Meteorologist and animal advocate Steve Caporizzo of Albany, New York's News10 will emcee the Berkshire Humane Society's 25th birthday bash Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. Photo courtesy Steve Caporizzo's Pet Connection

Bits & Bytes: BHS’ 25th birthday bash; ‘The Titans’ at the Mahaiwe; ‘Real Talk Time for Parents;’ Berkshire opioid prayer pilgrimage and Narcan training; household hazardous waste collection

The faith communities of Berkshire County will gather for a public training on the opioid overdose reversal medication Narcan (naloxone) Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 10:30 a.m. at Trinity Church in Lenox.

Berkshire Humane Society to celebrate 25th birthday

Pittsfield — On Sunday, Oct. 22, Berkshire Humane Society will celebrate its 25th birthday with a special event at the Colonial Theatre. Chief meteorologist for News10, host of “Pet Connection” and animal advocate Steve Caporizzo will emcee the event, which will begin at noon with a brunch provided by SoMa Catering. Carl Seiger will practice magic for the guests. There will be a birthday cake and a toast, and brunch guests will leave with a thank-you-bag filled with local goods. The presentation will begin at 2 p.m. and will feature more magic from Seiger; a live “Pet Connection” with Caporizzo; the unveiling of BHS’ 25th anniversary video by Great Sky Media; and appearances by dogs, Humane Heroes and other special guests. Coffee and pastries will be served before the presentation.

Tickets are $125 for the brunch, and $20 in advance or $25 at the door for the presentation only. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Colonial Ticket office at (413) 997-4444.

–E.E.

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CEWM to present ‘The Titans’ of chamber music at the Mahaiwe

Soyeon Kate Lee. Photo courtesy Soyeon Kate Lee

Great Barrington — Close Encounters With Music will open its 26th season with “The Titans: Schumann and Brahms Piano Quintets” at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center Saturday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. with two works that represent the pinnacle of chamber music: Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34; and Schumann’s breakthrough Piano Quintet.

Combining the piano and the string quartet had not yet been done in 1842 but, in the space of only a few weeks, Schumann wrote the legendary piece that influenced countless followers. Both quintets are on the short list of masterworks: symphonic in scale, potent, flashy, and bursting with harmonic and melodic opulence and rhythmic variety. The genre-bending works alternate between quasi-symphonic and more properly chamber-like elements. The program will include performers Soyeon Kate Lee on piano, Irina Muresanu and Peter Zazofsky on violin, Michael Strauss on viola, and CEWM artistic director Yehuda Hanani on cello.

Tickets range from $15 to $50. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact CEWM at (800) 843-0778 or cewmusic@aol.com.

–E.E.

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GBRSS, Multicultural BRIDGE partner for ‘Real Talk Time for Parents’

Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant. Photo courtesy Multicultural BRIDGE

Great Barrington — The Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School Parent Association will present “Real Talk Time for Parents: Navigating Social Issues in Families” Thursday, Oct. 19, from 7 to 9 p.m. in GBRSS’ auditorium. The presentation will be facilitated by Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant, CEO and founder of Multicultural BRIDGE, and will include shared space to develop tools families can use to have discussions about race, gender and class, as well as breakout groups with Multicultural BRIDGE’s trained educators. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact adminsupport@multiculturalbridge.org.

–E.E.

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Second annual Berkshire opioid prayer pilgrimage

Rev. Michael Tuck. Photo courtesy St. Helena’s Chapel

Lenox — Across Berkshire County, churches, synagogues, and other faith communities are at work to ease the addiction crisis – many congregations offer space to 12-step programs and some host mindfulness programs that shown to assist with non-opioid pain management. The faith community is adding its voice to all those calling for a reduction in the stigma and shame associated with addiction and substance misuse-related disorders. It believes that expanding the understanding of naloxone to combat overdosing is the next step.

For many people, a barrier standing between them and the help they need can be they shame they feel in asking for it. Rev. Michael Tuck of Trinity Episcopal Church commented: “I can only imagine how hard is would be to walk into a pharmacy to buy Narcan. Maybe if someone sees me, an Episcopal priest, buying Narcan, it might give them a little courage to get the help they need for themselves or for their loved ones.”

The faith communities of Berkshire County will gather for a public training on the opioid overdose reversal medication Narcan (naloxone) Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 10:30 a.m. at Trinity Church. Some clergy will then go and purchase Narcan at local pharmacies to further raise awareness and help reduce the stigma associated with the purchase of Narcan. The training is part of the effort by the faith community of Berkshire County to de-stigmatize opioid addiction treatment in our communities.

On Sunday, Oct. 22, the second annual public services of prayer and witness will be held at noon in the communities of Sheffield, Great Barrington, Monterey, Stockbridge, Lee, Lenox, Dalton, Adams and North Adams. A countywide rally and service will take place at 2 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Church in Pittsfield, followed by a public discussion on addiction, treatment and recovery led by Dr. Jennifer Michaels of the Brien Center.

The pilgrimage of prayer is supported by the Massachusetts Council of Churches, the Roman Catholic Deanery of Berkshire County, the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, the Pittsfield Area Council of Congregations and individual faith communities from the Jewish, Congregational, Lutheran and Methodist traditions.

–E.E.

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Household hazardous waste collection scheduled

Great Barrington — On Saturday, Oct 21, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the South Berkshire Household Hazardous Waste Collaborative will hold a collection for its 15 member towns of Alford, Becket, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham and West Stockbridge. The collection will be held at the Great Barrington Recycling Center and will be coordinated by the Center for EcoTechnology.

Acceptable items include oil-based paints, stains and varnishes, wood preservatives, paint strippers and thinners, solvent adhesives, lighter fluid, acid, fuels and gasoline, antifreeze, degreasers, driveway sealer, brake fluid and carburetor cleaner, transmission fluid, car wax, polishes, roofing tar, pool chemicals, poisons, insecticides, fungicides, fertilizers, weed killers, moth balls, flea-control products, rubber cement, airplane glue, fiberglass resins, photo chemicals, chemistry sets, floor and metal polish, oven cleaner, drain and toilet cleaner, spot remover, rug and upholstery cleaner, hobby and artist supplies, fluorescent lamps, mercury thermometers, thermostats, button batteries, and rechargeable batteries.

No gas cylinders, propane tanks asbestos, latex and water-based paints and stains, or electronics will be accepted.

Those wishing to participate must register by Friday, Oct. 20, at 5 p.m. and may do so online or by contacting Jamie Cahillane at 1 (888) 577-8448 x14 or Jamie.Cahillane@cetonline.org. Residents from communities that are not participating should call their city or town halls for information about household hazardous product collections.

–E.E.