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Berkshires Gets Spooky With Adult Halloween Activities

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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All year long Halloween enthusiasts hide away their pointed hats and pause their D Minor music awaiting their beloved holiday's return. What better way to celebrate its return than by visiting a few of Berkshire County's Halloween activities; here are our must-do Halloween activities in Berkshire County. 
 
13 Nights at Jiminy
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock 
Terror begins Friday, Sept. 27, and runs through Oct. 31 
 
The mountain resort known for its snowy hills and winter recreation is transformed into a fright destination. 
 
Many locals fly to Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort for its "13 Nights Haunted House" to be scared out of their wits.
 
The resort's grounds and buildings are decorated to instill terror as hidden actors give the willing participants a fright every Friday through Sunday from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. throughout October.
 
The age recommendation is age 10 and older. Haunted House admission costs $29. 
 
Participants are also welcome to ride through the darkness with the resort's Mountain Coaster for $15 a ride. 
 
The Scream and Scare Package includes one trip through "13 Nights" and two rides on the coaster for $49. 
 
The Christiansen's Tavern will be open to purchase drinks, dinner, or a snack Friday through Sunday from 5 until 10:30 throughout "13 Nights."
 
More information here
 
The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show
Naumkeag, Stockbridge
Sept. 27 thru Oct. 27 
 
Take a breath from fright and relax at Naumkeag for its pumpkin show. 
 
The museum decorates the gardens with more than 1,500 jack-o'-lanterns, hundreds of mums, pumpkins, and countless gourds – most of which were grown at Naumkeag. 
 
Hot cider and fall treats will be available for sale on-site.
 
Tickets must be purchased online in advance. Ticket time represents your arrival window.
 
No parking is available onsite with this general admission ticket but designated parking spaces are available on both sides of Town Hall located at 50 Main St., along Main Street, or Elm Street. 
 
The first shuttle will leave downtown Stockbridge at 5 p.m. and run every 5 to 10 minutes through the run of the show, the last shuttle will depart no later than 8 p.m.
 
Ticket prices and booking here
 
Haunted Hancock
Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield
Select Dates throughout October
 
Throughout October, Hancock Shaker Village opens its doors at night for a "spine-chilling evening of Shaker ghosts and mystery."
 
Participants will walk the dark paths of the village and venture into the dimly-lit halls of the Brick Dwelling to hear stories of ghost sightings, and learn about the Shakers' role in the spiritualist movement. 
 
The recommended age for this spooky experience is age 12 and older. Tickets for this 75-minute adventure are limited and can be purchased here
 
Ghost Tours with Robert Oakes
Ventfort Hall, Lenox
Select Dates 
 
Ventfort Hall hosts ghost tours with "Ghosts of the Berkshires" author Robert Oakes during which he will lead guests through the rooms and halls of the estate sharing tales of its hauntings.
 
"Stand in the places where the encounters occurred, listen to the firsthand accounts of those who experienced them, and maybe even experience something unusual yourself. This is not an active investigation," the Ventfort Hall website said. 
 
Admission is $30 and the minimum age to attend is age 12. Reservations are required. To purchase tickets call 413-637-3206. 
 
Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Payment is required to make a reservation for an event. More information here
 
Ghost Tours
The Mount, Lenox
Select Dates 
 
The Mount holds untold stories of its former dwellers that will be revealed during tours of Edith Wharton's home. 
 
During the two-hour long ghost tour, participants will be guided by veteran tour guides through the darkened halls of the turn-of-the-century home. 
 
The tour contains adult content that is not appropriate for children under 12. Children under age 12 will not be admitted. 
 
More information here

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2024 Year in Review: North Adams' Year of New Life to Old Institutions

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

President and CEO Darlene Rodowicz poses in one of the new patient rooms on 2 North at North Adams Regional Hospital.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On March 28, 2014, the last of the 500 employees at North Adams Regional Hospital walked out the doors with little hope it would reopen. 
 
But in 2024, exactly 10 years to the day, North Adams Regional was revived through the efforts of local officials, BHS President and CEO Darlene Rodowicz, and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, who was able to get the U.S. Health and Human Services to tweak regulations that had prevented NARH from gaining "rural critical access" status.
 
It was something of a miracle for North Adams and the North Berkshire region.
 
Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, under the BHS umbrella, purchased the campus and affiliated systems when Northern Berkshire Healthcare declared bankruptcy and abruptly closed in 2014. NBH had been beset by falling admissions, reductions in Medicare and Medicaid payments, and investments that had gone sour leaving it more than $30 million in debt. 
 
BMC had renovated the building and added in other services, including an emergency satellite facility, over the decade. But it took one small revision to allow the hospital — and its name — to be restored: the federal government's new definition of a connecting highway made Route 7 a "secondary road" and dropped the distance maximum between hospitals for "mountainous" roads to 15 miles. 
 
"Today the historic opportunity to enhance the health and wellness of Northern Berkshire community is here. And we've been waiting for this moment for 10 years," Rodowicz said. "It is the key to keeping in line with our strategic plan which is to increase access and support coordinated countywide system of care." 
 
The public got to tour the fully refurbished 2 North, which had been sectioned off for nearly a decade in hopes of restoring patient beds; the official critical hospital designation came in August. 
 
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