Lee Chamber Names 2026 Founders Weekend Parade Marshall

03:20PM / Saturday, August 29, 2026Print Story | Email Story

The Lee Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has named Phil Smith as the 2026 Lee Founders Weekend Parade Marshal.

LEE, MA — The Lee Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has named Phil Smith as the 2026 Lee Founders Weekend Parade Marshal, honoring nearly two decades of service to the Lee community and his longstanding commitment to the town’s businesses, history, and civic life.

Lee Founders Weekend will take place September 18–20, 2026.

Smith and his wife, Kathy, first began spending time in Lee in 1992, when they owned a vacation condominium in town. During those years, they explored the Berkshires extensively, including hiking the Massachusetts portion of the Appalachian Trail, before making Lee their permanent home in 2005.

A year later, Smith began a four-year term as director of the Lee Chamber of Commerce. During that time, he helped grow Chamber membership and strengthen connections with visitor attractions throughout Berkshire County. He continued to volunteer with the Chamber after leaving the director’s position, including staffing the Visitors Booth, where he welcomed visitors to Lee and helped them discover the area, as well as researching, writing, and maintaining handouts highlighting things to see and do throughout the Berkshires.

Smith was named an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Lee Chamber and a Board Member Emeritus in 2011 and received the Chamber’s President’s Award in 2013.
His community involvement extends well beyond the Chamber. He represented Lee on the Board of Directors of Housatonic Heritage, including terms as Vice Chair and Chair, contributed to the effort to restore the Kilbon
Fountain, and was asked to serve on the Berkshire Gateway Foundation Board.

He currently serves on the Lee Historical Society Board, where he is curator of exhibits and has helped develop seven major exhibits since 2019, sharing Lee’s history with residents and visitors.

Smith has also researched the history of the Lee Chamber, helping uncover the organization’s centennial in 2024.

"Phil has been part of the Lee community in so many di?erent ways for many years," said Alexandra Heddinger, director of the Lee Chamber of Commerce.

"He has helped promote our businesses, welcome visitors, preserve our history, and strengthen our community organizations. He is someone who has consistently been willing to pitch in and contribute, and we’re delighted to have him lead this year’s parade."

Reflecting on his years in Lee, Smith said, "It has been a pleasure to work with so many wonderful people building a strong sense of community in our adopted home town of Lee."

The 2026 Founders Weekend Hometown Parade will take place on Saturday,

September 19, as part of Lee Founders Weekend, September 18–20. The parade is one of the highlights of the three-day celebration, which includes the Taste of Lee and fireworks on Friday, vendors, live music, food and family activities on Saturday, and the Dog Parade, Cornhole Tournament, and Lee Lions Rubber Duck Race on Sunday.

More than 100 participants are already confirmed for this year’s Founders Weekend, with additional activities and participants continuing to be added.

Lee Founders Weekend, hosted by the Lee Chamber of Commerce, honors Lee’s history while celebrating its vibrant business community and community spirit. The three-day festival brings together businesses, organizations, volunteers, performers, and residents for a weekend of events and activities in the heart of the
Berkshires.

The Lee Chamber of Commerce supports and fosters community prosperity while advancing the economic, civic, and social welfare of the town. The Chamber provides a forum for addressing local business needs and represents its members with a unified voice. Membership is open to businesses, organizations, and
individuals with interests aligned with these goals.

For more information, visit leechamber.org.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Breathing Room

0% APY for 12 months balance transfer offer. Apply today! Click to learn more. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Lanesborough Looks to Dissolve Baker Hill Road District

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:00PM / Friday, November 13, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board is looking to move forward with dissolving the Baker Hill Road District, which is hindering the Berkshire Mall sale.

On Friday, the Select Board heard from Vice Chair Juli Baker and Chair Deborah Maynard on how Tuesday negotiations went with Cypress Equities, JMJ Holdings, town counsel, the town administrator, and state Rep. John Barrett III.

Baker said that during Tuesday's meeting, everyone agreed the goal was to have a successful sale of the mall for redevelopment as it’s in the best interest of the town.

Baker said Barrett assured them the state is willing to take the Connector Road and that the state is willing to provide grants to the town to renovate the water and sewer infrastructure, with an estimated total of $4.5 million, to facilitate the property's redevelopment.

"We have received assurances from Representative Barrett that the Commonwealth will provide the monies and will take the Connector," Baker said.

While buyer Cypress Equities saw some benefit in keeping the district, it now doesn't since the state is willing to provide the funds and renovate the infrastructure, according to Baker.

Baker said that in the meeting, Cypress Equities prefers to enter into a tax increment financing (TIF) and will add to the agreement an amount of funding for public safety services, which would have come from the district. She said Cypress said it would rather enter into one agreement with the town than two agreements with the town and the district.

Mall owner JMJ Holdings is willing to pay $350,000 to the town upon closing, Baker said.

The meeting Friday was to consider moving forward with a dissolution of the district.

"But the decision that it hinges on tonight is whether to move forward to the dissolution of the Baker Hill Road District in some manner," she said.

Baker said she has worked long and hard to see if there was another alternative to this, working closely with the district which has been "very cooperative and very helpful" in making changes.

The district had agreed to make changes to its governance and taxation; agreeing to have a cap for Cypress as well as agreeing to work to have the state take over the road, sending letters of support.

"What changed this for me is that I've always said it's important to have the special district because we get the public safety funding, and it's also important for the economic district to bring the features that an economic district brings because of what we're up against with the infrastructure problems, and the change at this point is that we have a buyer who is willing to supply that public safety money and commit to it over time, along with the TIF that the town would do, which is essential," she said.

"At this point, I feel like it's in the best interest of the town and protects the town the best in terms of a future where we can develop a mall and bring that economic benefit in. You definitely need to reduce taxes, and you cannot do that without a fully developed retail operation right there. So it's been, you know, deeply difficult decision making," Baker said.

Board members Jason Breault and Jeffery Walters agreed it was the best decision to move forward.

View Full Story