Black heritage
STOCKBRIDGE — The founding meeting of the African American Heritage Educators Network will take place on Monday, April 12, at 4:30 p.m. in the library of Berkshire Country Day School.
Local educators will unite in an attempt to enhance the teaching of black history, literature and culture in area schools. The project is an affiliate of the African American Heritage Trail, an early initiative of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area.
Great Barrington resident Rachel Fletcher will present a report on the trail. Other items to be discussed are curriculum on local black history, in-service programs for teachers and school activities such as field trips, performances and lectures. The meeting is open to all educators and the public.
The trail is a regional effort to recognize African Americans of national and international prominence and to fully document the “invisible†local history of African Americans in Berkshire and Litchfield counties. It is a collaborative effort that includes scholars from Williams College, the Massachusetts College of Liberate Arts, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Berkshire Community College, Simon’s Rock College and Westchester Community College, as well as local historians, spiritual leaders and historical societies.
The group is planning an inventory of significant sites, people and events and exploring ways to make them more well-known. The educators network will help make such information available to schools, teachers and students. Information: Richard Courage, 528-2562 or racourage@hotmail.com, or Ellen Broderick, 637-4031.
Memorial lecture
STOCKBRIDGE — Chesterwood Museum and the Stockbridge Library Association will sponsor a lecture and book signing by architectural historian Christopher A. Thomas, author of “The Lincoln Memorial and American Life,†on Wednesday, April 14, at 7 p.m. at the library on Main Street. Refreshments will be served. The cost is $5.
Thomas, associate professor of history in art and department chairman at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, has published several articles and books relating to Canadian and American architecture. His recent book focuses on the history of the memorial and how it sparked public debate. Chesterwood is the former country home and studio of sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), best known for creating two great national symbols, the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln in the memorial and The Minute Man in Concord. The museum is open to the public daily, May 1 to Oct. 31.
The library association, founded in 1864, is a private library open to the public Monday to Friday from 9 to 5 p.m.; Saturday 9 to 4 and Monday and Friday evenings 7 to 9. French’s bronze working model of Abraham Lincoln (1910-11) for the Nebraska State Capitol, loaned by the Williams High School Alumni Association, is on exhibit in the Bement Room. The standing statue was completed several years before the memorial statue.
Composting workshop
STOCKBRIDGE – Berkshire Botanical Garden will offer “Composting for Gardening†on Saturday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to noon. Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at the intersection of Routes 102 and 183 in Stockbridge.
The discussion is designed to provide the what, how and why of composting food and yard waste to produce a homemade soil conditioner for gardens and lawns. Composting in the backyard can be a great way to discard household organic material that will eventually enhance the garden with rich nutrients.
Instructor Dicken Crane operates Holiday Farm in Dalton, a farm dedicated to preserving open space and providing homegrown products, from maple syrup to compost. He will demonstrate techniques for creating great compost and evaluate samples, and the group will observe an active compost pile.
The cost for the lecture and demonstration is $12 for members and $15 for non-members. Registration is required: 298-3926. Information about upcoming programs: www.berkshirebotanical.org .
Baseball tryouts
HINSDALE — Dan Duquette Sports Academy will sponsor an Amateur Athletic Union Baseball team for players 12 and younger, beginning on May 1.
The team will play a 28-game schedule, with home games at the academy on 101 Michaels Road. It will play other union teams throughout the state, including America's Past Time in Hudson, The Worcester Heat and the South Shore Seadogs from Hingham. The academy will provide transportation to the games for players.
Tryouts will take place Friday, April 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 10, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Rip City, at the Berkshire Eagle Clock Tower building in Pittsfield, and Friday, April 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the academy. Information: Thad Bzomowski at the Sports Academy 413 655 8077.
"AAU Baseball is designed to run in conjunction with organized Little League and Cal Ripken programs because they schedule their games in tournament formats on weekends," said Sports Academy Director Kent Qualls.
"We hope that this is one of many teams that we sponsor for local kids at the Sports Academy,†said owner Dan Duquette.
Grange event
STOCKBRIDGE — Jim Martin, retired police chief from Cummington, will speak at the Stockbridge Grange Hall on Friday, April 9 at 8 p.m. on “How to Prevent Identity Theft.â€
The presentation is free, open to the public and will last about a half-hour. A covered-dish, potluck supper will precede the meeting at 6:30. Information: 443-4352.
Grange dinner
Stockbridge — The Stockbridge Grange will host a roast pork dinner, family style, in its hall on Church Street from 1 to 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 18.
The public is welcome. The cost is $8 for adults, $4 for children under 12. Take-outs are available. Information: 298-3185.
Riverwalk workday
GREAT BARRINGTON — The Housatonic River Walk will celebrate Earth Day with its first volunteer workday of the season on Saturday, April 17, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The workday will mark the project's 17th year of clean-up and trail-making activities. This year, a special project will showcase a variety of restoration techniques and demonstrate new possibilities for severely abused locations along rivers. These will include a water-collection-and drip-irrigation system, applications of “compost tea,†containing microorganisms for healthy soil development, and planting with native species. New safety upgrades, as well as trailway and trail-entrance renovations, will take place.
Simon’s Rock College, Searles Middle School and others will participate in service-learning education programs. River Walk’s ongoing “Native Natives†program will train interns to propagate native plants from locally collected seeds, while volunteers will continue to remove invasive species and plant buffers of native willows, grasses and other flora.
River Walk has received grants of $10,000 from the Robbins-de Beaumont Foundation, $2,300 from the Lenox Garden Club, a $2,000 Stream Team Implementation Award from Massachusetts Riverways, $2,500 from the Katherine L. W. and Winthrop M. Crane III Charitable Trust, $500 from the Greater Berkshire Foundation Inc. of Berkshire Bank and donations from several local individuals, and businesses, including the Turkeybush Foundation, Windy Hill Farm, Clark and Green, Wheeler and Taylor and the Pittsfield Cooperative Bank.
Workday volunteers are asked to meet at the W.E.B. Du Bois River Garden by the Searles Middle School parking lot on River Street, near Bridge Street. Morning coffee and lunch will be provided. Volunteers can work on other days with landscapers Heather Cupo and Monica Fadding of Marconica. Telephone ahead to make arrangements. Special workdays with other schools and groups may also be arranged.
To date, more than 1,750 volunteers have worked over 15,500 hours to restore the riverbank to its native ecology and to produce a mile of public trail. The easement is managed by the Great Barrington Land Conservancy. Information: www.gbriverwalk.org , Rachel Fletcher, 528-3391, or e-mail river@gbriverwalk.org.
Packer talk
PITTSFIELD — Tina Packer, founder and president of Shakespeare & Company, will be the keynote speaker for this year’s Berkshire County Business Women’s Conference, ‘Women and Power,’ at the Country Club of Pittsfield on Friday, April 16, from 9 to noon.
Sponsored by the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, the conference will explore the manner in which today’s women assume and exert power and authority. In her address, Packer will discuss her ambivalence with the concept of power as she rose from the ranks of performer in England to become one of the leading experts on Shakespeare and theater arts.
Following the address, a panel of area business and civic leaders will lead a discussion outlining their attitudes and observations on women and the use of power. Panelists will include Ruth P. Blodgett, Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Kathryn Mickle and Susan Mongue.
Blodgett is the senior vice president of system planning and program development for Berkshire Health Systems in Pittsfield. Prior to assuming this position, she served as chief operating officer and senior vice president at Berkshire Medical Center and held various positions with Boston area hospitals. She serves on numerous community boards and committees including Berkshire United Way, Berkshire Community College, Hancock Shaker Village and the Colonial Theatre restoration project.
Farley-Bouvier, co-founder of WHEN (Women Helping Empower Neighborhoods), is a councilor-at-large for Pittsfield. Elected in 2003, she serves on the ordinance and rules, finance and public buildings subcommittees and is the liaison to the School Committee. Most recently she was the regional coordinator for the Young Adults with Learning disabilities project.
Mickle is founder and owner of New England Dynamark Security Center of Pittsfield, which provides security equipment and monitoring to area homes and businesses. She served on the national advisory board of the franchise before establishing an independent operation in 1977. She is secretary for the board of the Mass Systems Contractors Association. She is a past chairwoman of the board for the Central Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.
Mongue, senior management counselor for the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, will facilitate the discussion and networking sessions. The program is co-sponsored by the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Banknorth Massachusetts, Berkshire Bank, Hoosac Bank and Legacy Banks.
The cost of the workshop with continental breakfast is $40, and lunch will be provided at noon for an additional $12. Registrations can be made at 499-0933 or www.msbdc.org.
Checks should be made payable to the University of Massachusetts. Information: Susan Mongue or Nancy Bergmann, 499-0933.
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Governor Signs HERO Act
BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey signed the HERO Act, (An Act Honoring, Empowering, and Recognizing our Servicemembers and Veterans) that includes over 30 provisions that will impact hundreds of thousands of veterans in Massachusetts, including nearly 30,000 women veterans and thousands of LGBTQ+ veterans.
This legislation will increase benefits, modernize services and promote inclusivity for veterans in Massachusetts. Key provisions include expanding access to behavioral health treatment, increasing benefits for disabled veterans, supporting businesses that hire veterans, updating the definition of a veteran, expanding the Veterans Equality Review Board's scope, and codifying medical and dental benefits.
"This is our most comprehensive veterans' legislation in over 20 years, and it's the result of Massachusetts coming together to make veterans our priority," said Governor Healey. "From the start, our administration has been dedicated to revitalizing veterans' services in Massachusetts, ensuring that every hero receives the benefits, resources and support they deserve. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country – we can and will be the state where veterans and service members continue to lead and make all our freedom and success possible."
Unveiled last Veterans Day, the HERO Act marks the first time in 20 years that a Massachusetts Governor has introduced a comprehensive and expansive legislative package dedicated to the welfare of veterans. Since its filing, additional provisions were added by the Senate and House.
Benefit Expansion
Behavioral Health Treatment: Expands access to behavioral health treatment by allowing veterans to be reimbursed for visits to outpatient behavioral health providers.
Increases the Disabled Veteran Annuity: Increases the disabled veteran annuity from $2,000 to $2,500, phased in over two years, and will be one payment, annually, on August 1.
The game-winning rally started when Pittsfield junior Jack Abel led off by crushing a 1-1 pitch to left-center and racing all the way to third base, sliding in just ahead of the tag to give the Generals a sterling scoring opportunity. click for more
The Pittsfield baseball team Saturday rallied for five runs in the top of the sixth inning to break a 5-5 tie and went on to a 12-5 win over Clinton in the quarter-finals of the Division 4 State Tournament. click for more
In addition to the annual "Moment of Appreciation" school tradition when graduates each give a flower to a faculty member who impacted their life in a significant way, two seniors made appreciation for their parents a major theme of their remarks.
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Amanda Pou was named the most valuable player of the regional final after striking out four and walking none in a complete-game effort in the circle. She also ripped a two-run double in Pittsfield’s four-run fourth-inning rally to break open a scoreless game. click for more
