Issue #66 | Friday, March 2, 2023

FIRST Friday transforms into FIRST Bites for March in North Adams

During the month of March, FIRST Friday presents “FIRST Bites” encouraging visitors to show their support for downtown restaurants and businesses by eating out. People can pick up a free “FIRST Bites” button at Gallery 51 on March 3 and then frequent downtown restaurants.

Participating downtown restaurants will be offering “FIRST Bites” specials to folks who are wearing their buttons.

Participating Restaurants

Jacks Hot Dogs | 12 Eagle Street
$1 Hot Dogs!

Christos Famous Pizza | 20 Holden Street
Appetizers and some of our new menu items include falafel, grape leaves, and grilled pita with hummus.

Bailey’s Bakery | 55 Main Street
Check out the baked goods specials section!

Ramuntos Brick Oven Pizza | 67 Main Street
Two slices of pizza & a soda for $6.75.

Trés Niños Taqueria | 20 Marshall Street
$2 tacos.

Grazie | 26 Marshall Street
$10 flatbread.

Events

Gallery 51 | 5-7 pm | 51 Main Street
Opening reception for Layer/Build: Collage Explored, a group exhibition featuring the work of six collage artists.

Future Lab[s] Gallery | 5-8pm | 43 Eagle Street
Opening Reception for UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTERS, by artists Anna Vojtech and Maria Denjongpa. See the worlds of beauty conjured from their wide travels and spiritual journeys.

Plant Connector | 5-8pm | 73 Main Street
DIY Seed bombs and bites.

Alison Pebworth | 5-8pm | 40 Eagle Street
Visit the studio to see the new installation.

Hearts Pace Tea & Healing Lounge | 6-9pm | 15 Eagle Street
Live music and mocktails; no cover.

Installation Space | 7-10pm | 49 Eagle Street
Dance party fundraiser with DJ DUBTC; pay what you can.

Savvy Hive Shop & Sip | 5-8pm | 53 Main Street
Bubbly and trying on clothes.

Visit nachamber.org/firstfridays for the complete list.

North County Happenings

>>Monthly Events<<

Every First Saturday | 9-1 p.m. | North Adams INDOOR Market at Terra Nova

Every Friday | 8-close | Karaoke at State Street Tavern
Every 1st & 3rd Sunday | 7 p.m. | Karaoke Night at The Log in Williamstown

Common Folk Artist Collective
Every Friday | 6-8 p.m. | Common Craft Night
Every 2nd Sunday | 3-5 p.m. | Adams Artist Meet-up | 57 Park Street in Adams

Upcoming
March 5 | 8 p.m. | Live Music at TOURISTS Welcome
March 6 | 4:30 p.m. | Art in Conversation | MASS MoCA
March 11 | 10 a.m. | Learn Through Sensory Play with Miss EmileeECE | UNO Community Center
March 11 | 6:30 p.m. | Live Comedy at Bright Ideas Brewing
March 11 | 6 p.m. | The Roots Teen Center Fundraiser | 3 West Events at Norad Mill
March 16 | 4-6 p.m. | Youth Led Forum | nbCC | Terra Nova 
March 31 | 11 a.m. | Cultural Sector Recovery Grants Celebration | Clark Art | Mass Cultural Council

Want your event listed? Submit the listing here

North Adams Farmers Market

Saturday March 4 | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Terra Nova Church

Vendors

Ashford Heights Farm
Lamb meat & wool products including yarns all grown on the farm

Cricket Creek Farm

Grass-based cow dairy and cheese nestled in the Berkshire hills of Williamstown

PS Foods 

Makers of traditional Polish Fermented Beet Tonic

Monartistic Pet Products

All natural pet treats and handmade toys for cats and dogs

Red Shirt Farm 

HIP VENDOR

Small scale, regenerative, no-till farm growing organic vegetables and pasture-raised heritage chickens, turkey and pigs

Square Root Farm

Raises chickens, pigs, turkeys and beef cattle on pasture in Lanesborough

The Emerald Phoenix

Holistic, Organic, Eco-Friendly self care and wellness products

Department for Children and Families

The department works in partnership with families and communities to maintain the well being of children and young adults

Senecal Sugarhouse 

They have been making maple syrup for over 30 years.

SvenFish

Crazy Fresh Fish directly from the docks of Boston

Saturday, March 11, 2023
8:00pm - 12:30am | North Adams Elks Lodge

Book your tickets here

Tickets range from $0 - $50, with a standard ticket costing $15. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. 

Please consider sharing our Facebook Event and Instagram posts as well.

This event is being produced by several LGBTQIA+ people, and we want all of our ally friends to attend. This event is truly for everyone. Please join us and help support North Adams Pride!

About the performers: 

Drag performers Veronika Baked, Jackie Leggs, and Miss Ginger Souless will tease and tantalize us with their shimmer and sass; Milz 007 and Mz. October May Lay of the New England Ballroom scene will peel back the curtain on their world of ballroom culture and all night long we'll dance to the hot beats thrown down by acclaimed Berkshire DJ BFG. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic libations will be available for purchase at the Elks bar.

See you out under the Northern Lights!

Funding Opportunities

Biz-M-Power Updates

The program has increased the matching grant from a 1:1 match to a 2:1 match. This means businesses receive $2 from MGCC for every $1 raised in crowdfunding. There is approximately $5.8 million in funding still available. This program is open until June 30, 2023. Monthly reviews will be posted on MGCC Biz-M-Power website.

Best Foot Forward Facade Improvement Micro-Grants
Deadline: Applications are now open and grants will be awarded until funding is exhausted.
Apply HERE

Do you operate a first floor business?
Does your facade need updating?
Would an update improve the aesthetics of our downtown commercial district?

If you answered "YES" to these questions, help is here! 1Berkshire is accepting applications for their Best Foot Forward Facade Improvement Micro-Grants. A minimum of 47 grants of between $500-$1000 will be made available on a rolling basis to small businesses and organizations with first-floor store fronts. A maximum of $7,000 in awards will be made within any specific municipality. Priority will be given to businesses who did not receive facade improvement grants in 2022.

Community Sub-Award Application: "Insert Here" Vacant Window Art Pilot Program

1Berkshire, thanks to a one-time grant award, is excited to announce the opportunity for up to three (3) sub-award grants to communities, community organizations or individuals in Berkshire County municipalities to support the commissioning and installation of high visibility vinyl window art pieces in vacant storefront windows of downtown commercial buildings available for rent. Only one sub-award grant can be made in any single municipality, and a letter of support from the municipality is required for consideration (NOTE: municipalities should only provide one (1) organization/individual letter of support for this program to prevent redundant applications within any individual community).

Organizations that apply may be municipalities, non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, or unofficial organizations/individuals with a proven track record of project execution of this type and scale. Sub-awardee grants will be at least $5,000 each, and all work (i.e. selection of artist/art, production of vinyls, installation, etc.) must be completed by June 30th, 2023. Up to 10% of the sub-awardee grant may be utilized for administrative expenses associated with the coordination of the project. Reporting of all expenses and photos of final installations are required to be submitted by the June 30th, 2023 deadline. Failure to do so will result in the sub-awardee returning the full amount of funding back to 1Berkshire.

The Deadline to apply for this opportunity is March 3rd, 2023 and decisions will be made on awards by March 10th, 2023. Grant decisions will be based on a thorough review of all responses to this application.

Grants for Artists

• Mar 3 Grant/Submission | 1Berkshire “Insert Here” Vacant Window Art Installation

• Mar 6 Scholarship | National Sculpture Society Laura Ziegler Scholarship

• Mar 8 Grant | NEA Grant for Creative Writing

• Mar 15 Grant | Assets for Artists Capacity Building Grant for Pittsfield Artists

• Mar 31 Award | 2023 Nervous Ghost Press Book Prize

• Mar 31 Grant | Creative Capital Wild Futures Grant (app opens Mar 1)

• May 10 Grant | Studio Potter Grants for Apprenticeships

• Jul 23 Grant | Martha Boschen Porter Fund

• Aug 1 Grant | Berkshire Taconic Artist Resource Trust (for individuals)

• ongoing Grant | MGCC Digital Capabilities Grant

• ongoing Grant | Hilary Teachout Covid-19 Relief Grant

• ongoing Grant | The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant

• ongoing Grant | Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Grants

• monthly Awesome Foundation Grant

• rolling Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund

• rolling Independent Journalism Grant

• rolling Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism

• rolling Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants

• rolling Creative Capital x Skoll x Kickstarter Funds for Asian/Black/Indigenous/Latinx Creators

• rolling A.P.E. Open Call for Project Proposals

• rolling BridgeSong Fund: Emergency Relief for Women, Nonbinary, and Genderqueer Artists of Color

• rolling New England Musicians Relief Fund

• ongoing NEFA Grant Finder List
  
  Provided by the Artist Impact Coalition

Massachusetts Statewide Capacity-Building Grant

12-14 Artists || $3,000 Grants

Applications accepted: 3/1 - 4/17

Our first statewide Massachusetts Capacity-Building Grant since 2021 has officially launched! 

Applicants must live or work in Massachusetts and currently self-identify as one of the following: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color), an active caretaker of a child or adult, an immigrant, veteran, LGBTQIA+, formerly incarcerated, or living with a disability or housing insecurity.

Questions? Attend our virtual Q&A: Tuesday, March 14, 7 - 8 PM via Zoom.

Financial Opportunities from the Berkshire Black Economic Council

FOR NEW ENGLAND BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES: 

Power Forward Small Business grant (rolling deadline)

FOR NEW ENGLAND MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES: 

MBDA Small Business Center’s Covid-19 Relief

FOR MASSACHUSETTS BLACK- OR WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES: 

Mass Mutual Catalyst Fund (MMCF)

FOR WESTERN MA WOMEN, NONBINARY, AND GENDERQUEER ARTISTS OF COLOR:

BridgeSong Fund Emergency Relief

The Empower Digital Grant Program has modified its grant terms to include additional funding (up to $5000) for capital expenses that can help small businesses to expand or improve their digital capabilities. As a result, applicants may pursue up to $5000 of grant funding for digital services and $5000 of grant funding for relevant capital expenses.

Workshops & Webinars

March 14 | 1:30-2:30 p.m. | 8 Customer Retention Tips for Small Businesses

Connect with Us!

North Adams Chamber Business Development Team
Marketing: Makayla-Courtney McGeeney
Business: Nico Dery