Ethnic fair in Pittsfield
Pittsfield — The annual Pittsfield Ethnic Fair is scheduled for Sunday, August 9 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pittsfield Common on First Street. The free, family-friendly outdoor cultural festival will feature ethnic cuisine, vendors, and entertainment from around the world. The scheduled performers include Latin music by the Bronte Roman Latin Jazz Ensemble, Celtic folk music by Rakish Paddy, Price Memorial Church Gospel Choir, Youth Alive Band, drummer/singer Aimee Gelinas with the Berkshire Rhythm Keepers, and special guests. There will also be a preview of the summer play “I Am Pittsfield: The Immigrant Century” which will be presented at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead beginning August 13.
This event is organized by the Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., Ethnic Fair Committee with support from the City of Pittsfield. Call (413) 443-6501 or email info@downtownpittsfield.com for more information.
–E.E.
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American Boychoir at First Congregational Church of Stockbridge
Stockbridge — On Sunday, August 9, the American Boychoir will provide musical worship leadership at the First Congregational Church. Following their appearance with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra the prior evening, the choir will sing a special prelude, choral anthems, and postlude, as will also lead the congregation in hymn singing. After worship the boys will join the congregation for their weekly coffee hour on the church green (weather permitting).
The prelude will begin at 9:45 a.m. with the service following at 10 a.m. Selections will include “Pie Jesu” (Fauré), “Dominus Deus” (Bach), “Jordan’s Angels” (Dillworth), “Panis Angelicus” (Franck), “Gloria Tibi” (Bernstein), and “America the Beautiful,” as well as the hymns “When in Our Music God is Glorified,” “Be Still My Soul,” and “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.”
For more information contact the church at (413) 298-3137.
–E.E.
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Ice cream social & flea market for the GB Historical Society
Great Barrington — SoCo Creamery’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social will take place on Saturday, August 8 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. behind Town Hall at 334 Main St. Ice cream cones will cost $1 and the Lucky 5 jazz band will provide music. All proceeds will benefit the Great Barrington Historical Society.
The Historical Society will also sponsor an antique show and flea market at its headquarters at 817 Main St. from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Saturday, August 8.
–E.E.
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Jonathan Baumbach reading and book signing
Great Barrington — On Sunday, August 9 at 3 p.m., Lauren Clark Fine Art will welcome novelist Jonathan Baumbach to the gallery for a reading and book signing. The author will be reading excerpts from two of his novels: the opening section of “Dreams of Molly” and the first chapter of “You, or The Invention of Memory.”
Jonathan Baumbach is the author of 17 books of fiction and his latest, “The Pavilion of Former Wives,” will be published this fall. A collection of Baumbach’s film criticisms, called “Shots in the Dark,” will published in December.
Refreshments will be offered after the reading. Contact the gallery for more information at (413) 528-0432.
–E.E.
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Site prep work for new science center begins at Williams College
Williamstown — Site work began this week to prepare for the 2016 start of construction for a new science center at Williams College.
Preliminary plans call for the Bronfman Science Center to be demolished and replaced with a similarly sized building housing the departments of geoscience, mathematics and statistics, and psychology. New research labs for biology, chemistry, and physics will be built in a 65,000 square-foot addition and connect directly to teaching labs. Shared space in the science center will expand and include four new flexible, interdisciplinary labs. It is anticipated the project will be complete by late 2020.
–E.E.
