Tuesday, June 17, 2025

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Bits & Bytes: GB firefighter graduations; ‘The Weir’ auditions; Ann Wright at Friends Meeting House; Writers Read series; CHP gets grant

“The Academy was one of the most physically and mentally demanding experiences I have endured. I feel much more confident in the jobs I will have to perform ... and I am incredibly proud to serve the community.” -- Great Barrington firefighter Jacob Borden

Great Barrington firefighters graduate from Academy

Great Barrington — Firefighters Jacob Borden and Joel Timm graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy on November 4, earning their nationally accredited Firefighter I and II certifications. The graduation was held at the Easthampton High School. It was the culmination of 240 hours of basic training.

“It is the same program career firefighters go through but put in a schedule that volunteers can attend,” said Fire Chief Charles Burger.

Over the past four months students attended class in Dalton two nights a week, learning about fire behavior, building construction, hazardous materials, and safely sizing up an incident. They also practiced the basic skills of deploying and advancing hose lines, throwing ground ladders, and operating and communicating in zero visibility situations. Every other weekend recruits commuted to the fire academy campus in Stow, Mass., for practical drills on fire attack, ventilation, and search and rescue, including several live burns.

Firefighter Borden stated, “The Academy was one of the most physically and mentally demanding experiences I have endured. I feel much more confident in the jobs I will have to perform after completing the program, and I am incredibly proud to serve the community.”

“I am proud of the time and effort they have dedicated to quickly becoming trained firefighters and I look forward to having them contribute to our team,” said Chief Burger.

The towns of Dalton and Richmond also had graduating firefighters.

–E.E.

*     *     *

The Ghent Playhouse announces auditions for ‘The Weir’

Ghent, N.Y. — The Ghent Playhouse will hold auditions for “The Weir” by Conor McPherson on Monday, November 16 and Tuesday, November 17. Sign-up is at 7 p.m. and auditions will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The play is set in a bar in rural Ireland in which local men swap spooky stories in an attempt to impress a young woman from Dublin who recently moved into a nearby haunted house. The characters are Jack (50s), Brendan (late 20s/early30s), Jim (40s), Finbar (40s), and Valerie (30s). Those planning to audition should prepare a 1- to 2-minute monologue or a very good story. There will also be readings from the script. A strong Irish accent is required for all characters.

The show will run Friday, January 22 through Sunday, February 7, 2016. Contact director Aaron Holbritter with questions at (518) 892-0300.

–E.E.

*     *     *

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright to speak

ANN WRIGHT
Ann Wright.

Great Barrington — Retired U.S. Army Colonel and former U.S. diplomat Ann Wright, who resigned in March 2003 in opposition to the Iraq war, will speak at the South Berkshire Friends Meeting House on Tuesday, November 17 at 7 p.m. Wright will discuss the current unrest in the Middle East and the role of citizen activism in the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and initiatives such as the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

The presentation is sponsored by Cafe Palestina and Massachusetts Peace Action and is free. Light refreshments will be served.

–E.E.

*     *     *

Writers Read to host Deborah Poe and Matthew Klane

Deborah Poe.
Deborah Poe. Photo: Jonathan Cohen.
Matthew Klane Karl Bode
Matthew Klane. Photo: Karl Bode.

Lee The Writers Read monthly reading series at the Lee Library will present poets Deborah Poe and Matthew Klane on Tuesday, November 17 at 5:30 p.m.

Deborah Poe’s writing regularly appears in journals and is forthcoming or has recently been published in Touch the DonkeyPosit, Loose Change, and Jacket2. She is an associate professor of English at Pace University where she directs the creative writing program and founded and curates the annual Handmade/Homemade Exhibit. Matthew Klane is co-editor of Flim Forum Press. He has authored e-chapbooks and an e-book and currently co-curates Albany, N.Y.’s Yes! Poetry and Performance Series and teaches at the Sage Colleges.

For more information contact David Giannini at davidgpoet@gmail.com

–E.E.

*     *     *

GoodWorks Insurance donates $10,000 to CHP

GoodWorks gift 2015 cropped
(L – R) Bryan Ayars, outgoing CEO, CHP; Edward Ryan, senior vice president, GoodWorks Insurance; Michelle Derr, CHP director of family services; and Jenn Wilkinson, CHP director of performance improvement and compliance.

Great Barrington — Community Health Programs (CHP) recently received a $10,000 grant from GoodWorks Insurance, an independent insurance agency with offices in Great Barrington, Worcester, and Connecticut.

“GoodWorks Insurance’s business model of giving back to the community keeps everyone engaged and close and keeps money in the community,” said outgoing CHP CEO Bryan Ayars. “Doing it so publicly sets a great precedent for other local companies.”

Because CHP’s administrative overhead is less than 8 percent, GoodWorks’s grant will go “directly to helping provide critical services to our patients in an era when government support is often shrinking,” he added.

Chad Yonker, CEO of GoodWorks Insurance, said, “CHP does exemplary work caring for thousands of Berkshire County residents, many of whom wouldn’t be served otherwise. It’s an invaluable community asset and a key charity we’ve supported since 2009.”

GoodWorks Insurance donates 50 percent of its operating profits via GoodWorks Community Grants to local nonprofits that support education, healthcare and public safety. Local nonprofits that would like to apply for a GoodWorks Community Grant can contact GoodWorks Senior Vice President Curt Johnson at cjohnson@goodworksinsurance.com or 800-588-833o x108.

–E.E.

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