Yankee Shopper by Hersam Acorn

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Shopper

June 9, 2010

Guide to the Inside Crossword......................... Page 12 Business & Services ......... Page 11 Classiﬁeds ........................... Page 2 Real Estate ........................ Page 12 Auto ................................... Page 14

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Help Wanted..................... Page 16

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editorial email yankee@hersamacornma.com

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

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Classiﬁed Deadline: Thursday, June 20, 2010

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Display Deadline: Thursday, June 20, 2010 ��

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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 Sheryl Gibson, Advertising Sales Sarah Masiero, Advertising Sales Melissa Miller, Art Director Mary A. Garcia, Artist Jen Hathaway, Artist Chris Sobolowski, Artist ■

Editorial Deadline*: 20th of month prior Classiﬁed Deadline*: 20th of month prior

Renee Tassone, General Manager

Welcome summer! I love the heat and the sun. I swear I am solar powered. There is nothing better than floating around my pool with great music, a cold beer (or two) and sunshine. I live for days like that. We do not see many of them here in the Berkshires so we have to take advantage of them. My husband has 10 years left at UPS, we don’t plan on seeing an eleventh winter. We want to move somewhere that has at least 300 days of sunshine, where we can have an in-ground pool and a constantly flowing keg. We don’t require much. I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend and that you were able to relax with family and friends. We had a picnic on Sunday at our house with clams, burgers and wonderful desserts. On Monday we walked downtown to the Memorial Day service. It is important that we remember the brave souls who died while serving our country. I learned that Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day because they used to decorate the graves of soldiers who were killed during the Civil War. Sad that so many people have given their lives protecting our rights, they have given the ultimate sacrifice. I hope that everyone remembers the true meaning of

Memorial Day. Congratulations to all of the graduates, we wish you all success in your bright futures. I hope you enjoy our graduation section in this issue. We hope you enjoy this publication. As always, we encourage your feedback. Feel free to send us your press releases to yankee@hersamacornma.com or berkshire@hersamacornma.com. Renee Tassone, General Manager

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

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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

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FROM MY CORNER

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— by Susan J. Coons ...words and phrases... A few of the phrases that stuck in my mind from the Watergate hearings and have become a part of our American vocabulary are “What did you know and when did you know it;” “At what point in time...?” and “...at that point in time...” Of course, there was always the familiar and overused “I don’t recall...” The defendants didn’t take the fifth, they just didn’t “recall” the answers to certain questions that would perhaps have lead to the discovery of their guilt in the whole affair. People don’t tell lies any more. They “misspeak.” I don’t know how they do that. How can the liar think so fast on his feet as to say, “Oh, I must have misspoken a few times about my service in Viet Nam.” Right. How can a liar go to sleep at night? Surely the things they’ve said during the day must be churning inside their consciousness and prevent any rest at all. This is worse than name dropping or trying to one up everyone in a conversation. Making up your past is incredible. Why would anyone as successful as State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal allow people to think he served in Viet Nam when he didn’t? Why would he see the need to do so? He has been an effective Attorney General for the state of Connecticut for many years. After all the good work he has done, he is sadly diminished to the brand of liar. A misspeaker. I guess that sounds a little less harsh. That’s probably why the word has become so popular these days. There are so many misspeakers using it. “Liar, liar, pants on fire!” is out. “Misspeaker, misspeaker, you just get

in deeper!” is in. I just received a press release with the word “intergenerational” in the headline. It’s in the Vermont News Guide this week. It has seven syllables and 17 letters. The word doesn’t appear in one of my dictionaries, but it is on the Internet. Dictionaries are much like computers and their software...old and outdated before the year is up or the pages even showing the slightest bit of use. Susanism: Be careful with whom you play Scrabble. They may be on the cutting edge of newly created words. You can read From My Corner and make comments on the Web at www.tspennysaver.com

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Yankee Shopper

June 9, 2010

• BERKSHIRE COUNTY CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS • Monday

• 9:30 a.m. - Caregiver support group, for those who provide care to a loved one, sponsored by the Lee Regional Visiting Nurse Association, Inc. Phone: 413-243-1212 Lee Regional VNA Offices, 32 Park Street, Lee. • 6p.m. – 7:30 p.m. – Knitting/ Crochet North Adams Public Library, 74 Church St., North Adams. For information phone 413-662-3133 or visit www.naplibrary.com.

www.naplibrary.com. • 11 a.m. - 12. - Blood Pressure Clinic: Blood pressure and health counseling sponsored by the Lee Regional Visiting Nurse Association, Inc. and the Chester Board of Health, at the Chester Town Hall, Chester, MA. Information: 413-243-1212 • 6:30 p.m. - Bingo - Non-Smoking - Refreshments Available Progressive Jackpots. Info: 413-443-7135 - ITAM Lodge #564, 22 Waubeek Road, Pittsfield.

Thursday

• 10 – 11:30 a.m. – Blood Pressure Clinic: Blood pressure and health counseling sponsored by the Lee Regional Visitng Nurse Association, Inc. at the Stop and Shop, Merrill Road Pittsfield MA. Information: 413-243-1212

Tuesday

• 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. - Blood Pressure Clinic: Blood pressure and health counseling sponsored by the Lee Regional Visiting Nurse Association, Inc. and the Becket Board of Health, at the Becket Town Hall. Information: 413-243-1212 • 9:30 a.m. - Toddler Time. For one to two-and-a-half years. North Adams Public Library, 74 Church St., North Adams. For information phone 413662-3133 or visit www.naplibrary.com.

Wednesday

Friday

• 9 to10 a.m. - Blood pressure and health counseling sponsored by the Lee Regional Visiting Nurse Association, Inc. and the Lee Board of Health. Phone: 413-243-1212. Lee Regional VNA offices, 32 Park Street, Lee. • 10 a.m. - Preschool Story Time. North Adams Public Library, 74 Church St., North Adams. For information phone 413-662-3133 or visit

• 4:30 p.m. - Bingo - with food, Speedball, Horserace and Bingo Nut 2 Tickets. Weekly progressive game prize of $1,199, plus weekly door prize. St. Mary’s School, 115 Orchard St., Lee. • 6:30 p.m. – Bingo every Friday. Doors open at 4:30, games begin at 6:30. St. Mary’s School, 115 Orchard Street, Lee. 413-243-1079. • 6:30 p.m. – Bingo every Friday. Doors open at 4:30. Elks Lodge #487 in North Adams, Ma, 413-664-9039

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June 9, 2010

Yankee Shopper

What Bears Do in the Woods Join us for a fascinating look at one kind of animal sign – it starts with “S” and ends with “T” – Scat! From looking at scat, we can tell a lot about what animal left it behind, and often we can learn what that animal was eating. Lynn Levine, co-author of Mammal Tracks and Scat: Life-Size Tracking Guide recently dubbed “The Scat Lady” by a group of fourth graders, will be doing a hands-on programs using scat as a tool to engage children and adults alike in the natural world. Using her carefully preserved scat collection of 27 species from mouse to mountain lion participants use their powers of observation to learn about identifying animals from their scat. Scat is a great jumping off point to study the forest ecosystems in the Northeast. A librarian from the Rockingham Library in Vermont said “Lynn is a fabulous presenter, so engaging and relaxed and provides so much information!” Come learn about scat with the

Scat Lady, Lynn Levine, at Berkshire Community College, Room G-10 on Friday, June 18th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. This program is presented by Berkshire Wildlife Trackers, Berkshire Environmental Action Team, and Berkshire Natural Resources Council. Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) is partnering with Berkshire Natural Resources Council to continue to host Berkshire Wildlife Trackers whose volunteer wildlife monitors are trained by Susan Morse, founder and director of Keeping Track® in Jericho, Vermont. We are currently looking for volunteers who may be interested in taking the intensive Keeping Track® training of 6 very full days scattered from October 2010 to April 2011. For more information please visit BEAT’s website – www.thebeatnews.org <http://www.thebeatnews.org>

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Yankee Shopper

June 9, 2010

Use a Smartphone to Organize Your Summer Fun (ARA) - With summer around the corner, you might be thinking about a vacation or what to do to keep the kids busy. Luckily, you’ve come a long way from the days of guidebooks and day planners. Today, you have smartphones to help plan summer activities with ease. Packed with features like e-mail, calendars, task lists and access to a wide variety of informational and entertaining mobile apps, a smartphone can serve as your all-in-one source for summer fun. Close to one in five U.S. adult mobile phone subscribers uses a smartphone, according to a Forrester survey conducted near the end of 2009, but are they taking advantage of all the perks? Here are some ideas for how you can stay organized, connected and entertained this summer: On vacation: * Explore new places with a GPS-enabled smartphone, like the BlackBerry Pearl. Map a route that hits key attractions and gets you to your hotel without getting lost. Not sure where to stop next? You can search a local guide and get turn-by-turn directions. You can also take GPS beyond the car with outdoor mapping apps that help you navigate hikes and walks.

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* Don’t risk losing small pieces of paper when you can store everything on your smartphone. Use the memo pad to save packing lists, important hotel information and confirmation numbers. * Avoid hearing “are we there yet?” on your next road trip by loading your smartphone with music, videos and games for the kids before you go. * With apps like Facebook for BlackBerry, you can keep your friends and family up to date on your latest vacation adventure by uploading pictures directly from your smartphone. * Pack light by making the most of all the features your smartphone has to offer. Why carry a camera and media player when most smartphones have both built in? Around town: * Use your smartphone’s calendar to juggle schedules anywhere, and

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FROM MY CORNER

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— by Susan J. Coons ...aahhhh.... My husband, children and I went camping throughout the time he was alive. We went outdoor tenting at least a dozen times a year when we lived in Pasadena, California. We would go to the Leo Carillo Beach campground; camp in the mountains behind Mount Wilson; camped in Death Valley; on the beaches at San Louis Obispo; Yosemite National Forest; San Diego...I can’t list them all because they’re too numerous. Although we lived in a quiet neighborhood, it was wonderful to get away and spend evenings sleeping under the towering pines listening to a gentle breeze whisper through the boughs. It wasn’t until about 1980 that the campgrounds became a gathering place for gangs from the inner city of Los Angeles. We would set up camp on a Thursday so we could enjoy the peace and magnitude of the great outdoors before city gangs came in on Saturday evening with their boom boxes, firecrackers and guns. Yes, guns. They weren’t allowed in the park but once in a while one would be shot off into the night sky by some drunken idiot. Fortunately, no one was ever hurt. I no longer go camping in the great outdoors since my husband died, but I still enjoy the peace of listening to birds in the morning as I watch the day begin. I feel connected with earth and sky, and use the fleeting morning moments for contemplation and meditation. Once in a while I need this kind of connection after work. Especially if I’ve had a difficult day. Last Tuesday was one of those days with the pressure of the possibility of a large paper (104 pages in the VNG). And I didn’t get home until after 6 because I had errands to run after work. It was hot and a little muggy. I greeted Jill (who has become a wonderful friend), donned my summer “uniform” (my bathing suit), checked the mail, grabbed the phone, my magazine, fixed a drink, and headed for the pool. Aaahhhhh...the water was wonderful. Jill splashed around a bit and

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then we both got out, Jill to run around the yard and I to lie back on the lounge chair in the peace of the evening. WHAT! WHAT WAS THAT? Oh, right, I forgot where I was for just a moment. That was the roar of a truck that sounds like a Lebanon Valley dual racing engine without mufflers. At the same time, from the other direction was a neighbor running an electric saw as if this ‘drownout’ had been planned. The truck only passed by once, but the saw ran for 20 minutes! The good thing about “noise pollution” is that it sounds so good when it stops! You can read From My Corner and make comments on the Web at www.vermontnews-guide.com.

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Yankee Shopper

June 9, 2010

Make Your Home Your Summer Getaway summer scent without the heat and open flame of traditional candles “Summer scents allow us to draw upon wonderful memories and emotions, like the first time you dipped your toes in the ocean and felt the sand, or the smell of wonderful summer desserts like peach cobbler being served at a picnic,” says Heidi Thompson, co-owner of Scentsy. “Your home should be your retreat, and with different summer scents, every day can feel like a summer vacation.” Some scents that evoke a summer feel according to Thompson are: * A light floral fragrance is great way to keep your home smelling fresh and clean every day.

(ARA) - Summer is a time to take long weekends, enjoy the pleasant weather and make new memories with family and friends. It’s also a time to take a moment for yourself and find ways to savor that relaxing vacation feeling.

* A citrusy scent that features hints of oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit helps bring a tropical feel to any living room, even in the most humid environments.

With just a few quick and affordable changes to your decor, you can transform your home into a calming and restful place to spend the summer:

* The scent of a fruity tart treat fills your home with fragrance without the added calories or need to turn on the hot oven.

* Roll up the rugs and clean and store them for the summer * Put light-colored canvas slipcovers on dark upholstered furniture * Change throw pillows to summery patterns/colors * Put away knick-knacks for a lighter, more minimalist feeling * Place Scentsy wickless candles in living areas to add a fresh,

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To fill your home with these summer scents, all you have to do is select one of Scentsy’s decorative ceramic warmers, place some of the specially formulated scented wax into the dish, plug it in and turn it on. A low watt light bulb melts the wax at low temperatures to release the candle fragrance into the air. In just a few minutes and for just a few dollars, you can create a summer retreat at home. Now sit back, relax and let your worries disappear as you enjoy a tall, cool drink and an exciting new novel. Courtesy of ARAcontent

Yankee Shopper

Safety 101: 10 Tips Parents Need to Know to Keep Students’ Things Safe on Campus (ARA) - While parents have enough to worry about when sending their son or daughter off to college, the safety of their child’s “stuff ” shouldn’t be one of them. However, since theft continues to be one of the most common crimes on American college campuses, parents should - and can - reduce the chances of their students becoming victims by following these campus safety tips. 1. Back-up the backpack While backpacks are a popular and practical tool for carrying books and supplies, they’re also an easy target for theft due to their multiple, simple points of entry. Help your student deter theft with a sporty and secure backpack lock, such as Master Lock’s 1548 carabineer lock. Students should also be mindful to keep their backpack and other valuables with them at all times, whether in the classroom, library or cafeteria.

What has changed is the variety of padlocks now available, including built-in dial combination locks, set-your-own password locks and keyoperated locker locks. 6. Safeguard bikes Teach students to always lock up their bikes, regardless of how long they plan to leave the bike unattended. Invest in a quality bike lock - ubars offer the highest security - and show your student how to lock his or her bike through both the wheels and frame and to secure it to an immovable object. 7. Always lock doors and windows Teach students to always lock their doors and windows to prevent unwanted entry, no matter how long they will be away, and even when they’re inside the room studying or sleeping. Students living in offcampus housing with sliding patio doors should invest in a hinged security bar, such as Master Lock’s 265 security bar.

2. Engrave valuables Help your student engrave or permanently mark his or her valuables with your student’s first initial and last name. Permanently marking items makes them more difficult to pawn, easier to recognize as stolen and easier to identify and reclaim.

8. Travel safely If your student is flying, invest in a TSAaccepted locking device - the one lock airport screeners won’t cut. These locks allow TSA screeners to inspect and relock baggage without damaging the lock. Students should secure both their checked luggage and carry-on bags with a TSA-approved locking closure.

3. Keep personal information personal Limit the personal information your student shares on his or her valuables, front door, mailbox, key chain, backpack and other items. Your student should not share his or her address or complete name in order to avoid additional risk if an item is stolen or misplaced, or if your student’s living space is violated. 4. Keep money safe Before sending college kids out on their own, teach them how to responsibly use a debit or credit card to allow them to carry less cash. Remember, while most credit cards only hold the card-holder liable for the first $50, cash can’t be replaced. When storing money and other small valuables in high-traffic areas, such as dorms and apartments, students should always lock them up in a cash or document boxes made of durable steel. 5. Lock personal items in lockers Some things never change - every student should be equipped with a good, old-fashioned padlock to keep his or her belongings locked safely in a locker whenever possible, whether at the gym or in the classroom. 10

9. Insure your student’s valuables Check to see if your homeowners insurance covers your student’s belongings while they reside in either on- or off-campus housing. If not, consult with an insurance agent to determine what additional coverage is necessary. 10. Be aware and prepared, not scared While it’s a parent’s job to be overprotective, don’t scare your student into thinking college is a completely unsafe atmosphere. Do teach them to be aware of their surroundings - walk with confidence and pay attention to what’s going on around them. Preparation and awareness are the keys to safety in any situation. “Parents can rest easier once their students depart by providing them with the tools and products they need to keep themselves and their personal belongings safe,” says Rebecca Smith, vice president of marketing for Master Lock. For more information, visit www.masterlock.com to find a variety of college security solutions. Courtesy of ARAcontent

Yankee Shopper

June 9, 2010

...Use a Smartphone to Organize Your Summer Fun... continued from page 7

Thinking of upgrading to a smartphone? Look for one with a long battery life, so you can be on the go longer. Courtesy of ARAcontent

set reminders so you don’t miss anything. If you need more help keeping track of what’s on your plate, use the task manager to organize activities. * Not sure whether to bring the SPF 15 or SPF 45 when heading for a swim? Download a weather app to check the UV index. If clouds start rolling in while the kids are swimming, grab your BlackBerry smartphone to see if the weather app is flashing a thunderstorm warning. If so, come up with plan B - check the local movie schedule on your smartphone’s web browser. * Use instant messaging applications to quickly get in touch from anywhere. Effortlessly organize a group play date by adding all your child’s friends’ parents to a BlackBerry Messenger group - this will let you communicate with everyone at once. * Plan a great staycation with guides like buzzd and Poynt, which can help you discover fun new destinations in your area.

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