FORE IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DANCING IN THE STREETS IS THE THEME OF THE SEPTEMBER 18 3rd.THURSDAYS IN DOWNTOWN PITTSFIELD
Samba, Square Dance, Clogging, Ballet, Tap Dance and More Will Be Featured Plus Hot Air Balloon on the Common and a Flip Flop Chorus!
Press contact: Megan Whilden, Director of Cultural Development, City of Pittsfield 413.499.9348; mwhilden@pittsfieldch.com
HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
Square dancers, samba music, ballroom dancing, a flip flop chorus and much more are on tap on Thursday, September 18 from 5pm to 8pm at the monthly 3rd.Thursdays celebration in downtown Pittsfield, whose theme is “Dancing in the Streets.” Plus there will be hot air balloon rides on the Common on First Street, in honor of the Berkshire Historical Society’s 2008 exhibit on Norman Rockwell’s iconic mural of Pittsfield, the opportunity to sign up to build a scarecrow as part of HayMan 2, and rock’n’roll with Albany’s Audiostars on the Main Stage in front of the Crowne Plaza on First Street. The parking lane and outside lane will be closed to traffic for the event on North Street from Park Square to Maplewood Avenue.
3rd.Thursdays is a free monthly after-hours downtown celebration in Pittsfield that debuted in 2007, featuring music, dance, art, food, shopping and fun in downtown Pittsfield once a month from 5pm to 8pm and beyond. Shops will be open late for great shopping opportunities, restaurants and food vendors will offer outdoor dining, farmers will be selling fresh produce, and art can be found in abundance! And be sure to catch a ride on the free trolley to ensure you don’t miss a thing!
Palace Park will feature dance performances by Albany Berkshire Ballet and Terpsichore Dance Center students and "Drums, Feet, Hands & Heart: A Percussive Affair," a celebration of percussive dance and music curated by Stefanie Weber. Performers include clogger Paula Bradley, Deb Reed and friends playing frame drums, Marafanyi Percussion, Aimee Gelinas of Gaia Roots, The Beyond Ensemble: Pittsfield-based tap dancers premiering a new piece with music composed by Brian Bender, Sole Force featuring tap and body percussion by Rose Sinclair and Stefanie Weber, Youth Alive’s Senior Steppers and world music by Nana Simopoulous.
In addition, the September 18th 3rd.Thursdays is the world premiere of the Flip Flop chorus at Palace Park, and everyone with a pair of flip flops is invited to be a part of it! You can wear them or carry them, either way, join the fun!
The Main Stage will be in front of the Crowne Plaza hotel on South Street and features Albany sensations the Audiostars from 6pm to 9pm, a kinetic 4 piece band that delivers know-‘em-by-heart classic songs with an energy and passion that define live music at its very best. Outdoor food and drink will be available to purchase.
The Quintessential Dance team will be giving free ballroom dancing lessons and professional demonstrations at The Maplewood Condominiums, located just off North Street on Maplewood Avenue. You’re invited to join in the dancing, then take a breather and see the elegance of living at this historic site.
Other North Street performance locations include the lawn in front of St. Joseph’s Church, where Cliff Brodeur and the Pittsfield Squares will demonstrate square dancing from 5pm to 6pm, followed by the Berkshire Bateria and costumed samba dancers from 6pm to 8pm. Enjoy the rock’n’blues sounds of Groove Logic and a capella tunes from the Berkshire Hillsmen at Dunham Mall. Rock band Hill 78 plays in front of Dottie’s Coffee Lounge and Lance Gallup plays guitar inside Hot Harry’s. May Verdi & her band will bring swanky classics to dance to at the Intermodal Center, the downtown home of Berkshire Community College and MCLA, while sampling culinary food from the BCC's Culinary Arts Students and enjoying artwork by students. Folk trio Wintergreen play in front of the Berkshire Athenaeum beginning at 5:30pm.
From 5:30pm to 7:30pm, Worthington Balloons will be offering tethered balloon rides on their spectacular hot air balloons for $15/$10 for kids 12 and under at the Common. At approximately 7:30pm the Excelsior Drum Corps will lead the way to the Common for a beautiful balloon ‘glow’, when the balloon are lit up from within – bring your camera! Co-sponsored by the Berkshire Historical Society, the event celebrates the Society’s 2008 exhibit celebrating Norman Rockwell’s mural of downtown Pittsfield, featuring hot air balloons hovering above.
The Barefoot Books stall at Persip Park will feature Putumayo World Music's upbeat and melodic multicultural compilations, guaranteed to make you want to dance! Together a Barefoot Book and a Putumayo CD make the perfect gift. All Putumayo CDs and Barefoot Books with singalong CDs are 15% off! Chapters Bookstore on North Street will be featuring To Kill A Mockingbird at 20% off and information on participating in the To Kill A Mockingbird communitywide reading project next month. And RJ Stohr Fine Diamonds and Jewelry offers 50% off everything in the store only on 3rd.Thursdays.
Museum Facsimiles hosts an opening reception for a new suite of watercolors by Marge Bride, while Ferrin Gallery features three ceramic art shows. An opening reception for artist Brent Whitney’s show, entitled “Crazy With the Cheese Whiz”, will be held at 7:30pm at Zeitgeist Art Incubator at 648 North Street. And it’s your last chance to see the lively portraits of historic downtown Pittsfield buildings by Scott Taylor at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts. Taylor will be there in person, and you are invited to add your own memories and reminisces to the exhibit on specially provided tags.
A flyer with a map, full schedule of events, and list of open shops, cultural hotspots, and restaurants will be available for free throughout downtown on 3rd.Thursdays and also as a downloadable PDF at culturalpittsfield.com. To be sure to receive the latest 3rd.Thursdays updates and other cultural events information, sign up for the Cultural Pittsfield email list on the cultural Pittsfield.com website, or send an email to mwhilden@pittsfieldch.com.
The last 3rd.Thursdays downtown celebration of 2008 will be held on October 16, 2008 from 5pm to 8pm (and beyond) in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts. 3rd.Thursdays is sponsored by Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Living Magazine, Greylock Federal Credit Union, the City of Pittsfield Tourism Commission and Office of Cultural Development, Downtown Inc., and over forty downtown businesses, cultural organizations, shops and restaurants. For more information, please visit www.culturalpittsfield.com or call 413-499-9348.
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