2022 was a tough year in many ways. But while life struggled to return to something resembling normal after two years of a pandemic, there was still a lot to smile about. Here's a look back at 10 stories that made us smile this year:
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10. First Super Soap Box Derby delights Pittsfield's west side neighborhood
Soap Box Derbies might seem like a picture of days gone by, but this neighborhood is bringing them back — to the delight of young and old.
While growing up in the neighborhood decades ago, Tony Jackson — now president of Westside Legends — said kids would build and race carts. "We started doing this because it was so much fun for us," he said.
9. Now, it's time for the weather. We turn to Jacob Klein, 14, of Pittsfield
Good news. If you’ve grown weary of the full-throated, Zeus-sounding weather pronouncements of radio and television, you now have an alternative: Local boy and self-described “weather warlock," Jacob Klein.
Meet Jacob Klein, 14, founder and CEO of berkshireweather.com. A self-described "weather warlock," he’s the new voice of climate conditions on WTBR (89.7-FM).
8. Take a tour of 97-year-old Laurie Cormier's latest exhibit and hear about his memories of a well-lived life
Over a span of 72 years, Laurie Cormier created more than 1,000 paintings, about a dozen of which are held in the permanent collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. Since his arrival at Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center, the hallway of the L wing has been transformed into a high-end art gallery of townscapes, landscapes and wildlife scenes.
He’s prepared to give a full accounting of his 97 years of life, contingent upon two things. Only if you really want to hear about it. And only if you’ll stop him if he’s getting boring.
Over a span of 72 years, Laurie Cormier created more than 1,000 such paintings, by his estimate, about a dozen of which are held in the permanent collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.
7. Thanks to the Suns and the Brockton Rox, it was a day to remember at Wahconah Park for Evan Franz
Evan Franz of Tamarack, N.Y., thought it was going to be a good day to meet members of the Brockton Rox who were the children of Boston Red Sox legends he grew up rooting for. Little did he know that the Rox and the Pittsfield Suns put together a surprise at Wahconah Park that included a one-day contract with the Rox and an at-bat against Pittsfield starter Freddy Mosier.
Evan Franz of Tamarack, N.Y., thought it was going to be a good day to meet members of the Brockton Rox who were the children of Boston Red Sox legends he grew up rooting for. Little did he know that the Rox and the Pittsfield Suns put together a surprise at Wahconah Park that included a one-day contract with the Rox and an at-bat against Pittsfield starter Freddy Mosier.
6. Norah Smith has eight new grandmothers. The lessons flow two ways out on the water
Who remembers this inspirational story about a group of cancer survivors rowing each week, a local teen as coxswain? It’s a heart-warming story about community and about celebrating every single victory.
When out on the water, coxswain Norah Smith normally faces a long row of bulked up young men. On Thursday evenings, with a different crew, another strength is on display: surviving.
5. Here's the unlikely story of a North Adams man and a 40-pound wooden statue named Captain Ahab who travel the world together
Captain Ahab has been making people smile on his many adventures all over the world: whitewater rafting, skydiving, to kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland, to the Iowa State Fair, to the New York Comic Con, and to the top of Kilimanjaro.
Captain Ahab, a 40-pound wooden lawn ornament, has gone on many adventures with his caretaker, Geeg Wiles, of North Adams. The latest? A trip to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
4. What does it take to get a high school band ready to march in the 66th Fall Foliage Parade in North Adams? Practice, practice, practice
It isn’t easy to get everyone ready to march for a mile with their instruments. We caught up with Pittsfield High School marching band and teacher Ashley Paradis before step off of the 66th Fall Foliage Parade and learned all about what it takes to get ready to march.
On Sunday, PHS band's mile-long trek in the Northern Berkshire Fall Foliage Parade in North Adams will treat audiences to 1980s classics, including Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and the theme from "Ghostbusters."
3. A surprise final encounter delivers an Appalachian Trail takeaway: 'It's the people I've met'
Berkshire Eagle reporter Greta Jochem hit the Appalachian Trail at the Connecticut line on Aug. 1, with plans to hike the state's 90-mile segment, and her trail check ins quickly became a favorite for Eagle readers. In her fifth and final report, she describes a slippery ascent of Mount Greylock and other outtakes from her trail notebook, including one final memorable encounter.
Berkshire Eagle reporter Greta Jochem hit the Appalachian Trail Aug. 1 at the Connecticut line with plans to hike the state's 90-mile segment. In this fifth and final report, she describes a slippery ascent of Mount Greylock and other outtakes from her trail notebook, including a final memorable encounter.
2. Ron Kujawski is giving up his column writing, but not the ‘holy crawl’ (ever!)
For 27 years Berkshire Eagle readers tuned in to benevolent nag Ron Kujawski's gardening column, Garden Journal, which he gave up earlier this year. But you can’t be Ron Kujawski —the go-to gardening guru for generations of would-be, could-be, want-to-be home gardeners in the Berkshires — and then simply disappear into your cabbage patch without comment.
Garden columnist Ron Kujawski, 78, a soft-spoken scientist who simply wants to embolden the world with the ennobling joys of gardening, has written his last gardening column, which appears in today’s Eagle.
1. Meet Tommy, the ginormous Brown Swiss ox in Cheshire who has a growing TikTok audience
Who didn't fall in love with the story of Tommy, the apple-loving Brown Swiss ox whose job is keeping owner Fred Balawender young? He's a beloved fixture at Winterpast Farm in Cheshire — and an ambassador for the love shared between farmers and their animals.
Tommy is a 13-year-old ox getting his first dose of adolescent stardom on the popular app TikTok. He's a beloved fixture at Winterpast Farm in Cheshire — and an ambassador for the love shared between farmers and their animals.