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Weekend Outlook: Dance Parties, Nature Walks & More

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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We are already more than a week into the new year! Unwind with local events this weekend including bingo, nature activities, dance parties, and more. 
 
Editor's Pick
 
Officer Michael J. Silver Memorial Game
Berkshire School, Sheffield
Time: Saturday, Jan. 11, noon
 
Berkshire County law enforcement hockey team will take on Boston Bruins alumni in the fundraiser to benefit  the Silver family, a mental health and wellness initiative for local law enforcement and the Warrior For Life Program. Silver was a Pittsfield Police officer who died unexpectedly in October 2024 at the age of 42, leaving a wife and three children.
 
More information and tickets here
 
Friday
 
Musical Bingo
Bluebird & Co., Hancock 
Time: 8:30 p.m. 
 
DJ Pup Daddy will be at the restaurant hosting its musical bingo featuring 75 party songs from the 60s to today. 
 
More information here
 
Trans Art Workshop
Berkshire Art Center, Pittsfield 
Time: 6 p.m. 
 
The center invites the trans and non-binary community to paint, draw, and sketch with them. More information here
 
Rees Shad & Meghan Cary
Studio 9, North Adams
Time: 7:30 p.m.
 
Singer-songwriters Rees Shad and Meghan Cary will perform solo sets followed by a collaborative performance in the studio on the grounds of Porches Inn, 18 Veazie St. 
 
Tickets and more information here.
 
Latin Night 
Dotties Coffee Lounge, Pittsfield 
Time: 6:30 p.m. 
 
Heat up the dance floor with some Latin moves. There will be an intro to Latin dance class at 6:30 p.m. followed by a salsa class at 7. 
 
The night concludes with a social dance party starting at 8 featuring merengue, salsa, bachata, and more. 
 
The classes are $15 per person. More information here
 
Parent's Night Out 
Citizens' Hall, Stockbridge
Time: 6 p.m. 
 
Adults will make art while children ages 3 and older attend a separate class. Each session will be led by different faculty artists, linked by a central theme. The event is free, and pizza will be provided. More information here
 
Screening of Kiki's Delivery Service
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington 
Time: 7 p.m. 
 
The theater will be showing the 1989 animated Studio Ghibli film "Kiki's Delivery Service." 
 
The film follows a witch-in-training who leaves home to find her role serving a new city with her gifts. 
 
More information here
 
DJ BFG Dancy Party 
The Stationery Factory, Dalton
Time: 8  to 11 p.m.
 
There will be a dance party in the factory's North Room featuring drinks and tunes mixed by DJ BFG. Tickets are $11.63. More information here
 
Saturday 
 
Greylock Photography Group Meet-Up: White Birches in Winter
Mount Greylock Gould Trailhead, Adams
Time: 1 p.m. 
 
Mount Greylock State Reservation will host a free photography group meetup during which nature enthusiasts can walk along the trails at Gould Trail, which features birch tree groves and views up to the summit. 
 
More information here
 
Williamstown Synth Fest
The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown 
Time: 6 p.m. 
 
There will be immersive audiovisual performances featuring electronic musicians from Massachusetts and Upstate New York, presented in collaboration with the New England Synth Fest.
 
Full schedule here
 
Tracking Workshop: Cats and Canines
Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, Pittsfield
Time: 10 a.m.
 
The program focuses on tracking wild cats and dogs by examining their footprints and signs. Participants will explore how these long-legged creatures move across the landscape.
 
Attendees should dress for the weather, and traction spikes or snowshoes may be available to borrow.
 
Participation costs $20 for adult members and $25 for adult nonmembers. More information here
 
Sober Sweaty Dance Party
Wander Berkshires, Pittsfield
Time: 8 p.m. 
 
There will be a sober dance party featuring live music by DJ Bengey and a substance-free and full-of-life atmosphere. 
 
Tickets are $10, but no one is turned away because of lack of funds. More information here
 
Ghost Tours 
Ventfort Hall, Lenox
Time: 8 to 10 p.m. 
 
There will be a ghost tour with "Ghosts of the Berkshires" author Robert Oakes.
 
Oakes will lead guests through the rooms and halls of the estate, sharing tales of its hauntings.
  
Admission is $30, and the minimum age to attend is 12. Reservations are required. Purchase tickets here.
 
Sunday 
 
Cabin Fever Story Time
Mount Greylock State Reservation Visitor Center, Lanesborough
Time: 1 to 2:30 p.m. 
 
Relax by a hearth fire for an hour as Park Interpreter and folklore fan Mike tells stories of the mountain's past, including legendary fisherman Dave Lilly, the Boys of Bob's Hill, Snowshoe Hare and the Mysterious Spirit Woman, and many more.
 
The free event will include complimentary hot chocolate will be provided. More information here
 
Boreal Forest and Waterfall Snowshoe
Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center, Savoy
Time: 1 p.m. 
 
The center's director and naturalist, Aimee Gelinas, will be leading a trek on the center's conserved land, which will feature a new round-trip trail, bridge, and cascading waterfall. 
 
In addition, there will be boreal/northern forest tree identification, wildlife tracking, and forest ecology. 
 
More information here

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Worldwide PowerSchool Breach Reaches Pittsfield Schools

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — District students and teachers had their personal information accessed as part of a worldwide PowerSchool breach.

"This is not unique to the City of Pittsfield," Superintendent Joseph Curtis told the School Committee on Wednesday.

"Every one of the 18,000 PowerSchool customers has experienced a data breach. We were informed yesterday with a very brief notice from PowerSchool and our technology department began to dig into the impact near immediately."

The breach reportedly took place between Dec. 19 and 28, when it was detected by PowerSchool and all accounts were locked down. It is being investigated by the FBI and a third-party cybersecurity firm.

On Jan. 8, PowerSchool hosted a webinar with the investigative team to provide school districts with further details about the situation.

The Pittsfield Public School's technology department investigation found that personal information from the fields "Student" and "Teacher" were accessed. This includes home addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

Other school districts have reported access to student grades, health information and Social Security numbers. 

As a cybersecurity computer science student, School Committee member William Garrity found the breach "deeply concerning."

"I am concerned by the security practice PowerSchool had implemented before this," he said.

"I think there was a lot of this oversight, I'm not going to get into it in this meeting. Hopefully not just us but other districts around Massachusetts, the county, and the world hold PowerSchool accountable for their security practices."

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