The National Weather Service reported that debris was carried more than 45 miles to the northeast in Belchertown, where a fairgrounds racing ticket was found along with white corrugated plastic roofing material.
Tag: Gary Leveille
The Berkshire Record closes its doors after 31 years
Limestone Communications, the Record’s holding company, also published several other revenue-generating publications, including Best of the Berkshires, and a series of guides for the seasons.
Locke Larkin, health inspector and gourmet food retailer, dies at 79
In 1976, Larkin purchased a former farmhouse on Stockbridge Road that had fallen into disrepair. He fixed it up and relocated Locke Stock & Barrel there.
Looking at the Brown Bridge and seeing red: What’s in a color?
Design Advisory Committee Chairman Pedro Pachano told the selectmen at their Monday meeting that his panel considered several possibilities, including repainting the bridge to roughly match its current color.
Great Barrington’s cannabis quandary: What to do with that pot revenue?
Proposals for how to use the cannabis revenue windfall will be discussed by the selectboard and the finance committee in the upcoming deliberations for next year’s budget, with voters having the final say on how to spend free cash at the annual town meeting in May.
Historical Commission issues Phase 1 of historic resources survey in Great Barrington
This survey of a portion of Great Barrington’s rich catalogue of historic buildings was a significant undertaking for the Historical Commission. It provides the town with the first of a series of reports that provide documentation of sites worthy of preserving and those potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tales from the ‘dead letter office’: Greetings from Costa Rica 43 years later
Marie Tassone had an interesting and colorful life, culminating in her designation by the board of selectmen as Great Barrington’s “photographer laureate” in 1989, a year before her death at age 86.
Former sandwich shop demolished to make way for parking lot
While owner Craig Barnum said he did receive some rental inquiries, he decided the lot would be more valuable as parking than as a rental unit.
Looking back, looking ahead: Efforts to name a school after the legendary W.E.B. Du Bois
Now another movement to rename a different school building in Berkshire Hills is taking shape. Supporters of Du Bois are ramping up an effort to rename Monument Valley Regional Middle School in memory of Du Bois.
Bits & Bytes: ‘Woodstock to the Moon’; Berkshire Lyric at Ozawa Hall; ‘Businesses in Barrington: Part II’; Matthew Noble Day
Guest speakers for “Businesses in Barrington: Gone but Not Forgotten, Part II” will be local historian and Edge columnist Gary Leveille along with Mike Fitzpatrick and Jane Green.
Rumors of downtown hotel project’s death greatly exaggerated
Chrystal Mahida and her husband, Vijay, who own several hotels in Berkshire County, did not offer a specific timeline for when construction to convert the school would begin, but she wanted to assure the public that plans are proceeding.
Bits & Bytes: ‘Outspoken’ at Hotchkiss; ‘Southern Berkshires Though Time’ at Mason Library; free tax prep at senior center; Crystal Products of the Frost King’; fuel assistance concert
On Saturday, Jan. 12, The Mason Library will host a PowerPoint presentation and talk by local historian and Edge contributor Gary Leveille about his new book ‘Southern Berkshires Through Time.’
Bits & Bytes: Comedy at Race Brook Lodge; ‘This Is Home’ at Mason Library; ‘Southern Berkshires Through Time’; CoA luncheon; FAFSA Day Massachusetts
The Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary “This is Home” follows four Syrian refugee families sent to resettle in Baltimore in 2016.
Consultant: Ramsdell Library in Housatonic is ‘vibrant part of the community,’ needs upgrades
There was also an agreement that the Ramsdell’s resources and services need to be focused, in part so that the Ramsdell is not merely duplicating the services of the Mason, but on a smaller scale.
‘Below the radar and above the shops’: Great Barrington’s upstairs economy
“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
Bygone car dealership buildings find new uses
There are still 10 of these purpose-built showrooms in adaptive reuse in Great Barrington. They now house a variety of businesses.
A possible format for Du Bois statue
In his letter Gary Leveille writes: “I would like to recommend a bench-style statue that allows visitors to interact with the subject.”
Business Briefs: Berkshire Nonprofit Awards announce finalists; free museum admission for foster families; internet security seminar; grants for American Mural Project; Eagle Fund awards grants
Created in 1998 to provide educational opportunities for Southern Berkshire Regional School District students, the Eagle Fund received more than 20 applications and awarded grants to students, teachers and community members.
Bits & Bytes: RISK! live podcast; Krakauer/Tagg Duo at Club Helsinki Hudson; GoldenOak at DCSC; New York border wars talk
Hosted by Kevin Allison, RISK! is a live show and podcast during which people tell true, uncensored stories ‘they never thought they’d dare to share.’
Veterans’ graves book now available for viewing at Mason Library
The Great Barrington book includes fascinating details about many of the veterans, from the Revolutionary War through 1938, along with illustrations of each gravestone, and a locator map for each grave.
Bits & Bytes: Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival; ‘Earth Dialogue;’ GB Cultural Council applications; ‘The 39 Steps;’ Newsboy monument rededication; Berkshire Human Rights Speaker Series
The rededication event will celebrate the recent conservation treatment that restored the physical and historical integrity of Great Barrington’s Newsboy Statue and will include a public viewing of the monument and working fountain.
Bits & Bytes: John Mayall at the Colonial; Outstanding in the Field dinner; Ramsdell Winter Sundays; Writers Read series; BTCF grant deadlines
The architecture and history of Housatonic will be highlighted during the final Ramsdell Public Library Winter Sunday Afternoon on March 20 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Bits & Bytes: The Orchestra Now at Simon’s Rock; Relay For Life; newsboy statue & cemetery walk; ‘Spaces and Moments’ in Spencertown; family nature program in Monterey
The Orchestra Now prepares a new generation of musicians to break down barriers between modern audiences and noteworthy orchestral music of the past and present.
Gary Leveille’s ‘Legendary Locals’: Who we’ve been, who we are
In its 127 pages containing 150 profiles, and references to many more South Berkshire residents, past and present, the answers to who we are may surprise you.
Notes, footnotes and queries
Would it surprise you to learn that the last president of the Republic of Texas was a Great Barrington native?