Pittsfield Beautiful

06/16/2026

Great turnout at today's work party at the garden at the Veteran's Memorial Park on South Street!

06/08/2026

Volunteer Spotlight: Claudine Chavanne

How long have you volunteered for Pittsfield Beautiful?

When Pittsfield Beautiful’s founder (Tommie Bailey) asked someone for help, it was hard to say no. I can’t even remember how she found me but before I knew it, I became the non-profit’s Clerk in 1998 and have remained on the Board since then.



What is your role/title at Pittsfield Beautiful?

I have a pretty eclectic background, which is probably why I ended up serving as Clerk, Vice President, Fundraising chair, Treasurer, and President for 14 years. In addition to being the current Treasurer, the Board also came up with the title of Archivist for me because I’ve been with the organization for so many years! It does give me a chance to digitalize and share some of the interesting things I’ve uncovered in the older paper files I inherited.

How many hours a month or season do you spend volunteering for Pittsfield Beautiful?

It depends. The nice thing about volunteering with Pittsfield Beautiful is that the hours are really flexible. As Treasurer, I usually spend a few hours a week maintaining the financial records. We’re a small organization so there aren’t a lot of financial transactions. I also volunteer for some of the Planting events and the North Street maintenance project during the growing season.

Why would you recommend people become volunteers for Pittsfield Beautiful?

It’s a chance to make a real, visible difference in our community. We especially noticed how powerful the sight of colorful flowers became in the City during the pandemic when volunteers could still help because the work was outdoors.

It’s also an opportunity for the next generation of volunteers from all backgrounds to do something for your community, whether it’s gardening related or helping Pittsfield Beautiful plan for the future by serving on its Board.

A lot of folks think you need to be a gardener to volunteer but it really doesn’t matter. There’s always someone to guide you.

What we really need are younger individuals with diverse perspectives to help us continue our mission.

Any thoughts on Pittsfield Beautiful you would like to share?

During these tumultuous times, a lot of what I’ve found in the hand written records from our founder remains inspirational. Tommie Bailey never gave up! If a plant happened to disappear in a container, she’d replace it because she knew it sent a message that someone cared.

She understood that the efforts of even a few dedicated individuals could make a huge difference in the appearance of our City.

Please come to one of our Board meetings. There’s no obligation and it’s a great way to learn a bit more about our organization. The next Board meeting is Wednesday, June 17th at 4:00 pm at the Berkshire Athenaeum. All are welcome to attend!

06/03/2026

Today our Pittsfield Beautiful Volunteers planted at City Hall, the Colonial Theatre, and Park Square! They were joined at Park Square by the Probate and Family Court staff and employees from Park Square Financial Advisors of Raymond James. Mayor Peter Marchetti, Park, Open Space and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath, and employees from Blue Q joined in at City Hall. The courtyards at the Berkshire Athenaeum were also planted!

A special thank you to plant designer and supplier Lenita Bober of Blossoming Acres in Southwick, MA for creating the stunning designs which will shine all summer long throughout Pittsfield!

Our crew is ALL VOLUNTEERS and the plants are bought with your donations! If you can give, any bit helps (https://givebutter.com/pittsfield-beautiful)!

05/30/2026

On Wednesday, June 3 from 8:30 to 10:30 am, there will be a Special Work Party to plant Park Square, City Hall, and the Colonial Theatre gardens. Contact Dawn at [email protected] for more information.

05/30/2026

Thank you to our dedicated volunteers who once again braved the rain to plant the colorful annuals which decorate our city!

We are excited to announce that Phase 1 of a 3 year plan has been completed to replace soil in all 15 of the 66 inch round containers and square containers on the East Street median. Thank you to the City of Pittsfield and Always Growing Landscaping!

The majority of the $20,000 we spend annually to plant and maintain public gardens comes from private donations made by individuals and businesses like you.

Please consider a one-time or recurring donation to support the planting of nearly 100 containers filled with colorful flowers and ornamental plants which provide welcoming color in the concrete medians and sidewalks in the downtown area and other public sites along Center, Elm, Fenn, Linden, East, First and South Streets.

Donate here: https://givebutter.com/pittsfield-beautiful

05/30/2026

Pittsfield Beautiful volunteers will be out rain or shine tomorrow morning planting these beautiful annuals downtown! Give them a wave!

05/28/2026

Last month, our friends at Carr Hardware held a round-up campaign for us at their Pittsfield store and raised over $1,100 for Pittsfield Beautiful!

Thank you to everyone who rounded up! And thank you, Carr Hardware!

05/24/2026

05/15/2026

Today and tomorrow!

Happening today and tomorrow at Springside Park! Don’t miss out!🪻🪴🌷

05/12/2026

Today was a “Downtown Blooms” planting day. Downtown Blooms focuses on replanting raised beds downtown with native plants. Native plants provide habitats, food, and shelter that specific insects, birds, and mammals need.

This year, Pittsfield Beautiful is planting 2 new beds of native plants and replacing plants in 14 others on North Street.

The new native garden beds will be on the corner of North and Bradford Street and in front of the new Allegrone building at North and Summer Street.

This brings it to a grand total of 80 beds from West Street to Wahconah Street maintained weekly by an ALL VOLUNTEER Pittsfield Beautiful crew. (This includes the 3 raised beds in Persip Park).

The majority of the $20,000 we spend annually to plant and maintain public gardens comes from private donations made by individuals and businesses like you.

Donate here: https://givebutter.com/pittsfield-beautiful