Skip to content
News and Ideas Worth Sharing
News and Ideas Worth Sharing
  • News
  • In Focus
  • Viewpoints
  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Business
  • Life In the Berkshires
  • Farm and Table
  • Learning
  • Out & About Magazine
  • Berkshires Calendar
  • Real Estate
    • View All Real Estate Articles
    • Property of the Week
    • What’s On The Market
    • Transformations
    • Market Perspectives
    • Regional Sales
    • Home & Garden
  • Weddings in the Berkshires
  • Contact Us
  • Who we are
  • Contributors
  • Advertise

Tag: Great Barrington Fairgrounds

News

Remembering the ‘great’ Great Barrington tornado 25 years later

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.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on May 23, 2020
Letters

Horse racing should not return to Great Barrington

In a letter to the editor, Wendy Hollis writes, “Issues of concern include traffic increases and environmental concerns as well as animal welfare neglect and abuse.”

by Letter to the editor
Posted on February 24, 2020
Viewpoints

Alan Chartock: I Publius

You can hardly find a parking space now. More pot dispensaries will make an already bad problem even worse.

by Alan Chartock
Posted on February 1, 2020
News

Supporters for home rule on Great Barrington horse racing take their fight to Boston

Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, D-Lenox, said he is “personally very optimistic” about the chances of the petition passing in one form or another.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on January 28, 2020
News

Hearing on Great Barrington home-rule petition on horseracing set for Jan. 27 in Boston

It is not clear precisely when the home-rule petition hearing will begin. There are 10 hearings starting at 1 p.m. and the Great Barrington hearing is seventh on the list for that afternoon.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on January 22, 2020
News

Leigh Davis appointed to represent town at horseracing hearing in Boston

At a special town meeting Dec. 11 almost 300 residents overwhelmingly passed a warrant item on a home-rule petition.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on January 19, 2020
News

GB, South County Year in Review: Of mergers, bridges, cannabis and ‘blood money’

In the spirit of reflection and self-examination, herein lies The Edge’s second annual Great Barrington year in review. It includes some select stories from other South County towns as well, along with embedded links to Edge stories for more information.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on December 27, 2019
Letters

Praise for Rep. ‘Smitty’ Pignatelli’s response to Great Barrington vote on horse racing

I want to recognize Smitty for his exemplary response to the concerns of the voters in Great Barrington.

by Letter to the editor
Posted on December 21, 2019
News

Home rule petition on horse racing officially filed as legislation in Boston

“I do not not anticipate any issues whatsoever to get the home-rule bill through. We’re a home-rule state. Whatever the town wants, I am for.” -Rep. William “Smitty Pignatelli, D-Lenox

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on December 18, 2019
News

Barrington residents overwhelmingly approve home-rule petition on horse racing

“Whatever revenues come from it … will be blood money. It’s disrespectful to our town and it has to be stopped.”

— Matt Rubiner

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on December 11, 2019
Letters

Don’t allow horse racing to return to Fairgrounds

Please help oppose horse racing returning to Great Barrington, Massachusetts. There is going to be a town meeting held on Wednesday, December 11 on this issue.

by Edge Correspondent
Posted on December 6, 2019
Letters

Economic development through horse racing is imaginary

Presently, the real revenues from commercial horse racing would be from off-track-betting run out of a simulcast location across the State.

by Letter to the editor
Posted on December 4, 2019
Viewpoints

VIEWPOINT: Citizens should decide whether horse racing returns to Great Barrington

Do Great Barrington residents want an old expired and abandoned license granted by a state agency 20 years ago to dictate whether commercial horse racing comes to their town?

by Barbara Kellogg and Pam Youngquist
Posted on December 2, 2019
News

NEWS ANALYSIS: Internal policies debate exposes rift on Great Barrington Selectboard

Leigh Davis openly questioned why her fellow board members wanted to revise certain policies and whether they were a response to actions she has taken since her election to the board in May.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on November 18, 2019
News

Town Hall Briefs: Ailing bridges, traffic nightmares and other tales of woe

Whether one lane of the Brown Bridge is closed during construction or whether it is shut down altogether, the construction will be a major disruption to traffic, especially considering the fact that the town-owned Division Street bridge was closed by the state in the second week of September.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on November 14, 2019
News

Activists file home-rule petition on horse racing, as questions are raised about selectboard policy changes

But there is a workaround for local control. The project would require as many as three special permits from the town.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on November 5, 2019
Letters

Horse racing should not be allowed to return to Great Barrington

The main reason I would hate to see horse racing come back is the lousy way the industry generally treats its horses. 

by Letter to the editor
Posted on November 3, 2019
Viewpoints

Alan Chartock: I Publius

Now we have a better understanding about what racing does to horses. It’s a bad idea.

by Alan Chartock
Posted on October 26, 2019
Letters

Horse racing would undermine Great Barrington’s character

This is a great place and horse racing and simulcasting/OTB would seriously detract from what GB and Southern Berkshire County represent.

by Letter to the editor
Posted on October 21, 2019
Letters

Horse racing is cruel to animals

In her letter Marnie Meyers writes: “A return of horseracing to Great Barrington would bring gambling elements, snarled traffic, environmental damage, and the cruel use of horses back to that wonderful town.”

by Letter to the editor
Posted on October 20, 2019
Letters

Horse racing raises ethical and environmental issues

In a letter to the editor, Beryl Birch writes, “… the list of horse racing woes keeps growing and public interest in horse racing is waning, primarily due to the list of more and more horse deaths in tracks around the country..

by Letter to the editor
Posted on October 16, 2019
Letters

Horse racing could have severe environmental impact

In a letter to the editor, Bob Meyers writes, “According to the EPA, the types of animal waste pollutants discharged by Sterling Suffolk Racecourse threaten human health and the environment.”

by Letter to the editor
Posted on October 8, 2019
News

Animal cruelty, local control doomed Hinds’ sponsorship of horse racing bill

“Over the past few weeks I have met, spoken with, and received testimony from many in my District who are concerned with this proposal: either because they do not support horse racing as an industry, or because they are concerned with the legislation as it is currently drafted.” –Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on October 1, 2019
News

Sen. Hinds reconsiders support for bill to restore horse racing at fairgrounds

“Senator Hinds’ willingness to stand with his constituents is highly commendable and his removal of his name from S101 is significant.”

— Great Barrington Selectboard member Leigh Davis

by Edge Staff
Posted on September 28, 2019
Viewpoints

IT’S NOT SO SIMPLE: Economic development — Is your dream my nightmare?*

What type of economic development does not bring with it some aspect that some of us find unpalatable? How much are we willing to put up with in order to improve economic opportunities for ourselves and others.

by Ed Abrahams and Pedro Pachano
Posted on August 17, 2019
News

Lawmakers assure Great Barrington officials: Local permits required to reintroduce horse racing at Fairgrounds

Town officials have said Sterling Suffolk Racecourse would need at least two special permits: One for commercial amusement and another for floodplain protection, and possibly a third for work in the town’s water quality protection overlay district.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on August 13, 2019
Arts & Entertainment

POEM: Ode to Horses

We remember

racing across plains of sagebrush, bluegrass, Utah juniper and mountain mahogany.

Tearing up foothill slopes, across plateaus blissfully empty of imperious humans…

by Joan Embree
Posted on August 12, 2019
News

Concerns aired about Suffolk Downs’ plans for horse racing at fairgrounds

Suffolk needs a change in state law to permit it to hold races in Great Barrington while at the same time allowing it to maintain its simulcasting and betting operations back in East Boston. Racing at the fairgrounds would also require permits from the town.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on July 23, 2019
Viewpoints

It’s Not That Simple: Where should solar power installations be sited?

This column is a companion to the WSBS radio call-in show, “It’s Not That Simple.” Every other Friday at 9:05 we will discuss and dissect issues that the citizens of Great Barrington are talking about. Click here to listen to a podcast of last week’s show. *     *     * Have you ever

by Ed Abrahams and Pedro Pachano
Posted on June 24, 2019
News

Downtown Great Barrington construction ‘moving along pretty swiftly’

The town expects to have the north side of Railroad Street “buttoned up,” including the installation of bases for decorative light poles, by the end of this week.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on May 21, 2019
News

Selectmen put the kibosh on plans for ‘mini Woodstock’ hot-air balloon festival at airport

In the end, it was simply too much to ask of the board, especially after receiving several emails from neighbors who complained loudly that allowing the event would be a “slippery slope” and that the neighborhood near the airport was too densely populated.

by Terry Cowgill
Posted on May 16, 2019
Obituaries

Kenneth Robert Heath Jr., 56, of Pittsfield

Kenneth was a member of the Tolland and Monterey fire departments, was in 4-H and Boy Scouts, and enjoyed fishing.

by Edge Staff
Posted on December 4, 2018
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • »
  • Contact Us
  • Who we are
  • Contributors
  • Advertise
News and Ideas Worth Sharing

Website by Web Publisher PRO © 2022 The Berkshire Edge, LLC. All rights reserved. Read our Terms of Use

✕

Support a lively and independent voice for the Berkshires.

Become an Edge Member and get:

  • > Continued Berkshire Edge coverage.
  • > Daily email updates of latest stories.
  • > Recognition on our Membership Page.*
Sign Up Now