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Berkshires Beat: Mass MoCA Free for Berkshire Residents in December
11:54AM / Monday, November 28, 2016
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Mass MoCA will be free for Berkshire County residents to visit in December.

Free for all: From Dec. 1-21, Mass MoCA opens its doors and waives admission to all Berkshire County residents with its first-ever Free Berkshire County program. Since Mass MoCa's inception, various campaigns have steered patrons to the galleries free of charge. Free Day, which typically falls during the winter season, waives admission to all museum-goers, attracting an influx of visitors. Free North Adams, a program designed specifically for Mass MoCA's neighbors, offers free admission several times a year to those residing within the 01247 zip code.

Expanding those previous plans that offered free admission, Mass MoCA — for the first time — extends free admission program to all Berkshire County residents. In order to encourage neighbors and friends to take advantage of the program, MASS MoCA’s Free Berkshire County program falls on 21 consecutive days, maximizing flexibility for community members.

Residents residing within zip codes beginning with "012" should bring a government-issued ID or a utility bill with current address (and picture ID) when visiting the museum on the aforementioned dates. Mass MoCA's galleries, located at 87 Marshall Street, are open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week except Tuesdays.



Forest closed: Attention hikers, joggers and dog walkers: Hopkins Forest will be closed to the public during the Massachusetts shotgun deer hunting season from Monday, Nov. 28, through Saturday, Dec. 10, except for Sunday, Dec. 4. Please avoid trails and back roads in and around the forest during this period.

Hunters are often in the woods not far from rural roads.  If you plan to walk or jog in the woods or on any back road (such as Northwest Hill Road) in the area during the next few weeks, use extreme caution and wear fluorescent or otherwise bright colors, as hunters could be nearby.



Bus route changes: Berkshire Regional Transit Authority is creating ways to maximize its current funding level by implementing a better service for our customers riding the public transit system. Deviations to current BRTA routes will be done at little or no cost, but provide better service to BRTA's customers. The effected routes are BRTA bus routes 1, 31, 33, 12, 14, and 7, serving North and Central Berkshire and changes take effect on Nov. 28.

Currently, BRTA bus Route 1 travels from Pittsfield to North Adams via state Route 8. Once the Route 1 bus leaves Main Street, the route number changes to 31 as it drives to BMC's North Adams Campus; the route number then changes to 33 as it travels to Mohawk Forest. The proposed change would be: the Route 1 bus would turn around at WalMart on Curran Highway and head back to Pittsfield. The travel time each way would change from the current hour and a half to only one hour, creating efficiencies to our customers travelling the state Route 8 corridor. The BRTA bus routes 31/33 would change to BRTA bus route 34 providing a circulator service within North Adams starting at Walmart and heading to Ocean State Job Lots, MCLA, Main Street, two stops at Mohawk Forest, Berkshire Medical Center North Adams Campus, Main Street, MCLA, Ocean State Job Lots and Walmart. The new route 34 will meet at the same time as the route 1 at Walmart and will meet at the same time as the route 3 on Main Street to transfer between buses.

Currently BRTA's Routes 12 and 14 are a circulator loop, traveling near the same time, and arriving at Berkshire Crossing within five minutes of each other. The proposed Route 12 will keep the same time schedule, departing from the ITC on the half hour with the proposed Route 14 would leave the ITC on the hour, which would provide service to Berkshire Crossing every 30 minutes.

For any questions regarding this new policy or for specific route changes, call 800-292-2782, ext. 1, or go online.

 

Volume two: Paul Donovan, emergency medicine and sports medicine physician at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, since 2011, has written the second volume of a history of North Adams Regional Hospital, which closed in 2014. Donovan had worked at NARH for 22 years. The second book covers 1910-1956, which was a dynamic time. The hospital thrived under the consistent leadership of well-respected business leaders Herbert W. Clark and his son Herbert B. Clark. Together they led the hospital through two World Wars and the Great Depression. They were also uncommonly generous, giving hundreds of thousands in contributions to support expansion and growth of staff and services. The era culminated with $1.7 million in donations from the community and the opening of a completely new hospital building in 1955.

The first volume of "North Adams Regional Hospital: A Historical Perspective" covers the hospital’s inception after a deadly train accident in 1882 to a major hospital reorganization in 1910. The third, expected next year, will cover the hospital's remaining history. Part II is available in soft cover for $10 at the North Adams Historical Society, The Emporium in North Adams, and Water Street Books in Williamstown. The author invites comments and questions at emsportmed2015@gmail.com.



In harmony: In the spirit of Tikkum, i.e. "repairing the world," the Jewish Women's Foundation of the Berkshires is dedicated to sharing Jewish values by meeting unmet needs in the community and supporting social action in the Berkshires. In pursuit of this mission, the foundation has awarded Berkshire Children and Families' Kids 4 Harmony a $3,000 grant.

Kids 4 Harmony in Pittsfield's Morningside Community School and Brayton Elementary School in North Adams is based on the internationally renowned El Sistema program of intensive classical music education and social change. Funds will be used to connect Kids 4 Harmony (K4H) musicians with the wider community of El Sistema programs. K4H participates in the Longy Seminarios three times each year, which consists of practices and performances in Boston, and funds from the Jewish Women’s Foundation will assist in the transportation costs.

 

Pop in for a tree: PopCares has Christmas trees for sale in two locations this year: Stanley's Lumber on Summer Street in Adams on Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum on American Legion drive in North Adams behind the Brien Center Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until all the trees are sold out.

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