Mega March Against the Dumps in downtown Great Barrington
Great Barrington – Mega March Against the Dumps, a community-organized march through the center of town in opposition to GE’s plan to build PCB dumps in the local area, will take place on Sunday, July 3, at noon. All who are interested are welcome to attend.
Marchers will assemble on Rossetter Street at 11:30 a.m. and the march will begin promptly at noon. The march will move up Main Street and end at Town Hall, 334 Main St., where it will culminate at 12:30 p.m. with speeches and music. The two southbound lanes of traffic will be closed off to accommodate marchers.
Volunteers are needed for help with directing marchers, documenting the march via photo/video, cleaning up, and other tasks. For more information, see the event Facebook page.
–E.E.
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Berkshire Summer Strings program
North Egremont – The Berkshire Summer Strings music program will run 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday, July 11, – Friday, July 15, at French Park, 21 Prospect Lake Rd., and feature instrument instruction, singing, jam sessions and specialty workshops in the genres of traditional, contra dance, and folk music. The program is geared toward youth ages 8 and up with at least one year of study on violin, viola, cello, mandolin, or guitar. Songwriting, mixed instrument groups (bands), performance workshops, and artistic and outdoor activities will also be included. Adult tune sessions will be held at 5:15 p.m. and advanced workshops and jam sessions will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 11; Tuesday, July 12, and Wednesday, July 13. Private lessons will also be available.
Instruction for both the youth and adult programs will be led by Mia Friedman (fiddle, banjo), Aldo Lavaggi (fiddle, mandolin), Ariel Friedman (cello, viola), Jordan Tice (guitar), Eric Martin (fiddle, viola) and Bennett Konesni (fiddle, guitar, work songs). Free events hosted by Berkshire Summer Strings during the week in session include a daily 9 a.m. Community Sing at 9 a.m., community jams at 4 p.m. Monday -Thursday, and a camper concert Friday, July 15, at 5:30 p.m. All free events will also be located at French Park.
Contact Berkshire Summer Strings for more information. Online registration is available for both the youth and adult programs.
–E.E.
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Mr. Finn’s Cabaret to present David Lutken
Pittsfield — Barrington Stage Company’s (BSC) Mr. Finn’s Cabaret will welcome back David Lutken and the Seat of The Pants Band for a performance of “Yankee Doodle Folkie: Music for Independence Day” on Sunday, July 3, at 8 p.m. and Monday, July 4, at 7 p.m.
David Lutken and his banjo-stringing, harmonica-playing band will treat audiences to American folk music. Joining Lutken will be the Seat of the Pants Band, featuring Ken Breard, Jane Gillman, Helen J. Russell, Antoine Silverman, and Andy Teirstein. Lutken has performed in music and theater across the U.S., the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and China. His credits include Broadway, off-Broadway, the West End, Lincoln Center, Ryman Auditorium, Glimmerglass Opera, and the Louisiana Hayride. He appeared in BSC’s “Southern Comfort” in 2013 and recently completed its run at the Public Theater.
Tickets to “Yankee Doodle Folkie” are $35. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call the BSC box office at (413) 236-8888.
–E.E.
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Short story and poetry contest for teens
Spencertown, N.Y. — Spencertown Academy Arts Center presents its second annual Teen Short Story and Poetry Contest. The contest is open to teenaged writers in grades 9 through 12 in Berkshire County and Columbia County. The top three winners will receive cash prizes ($100, $75, and $50 respectively) and be invited to read their stories at the Academy’s annual Festival of Books over Labor Day weekend.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 15. Stories can be on any subject matter with a maximum length of 4,000 words. Poems can be on any topic and of any length or form. All submissions must be formatted in 12-point type, be double spaced, and have 1-inch margins on standard 8 ½- by 11-inch paper. Entries must not have previously been accepted for publication nor have won a prize.
Submissions including the entrant’s name, age, and school (or note if home-schooled) along with the story or poem to should be sent to story@spencertownacademy.org.
–E.E.
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Berkshire Stonewall community meeting at Berkshire Museum
Pittsfield — The Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition will hold a LGBTQ community meeting on Friday, July 1, from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Berkshire Museum. The event is free and open to the public.
The meeting will feature a panel discussion with representatives of local LGBTQ community organizations and initiatives speaking on the effects of the events of the Orlando shooting on the LGBTQ community. Following the discussion, community members will be encouraged to participate in an open conversation to discuss their feelings regarding recent events as well as the direction of the LGBTQ community, and will be invited to participate in developing and enacting a plan of action for the LGBTQ community of Berkshire County.
Light refreshments will be provided. For more information, call the Berkshire Museum at (413) 443-7171.
–E.E.
