DALTON, Mass. — The Dalton Cultural Council will be hosting its first "Dalton Day" event on July 15 to celebrate the town's culture and community.

 

The event will dedicated to the late Donald E. Harris Jr., a longtime member of the council and Dalton Day organizer.

 

Council members on Monday described the area as welcoming, diverse, artistic and sporty. It is a tight-knit community where everyone knows each other, council member Mary Ferrell said.

 

It was only natural to incorporate all these aspects for a daylong celebration, they said. The event runs from 1 until 5 p.m. on the front lawn of the Senior Center, 40 Field St. 

 

The original goal of the event stemmed from the town's desire to increase resident participation at town meetings but it has grown to be much more than that, Select Board member Joseph Diver said. 

 

The initiative not only informs the community of ways to get involved and impact their town but has also turned into a celebration of Dalton, Diver said. 

 

When he first came up with the idea he thought that the best way to get more residents to attend town meetings would be to hold an event around the date of town meeting to inform residents of the committees and volunteer opportunities. 

 

Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson referred this idea to the Cultural Council that has since gone above and beyond the original expectation, Diver said.

 

The council has taken this "simplistic idea" and evolved it into this really great opportunity, he said. 

 

"It's amazing how the community comes together to really celebrate Dalton. It's much bigger event than I even imagined," Diver said. 

 

"I hope everybody enjoys it and I hope it has the positive impact that we're all hoping for — more engagement, more volunteers and then certainly the other outcome of more engagement at town meetings where we're making these big decisions."

 

The Select Board had allocated $50,000 from American Rescue Plan Act funds to be used for health, human and cultural services and activities.

 

The Cultural Council applied for one of these mini- ARPA grants for $6,500 to use for Dalton Day.

 

During the event there will be around five or six town committees with tables to demonstrate the volunteer opportunities available. 

 

In addition, the Senior Centor's lawn will be filled with local vendors, art exhibits, kids' activities, games, and musical performances. 

 

Officials hope that it will inspire more people to become more involved in not only town meetings but in the town as a whole, Diver said. 

 

Attendees should bring a lawn chair or blanket to listen to the day's musical guests include country singer Jack Waldheim, Berkshire County multi-instrumentalist Melissa Brinton, and Great Barrington hard-swinging jazz band The Lucky Five. 

 

Enjoy food from some of Dalton's best restaurants including PortaVia, Shire Donuts, Zinky's Pub, Sweet Peas Ice Cream, Shire Breu Hous and HD Pizza.Craft beers and cocktails will also be available for purchase on site provided by Another Round Bar.

 

The Police Department, Fire Department and Department of Public Works will also be showcasing their vehicles with a touch-a-truck. The Wahconah Regional High School cheerleading team will be doing face painting. The town hopes to make this an annual event. 

 

The council has been organizing this event since January but recently lost Harris, one of their "beloved" members.

 

Harris passed away on June 11 and up until his passing, was a devoted member of the council serving for 20 years, and as chairman for many of them. 

 

"I loved talking to that man. He would always help, always there to assist me whenever I had a question, and went out of his way to help me take on the chairing role for this council. He will be greatly missed," council Chair Alyssa Maschino said. 

 

The council held its first meeting without Harris on Monday. 

 

Prior to his passing, Harris helped work to bring Dalton Day to life because he wanted to share his love of the community and music with residents. 

 

"I feel like in Dalton, it is very sports oriented and I feel like [Harris] went out of his way to try to bring more of the arts aspect a little more around." Maschino said.

 

"We all love the [Wahconah Regional] sports, but I feel like Dan really went out of his way to get the arts moving more in this community."

 

The council dedicated its first Dalton Day event to Harris to honor his many years of volunteerism and impact to his community. He was described as a kind and intelligent man who dedicated his life to improving the accessibility of music in the area. 

 

He was very influential to the community, founding the Substance Free Concert series at Burbank Park and Onota Lake which inspired the Like on the Lake series.

 

His company, Day Mountain Sound, provided sound for many local events including the Berkshire Jazz Festival, Berkshire Pride, the Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield's Third Thursday, and many more. 

 

Prior to founding his sound company, Harris worked as a forester and surveyor and co-founded the popular Berkshire bands Ruby, Suitcase and The Sky Trio.

 

His experience as a musician and being a founder of a sound business gave him a unique perspective of the industry that not many people have, concert sound engineer Bruce Clapper said. 

 

Clapper recollected Harris peacefully sitting in the garden playing his mandolin.

 

Years from now when residents look back on his legacy they will remember him as "the music man," Ferrell said. 

 

"That guy loved music, loved his community. He did a lot for the environment. That's the music man," she said. 

 

Berkshire Humane Society will be at the event to collect donations in Harris's honor. 

 

The Cultural Council is also accepting donations to help fund Dalton Day. To make a donation send a check to the Cultural Council at Town Hall. For more information contact the Town Manager's Office at 413-684-6111, Ext. 202.