More than 1,500 sister marchers came to the Berkshire County event at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield Saturday in solidarity with marchers at the Women'a March on Washington. More than 2.4 million sister marchers attended events around the world. From left: Aurel and Molly de St Andre of Great Barrington with children; center: Sarah Davis of Sandisfield and children. All are waiting in a long line to go into the theatre. Photo: Heather Bellow

Sister March at Colonial Theatre draws throngs from across the Berkshires

Event organizers made a goal to bring in 100 sister marchers at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Mass. The event website got 450 RSVPs and expectations rose to 600 and, nearing the end, the clicker count had stretched to at least 1,500.

Pittsfield — The weather was warm as if to help the more than 1,500 Women’s March on Washington sister event marchers waiting their turn to cycle in and out of the Colonial Theatre Saturday (January 21).

But these sisters—men and boys included—might have given up comfort for painful winter temps after a week of more alarming global warming news and the Friday inauguration of a president who, during the campaign, called climate change a “hoax” over and over again.

From left, Ben Sideman of Pittsfield, Kit Patten of Monterey and Keith Emerling of Pittsfield all wait to enter the sister event at the Colonial Theater. Photo: Heather Bellow
From left, Ben Sideman of Pittsfield, Kit Patten of Monterey and Keith Emerling of Pittsfield all wait to enter the sister event at the Colonial Theater. Photo: Heather Bellow

I digress–as usual­­­–but Trump picked a climate change denier to lead a transitioning Environmental Protection Agency and has an energy team that includes executives from big oil and fracking companies.

And, forgive me, but before arriving at the Colonial to cover the event, I had dropped my friend’s son off at Ski Butternut in Great Barrington where he teaches snowboarding, and the meltdown I saw there on hill and ground was not pretty.

“Happy Spring, Heather,” a friend texted me just now.

More than 1,500 sister marchers came to the Berkshire County event at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield Saturday in solidarity with marchers at the Women'a March on Washington. More than 2.4 million sister marchers attended events around the world. Photo: Heather Bellow
More than 1,500 sister marchers came to the Berkshire County event at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield Saturday in solidarity with marchers at the Women’a March on Washington. More than 2.4 million sister marchers attended events around the world. Photo: Heather Bellow

Back to the event sponsored by WAM Theatre and Berkshire Theatre Group with local hosts of supporters, a place where people could be in spirit with the estimated 500,000 attending the Women’s March on Washington. It was one of 673 sister events around the world. The most recent count has sister marchers at around 2.6 million. The event featured a streamed live feed from the Washington march, and had some theatre performances and tables in the lobby for various causes and social media posts.

The place was packed, everyone happy to be together after a nasty campaign season left them still breathing fumes from toxic rhetoric and still shaking their heads over policy propositions that many voters say appear downright retrograde. No one I spoke to even mentioned the new president’s name; they talked about a general feeling of mean-spiritedness riding the foul winds of Trump’s talk.

Laura Gomez, left, and Margaret Bradley Davis working the oath booth. Davis was at the event on behalf of the Berkshire County Commission on the Status of Women, an organization that reports to the state legislature on conditions and challenges faced by women here. As a psychotherapist, Davis says women in the county are struggling with high rates of intergenerational poverty, heroin addiction, sexual assault and domestic abuse. Photo: Heather Bellow
Laura Gomez, left, and Margaret Bradley Davis working the oath booth. Davis was at the event on behalf of the Berkshire County Commission on the Status of Women, an organization that reports to the state legislature on conditions and challenges faced by women here. As a psychotherapist, Davis says women in the county are struggling with high rates of intergenerational poverty, heroin addiction, sexual assault and domestic abuse. Photo: Heather Bellow

Sarah Davis came to the event with her family from Sandisfield. “It’s a good way to talk to my children about the election and things that aren’t being addressed,” she said.

Kit Patten of Monterey was outside with a sign that said “Decency.”

“A lot of basic human decency is being challenged,” Patten said, adding that operative for him was the “golden rule” and Immanuel Kant’s moral imperative. “Employers should not pay people less than they would be willing to live off of themselves, or uprooted if they are not willing to be uprooted themselves.”

Beth Carlson of Housatonic, owner of Ballotbox Tees, said she was here to “resist Trump’s insane appointments and lack of truth. I’m here for liberty and I’m here for truth.”

Pat Choquette was in the lobby counting attendees coming in and going out. “I’m called ‘Miss Clicker,’ she said, noting that event organizers made a goal to bring in 100 sister marchers. The event website got 450 RSVPs and expectations rose to 600 and, nearing the end, the clicker count had stretched to at least 1,500.

Rick Pruhenski, left, and partner Jim Day, a theology student, right, came to the event from Dalton. Photo: Heather Bellow
Rick Pruhenski, left, and partner Jim Day, a theology student, right, came to the event from Dalton. Photo: Heather Bellow

Jim Day and partner, Rick Pruhenski, live in Dalton and came, not with pink pussyhats, but “fuzzy orange ones—we both knit,” Day said, noting that they would have made pussyhats had they planned better.

I asked him why they had come. “How can we not be here?” Day said.

Pussyhats were spotted around Pittsfield all afternoon. A bunch of sister marchers were spotted at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge and the barista asked about the event.

“It was powerful,” someone said.

Pussyhat trio, from left: Brady Cook, 15; Erin Cook, 17; and Rachel Belanger, 17. The three live in Lee and attend Lee High School. Photo: Heather Bellow
Pussyhat trio, from left: Brady Cook, 15; Erin Cook, 17; and Rachel Belanger, 17. The three live in Lee and attend Lee High School. Photo: Heather Bellow

 

Martha Freedman of Lanesboro works with the local chapter of Progressive Democrats of America. Photo: Heather Bellow
Martha Freedman of Lanesboro works with the local chapter of Progressive Democrats of America. Photo: Heather Bellow

 

Lines were long but moved all morning and afternoon as theatre capacity could hold only so many sister marchers at once. Photo: Heather Bellow
Lines were long but moved all morning and afternoon as theatre capacity could hold only so many sister marchers at once. Photo: Heather Bellow

 

A young sister marcher adding to the Post-it note wall. Photo: Heather Bellow
A young sister marcher adding to the Post-it note wall. Photo: Heather Bellow

 

Housatonic River warrior Denny Alsop held up a hand signifying his five grandchildren attending the Women’s March on Washington. Photo: Heather Bellow
Housatonic River warrior Denny Alsop held up a hand signifying his five grandchildren attending the Women’s March on Washington. Photo: Heather Bellow

 

“Miss Clicker” Pat Choquette working her thumb to a count of more than 1,500. Photo: Heather Bellow
“Miss Clicker” Pat Choquette working her thumb to a count of more than 1,500. Photo: Heather Bellow

 

Russell Freedman of Lanesboro, left, hands out literature. He is the president of the local chapter of Progressive Democrats of America. Photo: Heather Bellow
Russell Freedman of Lanesborough, left, hands out literature. He is the president of the local chapter of Progressive Democrats of America. Photo: Heather Bellow