Yankee Shopper by Hersam Acorn

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Shopper

April 7, 2011

Guide to the Inside Crossword......................... Page 12 Business & Services ........... Page 4 Classiﬁeds ........................... Page 7 Real Estate ........................ Page 12 Auto ................................... Page 14 Help Wanted..................... Page 15

editorial email yankee@hersamacornma.com

advertising email art@hersamacornma.com

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Editorial Deadline: 20th at noon the month before publication.

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Classiﬁed Deadline: April 21, 2011

Display Deadline: April 21, 2011

Manager’s Memo

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800.234.1432 Fax 802.447.3270 Classiﬁed 800.234.1432 editorial email yankee@hersamacornma.com advertising email art@hersamacornma.com ■

Renee Tassone, General Manager Linda Devlin, Circulation Manager Carrie Devlin, Advertising Sales Linday Perry, Advertising Sales Sarah Masiero, Advertising Sales Melissa Miller, Art Director Jen Hathaway, Artist Chris Sobolowski, Artist ■

Editorial Deadline*: 20th of month prior Classiﬁed Deadline*: 20th of month prior Display Deadline*: 20th of month prior *Deadlines will change due to Holidays. See special deadline notices published before major holidays. ■

Submission Guidelines: Those wishing to submit event listings or editorial content may email yankee@hersamacornma.com. ■

Notice: The Yankee Shopper will not knowingly accept or publish advertising which is fraudulent or misleading in nature. The publisher reserves the sole right to edit, revise, or reject any and all advertising, with or without cause being assigned, which in the publisher’s judgement is contrary to the interests of this publication. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. ©2010, Hersam Acorn Newspapers. All contents of the Yankee Shopper are copyrighted, and any reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Martin Hersam, Chief Operating Ofﬁcer Thomas B. Nash, Publisher

Do you ever wonder why there is so much cancer? Is it getting more prevalent or am I just getting older? Do you think it is Renee Tassone, General Manager something in the environment or in our food? Do you ever wonder why the only organ or place a person cannot get cancer is their heart? I find that odd. I am so amazed by the number of people who have dealt with or who are dealing with cancer in their bodies these days. The number has to be increasing every day. What are we doing wrong? I believe our bodies are trying to tell us something. Up until now, cancer has never run in either side of my family, my mother is the first. Recently we found out that she is in stage 4 of pancreatic cancer. It has metastasized and has spread to her lymph nodes. She will receive chemotherapy and radiation simultaneously for the next 6 weeks. After this round they will re-evaluate and decide what to do next. Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer is one of the worst cancers a person can get. The reason it has such a high fatality rate is because there are usually no symptoms until it is too late. The doctors believe my mother’s cancer started last November, which means it has grown to stage 4 within a 5-month period, a very aggressive cancer. One of my co-workers and friends was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She is only 40 years old! She had surgery and is doing well. Her mom (who is also a co-worker) had breast cancer when she was 40 and is a survivor. You have to wonder how much genetics have to do with this disease. My mother-in-law died of peritoneal cancer, which is cancer of the abdomen. This July will mark her 10th year since she has been gone. It seems like just yesterday she was making her famous spaghetti sauce for Sunday dinner. I am sure all of us know at least one person who has suffered from this awful disease. It amazes me what the body can endure. People go through so much with this disease. I met with a client today whose brother was diagnosed with lymphoma a couple of years ago. He spent 8 consecutive months in bed, could barely move and was in pain every day. Today he is cancer free. Yankee Shopper

That is why it is so important that you enjoy every day. Be thankful for your friends and family, tell them how much you love them everyday – because you never know when it will be your last. Don’t put off doing things you want to do or going places you wish to go and always strive to be the best person you can be. Get involved with organizations such as Relay for Life. It is so important. Many people I work with and know are deeply involved with this organization. Many of the volunteers and contributors are survivors themselves or have a loved one who has dealt with cancer. Some people get involved because they know what a worthy cause it is. I will be doing Zumba on Main Street in North Adams on May 14 to help raise money for Relay for Life. Yes, I may look like a fool doing it because I am not the best dancer or very coordinated, but I will feel great contributing to this wonderful organization. Every year we publish the program for the Relay for Life in Bennington. What ever we can do to help them get the word out. This month we wanted to show our appreciation to our clients. You will find coupons within the paper to help you save on your advertising. We know it is a tough time of year. You are all paying your heating and snow removal bills. We hope this helps. Also, check out our Easter Scramble, a special contest with some great prizes that I know you will enjoy. Please remember to tell our advertisers you saw their ad in the Yankee Shopper and Berkshire Pennysaver. As always, we encourage your feedback. Feel free to send us your press releases to yankee@hersamacornma.com or berkshire@hersamacornma.com. Check us out online at www.ishopberkshires.com. -Renee Tassone, General Manager April 7, 2011

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FROM MY CORNER — by Susan J. Coons ...funny... I like to surround myself with people who laugh easily and see the positive side of things. During these uncivil times it is absolutely necessary to own a sense of humor. I strongly believe that laughter is truly the best medicine. You can tell immediately upon walking into an office or business if the people working there are happy. They smile when they greet you. They’re friendly. Make a mental note of this next time you experience a friendly greeting or a non-committal shrug. There are a few people who are just born unhappy. Nothing makes them smile. I once worked with someone who never saw the glass half full, and he died of a massive heart attack at the age of 48. I’ll share a few funny stories with you from ths week. First story: My sister moved to Kiel, Wisconsin a month ago. It’s about two hours north of Chicago. They still have a home in Lake Forest, Illinois, and eventually they’re going to put it on the market. Tom, her husband, has been working in Wisconsin for three years and they’ve been commuting, which is the main reason for the move. She

just sent me an e-mail telling me about going out to pay her taxes on the new house. The assessor’s office is located on County Road FF. It reminded me of one crazy night my husband and I spent trying to drive home from a little country restaurant called “The Duck Inn” somewhere between Fort Atkinson and Edgerton, Wisconsin. They have a County N, County Trunk N, County Trunk A, County Trunk NN (and maybe X, Y and Z for all I know!) and everything and every road is surrounded by cornfields that go on forever — as far as the eye can see. There was only one landmark, and that was The Duck Inn. We left the restaurant about 8:30 in the evening. It was only half an hour from Edgerton but it took us two hours to get home. The reason was that we forgot which County Trunk to take, and should we turn left or right? We ended up passing The Duck Inn three times before we found the right way home. Second funny story: It is Tuesday, February 1, and as I sit here writing this column the snow is coming down heavy and wet. Across the street is a window-washer. He suds up the glass and squeegees it down. Suds it up and squeegees it down — all six of the large plateglass windows on the bank are now very clean. He is ignoring the fact that the snow is coming down so hard we can barely see up or down the street! Finally: A billboard stands at the New York/Vermont border on Route 7. I pass it every time I drive to Bennington. The large headline reads “Yes, you will smile again!” The first few times I drove by I thought it was an ad for a dentist or oral surgeon, or perhaps a tooth whitening product. Later I thought maybe it was advertising a funeral home, cemetery or crematorium. But, it is none of the above. It’s for a company that cleans up after fire or flood damage. I would never have thought of that!

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Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeons of Western New England to Participate in Life Enrichment Expo Springfield, MA – Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeons of Western New England in conjunction with Northeast Hearing Instruments, will be at the 20th Annual Life Enrichment Expo. The Expo, taking place on Thursday, April 28th, is presented by Noble Visiting Nurse and Hospice Services, and Health New England. The program is sponsored by the Jewish Community Center of Springfield and Reminder Publications. Theodore Mason, MD, a neurotologist at Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeons of Western New England, will be presenting a seminar entitled Life is Worth Hearing: When Hearing Aids May No Longer Be An Option. This seminar will be presented at 1:30 pm and will focus on cochlear implants. Dr. Mason started the Baystate Medical Center Cochlear Implant Program in 2003, and performs approximately 35 implant procedures per year on children and adults ranging in age from 12 months to 91 years. The program currently uses implants manufactured by Cochlear Corporation and Advanced Bionics. “Cochlear implants,” says Dr. Mason, “are an amazing way to help people get their lives back. I see this especially with older patients who tend to withdraw from family, community and friends because it’s too hard to communicate. Older patients with hearing loss tend to suffer from depression, but once they receive the implant, they become the ‘center’ of life again.” In addition, the audiologists at Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeons of Western New England, working with Northeast Hearing Instruments, fit patients with personal hearing devices. The program is staffed by

licensed audiologists with an average of 18 years of experience. This is a full service hearing aid and other assistive devices program. By having the audiologists work in tandem with the board certified physician otolaryngologists at Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeons of Western New England, patients benefit from the physician’s medical and surgical expertise. Patients are evaluated for the potential of having their hearing surgically corrected and medical conditions treated before embarking on the use of personal hearing devices. The Life Enrichment Expo is expected to have more than 60 exhibitors with products geared to ages 50 and older. In 2010 more than 1,000 people attended the Expo. Both admission and parking are free. Seminars, also all of which are free, will be presented beginning at 10:30 am. To learn more about Life Enrichment Expo, go to www.springfieldjcc.org or call the Springfield JCC at (413) 739-4715. Also, to learn more about cochlear implants and other hearing restorative services, visit Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeons of Western New England at www. entassociates.org. Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeons of Western New England has its main office located at 100 Wason Avenue, Suite 100, Springfield, MA 01107, (413) 734-7426. Offices are also conveniently located in Northampton and Ware. Our board certified physician/surgeons are Barry Jacobs, MD, FACS; Theodore Mason, MD; Grant Moore, MD, FACS; Daniel Plosky, MD; Jacqueline Reilly, MD; Carl Reiner, MD and Jerry Schreibstein, MD, FACS. Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeons of Western New England accepts most insurances.

Annual Memorial Day Marathon

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Do you want to get in shape, meet some exciting new people and give back to your community? A team is being formed, led by Jessica Floyd, to support the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition in the 2nd Annual Memorial Day Marathon, May 29, 2011 in Lenox, MA. We are looking for caring individuals that will be interested in joining our team. Choose from either a full marathon, half marathon, 10k or the 5k walk or run. Each of these participation levels come with different fundraising commitments. This will be a fun event with activities and an after race celebration. All proceeds will be donated to the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition. To sign up, contact Jessica Floyd at 443-373-5473, or via email at �� jessicafloyd2000@yahoo.com. The mission of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition is to improve the quality of life for people in Northern Berkshire by organizing, supporting, and �� empowering the community. �� For more information about the �� Northern Berkshire Community �� Coalition, go to their website at �� www.nbccoalition.org.

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Berkshire County Head Start Registration The snow is finally melting away, people are slowly crawling out of there winter nests to breath the fresh air that is warm enough to not freeze ones nostrils. Everyone wants to think about the fun times ahead in the upcoming summer months. Believe it or not, now is the time to begin thinking about fall placement for our preschool children. If you want to secure them a slot in a great preschool program, the time to apply is now. Do not wait until August when all of the back- to- school clothes are on the racks in the stores. Do not wait until that great television commercial for a popular stationary store gets in your head. You know the one, with the parents dancing through the store to the tune of, It’s the most wonderful time....of the year. If you wait until then, you may find that you are too late. Some of the preschool programs must accept their eligible children on a first come first serve basis. There are wonderful programs offered in Berkshire County and many of them begin registering for the upcoming year in the spring months. Berkshire County Head Start is one of them, it is a wonderful program. It is a comprehensive program

that provides the entire spectrum of services for preschool children such as health services, nutritious meals, transportation, education and socialization as well as strong parental support from their family advocates. This program is available to three and four year old children and is entirely free. Registration dates are posted all around Berkshire County and you can also call their main office at 413-400-0137 or visit the Berkshire County Head Start web site at www.berkhs.org to obtain an application. Don’t miss out on a great preschool experience for you and your child, start getting ready now, and enjoy the spring and summer so that you can dance through the stores with all the other parents, singing, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

We want to hear from you! Send your news to: yankee@hersamacornma.com

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Goodwill Sponsors Earth Day Art Contest PITTSFIELD, MA – Goodwill of the Berkshires seeks young artists for its 2011 Earth Day Art Contest “Go Goodwill Green – Reuse & Recycle”. Students in Kindergarten through eighth grade are invited to draw a picture about reuse and recycling – show how clothing, toys, shoes, household goods, computers, electronics and other items can be reused and recycled and kept out of landfills. All drawings must be unframed on 9 inch by 12 inch paper. Artists are welcomed to use paint, crayons, markers, colored pencils or other medium. All artwork will be on display at each store starting on Earth Day. The public is invited to come and vote for the semi-finalists at each store, Friday April 22 and Saturday April 23. A panel of judges will select 2 winners (one in each age group K-5, 6-8) at each store. Winners receive a gift basket and certificate for a Goodwill Shopping Spree.

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Entry deadline is Wednesday, April 20, 6:00 PM. One entry per student. The Earth Day Art Contest entry form is available at www.goodwill-berkshires.org. Forms are also available at the stores in Pittsfield, Adams and Bennington VT. Goodwill Industries is one of the world’s largest recyclers. We reuse & recycle clothing, household items, furniture, computers, and more. Donated items are sold in Goodwill stores, giving them new life. Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires recycles more than a million pounds of materials each year. The sales and recycling money pays for programs that help people in our community get jobs. Learn how to “Go Goodwill Green” by visiting GoodwillBerkshires.org or Facebook.com/ GoodwillBerkshires.

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Fourth Annual Book Project: Farenheit 451 The City of Pittsfield announces the fourth annual Pittsfield community bookreading project, led this year by the Berkshire Athenaeum and focussing on the classic science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury throughout the month of April 2011. A wide variety of events and discussion have been planned, from an innovative multi-media theatre production of the book to a gathering of a local authors at the Berkshire Athenaeum, and much more. Pittsfield Reads! is a community reading project that invites city readers to read – or reread - one book at the same time. In support of the initiative, local cultural organizations have partnered to offer a variety of events, as listed below. Many events are free; all are affordable. A Beacon Cinema screening of Francois Truffaut film (1966), with Oskar Werner and Julie Christie on Sunday, April 3, at 12 noon. FREE

New Stage Performing Arts, located just above the Beacon Cinema, will be offering a multimedia dramatic production of Fahrenheit 451 on the first 3 weekends of April (Friday, Saturday and Sunday matinee performances) http://newstageperformingarts.org/. Karen Arp-Sandel, a book artist on the faculty of IS183, will be offering two separate Book Arts Workshops at the Athenaeum (for Adults and Children 12 or older). On Saturday, April 2, 1 – 4 pm: Make a Book: Learn to Infuse Form with Content. On Saturday April 9, 1 – 4 pm: Exploring the Altered Book using Collage Mixed Media. Space is limited and registration is required. pittsref@cwmars.org or 413-499 9480 x202 FREE On Tuesday,April 5,at 6 pm,at theAthenaeum, we’ll be screening Moby Dick [film starring continued on page 10

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continued from page 9 Gregory Peck,screenplay by Ray Bradbury] introduced by former SUNYA professor Arthur Collins, who will read excerpts from Green Shadows, White Whale, Bradbury’s account of his trip to Ireland where he wrote the movie script. FREE A multi-part book discussion group has been planned on Thursday, March 17; Thursday, March 24; Monday, April 4; Thursday, April 7, 1 pm, at the Congregation Knesset Israel. At the April 7 meeting Rabbi Josh Breindel from Temple Anshe Amunim, a Bradbury aficionado, will speak about Fahrenheit 451, placing the book within its greater context of dystopian literature and reflecting on the connection between religion and preservation of text. FREE On Saturday, April 9, 10 am – 12 noon, at the Athenaeum, we’re offering an opportunity to meet and converse with authors who live and write in Berkshire County. FREE Ray B Me: A storytelling performance that celebrates the Art of the Story with Storyteller Darlene White is planned for Thursday, April 14, 6 – 8 pm at the

Athenaeum. FREE Writing with Fire, A Poetry Workshop with Aaron M Beatty. Saturday, April 16, 1 – 4 pm at Chapters Bookstore. Space is limited and registration is required. workshops@upstreetmag.org or 413 441 9702. FREE Chomsky’s Propaganda Model, A Forum Presentation by Berkshire Community College Professor of Psychology, Wayne Klug. Tuesday, April 19, 12:15. At Berkshire Community College. FREE Building an Image Pattern, A Writing Workshop with Vivian Dorsel. Thursday, April 21, 6 – 9 pm at Chapters Bookstore Space is limited and registration is required. workshops@upstreet-mag.org or 413 441 9702 FREE Sci-Fi Fiction: Genre and Idea, A Writing Workshop with Tim Callahan. Thursday,April 28,6 – 9 pm at Chapters Bookstore. Space is limited and registration is required. workshops@upstreetmag.org or 413 441 9702 FREE Sci-Fi Landscapes: Prose, Cinema and Comic Books, A Writing Workshop with continued on page 11

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continued from page 10 Tim Callahan. Saturday, April 30, 12 – 2 pm at Chapters Bookstore. Space is limited and registration is required. workshops@upstreet-mag. org or 413 441 9702 Location: FREE Art Books, an exhibit at the Intermodal Gallery, One Columbus Avenue, for the month of April 2011. FREE Book Discussions are planned at Chapters Bookstore (Details TBA) Our Finale: A Literary Feast at Marketplace Café on Saturday, April 30. (Details TBA) Pittsfield Reads! is encouraging the reading of Bradbury’s novel as more than a science fiction story, with consideration of these timely themes that the novel evokes: the idea of the book as a physical object; the creation of community around collective memory; and the sharing and preservation of stories. This is Pittsfield’s fourth community read. In 2010 Pittsfield read and discussed Tim O’Brien’s haunting and darkly reflective The Things They Carried, considering issues of service to one’s country, leadership, sacrifice, and honoring the veterans among us, as we observed the 35th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. In 2009 we enjoyed Harper Lee’s timeless work To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel exploring racial themes and rites of passage, screening its classic film interpretation and hosting a fine theatrical production. In 2008, as our inaugural reading project, we read Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods. A title with environmental themes, this is Bryson’s account of hiking the legendary Appalachian Trail, a portion of which we host here in the Berkshires. Bryson’s trademark wit and penchant for detail carried us along the trail with him, mile after aching mile. More information about the book and about Bradbury, as well as a detailed Events Calendar is

available at the Pittsfield Reads! website www.pittsfieldreads.org. Copies of Fahrenheit 451 are available for loan at the Berkshire Athenaeum; at city public and private high school libraries; and Berkshire Community College. Copies are available for purchase at Chapters Bookstore with 20% discount, for the duration of the project; and at Barnes & Noble Bookstore, all in Pittsfield. The 2011 Pittsfield Reads Partners include: Arrowhead; Barnes & Noble Booksellers; Barrington Stage; Beacon Cinema; Berkshire Athenaeum; Berkshire Community College; Berkshire Compact for Education; Berkshire County Community; Corrections Center/Phoenix House; Berkshire County Sheriff ’s Office; Berkshire Eagle; Berkshire Museum; BerkshireNet; Chapters Bookstore; City of Pittsfield Department of Parks Recreation; City of Pittsfield Fire Department; City of Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development; City of Pittsfield Office of Veterans Services; City of Pittsfield Public Schools; Colonial Theatre; Community Access to the Arts; Dottie’s Coffee Lounge; Downtown Pittsfield, Inc.; Ferrin Gallery; Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum; Jewish Federation of the Berkshires; Miss Hall’s School; New Stage Performing Arts Center; Pittsfield 250; Pittsfield Colonials; Pittsfield Gazette; Pittsfield High School Library; RSVP; Ralph J Froio Senior Center; St Joseph High School; Storefront Artist Project; Taconic High School Library; Troop 20 Boy Scouts; upstreet literary magazine; WAM Theatre; WBRK; Wee Read. The 2011 Pittsfield Reads project is receiving funding through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners with monies from LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act), a federal source of library funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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Outdoor Activities Ideal for Spring Once winter has come and gone, adults and children alike are typically anxious to get outside and soak up some spring sun. Few things are as rejuvenating as those first few spring days, when the harsh winter weather is instantly forgotten and the smell of fresh grass is comfortably overwhelming. When saying “so long” to cabin fever this spring, consider the following outdoor activities that are sure to put a spring in your step. Golf Many golf courses re-open in the spring. Though some public courses stay open throughout the winter, the majority of courses do close once the weather becomes too unbearable for golfers to endure or too detrimental to the course’s landscape. Depending on how harsh the winter

was and the forecast for spring, golf courses typically re-open their links as early as the first week of March. Even if your favorite course doesn’t open quickly enough, you can still dust off your swing with a visit to the local driving range. Fish Many fishermen feel like fishing season never ends, choosing to simply add another layer of clothing when the temperatures drop rather than pack it up and wait till spring. For the hobbyist, however, spring is typically a time to find a favorite fishing hole and get back to business. How successful a fishing trip will be typically depends on a host of continued on page 14

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continued from page 12 factors, including water temperature. Oftentimes, the local newspaper will list the water temperature of the area’s favorite fishing areas. Once nature decides to cooperate, get outside and enjoy the first catch of the season. Cycling Perhaps thanks to seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, cycling has grown increasingly popular stateside in the 21st century. Many communities have cycling groups for riders of varying skill levels, and such groups typically hit the pavement once the spring season arrives. When joining a group, be sure to join one that’s suited to your skill level. If cycling alone, be patient at the beginning and don’t stray too far. Remember, you’ll eventually need to turn around and start pedaling home.

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Join a Sports League Adults can relive the days of their youth by signing up to play in a local sports league. Such leagues are often ideal for young singles, who can team up with fellow young people to play any number of sports, including softball, beach volleyball, basketball, and even the old standby of elementary school, kickball. Run Winter can test even the most devoted of runners. For those who simply can’t run in the throes of winter, when snow and ice cover the roadways, spring is the first chance to get back outdoors and run in the fresh air. Local road runner clubs are a great opportunity to meet fellow runners or learn of local competitions. When running, be sure to bring along some gear to keep you relatively dry should those inevitable spring showers arrive. TF115585

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