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Uncle Sam won't be marching this year. Concerns about the novel coronavirus has led organizers to cancel the July 4 parade.

Pittsfield Fourth of July Parade Canceled

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Fourth of July Parade has been canceled for the first time since 1977, a victim of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
 
Parade officials say it is not possible to put on the parade within the social distancing guidelines of staying 6 feet apart.
 
The parade brings thousands of people to the city's downtown as participants or as viewers who line the streets from the Colonial Theatre to historic Wahconah Park to watch the marching bands, floats, balloons and units. 
 
"We have been following the current situation and believe it would not be prudent to have a gathering the size of the parade under the current conditions," said Pittsfield Parade Committee President Peter Marchetti in a statement released Thursday evening. "We know that each year we have a couple thousand people lining up in the assembly area for the parade as well as thousands of spectators lining the parade route.
 
"It is very disappointing that we need to cancel this year's event after the community rallied last year behind the parade to save it."
 
The parade had been struggling financially in recent years and dipping into reserves to keep going. Once word got out last year of its fragile condition, numerous organizations and volunteers began raising funds and sending in donations to ensure that the parade would continue. 
 
The effort was so successful, the committee was able set aside the money to fund this year's parade. 
 
But "A Star Spangled Fourth" march through the city's downtown will have to wait until next year. 
 
The state is just starting to emerge from the novel coronavirus pandemic that's killed more than 6,000 Bay Staters, including 37 in Berkshire County. 
 
The Department of Public Health's guidelines continue to warn against large groups in close proximity -- only gatherings of less than 10 are allowed at this time -- and these cautions are expected to last for the next several months. The city has already canceled the popular Third Thursday events for May and June. 
 
"This was a tough decision for the Parade Committee and I commend them for taking seriously the public health threat that still exists because of Covid-19," said Mayor Linda Tyer. "I am confident that next year's parade will be better than ever because we will come together to celebrate victory over Covid-19." 
 
The parade won't be marching but the committee is working on a way to distribute the annual poster that alway accompanies it.  This year's poster for the themed "A Star Spangled Fourth" parade is a rendition of fireworks over historic Wahconah Park.
 
"The committee recognizes that some people collect the parade posters and they are currently working on finding a way to make this year's supply available to the public for free while supplies last," Marchetti wrote.
 
In an effort to recognize the parade, the Parade Committee is teaming up with Pittsfield Community Television to re-air all of the archived parades in their entirety starting Friday, July 3. 
 
"PCTV will air a special historical program about the long history of the parade going back to the origins and a special 'Parade Retrospective' show," said PCTV Executive Director Shawn Serre. "The show would be like a director’s cut of parade highlights going back through our archives. We feel that we can do something to make this year's 4th of July as normal as possible. This will take some work by PCTV staff and parade committee members."
 
The parade dates back to the 1820s and has been a regular time-honored tradition for at least 100 years. It had been put on by the firefighters association from 1947 until the 1976 bicentennial parade and then resumed in 1978 under the current volunteer parade committee. 
 
Organizers say COVID-19 may have won for the moment but the parade will come back strong in 2021. 
 
"At the end of the day it is about maintaining the safety of the residents of Berkshire County winning out over taking a chance with a parade," Marchetti said.

Tags: 4th of July,   COVID-19,   parade,   


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Letter: Is the Select Board Listening to Dalton Voters?

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

A reasonable expectation by the people of a community is that their Select Board rises above personal preference and represents the collective interests of the community. On Tuesday night [Nov. 12], what occurred is reason for concern that might not be true in Dalton.

This all began when a Select Board member submitted his resignation effective Oct. 1 to the Town Clerk. Wishing to fill the vacated Select Board seat, in good faith I followed the state law, prepared a petition, and collected the required 200-plus signatures of which the Town Clerk certified 223. The Town Manager, who already had a copy of the Select Board member's resignation, was notified of the certified petitions the following day. All required steps had been completed.

Or had they? At the Oct. 9 Select Board meeting when Board members discussed the submitted petition, there was no mention about how they were informed of the petition or that they had not seen the resignation letter. Then a month later at the Nov. 12 Select Board meeting we learn that providing the resignation letter and certified petitions to the Town Manager was insufficient. However, by informing the Town Manager back in October the Select Board had been informed. Thus, the contentions raised at the Nov. 12 meeting by John Boyle seem like a thinly veiled attempt to delay a decision until the end of January deadline to have a special election has passed.

If this is happening with the Special Election, can we realistically hope that the present Board will listen to the call by residents to halt the rapid increases in spending and our taxes that have been occurring the last few years and pass a level-funded budget for next year, or to not harness the taxpayers in town with the majority of the cost for a new police station? I am sure these issues are of concern to many in town. However, to make a change many people need to speak up.

Please reach out to a Select Board member and let them know you are concerned and want the Special Election issue addressed and finalized at their Nov. 25 meeting.

Robert E.W. Collins
Dalton, Mass.

 

 

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