As the morning traffic winds its way around Park Square in the heart of Pittsfield, a cadre of purple-clad and silver haired volunteers kneel in garden beds assiduously weeding.
“Once you get your hands in the soil, all your problems just kind of float away for a while and just- Instant gratification,” Dawn O’Brien told WAMC.
For 25 years, the retired teacher has been a part of Pittsfield Beautiful.
“I think really that more people, if given the chance and the encouragement, would come out and help us," she continued. "We're not an exclusive club of any sort. We're looking for volunteers, especially younger ones as we're aging out now.”
Next to her in the dirt is Catherine Roberts, who is at least a decade into her time volunteering with the group.
“Actually, I came because of her, because we knew each other as teachers," she laughed. "I know nothing about gardening. If I'm in an area to do it, I have to get direction right away and tell me exactly what to do- And I think that's why it's harder to get volunteers, because there's a lot of people that think they can't do it, so they don't even try. I try to talk people into it, but I don't know. And it's a social thing for me, so that keeps me coming back, too.”
With spring in full bloom, the Pittsfield Beautiful mission to keep Berkshire County’s urban hub sparkling goes into overdrive. Saturday is Planting Day, and Pittsfield Beautiful’s roughly 70-strong army of volunteers will fan out across the city’s core to install around 3,000 plants.
“We plant over 100 containers in this in the downtown corridor in Pittsfield, and then we also have work parties such as this every Tuesday and Friday morning, going around weeding and maintaining perennial gardens and common areas in the city,” event co-chair Claudia Austin Curry told WAMC.
She says even for Pittsfield Beautiful insiders, it’s always a surprise to see what flower arrangements will be arriving Saturday morning to populate the city’s public spaces for the warm months.
“Those are designed by Lenita Bober of Blossoming Acres in Southwick, Mass," said Curry. "She is an uber helpmate for us. I mean, she plans the design of all the containers and mixes up the colors. She drives around the city during the course of the summer and sees what's doing well or not, and might change it up for the next year based on sunshine, based on colors. She designs Park Square over there- There are four quadrants to it, and they are all divided by color. So, there are four different color combinations of these glorious flowers throughout the summer.”
Planting Day requires months of planning, and Pittsfield Beautiful makes sure its volunteers are ready to rock come Saturday morning.
“Every planter has a number and location, and we tell them to come, rain or shine, bring their tools and their gloves," co-chair Chris Stodden told WAMC. "And then when they're done, they need to bring all their trash and pots and things to our central station, whatever you want to call it, over there across the street at the old library, and we thank them with a with a prize. And this year it's going to be a Ben and Jerry's gift card, ice cream- but a rainy day, so I don't know, but they still have to come and wear their raincoats.”
It's a big week for Pittsfield Beautiful. Saturday’s action is quickly followed by another major push to fill downtown with flowers.
“Tomorrow we will have a whole crew going out and planting all the containers, and it's done rain or shine, because the flowers are delivered bright, bright and early in the morning. And then the following Wednesday, we plant Park Square and city hall and down further the street," said co-chair Sue Daly. “I think it's good for the soul, first of all, for everybody who's working here, and when people come and they see it, and everybody just gets this good feeling, I think. Last year, when I was in the park and this woman and her mother were there – She was an elderly woman – and they were just admiring the flowers so much, and then they started asking about all the beautiful buildings around because they were from out of town. And it was just this whole history lesson for them, and it was really, really nice. And I think that's what people do- They start to get another interest besides just the flowers. They have an interest in the rest of the city too.”
Stodden says the love of the game keeps Pittsfield Beautiful’s volunteer corps showing up for work year in and year out.
“A lot of them are retired, and we give it our all," she said. "It's hard work sometimes, bending down, but we love it because we've become like a family. We are trying to expand our group, so we hope that maybe some people with some muscle can come forward and help us- And we'll even meet them on Saturday if need be, because our group is aging out.”
O’Brien says the heart of Pittsfield Beautiful’s efforts – the ephemeral but constantly cycling flora that mark the seasons and add vibrant color to shared spaces – are just a doorway to a larger story about community and continuity.
“Come out and try it," she told WAMC. "We have tools that you can use. It's a fun thing. We get to talk to people, and you get to be a part of the big picture of Pittsfield. Pittsfield is coming alive. I just helped plant 80 native garden beds. We put in 1,370 native plants from Park Square to Wahconah Street, and then they have to be cared for.”
