The City of Pittsfield will be on the national stage this weekend as Vice President Kamala Harris will make one of the first stops on her presidential campaign at a ticketed fundraiser there.

Harris announced just days ago that she would look to secure her party’s nomination after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

Locals and organizers said a visit to the blue state this close to the election was unprecedented.

When Sherwood Guernsey and a group of supporters started planning a fundraiser for Saturday in Pittsfield—they never imagined it would mark a historic moment.

When Harris announced her candidacy, it changed the significance of the event, he said.

“First of all, we got a large increase in contributions,” Guernsey said.

Eight hundred people are set to attend, with performances by James Taylor, Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax.

The event is sold out, raising $1.5 million by Thursday. It marks one of the first events Harris will attend as a presidential candidate.

“And you know what else is significant for us? She decided to come here and didn’t go to a swing state and say, I’m sorry I can’t come, I’ll send a surrogate to you. That to me, and to a lot of us, was very impressive,” Guernsey said.

It’s also taken on a new significance after former President Donald Trump was shot at a campaign rally less than two weeks ago. The Secret Service is handling Harris’ event security.

“In today’s environment, they have to be really careful with everything. Everything gets vetted everybody gets vetted, and it takes time,” Guernsey said.

The official location has not been announced yet—but outside the Colonial Theater in downtown Pittsfield, locals said they were sure it would be held there.  

Artists from the Guild of Berkshire Artists were asked to take their art home from the theater’s lobby ahead of the event. Artist Kinney Frelinghuysen guessed the removal was for security reasons.

“I think everyone’s super excited, because one of the headlines was it was up in the air whether she would come, because she’s got a huge agenda now,” he said. “This is making a point of showing her concern for the small communities. Not only Massachusetts, but New England.”

“I only wish they weren’t all sold out, because I would love to come too,” said artist Karen Carmean.