BOO! Pittsfield Halloween Parade is Back

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Tyler Street will be a haunted ground of ghosts and ghouls once more this year.

The city's annual Halloween parade returns on Friday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last parade was in 2019.

Recreation and Special Events Coordinator Becky Manship said it is a longstanding tradition that the community loves and the city is excited to bring it back.  Schools, community, and civic groups are invited to participate in the all-ages event.

"We look forward to seeing all the ghouls, goblins, superheroes, floats, marchers, and more in this year's parade," Manship said in a press release.

This will be the 76th Halloween parade in the city. It was originally held on North Street and was moved to Tyler Street in 2011.

In 2020, Pittsfield Community Television teamed up with the city's Recreation Program for a television event to air in place of the canceled parade. It aired "Haunted Streets: A Celebration of 25 Years of Halloween Parades" in place of live coverage and looked back at some of the best floats and moments of the past 25 years of PCTV's parade coverage.

Last year, the city hosted virtual Halloween contests for costumes, pumpkin decorating, and home decorations.

Five Local Firefighters Graduate From Massachusetts Firefighting Academy

05:32PM / Monday, January 06, 2025

Cody Doyle, left, and Owen Hoffman of Dalton hold their axes after graduating from the academy on Monday. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Five local firefighters were among the 20 graduates of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy on Monday. 

 

Jahyde Bullard, Phourasamy Din and Matthew Tobin, all of Pittsfield, and Cody Doyle and Owen Hoffman of Dalton completed the academy's 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program.

 

Bullard, Din and Tobin were appointed permanent firefighters by Mayor Peter Marchetti last July. 

 

"Massachusetts firefighters are on the frontlines protecting their communities every day, and today’s graduates are needed now more than ever," said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine. "The hundreds of hours of foundational training they’ve received will provide them with the physical, mental, and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely."

 

The graduating firefighters of Class  No. S39 represent the fire departments of Amherst, Chicopee, Dalton, Monson, Northampton, Palmer, Pittsfield, South Hadley Fire District 1, Springfield, Ware, and Westfield.

 

The Richard N. Bangs Outstanding Student Award, which is presented to one recruit in each graduating career recruit training class, was presented to Dylan Sliech of Springfield Fire and Emergency Services. The award is named for the longtime chair of the Massachusetts Fire Training Council and reflects the recruit's academic and practical skills, testing, and evaluations over the course of the 10-week program.

 

The graduates received classroom training in all basic firefighter skills during the course. They practice first under non-fire conditions and then during controlled fire conditions. To graduate, students must demonstrate proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation, and fire attack. Fire attack operations range from mailbox fires to multiple-floor or multiple-room structural fires.