There are several events this weekend to help you recharge from your week, including festivals, live music, and more.
Editor's Pick
The Big Chill
Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield
Time: 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The village will have a range of activities, including walking tours, ice harvesting talks, maple tree tapping demonstrations, crafts, farm animals, and more.
The event is part of the Pittsfield's Office of Cultural Development 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival, during which several organizations and businesses will hold events from Feb. 13 through 23.
All activities are included with the $15 admission ticket, free for members and children 12 and under. More information here.
Multiple Days
The 14th Annual 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival
Throughout Pittsfield
February 13 through 23
The 10x10 Festival returns with theater, music, visual arts, dance, outdoor activities, and more.
Highlights include the 10x10 New Play Festival at Barrington Stage Company, A Taste of Downtown by Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., a mural exhibition, a winter festival, and more.
This event is not this weekend but we thought it was worth the mention given next week is school break.
The museum is traveling to BCC for this offsite event which will give your kids the opportunity to learn about a range of topics from nature, animals, dinosaurs, and more.
Berkshire Pride is celebrating love, passion, and community this Valentine's Day with a party. The event features tunes by DJ BFG, drag performances, and a costume contest.
Tickets range from $20 to $50. More information here.
Children's Valentine's Day Dance
Berkshire Dream Center, Pittsfield
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Dress in your best party clothes and bring your family for an evening of dancing, karaoke, games, and sweet treats.
This free event is open to all children up to age 12; children under five must have an adult present.
Future Labs Gallery is partnering with Plant Connector to help visitors create glow-in-the-dark terrariums.
The event focuses on building community and strengthening bonds rather than romance. There is a suggested donation of $10 to $20 to help cover supplies. More information here.
Goodnight Moonshine
Studio 9, Porches, North Adams
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Railway Concerts hosts Goodnight Moonshine, the husband and wife duo of Eben Pariser and Molly Venter, with their signature and jazz and folk rhythms.
The city will close roads on Main Street until American Legion Drive, Holden, and Eagle from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to make room for its annual Winterfest.
The event will feature horse and carriage rides, an artisan craft fair, children's games, a chowder cook-off, and more.
There will be a waffle truck parked at Tube Town to help visitors fueling up for a day on the slopes or taking a break between adventures. More information here.
Apres-Ski
Ski Butternut, Great Barrington
Time: 2 p.m.
Spend some time skiing and then take a break to warm up by listening to cover songs by popular artists spun by DJ Pup Daddy via 45 RPM records. The event will take place at Channing's Upstairs Bar at the resort's Upper Lodge.
Aging in Community: Dancing our Joys and Challenges
Zion Lutheran Church, Pittsfield
Time: 11 to 12:30 p.m.
The church's Common Room will be taken over by Jacob's Pillow for a free dance and movement workshop about aging and community, led by artists Michael Richter and Liv Schaffer. More information here.
Paint Your Partner
Dottie's Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield
Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
Grab your partner and bring them to Dottie's for this super fun night where you paint a portrait of your partner with the help and guidance of local artist, Mike Carty. Tickets are $55 per couple.
The recovery center will have an open mic night to give people the chance to share their music, poetry, comedy and and more. More information here.
Sunday
The Jake Hescock Win the Day Foundation Fundraiser
The Stationery Factory, Dalton
Time: 1 to 8 p.m.
Dance while supporting the Jake Hescock Win the Day Foundation. The event features five bands and light appetizers.
The foundation aims to spread awareness about the importance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator training and encourages testing for cardiac anomalies in children in honor of the late Jake Adam Hescock.
Bring your gal pals and enjoy a mimosa bar, snacks, tunes, and vendor popups by some local women run businesses. More information here.
28th Annual Winter Lecture: Jacqueline van der Kloet
Lenox Middle High School
Time:
Jacqueline van der Kloet, the internationally acclaimed garden designer, author and one of Holland's best-known gardening authorities, will be the featured speaker at Berkshire Botanical Garden's 28th Annual Winter Lecture.
The lecture will include a talk on bulb basics, color combinations, seasonal care for bulbs, layering bulbs, growing bulbs on a larger scale, and integration for constant blooms in the garden. The event will include a book signing and a coffee and cookie reception.
The garden will decide by decide by Saturday morning regarding whether reschedule for the snow date, which is currently scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m.
There will be a performance by Tyler Ramsey, formerly of Band of Horses. His new album "New Lost Ages," produced by Phil Ek, features 10 songs that blend indie, rock, and folk.
The Sing for your Slumber series, which hosts free shows with artist donations encouraged, is supported by Bose.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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ServiceNet Hopes to Open Pittsfield Warming Center in Nov.
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A warming center is again planned in the First United Methodist Church for the cold months.
During last week's Homelessness Advisory Committee meeting, Erin Forbush, director of shelter and housing at ServiceNet, reported that they hope to begin operating the nighttime center in mid-November.
It would operate from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. in the church, which abuts The Pearl shelter. Forbush said the warming center would be the same program as in the past.
"Again it's a warming center, so there's no cots or beds, but it is certainly a place to come in, and we'll have a hot coffee or cocoa ready for folks," she explained.
"It will be a place to be inside and warm."
This year, ServiceNet hopes to secure full funding from the state so the warming center can open on Sundays at 5 p.m. In years past, they found that Sunday is the most challenging day for unhoused individuals because many community spaces aren't open.
The First Housing Resource Center, managed by Hearthway, opened earlier this year as a low-barrier option for people to rest and access amenities. It is open seven days a week, and Forbush said if people could come to the warming center on Sundays at 5, there would be a fuller day of coverage.
"It does still leave a little gap for Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, as spaces like the library close at five, but we know that Sundays were something that people were looking for," she said.
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