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Dalton Green Committee Selects Climate Action Logo

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — The Green Committee voted to select Ashlyn Roch's submission for its Climate Action Plan logo during its November meeting.
 
The town's CAP consultant Blue Strike, will have its graphic designer covert the drawing into a usable logo for the town. 
 
The committee is developing a climate action plan with Blue Strike to achieve net-zero by 2050 by seeking strategies to decrease the town's dependence on fossil fuels for homes, businesses, municipal facilities, and vehicles. 
 
It received 24 logo submissions from Wahconah Regional High School students. 
 
"The response was phenomenal," committee member Laurie Martinelli said. 
 
Blue Strike had its graphic designer narrow the submission down to the three most compatible options that can be turned into a logo. 
 
"Everything that we got, the vast majority of them were interesting. It's really what the designer is saying [will make the best commercial logo]. It's not the best art," committee member Todd Logan said. 
 
The graphic designer said they preferred Roch's submission because it is simple and appealing to various groups. 
 
"It has clear elements organized in a circular layout, which are also unique to the town of Dalton. This concept would be a strong start for developing this logo," the designer said. 
 
Committee members also pointed out how Roch's logo showcased Town Hall and incorporated the environmental element with the leaf growing from the bottom of the building. 
 
"It reminds you of Dalton. You got the steeple with the clock. I mean, that's very recognizable," Martinelli said. 
 
Committee member Antonio Pagliarulo agreed, adding that it was simple and direct. 
 
"I'm assuming that's a leaf in the foreground [which] will be colorized. It kind of is a very loud green statement. For me, as a guy who does a lot of commercial advertising, I think it's the cleanest in terms of how to turn it into the logo," Logan said. 
 
"I think it'll present really well as a clean logo. And here's the key: it'll be highly scalable. So, in other words, you could make that really small, and people will still get the gist of what it is. So that's that's my personal reason." 
 
Grace Radzick's submission was selected as the runner-up because "it is even more simplified and would make a solid logo."
 
"The design is strong and would cater to the masses and be recognizable to people who are not from the area. The sunshine and the mountains are a more general logo design," the designer said. 
 
Martinelli also highlighted how she liked that the logo incorporated the text "Green Dalton Committee" in it. 
 
"I like it that she recognized the committee. In fact, I wish we could have that one on the first one," she said. 
 
Board members, however, decided not to choose the logo because the mountains showcased did not reflect the gentle slopes the area's mountains are known for; rather, it had snowy peaks. 
 
The board also liked Ella Reardon's submission because of the "exceptional artwork" but felt it was too complex to be converted into a logo. 
 
Committee member Thomas Irwin said he would like her certificate to recognize the artwork as "exceptional." 
 
The designer highlighted the keyhole shape, which is uncommon, unexpected, and clever for a CAP project. 
 
"The plants look great and the white rabbit is cool as long as the rabbit concept has local relevance. This bolder design would be my choice for further development," the designer said. 
 
Irwin said the 20 people he solicited input from preferred Roch's submission and Radzick's for the runner-up. 
 
However, many people, an excess of 10, felt that Reardon's logo had exceptional artwork and said it would be a privilege to have it somewhere on the webpage, he said. 
 
As long as the students are credited, Pagliarulo said he does not see an issue with utilizing the logos at some point in the future. 
 
"I think it's special, especially at this point in their lives, to have them feel energized by being selected, at least to some level, it's something they can put on their applications to college and so forth. And I think that's all excellent," Irwin said.  

Tags: green committee,   logos,   

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Texas-Style Barbecue Opens for Lunch, Takeout in Downtown Pittsfield

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — FireKing BBQ is making it easier to find its smoked ribs — they're in the Clocktower Building in downtown Pittsfield.

Owner Ethan Sumner has been operating as a catering service for more than a decade, with a mobile smoker for his award-winning barbecue.

"We specialize in low and slow cooking as well as grilling over charcoal and hardwoods," he said. "We love using cherry wood, apple wood, and a little kiss of hickory wood in all of our cooking. Most of our cooking, I should say. And we don't use any propane. I'm a purist in that sense. I love cooking over open flame and hot coals."

He works alongside Robear Robespierre, who helps with Sumner's sales and distribution.

Sumner said he spends hours cooking his meat, like his baby back ribs that won him first place in the 2019 Grillsdale competition in New York State. It takes him about six hours, two of them smoking at 250 degrees, to cook the ribs.

He said he wanted a space to be able to keep up with demand. Business dropped off every winter because people think of barbecue as outdoor food, and while he will cook outside even in negative temperatures, an indoor space lets him serve year-round, including football season and the Super Bowl.

He is now located at 75 South Church St. and he is no stranger to the building. Sumner had run the publication Berkshire's Best: Buys, Business, and Beyond out of the building so he knew its possibilities.

"It's funny how I've come full circle here back into the building. So I've always kind of seen this space. But I was never into culinary then. I was into publishing. So this is 13 years in the making, and I had my paper for 13 years, which again, is coincidental," he said. "So I just really like this space. It's modern. It's nice. It's clean, and that's how my food is. It's clean. It's fresh, and it's local, just like me." 

Sumner is originally from New York City and made his way to Great Barrington with his family. One of the inspirations behind his business was his father, who loved to grill outside.

"Even when we lived in New York City, he would go on the terrace of our 36-story apartment building on the third floor there was a terrace, and he would always cook on a Weber charcoal grill with charcoal, and I always was fascinated by that. And he always loved cooking outside, and he loved cooking over charcoal. And he would always make this mustard and tea leaf steak," he said. "That was a standout. It was a family favorite of ours and I could always taste the difference between something that was cooked [with charcoal]. Even when I was 7 years old I could, I always craved that certain taste that you could only get from charcoal." 

He wants customers to know he cares about his food and its quality, making sure he gets the best ingredients for his dishes.

"I want them to know that. I'm a barbecue guy, but I also offer so much more. I consider myself somebody who loves cooking over open flame, smoking meats, but I also love using fresh ingredients to create deli sandwiches and fresh salads," Sumner said. "So I want people to associate FireKing with quality. I also want to point out that I get a lot of my meat from Mazzeo's meat market. So I don't sacrifice quality, which I think is half the battle in doing what I do is getting quality meats and produce."

He hopes customer will find the eatery a comfortable atmosphere to enjoy their lunch and hangout, or grab a sandwich and go. 

"They could grab a pulled pork sandwich in about a minute and a half flat and be out of here if they want to. So there's no pressure," he said. "I love the community. I love talking to people here. Everyone in this community has been super kind and gracious, and I appreciate them. And I want to give back what they've given me."

He also plans to have DoorDash and barbecue pickup packages for families, and to have vacuum-sealed, pre-cooked smoked ribs with reheating instructions, also available for local pickup.

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