Community Health & Wellness Fair in Early October

07:34AM / Thursday, September 17, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The month of October will kick off with a focus on health and wellness in the Berkshires, as Berkshire Health Systems partners with the Berkshire Family YMCA to host a Health & Wellness Fair for the community.

The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Berkshire Family YMCA in downtown Pittsfield.

"Good health starts with one conversation," said Roberta Gale, RN, BHS Vice President of Community Health. "During this special community event, people can take a walk with a physician, talk to health and wellness experts and learn more about services that can help them stay healthy."

The Health & Wellness Fair will feature on-site health screenings that can help individuals better understand possible health risks, as well as steps they can take to connect to care and services in the community. For example, the fair will offer free screenings for prostate cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and vascular disease. Simple blood draws to test for prostate cancer risk (PSA screening) and diabetes (A1C screening) will be available on-site and providers will be present to perform pre-screening, discuss healthy options for weight management, and offer information about where, when, and how to access specialized tests that cannot be performed during the fair like mammography and colonoscopy.

In addition to screening opportunities, attendees can walk and talk with a physician while enjoying a lap around the gym, work on some simple stretching exercises for all ages, get free chair massages to relax and help reduce stress, and learn how to prepare low-cost, healthy meals during a cooking demonstration. Adults can also bring their insurance card and receive a flu shot on-site.

Family and community resources will be available, including, information from the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC), and insurance assistance support from experts at the BHS Advocacy for Access program. The event will also feature displays by community health partners and prizes and giveaways. Berkshire Family YMCA will also offer free childcare and fun kid-friendly activities during the event.

The BHS Health & Wellness Fair is free and open to all. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. For more information, visit berkshirehealthsystems.org/community.

Tags: BHS, BMC,

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Score! Pittsfield's 'Mini-Pitch' is Ready for Goals

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:00PM / Thursday, September 17, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The city now has a "mini-pitch" soccer field at Crane Park, placed over the longtime rink that had seen better days.

"I think it's a real improvement," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath said, pointing to social media comments believing the city took away inline skating.

"Well, we didn't do that. The surface can accept rollerblades. In fact, as soon as this was constructed and we sort of said it's open, the first one to show up was a gentleman with rollerblades and a hockey stick. He skated around and loved it."

The Parks Commission saw pictures of the completed field on Tuesday.

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer worked with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue.

The project was funded entirely by grants. In June, the City Council accepted the gift of a "mini-pitch" facility, valued at over $100,000, and $10,000 from the Mill Town Foundation to ready the site.

Boards framing the former rink were removed, and this system was installed in a couple of days about a week and a half ago. The mini-pitch's click-together sports tile floor is bordered by a galvanized steel system with two goals, benches, and storage containers.

"Folks can really play lacrosse in there; they can play in-line hockey in there, and of course soccer is ready to go as well," McGrath said.

"We're trying to continue with this multi-sport approach here at this park, but with a much upgraded piece of infrastructure going behind it."

The mini pitch system came with a light tower and two LED lamps, but Crane Park does not have power, and it won't be illuminated.

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