Amy Krzanik reports from Pittsfield. If you were near North Street in Pittsfield on Saturday, August 10 and looked up, up, up, you might’ve caught a glimpse of “The Party of the Summer" atop the Greystone Building. The WordXWord Festival’s sold-out dance party/sunset shindig featured food and drink from Mission Bar & Tapas (kudos to whomever carried the goods up all those stairs!) and beats by DJ BFG. Spoken word performances by Robbie Q. Telfer, Jon Sands, Omar Holmon, and Adam Falkner, and beatboxer Simeon Bittman gave the crowd a little taste of what the week-long festival has in store. A pop-up auction of the one-and-only WordXWord 2013 t-shirt, two emblazoned backpacks, and only a handful of prints added money to the cause. The rooftop party is the only ticketed event of the festival, which, along with generous sponsors, helps keep all other events free for everyone. (Shown above L to R: Selene Martinez, WordxWord Founder Jim Benson, and Lia Sanfilippo)
Stephanie Quetti, Michelle Tyska, and Kala Gresser; Zeena, and performers Omar Holmon and Robbie Q. Telfer.
Luke Kaplan, Emma Kearney, and David Lotto; Jodie Lahey, Kent Lemme, Shiobbean Lemme, and Jamie Lahey.
Performer Leigh Strimbeck and Linda Badami pose, with the WordxWord billboard on the street below.
Poet-performers Jon Sands, Adam Falkner, and Omar Holmon; Kripalu co-workers Eliza Andrews, Caroline Saxe-Cobaugh, and Dalia Auerhahn.
Robbie Q. Telfer gets the crowd in hysterics.
Norah Walsh, Kim Burbank, Hedy Lipez Burbank, Alyce Kaplan, and Emma Kearney; Diane Firtell and Steve Dietemann.
Amanda Bankowski, Pete White, and Carrie Wright; Mary Yarmoski, Alf Barbalunga and Jonalee Barbalunga.
Adam Falkner has the audience's attention.
Berkshire Museum's Digital Media Marketing Manager Jenn Gomez, Mark Pedrotti, Matt Diego, Matt Scarafoni, and Mason Diego; Thomas Doyle and Julia Ickes.
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Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
