Are We There Yet?: Craft Season Begins / Pittsfield.com

The last couple of weeks were very exciting, nerve-wracking, heart-breaking, et cetera, and I feel bad that so many our kids got to see very little of it since most of the games didn't even start until the elementary school-age crowd was getting ready to head to bed. I let my daughter watch an inning or two here or there and I was very excited to tell her Thursday morning that ...

The Boston Red Sox are world champions!

Who would have believed it?

OK, now that that's out of my system, let's talk about things your kids can do this weekend.

First up is an event in Pittsfield that sounds like so much fun - and educational, too! As part of November's Family Literacy Month, the Berkshire Museum will present "WeeMuse: WeeRead Pajama Night" on Friday, Nov. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Each gallery will feature different stories and storytellers, as well as story walks and family reading stations. There will also be special guests, giveaways and refreshments. Families will receive free books while supplies last. For more information, call 413-443-7171 or visit berkshiremuseum.org. While this may be the most appropriate for the emerging-reader crowd, younger and older siblings should be encouraged to participate to stoke or fan the flames of reading. And may I suggest that if the spark for reading just isn't there, try changing the material. Not everyone loves "The Cat in the Hat" ... though, seriously, if you don't, what's wrong with you? Just kidding. The point is to find something that will engage your own child's interests. Good luck!

Then on Saturday, Nov. 2, head to the Berkshire Mall... wait, isn't that where I sent you last weekend? Indeed, both my Girl Scout event last Saturday and Malloween on Sunday at the mall had large, excited crowds, so apparently, the mall is actually the family place to be! This Saturday, it's the 18th annual Community Baby Shower. Now, you may be thinking, "I am not pregnant so this is not for me." That's OK, bring the kids you already do have! This free event, co-hosted by Child Care of the Berkshires and Berkshire North WIC, will feature agencies from Berkshire County sharing info on topics related to pregnancy and parenting young children. Additional activities at the event include blood pressure screening and craft activities for children and parents. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

One more shout-out: Now that Halloween is over, the holiday craft fair season can officially begin, and begin it does this weekend with a good one in North Adams. St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, between Mass. MoCA and the Big Y Plaza, hosts its big bazaar Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days. The event features handmade candy, fudge, knitted and crocheted items, food and more. My daughter loves this bazaar because of the fishbowl game for kids, where for a quarter they get a scoop of folded paper out of the fishbowl and then spend the next half an hour unfolding every piece of paper to see if there is a star or dot on it to indicate they have won a prize. In the past, Santa Claus has made a very early-season appearance at this bazaar; one of my all-time favorite pictures of my daughter is one I took of her with Santa at this event when she was 3 or 4 that became the Christmas card picture that year. So if you're looking for wholesome entertainment for a good cause, head to North Adams on Friday or Saturday.

And you should be all rested for these fun events because you can go to bed earlier now that the World Series is over ... and the Boston Red Sox are world champions!

Berkshire County native Rebecca Dravis of Williamstown is a former journalist who now works for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. She can be reached at rdravis@verizon.net.

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