Common Ground Festival in Pittsfield

07:55AM / Wednesday, July 03, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mill Town Foundation announces the inaugural Common Ground Festival that will take place on Saturday, July 6 between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at the Pittsfield Common at 100 First Street.

Sponsored and programmed by Mill Town Foundation, this free event welcomes all ages and includes live performances, family-friendly activities, and food vendors from Berkshire County.

Live performances will be presented by Kripalu, Barrington Stage Company, Tanglewood, Clara Guatta, Quarteto de Samba, The Funky Dawgz Brass Band, along with a dance circle led by Andres Ramirez and the Funk Box Dance Studio. Over 40 vendors and presenting organizations will be on site leading free interactive activities including bounce houses, artmaking, photo booths, and more. Food trucks will be provided by BB's Hot Spot, Charlie's Bistro Bus, Cravin's Ice Cream, along with a Hot Plate Brewing Co. beer garden.

A rain date for Common Ground Festival is scheduled for the same timeframe on Sunday, July 7. Follow @milltownfoundation on social media and visit www.milltownfoundation.org for more information and updates.

Additional support for Common Ground Festival is generously provided by the Feigenbaum Foundation, Unistress, and the City of Pittsfield.

Schedule:

Saturday, July 6

3pm – Yoga presented by Kripalu

4pm – Barrington Stage Company presents KidsAct!, Celebration of Black Voices, and Musical Theatre Conservatory

4:45pm – Clara Guatta, live concert

5:15pm – Quarteto de Samba, live concert

6pm – Tanglewood in the City, screened Boston Symphony Orchestra concert

7pm – Community Dance Circle with the Funk Box Dance Studio

7:45pm – Headline concert by The Funky Dawgz Brass Band

Featured Free Activities:

Artmaking

Face Painting

Balloon Twisters

Bicycle Village with mini-bike races and demos

Photo Booth

Bounce Houses

Mini Soccer Games

Vendors:

413 Cycling

Andrew the Balloonatic

Asia Luna

BB's Hot Spot

BeatNest

Berkshire Art Center

Berkshire Bike & Board

Berkshire Bike Path

Berkshire Community Diaper Project

Berkshire County Youth Soccer League

Berkshire Humane Society

Berkshire Mountain Bike Training Series

Berkshire Museum

Berkshire Pulse

Berkshire Theatre Group

Bomb Shack Vintage

Charlie's Bistro Bus

Choices Mentoring Initiative

Clementine's Vintage

Cravin's Ice Cream

Downtown Pittsfield Inc.

EforAll Berkshires

Elizabeth Freeman Center

Facepainting with Barbara Arpante

Happy Trails Guiding

Heart & Soil Collective

Jacob's Pillow

Katunemo Art & Healing

Kripalu

Latinas413

MASS MoCA

Mill Town Foundation

Norman Rockwell Museum

Pittsfield Community Design Center

Roots Rising

Shaker Ridge Trails

Shire Shredders

United Soccer Group

Valerie Fanarjian, Handmade Jewelry

Volunteers in Medicine

Wander Berkshires

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

Best Tool for Your Home..

Click to learn more about our 12-month intro rate Home Equity Line of Credit! Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Wahconah Students Join Statewide 'SOS' Call for Rural School Funding

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:10AM / Wednesday, March 18, 2026

DALTON, Mass. — Students at Wahconah Regional High School are urging the state to fully fund Rural School Aid that supports essential services that shape their future.

Rural districts across the state participated in Rural and Declining Enrollment Schools Week of Action to insist Beacon Hill fully fund rural aid at $60 million.

Schools across Massachusetts sent their pleas for aid to lawmakers through letter-writing campaigns, sign-making, and coordinated gatherings where students and educators formed the letters "SOS."

Wahconah students did something different — they created an educational video detailing the need for increased funding for rural schools with the school's music teacher Brian Rabuse, who edited the video, Assistant Superintendent Aaron Robb said.

The advocacy efforts move the issue from spreadsheets to show the human cost of a funding formula previously described as "remarkably wrong."

During an interview with iBerkshires, students expressed how districts without rural aid would have to make reductions in world language programing, mental health support, extracurricular opportunities, and other areas they find essential.

"Our students deserve the same quality of education as any child in Massachusetts, regardless of their ZIP code," Superintendent Mike Henault said in apress release.

"The week of action is an opportunity for our communities to come together and make it clear to Beacon Hill that the status quo is no longer acceptable."

Rural schools attempt to create the same quality education as urban and suburban areas while balancing high fixed costs of transportation and operations of geographically large, low-population districts.

View Full Story