Heidi Dugal, Chris Howard and Timothy Rougeau going through award winners at the pie auction on Thursday.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — It took a little time for the bidders at the Oh Be Thankful Pie & Dessert Auction on Tuesday to find their groove.
After all, it's been two years since the students and staff at Gabriel Abbott Memorial School in Florida have whipped up delectable desserts designed to entice community members to part with their dough.
But after a few desserts going for $10 or $15, the American Legion Hall was entertained with some serious and spirited bidding as Principal Martin McEvoy and Terry Culpepper-Rysz vied for a molasses spice cake.
Sitting on opposite sides of the room, the two bidders quickly eliminated the competition as auctioneer Chris Howard, the school's physical education teacher, pointed back and forth.
McEvoy emerged the victor with a $100 bid for the decorative cake made by Jennifer Robbins.
"I got a very lovely cake," said McEvoy. "It was all for a good cause."
That wasn't the top bid though. That honor went to a $140 raspberry cheesecake pie made by the school's retired principal, Heidi Dugal, whose desserts frequently claim top dollar at the benefit event.
It was Dugal who started the sweet festivities nearly 22 years ago as a community service project. It's now part of the school's Project 351 program.
Howard was the coordinator this year, working with teacher Timothy Rougeau and the school's Project 351 Ambassador, eighth-grader Lael Pavlak.
She had been a little worried how the event would go after two years of cancellation because of the pandemic but pleased with the outcome.
"We had a good turnout, less pies than normal but we had great bidding," Howard said. "We made some nice money."
There were 17 desserts ranging from cookies to pies to the two-layer cake, about half what the auction normally offered. But they pulled in $790 in bids, plus there was a 50/50 raffle and a chinese auction with donated products and gift certificates.
Proceeds from this year's auction will help the Al Nelson Friendship Center Food Pantry and the Berkshire Humane Society, plus donations to the American Legion's Christmas dinner.
There were two of each donated dessert, one for sampling and judging and one for auctioning. Several were made at the school by students.
Multiple judges gave their stamp of approval on almost every dessert, with Dugal taking at least a half-dozen ribbons.
"I was very impressed," said McEvoy, commenting on his first pie auction as principal. "I was very grateful for the community coming out and raising money for a good cause, and the array of delicious desserts and the presentation and the taste was superlative."
He said he couldn't wait to take his cake home and share it with his wife.
Howard said she would've have liked to see more pies but was pleased with the amount of money raised.
"Hopefully it's going to grow from here, now that we're back, now that people know we're back," she said.
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North Adams Council Sets School Debt Exclusion Vote
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Council President Bryan Sapienza holds up an application to work as a poll worker for the upcoming elections. The form can be found under 'Becoming an election worker' under city clerk on the city website or in the city clerk's office.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council gave final approval on Tuesday for the mayor to borrow $65,362,859 for a new Greylock School to serve Grades prekindergarten through 2.
This final adoption paves the way for two community forums and a debt exclusion vote scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Elizabeth's Parish Center. Passage of the debt exclusion vote will allow the city to raise funds beyond its levy limit for the life of the loan.
City Clerk Tina Marie Leonesio said the city has about 1,400 requests for mail-in ballots for all elections and that in-person early voting will start the Saturday before.
The first forum is Thursday, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. at Greylock; officials will provide an overview of the project and tours of the school. Zoom participation is available here. Northern Berkshire Community Television will also record the forums for later broadcast.
The second forum is Thursday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. at Brayton Elementary School. The Zoom link is the same and those attending in person can also take a tour of the building.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority will pick up about $41,557,218 of the cost, the city about $20 million and the $3 million balance is expected to come from federal energy grants. The 30-year tiered loan for $20 million is expected to have its highest impact in 2029 when it will add $270 to the average tax bill, or about $22.50 a month.
This final adoption paves the way for two community forums and a debt exclusion vote scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Elizabeth's Parish Center.
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This year, the family took on a new challenge, purchasing the historic West End Market building at 437 West Main St. and opening the city's first vegan restaurant, Wish Tree.
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The school received a $64,000 Feigenbaum Foundation grant a couple years ago, but because of supply and shipping delays from the pandemic, the equipment was not delivered until this past winter. click for more
Nearly a dozen residents attended Monday's Conservation Commission meeting to express opposition to a forest management plan that will include logging and the use of herbicides near Notch Reservoir. click for more
Stoss Landscape Urbanism and its partners are charged with providing North Adams options for addressing the failing overpass to create a more connected and thriving downtown.
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