Third Thursday is back! The popular street-fair style event, held in the summer months on North Street in Pittsfield will be returning this month, albeit in virtual form, at least for this first editionThe outdoor street festival would be celebrating its fifteenth season this year. 

The Office of Cultural Development for the City of Pittsfield has announced a partnership with General Dynamics Mission Systems to present virtual Science Technology Engineering and Math, or STEM, activities for this season’s Third Thursday events.    

CAMP GD will be releasing interactive STEM demonstrations virtually every month throughout the season, kicking off on Thursday, May 20th. The demonstrations range from building balloon rockets to roasting s’mores with a solar oven. Kits with the needed materials for the interactive demos will be distributed on Saturday, May 15th, at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts from 10am-12pm or by appointment. First come, first served.  

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For the inaugural virtual event on May 20th, CAMP GD is introducing the topic of buoyancy, with participants receiving various types of cookies included in the free kit. Have a glass of milk available to learn why certain cookies float while others sink. The video link that will be made available on the 20th will provide all the instructions for the activity. 

Participants are encouraged to send photos of the STEM activity to: cultural@cityofpittsfield.org or tag Cultural Pittsfield on social media. 

General Dynamics Mission Systems is committed to advancing STEM education and inspiring the next generation of students to continue pushing the bounds of innovation. A team of engineers developed CAMP GD, a virtual platform to help introduce students of all ages to incredible STEM experiences from their own homes...Partnering with the city of Pittsfield’s Third Thursday gives us an opportunity to reach students throughout the Berkshires. ~ Paul Dalton, vice president at General Dynamics Mission Systems

 

According to a media release, the Office of Cultural Development will be reassessing the plans for Third Thursday as the season progresses based on state, city and CDC recommendations.   

We are working on several events for the summer season and collaborating with organizations on others including: public art installations; performances at the Common and art exhibitions at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts...We are also thrilled that the cultural venues in Pittsfield are opening and we will be partnering with them to help promote all that they are doing. ~ Pittsfield’s Director of Cultural Development Jen Glockner  

 

For more information, check DiscoverPittsfield.com for updates and follow Cultural Pittsfield on social media.  

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

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