St. Stanislaus School benefit, 9 to 4 in Kolbe Hall, Adams. Bake sale, snack bar, games, Chinese auctions, money raffle, crafts, and pierogi.
Blackinton Union Church, 1373 Massachusetts Ave., North Adams; 10 to 2. Crafts table, bake sale, Chinese auction, the Christmas table, and kid's grab bag. Lunch $4, $2 kids.
First Congregational Church, North Adams, 9-2.
Nov. 28 Becket Federated Church, Route 8, holiday bazaar from 9-3. Lunch, crafts, baked goods, holiday and other items. Information: Mary Peltier, Parish House, 413-623-5217.
Dec. 5
Holiday Fair at First Congregational Church, 25 Park Place, Lee, from 10 to 3; handcrafted items, raffles, children's shop, bake sale, cut Christmas trees and lunch from 11 to 1. Includes angel-themed goods from SERRV. Information, 413-243-1033 or www.ucc-lee.org.
Dec. 12-13
North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Information: Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.
Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here.
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Send press releases and announcements to info@iberkshires.com. Need to contact someone at iBerkshires? Here's how.
Mammography Dispute The government's issued controversial new guidelines stating that women shouldn't get annual mammograms until age 50, rather than age 40.
iBerkshires will be meeting with local medical experts Monday. Have a question you'd like answered on this issue? Send it info@iberkshires.com with "mammogram" in the subject line.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Board of Realtors has named Franz Forster of FJ Forster Real Estate in Pittsfield its 2009 Realtor of the Year.
This award is given to the Realtor that best exemplifies professionalism and service to the industry.
Forster was selected for having contributed outstanding time and energy to the betterment of the Realtor organization, the real estate industry and the Berkshire community. First licensed in Massachusetts in 1990, he was elected by Berkshire Realtors as the 2009 president of the 500-member board, having been actively involved in governance of the real estate trade association since 2002.
He also has served with distinction on the Multiple Listing Service Inc. board of directors, which governs listing data online and for the organization's members, having been elected to serve as its president in 2005.
Most notably, Forster devotes considerable effort in community service events sponsored by the Realtor organization, political advocacy on behalf of Realtors and homeowners in Berkshire County, moderating real estate education, speaking to new members at orientation and chairing hearings of the Professional Standards Committee to arbitrate business disputes or settle matters of alleged unethical conduct.
Forster was appointed by the president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors to serve as a state director in 2008 and 2009. He also has many years of active involvement with Berkshire community organizations, with an emphasis on education-related associations, environmental advocacy and cultural institutions.
Currently, Forster serves on the Pittsfield Conservation Commission and as treasurer of the Lakes and Ponds Association of Western Mass., is a Tanglewood Business Partner, and member of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. He also is a member of the Pittsfield High School School Council and the school's representative on the superintendent's Parent Advisory Council.
He obtained his bachelor's degree from Rutgers University and his juris doctorate from Western New England College School of Law. Born in Bern Switzerland, Forster came to the United States as a child and currently resides in Pittsfield with his two children and his partner, Pam Malumphy.
