It’s that time of the year again! The seventh annual Celebrate the Berkshires is right around the corner on September 14th at 6:00 pm at Bloom Meadows in Williamstown. Celebrate the Berkshires is the biggest 1Berkshire event of the year, bringing people together from all over the Berkshires and beyond to celebrate everything we have to offer, the accomplishments we have made as a community, and to honor changemakers in the Berkshires.
Location: North Adams, Photo Credit: Ogden Gigli
Last month, we announced that the Community of North Adams would be our Putting the Berkshires on the Map honoree this year. The Community of North Adams is recognized for the substantial contributions the whole community has made to the Berkshires. North Adams exploded into 2017 with national recognition as one of the five finalists out of 3,300 communities that entered into the Small Business Revolution documentary series. This year, Travel & Leisure Magazine named the Community of North Adams one of the 10 most charming American towns that aren’t famous yet (but will be soon), citing the fact that in the years since the 1999 opening of MASS MoCA in a converted complex of old industrial buildings, this small city has gradually reinvented itself as a cultural hub that is home to a smart set of galleries, bookshops, cafes, and live-workspaces for artists.
According to MASS MoCA Director, Joseph Thompson, “North Adams has pivoted and is looking forward — measuring its prospects by what’s unfolding right now, projects on the horizon and the new visitors, residents, and investors that are re-tooling the area. This feels like a generational shift and part of a new Berkshires, which includes dancing on asphalt as well as lounging on lawns, ascending Mount Greylock’s challenging north side by bike, as well as birdwatching along the Housatonic, drinking local beer from pint glasses as well as fine wine from crystal flutes.”
With a focus on collaboration, cultural institutions have teamed up through the North Adams Exchange to get visitors downtown to explore the sundry of stores, restaurants, galleries, and even a Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts workspace for students that exist within a few blocks of visitor destinations. It’s working. Storefront occupancy in downtown North Adams has tripled.
“It has been tremendously exciting and rewarding to work together as a community to tell the story of North Adams and to make the next chapter of that story be all about revitalization,” stated Mayor Dick Alcombright, “this award is for every business and individual who shows up every day to do all they can to make North Adams a better place to live, work and play. We are better together and as such we are making great strides. We are so honored to be recognized for our collaborative spirit by 1Berkshire, being the Putting the Berkshires on the Map honoree is truly the icing on the cake to a great year in North Adams.”
Last but not least, we will be announcing the winners of the Berkshire Trendsetter Awards at the September 14th celebration. Finalists have been selected from seven categories:
Comprehensive Marketing Campaign
- Haddad Auto Dealerships
- The Lenox Chamber of Commerce
- MountainOne
- Pittsfield Public Schools
- Shakespeare & Company
Creative Economy Standout
- Berkshire Pulse
- IS183
- Jacob’s Pillow
- Shire City Herbals
- WAM Theatre
Entrepreneur/Visionary of the Year
- Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing
- Latent Productions
- Mungy Studio
- Tad Ames
- Whole Life® Pet Products
Growing/Advancing the Berkshire Economy
- Allegrone
- Berkshire Health North
- Fire Cider
- Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort
- MCLA
Newcomer of the Year
- Adam Hinds
- Berkshire Scenic Railroad
- Dr. Jaimie Birge
- Everett Lamm
- The LakeHouse Inn
Nonprofit Impact
- Berkshire Baby Box
- Berkshire Humane Society
- Hillcrest Dental Care, Inc.
- McCann Technical High School
- Northern Berkshire Community Coalition
Under 40 Change-Maker
- Alice Maggio
- Ben Lamb
- Jay R. Green
- Jesse Cook Dubin
- Jessica Vecchia
Be sure you are watching all the great videos we are posting about the finalists on our 1Berkshire Facebook Page and learn who will take home the awards at Celebrate the Berkshires. Reserve your spot now as this is a sell out event. The entire community is invited to come celebrate these achievements and commitments that have strengthened the local economy and helped the region grow.