091511 beacon

September 15, 2011Volume II, Issue 17

www.berkshirebeacon.comLenox, MA 01240

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1 Local News4 Puzzle Answers6 Editorial6 From the Tower7 Sports10 Calendar11 Business Directory12 Fun & Games14 Movies 15 Girl-2-Girl

Fall is arriving- Page 8

The Berkshire Beacon

Index

Photo Credit / erik M. SokolowSki

Driver Ron Konove drives his wagon with Norwegian Fjord horses Sonya and Wisteria pulling.

Erik M. SokolowskiBeacon Staff Writer

LENOX - Residents and visitors took their familiar spots along the streets of Lenox to bid adieu to the summer season during the 20th an-nual Lenox Tub Parade, part of the Gilded Age Weekend.

This year’s parade was dedicated to the memory of State Sen. John H. Fitzpatrick, who passed away in July.

“He would have really gotten a kick out of being honored at the Tub Parade,” daughter Nancy Jane Fitz-patrick said.

Of note this year, State Rep. Wil-liam Smitty Pignatelli unveiled a res-olution passed in the state House of Representatives honoring the second Saturday of September as Tub Parade Weekend of the Gilded Age.

Saying goodbye to summer

see PARADE page 3

Bera B. DunauBeacon Staff Writer

PITTSFIELD - The three Demo-cratic Party candidates vying for the chance to run in the special election for the 3rd Berkshire Massachusetts State House District on Oct. 18 aired their differences in this first major debate.

The debate lasted for approximate-ly an hour and covered a wide range of topics including jobs, taxes, gover-nance style, education and social issues.

The format of the debate alternat-

see DEBATE page 2

Candidates face offin the

first debate Erik M. SokolowskiBeacon Staff Writer

LENOX - The 32nd annual Lenox Apple Squeeze, a highlight of the New England Fall season, returns Sept. 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Hand made crafts, sculptures, and original art works fill the streets along with hand made jewelry, tex-tiles, wood carvings, leather goods, and hand-woven clothing.

“The event was started by the townsfolk to celebrate the town,” Mr. Ralph Petillo, director of the Lenox Chamber of Commerce said. “It’s a festival of living in Lenox and town life.”

Enjoy foods, wines, beers and deli-cacies from around the world as local farmers display the bounties of this year’s harvest. Apples and all imagin-able apple recipes abound as you

stroll through the Historic Village of Lenox.

“It will be a fun family time,” Mr. Petillo said, “and the biggest and best block party of the year.

Among the features at this year’s festival, the Lenox PTO will be tak-ing over Lilac Park for loads of kids games, and two days of entertain-ment in the entertainment tent at the

corner of Housatonic and Church streets.

The Lenox Apple Squeeze is a per-fect time to celebrate life, the full spectrum of Fall Color’s and the best that Mother Nature has to offer in one of New England’s most beautiful and historic towns.

For more information, call 637-3646 or visit www.lenox.org.

What: Lenox Apple SqueezeWhere: All around LenoxWhen: September 24-25

Enjoy foods, wines, beers and delicacies from around the world as local farmers display the bounties of this year’s harvest.

If You Go

Time for a squeeze

2 The Berkshire Beacon September 15, 2011

ed between long form answers, in which each of the candidates an-swered a question in detail and “lightning rounds,” where the candidates answered questions ei-ther briefly or in yes or no form. David Cachat of Pittsfield Com-munity Television moderated the debate, which was held in the Bo-land Theatre at Berkshire Com-munity College.

The tone of the debate was civ-il and all three of the candidates, Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Pete White and Ryan Scago, treated one anoth-er and the moderator with respect.

In the debate, Mrs. Farley Bou-vier highlighted her over 20 years of experience as an educator and her terms as a city councilwoman, while Mr. White talked about his work on the Pittsfield City Coun-cil and his experiences working at the Briene Center and Mr. Scago pointed to his time working in the Connecticut State House and his families small business.

The candidates unanimously agreed on many issues such as op-posing cuts to community college funding, supporting the states gay marriage law and supporting the expansion of the bottle bill. Still, the debate also highlighted some of their differences.

Mr. White and Mr. Scago both favored immediately increasing the minimum wage to a “living wage,” and indexing it to infla-tion while Mrs. Farley-Bouvier, although in favor of indexing the minimum wage to inflation, said she did not favor raising the min-imum wage right away, so as to not adversely effect small business.

In a lightning round question Mr. White and Mr. Scago both expressed their opposition to rais-ing the state’s gasoline tax, while

Mrs. Farley-Bouvier voiced her support. In another lightning round question Mrs. Farley-Bou-vier and Mr. White both ex-pressed their opposition to the death penalty, while Mr. Scago voiced his support.

On the issue of term limits for state legislators Mr. Scago said he supported them, Mr. White said he did not, and Mrs. Farley Bou-vier said she was not sure.

Mr. Scago expressed his oppo-sition to the Patrick administra-tions efforts to mandate paid sick days, while Mr. White expressed his support, and Mrs. Farley-Bouvier expressed support for the concept of mandated paid sick days for corporate and govern-ment employees but not the em-ployees of small businesses.

“First and foremost it’s very im-portant that these debates hap-pen. PCTV, the gazette, BCC they do a great job informing the public and it’s not easy,” said Mrs. Farley Bouvier.

Pete White also expressed posi-tive feelings about the debate.

“We finally started to see a few dissimilarities,” said Mr. White. “The gas tax, how we feel about the death penalty how we feel about raising (the) minimum wage so the people we are sup-posed to be serving can actually afford food and shelter, so I was happy that we start to see some contrasts going into the Demo-cratic primary.”

The Democratic Primary for the 3rd Berkshire House District race will be held on Sept. 20. The winner will likely face Green-Rainbow Party candidate Mark Miller, Republican candidate Mark Jester, and Independent Candidate Pam Malumphy in the Oct. 18 special election.

DEBATE from page 1


LENOX - Despite some initial confusion, the Lenox Historic District Commission was able complete its planned site visit to Hoff ’s Mobil.

The site visit was part of an in-formation gathering session by the Lenox Historic District Com-mission to review a proposed re-modeling by Hoff ’s Mobil. The remodeling would transform Hoff ’s Mobil from a full service gas station into a gas station and convenience store.

Before the site visit began, Berkshire Beacon editor George C. Jordan III raised an objection. Noting that one of three Lenox Historic District Commission members scheduled to be at the site visit was not there, Mr. Jor-dan claimed that the committee did not have a quorum and that the site visit could not proceed. Chairman Jason Berger and com-mittee alternate Ken Fowler were present while committee member Claire Cantone was unable to at-tend. Alex Glover, council for Dan O’Brien and O’Brien’s Mar-ket, which abuts Hoff ’s Mobil, shared Mr. Jordan’s caution.

This prompted Chairman Berger to consult with Town manager Gregory Federspiel by phone. It was then determined that since the site visit was an in-

formation gathering exercise, and not a deliberation, it did not re-quire a quorum to be held.

The LHDC will discuss Hoff ’s proposal at its next meeting Tues-day at 5:30 PM.

The Historic District Com-mission will revisit the Hoff ’s Mobil proposal at its next meet-ing on September 20 at 6:00 PM.

At the visit, questions were raised about parking, lighting and the refacing of the structure. These questions were asked by the committee members, Ms. Glover and Mr. Jordan.

The questions were answered by architect Harry Pisila of Cha-tham NY, the designer of the proposed renovations. During the course of the visit Mr. Pisila produced a parking plan for the building, and assured the com-mission that no extra outdoor lighting would be installed.

Mr. Pisila also presented the committee members with a re-vised set of renovation plans with smaller windows. The size of the windows had been a concern raised by the commission mem-bers when they were presented with the initial remodeling plans at their last meeting.

Mr. Jordan expressed a desire to see the renovation adopt more of a “New England concept.”

“I think we got a lot of infor-mation,” said committee member Ken Fowler regarding the site visit.

Outside of the meeting, Ms. Glover, council for Dan O’Brien and O’Brien’s market, explained to the Beacon her belief that Hoff ’s would need a special per-mit from the building inspector before going forward with the proposed conversion, as the re-modeling would be introducing a non-conforming use into the his-toric district. Before Hoff ’s can go to the building inspector, however, they will need to get ap-proval for the renovations from the Historic District Commis-sion. Ms. Glover pointed out that the Historic District Commis-sion’s mandate covers aesthetics not use, so the change in use will not be relevant in their delibera-tions.

“At this point I think we’re in-terested in every aspect of the proposed conversion,” said Ms. Glover, explaining her and her clients interest in the proposed project.

After the meeting, Mr. Pisila explained his design.

“My thinking is simply to do the renovation clean, simple but modern,” said Mr. Pisila. “I’m not attempting to turn this into a Victorian gas station because there were no such things.”

“I’m not attempting to do a false reproduction of an official style that never existed.”

Commission tours Hoff ’s Mobil

Photo Credit / Bera B. dunau

Right to Left: Glen Hoff, owner of Hoff ’s Mobil; Harry Pisila, architect of the proposed re-modeling; Lenox Historic District Committee Members Ken Fowler and Jason Berger.

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And with the sounding of the coach horn, supplied by Mr. Alan Keeley, the parade of carriages and buggies decked out in the last fl owers of the summer began.

The parade, fi rst appearing in September 1883, when the cot-tagers and socialites of the Berk-shires drove their fl ower decorat-ed carriages on the Lenox roads.

The cottagers would bid fare-well to the summer season and

signaled the start of the fall sea-son in Lenox with the Tub Parade.

The event was part of the gild-ed age glory of the Berkshires. Following World War I, and the decline of the gilded age era, the parade ceased until the Colonial Carriage & Driving Society initi-ated its revival 20 years ago.

As for the future of the Tub Pa-rade, “Colonial Carriage is striv-ing to make the tub parade one of the best horse drawn carriage pa-rades to be found anywhere,” said

Mr. Harvey Waller, president of Colonial Carriage and Driving Society,. “The society has fun putting on the parade and show-ing their turnouts, but the parade is more than that.”

“The parade is a glimpse of how it was more than 100 years ago in the horse drawn carriage era. The horse and carriage era is almost forgotten in our high-tech world and the Society feels that it is im-portant to show how it was, espe-cially to the younger generation.”

Photo Credit / erik M. SokolowSki

Justin Morace drives his 1890s Vis-a Vis, which was heavily used in Philadelphia.

PARADE from page 1

Janel M. HarrisonBeacon Staff Writer

LEE - With a smorgasbord of food, music, family fun and en-tertainment, mark your calendars for Lee’s 17th annual Birthday celebration Founders weekend!

Festivities begin on Friday eve-ning September 23 and don’t stop until Sunday September 25, 2011.

Friday: Features the scrump-tious Taste of Lee with local food vendors lining Main Street along with side walk sales all day, a Creative Lee Annual Art Show in the Lee Library Gallery, a kids carnival at Carr Hardware, a rock climbing wall at Lee Bank, David Grover performing on the Library lawn, Trustco Bank sponsors the Housatonic Philhar-monic on the steps of Dresser

Hull, and Lee Idol Round 1 audi-tions at the Spectrum Playhouse sponsored by the Lee Cultural Council and Students Educa-tional Fund. This is the fi rst ever Lee based talent contest open to all singers/musicians who live or work in Lee. Winner achieves bragging rights, and a $100 cash prize. Auditions are FREE (with a $5 donation for those who can).

Saturday: Begin the day with a Hometown Parade at 11 a.m., vendors, crafts and sidewalk bake

sales all day. Terry a la Berry and Moonshine Holler will be per-forming on the Library lawn, and in front of the Cakewalk Cafe Robin O’Herin Sings the Blues. There will be theatre and music all day at the Spectrum Play-house and Franklin Street Com-munity Center.

Sunday: Caps off the day with the full Eagles Band at the spec-trum Playhouse at 1 p.m. and much more! For more details vis-it www.leefoundersweekend.com.

What: Lee Founder’s DaysWhere: All around LeeWhen: September 24-25Everything from Lee Idol to the Taste of Lee

If You Go

Celebrate Lee’s birthday


Answers to Sept. 8Puzzles:

Kameron Z. SpauldingBeacon Staff Writer

PITTSFIELD - Young pro football fans will have the oppor-tunity to exhibit their football skills when the City of Pittsfi eld Recreation Program hosts an NFL Punt, Pass &Kick competi-tion on Sept. 24 at Wahconah Park.

The NFL Punt, Pass & Kick football competition allows young-sters to showcase their talents in punting, passing, and kicking with scores based on distance and accuracy. Age classifi cation is as of Dec. 31 of the current year.

Established in 1961, the PPK pro-gram is the oldest NFL Youth Foot-ball program. This year PPK will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary.

The top fi nishers from each of 10 age groups at the local compe-tition will advance to a sectional competition. The winners at the sectional competition will have their scores compared with other sectional champions. The top four scorers from the pool of sec-tional champions will advance to the team championship, to be held at a New England Patriot game.

Each participant is allowed one punt, one pass and one placekick as part of his or her competition.

Scores are based on both dis-tance and accuracy. For example, if a participant passes the ball 100 feet, but the ball lands 30 feet to the right of the measuring tape, the fi nal score is calculated by deducting 30 from 100, for a fi nal score of 70.

Age-group champions at this level will be declared NFL Punt, Pass & Kick Team Champions. The top four fi nishers in the boys’ and girls’ divisions within each age bracket from the pool of all team champions will qualify for the National Finals at an NFL playoff game in January.

The competition is free and open to boys and girls ages 6-15.

For competition information, call Pittsfi eld’s Recreation Activi-ties Coordinator at 413-499-9370. Entry forms are available online at NFLyouthfootball.com or at www.cityofpittsfi eld.org. En-try forms and fl yers will be sent home with Pittsfi eld children through the schools.

Pass, Punt and Kick like a pro

Photo Credit / kaMeron Z. SPauldinG

Young boys and girls in Pittsfi eld will have a chance to show off their NFL skills next week-end, like this young man from a competition in Providence, RI last fall.

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The Berkshire Sonata September 22


Susan M. Wicker GuerreroBeacon Staff Writer

Great Gifts and More, an arti-san consignors shop at 146 North Street in Pittsfield, lives up to its name and then some.

Open since March, it’s an art-ist’s and crafter’s paradise with hundreds of unique, handcrafted items that cannot be found in re-tail stores. A total of 25 consign-ors from throughout The Berk-shires have their items for sale in the 1200 square foot shop.

Everything from framed pho-tos of Pittsfield and surrounding towns and jewelry to decorative paintings and seasonal decora-tions can be found at the shop.

Judge Paul E. Perachi, retired from the Berkshire Juvenile Court, is one of the photogra-phers who has his work displayed.

Experienced Crafters

Owners Deborah “Debbie” Chase, of Lanesboro, and Gloria Greaves, a retired elementary school teacher, of Pittsfield, are both tal-ented, experienced crafters. They are living their dream of opening an artisan consignment shop.

Both women did craft fairs for years, loading and unloading their wares, setting them up in tents, and then, at the end of the day, repacking the ones that didn’t sell. Mrs. Greaves said they started thinking about opening a shop where everything could be featured in one stationary place.

When the current space, for-merly occupied by Rebel Sounds, became vacant, they took the plunge. Great Gifts and More went from dream stage to reality.

The landlord removed the rugs on the floors and installed lami-nate flooring. He painted the red and black walls a soft beige. To-day, the space looks inviting. All items for sale are neatly displayed.

Both owners are passionate about what they are doing.

“Coming here is not like a job,” Mrs. Greaves said. Both women are following their bliss.

They have a huge variety of craft items including some that could be purchased as baby show-er and wedding gifts.

Sisterhood Pins

Among the many items the co-owner, Mrs. Greaves, makes are Sisterhood pins. She creates them from tiny clothespins and all have different outfits.

She then attaches the pins to paper backings and adds sayings such as “Sisters are the bacon bits in the salad of life.”

They come in sets of twos, threes, and fours.

Mrs. Greaves, a certified paint-ing instructor, does pen and ink with oil rouging, a technique that uses tiny little brush strokes. She also knits.

Mrs. Chase crochets, knits, and does eye-popping decorative painting.

Socks for Winter Pedicures

Among other items that stand out tin the shop are “flip flop” socks. They fit over the foot and up to the ankle but the toes are left open. They would be great to wear in the winter when getting a pedicure.

The shop also carries handsewn clothes that fit 16-inch dolls; hand painted glass; pierced lamp-shades, spotless soy candles; jew-elry; and holiday items, just to

name a smattering.

Classes Offered

The shop owners sponsor class-es, too, in candle making, card making, crocheting, knitting, and sewing. On October 1st, there will also be a class offered in pen and ink with oil rouging. Call the shop for details.

Great Gifts and More is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sidewalk reconstruction out-side of the shop has been a chal-lenge for business, as well as blocked parking spaces in the area, but the shop owners have persevered.

Mail Order in the Future

They keep the shop open dur-ing Third Thursday celebrations and are hoping to work with oth-er shops in the area to offer a Girls Night Out event in the fu-ture. In addition, they are work-ing on a website so they can even-tually offer mail order.

How It WorksArtists and crafters who opt to consign their work at Great Gifts

and More, thus becoming vendors, pay a total of $50 a month to dis-play their wares.

Shop owners require a six month commitment. The shop also gets 10 percent of each sale. Co-owners, Mrs. Deb-

orah “Debbie” Chase and Mrs. Gloria Greaves, pay all the state tax-es on items as well as building rent and all advertising costs. They hold open houses, have sales, and alert customers about new items through e-mail. Thus, they are constantly trying to bring in more buyers which is good for the vendors who consign.

More Vendors Wanted

They are still on-the-lookout for stained glass items, baskets, leath-er and quilted items; and pottery. Vendors who make those items are welcome to bring them in. Once approved, they can put them on consignment.

Miniature Food Pins and Rings

Robin D. Scace, one of the shop’s vendors, said she is an “addicted craftsmaker.”

Among numerous items this multi-talented artisan has in the store are the most different looking rings and pins imaginable.

They are tiny plates with miniature wine bottles and glasses as well as two-inch breakfasts of bacon and eggs, to name just a couple. The latter could be worn by a waitress in a restaurant, Mrs. Scace said.

Details on the plate rings and pins delight the eye. There’s even a tiny red lobster that looks good enough to eat, let alone wear as a pin or ring.

These would definitely not be found in retail stores and are intri-cately fashioned.

Son in Afghanistan

Mrs. Scace’s 25-year-old son is in military service and stationed in Afghanistan. Doing a wide array of crafts is her “therapy,” she said, to get her mind off worrying about him.

In addition to the rings, Mrs. Scace also makes greeting cards, fin-gerless gloves, handsewn items, stuffed animals, seasonal decora-tions, and on and on into the craft world.

“This is a fantastic outlet for someone like me,” Mrs. Scace said. When she’s not making items for the shop, she works at Greylock Federal Credit Union.

Photo Credit / SuSan M. wiCker Guerrero

Great Gifts and More, an artisan consignors shop at 147 North St. in Pittsfield, has a huge variety of handcrafted gifts for all occasions.


Robin D. Scace, one of the vendors, displays some of her work. She’s wearing a ring that depicts a small wine bottle, wine glass, and a tiny vase filled with flowers.

A handcrafted gift for everyone you know


Editorial:Autumn is here

View From the Tower

George C. Jordan III

Robert “Bob” Romeo, former member and chairman of the Lenox Historic District Com-

mission told The Berkshire Beacon that the pumps at Hoff ’s Mobil are the draw to the business.

The LHDC’s business is aesthetics not the use of the property by the owner, Glenn Hoff seeking a re-molding permit to change the outside of the existing station from repairs to a gasoline/convenience store.

Daniel O’Brien, who has retained counsel, is opposed to the idea of the convenience store, which abuts his property.

Funny thing, two drugstores operated side-by-side on the Island of Nantucket for many years without issue. The big issue for tourist was which one they were going to go to for prescriptions and/or sit at the old-fash-ioned ice cream counter for lunch.

A few years back, one drug store sold out to a jewelry store for a lot of money.

The Hoff ’s Mobile Station has always been a subject of controversy for the towed vehi-cles piled up in the yard, to piles of used tires in front of the building, to unintended vehi-cles of customers waiting for mechanical work to the operator’s tow trucks park on town streets.

In a word, it was a commercial venture that at times did not lend itself to the historic beauty of downtown.

Yet, over the years the station survived and was a good neighbor. One thing that never worked was the public restrooms for tourist and locals alike. Across America, stations were viewed as rest stops, a place to get di-rections, fi ll-up one’s vehicle with gasoline and check one’s tires for air pressure and use the relief station.

In the mid-west, the Standard Service Sta-tions in each community would off er to pump gas, check the oil, fan belt, water in the sys-tem, tire pressure and even sweep out one’s car interior.

That was a time when service was with a smile, gasoline sold for under $.30 a gallon. Times have changed.

Now it is self-service with or without a smile from the attendant. One pays for air unless you buy something at the station and

the attendant turns on the over-ride switch for air.

Now comes a decision on the plans for Hoff ’s by Architect Harry M. Pisila of Pittsfi eld.

Perhaps the building should have red brick façade, a roof line to help off set the build-ing’s functional usage, period lights similar to the new streetlights and an attached can-opy to draw the gasoline and convenience store operation together.

One suggestion was to angle the existing pumps so more vehicles could receive gaso-line. Mr. Hoff said the cost of changing the pumps would be about $50,000.

The initial design lacks the classic Ameri-can look of a downtown Historic village. It is a non-conforming commercial brick building built before zoning laws were approved.

It is not American in style, nor does it fi t into the historic district with housing units across from the station on prestigious Cliff -wood Street, or the adjacent building the for-mer Women’s home AKA Nat Winstanley’s building nor the one next door—O’Brien’s Fact is, Mr. O’Brien should take this opportu-nity to paint his building from top to bottom to encourage a new look at the corner of Franklin and Main Street.

The LHDC next meeting is Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Town Hall, Lenox.

There is a lore about the old gasoline sta-tion where people hung around and dis-cussed various makes and models. Some turned out to be part-time mechanics others purchased their favorite vintage car or truck. It was a social meeting place.

Lenox should demand more. The issue is not about two convenience stores. The issue is to create a corner of Lenox that will lend it-self not only to the two convenience stores, but support the historical integrity within the community.

Mr. Hoff seems to be amendable to reason. My suggestion would be an exterior of red brick along with period lighting to match the new streetlights around the historic area.

The goal is to make the corner attractive as the welcome icon for the future. The LHDC along with the architect and both Mr. Hoff and Mr. O’Brien should look to Lenox’s future.

Today we call on the LHDC to reject the im-age off ered and ask that a softer look of style be sought to encourage trade in Lenox.

Summer is winding down. There is a breath of fresh air coming into the middle sea-

son between summer and fall.Many of the tourists have left The Berkshires to return to

their homes and businesses. Their children have returned to their respective classes.

Now is a quieter period between the summer and the fall when the end of summer gatherings take place.

In Becket this Sunday is the Hilltown Hoot at the Washing-ton Town Park.

Next week is the dual annual events—Lenox’s Apple Squeeze and Lee’s Founder’s Day.

The excitement is building for two events for locals and visitors.

According to SE O’Callaghan and re-edited by Karyn May-hew-White for Berkshire Web: “The Berkshires, at this time of year, presents a vista unmatched by other seasons or places. Autumn in New England is an event that travelers from all over the globe make a point of catching; not just for the beauty, but for the harvest festivals, the end of the sea-son cultural attractions, the agricultural fairs and the last of the summer sports.

“The Berkshires, legendary for the view, continues to off er the adventurer numerous events, whether it be sports, cul-ture or just plain celebrating the season, in the surroundings we have just described.”

Meanwhile the restaurants have return to normal during the week with weekends still fi lled with tourist and special functions. It is a great time of year to take a walk around one’s community or take a bike ride on the slow roads within Berkshire County. Also, it is a good time to paddle around many of the lakes and/or the Housatonic River. This is a pleasant relaxing time of year.

George C. Jordan IIIEDITOR & PUBLISHER

Kameron Z. SpauldingEDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Janel M. Harrison, Susan M. Wicker Guerrero Bera B. Dunau, Erik M. SokolowskiCONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Susan RobinsonGRAPHIC DESIGNER

Janel M. Harrison, Jacqueline J. Wendling,ADVERTISING SALES

The Berkshire Beacon is published weekly. The Beacon is distributed throughout Berkshire County, MA. The Berkshire Beacon assumes no financial responsibility for failure to publish an advertisement, incorrect placement or typo-graphical errors published. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertising and claims and offers contained within their advertising. The Berkshire Beacon reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason. All contents copyright ©2011 The Berkshire Beacon. No portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.



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Kameron Z. SpauldingBeacon Staff Writer

Coming off of a strong first day at the Endicott Invitational, Wil-liams volleyball knew that things were not going to get any easier on day two, as they faced off against Schreiner, an out of re-gion opponent, and the hosts, a perennial powerhouse in the Com-monwealth Coast Conference.

First going up against Schrein-er, a team that the Ephs knew lit-tle about prior to the weekend, Williams hoped to keep the mo-mentum rolling from their emo-tional comeback the previous evening against Plymouth State. Offensively the Ephs picked up right where they left off, slam-ming home 14 kills against only one error in the first set.

This led to a stellar hitting per-centage of .419. First year Claire Miller had six kills in the first set, out of her team leading 12 kills in the match. Behind their hot of-fense Williams rolled to a 25-17 set victory.

In the second set the Eph of-fense dropped off a little bit, with only 8 kills, but the defense would pick up the slack. Senior co-captain Aly McKinnon led the way with 13 digs, one of four Williams players with at least five digs. Junior Lauren Agoubi and first year Mandy Schott had eight

digs apiece, while Miller chipped in an additional seven.

The Ephs would close out the second set 25-20. In the third set the Eph offense rebounded with a vengeance, posting nine kills versus zero errors. All told the team would have a hitting per-centage of .283, no easy feat against as talented a team as Sch-reiner. In the end, though, Wil-liams closed out the third set 25-20 to win the match.

In the second match of the day the Ephs faced off against the host Gulls of Endicott College. The Ephs jumped out to a quick lead in the first set, leading 7-1. The Eph offense once again paced the charge, while tough serving helped get their oppo-nents out of rhythm and stymied their offense.

Lauren Agoubi and Claire Miller both had two aces in the match, as Williams served up a season high eight aces. Miller would once again lead the team in kills, with 19 while hitting .372.

Sophomore Emily Baratta was close behind with 14 kills of her own, giving her a combined 21 for the day. First year Emily O’Day had 10 kills against Endi-cott versus only three errors for a hitting percentage of .241. Wil-liams would win the set 25-13

The Gulls rebounded in set two, and steadily began to push

back against the Ephs. The nev-er-say-die attitude on defense that was a hallmark of all four matches that the Ephs played this weekend allowed them to pull out the set victory 25-20.

McKinnon would turn in her best defensive performance of the weekend against Endicott, with 22 digs. Miller had 16 digs, while first year Holly Harper was third on the team with 10. First year Raea Rasmussee was the team leader in blocks, with four, while Baratta, Schott, and junior co-captain Haley Eagon all had two apiece.

After dropping a hard fought set three 19-25, the Ephs roared back to close out the fourth set 25-20.

“Overall I’m very pleased with our entire team’s effort,” said head coach Christi Kelsey.

“We were able to put together 4 consistent matches and our entire team was able to contribute. It’s a good starting point, but we know we need to get better every week and we’re looking forward to do-ing that together.”

Junior co-captain Haley Eagon said “I’m proud of how our team performed against some solid competition. I’m looking forward to next weekend when we open up our conference schedule.”

Williams College performs well at invitational


Williams College volleyball players (from left to right) Aly McKinnon and Emily Barrata.


Despite a strong regular sea-son, the Pittsfield Colonials were eliminated from the Can-Am League playoffs after being swept by the New Jersey Jackals.

The Jackals dominated all three games played in the five game postseason series, winning game one 8-1, game two 8-2 and game 5-1. Indeed, aside from two innings in game two the Jackals lead for the entire series.

The Colonials also had the dis-advantage of playing all three games on the road. Game three was supposed to be a home game for the Colonials, but because of poor attendance at Wahconah Park, the Can-Am League deter-mined that the entire series would be played in Upper Montclaire New Jersey at Yogi Berra Stadium.

This decision was made par-tially because the financially struggling Colonials could not guarantee that they would be able to cover all expenses if play-off games were played at Wahco-nah Park, and partially because players playing in the playoffs re-ceive $2 for every ticket sold.

Still, in spite of their early play-off exit, the Colonials had a suc-cessful and productive season.

The Colonials finished 53-39, the third best record in the Can-Am League. As they did last year, the Colonials benefited from great management, the talents of a number of exceptional players and a strong performance in the second half of the season. The Colonials went 24-9 from July 31 to the end of the regular season.

Colonial’s pitcher Patrick Mo-ran was named rookie of the year. Moran finished the season with an 11-3 record and a 3.62 ERA. He tied for third in the Can-Am League in wins, tied for fifth in complete games (3) and was 10th in ERA.

Moran wasn’t the only Colo-nial to win an award as Colonials manger Jamie Keefe won manag-er of the year. Last year’s Colo-nials manager, Brian Daubach, also won manager of the year. Daubach currently manages the Hagerstown Suns, a Single A farm team for the Washington Na-tionals in Hagerstown Maryland.

Danny Bomback won the Can-Am League batting title, finish-ing the season with a hefty .355 batting average. He was also the only Colonial named to the 2011 Can-Am League postseason all-star team.

The Colonials also posted strong statistics as a team. Boast-ing a team ERA of .290, the Co-lonials saw five different everyday players hit over .300 on the year. The Colonials also broke their own record for most bases stolen in a season with 158 bases stolen. Eight different Colonial players stole 10 or more bases.

The Colonials pitching staff also pitched the most complete games this year, at 17.

The question now facing the Colonials is whether they will be able to stay in Pittsfield for a third season. As they did last year, Pittsfield had the worst atten-dance in the league. The Colo-nials were also plagued by the weather this season, and were forced to cancel and re-schedule a large number of home games due to poor conditions.

Colonials owner Buddy Lewis, a Pittsfield resident, has expressed the desire to keep the team in Pittsfield. However, unless addi-tional new ownership is brought on board, Can-Am League com-missioner Miles Wolff expects that the team will have to move.

The Can-Am League owners will be meeting on October 3 and a decision on the Colonials future is expected to be an-nounced soon after.

Colonials exit playoffs, future

in Pittsfield uncertain



Summer in New England always seems to come to an abrupt end.

The stifl ing humidity threatens to do us in and then, suddenly, there’s a distinctive nip in the air. The night temps get downright chilly and the soft down comforter on the bed feels snug and warm.

Early in the morning, thick wisps of fog swirl around all the lawn furniture and nearby vegeta-tion. It’s eerie and lovely at the same time.

When I fi rst returned to New England in 2002, after living in Arizona for 12 years, I felt grateful to see the profusion of summertime green.

The thick forests along country roads, often crowned with collars of rising mist, made breath-taking scenes.

Experiencing the changing seasons here is like living inside of postcards. In winter, sparkling blan-kets of snow look like seas of glimmering crystals in the noonday sun.

Observing buds on bare tree branches in spring causes the heart to skip an extra beat.

Summer brings excursions, picnics, swimming, and all kinds of cultural activities.

It’s easy to revel in the intense beauty of New England all year long.

Of all the seasons, however, au-tumn is, to me, the most cherished one. How could anyplace on earth be as splendorous as fall in New Eng-land? The fl aming colors of the trees light up the roadsides.

Scarlet leaves shimmer in the after-noon sun, contrasting with brilliant yellows and deep oranges. The en-tire scene here becomes one long feast for the eyes. Deep blue skies

make a perfect backdrop.My eyes seem more alert during autumn since I

don’t want to miss a single glance of the surround-ing beauty.

One past autumn afternoon, during a solitary drive in the countryside, I drove slowly past a rather isolated cemetery off to one side of the road.

Quiet cloaked the area. Resting near one of the gravestones was a brightly colored children’s lawn mower.

It made me wonder who placed it there and why. Perhaps it stood near the grave of a grandfather who once proudly let his little grandchild help him mow the grass. Or, maybe a child died before his time and the mower was a favorite toy.

Thoughts continued to spin around in my head as I drove along the road. Does that ever happen to you? Do you think of something and wonder why it is that way?

Another spot along the way someone had placed a simple white wooden cross on the roadside, against a tree. Some faded silk fl owers blew sadly in the breeze. Once again, it appeared to be some kind of

memorial.While living away from New England, I

refrained from reading any magazines from the east. They made me feel too sad.

As anywhere, there were good people in Arizona and I made some very close

friends, with whom I’m still in touch. However, I never considered myself a southwestern girl.

I’m a native New Englander and, to me, even after all those years away, there’s no place else on earth as beauti-

ful as here.September, my birthday month, kind of

heralds the fall season. So, call for the drum rolls and let the splendor begin!

Fall is arrivingA personal refl ection


Signs of fall can now be scene around the Berkshires.



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The family-run Pioneer Valley Flea Market in Holyoke, open Sun-days from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., draws hundreds of bargain shoppers from several area communities.

A dizzying array of merchandise, in stalls both inside and outside a 54,000 square foot building, greets visitors. Between 150 and 200 vendors, some there for only one weekend, offer everything from glass-shaded lamps and piggy banks to fig plants and macramé plant holders.

The variety of items astounds visitors. From jewelry and purses, to statues and vegetables, chanc-es are that visitors will find what-ever items they are looking for.

Della and Ronald Sayres, of Pittsfield, have had a booth, ti-tled Ron’s Tools, at the Pioneer Valley Flea Market for five years. However, they have sold mer-chandise at other flea markets for a total of 39 years.

Their daughter, Donna Thom-as, business manager of the Berk-shire Beacon, helps out at the booth with her chihuahua, “Teka.”

“I love the people,” Mrs. Sayres said. “I love to chat about every-thing. Working at a flea market is a learning experience every day.”

Owners of the market are Richard “Rick” and Darlene Burns of Chicopee.

“We have between 150 and 200 vendors from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont, Mr.Burns said. Their three children, including Christina, who works behind the counter in the snack bar, grew up around flea markets.

Vendors can rent spaces for $45 a day and can sell for just one Sunday. It’s better than having a tag sale at home because the peo-ple come automatically to the Pi-oneer Valley Flea Market, Mr. Burns said.

Lucille Cortis, of Westfield, has had a booth at the market for several years. On display are her award-winning pickles. She won a trophy at the Blandford Fair just last week for being “an out-

standing adult hall exhibitor.”Mrs. Cortis makes all the jams

and jellies for sale at her booth, too, such as blackberry, cherry, and strawberry.

“I do it all,” said Mrs. Cortis, a friendly lady who makes custom-ers feel welcome. She called her-self an “old-fashioned Yankee” even though some of her offer-ings were ethnic. For example, she had Ukranian Easter eggs and Russian Santa nesting dolls for sale.

Mrs. Cortis chatted how she recently toured Oak and Spruce Resort in Great Barrington. She and a friend also had dinner at the Dakota on the Pittsfield Lenox road on an excursion they made last week to The Berkshires.

The Pioneer Valley Flea Mar-ket offers a unique shopping ex-perience.

What: Pioneer Valley Flea MarketWhere: 2200 Northampton St. in HolyokeWhen: Sundays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.Cost of a Renting a Booth: $45Cost to Enter: FREE

If You Go


The Pioneer Valley Market is so large it has to spill outside the building to fit all the vendors in.

They “do it all” at local flea market


Louise Cortis stands near a trophy she won at the Blandford Fair for her pickles, jams, and jellies.


A huge variety of merchandise, such as seen in the above booth, can be found at the flea market.


Community Calendar

If you have an event you would like listed in our calendar please email us at [email protected]!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH

ANNUAL BOOK SALE/AUCTION/BAKE SALENorth Adams, 9-4Don’t miss the North Adams Public Library’s annual Book Sale at the St Elizabeth of Hungary Church Parish Center, Well sorted, clean, classifi ed books are avail-able. Paperbacks - 25 to 50 cents, Fiction Hardcover - $1.50, Nonfi ction Hardcover - $1 - $3. There is also a Si-lent Auction and a Bake Sale. Breakfast and Lunch will also be available. You can also fi nd unique books for gift giving! Come support your Library!

DORIS STEVENSON, PIANOWilliamstown, 8 p.m.Doris Stevenson presents works of Frederic Rzewski, Al-lan Shawn and the Williamstown premiere of David Ke-chley’s Pogled u Budu�nost/Pogled u Prošlost: Seven Pia-no Pieces from Sarajevo, a work the composer wrote especially for Ms. Stevenson. More information http://music.williams.edu/node/1474, Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall, 413-597-2007

DIY KIDS - MAKE YOUR OWN PORTABLE ART TUBESGreat Barrington, 4 - 5 p.m. Make Your Own Portable Art Tubes - Safely transport your artwork from school in these easy to make art tubes using found objects. Please stop by or call the Berkshire Co-op Market Front Desk to sign up 413-528-9697

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH

FALL HARVEST FESTIVALNorth AdamsHosted by Northern Berkshire Christian Church, directly off of Route 2 across from the Price Chopper Shopping Plaza. This free family event will beneift church programs including future community events. In addition to crafts the festival will off a community tag sale (space is $15) music, demonstations, family games, raffl es and food. For more information, contact Jen Barbeau, event coordinator at 413-663-9761 or [email protected].

LIFE IN THE PAST LANE VIIIWilliamstown, 8:00 - 4:30The Friends of the National Archives in Pittsfi eld will present its fi nal annual Full-Day Genealogy Confer-ence, Life in the Past Lane VIII, on Saturday, Sept.17, at the Williams Inn. The day will include lectures by Mel-don Wolfgang III, Jean Nudd Elliott, Paul Bunnell, Mary Flood, Michelle LeClair and Peter Sisario. Registration

fee includes morning and afternoon refreshments, lunch, and a roundtable question-and-answer period hosted by a panel of experts. Vendors will be on hand to provide products of interest to genealogists. Com-plete program details and a printable registration form can be found at www.narafriends-pittsfi eld.org.

MOMENTS HOUSE WINE TASTING FUNDRAISERRichmond, 7 - 10 p.m.The Inn at Richmond Flag Barn, Route 41. $30 per per-son. Sponsored by The Inn at Richmond and Kelly Package Store in Dalton. Tickets now available at www.momentshouse.org. Limited number will be sold. All proceeds benefi t Moments House.

SUNSET SERENADE: BAGPIPE CONCERTState, 5 - 7 p.m.Bartholomew’s Cobble,105 Weatogue Road, Ashley Falls, Join The Trustees of Reservations to hear bagpiper Don Worth as you enjoy a spectacular sunset - weather permit-ting - with friends and neighbors. You will trek 20 min-utes up the hill, but we can tote up your lawn chair or blanket, and a picnic in our truck. Please pre-register. Members: Adult $8; Child (12 and under) Free. Non-members: Adult $10; Child (12 and under) $1. Please call or e-mail to pre-register at 413-229-8600 or [email protected].

THE NATIONAL TOURING MOTOWN CELEBRATIONPittsfi eld, 7:30 p.m.Motor City Fever, a musical revue of Motown’s great hits, features an incredible cast of performers who have shared the stage with many of Motown’s legendary singers. Tick-ets are on sale at The Colonial Theatre Box Offi ce at 111 South Street in Pittsfi eld, by phone at (413)997-4444 or online at www.thecolonialtheatre.org.

THE INDIGO ADULT & CHILD LECTUREGreat Barrington, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.Crystal Wellness Center, 39 Railroad St., $42 if prepaid by September 10th, $47 thereafter. Pre-registration encouraged, Come and learn about the sensitive, strong willed and wise soul that you are or have in your life. Ms. Rosenshein who is affectionately known as “The Indigo Doc” will share the latest tips and tools for helping you and/or your child. 413-528-2595 [email protected]

FARM TOUR - COMMUNITY COOPERATIVE FARMSheffi eld, 2 - 3 p.m.Join us on a tour of Community Cooperative Farm in

Sheffi eld, a cooperatively owner CSA that is in its sec-ond full year of operation. The worker-owners of CCF grow, preserve, eat and sell chemical-free, heirloom and non-hybrid varieties of veggies, fruits, grains, wild edibles, eggs and pasture raised meats. Please stop by or call the Berkshire Co-op Market Front Desk to sign up 413-528-9697

KIDS CAN COOK! - APPLE CRUMBLEGreat Barrington, 10 - 11a.m.Apple Crumble - It’s apple season and we will be using this delicious fall fruit to make a quick and easy dessert that you can make for your whole family. This makes a great lunchbox treat as well. Please stop by or call the Berkshire Co-op Market Front Desk to sign up 413-528-9697

BERKSHIRE BALLROOM DANCERS / USA DANCEPittsfi eld, 7:45 p.m.At the Masonic Temple, 116 South St., A ballroom dance, with a free basic Lesson in Quickstep from 7 to 7:45 p.m. taught by Esther & Irv Mindlin, Dancing from 7:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. with music by Champagne Jam, Admission: $13 each, $9 USA Dance Members, $5 Students, Free Light Refreshments, For more information, call (413) 684-1510

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH

A 2011 HERITAGE WALKMontereyGould Farm will host a Heritage Walk, on Sunday, This walk will be one of 50+ walking tours being offered on the weekends of Sept.17-18 and Oct. 1-2, 2011 throughout Litchfi eld County, Conn. and Berkshire County, Mass. Housatonic Heritage is the coordinator of the walks, and Gould Farm has offered to be a part of this interesting and well-received annual event.

SCRABBLEROUSER 2011Lenox, 2 - 5:30 p.m.The Lenox Library, 18 Main Street, Players will win priz-es and bragging rights by raising the most sponsor-ship, earning the most points in three 30-minute games, or coming up with the most interesting “Lenox” word. Last year’s high scorers, Team Kripalu, will be returning to defend their title. To register, con-tact Sharon Hawkes at the library before September 18 at 637-2630 or [email protected]


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Kameron Z. SpauldingBeaon Staff Writer

Anchor Steam is one of the great craft beers that America has to offer.

Its great amber color and cream colored head is something that has been perfected over the past 100 years. Steam uses a two-row barely over a six-row barely, which allows for more ferment-able sugars and Northern Brewer Hops which give it a great citrus aroma and fl avor.

Overall, Steam is one of Amer-ican’s great classic beers that you just have to try.

Anchor Brewing was originally founded in 1896. Ernst F. Baruth and his son-in-law Otto Schinkel bought a brewery on the Pacifi c and called it Anchor. Anchor Steam the brewery’s oldest beer developed its name from the nickname given to beers brewed on the West Coast at the time.

The two ran Anchor Brewery until 1906 until Baruth’s unex-pected death and Schinkel’s death in a freak street car acci-dent shortly after.

German brewers Joseph Kraus and August Meyer took over the brewery until prohibition shut them down in 1920. Kraus start-ed brewing again in 1933 after prohibition ended. However, the brewery burned down the follow-ing February.

Kraus reopened a few blocks away from where Anchor Brew-ery is today. Shortly after the opening of the new brewery, Joe Allen joined Kraus until Kraus died in 1952.

Allen ran the brewery until 1959. He then had to shut it down because drinkers were not fond of his new taste. In the latter part of 1960 Marin-ite Lawrence Steese reopened the brewery with Allen.

The two would have a diffi cult run until 1965 when Fritz May-tag (current owner) bought the brewery after having the beer at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

On September 24, 1965 Fritz bought the Anchor Brewery, He then spent the next ten years re-building the brewery and the beer into what we know it today.


Anchor Steam is one of the best west cost beers.

Give steam a chance


The Guard is a new black com-edy from Ireland that manages to be both funny and poignant at the same time.

The Guard, which is currently the highest grossing independent Irish fi lm of all time, uses the conventions of the buddy cop movie to give us a portrait of a man. That man is Sergeant Ger-ry Boyle (played by veteran actor Brendan Gleeson) a middle-aged police offi cer in Connemara in the rural west of Ireland.

Boyle is an outrageous, icono-clastic fi gure, who breathes polit-ically incorrect statements has a penchant for drinking, a fond-ness for illegal drugs and a love of prostitutes.

At the same time, Boyle also possesses a kind of fundamental decency.

He treats his dieing mother with care and affection, is able to display a remarkable sensitivity when needed, and, despite fre-quent bouts of profanity and a willingness to threaten anyone who rubs him the wrong way, is capable of both warmth and em-pathy. He also happens to be an effective, although a highly un-orthodox, policeman.

Boyle is contrasted with Wendell Everett (played by Don Cheadle of Crash and Hotel Rwanda fame) an American FBI agent tracking a group of cocaine smugglers.

The smugglers are trying to unload a half a billion dollars worth of cocaine in the west of Ireland, and their actions end up

forcing Everett and Boyle to work together.

Everett is by the book and hu-morless, and is quickly offended by Boyle’s crassness and seeming lack of professionalism. Never-theless, he also comes to grudg-ingly respect Boyle, though he fi nds him diffi cult to understand.

Early on in the movie Everett says to Boyle “I can’t tell if you’re really ******* smart or really ******* stupid.”

This statement characterizes both the audience and Everett’s relationship with Sergeant Boyle. As the fi lm goes on, however, we learn that its answer is in many ways beside the point.

Sergeant Boyle is as over the top a character as ever has been portrayed onscreen. Yet the world in which he lives is not.

Filmed on location in the over-cast hills of western Ireland, with a sparse, (though brilliantly se-lected) soundtrack, even the most absurd interactions feel grounded in reality. This is also true of the death and violence in The Guard. When people die, they die bru-tally and the audience feels it. The Guard may be a comedy, but it is not a farce.

The consequences of Boyle’s ir-reverent, and hedonistic lifestyle are also apparent. Aside from his dieing mother, he is alone in the world and although he takes this in stride, it’s clear that this is a source of regret.

Yet this seed of regret doesn’t make him reexamine his life, or motivate him to change his ways.

Rather, like his virtues and vic-es, it is but another part of his

character, and the guard’s persis-tent refusal to classify or simplify Sergeant Boyle is one of the fi lm’s strengths.

The Guard manages to weave its seemingly contradictory threads into a hilarious and moving fi lm and much of the credit for this should go to Cheadle and Gleeson.

Both actors are at the top of their games and the evolution of their relationship is far richer and more satisfying than the buddy cop clichés that it could have fall-en into.

Other notable performances come from the three cocaine smugglers (who are played by David Wilm-ot, Liam Cunnigham and Mark Strong). Just as willing to murder someone, as they are to wax phil-osophical, all three are restless and dissatisfi ed with their jobs, the fl ash and glamour of the drug life having burned out for them long ago.

At the same time, they are dead set on unloading their cargo, and more than willing to take care of anyone who stands in their way.

Like Sergeant Boyle, the drug dealers are indeed strange ducks. Yet, as with Sergeant Boyle, they feel like the kind of stranger than fi ction people one meets every day, rather than caricatures, and they are truly fascinating antago-nists

Richly textured, well acted and original in both its content and tone, The Guard is one of those rare comedies that manages to show shades of gray while paint-ing in primary colors. Treat your-self to it, and you will not be dis-appointed.

The Guard is a true indie winner

TOP TEN MOVIES1. The Help (PG-13) Viola Davis, Emma Stone2. The Debt (R) Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson3. Apollo 18 (PG-13) Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen4. Shark Night 3D (PG-13) Sinqua Walls, Chris Carmack5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (PG-13) James Franco, Freida Pinto6. Colombiana (PG-13) Zoe Saldana, Jordi Molla7. Our Idiot Brother (R) Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks8. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (R) Katie Holmes, Guy Pierce9. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (PG) Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara10. The Smurfs (PG) Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays(c) 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.

self to it, and you will not be dis-appointed.

5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (PG-13) James Franco, Freida Pinto


Girl-2-GirlFashion Passion

Part IISusan Wicker

Beacon Staff Writer

WILLIAMSTOWN - A team of dedicated volunteers at Saints Patrick and Raphael Catholic Parish raised a total of $5,500 at their one-day annual tag sale.

Proceeds of the annual fund-raiser go to church projects such as the food pantry and meals de-livered to homes, said Chandra Millett Shin. She co-chaired the successful event with Jackie Sedlock.

At least 50 volunteers, includ-ing Boys Scouts, worked tirelessly for the past two months, prepar-ing for the sale. It was held this month in the Parish Center at 53 Southworth Street.

“We are so grateful for all the hours of work the volunteers put in. They did an amazing amount of work,” said Mrs. Millett Shin. “We are also grateful for all the people who donated items as well as for everyone who attended.”

The sale started at 9 a.m. but at 8 a.m., a line of people snaked

outside the Parish Center, indi-cating that word of this sale’s quality has gotten around.

Volunteers cleaned and washed all the glassware as well as washed, sorted, ironed, and priced linens. Detailed organiza-tion made the church tag sale stand out. For example, there were separate, labeled rooms for baked goods, books, collectibles, holiday items, and so on.

The sale originated several years ago at St. Raphael Church in town. When the two churches merged into one in 2007, the an-nual fundraising tag sale contin-ued to be held.

A steady crowd of people fil-tered in and out of the Parish Center throughout the day.

Sparkling glassware and casse-role dishes, pitchers, paintings, and china could be seen getting hauled out to cars in the parking lot.

When prices were slashed in half, a buying frenzy for charity began in earnest. Holiday angels, pumpkins, and bunny rabbits;

crocheted bedspreads, candle-holders, and so much more all went to new homes.

The Baked Goods section of the sale drew a steady stream of sweet loving customers through-out the sale. In charge of that sec-tion were Barbara and Nancy Agostini.

Mrs. Millett Shin said there are a few quality items left over from the sale. They will be auctioned off and the proceeds will be add-ed to the $5,500.

Residents of the Spruces Trail-er Park in Williamstown, who lost homes in recent flooding, could take leftover items from the sale without charge, she said.

Sanford and Kid, a used goods furniture and accessories store in North Adams, planned to pur-chase the remainder of the left-overs.

The Rev. Wayne C. Biernat is pastor of Saints Patrick and Ra-phael and the Rev. Mr. Frank Ryan is Deacon.

with Janel M. Harrison

O.K. Journey to decode our man: Take 2! I’d like to mention that men are hard to read espe-cially when everything’s rain-bows and stars. They haven’t quite showed their true selves yet, and for that matter neither have we. So what do we do? We play “the game” as I am well aware from in my single days, and watch-ing my single girlfriends now.

It helps to have clues that allow us to uncover men. Yeah! That’s right! Understanding a man can be like deciphering Morse code.

One way to start is by looking at what’s on the outside.

Watches: Time will tell? Woman approaches man and says, “Excuse me, but do you have the time?” Now she zooms in on his wrist because watches are not only a fashion statement for men, but according to the askmen.com Watch Snob, they do indeed tell who he is and what he wants. Let’s elaborate:

• The Functional Watch worn by the practical guy who can easily transition from work to gym. He’s down to earth and doesn’t stress over the little things and his practical nature is quick to solve problems.

• The Statement Watch. Your typical Rolex man although comfortable with who he is, is most likely concerned with how he is seen in the world, and his watch shows he is im-portant and has money!

• The Trendy Watch man goes with the flow; is fashion wise and likes to appear cool and collected. Not usually a take charge type.

• The Classic Watch man wears a simple watch that transcends generations and you can be sure he’s wearing it to tell the time, not to tell the world he’s the cat’s meow.

• The Wacky Watch guy is an attention grabber and clever. He’s comfortable to say, “Hey, this is me.” He could be trouble or just fun-loving, but definite-ly you won’t be bored with this

one. You can bet on that!

If he doesn’t wear a watch he could be a number of things from a new age tech guy to doesn’t care about the binds of time guy, to doesn’t have a job, carefree guy.

Next up! Hair or no hair: that is the question. • Toupee fellow may have self es-

teem issues and may lead one to wonder if what you see on the outside is what appears on the inside, fake.

• Just for Men hair color boy could be a Peter Pan who won’t grow up as apposed to the gray at the temples man who is well adjusted, laid back and quite distinguished. Just look at Mr. Clooney who by the way may be getting serious!

• Kiss goodbye the guy with more hair products than you! He’s high maintenance girlfriends!

• Embracing baldness is the way to go, if that’s the way his hair-line is going or went. This guy whether he’s fully bald or shaves his head is more inter-ested in what’s in his head.

Belt buckles are easy no-brain-ers. If he has a silver dollar; he likes money, if he has a fish he likes fishing; golfers have golf clubs and cowboys have horses, so chances are if he’s got a wom-an on his belt he’ll like you… and everyone else!

Finally your tie man:• If he’s in red he’s in charge and

sensual.• Blue he’s trustworthy and fun! • Orange he’s strong and creative• Black he’s conventional and

chic.• Yellow he’s hopeful and open

and kind hearted.• Green he’s intelligent and

polite, but might suggest the green eyed monster.

• Purple he’s a dreamer.• Brown he’s stable.

Now that I’ve armed you with these easy tell-tale signs, time to use them…

Ciao Bella

Church sale a success

Broad-wings in flightDavid St. James

Beacon Staff Writer

The Broad-winged Hawk is the common breeding hawk of the Berkshires, a denizen of de-ciduous woods from late April to September when it becomes time for them to leave for warmer climes.

Throughout the month of Sep-tember, Broad-wings migrate through the area, peaking around September 20-25 depending on the weather.

Broad-wings gather in flocks called “kettles” which rise on cells of warm air termed “ther-mals” allowing the physics of climbing air to enable these birds to float along with little of no ef-fort to themselves.

These kettles often contain 50-100 hawks and successive kettles of equal size pass as a parade through the mid-day. Collective-ly, these migrating flocks can reach impressive numbers.

In 1971, an incredible 4,300 Broad-wings were noted over Cooper Hill in Sheffield. As re-markable as that number may seem,

the maximum number seen in a day in Massachusetts was at Mt. Wachusett in the central part of the state when 19, 912 birds were seen flying over the summit in 1983.

These swirling flocks gather from southern Canada and the eastern United States then funnel through Texas and Central America to winter in northern Southern America.

Other hawks will commonly associate with the Broad-wings

and them join them on their common southern migration. Harriers, Bald Eagles and Pere-grines are seen with regularity.

The best viewing for this spec-tacle is Hurlburt’s Hill at Bar-tholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield and at Pittsfield State Forest at the high point just before Berry Pond. There are usually other birders there to guide you through the different hawks pass-ing overhead.



Ryan Scago is hoping that a fresh perspective will lead him to success in his campaign for the 3rd Berkshire Massachusetts House District.

Born and raised in Pittsfield, Mr. Scago attended Pittsfield Catholic schools. He then went on to study at BCC and the Uni-versity of New Haven where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Currently on leave from Alba-ny Law School, Mr. Scago has worked in his families coin oper-ated laundromat business, the Berkshire county District attor-ney’s office and the Berkshire County Sheriff ’s Department. He is currently employed part time at Soldier On in Northampton, a homeless veterans shelter, in a case management/government relations capacity.

Mr. Scago says that he learned a signifigant amount about poli-tics and the legislative process when he worked under former Repre-sentative Al Adinolfi (R Cheshire) in the Connecticut State House.

“When I worked in the Con-necticut State House I really got a hands on approach to just exactly what a state representative does. You’re not only hearing from one side, you’re hearing from the oth-er side, you’re hearing from par-ties that are disinterested but they still have an opinion and I think that’s the key, you have to listen to all sides.”

At age 25, Mr. Scago is by far the youngest candidate running in the special election for the 3rd Berkshire District. Mr. Scago, however, considers this to be an ad-vantage rather than a hindrance.

“I think there’s a new approach to some of the older problems and I think that I’m the only one in the race who brings that fresh perspective to things.”

Mr. Scago says that he really loves going door to door, and his experiences canvassing have lead him to the conclusion that people are eager to see results

“What happens out door to door is you hit the boiler plate is-sues, the job development the healthcare cost, but a lot of peo-

ple, I think, are frustrated with the fact that everybody hits those at their doorsteps but nobody re-ally gives them any substance about them.”

A Substantive Approach

As an example of the substan-tive approach he likes to take, Mr. Scago brought up the topic of reducing Massachusetts’ high utility rates, which Mr. Scago be-lieves are hurting economic growth and hindering job cre-ation.

“I’ve talked to Mr. Supranow-icz here at the chamber of com-merce and he kind of laid out what are the three biggest obsta-cles in terms of business growth related to the utility rate. One is the cost of production of energy, two is what happens when some-one can’t pay their electric bill and the third is the cost of main-tenance on the system.”

In terms of reducing the cost of the production of energy, Mr. Scago would increase the effi-ciency of the gas generators that turn on when western Massachu-setts draws large amounts of en-ergy, something that currently sharply drives up utility rates.

On the issue of people not pay-ing their electric bill, Mr. Scago would be in favor of creating a food stamps like program for power, because currently when people can’t pay their electric bill, it is difficult for companies to shut their power off, and paying customers foot the bill.

When it comes to the mainte-nance of the grid, Mr. Scago fa-vors negotiating more aggressive-ly with nearby states to make sure Massachusetts is paying a fair price for the construction and maintenance of regional projects.

Mr. Scago believes that propos-als like these are examples of a substantive approach that sepa-rates him from other candidates.

Mr. Scago would also like to see an increase in alternative en-ergy in Western Massachusetts, something, which he considers to be both an energy and a jobs is-sue. Mr. Scago would like to see these energy projects, especially windmills, zoned so that they will be able to generate power ef-

ficiently, while minimizing the impact they might have on the natural landscape. He would also like to see sustainable growth in other aspects of development.

“Sometimes it may be more ex-pensive up front to do something the right way, but over the long term it’s going to come out cheap-er,” said Mr. Scago.

On taxes, Mr. Scago favors in-creasing the personal income tax exemption. He would like to pay for this with another source of revenue, such as the Internet sales tax, or by tweaking other taxes that would have less of an impact on “Jane and Joe.”

“I think just keeping more money in peoples pockets is a good thing.”

In general, Mr. Scago favors a flat tax, but says he could be per-suaded to support the introduc-tion of a progressive income tax in Massachusetts if he could see that there would be an economic benefit and that people wouldn’t be hurt by it.

Other Positions

On healthcare, Mr. Scago sup-ports incentivizing healthy liv-ing, improving access to health-

care services, and cutting down on bureaucracy. Although he is not opposed to the idea of a single payer system, he believes that is-sues relating to patient access and care must be addressed before such a system is implemented.

“We’ve got to make sure if we do get single payer that every-body can get what they need in an efficient, speedy manner,” said Mr. Scago. “I do believe in every-body’s right to healthcare, just how we do it is left to be dis-cussed and I think it takes more than just one persons opinion as to how we iron out all that.”

On the issue of pensions Mr. Scago favors a penny in penny out approach to social security for those with state pension plans. On the environment, Mr. Scago would like to see the Housatonic River cleaned as thoroughly as possible, although he believes this must be balanced with logistics and cost.

On education, Mr. Scago likes the idea of interactive classrooms and having professionals from different walks of life coming into schools to speak. He is also a supporter of high- speed rail, but believes that if high-speed rail projects are given the green light

they should be “done right,” and made as energy efficient and speedy as possible.

Mr. Scago is quick to point out that while he may have his opin-ions, he will need to work with others in the Massachusetts State House, should he be elected.

“It’s easy to sit down, outline your policy and say these are my goals, it’s quite another thing to go down there and actually ob-tain them. I think I always aim the bar high, if I comes up a little low it’s still in the positive direc-tion,” said Mr. Scago. “You build a consensus, you don’t get every-thing you want that’s fine, as long as you get enough to benefit the entire community.”

Correction: In our candidate profile of Ward 2 Pittsfield City Councilor and 3rd Berkshire Dis-trict State House candidate Pete White we incorrectly stated that Mr. White had served eight years on the Pittsfield City Council. Mr. White would like the public to know that he was first elected to the Pittsfield City Council in 2009 and is serving in his second year as a member of that body. We at the Berkshire Beacon apologize for our error.

Fresh face in 3rd District race Ryan Scago hopes his position as a relative newcomer helps win voters

Photo Credit / Bera B. dunau

3rd Berkshire Massachusetts House Candidate Ryan Scago

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