Airport Hosting Big-Screen Movie Night

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Remember movie nights at Coury's Drive-in, or its sister the Hoosac Drive-in just south of the border?

Ahh, those days are long gone for the city. Or are they?

Area residents can get a taste of what it's like to watch a movie under the stars on Friday, Aug. 5, when "The Great Waldo Pepper" screens on what Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is touting as the "largest movie screen in the Berkshires": the airplane hanger at Harriman & West Airport.

The museum is sponsoring the 1975 Robert Redford film on the 90-by-22-foot airplane hanger door. Seating will be on the tarmac, so moviegoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on.

"The Great Waldo Pepper" appropriately features then-hearthrob Redford as a World War I flying ace turned 1920s barnstormer and offers up some daring pre-CGI flying feats (all on a $5 million budget!).

To get in the mood, the evening will begin with a display of planes and antique cars. The first 100 kids will receive balsa-wood gliders and will be able to compete for prizes for the longest flight, best acrobatics and worst crash.

Local vendors will be selling hot dogs, hamburgers, snacks, soft drinks, beer and wine, and, of course, popcorn.

"It's not quite a drive-in since you can't watch the film from your car, but it's close," said Joseph Thompson, director of Mass MoCA. "Pack your cars with family, friends, chairs and blankets, see a spectacular film under the stars, and check out the airport scene." 

Gates open at 7; a selection of flying cartoons begins at 8:15 and the main feature starts just after 8:30.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for kids; or load up the car for a special price of $14. Tickets are available only at the door.

In case of rain, the film and all activities will be moved to Sunday, Aug. 7.

'Tent City' Raises Safety, Sanitation Concerns

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Health will decide on the limits of a "tent city" planned at Noel Field Athletic Complex to house Wilco fans despite protests from local campgrounds.

A public hearing on the so-called Solid Ground on Wednesday night drew only a few people who expressed concern over health and safety issues. The board said it would take their comments under consideration but insisted that it would set the final conditions.

The city is proposing up to 300 tent sites on the soccer field to house concertgoers to the Solid Sound Festival this June 24-26 at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Solid Ground was prompted in large part by the dearth of hotel rooms and overflowing campgrounds at last year's August event.

Steve Daniels, co-owner of Shady Pines Campground in Savoy, continued to express his concern over sanitation and state guidelines related to the site. Daniels and other campground owners had protested Solid Ground last month at a meeting with Mayor Richard Alcombright and Charles Kaniecki, district health officer for the state Department of Public Health.

Daniels sent a large package to the board outlining concerns and referring to the state's housing guidelines in relation to information provided by Kaniecki. But health officials said the material didn't apply in this case.

"Ninety percent of what you gave us was about housing, about rented apartments, living space ... this is not permanent living space," said Chairman David Polumbo.

Health Inspector Manual J. Serrano said the temporary housing fell under the auspices of the Board of Health, which can set the number of tent sites and sanitation requirements.

"If we didn't have the temporary housing capabilities in the housing code, you wouldn't have carnivals, you wouldn't have circuses, you wouldn't even have the Big E ... that all falls under temporary housing," he said.

"I believe it is unsafe and I'm still protesting this situation," said Daniels.

The camping is being operated by the ROPES program, which is staffed by volunteers almost entirely from local police, fire and ambulance departments. Police Lt. David Sacco, representing ROPES at the meeting, said the group's purpose was to facilitate whatever whatever was asked. "If you want 12 portapotties down there we'll put in 12, if you want 24, we'll put in 24."

Local business owner Jennifer Barbeau said she hoped it was successful but wondered if the scale of the event was too much for an all-volunteer group. She suggested using Windsor Lake and History Valley Campground for overflow.

"Potentially, maybe a 100 tents could be posted there, where we have showers already in place and system in place," she said.

Robert M. Moulton Jr., also a local businessman and a former city councilor, also objected to the scale, noting up to 1,200 people could potentially be on the field damaging it. "I'd like to see how this goes," he said, but added, "I think it's going to hurt businesses ... I think there's more of a downside than an upside."

Any profits from the tent city will used first to repair any damage to the field, city officials have said.

Ernest Gamache, who operates a used-car dealership abutting the field, said he was concerned about policing and restrooms.

"I'm in favor of the whole idea because I know what this can do for the city," said Gamache. "But I've got a big investment and that's what I'm worried about."

"Our intention is to increase the visibility of police down there, Ernie," responded Sacco, who said there will be a regular police presence and command center in addition to the volunteers. "We are cognizant of your business ... we'll keep an extra eye on it."

About 140 tent sites, with a maximum of four people, have been reserved so far through the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art; Historic Valley is filled and has a waiting list.

Palombo said the board will issue its decision at a later date. That will likely be next week when it also hears a request for a temporary housing permit for Northern Berkshire Relay for Life, which annually hosts hundreds of Relay team members for 24 hours at Noel Field.

Wilco Setting 'Solid Ground' at Noel Field

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — What's now a field of snow will bloom with tents in June as music lovers descend on the city for the Solid Sound 2 Festival.

The city is teaming with Solid Sound host Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts and the local ROPES program to organize and operate the temporary camping area, dubbed "Solid Ground." Up to 300 tent campsites and 10 recreational vehicle spots will be marked out at the Noel Field Athletic Complex between Steele and Disanti fields behind the former Modern Liquors for June 24, 25 and 26.

More than 5,000 people attended last August's festival — curated by band Wilco — filling inns and hotels and packing into the Historic Valley Campground. Noel Field was suggested last year as a possible camping site; this year, the city's being proactive in placing Wilco fans within walking distance of MoCA and the downtown. 

Half the tent sites and all but one of the RV lots have been reserved as of Friday, said Chiara Morrison at MoCA's box office.

The Parks and Recreation Commission last Wednesday reviewed preliminary plans for usage of the fields and where the tents will be located. Portable showers and toilets will be placed at the field and Paul Markland, public works director, said his department would mark out the sites with lime. Open fires will be prohibited. Golf carts will be used to shuttle campers and equipment from the parking areas and ROPES will provide an element of security and a concession.

"I went to ROPES because they have a solid support in place," said Mayor Richard Alcombright. "A good majority of them either were or are involved in law enforcement. ... It puts some form of security automatically in place."

ROPES, or Respecting Other People, Encouraging Self-esteem, is an annual summer day camp for kids that the North Adams Police Department has been operating for years. Many of its volunteer staff are local emergency responders.

"They just needed an organization willing to take on this event," said police Lt. David Sacco, one of ROPES' founders. "Because it is a city-based organization, it's kind of a win-win for the city."

Campers are being charged $80 for a 15-by-18-foot, single tent site for the weekend. An RV spot is $100. The MoCA box office is handling reservations and notifications and will get a small slice of the fee; the rest will be shared between the city and ROPES after costs, such as field repair or portable conveniences.

The Parks Commission expressed concern over damage to the field but the mayor said he expected the costs to be covered by the fees.

"Unless we have a really, really soggy weekend, I don't see a problem," he said. "Basically we committed to the fact that any repairs will come out of the proceeds."

Sacco said he didn't also see an issue with security at the site, based on last year's family-friendly, laidback crowd.

"I have never ever seen a more well-behaved crowd," said Sacco. "We're not anticipating any problems."

The dates will bump the annual LaFesta Baseball Exchange to July.

For more information on Solid Ground, click here.

MoCA Director: No Reason Not to Bring Wilco Back

iBerkshires caught up with Mass MoCA Executive Director Joseph Thompson on Sunday afternoon while he was watching Jeff Tweedy's solo performance at Joe's Field:

What were the final attendance totals?

We were just north of 5,000 for the peak [on Saturday], and there's about 3,500 here today [Sunday]. We had some strong crowds.

Did the festival meet your expectations?

It was a beautiful event, and it flowed. The music was lovely, and people moved with great ease through the museum, the galleries, the various outdoor venues. My sense overwhelmingly was that people had a great time. At least I did.

Were you at all surprised by the ages of audience members?

It's a great audience. This is a 30s to 50s crowd, and there were a lots of kids here. There were more strollers in the galleries this weekend than we've had in a long, long time.

Did you find time to enjoy the festival yourself?

I had a great time. I heard most of the music. Much of it was new to me, and I loved it. There were beautiful melodies, close harmonies, walls of sound. ...Great, great dynamic and range, which is what's at the very heart of Wilco.

Anything stand out as your favorite act(s) of the weekend?

I had never heard Mountain Man, and I thought they were lovely. The Books continue to just get more and more precise and beautiful. I had this great moment going from The Autumn Defense, which is kind of alt-country, roots type of music -- out to the Nels Cline Singers, who had these amazing, warped waves and waves of intensity, and just the way it sounded washing over those brick walls. To realize that those guys can somehow play in the same band is just startling and beautiful.

Although diverse in sound, what did the musical acts have in common?

You look for artists who share your mission, your dreams and fears.

Will Wilco and the Solid Sound Festival return next year?

Jeff [Tweedy] and I talked this morning, and we had a hard time coming up with any reasons not to do it.

What would you change or add, if anything, to next year's event?

The beauty of this is Mass MoCA is a great platform, and having a very strong point of view -- in this case, Wilco's point of view -- it's a hard formula to beat. It will be really fun to put together a program and what can go in the galleries.

You know, it's a valuable, expandable idea which is what I think is quite beautiful about it. I love its focus. I'm not a festival-goer because they sometimes they feel to me like a lot of work, just a barrage. They're kind of like variety shows, and I've never been one for variety shows. What I like about this one is that concordant hum that somehow flows through it. That comes from having very smart people and a passionate audience, and Wilco having their hand on the throttle. I'd be loath to mess around with that.

What did the festival bring to North Adams outside the confines of Mass MoCA?

I heard the stories that people were hanging out [Saturday] night. I heard that there was a full spectrum of activity, from The Mohawk to the Holiday Inn Bar, to the bands on the street at 1:30 in the morning. It was kind of a hum [throughout the city], and these things build over time.

Police Have 'Uneventful' Weekend During Solid Sound Festival

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Wilco fans were on their best behavior this past weekend.

On Sunday night, North Adams Police Sgt. James Burdick said there were no arrests linked to the three-day Solid Sound Festival at Mass MoCA, which drew more than 5,000 people from across the United States.

"We've had a very uneventful weekend for an event of this magnitude," he said. "We had a couple minor traffic glitches and a couple minor accidents, but nothing of anything significance whatsoever."

Burdick said there were arrests made in the city during the weekend, but they were on par with the "normal course of duty" and were, in no way, connected to the festival or its attendees.

"This was a very easy-going crowd," Burdick said. "They were very impressed with North Adams, and this puts the city in a great light. Who knows what this will bring?"

Fans kept the peace this weekend and also stayed healthy. First-aid tents were set up at Mass MoCA, but they were mostly empty.

A.J. Jusino, of North Adams Ambulance, said there were requests for "basic stuff" like Band-Aids and ice packs, but no serious emergencies.

"Fortunately the humidity wasn't bad because, going into this weekend, our major concern was dehydration," he said.

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Local businesses benefited from the festival, which happened to coincide with the state's tax-free weekend. City Councilor Keith Bona, who owns Creations on Main Street, said his Saturday business was double that of a typical Saturday in August. Lines formed outside of downtown eateries like The Hub, while bars like The Mohawk were packed with thirsty patrons.

Bona, on the board of directors with Develop North Adams, spent most of Saturday at MoCA in an effort to promote the downtown attractions.

"I was getting questions about the cost of property and the schools systems around here," he said. "It wouldn't surprise me if some of these people come back, whether it's on a vacation or if they're looking for a place to move."