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Weekend Outlook: Fireworks and Mindful Walks

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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There are several events this weekend to help you recharge from your week, including festivals, fireworks, winter activities, and more. 
 
Editor's Pick 
 
Fireworks
The Common, Pittsfield
Time: Saturday 6 p.m.
 
Fireworks will mark the end of the annual 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival.
 
The viewing area is in the parking lot on First Street between Eagle and Fenn Street. No spectators will be permitted inside the Common during the show.
 
More information here. 
 
Multiple Days
 
The 14th Annual 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival
Throughout Pittsfield
Feb. 13 through 23
 
The 10x10 Festival will conclude this weekend. The festival features 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. More information here.
 
Music for Weekend
Knox Trail Inn, East Otis
 
The historic inn serves music Friday through Sunday in the pub. Nate Martel plays Friday from 6 to 9; Even It Up plays classic hits on Saturday starting at 8; and the Hilltown Blues Jam performs Sunday at 2 p.m. No cover. 
 
More information here.
 
The Bulb Show 
Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge
Feb. 21 to approximately March 23
 
The garden's celebration of beauty, renewal, and the magic of nature's rhythm is back. The Fitzpatrick Conservatory will be open daily between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.. 
 
The show features hundreds of flowering bulbs, including classic favorites like tulips, daffodils, and grape hyacinths, as well as lesser-known varieties. 
 
More information here. 
 
'Dreamscapes' Journey Into Nature
Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge
Feb. 7 through 23 - Tuesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
 
Berkshire Botanical Garden is showcasing work by artists with the Guild of Berkshire Artists.
 
While making their pieces, artists explored the concept of what nature means to them. This galley is the result. 
 
The gallery will be on view in the Leonhardt Galleries until Feb. 23. More information here. 
 
Friday 
 
WinterFest
Clapp Park, Pittsfield 
Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
 
Last week, the city's Winter Festival was postponed because of last weekend's storm, but will take place this Friday. 
 
The event will feature cardboard sled races, a snow sculpture building contest, snowshoeing, a winter senses safari, and more. 
 
Before, after, or between these activities, warm up by the campfire with hot chocolate and s'mores which will also be provided. 
 
More information here. 
 
Karaoke
VFW Post 996, North Adams
Time: 9 p.m. 
 
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 996 is opening its doors to provide visitors the opportunity to sing. More information here. 
 
Standup Comedy 
Bounti-Fare, Adams 
Time: 8 p.m. 
 
There will be a stand-up performance hosted by Charlie Nadler, featuring headliner Doug Smith and an act by Michael Agunbiade. 
 
Tickets are $15. More information here. 
 
 
Saturday
 
Curator Tour
Mass MoCA, North Adams 
Time: 10 a.m. 
 
Williams College graduate student and curatorial fellow Riley Yuen will be giving a members-only tour of their exhibition "Dirty & Disorderly: Contemporary Artists on Disgust," which features works by Anna Ting Möller, Nguyen Duy Manh, and New Red Order.
 
According to the museum's website, the artworks made from ceramics, kombucha scoby, and photogrammetry pick at the sutures of society and uncover how responses of disgust can be (re)programmed.
 
More information here. 
 
Top of the Mountain BBQ Fundraiser
Bousquet, Pittsfield 
Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
 
Join Bousquet for a BBQ fundraiser at the resort's summit. Enjoy BBQ while meeting the ski patrol and taking in the view. More information here. 
 
 
No Sew Blankets
All Saints Berkshires Episcopal Church, North Adams 
Time: 1 to 3 p.m. 
 
The church's Outreach Committee is inviting community members to help them sew blankets in their community room for those in need. More information here. 
 
Winter-Tree Paint Along 
Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield 
Time: 2 p.m. 
 
Artists ages 6 to 12 are invited to the library for a guided art session. Library Staff will guide participants through the steps of creating a 3D winter tree scene. The library requests that participants arrive within the first thirty minutes of the event.
 
More information here. 
 
Freedom Moves: Embodying the Legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois
First Congregational Church, Great Barrington
Time: 2 to 5 p.m. 
 
Jacob's Pillow is hosting a free workshop that celebrates the legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois through movement and storytelling. 
 
It will be led by dance artists Gesel Mason and Roxanne Young, along with "scholartist" Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin. 
 
Participants will explore themes such as freedom, civil rights, progressive education, economic justice, and racial equality. More information here. 
 
Mountain Mindfulness: Winter Wonderland Walk
Mount Greylock Visitor Center, Lanesborough
Time: 1 p.m. 
 
Suzy Conroy will lead a mindful walk at Mount Greylock that blends forest bathing, meditation, and mindful breathing with the aim of connecting visitors to nature. 
 
More information here. 
 
Glow Forest: Closing Reception and Dance Party 
Future Labs Gallery, North Adams
Time: 7 to 10 p.m. 
 
There will be a closing reception and dance party to mark the end of Future Labs Gallery's exhibit "Glow Forest," which features glowing trees, surreal landscapes, and bioluminescent creatures. Dress in neon or white to blend into the installation.
 
The Glow Party starts at 8:30 p.m. with live music, including Abigail Dustin's electronic debut and a DJ DFX drum and bass set. 
 
The event is free, with a suggested donation of $10 to $20 for the dance party. Drinks and snacks will be provided. More information here. 
 
Family Friendly Outdoor Adventures
Mount Greylock State Reservation
Time: 12:30 to 3 p.m. 
 
There will be a variety of winter activities including snow tubing, snowman making, mindful walks, winter wildlife tracking, hot chocolate, and a warm fire in the fireplace. 
 
Space is limited on mindful walks, geocaching 101 and winter wildlife tracking programs so call the visitor center to register in advance at 413)-499-4262.
 
More information here. 
 
Sunday 
 
Galentines Celebration
Lanesborough Local Country Store
Time: 1 to 3 p.m. 
 
Bring your gal pals and enjoy a mimosa bar, snacks, tunes, and vendor popups by some local women-run businesses. More information here. 
 
Public Skate
Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires, Pittsfield
Time: 3 p.m. 
 
Skate at the club's ice skating rink. Tickets are cash only and cost $5 for members and $10 for non-members and adults
 
Skate rentals are free. Space is limited. More information here. 
 
Breaking Out of the Midwinter Blues: Artstravaganza
Living In Recovery, Pittsfield 
Time: 6 p.m.
 
Raise your energy by looking at art from a variety of mediums including visual art, performance art, and culinary arts. This event is free and open to the public. More information here.

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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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