The 70th Annual Northern Berkshire Fall Foliage Parade, brought to you by 1Berkshire and the City of North Adams, took place on Sunday, October 4th. This year’s theme was 70 Years in Motion: Time-Traveling through Northern Berkshire. Grand Marshal Doug Yriart led the nearly 90 units in this annual festive event; which was attended by thousands of spectators from all over Berkshire county and beyond. The float makers did an outstanding job once again; five of them stood out and received extra recognition.

The five float award winners were:

  • Harry S. Orr Award (Best Overall): Very Good
      • Bringing Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure to life and sharing their observations of our Northern Berkshire home.
    • Hayden Award (2nd place): North Adams Pride 
      • Celebrating their 10 year anniversary, time-traveling through the Berkshires to 10 years ago when a group of individuals came together with a vision of collaboration and community. 
  • Mayor’s Award (3rd place): MASS MoCA
      • MASS MoCA incorporates this year’s parade theme of “70 Years in Motion: Time Traveling Through North Berkshire” by celebrating Art in All Forms: 27 years of MASS MoCA in North Adams. The museum staff march in celebration of all the ways in which MASS MoCA and North Adams have come together in community over the past 27 years through joyful art making in all forms.
  • Grand Marshal’s Award (4th place): Knights of Columbus
      • The Brother Knights of Mount Greylock Council 230 and the patriotic Color Corps of the Bishop Conaty Assembly 395 standing firm on their four core principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism.
  • Parade Director’s Award (5th place): Berkshire Food Project
    • The Berkshire Food Project float reflected and celebrated the mission of the organization which seeks to alleviate hunger, food insecurity, and social isolation by serving healthy, no cost meals and connecting people to other resources, all in a dignified and respectful manner.  

As the parade came to a close, the committee members unveiled the theme for 2027: Soundtrack to Northern Berkshire.  The theme is meant to inspire everyone to think about the sounds that make Northern Berkshire special – from the music and art that bring our communities to life, to the sounds of nature that surround us.  Take a listen to the start of the 2027 Parade Soundtrack by clicking here.

To watch the video of this parade, click here. To learn more, visit 1berkshire.com/events/fall-foliage-parade. 

Photos by Nick Mantello.