Becket & Washington's Lend a Hand Community Bulletin Board

SUPPORT FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES

2010-08-21T08:36:00.001-07:00

BECKET/WASHINGTON MAP PROJECT
In an effort to strengthen the Becket/Washington economy, a map is being created that will make available a free listing to any business in the two towns. 3,000 copies of this 2-sided 2'x3' map will be printed for free distribution. For those who want a larger listing, ad space is available in sizes ranging from 2"x3" to 6"x3". For more information contact Steve Rosenthal at BecketWashintonMapProject@gmail.com.

MUSIC IN THE GARDEN

2010-07-28T21:12:00.001-07:00

Canterbury Farm Presents

Music in the Garden

A Benefit for the Becket Athenaeum

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

1pm-7pm

(gates open at noon)

2010-06-12T09:15:00.001-07:00

4th Annual family fun day

Washington town tag sale

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

rain date Sunday, june 27th

9:00 - 3:00 pm

at the town park in Washington ( Route 8 )

vendors and volunteers needed

please call rj peltier 413-623-5911

Summer Solstice Ruby Bash

2010-06-10T09:49:00.001-07:00

THE TIME TO CELEBRATE IS FAST APPROACHING!

THE SUMMER SOLSTICE BASH

at the

BECKET ARTS CENTER

SATURDAY, JUNE 19TH

6-11 P.M.

needs YOU

BRING FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO ADD TO THE CELEBRATION

OF OUR RUBY ANNIVERSARY!

BRING A DISH TO SHARE, THIS IS A POTLUCK.

THERE WILL BE A CASH WINE AND BEER BAR, AND

A DRAWING FOR A ONE-NIGHT STAY AT SHIRAKABA JAPANESE BED AND BREAKFAST AND DINNER FOR TWO.

SCHMOOZE WITH THE ARTISTS.

DANCE WITH ABANDON TO TRIO CANDELA'S MOVEMENT INSPIRING MUSIC.

DON'T FORGET TO WEAR RED TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT ON OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY !!!

SEE YOU THERE!

2010-06-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

GROWN UP MOVIE NIGHT
AT THE
BECKET ATHENAEUM

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9TH AT 8pm-10pm

INVICTUS

Starring Morgan Freeman & Matt Damon
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Rated PG-13

Refreshments Provided!

Grown-Up Movie Night

2010-05-27T16:10:00.001-07:00

GROWN-UP MOVIE NIGHT

AT THE BECKET ATHENAEUM

Wednesday, June 2^nd, 8pm-10pm

Invictus

Starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Rated PG-13

Refreshments Provided!

Spaghetti Supper

2010-04-27T16:50:00.001-07:00

April 28th
Spaghetti Supper to Benefit the BWS PTO
5:30-7:00 at the Becket-Washington School
$5 per adult
$3 per child
$15 for a family of 4

COMMUNITY WEEKEND

2010-04-20T12:32:00.001-07:00

BECKET ATHENAEUM & BECKET ART CENTER

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER WEEKEND

(and more)

Saturday, April 24^th

10am-4pm Volunteer at the Athenaeum and/or Arts Center

(ENTICING REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED)

Sunday, April 25^th

10am-4pm Volunteer at the Athenaeum

1-4 Clothing Exchange at the Arts Center

4:00 Potluck at the Athenaeum

VOLUNTEER FOR AN HOUR OR AN AFTERNOON

ENJOY GOOD COMPANY AND GOOD FOOD

HELP US BETTER SERVE THIS FABULOUS COMMUNITY!

2010-04-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Time to get out into the GARDEN!
Need sun? Space? or just a spot without too many rocks? Join in and pick a spot at the Becket Community Garden smack in the middle of town next to Town Hall. There is plenty of parking and water. This is our second year and thanks to the TOWN, Alice Briggs and Pat Parkins for their donations of time, land and resources last year (and the weather) we are able to get going a lot faster this spring.

There are a number of lovely spots to choose from where you can make your own glorious organic vegetable garden. It's time to get your peas and lettuce in now, so for information and to pick a spot to make your own, call Paul at 623.5249 and start planting.

Family Movie Night

2009-12-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

Please Join us on
Tuesday, December 15th at 6:00 pm
at the Becket Athenaeum
for the showing of
"HARRY POTTER & THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE"

THIS MOVIE IS RATED PG AND IS 135 MINUTES LONG

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL THE ATHENAEUM

AT 623-5483

BECKET ARTS CENTER SURVEY

2009-11-19T14:39:00.001-08:00

In order to be more receptive to the community's ideas, wishes, and needs, the Arts Center needs your input!

Won't you please take 5 minutes out of your busy schedule to complete the following survey? http://hecsurveys.com/surveytool/public/survey.php?name=BAC_Interest_09

From the returned surveys, we will draw a lucky winner who will be the recipient of a certificate for a free workshop during the 2010 season.

Thank you!

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH!

2009-11-18T20:19:00.001-08:00

Please come join us for a ride through a magical and wonderful play, where you will meet Spiders and Centipedes and other odd and big bug's.

Take a ride on the
James and the Giant Peach express…

…Tuesday, November 24th at 6:30 at Becket-Washington School

Tickets are FREE and refreshments will be sold, after the play!
Hope to see you there!

2009-11-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

Announcing the 10th Annual
Becket Athenaeum Holly Ball

Saturday, December 5th
Tickets: $45 each

This year the Holly Ball will be held at the locally owned Pioneer Grill in Chester. Entertainment will be supplied by local musician Dave Bacon. Space is limited--we recommend reserving early.

Put on your party shoes and join us for fine food, good music, fascinating company, and a fabulous raffle!

Call or e-mail for more information or to make a reservation:
BecketAthenaeum@gmail.com ~ 623-5483
(Please contact the library, not the Pioneer Grill)
Thank You!

CENTER POND WEED PROJECT RAFFLE

2009-11-03T15:38:00.001-08:00

Raffle Tickets for

Red Lion Inn Overnight Stay

and Dinner for Two

$10 a Ticket

to Benefit the

Center Pond Weed Project

Tickets available at Becket Country Store next to the Post Office, Action Sports & Travel on North Street in Pittsfield, or send a check to CPWP, PO Box 424, Becket, MA 01223.

The Center Pond Weed Project is a grassroots non-profit that has been hand-pulling the invasive weeds there since 2002. Our goal is to reduce and ultimately eliminate the use of chemical applications to this very beautiful and healthy lake.

Eurasian Milfoil and Curly-leaf Pondweed are the invasives within the lake. Scuba divers pull these plants out by the roots and remove the plants from the lake. Skimmers in canoes and kayaks skim the pieces of the plants that break off from the surrounding water.

Purple Loosestrife and Phragmites are the invasives along the shoreline. We found these before they had spread throughout the lake, and we are digging them out or cutting them every year so their numbers are decreasing.

This Project has had support from the Town of Becket at Town Meeting for many years, and more recently by the Center Pond Preservation & Protection Foundation. Last year we also received a grant from the Toxics Use Reduction Institute. This year we need additional support. The Red Lion Inn has generously donated a Gift Certificate for an overnight stay and dinner for two in their main dining room which will be good for one year.

We invite you to attend our meeting where we will do a slideshow of our Project and announce the results of our project to date, and draw the winning ticket:

Public Meeting November 16 at 7PM at Becket Town Hall

Any outright donations to help fund this project would be greatly appreciated. Please get in touch to find out how you can make a tax-deductible donation!

Thank You for your Needed Support !!!

centerpondweedproject@yahoo.com

Mercedes Gallagher, director (413) 623-2169 (after 10am)

NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR SUPPORT

2009-10-20T10:58:00.001-07:00

HELP FUND NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR SUPPORT IN BECKET!

Dear Becket friends-

We have a rare opportunity to help our neighbors in need. The Central Berkshire Fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation is offering a challenge grant to the residents of Becket. For every $1.00 that Becket residents raise, the CBF will contribute $7.00, up to a total of $14,000.

That means if we raise $2,000, we get $14,000, making a total of $16,000 that will be earmarked for emergency assistance to Becket residents who may be having financial problems.

The funds will be dedicated to the Neighbor to Neighbor program to provide various kinds of help- transportation, utility or medical bills, short term housing assistance, etc.

The terms of the grant are that we must raise at least $2,000 from at least ten Becket residents (hopefully many more!) and that it must be done by December 31.

Make your checks payable to the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and in the memo line write CBF- Becket. Every dollar we raise will benefit Becket residents.

Please mail your checks to:

Central Berkshire Fund

c/o Becket Town Hall

557 Main St.

Becket, MA 01223

2009-09-26T09:30:00.001-07:00

CET seeks homeowners and businesses for Green Building Tour

Energy efficiency and solar technologies are among the highlights of the 2009 Green Buildings Open House Tour, slated for Saturday, October 3. During a time of heightened awareness about energy, this eighth annual green buildings event gives the public the chance to tour homes and businesses in the Berkshires to see clean, renewable energy at work and discover the ways people are conserving energy, saving money and protecting the environment.

Owners of homes or businesses that feature green building techniques and who are interested in participating in this year’s tour are encouraged to contact CET at 413-445-4556 ext. 25 or cynthiag@cetonline.org as soon as possible. Registration deadline to be included in the tour is September 1.

2009-09-26T09:23:00.001-07:00

Do you want to Order Healthy Bulk Food

with the BECKET CO-OP and Alberts Organics?

Call Meredyth Babcock at 623-2070 for details

2009-08-18T05:24:00.000-07:00

Becket Town Fair

2009-07-24T09:04:00.001-07:00

EAT! LAUGH! SHOP! ENJOY!

BECKET TOWN FAIR

Saturday, July 25th
North Becket Village

Local Artists ~ Book Sale ~ Food
Strolling Klezmer Fiddler
Face Painting ~ Kid's Games ~ Magician
Hula Hoop Performer
and MUCH more!

Pancake Breakfast at 8a.m.

Progressive Dinner at the Arts Center

2009-07-24T08:11:00.001-07:00

As an active member of the Arts Community we encourage you to join us for the first Progressive Dinner benefit for the Becket Arts Center. All the details are shown below. Several members of our board will open their homes, so if you would like to provide a main course and don't reside in Becket or just don't have room in your home, you can join one of us.

It would be greatly appreciated if you would share this information with your friends and family. Without a doubt this will be a fun evening for all. Call me if you have any questions 413-623-6411

This event requires planning on the part of our committee so even if you are providing a main course, we still need to hear from.

Joan Terry Drucker

Chairperson Becket Arts Center Progressive Dinner

Progressive Dinner

To benefit the

Saturday, August 29, 2009
(RSVP by August 8 with your name, check or called in charge card)

RSVP August 8 to Joan Terry Drucker at 413-623-6411 or skylineridge@aol.com

All checks must be sent to the Becket Arts Center or call in your credit card info to (413) 623-6635

End the busy summer season with friends from the Becket Arts Center.

A progressive dinner typically takes place in a neighborhood where you walk from home to home with a glass of wine in hand. Since walking in a neighborhood in much of Becket means putting on a pair of hiking boots and walking in the dark, we have simplified the process.

We will start at the Becket Arts Center at 6 p.m. where the hors d'oeuvres will be served. The people responsible for the hors d'oeuvres would need to arrive 30 minutes early to make sure everything is in place when everyone else arrives.

We will then proceed to a private residence(s) for the main course vegetables, starch, bread and salad. Depending on how many people have signed up we may even move to another private residence for the dessert course.

The price is $25 each person plus an hors d'oeuvre, or vegetable, salad, starch, bread course. The 2 individual hosts pay no fee, however, are responsible for providing their residence (or board member residence) and the main course for 8-10 people. A single host is responsible for 4-5 people. Multiple hosts can have their gathering at one home if space permits. The hosts will meet with the chairperson one time to put together a game plan for their dinner as they serve as the coordinator of their 4-5 couples in their group.

This is the first year that we are putting together this event. It is a great way to spend a social evening with friends in the Berkshires. All are welcome

Free Summer Media Program

2009-06-26T14:14:00.001-07:00

SUMMER MEDIA PROGRAM

for children in grades 4-8

Through the Media Apprenticeship Program, children will have the opportunity to work with a professional television producer/editor, making creative local history documentaries. Students will work in small groups, using the latest professional grade equipment and software. This means, participants will use the very same cameras, computers, and practices used to make your favorite television shows and independent films, and have fun doing it! The Becket Athenaeum is proud to offer this program free of charge.

We are currently accepting applications for 2 summer sessions.

JULY SESSION

Wednesdays and Fridays 10-12

July 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31

(Last two dates are optional, for students who wish to participate in the editing process.)

AUGUST SESSION

Wednesdays and Fridays 10-12

August 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28

(Last two dates are optional, for students who wish to participate in the editing process.)

This is an inclusive, equal opportunity program. No previous video experience is required, but a desire to learn is.

Ask your friendly librarian for an application!

MOVIE & PIZZA PARTY

2009-06-23T14:53:00.001-07:00

SCHOOL'S OUT

PIZZA & MOVIE PARTY

FRIDAY, JUNE 26TH

PIZZA AT 8:30

MOVIE AT 9:00

WE WILL BE SHOWING

INKHEART

THIS MOVIE IS RATED PG AND IS 106 MINUTES LONG

PLEASE CALL 623-5483 FOR MORE INFORMATION

Steve Reads at the Athenaeum!

2009-06-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

Steve Reads: My Father's Dragon

Children of all ages are invited to hear this wonderful classic, read in three parts at the Becket Athenaeum!

Saturday June 27th, 11:00
Saturday, July 11th, 11:00
Saturday July 18th, 11:00

Children attending all three readings will be given their very own copy of My Father's Dragon...for keeps!

Refreshments, coloring supplies, and good fun supplied, free of charge!

Area Hazardous Waste Collection

2009-06-19T08:49:00.001-07:00

Comprehensive Hazardous Waste Collection and Waste oil paint/motor oil scheduled

On July 11, the South Berkshire Household Hazardous Waste Collaborative will hold a comprehensive hazardous waste collection for the 15 towns that comprise the Collaborative. The collection will run from 9 a.m. to noon at the Stockbridge Recycling Center, 1 West Stockbridge Road.

Only residents of these 15 towns are eligible to participate. The towns include Alford, Becket, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham and West Stockbridge. Registration is required.

From the workbench and garage, acceptable materials include: oil-based paints, stains and varnishes, wood preservatives, paint strippers/thinners, solvent adhesives, lighter fluid, acid, fuels/gasoline/kerosene, antifreeze, degreasers, driveway sealer, brake fluid/carburetor cleaner, transmission fluid, car wax, polishes, roofing tar, pool chemicals, and fluorescent lamps.

From the yard and house, materials include: poisons, insecticides, fungicides, fertilizers, weed killers, moth balls, flea control products, rubber cement, airplane glue, fiberglass resins, photo chemicals, chemistry sets, floor and metal polish, oven cleaner, drain and toilet cleaner, spot remover, rug and upholstery cleaner, hobby/artist supplies, mercury thermometers, thermostats, button batteries and rechargeable batteries.

Televisions and computers will be accepted for a fee of $15 and up, depending on size. No console or big screen televisions will be accepted. Products that contain mercury, such as fever thermometers and button batteries, found in watches and hearing aides, may also be brought to the collection. There will be a digital fever thermometer exchange (one per household) for mercury fever thermometers brought to this collection.

Rechargeable batteries, such as those used in cell phones and tools, will be accepted as well. Alkaline batteries may be disposed of with ordinary household trash.

Waste oil paint, motor oil collection planned in Lenox

On Wednesday, July 29, the Center for Ecological Technology (CET) will coordinate a paint and oil collection from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Lenox Dept. of Public Works, 275 Main Street in Lenox. Acceptable materials are oil-based paint, stains, paint thinners, and turpentine, as well as waste motor oil.

Latex paint will not be accepted at either of these events. Empty or dried up cans of latex paint can be disposed with the regular trash. Empty cans of oil-based paint, stains and solvents can be disposed with the regular trash as well.

For more information about what can be brought to these collections, visit www.cetonline.org or call us at 1-800-238-1221, ext. 30, or email robt@cetonline.org. Residents from communities that are not participating should call their City or Town Hall for information about household hazardous product collections.

Ice Cream Social

2009-06-16T06:41:00.001-07:00

Come to the

Becket / Washington School

Old-fashioned

Ice Cream Social

Make your own sundae &

Listen to the band play !!!

$3.00 per person

$12.00 max. per family

This Friday, June 19

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Washington Town Tag Sale and Family Fun Day

2009-06-16T06:40:00.001-07:00

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

Rain Date: Sunday June 28, 2009

9:00am – 3:00pm

at the Town Park in Washington (Route 8)

Free pony rides, a Bounce House, Dunking Booth & Face Painting. Becket Fire Dept will bring

Smokey the Bear and a truck for the kids to learn about & get their photo with. They will be

spraying a foam in the field for kids to play in (bring a change of clothes & a towel)

Ozzie’s Steak & Eggs will provide food. A raffle will be held and a 50/50 Duck Race (ducks

are being donated by Hospice Care in the Berkshires). The ducks will be $5.00 each.

Items being raffled off are:

1 week of day camp at the Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA.

A $205 value,

Donated by Discovery/Explorer Director, Nicole Cabelka

1 week of 1/2 day Summer Gymnastic Clinic at Gymfest of

the Berkshires. A $180 value,

Donated by Larry Moore

1 week of John Kovacs Summer Soccer Camp

or 1 week of Dalton Youth Center Summer Camp

(membership to the Dalton CRA included).

Up to a $155 value,

Donated by Dan McMahon of the

Dalton Community Recreation Association, Inc.

1 Skeeter Vac SV 3100. A $329 value,

Donated by Mike George of George Propane

The raffle items will be on 1 ticket and will be people's choice.

The cost of the tickets will be

1 ticket for $2.00, or 3 tickets for $5.00

Reserve your table space with a $20 donation

All proceeds will benefit

The Friends of the Park

Fund

Vendors, participants &

Volunteers are needed.

If you are interested,

please call RJ Peltier @

413-623-5911

Becket- Washington Economic Summit News

2009-05-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

Our second Economic Summit meeting was very encouraging!

A companion to the BWCommunity website is a new easy to use online community forum which will be a wonderful tool for building on the momentum we have created with these initial two Economic Summit meetings! You do need to
sign-in to post--registering is very easy and safe, but if you would like to join in the conversations without registering, e-mail BWCommunity@gmail.com and we will send you generic log-in information. To check it out, go to http://powerstart.com/Becket/index.php or follow these simple steps:

Go to www.BWCommunity.blogspot.com
On the left you will see "Community Calendar"
Scroll down, below the calendar you will find "Links to Our Community."
Click on "Becket-Washington Community Conversations"
Now
you are at the forum...click on the "register" tab, once registered you
will see the various conversation topics and you can dive right in!

Our friendly neighbor, Steve Schatz, generously donated web space on his website www.powerstart.com, and helped get the forum up and running--thanks Steve!

The Barter-Swap committee came to the conclusion that the best idea for them to pursue is setting up a permanent "swap shack" at the transfer station. People can leave stuff that is still useful but no longer needed/wanted, and take what they like. They have the go-ahead from the transfer station, and are now looking for a container, portable shed, or possibly materials/labor to build a simple structure. This would also be a place where people could post larger items to give away, and requests/offers for barter, on a bulletin board. Anyone with possible resources to move this forward, please go to the new online community forum (http://powerstart.com/Becket/index.php) and post your thoughts.

Also at the online community forum, in the Barter/Swap area, you can--are you ready--barter and swap!
For example, you have a sofa free for thetaking; or you want to barter yard work for pie baking; or your looking to trade a treadmill in good shape for a nice rocking chair.

The Community Garden is moving along very nicely, as you can see when visiting Town Hall! Planting is underway! There are individual plots as well as a communal plot. Plots may still be available. Contact Alice: alice_briggs_illustration@hotmail.com.

The Local Recreation committee has planned "Summer Festival Days" which is a series of 5 events, one each for June-October! The first is one June 7th at Bucksteep...Kite-making (and flying), potluck, and open music jam. Starting at 11:00.
Kite-making supplies and sound equipment provided, bring a dish to share and an instrument to play or a voice to raise in song. This is a free event! A full schedule of remaining events will be posted on the community website, and about town, soon. If these events are popular, winter events will be planned as well.

The Alternative Energy/Energy Conservation
committee needs more members to be effective. Anyone interested in pursuing initiatives related to local energy alternatives and
conservation, go to the new online community forum (http://powerstart.com/Becket/index.php) and post your interest!

The Town Farm
is still in the planning stages, as this is a long-term project. The committee is looking at possible models and innovative ways to use multiple parcels of land to graze livestock. It remains an exciting idea, with a lot of potential to create a stable, healthy, local food supply. An in initial mission statement has been drafted:

The mission of the Becket-Washington Town Farm is threefold:

To provide our residents access to local, high quality, nourishing food at an affordable price, or in exchange for labor.
To provide a learning environment for adults and children that teach farming methods that are respectful, ecologically healthy, and sustainable.
To help reconnect people with their food by providing the opportunity to help grow produce and care for livestock.

The initiatives and cobnversations begun in our two Economic Summit meetings will now move to the Community Forum (http://powerstart.com/Becket/index.php) and can also continue at community events, in the community garden, over coffee at the library, etc.

A big Thank You to everyone who has participated with great enthusiasm and practical effort--we look forward to the participation of many more folks in this wonderful, unique community of ours!

Area middle school students to compete in Junior Solar Sprint

2009-05-23T04:01:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, June 6, area middle school students will gather at Reid Middle School in Pittsfield to race their model solar-powered cars in the tenth annual Berkshire Junior Solar Sprint (JSS). More than 90 students from Berkshire County and beyond are expected to participate in the JSS this year.

The JSS is a fun and educational competition for students in grades 5-8 who work in teams to build model vehicles powered by the sun. They learn firsthand about non-polluting transportation. The races and judging begin at 10 a.m. and end at noon. Registration for students begins at 9 a.m. Solar vehicles will be judged for speed, craftsmanship, innovation and technical merit, and the top three winners in each category will be eligible to compete in the regional JSS championship in Springfield on June 14.

The JSS is sponsored by Western Massachusetts Electric Company, Energy Federation, Inc., Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Local Pittsfield sponsors also include Pittsfield Brew Works, Guido's Fresh Marketplace and Berkshire Bank.

For more information about the JSS or CET's solar energy curriculum, contact Nancy Nylen at nancyn@cetonline.org or Cynthia Grippaldi at 413-445-4556, ext. 25 or cynthiag@cetonline.org. CET is a non-profit community organization working to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste management and environmental education in western MA. CET is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

9th Annual "Arlo Guthrie's Historic Garbage Trail" Walk to Massacree HD (Huntington's Disease)

2009-05-12T12:41:00.001-07:00

Sunday, May 31st

Registration begins at The Guthrie Center at 8:30AM (4 Van Deusenville Rd., Gt. Barrington)

After registration, everyone will get a ride in VW Microbuses to Theresa's Stockbridge Cafe (Alice's Restaurant) in Stockbridge, where you can order breakfast. The walk will begin at 10:00 and head to the Police Officer's station and be greeted by Chief Wilcox and Chief Wiggum, then on to the Town Dump, where the Dump Divas will entertain you. The next stop is ICE CREAM!!! from SoCo Creamery, then shrimp cocktail. The hippie stop is next run by our own John Hagler, and onto AmeriGas to greet Gary Brazee and family...Then the last mile is back to The Guthrie Center where we will be serving sandwiches, drinks and have live entertainment!!!

For more information and sponsor sheets, go to: http://www.freewebs.com/hdwalk/

We hope to see you there!!!

If you cannot make it, and would like to make a donation towards the care & cure of Huntington's Disease, you can send a check made out to HD WALK

and send it to:

HD Walk, c/o Rising Son Records

218 Beach Rd.

Washington, MA 01223

Kites, Food, and Music at Bucksteep

2009-05-12T10:41:00.001-07:00

Sunday, June 7th -- Free Event

Join your neighbors for a day of fun! Bring a kite or make one, bring a dish to share, and bring an instrument to play or a voice to raise in song.

Kite-making kits, sound equipment, and beverages will be provided free of charge.

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER WEEKEND AT THE LIBRARY

2009-05-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Becket Athenaeum is rearranging and spring cleaning. Sign up at the circulation desk, by e-mail, or by phone. Make it a family event--children welcome! Plentiful refreshments served.

Saturday Jobs:
Move Books
Clean Shelves
Clean Window Frames and Sills

Sunday Jobs:
Re-Shelve Books
Install Bulletin Boards and T.P./Paper Towel Holders
Assemble Dollhouse
Trim Hedges
Yard Clean-Up

COMMUNITY ON-LINE FORUM

2009-04-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Check out the link "Becket-Washington Community Conversation" (down and to your left.) We now have an easy to use online forum, with a series of bulletin boards where community initiatives can be discussed, and folks can swap and barter! (For example, if you have a sofa free for the taking; or you want to barter yard work for baking; or you're looking to trade a treadmill in good shape for a nice rocking chair.)

Our friendly neighbor, Steve Schatz, has generously donated web space on his website www.powerstart.com, and helped get the forum up and running--thanks Steve!

2009-04-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

BECKET-WASHINGTON ECONOMIC SUMMIT 2

JOIN US!

Tuesday, April 28th, 7:00 p.m.

at the Becket Athenaeum

Hear about exciting plans for the Barter-Swap Network, advances on the Community Garden, an outline of free Becket-Washington Summer Festival Days, a new idea called Volunteer Dollars, and MUCH MORE!

Help us build in the wonderful momentum of last month's meeting! Bring ideas, needs, questions, curiosity, enthusiasm, and an appetite!

Serious Refreshments Served

2009-04-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

INFORMATIONAL EVENING: KEEPING KIDS SAFE
Tuesday, April 21st, 7:00 p.m. at the Becket Athenaeum

This may sound boring, but don't let the awkward title dissuade you from attending this important event! Learn strategies for protecting children from predators, find out how to get information on registered sex offenders living in your town, and talk about how we, as a community, can best safeguard our children.

Becket and Washington are wonderful, friendly, safe towns to live in! But our kids are part of a much larger world through the internet, and even the nicest of communities can harbor quiet dangers.

This is an adult event, open to parents and all other concerned community members.

Salmon Fry Stocking Volunteers Needed

2009-04-07T13:04:00.000-07:00

Meredyth Babcock, who is very involved in the Westfield River Watershed Association, invites community members to help with salmon fry stocking!

The Westfield River Watershed Association needs volunteers to help stock salmon fry in Westfield River tributaries on Saturday, April 11 and Saturday, April 25. The salmon fry stocking is part of the effort to restore Atlantic Salmon to the Westfield River. The fry stocking takes about 4 hours and can be fun for the whole family. Bring water, a light lunch and river boots or waders, if you have them. Meeting time is 8:00 a.m. Meeting place on April 11 is the Commuter Parking lot of Westfield State College and on April 25 is Gateway Regional High School in Huntington. For further information visit our website at www.westfieldriver.org or call Phil Sousa at 568-3982.

Pat Parkins Gardening Talk Tonight

2009-04-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight at 7 p.m. at the Becket town hall there will be a talk on organic gardening for all you garden lovers. Come with questions, answers, ideas, and gardening stories to share. I will be explaining step-by-step how to create, maintain, and sustain organic practices in your garden or our community garden.

We will also explore guidelines for the community garden, and start setting up work times. Don't be bashful! We are at the ground level of this project that we hope will weave a fine thread of community through participation in a new project for Becket and Washington. We can make this fun, interesting, social, and bountiful!

Pat Parkins

coyhawk@gmail.com

Community Garden Work Day

2009-03-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

Hello, gardeners!
On Saturday, April 18 from 10-4 we will have a Work Day at the community garden at Town Hall. Bring your pitchfork, your shovel, your gloves, your children and your lunch! We'll be turning over the earth, piling up the grass and roots and making beds for planting.Rain date is April 25th.If you have questions, call Alice at 623-8890.

BECKET-WASHINGTON ECONOMIC SUMMIT

2009-03-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

On March 12^th a lively group crowded into the Athenaeum to discuss both short-term and long-term solutions for our community in light of the economic crisis. It was an inspiring and encouraging evening!

Through a process of defining problems, brainstorming ideas, selecting solutions, and volunteering, we were able to get several initiatives underway!

Below are the solutions that are currently in progress.

Barter/Swap Network. This may include a barter system in which people exchange services and labor hour for hour; a put-and-take at a given location; and/or a bulletin board (actual or online) for people to post items free for the taking.

Community Communication. This in many ways is related to all of the solutions. The idea is to find ways to get the word out about community events and services; to promote opportunities to socialize and get to know community members; and to create an easy means for people to connect about things like carpooling, swapping, etc.

Protect/Expand Becket-Washington School. The idea here is to stabilize the school, so that the threat of closing does not arise each time the district budget is tight, and to make the school an even more active, engaged part of the community. Possibilities transitioning to a K-8^th school, becoming a magnet school, and more. The hope is to keep jobs in Becket-Washington, and attract more families to our towns.

Develop Energy Conservation and Alternative Energy. Possibilities include practical suggestions for town institutions and individuals to lower their utility costs; informing people about energy audits; and developing more sustainable long-term local energy sources through, for example, wind or hydro power.

Becket-Washington Town Farm. This is a long-range solution to the problem of food cost and availability. The farm would provide fresh, natural eggs, milk, meat, etc. for the community. The food could either be purchased directly or through “farm dollars.” Farm dollars would be earned through working on the farm, to one’s ability, on a sliding scale.

Community Garden. This project is already underway, using land next to the Becket Town Hall!

Local Recreation. If there is more available locally, for all ages—sports, potlucks, clubs, etc.—we won’t all have to drive so many miles just to “get out.”

This is only the beginning. Many good ideas were set aside for the moment, but are quite worthy and may well be developed in due time. In the library there are big sheets of paper posted for each of the above solutions, and for other solutions--we welcome one and all to come in and add ideas, questions, suggestions, or brilliant insights.

It was very exciting that a number of people at the summit volunteered to get ideas rolling, and there have already been some meetings/actions towards the above solutions.

While some of these solutions are well underway, others need more people to really get off the ground. If you would like to join in one of the above solutions, e-mail: BWCommunity@gmail.com.

There will be another meeting to check-in, brainstorm, coordinate…and, of course, share food and drink, on April 28^th at 7p.m. at the Becket Athenaeum.

2009-03-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

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