Lanesborough to Host a Winter Fest
LANEBOROUGH, Mass. — The town hopes to gather community members with a winter festival in early February.
The Select Board ended 2024 with a brief meeting on Monday. Town Administrator Gina Dario reported that the Community Development Committee is "very proud" to announce the 2025 winter festival on February 2 at the Skyline Antique and Event Center from noon to 3 p.m.
"This is an event that's sponsored by the Community Development Committee, also supported by the grant we received from the Massachusetts Cultural Council," she explained.
"There will be music, there will be entertainment, children's activities, outdoor activities."
Similar to last year's effort with the inaugural Lanesborough Day, the committee is looking to bring people together in the winter months but Dario cautioned "This is nowhere near the scale of Lanesborough Day."
"But I think it does sort of anchor both ends of the calendar year, if you will, with an event that gets people involved," she added.
A small crew of volunteers is needed for the festival at 405 South Main St., the former Skyline. There will be information posted on the town website and interested parties can contact the Community Development Committee.
Chairman Michael Murphy commended the panel and Dario for continuing to hold events for the community.
"Hopefully winter will be here by then," he said, as temperatures rose and the Christmastime snowstorm had melted by the end of the weekend.
In July, the inaugural Lanesborough Day celebrated the small town and offered a chance for residents to get together under the new pavilion. Bill Laston Memorial Park was filled with food, music and activities.
The Community Development Committee (formerly the Economic Development Committee) led the effort after the Select Board approved its rebrand earlier last year. Dario took inspiration from gatherings in nearby communities and those of Lanesborough's past.
The pavilion was funded through a $54,500 state grant from the state's Destination Development Capital Program and a total of $100,000 from free cash approved at two town meetings.
Dario also gave updates on two citizen's petitions approved at past annual town meetings: a 2024 petition to expand the Select Board from three to five members and a 2023 petition to require that all elected and appointed officials and town employees complete diversity, equity, and inclusion training, as well as sexual harassment training.
The petition to expand the Select Board is still working its way through the state Legislature. It is not clear if it will be resolved by the town's 2025 election.
"I have subsequently heard from the Attorney General's office that said that that actually isn't something that can be mandated if a bylaw. This is a matter for town policy only," Dario reported about the DEI training petition.
"So you cannot, aside from the Open Meeting Law and the conflict of interest training that is legislated, this is something that wouldn't be legislated in a bylaw. That probably would have been helpful to have known or had that context when it went to the warrant."
Dario and the board discussed ways to offer the training without mandating it and acknowledging staff or elected officials when they complete it. She is going to look at the offerings and put together a proposed approach for a subsequent meeting.
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