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'MA250' Historical Re-enactment Will Pass Through Berkshire County

MA250 Director Sheila Green says the Knox Trail will include 33 communities across the state, including Great Barrington.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Communities are urged to participate as the state marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution over the next year. 

On Friday, state Sen. Paul Mark hosted an information session about MA250, Massachusetts' commemoration of the battles across the state that led to America's independence. Events run until next summer, and $3.5 million in grants has been dispersed for the effort — 14 of the 96 grants going to Berkshire County. 

"It's been a really interesting assignment to have for the last three years as we've gone through the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill, and now it's a really great moment for us here in Western Massachusetts," said Mark, who is co-chair of the special commission on the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution. 

"We are about to hit the 250th anniversary of the Knox Trail." 

The Henry Knox Trail is a network of roads and paths along Col. Henry Knox's route that brought weaponry from Fort Ticonderoga in New York State to the Continental Army camps outside of Boston.  

With funding from MA250, the Henry Knox Noble Train of Artillery re-enactment will kick off in January, passing through Great Barrington, Springfield, Worcester, Framingham, Cambridge, Roxbury, and culminating in Boston on Evacuation Day, March 17. This is when British forces left the city in 1776. 

"This event will take place with 33 cities and towns across the commonwealth to re-enact this great event that took place when General Washington asked bookstore owner Henry Knox, who traveled to Fort Ticonderoga, N.Y., to bring 51 cannons in the middle of the winter weighing over 1,000 pounds each, to Boston to fortify Boston's Harbor," MA250 Director Sheila Green said. 

"The journey is an incredible show of fortitude and might, and will be re-enacted with stops in seven cities." 

Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:35AM / Saturday, June 13, 2026

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.