Pittsfield Parks Commission OKs 'Shop & Shred,' Other Summer Events
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Parks Commission on Tuesday approved a variety of summer events in the city, from a shopping event at the skate park to resource sharing.
Bomb Shack Vintage's second annual "Shop & Shred" event will kick off at noon on Sunday, July 26, and run until 5 p.m. at the Pittsfield Skate Plaza on Appleton Avenue.
"Basically, it's a fun-filled day at the skate park with a shopping experience. We're gonna have vintage clothing vendors and other types of vintage stuff going on there. We'll have art vendors, so local people doing art, live art, painting jackets. There'll be like airbrushing going on and stuff like that at a couple vendors," said Jake Seeley, professional BMX bike rider and owner of Bomb Shack on North Street.
"And then we also, who made the flyer, will have a guy there doing prints. So there'll be a couple artists there selling prints, and that's kind of going to cover the shopping experience. There will be people in and out."
At the all-ages event, there will also be a free skate, food vendors, and three musical performances, including one by the well-known local band Goblet, and a DJ. The bands will perform on a platform on top of the bowl area.
Food trucks will include Angry Burrito and The Spot, and there will be around 15 vendors from Massachusetts and surrounding states.
Using Community Development Block Grant funds, Pittsfield improved the sidewalk on the eastern side of Appleton Avenue, and in front of the skate park, parking was added where a strip of grass previously was.
This means that nobody will have to cross the road during the event.
"What we were finding was that cars were parking in front of the skate park. They were jumping over the curb. We could never grow grass there. It was always beat down," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained.
"So what we decided to do was pull out the curb, pull out the green soil space, and we just ran the asphalt curb toward the sidewalk so that we now have, I don't know, you could probably fit four or five cars there now."
He pointed out that a similar event was held last year, and that these events have been without issues, whether they were held by Bomb Shack or The Garden skate shop, which closed last year.
"These guys really sort of run a tight ship," McGrath said.
Seeley agreed that he wants to have a good reputation and ensure these events are legit and professional.
"We have an awesome community through like The Garden who transfer now more towards my shop now that The Garden's gone and I've been with them for almost like 20 years prior," he said.
"We built such a big community of people, and I'm a very good judge of character, and our events are very fun."
The commission also approved a "Westside Sharing Resources" event at Durant Park on August 8 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. There will be tables with information about agencies that can help support a better quality of life.
Britney Danials, senior planner with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, which partners with the Westside Legends, said it is designed to be a two-way conversation: "So to actually also hear from the community of what are their concerns, what are their needs, and just basically how the various partners that work in that community can help uplift the residents."
There will also be a food vendor cooking hot dogs and possibly popcorn.
The commission also OK'd the Pittsfield Police Department's National Night Out at The Common on Aug.11 from 5 to 7 p.m., and a "Sunset Market" at Pontoosuc Lake Park held by real estate agent Laiken Rapisarda on Aug. 13 from 6 to 9 p.m.
