OLLI at BCC Announces Upcoming Distinguished Speakers Series Events

03:13PM / Wednesday, March 18, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College will host two presentations in its Distinguished Speakers Series on March 24 and March 26, featuring authors and scholars discussing the impact of electricity and the history of regional poverty.

Evolutionary Impact of Electricity

On Tuesday, March 24 at 4:00 p.m., author Steven Reed Nelson will present "How Electricity Is Affecting Human Evolution." Nelson, a graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Law School, argues that electricity functions as a "new fire" that enables modern human evolution beyond natural selection.

Nelson's research, informed by anthropological work in the Peruvian Andes and his career in electrical technologies, suggests that human actions in an electrified environment can override Darwinian states of nature. The talk will address how this transition relates to surviving existential threats such as climate change.

The event is free and open to the public. It will be held at BCC and streamed on Zoom.

History of Poverty in the Berkshires

On Thursday, March 26 at 5:30 p.m., Cynthia Farr Brown will present "Poor in the Berkshires: Poverty and Public Relief Before 1935." Brown, the president of the Board of Directors of the Berkshire County Historical Society, will use primary records to examine how the region supported or excluded those in need from the mid-18th century to the Great Depression.

Brown holds a doctorate in United States history and currently serves as Senior Associate Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. Her presentation will analyze legal and customary responses to food and housing insecurity during the settlement of the region.

Admission is $10 for OLLI members and the general public. Entry is free for students and staff from BCC, MCLA, and Williams, as well as youth under 17 and holders of EBT/SNAP, WIC, or ConnectorCare cards.

Registration Information

Pre-registration is required for both events. Interested participants can register through the OLLI at BCC website at berkshireolli.org.

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Allendale Pines North Affordable Manufactured Homes Sell Fast

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:17PM / Saturday, August 22, 2026

Developer Teton Management cut the ribbon on the first six hopes in the manufactured housing community earlier this year.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Just a few months after Allendale Pines North cut the ribbon on its first six homes in the new manufactured home community, units in the planned development are selling fast with both first and second phases all but sold out.

For several years, Teton Management Corp. has been planning to expand its existing Allendale Pines Mobile Community with the development of 22 planned manufactured housing units. The new development has its own entrance at 395 Cheshire Road.

The need for attainable housing has never been higher, Teton President George Whaling said.

"And where we sought the opportunity to help with that demand is, we can get folks into a home at Allendale Pines North for essentially a couple of $100 less than what it would cost for someone to rent a three-bedroom of the same quality," he said.

The corporation took over Allendale Pines, now referred to as Allendale Pines South, about 6 1/2 years ago, Whaling said.

Since then, the corporation has invested $1,000,001 in infrastructure improvements, including replacing all water and sewer lines, paving the community and installing the infrastructure needed for 10 additional units, he said.

Additionally, it has been working to clean up and improve the community, which was lacking during previous ownership, said Jason Nocher, owner of Nocher Realty, which has been hired to help sell the units.

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