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Rocking out at Gabriel Abbott School at last week's talent show.

Abbott School Puts Talent on Display

By Kathy KeeserSpecial to iBerkshires
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Christina Secor, Alexis Foley, Nathan Richardson and Alegra Secor gave their classmates high scores.
FLORIDA, Mass. — Talent and fun were the theme of Gabriel Abbott Memorial School's "The Florida Follies & Gong Show" held at the school on Tuesday evening, April 27. 

A capacity audience in the school's gymnasium cheered and clapped for the acts and the noise level was such that it was hard to hear what the emcees had to say until a microphone was added in the second act.
 
The talent show, directed by Paul W. Marino, featured performances by pupils from grades one through eight, as well as by teachers and members of the community. There were singers, dancers, musicians, a gymnast, a French rap artist and a magician trained by the North Adams magician Johnny Mystic. 

The show was hosted by students Abbi Luczinski and Dakota Hurley and the judges were schoolmates Christina Secor, Alexis Foley, Nathan Richardson and Alegra Secor. The judges only gonged a couple of adult acts and children in the fourth grade and younger were exempt from being gonged. The judges seemed to enjoy the acts with most scores being in the range of 4 to 5 points, 5 being the top score possible.  


Pupils and adults exhibited their skills in dance, music and magic.
Prizes were awarded and thank-yous were presented to community volunteers including Marino and Johnny Mystic to wrap up the evening.

Performances in order of appearance were: Grades 1 and 2 singing along to "Who Let the Dogs Out"; Jon Burdick singing and Natasha Bohl doing gymnastics; teacher Lori Austin and her fourth-graders singing; teacher Xavier Tondeur rapping "Sam I am" in French with assistance from Patti Charron; Samantha Daniels tap dancing (who, because of technical difficulties, performed again at the end); Bryce and Brody Little and Charron performing rock 'n' roll; Jordan Ellerbee singing; fourth-grade girls singing; Principal Heidi Dugal and Austin in a duet; Destiny Charron performing magic; the Byrne family performing two songs; Marino reciting poetry; Tess Burdick singing; Alyssa Richardson dancing; Al Bedini reciting a turnip song with "Rooty."
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Pittsfield Road Cut Moratorium

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city's annual city road cut moratorium will be in effect from Nov. 29, 2024 to March 15, 2025. 
 
The road cut moratorium is implemented annually, as a precautionary measure, to ensure roads are kept clear of construction work during snow events and to limit the cuts in roads that are filled with temporary patches while material is unavailable.
 
During this period, steel plates are not to be used to cover open excavations in roads. Also, the Department of Public Services and Utilities will not be issuing the following permits:
 
• General Permit
• Sewer Public Utility Connection Permit
• Stormwater Public Utility Connection Permit
• Water Public Utility Connection Permit
• Trench Permit
 
Limited exceptions will be made for emergency work that is determined to be an immediate threat to the health or safety of a property or its occupants.
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