The Next Festival of Emerging Artists also has its eyes on the future. An annual event founded by composer-conductor Peter Askim in 2013, it brings together young like-minded string players and cutting-edge composers for a week of intensive preparation followed by a pair of performances.
The new initiative includes prioritizing diversion, expanding community programming, advocating for new policies, and creating a community-led advisory committee.
The program is still in formation but will include reflections from featured speakers including Rabbi Levi Volovik of Chabad of the Berkshires; Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield; and Rev. Brent Damrow of the First Congregational Church of Stockbridge.
Community leaders representing law enforcement, youth services, local government and the drug treatment community will discuss the changing landscape of marijuana’s place in southern Berkshire County with an extended question and answer period from the audience.
The techniques and approaches Foote advocates are not specific to any particular substance or circumstance; rather, they address the fact that communication gets much more fraught, and the stakes get much higher, when kids enter their teen years.
"We all love living here and want to be able to work downtown, go downstairs and get coffee and go across the street and get food. I like to go next door to buy my clothing."
-- Asa Hardcastle, whose Tonic 5 software development company is on the floor above Tom’s Toys on Main Street
“We’ve always been about the needs of individuals, whether they want college or not. We ask what they need to thrive and see their future, not as something abstract, but concrete, now, here.”
-- Ananda Timpane, executive director of Railroad Street Youth Project
“It takes 25 years for a young person’s brain to fully wire for habits, likes, dislikes and skills. This is when those habits develop that will haunt us for the rest of our lives.”
--Dr. Jennifer Michaels
Noah and Ari Meyerowitz have been juggling the work and travel demands of the busy Sproutman legacy with this new venture after SoCo CEO Erik Bruun approached them as a way to keep SoCo’s second store alive off-season.
It appears the state may have made its decision to award the purchase option to North Plain Farms owner Sean Stanton because the initial proposal by Helia Native Nursery owner Bridghe McCracken did not conform to its guidelines for maximum commercial agricultural value for use of the land.
The second SoCo location is a nice complement to the existing scoop shop on Railroad Street, consistent with the values of the company to provide “healthful, self-indulgent treats.”
“The rug was pulled out from us after [Project Native’s] 15 years of work and investments of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars. [For the Department of Agricultural Resources] to not explain is just wrong — it’s an injustice.”
--- Erik Bruun, Project Native Board Chairman
