Berkshire County — There were plenty of fun community events during the summer season in Berkshire County. This included Pittsfield’s annual Independence Day celebration and the latest season of Berkshire Busk! in Great Barrington. There were celebrations of organizations and donors at the Berkshire United Way’s Greylock Society Reception and the work of Multicultural BRIDGE Founding Director and CEO Gwendolyn VanSant and community leader Wray Gunn as part of this year’s Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run. After months of its future looking grim, the Triplex was purchased by a nonprofit organization in July. Meanwhile, progress continued with Lee’s Eagle Mill Redevelopment. Towards the end of September, Housatonic Water Works found itself in the news yet again, as the Department of Public Utilities held a public hearing on the company’s rate increase request.
Here is part three of our 2023 year in review, covering the summer months of July through September.
July
Music was in the air and everywhere in the downtown Great Barrington area during the third season opening of Berkshire Busk! on June 30 and July 1. The event was held every Friday and Saturday night at various locations in town through September 2, except for certain days when the event was canceled due to bad weather.
On July 2, The Berkshire Edge reported on the town of Lee dropping its lawsuit against Monsanto. As reported, Town Administrator Chris Brittain confirmed that the town requested the dismissal of the lawsuit against Monsanto. The lawsuit, however, was “dismissed without prejudice which allows the town to refile it at the town’s discretion.”
On July 4, Pittsfield held its annual Independence Day celebration. The parade dates back to 1801 and was organized by the Pittsfield Parade Committee Inc.
Right before the parade, Berkshire Health Systems held its Fourth of July Road Race on the parade route.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian David Levering Lewis was honored at this year’s Du Bois Forum panel discussion, held at Jacob’s Pillow on July 7. The Du Bois Forum is an annual multi-day retreat for writers, scholars, and artists of color, and also comprises several public events, including this year’s panel discussion.
On July 12, Lee residents and town officials celebrated the opening of an outdoor fitness court at a grand opening event. The fitness court is located at 300 Greylock Street, between Lee Middle and High School, near the school’s athletic field.
On July 13, with a split vote, the Stockbridge Select Board nixed the creation of a committee for second-home owners to have a unified voice in the town.
The work of Multicultural BRIDGE Founding Director and CEO Gwendolyn VanSant, along with community leader Wray Gunn, was celebrated at an awards ceremony at the Mahaiwe Cemetery on July 15, in front of the Du Bois family grave site. The ceremony, known as the Torch-Bearer Awards, was part of this year’s Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run.
On July 17, following an unprecedented 202-202 vote tie in the May 8 election for an open seat on West Stockbridge’s three-member Select Board, residents chose incumbent Kathleen Keresey to fill that position with a special election win over challenger Jon Piasecki.
It was a celebration of the good works of donors and organizations as Berkshire United Way held its annual Greylock Society Reception at Bousquet Mountain Lodge on July 19.
On July 24, the Save the Triplex community group, led by residents Nicki Wilson and Hannah Wilken, announced that they had purchased the Triplex Cinema from Richard Stanley. The theater is located on 70 Railroad Street and was owned for 28 years by South Egremont resident Stanley. The group was formed back at the beginning of April after a previous attempt to purchase the movie theater by the New Jersey-based company Cinema Lab failed.
Work continued on Lee’s Eagle Mill Redevelopment, with seven residential houses on West Center Street being torn down in an event on July 24. The project itself calls for the Eagle Mill building, which was built in 1808, to be redeveloped into affordable housing units.
On July 30, the Katunemo art collective held an art exhibition at Race Brook Lodge. The show featured the work of 25 immigrant multimedia artists.
August
On August 1, the Pittsfield Police Department held its National Night Out event at the city’s Common. The event included family tours of emergency vehicles from the department, the State Police, and the County Ambulance. It also included several family activities, including bounce houses, balloon sculptures, a donut-decorating station from Shire Donuts, and a dunk tank featuring members of the Pittsfield Police Department.
On August 3, the Great Barrington Fire Department held its annual car show. The event was an annual benefit for the department’s scholarship fund, dedicated in memory of Rod Mead, who died in 2005.
In Pittsfield, a celebration of newly installed murals at Tucker Park was held on August 5. The murals, which were installed in the park’s basketball court at 190 Robbins Avenue, are part of a project by the group Westside Legends, with financial support from the Crane Family Foundation.
In West Stockbridge, hundreds of people attended the first Zucchini Festival in nine years on August 12. According to Marjorie Powell, the chair of the town’s Cultural Council, the event was an annual tradition for 10 years starting in 2003 but had a nine-year hiatus.
In Pittsfield on August 11, the Berkshire Humane Society dedicated their shelter building on 214 Barker Road to the late Dr. John Reynolds at a ceremonial event. Reynolds died in December 2021 in a kayaking accident at Richmond Pond. He was the owner of Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital and Shaker Hill Pet Resort, and Reynolds was also a volunteer and major supporter of the Berkshire Humane Society.
On August 15, it was a good time for attendees of Berkshire Horseworks’ fourth annual Filly Frolic benefit at the Egremont Barn. The event was a women-only event that included dinner, cocktails, and line dancing.
On August 18, The Berkshire Edge reported on three Berkshire County civil lawsuits against GE and Monsanto. The three residents allege that “extensive exposure” to the now-banned polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) emanating from Pittsfield’s Allendale Elementary School (Allendale) caused cancer to themselves or family members. The documents, about 100 pages each, name General Electric Company and Monsanto Company as defendants, along with subsequent iterations and owners of such businesses. On August 24, the number of lawsuits rose to six that were filed in Berkshire County Superior Court.
On August 20, Sheffield celebrated local civil rights icon Elizabeth Freeman in a series of events, including the annual Elizabeth Freeman Walk to Freedom.
On August 30, Rupert Jones and Sandy Mathews, co-owners of Twoflower Cafe, announced on social media that the cafe had closed for good. The two opened the cafe back in February 2021.
On August 31, the South County Recovery Center in Great Barrington held a vigil to coincide with International Overdose Awareness Day.
Also on August 31, Berkshire Pride held an open house for its new office in Pittsfield.
September
Woodworkers from all across the Berkshires showed off their craft at the Berkshire Woodworkers Guild’s 22nd annual Fine Woodwork Show at the Berkshire Botanical Garden on September 2 and September 3. The event included the work of 22 guild members and also included a silent auction, with 100 percent of the proceeds going towards a scholarship fund for students in Berkshire County who wish to learn about woodworking.
A celebration of the public art project “Let It Shine!” was held on September 9. The event, organized by Downtown Pittsfield Inc., was a celebration of the murals that were created throughout the city as part of the project and included a block party at Palace Park.
Also on September 9, it was fun, food, and dancing for a good cause as the Literacy Network (LitNet) held its annual Tapas, Tequila, and Tango fundraising event at the Berkshire Botanical Garden.
From September 15 to September 17, Lee Founders Weekend celebrated town spirit. A variety of activities took place during the event, which was held to commemorate the 246th anniversary of the town’s founding.
On September 15 in Hinsdale, family and friends fondly remembered James Sullivan at a sign dedication ceremony for Sullivan, who was born in Bronxville, N.Y. and was the owner of Sullivan Sanitation Services and a longtime resident of Hinsdale. He served as a volunteer for the town on several town boards and communities. He was serving a term as a Select Board member when he died on December 31, 2021, at 58 years old, from COVID-19.
On September 22, the Berkshire Housing and Food Summit was held at Lenox Town Hall. The event, organized by State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, included leaders of Berkshire County community organizations to discuss issues and possible solutions to problems involving a lack of affordable housing and food insecurity in Berkshire County.
Finally, the Department of Public Utilities held a public hearing on September 26 on a proposed rate increase by Housatonic Water Works at Monument Mountain Regional High School. During the two-hour-long public hearing, members of the public spoke against the company’s proposed rate increase, along with its handling of various water quality issues and its various infrastructure issues. Back in late June, HWW applied with the DPU requesting a 112.7 percent overall revenue increase. The request reflects an $808,808 increase over the existing water rates.
Come back tomorrow for the final part of our “2023 Year in Review,” covering October to December of 2023. Click here to read part two. Click here to read part one.
