Downtown Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District celebrates country in the city this month at the June 21 3rd.Thursdays. Enjoy great live country, bluegrass and roots music by the Twangbusters,the Berkshire Bluegrass Band, the Spurs, and the Rick Rebel Band plus a tipi and a drum circleand a real cowboy (Steve Robinson of Sunny Banks Ranch in Becket) ready to show you the ropes! And get a taste of the old country with a sneak preview of Barrington Stage’s new production of the award-winning musical Fiddler on the Roof.

The June 21 3rd.Thursdays also features the fourth annual Green Mile road race sponsored by Berkshire Bank and organized by the Berkshire Running Center. This year the race benefits Pittsfield Beautiful, an all volunteer organization responsible for planting and tending almost a hundred annual and perennial flower plantings downtown every year. Race registration forms are available at the Berkshire Running Center at 42 Summer Street in downtown Pittsfield or online at www.berkshirerunningcenter.com.  The preregistration signup fee is $15 and day of registration is $20. The first 200 registrants will receive a high-tech running shirt.

The June 21 3rd.Thursdays also features two stages devoted to youth performers. The Berkshire Rocks stage will be at Sottile Park this month, at the corner of North and Eagle Streets, and the Rock On summer band camp will host performances by students and teachers in front of Spice Dragon.

It all happens in downtown Pittsfield on Thursday, June 21, from 5pm to 8pm. North Street will be closed to motor vehicles from 4:30pm to 8pm from Park Square to Maplewood Street. 3rd.Thursdays is a free family-friendly street festival featuring great local music and performances, shopping and dining, held on the third Thursday from May through October, rain or shine, in downtown Pittsfield, the largest community in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. 3rd.Thursdays is organized by the City of Pittsfield. Major sponsors include Greylock Federal Credit Union, Berkshire Gas, Berkshire Life-a Guardian Company, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Lead downtown partners include Persnickety Toys, the Berkshire Theatre Group, the Beacon Cinema, Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Museum and Spice Dragon, along with dozens of other downtown partners. Participating community vendors include Civitan, the Pittsfield Irish Sister City Committee, St. Joseph’s Church, Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield Prevention Project, Childcare of the Berkshires and many others.

Links to performers:

The Twangbusters: http://www.reverbnation.com/twangbusters

The Spurs: http://spursusa.com/

The Rick Rebel Band: http://www.sonicbids.com/2/EPK/?epk_id=308865

Steve Robinson, Champion Cowboy: http://www.sunnybanksranch.com/

Tipi contact: http://www.healingwinds.net/projects/2012_powow_summer/index.html