BCC to Celebrate 65 Years

10:52AM / Tuesday, July 29, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) invites all for a free Community Fest 2025, celebrating the College's 65th anniversary, on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The celebration will take place on BCC's main campus, located at 1350 West Street, Pittsfield. Community Fest honors BCC's accomplishments over the years, from new academic buildings and programs to an accessible quad and a new One Stop Enrollment Center.

Community Fest includes Build a Bear workshops (the first 200 children can build a free BCC Falcon stuffed animal), a "touch a truck" activity, face painting, arts and crafts, a community bake-off and tarot readings. Plus, visitors can join guided hikes of BCC's 180-acre campus, partake in athletic competitions at the updated Paterson Field House and take a dip in the only public outdoor pool in Berkshire County.

Local food trucks, including La Chalupa and La Enchilada, Krispy Cone, BB's Hot Spot and KJ Nosh, will offer delicious food for sale, while Balderdash Wine Cellars, Hot Plate Brewery, and Big Elm Brewery will sell local brews and wines.

Additional activities include:

Guided tours of the newly reimagined campus
Talks with student and alumni artists in the new Koussevitzky Arts Gallery
An opportunity to record yourself in the new Recording Studio
An archival display from the new BCC Library, featuring historical photographs and documents of the College over the years.
Tours of the new nursing SIM lab and A&P lab
Hands-on science experiments in the new Berkshire Science Commons
Kid-friendly educational opportunities in the new Early Childhood Education lab

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Hinsdale Considers Switching Dispatch Centers Amid Response Time Concerns

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:12AM / Monday, August 24, 2026

HINSDALE, Mass. — The town has experienced longer emergency response times since the Dalton Police Department suspended its mutual aid agreement with Hinsdale. Now, Hinsdale is considering suspending its use of Dalton's Communication Center.

During the Hinsdale Select Board meeting on Aug. 12, board member Margaret Gregory raised concerns about the department's response times, recounting an incident the previous Sunday when she called police at about 9:51 p.m. but did not see a state trooper arrive until approximately 10:45 p.m.

"We're here to protect the town and make sure we're getting the aid that we need. That did not happen," she said in a follow-up with the media.

Now word has gotten to Dalton that Hinsdale's department has requested to withdraw from the Dalton Communication Center and use the Berkshire Regional Emergency Communications Center instead.

Dalton Town Manager Eric Anderson informed Dalton's Select Board that he heard indirectly from the state's communications center of Hinsdale's request and that there will be a meeting with the E911 system and all parties sometime later in September.

In order for Hinsdale to switch to the state call center, the town would have to obtain funding to ensure the town's equipment works with the state's.

During Hinsdale's August meeting, Gregory told Peru Police Chief Bruce Cullett that she is concerned with how Dalton's dispatch is relaying information to the state, citing that calls from multiple people about shots fired shouldn't be an hour wait.

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