Mount Greylock High Hosts Music, Environment Residency

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. —  Mount Greylock Regional High School will host singer and songwriter Ted Vigil in the "John Denver: Art, Music, and Environmental Awareness" Project on May 20-22.

The residency of the John Denver tribute artist will bring together both middle school and high school performers in a multimedia event.

A joint venture between the environmental science, art, and music departments, it is coordinated by choral director Kate Caton and supported by faculty members Ouisa Fohrhaltz-Burbank, Jane-Ellen DeSomma, Rebecca Green and Mary MacDonald.

Vigil was born in Seattle and raised in the Olympia, Wash., area. He has been performing since the age of 10 in concert, symphonic, and jazz bands as a drummer and singer. He won Talent Quest 2006 and Komo TV 4's NW Afternoon Celebrity "Look Alike." He currently performs nationwide and has played for Denver's Windstar Foundation in Aspen, Colo., and last year, he won the Rising Legend Award given by the National Traditional Country Music Association.

The schedule
Monday, May 20: Master class and dress rehearsal
Tuesday, May 21: Morning concert and dress rehearsal/reception
Wednesday, May 22: Dress rehearsal and concert, 7:30 p.m.

During the residency, Vigil will lead a master class and concert for students and will play with the school orchestra and both choirs in a May 22 evening concert. The performance will include Denver's "Legacy of Song," with a slideshow display, depicting images related to the work Denver did concerning the environment, nature and the Berkshires. Mount Greylock science classes will create narratives that relate to each song as well.

"This residency and collaboration is a tremendous opportunity for our students and school community and represents the first of its kind here at Mt. Greylock," said Caton. "We are thrilled that Ted Vigil will be here and grateful to the Williams Community Fund for their help in funding this three-day residency."

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Lanesborough Administrator Gives Update on Snow Plowing

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass.— Five staff members plow about 50 miles of town roads during the winter.

On Monday, Town Administrator Gina Dario updated the Select Board on snow plowing.  The county began to see snow around Thanksgiving and had a significant storm last week.

"I just think it's good for transparency for people to understand sort of some of the process of how they approach plowing of roads," she said.

Fifty miles of roadway is covered by five staff members, often starting at 8 p.m. with staggered shifts until the morning.

"They always start on the main roads, including Route 7, Route 8, the Connector Road, Bull Hill Road, Balance Rock (Road,) and Narragansett (Avenue.) There is cascading, kind of— as you imagine, the arms of the town that go out there isn't a set routine. Sometimes it depends on which person is starting on which shift and where they're going to cover first," Dario explained.

"There are some ensuring that the school is appropriately covered and obviously they do Town Hall and they give Town Hall notice to make sure that we're clear to the public so that we can avoid people slipping and falling."

She added that dirt roads are harder to plow earlier in the season before they freeze 'Or sometimes they can't plow at all because that will damage the mud that is on the dirt roads at that point."

During a light snowstorm, plowers will try to get blacktop roads salted first so they can be maintained quickly.

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