Holiday cooking safety tips from GBFD
Great Barrington — As Thanksgiving approaches, Chief Charles Burger and the Great Barrington Fire Department (GBFD) want to remind area residents to use caution as they cook over the holidays.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services (DFS), cooking was the leading cause of residential fire injuries in 2015 and resulted in four civilian deaths, 80 civilian injuries, 30 firefighter injuries and an estimated $10 million in property damage.
GBFD has responded to multiple fires caused by holiday cooking over the past several years. To avoid tragedy this season, Burger recommends residents follow the following safety tips outlined by DFS:
- Stay in the kitchen when boiling, frying or broiling food.
- Use a timer when baking or roasting and never leave the house while the oven is on.
- Move anything that can catch fire – potholders, towels, paper or plastic bags – away from the stovetop.
- In the event that a fire occurs on a stovetop, put a lid on the burner and turn off the heat. Keep doors closed and the appliance off if a fire occurs in an oven, broiler or microwave. Never throw water or use a fire extinguisher on a grease fire. Water will only spread the fire and the force of the extinguisher can splash flaming grease out of the pan.
- If your clothing catches fire, stop, drop and roll to put out the flames. Run cool water on burns or call 911 if the injury is serious.
- If the fire is not quickly snuffed out, leave the house and call the fire department.
- Keep children 3 feet away from the stove to prevent burns.
- Make sure all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working prior to the holiday.
Additionally, the National Fire Protection Association discourages the use of turkey fryers, as the amount and high temperature of the oil used can cause serious burns and injuries and result in the destruction of property.
Residents who would like more information on holiday cooking safety may contact GBFD at (413) 528-0788.
–E.E.
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Writers Read at the Lee Library
Lee — The Writers Read monthly reading series will present writers Jonathan Baumbach and Richard M. Berlin on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 5:30 p.m. at the Lee Library.
Baumbach is the author of 18 books including “On the Way to My Father’s Funeral,” “Reruns,” “Babble,” and “The Life and Times of Major Fiction.” He has written extensively on film, has twice been the chair of the National Society of Film Critics, and was a film critic for the Partisan Review. He has also had cameo roles in most of his son Noah’s films, such as “The Squid and the Whale” and “Greenberg.” His newest fiction work, “Pavilion of Former Wives,” will be out early next year. Chapters from this forthcoming book are being published on The Edge. To read them click here.
Berlin, a physician with a psychiatric practice in Lenox, is the author of two chapbooks and three poetry collections including “Secret Wounds,” which was selected by USA Book World as the best general poetry book published in 2011. He is a senior affiliate in psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School where he established the Gerald F. Berlin Creative Writing Award to honor his father. Berlin has authored more than 60 scientific papers and has edited two medical books. His three poetry collections are being translated into Greek by filmmaker, physician and translator Miltos Arvanitakis.
For more information, contact David Giannini at davidgpoet@gmail.com.
–E.E.
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‘The Gift Show’ at Lisa Vollmer Photography
Great Barrington — Lisa Vollmer Photography will host an opening reception for its exhibition “The Gift Show” on Friday, Nov. 25, from 5 to 8 p.m. The show will feature works by Sabine Vollmer von Falken – including “Salvador Dali,” taken in the summer of 1967 in Cadaqués, Spain – fine jewelry and images created in Italy by Carolina Palermo Schulze, “Night Sky” by Lisa Vollmer, and a selection of photographs by Thatcher Hullerman Cook and Tom Zetterstrom. “The Gift Show” will be on display through Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016. The gallery will host workshops and guest lectures to coincide with the show and will feature work from well-established contemporary photographers throughout the year. For more information, call the gallery at (413) 429-6511.
–E.E.
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Colonial Theatre to host Last Waltz Live
Pittsfield — Last Dance Productions will present the Last Waltz Live, a live performance of the Band’s classic 1978 concert film “The Last Waltz,” with the Rev Tor Band and friends on Friday, Nov. 25, at 8 p.m. at the Colonial Theatre.
On Thanksgiving Day 1976, the legendary rock group the Band performed “The Last Waltz,” its farewell concert appearance, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The concert saw the Band joined by more than a dozen special guests, many of whom were and are considered the living legends of their time. The event was captured by director Martin Scorsese and made into a concert film of the same name. For this 40th anniversary celebration of “The Last Waltz,” musicians from the local music scene will perform the songs of the film’s original special guests. The line-up of artists includes the Rev Tor Band, with members of the Dooley Austin Band, Whiskey City, the Picky Bastards, Misty Blues, Rebel Alliance, Whiskey Treaty Roadshow and Moondance and will feature Bobby Sweet, Brian Benlien, Gina Coleman, Tony Gubelman, Billy Keane, Bernice Lewis, Michele Marano, Chris Merenda, Ed Moran, Pat Muraca, Daniel Osman, Rob Sanzone, Matt Tannenbaum, Mike “Woody” Wood and John Zarvis.
Tickets are $27.50 and $50. The performance is a food drive benefit for Moments House Food Pantry through the show’s We Band Together program and concertgoers are encouraged to bring a donation of any size of nonperishable food items. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call Berkshire Theatre Group at (413) 997-4444.
–E.E.
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Online auction to benefit Muddy Brook Elementary
Great Barrington — The Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School PTA has announced that its annual online auction will begin on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 23, and continue until 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4. The auction is the PTA’s main fundraiser and supports a wide range of enrichment programming, including artist residency programs and field trips. Thanks to the generosity of many local businesses and community members, there are more than 150 items ready to bid on, such as gift certificates, art, theater tickets and books.
–E.E.
