ProAdams announces 2025 Holiday Home Decorating Contest

ADAMS, Mass.—ProAdams has announced the details for the 2025 Holiday Home Decorating Contest.

All residents within the boundaries of the Town of Adams are eligible to participate. Entry registration is available online and must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. Once all registrations have been received, a map will be created and posted online Wednesday, Dec. 17.

The contest is for exterior decorations only, including decorations in windows that are visible from the exterior. Judging will be done from outside the residence only and from the street; community members are not to enter the property to view back or side yards.

Three prizes will be awarded: one 1st prize ($100 gift card to Bounti-Fare), one 2nd prize ($50 gift card to Bounti-Fare), and one 3rd prize ($25 gift card to Bounti-Fare). The Community Choice Award winner will also receive a $25 gift card to Bounti-Fare.

The community is encouraged to drive around to view all the entries and cast a vote using the online voting form. Judging will be done from 5-8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 19-Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. The online form will be open until 8 p.m. on December 21 for community members to cast their votes. A judging panel consisting of ProAdams board members will choose 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. The community will choose the Community Choice winner.

Holiday Home Decorating participants should ensure that all lights, animations, and decorations are in place and activated for the judging periods on all three nights.

Entry is free; there are no costs or fees to apply to participate. ProAdams encourages residents to be creative, festive, fun, and safe this holiday season.

Visit https://forms.gle/4kqPqu1a9wd9cck98 to sign up. Learn more about this event and others on the ProAdams website: ExploreAdams.com.

From Empty Storefronts to New Opportunities, Park Street Eyes a Comeback

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:07AM / Tuesday, August 25, 2026

The latest Park Street sale is the 1890 Carlow building, a Queen Ann flatiron, purchased this past spring. The former owners ran Coffee Liberation Front until retiring. 

ADAMS, Mass. — For several years, Park Street has seen a steady stream of businesses open their doors, only to close again after brief operations. Now, some are hopeful of a new beginning, with new businesses bringing fresh energy to the area.

 

Some residents can remember a time when people walked the streets of downtown Adams to shop or eat, whether it was getting your photo taken at Smith Studio, shopping at Schiff Clothing or Groves & Co. Women Apparel, or having lunch or ice cream at The Crest. 

 

Over time, storefronts closed, and the once-bustling street grew quieter, with fewer people on the sidewalks and parking spaces sitting empty.

 

Adams is a very walkable town, said Glen Diehl, who sits on ProAdams Board of Directors.  

 

Diehl highlighted ProAdams' destinations map that sits at the corner of Park Street and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. 

 

The town needs restaurants and businesses he said, and as more move in the nonprofit will update the map. 

 

Small-town retail corridors face challenges from the shift to online shopping and the high cost of renovating historic buildings to meet modern codes, real estate agent Jeffrey Loholdt of Engel and Volkers Wellesley.