The Colonial Theatre Donates 1900 lbs. of Non-Perishable Food

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. – The Colonial Theatre donated 1900 lbs. of food to Berkshire Community Action Council, Inc. in the month of December. The non-perishable food items were collected on December 3 at a showing of the film A Christmas Story and on December 17 at a showing of the film, sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, of It’s a Wonderful Life. Over 650 people attended the screenings, which by donating, were free of charge.

“Hundreds of people came for the showing of these two very different holiday films. For many it was their first time inside the Colonial. Every soul went home lighter afterward and every heart was glad to have come together as a community during difficult times and give back in some small way. On the evening of It’s a Wonderful Life, the parallels between the film story and the real-life event at the Colonial were stunning. It was a perfect event at our community theater,” said Colonial Executive Director David Fleming.

Community Action Agencies are private, non-profit human service and advocacy organizations that were established by Congress and the President over 30 years ago to fight poverty by opening the doors to self-sufficiency.
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Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

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. 

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