We are already more than a week into the new year! Unwind with local events this weekend including bingo, nature activities, dance parties, and more.
Editor's Pick
Officer Michael J. Silver Memorial Game
Berkshire School, Sheffield
Time: Saturday, Jan. 11, noon
Berkshire County law enforcement hockey team will take on Boston Bruins alumni in the fundraiser to benefit the Silver family, a mental health and wellness initiative for local law enforcement and the Warrior For Life Program. Silver was a Pittsfield Police officer who died unexpectedly in October 2024 at the age of 42, leaving a wife and three children.
The center invites the trans and non-binary community to paint, draw, and sketch with them. More information here.
Rees Shad & Meghan Cary
Studio 9, North Adams
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Singer-songwriters Rees Shad and Meghan Cary will perform solo sets followed by a collaborative performance in the studio on the grounds of Porches Inn, 18 Veazie St.
Heat up the dance floor with some Latin moves. There will be an intro to Latin dance class at 6:30 p.m. followed by a salsa class at 7.
The night concludes with a social dance party starting at 8 featuring merengue, salsa, bachata, and more.
The classes are $15 per person. More information here.
Parent's Night Out
Citizens' Hall, Stockbridge
Time: 6 p.m.
Adults will make art while children ages 3 and older attend a separate class. Each session will be led by different faculty artists, linked by a central theme. The event is free, and pizza will be provided. More information here.
Screening of Kiki's Delivery Service
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington
Time: 7 p.m.
The theater will be showing the 1989 animated Studio Ghibli film "Kiki's Delivery Service."
The film follows a witch-in-training who leaves home to find her role serving a new city with her gifts.
There will be a dance party in the factory's North Room featuring drinks and tunes mixed by DJ BFG. Tickets are $11.63. More information here.
Saturday
Greylock Photography Group Meet-Up: White Birches in Winter
Mount Greylock Gould Trailhead, Adams
Time: 1 p.m.
Mount Greylock State Reservation will host a free photography group meetup during which nature enthusiasts can walk along the trails at Gould Trail, which features birch tree groves and views up to the summit.
There will be immersive audiovisual performances featuring electronic musicians from Massachusetts and Upstate New York, presented in collaboration with the New England Synth Fest.
The program focuses on tracking wild cats and dogs by examining their footprints and signs. Participants will explore how these long-legged creatures move across the landscape.
Attendees should dress for the weather, and traction spikes or snowshoes may be available to borrow.
Participation costs $20 for adult members and $25 for adult nonmembers. More information here.
Sober Sweaty Dance Party
Wander Berkshires, Pittsfield
Time: 8 p.m.
There will be a sober dance party featuring live music by DJ Bengey and a substance-free and full-of-life atmosphere.
Tickets are $10, but no one is turned away because of lack of funds. More information here.
Ghost Tours
Ventfort Hall, Lenox
Time: 8 to 10 p.m.
There will be a ghost tour with "Ghosts of the Berkshires" author Robert Oakes.
Oakes will lead guests through the rooms and halls of the estate, sharing tales of its hauntings.
Admission is $30, and the minimum age to attend is 12. Reservations are required. Purchase tickets here.
Sunday
Cabin Fever Story Time
Mount Greylock State Reservation Visitor Center, Lanesborough
Time: 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Relax by a hearth fire for an hour as Park Interpreter and folklore fan Mike tells stories of the mountain's past, including legendary fisherman Dave Lilly, the Boys of Bob's Hill, Snowshoe Hare and the Mysterious Spirit Woman, and many more.
The free event will include complimentary hot chocolate will be provided. More information here.
Boreal Forest and Waterfall Snowshoe
Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center, Savoy
Time: 1 p.m.
The center's director and naturalist, Aimee Gelinas, will be leading a trek on the center's conserved land, which will feature a new round-trip trail, bridge, and cascading waterfall.
In addition, there will be boreal/northern forest tree identification, wildlife tracking, and forest ecology.
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Governor Healey Announces $2M Boost for Pittsfield Tech Hub
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Governor Maura Healey visited the Berkshire Innovation Center on Wednesday to see where millions in state funding will help build a tech hub for advanced optics.
On the same day, her administration announced a $2 million award to the BIC for its upcoming Advanced Manufacturing for Advanced Optics Lab. This is on top of $5 million from the MA Tech Hub designation and a total of $1 million from the city’s economic development funds.
"This is so inspiring to be at this site to look out at what was and to see how it's coming back to life in a new and even better form," Healey said, looking over at the former "moonscape" surface of Site 9 that is now greened over, a $10 million effort.
"…One thing that we've leaned into as an administration is innovation. It's been core to who we are."
An 8,000-square-foot addition is planned for the BIC to welcome a new company, Myrias Optics Inc. Myrias, a meta-optics producer, has a partnership with BIC tenant Electro Magnetic Applications for testing and simulation services, and the two companies will be able to work side by side once the expansion is complete.
Project funding has been closed with this award, and shovels will be in the ground in the fall. Myrias will bring up to 55 employees to Pittsfield with an average salary of $110,000.
Patrick Larkin, founder and director of the Innovation Institute, the economic development division of the MassTech Collaborative, said this was only possible through the Tech Hub program that has "really catalyzed communities."
"This region has captured advanced optics. It’s where they want to build an economy," he reported.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced a $2 million award to the BIC for its upcoming Advanced Manufacturing for Advanced Optics Lab. This is on top of $5 million from the MA Tech Hub designation and a total of $1 million from the city’s economic development funds.
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Last week, families, attorneys, social workers, and agency staff gathered at the 18 Degrees Family Resource Center to honor four families who overcame obstacles, such as addiction, successfully navigated the system, and were ultimately reunited with their children. click for more
The Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires provides programs and services that support children throughout the year, including EEC licensed childcare, afterschool programs, summer camp, academic support, sports and recreation, swimming, arts and enrichment activities, leadership development, wellness... click for more
Just five months after opening, The First has already become a community hub for individuals in need of resources or a place to decompress.
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The Licensing Board voted to suspend Bei Tempi's liquor license for five days, determining that it was "more likely than not" that the bar served at least one underage patron alcohol.
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