Clinton Church Restoration seeks community input
Great Barrington — Clinton Church Restoration LLC will hold a public meeting on Monday, March 6, at 7 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 251 Main St. The local nonprofit is an organization of concerned citizens who plan to purchase, restore and adaptively reuse the historic Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church at 9 Elm Ct. and is inviting residents to bring ideas and suggestions for future use of the property to the meeting.
CCR has engaged noted interpretative master planner and architecture-trained museum exhibit designer Veronica Jackson to create a “visioning document” for the project. Her firm, the Jackson Design Group, has worked on culturally significant and historically prominent projects around the country, including the “African Voices” exhibit for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History, “Discovering the Civil War” at the National Archives and Records Administration, and the W.E.B. Du Bois homesite in Great Barrington. Jackson will facilitate the public meeting and two smaller design charrettes as part of her engagement.
To date, CCR has raised just over half of the $100,000 needed to purchase the building and cover initial operating costs. The organization is under contract to purchase the decommissioned church with a deadline of Friday, March 31, to complete the transaction. Currently there is a $10,000 challenge grant from Housatonic Heritage in hand, providing incentive for additional donors to come forward. Organizers have a grant-writing and research team in place but need community input prior to launching the restoration campaign.
CCR welcomes public input via email from those who are unable to attend the meeting. Comments should be sent to saveamechurch@gmail.com by Wednesday, March 1, and must include the submitter’s name and a phone number for follow-up.
Donations to the Clinton Church Restoration fund may be made online or by check made payable to Housatonic Heritage (with ‘Clinton Church Restoration’ in the memo line) and sent to P.O. Box 611, Great Barrington, MA 01230. Donations received prior to Wednesday, March 15, will be matched 1:1 up to $10,000.
–E.E.
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Berkshire Human Rights Speaker Series to present two weekend events
Great Barrington — The Berkshire Human Rights Speaker Series will present two events this weekend that focus on racial justice.
On Saturday, March 4, at 2 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire, Dr. Delores Jones-Brown will give a talk titled “The Future of Racial Justice and Policing: Where Do We Go From Here?” Jones-Brown is a professor in the department of law and criminal justice at the City University of New York, and the founding director of the John Jay College Center on Race, Crime and Justice. Her talk will explore alternatives for the future of policing in America and its ability to foster rather than impede racial justice. The talk is free and all are welcome.
On Sunday, March 5, at 2 p.m., a screening of the award-winning film “The New Black” will take place at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. From director, producer and writer Yoruba Richen, the documentary tells the story of how the African-American community is grappling with gay rights issues in light of the recent gay marriage movement and the fight over civil rights. The film documents activists, families and clergy on both sides of the campaign to legalize gay marriage, while examining homophobia in the black church. There will be a $5 charge to the general public in order to offset the screening fee. Students will be admitted free. For tickets, see the Berkshire Edge calendar.
For more information, contact (413) 229-7993 or rickypenrose@gmail.com.
–E.E.
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Caregiving skills seminar to be held at Fairview
Great Barrington — Elder Services of Berkshire County will present the six-week community education program “Powerful Tools for Caregivers – A Class for Family Caregivers,” beginning Monday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to noon at Fairview Hospital.
The program is designed to help family caregivers take care of themselves while caring for a relative or friend and will give participants tools to reduce stress; offer strategies to communicate effectively with other family members, doctors and paid caregivers; and teach about self-care, making tough decisions, setting goals and problem-solving. Participants will receive free copies of “The Caregiver Helpbook” that will complement the class content.
The program is free but, due to limited size, participants are asked to pre-register by calling Fairview’s community relations office at (413) 854-9609 or Elder Services at (413) 499-0524 x113.
–E.E.
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Hevreh seeks authors for book festival
Great Barrington — Hevreh of Southern Berkshire and the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires have announced that the first annual Festival of Jewish Books will begin Thursday, July 20, and run through Sunday, July 23. The festival will feature lectures, teachings and readings by local, national and international authors in multiple genres. As part of the weekend, the organizing committee is seeking four to six local authors whose work has a Jewish tie-in to participate in a panel discussion and lead a breakout session following the panel on Friday, July 21. Those interested in being considered for the panel and workshops are asked to email a one-paragraph summary with a bio and any workshop-leading experience to Ellen Heffan at ellenheff42@gmail.com.
–E.E.
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Berkshire South to host Swim-A-Thon fundraiser
Great Barrington — Berkshire South Regional Community Center will hold its seventh annual Swim-A-Thon fundraiser on Saturday, March 11. This year’s goal of $10,000 will be used to support adaptive-needs programing and equipment. Participants may sign up to swim as individuals or as a relay team. They may collect donations based on either the length that they swim or a flat rate. Swimmers will have up to two hours to swim up to 200 pool lengths, but may choose to swim any shorter length or timeframe.
Swim-A-Thon is open to swimmers of all ages and abilities. Registration packets are available online and at Berkshire South’s front desk. Registration is open through Tuesday, March 7. For more information, contact the aquatics manager at (413) 528-2810 x12 or aquatics@berkshiresouth.org.
–E.E.
