Housatonic — It was a day of village pride as the first-ever Housatonic Party in the Park was held on Saturday, June 10 in the Village Common. The event consisted of family activities including live music, community activities, booths from various organizations, and food from several local vendors.
The event was organized by members of the Housatonic Improvement Committee. “Housatonic is the closest thing I can imagine to a contemporary ideal American village,” committee member Louise Goldsmith said. Goldsmith moved up to Housatonic eight years ago from Livingston, New Jersey. “What I love about Housatonic is that it has a strong sense of community,” Goldsmith said. “It’s close enough to big and medium-sized cities where you can get what you want and it’s an absolutely lovely place to live.”
Committee chair Angela Lomanto said she has owned property in Housatonic since 2006 and she is a native of Boston. “I love the Berkshires,” Lomanto said. “There is a closeness to this community and people really like each other. We organized this because we thought it would be a fun time for the community.”
“I think today is a great opportunity to celebrate the people of Housatonic,” Selectboard member Ben Elliott said. “I think that often when there are news stories about Housatonic, it’s usually about the problems that we are facing. These are important problems that we need to face. But people should know that we are a village of incredible, creative, and resilient people. I think having an opportunity to celebrate these people is very important.”
“I’ve lived here in Housatonic for most of my life, and I love it,” Selectboard member Eric Gabriel said. “It’s a very tight community in itself. We are part of Great Barrington, but Housatonic is a close knit family here with people who have been here their whole lives and people who are just moving in. There is a lot of love for this town.”
