy handled much of the work themselves, including painting and construction. They also commissioned local Pittsfield artist Bobby Diesel to create a custom graffiti mural on the interior wall.
 
"Built the stage, built the tables, built the bar, built the tap system," they said.
 
Based on patron feedback, they are currently adding more high-top seating to accommodate the growing crowds. The duo hopes The Tap Room will become a staple music venue and the go-to destination for entertainment in Lanesborough.
 
The Tap Room is open Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to closing, and Saturday and Sunday from noon to closing. Information on upcoming events can be found on their website and social media pages.

Tags: new business,   bars, taverns,   taproom,   

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Pittsfield Council Reviews Public Safety Budget, Keeps SpotShotter

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On the fourth day of budget deliberations, the City Council preliminarily approved public safety and public service budgets. 

See the first two days of budget review here; and the third day here.

Councilors deliberated the Pittsfield Police Department's $16,439,421 spending plan for more than 90 minutes. Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren unsuccessfully motioned to cut $220,000 for ShotSpotter services. 

He said the acoustic gunshot detection technology is not well used throughout the country, citing other communities that have opted out or are exploring it. 

Pittsfield has two more years on its contract; while councilors voted down the budget reduction several were willing to explore the impact data and see if those funds could be used elsewhere. 

Police Chief Marc Maddalena reported that there has been a significant decrease in shots fired calls, and attributed it to the surveillance technology assisting enforcement. He said it also comes in faster than 911 calls. 

"If people know that just by that noise alone that we're responding within seconds, that's preventing them from utilizing that weapon," he said. 

"So that in of itself is saving lives." 

It has an about 20 percent accuracy rate, and police respond to every activation. 

On Sunday, at least two homes in the area of Memorial Drive and Doyle Drive were struck by gunfire and investigators located 17 shell casings on scene. This was brought up during conversation; it was reported that there were 13 impulses on ShotSpotter during the incident. 

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