"To promote business prosperity and a healthy community by providing
information, services and advocacy for our members."
Southern Berkshire Towns: Alford, Egremont, Great Barrington, Monterey,
Mt. Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Sandisfield & Sheffield
#shopeatspendberkshire
*Every month we randomly draw member business names.Those members are then asked if they would like to be featured in the Business Spotlight. Featured members must submit requested information. We hope your business is drawn soon!
There is no bigger compliment
to us than when you refer a New Member! Did you know that when you refer a New Member you will receive a 10% savings on your Membership Renewal? Even better, did you know that you can
Back by popular demand. Learn how to make traditional Strawberry jam with Lois Levinsohn Registration required, call the circulation desk at 413-229-7004
The May 5, 2018 Annual Town Meeting warrant is now available online: Click here to view. Hard copies will be mailed to all registered voter households next week.
The Southern Berkshire Regional School District School Committee has scheduled one of their regular meetings to be held in Monterey. We are hoping that Monterey parents and families mark the date on their calendars, and plan to attend if possible. We have been requesting that the Committee reach out further to member towns, and this is a chance to be more visible in the workings of the district. Thursday, April 26th, 6:00 PM at the Monterey Community Center
Click here to check out energy efficiency rebates and programs through National Grid, you can make a move that benefits your budget and the environment
2018 Mini-site Collections: Saturday, May 5th, 8:30 - 11am at the Gt Barrington Recycling Center, Saturday, June 2nd at the Lenox Dept of Public Works and Wednesday, June 20th, 4 - 6:30pm at the Gt. Barrington Recycling Center. Acceptable materials: used motor oil, oil based paints, spray paint, turpentine, stains and thinners. Pre-registration is mandatory. Please call Thomas Jakubasz at 800-369-3333 x142 or via email at Thomas.jakubasz@cetonline.org
Ongoing events:
Chair Yoga, Tuesdays at the Monterey Community Center 9 - 10am.
Cards & Games Club, Tuesdays at 1pm at the Community Center.
Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association wellness clinic at town hall, Thursday, May 10th, 2-3pm, no appointment necessary.
Council on Aging foot care clinic.~ Thursday, May 24th from 9-11:30 am at Town Hall.~ Call the COA at 413-528-1443 x247 for an appointment. Any age is welcome you do not have to be elderly or disabled. The cost is $25.
As always for a full calendar of events and closings please go to
www.montereyma.gov and click on "Meeting Calendar". If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to email them to me at
admin@montereyma.gov .
The MISSION of Rural Health Network is to develop and sustain an
adaptive network of community service providers that works to
improve the health and well-being of individuals and families in the South Berkshire community. The Rural Health Network is creating opportunities to improve provision and coordination of services so everyone in South Berkshire County has access to the resources they need.
A group of providers, including Fairview Hospital, CHP, East Mountain Medical, BCAC, Berkshire South, Berkshire Hills Regional School District, BMC Psychiatric Services, Berkshire VNA, Elder Services, Grace Church, Multicultural Bridge, RSYP and VIM have begun meeting.
We want to make sure all voices are heard and those who are interested have an opportunity to participate.
To that end, we are asking you to take 10 minutes to complete our on-line survey. If you provide us with your email, we will keep you informed of the results of the survey and any activities moving forward.
After 27 years of hard work our lead mare, Ramona, has let us know she is finally ready to retire. Health issues have made her slow down this winter. She has loved her job, but her old bones don't keep up with her spirit.
Ramona started Blue Rider Stables with us, arriving here as a 3 year old in 1991. She has become not only a mother here (Zepher and Bella), but also a true friend and hard task-master who taught over 1,000 riders of all ages. Romona still teaches kids about grooming and caring for a horse in their old age and, although she is not being ridden, she won't let us not pay attention to her - so...
Please feel free to schedule a visit to the barn to see Ramona, while she still here to share your love and appreciation. She would really enjoy that!
Share your stories and photos of this amazing horse, while she's still here to appreciate them!
Renaissance Investment Group, LLC, an independent SEC-registered investment advisory firm, is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Silipigno to the role of Chief Operating Officer. In this new role, Chris will be responsible for providing operational leadership within the firm, as well as coordinating strategic business development efforts across the region.
"We are very excited to have Chris join the firm", stated Trevor Forbes, President and Chief Investment Officer. "Chris' extensive senior leadership experience and financial expertise will serve our clients well at Renaissance. His presence provides increased depth, thereby enabling us to deliver even greater levels of service to our clients. Chris will draw upon his professional experience to enhance our offerings to the non-for-profit community and our business partners. He will provide Renaissance with long term continuity at a senior level."
Chris comes to Renaissance with nearly 20 years of senior leadership positions in both operational and business development functions for non-profit and for-profit enterprises. His experience spans across all facets of the mortgage banking industry, non-profit development, organizational effectiveness and leadership, performance management, and revenue growth areas. Most recently, Chris brought his business acumen to City Mission of Schenectady, an inner-city nonprofit dedicated to helping the homeless, abused, and impoverished to become sustainable. During his tenure, the organization grew exponentially in all measurable areas, receiving regional and national acclaim for its accomplishments. Previous to this role, Chris held multiple positions, at the vice president level, within the banking and finance industry. His accomplishments include building and managing divisions responsible for originating over 750 million in annual loan volume.
Chris received a bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from SUNY at Albany, a master's degree from George Mason University, and holds his FINRA Series 65 registration.
Your opinion matters and Berkshire United Way would like to know what you think.
If you are available for 2 hours on May 16th or 17th and are interested in finding out if you are eligible to participate in a research study, please answer a few questions here.
Paper 101: What Different Terms Actually Mean
Dear Friend of Berkshire Grown,
I am writing to inform you that after more than eleven years of dedicated leadership Barbara Zheutlin, Executive Director of Berkshire Grown, has decided to step down at the end of September 2018. Having determined that now is the right time to begin planning a new phase of her life, Barbara is choosing to leave at a time when Berkshire Grown is thriving and stronger than ever - thanks to her leadership and the support of members like you.
We will reap the benefits of Barbara's leadership for years to come. Today, our full time staff includes a Communications Director and Program Manager; we have expanded our Guide to Local Food and Farms both in size and distribution; we are producing numerous workshops for farmers and food producers in our region; and we continue to strengthen Share the Bounty - our win-win project that supports local farms and food pantries (a project Barbara helped create). Not to mention the fact that our events continue to be some of the most delicious around!
We are fortunate to have time to conduct a thoughtful search and successful transition to new leadership. To that end, the Berkshire Grown Board has formed a search committee to lead this process. The Job Description can be found
here.
We will keep you informed of our progress and will share news with you of our new Executive Director in the fall. For now, we hope you will join us in expressing our sincere gratitude to Barbara for her years of dedicated service, her extraordinary leadership, and in wishing her well in her next chapter.
During this transition, we are not slowing down. We hope you will save the date of Saturday, July 28, as we highlight North County with a special event at Greylock Works in North Adams to celebrate local food. We hope to see you there!
Plus, we are excited to announce two additional markets in March and April of 2019 in Great Barrington for a total of eight Berkshire Grown Holiday and Winter Farmers Markets - extending the season for farmers and all of us in the community.
Thank you so much for believing in the importance of supporting our local farmers! I'm looking forward to seeing you at a farmers market - snow or no snow - when they open in May.
Sincerely,
Allison Rachele Bayles
President, Berkshire Grown Board of Trustees
You call it delicious.
We call it Peanut Butter Mudslide.
Thank you for renewing your membership with
The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce:
Timberlyn Heights
Town of Otis
Timpane Construction Inc.
Berkshire International Film Festival
Happy Nails
Southern Berkshire Volunteer Ambulance Squad Inc.
Riverbrook Residence, Inc.
ExtraSpecialTeas
Roger Trucking
NBT Bank
Aston Magna Foundation
Tomich Landscape Design and Construction
Adam Paul Heller Studio LLC
Cellarbration Wine, Beer & Spirits
Berkshire Rivers Fly Fishing
Magic Fluke
Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires
Community Access to the Arts
Village Mortgage Company
Berkshire Fairfield Inn & Suites
Viability
Berkshire Community Land Trust
Michele's Salon & Day Spa
Berkshire Property Agents
Berkshire Family and Individual Resources, Inc.
Upcoming Events from the Southern Berkshire
Chamber of Commerce...
We'll give you 55 reasons (and counting) why you,
your family and friends should come to the
2018 Berkshire Business Showcase!
Here's who will be there and the list is growing everyday!
Eisner Camp, Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, High Peak Partners, Race Mountain Tree Services, WSBS, Evergreen, IS183, ExtraSpecialTeas, Berkshire Edge, Lee Rogers, Mod Pots & Plants, Monterey T-Shirts, Fairview Hospital, Music In Common, Professionality Consulting, William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty - George Cain, Berkshire Rivers Fly Fishing, The Grouse House, Berkshire Merchant Services, Bekshire South Regional Community Center, Relay For Life/American Cancer Society, John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant, Kimball Fuel, Lee Bank, Salisbury Bank, Game MasDERR, Mulberry Hair Company, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Magic Fluke, Berkshire Community College, Naji's Mediterranean Restaurant, Berkshire Family and Individual Resources (BFAIR), Verizon Great Barrington, Heyday, Michael Lesko, Berkcirque, Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Les Trois Emme Vineyard, CMC:Berkshires, SoCo Creamery, QualPrint, Adams Community Bank, Berkshire Bank, Kiwanis Club of Sheffield, Pat Murtagh, Bard College at Simon's Rock, Berkshire United Way, Berkshire Eagle, Great Barrington Bagel & Deli Co., NBT Bank, Soules Sports & Fitness, Domaney's Liquors, Berkshire Mountain Chiropractic, Berkshire Bach Society, Organization Ink, Dewey Hall and more everyday!
It's that time of the year again...the Third Annual Greener Gateway Roadside Cleanup takes place April 28th (when it really will feel like spring). More people will be taking walks and summer visitors will soon be showing up. Although we've had severeal monthly cleanups over the past year, they're far from enough to clean up all the litter along our roads. Our Annual Cleanup is critical in helping Lee shine and demonstrating that we want our town to be clean and attractive -- welcoming and enjoyable.
If you're unsure about whether our annual cleanup is necessary, just take a look at what our team of volunteers collected last year and the year before.
On April 28th we'll meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Railroad Street gazebo (near the Post Office). We'll end between 11 and noon - with a group picture and some good food. You can bring your own gloves, but we've got everything you'll need - gloves, safety vests, bags, and pickup tools.
Saturday, April 28 9am-Noon
Berkshire United Way Parking Lot
Corner of South St. and Clinton Ave., Pittsfield
ArtWeek Event
Tracing Native Histories on the Landscape
April 28 Before it officially opens for the season, join the Bidwell House Museum and guide Robert Hoogs on a new interpretive trail as you retrace the steps of the Native Americans-specifically the local Stockbridge Band of the Mohican Tribe-who lived and hunted in this area for thousands of years. As you explore the Native American presence that pre-dated early settler history-this was not the "howling wilderness" often portrayed-you can consider how Mohicans lived on this land for centuries before and after the English settlers. Sitting on 192 acres, this tour will show you some of the 4 miles of forest trails and stone walls on the Bidwell grounds. The walk begins at 10 a.m. and is FREE.
In the Gallery
April 28 to May 27
Works by
Erika Crofut
Opening reception
Saturday
April 28, 2-4PM
Join us to celebrate this artist's work. Erika comments on her work:
"Art tempts me to take a more serious look at the details: the white laundry against a blue sky, great faces that smile unsuspectingly out of old photographs. I use my art to express my amazement and gratitude for how beautiful an average day can be."
The gallery is open during performances. Private showings are available by appointment with the artist.
It is time to join us.....
Tasting Room Opening for 2018 Season
Saturday, May 5
AND
Sunday, May 6
PLAN AHEAD: MOTHER'S DAY BRUNCH
SUNDAY, MAY 13
10:30 AM
The Clark tradition returns with a gourmet Mother's Day brunch prepared by Chef Dan Hardy. The menu includes honey bourbon glazed ham, smoked salmon, quiche, french toast, bacon, breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit, yogurt with berries and granola, honey yeast rolls, honey apple cake, and assorted pastries. Mothers receive a special gift bag featuring raw honey from the Clark's bees.
Seating is at 10:30 am; brunch closes at 12 pm. Reservations are required. Click here to purchase tickets.
IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!!
MAYFEST 2018
HONORING DEBORAH
AND BILL RYAN
Monday, May 21, 2018
5:30 - 8:30
This year tickets may be purchased on line Go to www.constructinc.org click on MayFest RSVP to reserve your ticket
Tickets are $95.00
Tickets On Sale ~ May 1
$20 adults | $10 youth ages 4-18
By phone: (413) 274-6624
In person: Berkshire Pulse, 420 Park St, Housatonic
Silipigno to the role of Chief Operating Officer. In this new role, Chris will be responsible for providing operational leadership within the firm, as well as coordinating strategic business development efforts across the region.
