BerkshiresCalendar .com YOUR LINK TO THE SEASON’S OFFERINGS | SPR-SUM 2019
What’s Happening
NOW
Concerts & Festivals Theater Dance Museums Family Fun Nature Walks Farmers Markets and much more n
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PLUS Where to Wed Day Trip: Woodstock, NY Vintage Fashion
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SPRING 2019
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6 Hillsdale, N.Y.
FEATURES & DEPARTMENTS
8 Sheffield
32 Vintage
TOWNS
9 Salisbury, Conn. 12 Great Barrington 18 Stockbridge 20 West Stockbridge 22 Lee 24 Lenox 26 Pittsfield 28 North Adams 29 Williamstown
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36 Music 41 Dance 44 Theater & Performance 48 Visual Arts 54 Family Fun 56 Weddings: Destination Berkshires 69 Farmers Markets 71 Day Trips: Woodstock, New York
56 ON THE COVER Our new annual Berkshires wedding feature Photograph | Jocelyn Vassos BerkshiresCalendar.com
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Welcome to our second year . . . The Berkshire Edge welcomes you to a second year of our print magazine, BerkshiresCalendar.com. In 2019, we’ll publish three issues over nine months, with new magazines coming out on May 1, August 1, and November 1. Each one is designed to keep the Berkshires alive and accessible for you in the three busiest seasons of the year.
BerkshiresCalendar .com YOUR LINK TO THE SEASONS’ OFFERINGS
Vol. 2. No. 1 PUBLISHER
Marcie L. Setlow VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The magazine you are holding is the print companion to our extraordinary online
James E. (Jim) Gibbons
calendar, which you can visit at www.berkshirescalendar.com (hence the maga-
ART DIRECTOR
zine’s name) and where you will find the most complete, varied and wide-ranging
Leslie M. Noyes
event listings available anywhere in the Berkshires and environs, from high culture to community dinners, all online, updated daily and easy to use. Our listings are complete because we invite the public to post their own events for free . . .
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR
Debra Atkins Manos
and they do.
WRITER
Our online calendar puts amazing search features at your fingertips. Search by
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Phil Holland
date, category, venue, name of group or town, and all the events will be sorted and arranged for you. Find in-depth information, including dates and prices, for every event or venue, and click through to the box office to buy tickets or make reservations. Each listing also has a map to help get you there. And while you’re at the calendar, check out the rest of The Berkshire Edge (www.theberkshireedge.com.) Five years old now, we are the fastest growing news publication in the Berkshires — a complete newspaper, online-only and updated daily, where you can get the latest news, opinions, reviews, real estate information, births and obituaries, and insights into life in the Berkshires. Plus poems, essays, cartoons, serialized novels and lots of other surprises. We figure the more you know about what’s happening in the Berkshires, the more you’ll enjoy yourself. So enjoy! Best regards,
Michael Richman ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Rose A. Baumann
A publication of
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
David Scribner MANAGING EDITOR
Terry Cowgill ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR
Emily Edelman ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS
Nicole Robbins Kathrine Mason
Marcie L. Setlow, Publisher The Berkshire Edge, LLC P.O. Box 117, Great Barrington, MA 01230 info@theberkshireedge.com www.theberkshireedge.com Contents Copyright © 2019 The Berkshire Edge, LLC; theberkshireedge.com and BerkshiresCalendar.com No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the publisher.
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Contributors Spotlight: WE COULDN’T HAVE PRODUCED our Weddings feature without the generous help of some great Berkshires photographers. Meet them below. CHRISTOPERH DUGGAN
CREDITS FOR EVENTS P 35: Top: Renée
Based in New York City and the Berkshires (where he photographs for Jacob’s Pillow), Christopher has shot many beautiful weddings. “I’ve developed a sense of when to step in and make things happen and when to step back and allow things to happen.” More at: christopherduggan.com
Fleming: photo Andrew Eccles; Barrington Stage Company’s West Side Story (2018), photo Daniel Rader; Nicole Ward Ballet BC, photo Michael Slobodian; Soul Science Lab: photo Kamau Ware; Bouguereau’s “Nymphs and Satyr”, courtesy Clark Art Institute. P 36: Meow Meow, ©HarmonyNicholas; Anne-Sophie Mutter, ©Bastian Achard (2015). P 37: Brian Wilson at Tanglewood (2016), photo Hilary Scott; Keith Lockhart with Boston Pops, Winslow Townson. P 38: MASS MoCA Fresh Grass Festival, Kaelan Burkett; Les Nubians, ©Les Nubians. P 39: Buddy Guy, ©Paradigm Agency; Close Encounters, Arthur Dominguez; Young Arlo Guthrie, Woodstock Festival (1969). P 40: Fisher Center at Bard, Peter Aaron. P 41: Momix Opus Cactus, Charles Azzopardi. P 42: Dancers Rehearsal, David Edgecomb; Paul Taylor Dance Company, Paul B. Goodie; A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Tatiana Wills. P 43: New York City Ballet, ©NYC Ballet; Circa, Andy Phillipson. P 44: Taming of the Shrew & Twelfth Night, ©Shakespeare & Company; Wednesday’s Child, ©Berkshire Playwrights-Lab. P45: Twelfth Night, ©Shakespeare & Company; posters courtesy of Williamstown Theatre Festival. P46: Barrington Stage Company’s West Side Story (2018), Daniel Rader; show images courtesy of Barrington Stage Company; posters courtesy of Berkshire Theatre Group. P 47: The Wedding Singer, ©Mac-Haydn Theatre; PS21’s Open Air Pavilion Theater, ©PS21; Judevine, ©Bennington’s Oldcastle Theatre Company. P 48: Clark Art Institute American Art Gallery, Jeff Goldberg, P 49: Renoir Boy with a Cat, courtesy Clark Art Institute; Lincoln Memorial at Chesterwood, Paul Rocheleau; Lincoln bust at Williams College Museum of Art, Richard Miller; Ida Okeeffe’s Creation, courtesy Gerald Peters Gallery. P 50: The Sol Lewitt Galleries/Mass MoCA, courtesy Mass MoCA; Dawn DeDeaux’s Thumbs Up for the Mothership, Jim Gibbons. P 51: Clockwise from left: Rube Goldberg’s The Simple Mosquito Exterminator; Woodstock festival poster; Norman Rockwell’s Portrait of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper (1969); Norman Rockwell’s Christmas Homecoming (1969), ©Norman Rockwell Museum. P 52: Clockwise from top: Glass Art, courtesy Schantz Gallery; Great Barrington gallery event, courtesy Lauren Clark Fine Art; gallery exhibit, courtesy Lauren Clark Fine Art; Frelinghuysen-Morris House and Studio, courtesy photo. P 53: Carol Ann Morley’s Rosa Rugosa, courtesy The Berkshire Botanical Garden; Fusiform Gyrus by Vincent Hawley at Sculpture Now at the Mount (2018), photo Sarah Kenyon. P 54: Bash Bish Falls, Jim Gibbons; Berkshire Scenic Railway, courtesy photo. P 55: MASS MoCA’s Kidspace, courtesy photo; Pittsfield Suns, courtesy photo; Acrobats of Cirque-tacular at Mahaiwe, courtesy photo.
MARIA GHI Based in Canaan, Conn., Maria has been taking photographs since she was a teenager. Among her favorite subjects: the beauty of animals, architecture, and the quirky details often found when traveling. More at vizionsbymariaghi.com
ERIC LiMÓN Great Barrington-based Eric has been shooting weddings in the Berkshires (and beyond) for 15 years. His credo: “I’m always there, always aware, always shooting. I believe the best images come from natural, unscripted, uninterrupted moments that are honest and real.” More at: maweddingphotographers.com
GREG NESBIT & DAWN McCORMICK Greg and Dawn are a brother/sister-in-law team of professional photographers whose company name, Mountain Bay Photography, is a nod to where each is based: Greg in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Dawn by Manhasset Bay on Long Island. They’ve shot many Berkshire weddings together. More at: mountainbayphotography.com
JOCELYN VASSOS Jocelyn grew up in the Berkshires, moved away, and came back for love. Does that give her a feel for photographing weddings? It definitely does! She works out of Becket. More at: dearedithandlily.com
DAVID EDGECOMB David is a photographer and IT professional who lives in beautiful Becket. He is the founder and facilitator of Berkshire Photo Gathering, a group of photographers that meets monthly at the Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington to network, share knowledge, and support one another. The Group welcomes new members. More at: berkshirephotogathering.com.
GABRIELLE K. MURPHY Gabrielle is a Berkshires-based photographer. While she enjoys shooting a wide variety of subjects, she is especially drawn to capturing the beauty of the natural world. She’s a member of Berkshire Photo Gathering.
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hillsdale, new york
where New York meets the Berkshires
From left, Hillsdale General Store, Passiflora, HGS Chef
Route 23 from the Taconic through Hillsdale
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FIND HILLSDALE EVENTS online at berkshirescalendar.com more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
Photography: Phil Holland
towards Great Barrington is a well-worn path for many visitors to the Berkshires. Nowadays, though, the traffic goes both ways, as Hillsdale has become a destination that Berkshire residents and visitors are increasingly drawn to. Just when Hillsdale tipped towards being trendy could be debated, but it has definitely happened: the formerly sleepy farming town is now a second-home magnet with a vibrant artistic and commercial culture in which part-timers are as invested as year-rounders. Passiflora hung out a lonely shingle in 2009, billing itself as “an eclectic mix of all things contemporary, quirky, and chic” (primarily housewares and personal care products, with an emphasis on local artisans); ten years later, it’s still going strong. The Federal designation of the Hillsdale Hamlet Historic District in 2010 certainly advanced the cause. In 2011 interior designer Matthew White renovated a 1855 commercial structure on the village square into what is now the stylish Hillsdale General Store; the building also houses the CrossRoads Food Shop, a farm-to-table restaurant. White then went a step further, opening HGS Chef, which sells cookware and offers on-site cooking classes with top chefs, in another made-over building across the street. White characterizes Hillsdale as “low key but world class” and credits the local community for inspiring and supporting his efforts. If you’re looking for traditional American food and drink and perhaps a game of pool, the 1881 Mt. Washington House is also in the neighborhood. In addition to its tavern with antique pressed-tin walls and ceilings and the original mahogany bar, the Mt. Washington fits three pool tables under its roof and presents live music on weekends. The Casana T House is closed for the present, but the Hillsdale House, right in the center of things, has reopened after a makeover; expect great pizza. Meanwhile, the owners of Passiflora have turned a former tattoo parlor into the Village Scoop, which serves non-alcoholic cocktails as well as exceptional artisanal ice cream. Not all the action is in the village. The Swiss Hutte Inn & Restaurant, just east of downtown on Route 23, is a popular spot for lunch and dinner. Zurich native Chef Gert Alper presides over
a marriage of European cuisine with locally sourced ingredients. Head south on 22 and you’ll soon see O’s Hillsdale Country Diner; the O is for Otto and the fare is “fine diner dining.” For DIY food, Hillsdale also has the Hillsdale Supermarket (“home of the one dollar sale”), a classic full-service IGA right near the village square. It’s locally owned and has an excellent meat department. If you’re coming to the Berkshires for the weekend, the IGA is a great place to stock your larder for less. Random Harvest is a worker-owned neighborhood market, café and community space that offers food and goods sourced directly from more than seventy local producers just east of Craryville on Route 23, very handy if you’re coming in from the Taconic. Besides retro housewares, Hillsdale is a spot for vintage and resale clothing too. Mirror Mirror, located on Route 23 between the Route 22 junction and the town center, has both. On July 14 the store will be putting on a special sale, complete with models, at the Hillsdale Fire Company; the proceeds will go to the Backpack Program and other local charities. The supply of older houses around Hillsdale for use as second homes has been depleted. Newer weekend houses on the back roads tend to be architecturally bold interpretations of country house design with energy-saving features that make them feasible for year-round use. Of course, you don’t have to own a home to spend a weekend. The hosts of the Green River Inn, Silvanus Lodge, and Honored Guest B&B will be happy accommodate you. Hillsdale still has plenty of dairy farms and cornfields. The Farmers Market merged with neighboring Copake’s market several years ago and attracts hundreds of shoppers to an opensided barn every Saturday. And the farming scene itself is changing. Witness Tiny Hearts Farm, which grows flowers organically on 15 acres in Copake and has a showroom and shop in Hillsdale’s business district.
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sheffield
a quiet town, with ukeleles The town of Sheffield
Clockwise from top: Dewey Memorial Hall, Stagecoach Tavern, Berkshire Distillery.
lies just north of the Connecticut border in the Housatonic River valley, with gentle mountains on both sides. It’s only 100 miles from New York’s Central Park as the crow flies, or two and a half hours by car, and it’s where the Berkshires begins. After almost 300 years, it’s still a rural town with a comfortable pace of life. Second homes both new and old mix in nicely with working farms; produce from the latter goes on sale at the weekly Farmers Market. Part of the town lies along Route 7, and the charming village of Ashley Falls is just a few miles to the southwest. The Colonel John Ashley House there, where the enslaved Mum Bett (later Elizabeth Freeman) lived before suing for and winning her freedom in 1781, is a stop on the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail. Sheffield is also home to visitor-friendly Big Elm Brewing and the Berkshire Distillery (both offer tours and tastings), a prominent clay works, and a surprising number and variety of antiques dealers. There’s always something going on at Dewey Memorial Hall, an impressive fieldstone and marble structure on the Sheffield green. The Stagecoach Tavern, as its name implies, got its start in an earlier age; now it’s a place to go not only for food and drink but jazz and events. And if you like your music with strings attached, you might also like to visit the Magic Fluke, where they make ukeleles, banjos, violins, and more. And yet, Sheffield is a quiet town. . .
Photography: Dewey Hall by David Scribner; Bottles by David Edgecomb;
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salisbury, connecticut
the quiet corner, with bears
If you don’t live in Salisbury
Photography: General Store /Coffee Shop: Phil Holland
or own a second home there, you can be forgiven if you wish you did. Tucked into the northwesternmost corner of Connecticut, it’s where Litchfield County meets the Berkshires. It’s elegant and well-kept and home to two prep schools, but also wild and mountainous: black bear habitat. Salisbury has a small-town feel, with full-time and part-time residents whose lives often take them into Manhattan, just a little over two hours by car and also reachable by rail from Wassaic, only fifteen minutes away. Who wouldn’t feel a little tug at a little place with a “For Sale” sign on the lawn? Salisbury is a welcoming town, whether you own real estate there or not. It thrives on the mixture of people it attracts, from celebrities (Meryl Streep has lived there for years) to race-car drivers and their fans drawn by Lime Rock Park. You might see — or be among — the affluent weekenders having a midday bite at the Country Bistro on Academy Street — or one of the shaggy, hungry Appalachian Trail hikers descending the half-mile from the Trail into town to pick up groceries at LaBonne’s Market. Begin with a walk down Main Street and follow your nose to Sweet William’s Bakery, famous for pies, cookies and (in season) its gingerbread men. Right across the street is the General Store, which also doubles as the town’s pharmacy. Around the corner is browser-friendly Johnnycake Books, specializing in rare and collectible volumes. Go a little further and you’ll soon be on the Railroad Ramble, Salisbury’s scenic Rail Trail. Outdoor activities draw many people to the area. Don’t let the AT hikers have all the fun. If you can hike half a mile – uphill, that
From top: The postcard-perfect General Store, the Salisbury Town Grove, Sweet William’s Bakery.
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is (the hike is listed as ”moderate to strenuous”) — pluck up your courage and try the trail to Lion’s Head for spectacular views over the surrounding countryside. The trailhead is only a mile out of town on Bunker Hill Road (there’s a parking lot marked “Hiker Parking” where the road comes to an end); the road begins at the Salisbury Town Hall in the center of town. There are six lakes, with names like Wononscopomuc, Washinee, Washining, and Wononpakook (brush up on your Algonquian before you visit). Deep, beautiful 348-acre Wononscopomuc (also known as Lakeville Lake, in very plain English) is the site of the well-run public beach, known as the Salisbury Town Grove. There’s a $10-perhead fee for non-residents. Boat launching (at an additional $10) and various watercraft rentals are also available. The fishing is excellent, and Connecticut licenses are available at the Grove. If hooking a bass from a boat is too peaceful a sport for you, head to Lime Rock Park (top right). Lime Rock is one of Salisbury’s “hamlets,” but don’t look for thatched cottages. Since 1956 the 1.5 mile track at Lime Rock Park has been a mainstay on the American racing circuit, and it’s also where amateur drivers can drive and dream and (if they qualify) compete. They’ll be doing just that at the SCAA New England Regional races at the Park June 14 and 15. The Memorial Day Classic (May 24-27) is also a big event, with both Trans Am Series (think Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, and Corvettes) and vintage racing cars competing; spectators have
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At Lime Rock Park: “Gentlemen…” a variety of paying options, and veterans and active military and their immediate families get in free. But perhaps you took the advice of The New York Times and travelled to Salisbury simply to dine at the White Hart Inn on dishes prepared by celebrated British chef Annie Wayte. The Inn houses Provisions, a stylish café and sandwich spot, the casual Tap Room, open for dinner and serving what the restaurant characterizes as “elevated British-inspired comfort food,” and the elegant Dining Room, with offerings that highlight seasonal ingredients sourced from nearby farms. The food is both exotic and local – a good reflection of the town itself.
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great barrington In 2012 Smithsonian Magazine
named it “Best Small Town in America,” and it just keeps getting better. Great Barrington is home to 7,100 people and is the southern Berkshires’ business and cultural hub. Visitors come for the fun shopping, superb restaurants, world-class entertainment and year-round outdoor recreation. Great Barrington was founded in 1766, and its historic districts and quaint residential neighborhoods are within walking distance of open spaces. The nearby village of Housatonic features renovated mill buildings, dance studios and art galleries. Great Barrington is also home to Bard College at Simon’s Rock, a 4-year liberal arts “early college,” and a campus of Berkshire Community College.
best small town in America This is the birthplace of civil rights leader W.E.B. DuBois, and his childhood home is open to visitors. The historic Mahaiwe Center for the Performing Arts anchors the cultural life of Great Barrington, with a full schedule of music, theater, films and other performing arts events. New on the scene is church-turnedperformance-space Saint James Place, where something is always happening. Enjoy intimate folk concerts at the Guthrie Center on Division Street; Arlo himself lives not far away. Catch the latest movies at the Triplex Cinema downtown, where three screens have now grown into four. Great Barrington is home to the local farm-to-table movement, and wonderful restaurants are scattered throughout town, including Baba Louie’s (soon to move around the corner
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W. E. DuBois mural by David Edgecomb; Main St. by Judy Weaver
Clockwise from top: A mural depicting native son W.E.B. DuBois; Railroad Street shops; David Grover performs every Saturday during July and August at 10am behind the Town Hall; Saint James Place; the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
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Clockwise from top: A concert in the park, carshow cars, Yellow House Books. onto Railroad St.), the Prairie Whale, Number Ten on Castle Street, the solar-powered Barrington Brewery and Restaurant, and the charming “roadside eatery” that is the Bistro Box. Meet up with friends for coffee or tea and a bite at Fuel, Botanica, Rubi’s, or the Lenox Patisserie. If you’re cooking for yourself, mingle with farmers (and neighbors) and stock up on fresh produce at the Farmers Market every Saturday on Church Street. And don’t leave town without a lick of local ice cream at SoCo Creamery. As for shopping, cruise Main and Railroad Streets for charming owner-run shops, such as Griffin or Lennox Jewelers, featuring offbeat and one-of-a-kind treasures. Original art can be found at the Lauren Clark and Vault galleries. For the work of local artisans, visit One Mercantile or Hey Day. Buy books (new and old) at the Bookloft or at Yellow House Books. The Berkshire Arts Festival brings 175 crafters and artisans to town July 5-7. Ready for some exercise? Hike up Monument Mountain and follow in the footsteps of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville; they met on an excursion to the top with some literary friends in 1850. Take the Housatonic River Walk, a national recreation trail and a birding hotspot, or stroll around the lake at the Beartown State Forest. Hike, canoe, or kayak at idyllic Lake
Concert in the park by David Edgecomb; Candy store/Car show by Maria Ghi
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Clockwise from top: The Daniel Performing and Visual Arts Center at Simon’s Rock College, Lake Mansfield, the new cannabis store north of town on Route 7 (expect lines).
Mansfield, work out at the gyms at Bard College at Simon’s Rock or the Berkshire South Regional Community Center, or take dance classes at Berkshire Pulse in the village of Housatonic. You’ll be feeling healthy, fit, and happy before you know it. Of course, if you should sprain an ankle, or have a more serious medical emergency during your stay, Great Barrington’s awardwinning Fairview Hospital and its efficient ER are there to help.
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DESIGN + ARCHITECTU UR RE E
REDHOUSEDESIGN N .. C CO OM M
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Lake Mansfield by Evan Danan
674 S O UT H E G R E M O N T R RO OA AD D || G GR R EE A A TT B B AA R R RR IIN NG GTTO ON N, , M MAA
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stockbridge
Norman Rockwell was – and still is – here
If you can resist just sitting there on the
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Lincoln Memorial and the Concord Minute Man; many of French’s own studies for sculptures are on view. Stockbridge is also home to some exceptional nature trails just south of town. Park at the end of Park Street, take the footbridge across the Housatonic, and take your choice of trails: a paved, handicapped-accessible trail that runs beside the river; a trail that leads up to Laura’s Tower, with a three-state view; and – not to be missed on a hot day — the trail into Ice Glen, with glacial boulders and caves of ice that last even into July. If you prefer strolling to hiking, head to the 15-acre Berkshire Botanical Garden just west of town. In the evening, if you can resist remaining in the Lion’s Den (all roads lead to — and from — the Inn), the Berkshire Theater Festival beckons with two Stockbridge stages, the iconic 314-seat Fitzpatrick Main Stage and the smaller 122-seat Unicorn Theatre, both just east of downtown. This is the BTF’s 91st season: the Festival has legs.
The grounds at Naumkeag are as much of a draw as the Stanford White-designed “cottage.” more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
Red Lion Inn by ????; Naumkeg by Gabrielle K. Murphy
famous front porch of The Red Lion Inn (above left), the selfguided walking tour of the town is highly recommended (the Chamber of Commerce’s helpful website will guide you). You won’t be able actually to step into the setting for Norman Rockwell’s “The Marriage License,” but you’ll pass right by the 1884 House that provided it. Nor will you be able to get anything you want at the original Alice’s Restaurant, but the song — or at least the refrain — is likely to come back to you as you pass by that site too — it’s just off Main Street. If other places look familiar, blame Rockwell, who spent the last 25 years of his life in Stockbridge, living and working right in the heart of town. He created some of his most visionary and socially engaged work here, without losing the touch that had already made him the beloved painter of small-town American life. At his death, he bequeathed his studio, archive, and many paintings to establish a museum of his work, now the Norman Rockwell Museum on 36 green acres outside the town center. His studio itself was moved to the grounds of the Museum and provides a fascinating glimpse into his creative process (it’s open to visitors from late April into November — the Museum itself is open year round). The “Four Freedoms” are spending the summer in France, but a special exhibit on the relation of Rockwell’s paintings to “his own interests, anxieties, and real-life experiences” opening on June 8 makes up for their temporary absence. Some drive, some walk, some cycle: most of Stockbridge’s attractions are within easy reach. Naumkeag, designed by Stanford White, is a 44-room Berkshire cottage fantasy. The gardens are fabulous in all seasons, but if you arrive by May 12 you’ll be able to catch the 60,000-bulb display of their first Daffodil Festival. Chesterwood, too, has beautiful gardens and was the summer home and studio of Daniel Chester French, sculptor of the
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west stockbridge
it’s happening
If West Stockbridge
From top: Turner Park Art Space, Fourth of July celebration, the Williams River.
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Clockwise from top; David Edgecomb, Lear Levin, David Edgecomb, Joe Roy
isn’t on your radar, maybe it’s time you pointed your radar in its direction. The town of 1,650 lies between Stockbridge and the New York border, only 40 minutes from Albany but a world away, with hills, ponds, and streams beckoning the city dweller with visions of the countryside. Don’t let the dreaminess deceive you, though, because West Stockbridge is hopping. The opening of No. Six Depot in the old railway station started it all. No. Six is a small-batch coffee roastery, café, art gallery and event space that serves as a gathering place for both locals and visitors; the sandwiches are delicious, and their coffees show up on menus throughout the Berkshires. The lively downtown area is now home to stylish restaurants, including Rouge, one of the best in the region, and one-ofa-kind shops, too. One-of-a-kind, as in Charles H. Baldwin & Sons, which has been preparing extracts for cooks for 125 years; boomers will think they’ve gone back in time, too, amidst the retro novelties and candies. Not far away, Truc Orient Express offers authentic Vietnamese food in their eatery, as well as Vietnamese crafts such as pottery, silk scarves and jackets, and lacquer work. An exceptional bookstore awaits browsers, too: Shaker Mill Books on Depot St. has a large but choice selection of rare, used, and out-of-print books, including a great collection of books about the Berkshires. Just a short walk away from the town center is the 16-acre Turn Park Art Space — and it comes with a story. In 2016 a young, Russian, art-collecting couple appeared out of nowhere and bought 14 acres that included an old lime and marble quarry on (of all places) Moscow Road. They’d been looking for a place to house their sculpture collection and hoped to establish an art park. Turn Park Art Space now combines a sculpture park, exhibition venues, and a beautiful marble amphitheatre for outdoor performances. It’s a fun place for adults and children alike, with a trail that runs along the river and next to striking sculptures from the Soviet Nonconformist Art Movement of the 1950s – 1980s. The Stanmeyer Gallery and Shaker Dam Coffeehouse are located under one charming roof at the north end of town. The walls are hung with stunning images by National Geographic photographer John Stanmeyer, the coffee is excellent, and there’s a great selection of coffee-table books to browse on. The ongoing Old Town Hall restoration project is another sign of the town’s new vitality. And if you can’t forget that you came for nature as well as culture, or simply want to relax, just join the canoeists, anglers, or strollers along the gently flowing Williams River as it winds through this unusually attractive town.
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lee
eat, shop, learn
Left to right: Main Street; the Good Purpose Gallery is an art gallery/restaurant and music venue; taking a break on Basin Pond Trail.
“ What I love about Lee is that it’s very
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Rivers Fly Fishing can help. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
Clockwise from top; Massachusetts Office of Tourism; David Edgecomb; Gabrielle K. Murphy
low key,” says a visitor who knows the Berkshires, “and it’s so pretty, too.” Lee may be unpretentious, but that makes its charm and eye-appeal only more alluring. Even the steeple on the First Congregational Church, the tallest wooden spire in New England, soars discreetly above the town. But make no mistake: Lee will welcome you warmly and keep you quite busy. For one thing, Lee hosts an astonishing range of restaurants, from those serving sophisticated farmto-table fare such as Starving Artist Café and Chez Nous, to Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese, Peruvian, Italian, French, and Indian establishments, as well as humbler eateries where you can get a hot dog on the go, pick up a pizza (try Timothy’s), or join the locally sourced customers for a plate of corned beef hash at Joe’s Diner. Each Lee restaurant is an experience unto itself: you may be dining in a former blacksmith shop or a faithfully restored railroad depot, a one-time stage coach inn, or even a long-ago post office from the era when Norman Rockwell used to drop into Joe’s for a bite (and to find a model). The eclectic collection of shops downtown is complemented by the more than sixty stores at Premium Outlets, with namebrand merchandise at discount prices, just one mile east of town via US Route 20. The Outlets is the most popular attraction in Berkshire County, with about two million annual visitors, some of whom then head into Lee and environs to find things that
can’t be found anywhere else. Several places just outside of town are worth a visit, too. The Retro Pop Shop on Route 20 heading toward Lenox is full of fascinating memorabilia neatly displayed, and the scoop shop next door has home-made ice-cream that will transport you into the past; Pierre runs the former, his wife Paula the latter shop. While not as eminent in the arts as its Berkshire neighbors, Lee has its own distinction. From a renovated former five-anddime on Main Street, the College Internship Program (CIP) offers a year-long curriculum focusing on creative and educational development in the visual and performing arts for young adults with Asperger’s, autism, ADHD, and other learning differences. The Spectrum Playhouse in a converted church and the Good Purpose Gallery on Main help integrate these individuals into the community and enrich their lives through creative work in fields where they often display special abilities. Lee will appeal to nature lovers too. October Mountain State Forest, the largest in Massachusetts, is just north of town. It offers camping, hiking, picnicking, and non-motorized boating. There’s also the Goose Pond Reservation in a dreamy setting south of Lee. The Appalachian Trail crosses adjacent National Park Service land, and Goose Pond itself, a mountain lake with exceptionally clear water, is ideal for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. And if you’d like to try fishing, or simply floating, on the region’s rivers, Berkshire
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lenox
tanglewood & company
Clockwise from top: Tanglewood, the Lenox Public Library, July 4th Parade, The Bookstore, on Burbank Trail.
Lenox has been a popular retreat
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First-class professional theater is a mainstay of the Lenox cultural scene. The season of plays at Shakespeare & Company is always a treat. Kenneth Lonergan’s The Waverly Gallery, followed by two comedies from the Bard — Twelfth Night and what will surely be a #Me-Too-era take on The Taming of the Shrew are on the program; women are at the heart of all three plays. Explore Church Street and its little side streets and you’ll find Lenox is alive with fine shops and restaurants — some of the best in the Berkshires. One treat for the palate is right on Route 7: divine chocolates, velvety mousse, and great coffee and cocoa await you at Josh Needleman’s Chocolate Springs Café, recognized by Saveur magazine as one of the top 10 chocolate makers in the United States. Lenox is home to many fine and unusual galleries for browsing and gift-giving. Lenox Print & Mercantile on Housatonic Street offers vintage treasures as well as crafts by over 60 local artisans. The Bookstore & Get Lit Wine Bar brings the town together for regular readings, good conversation — and wine; out-of-towners definitely welcome. Lastly, don’t miss the 2019 Lenox Sculpture Walk. Every summer, contemporary sculptures in a variety of media adorn the town’s historic district and raise a smile, an eyebrow — and awareness of the power of public art.
more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
Top row: David Edgecomb; Bottom row left and center: David Edgecomb; right: Janet Pumphtry
since the 19th century, when wealthy New Yorkers built some 75 so-called “cottages” there and in nearby Stockbridge. Many still remain and are open to the public. Ventfort Hall, built for J.P. Morgan’s sister in 1893, even has a museum dedicated to the Gilded Age in one of its 50 rooms. The Hall’s Summer Tea & Talk series includes offerings like “The Revolution in Victorian Letter Writing.” The Mount was not only the summer home of novelist Edith Wharton; she designed the house and gardens herself, and you can be her guest and feel her presence. Canyon Ranch Spa occupies another “cottage,” as do the luxurious hotel/restaurant/ spa/condo complexes at Blantyre and Cranwell; the latter emerges June 1 from a major renovation. The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health occupies a former Jesuit seminary and offers classes and stays that focus on yoga, creative expression, wellness and self-discovery. The Tanglewood Music Center, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is the jewel in the Lenox crown — the place for premier classical music performances as well as concerts by big names in rock, folk, and pop. The setting is as spectacular as the music, and a picnic on the lawn at Tanglewood is a tradition for many visitors. This summer, Tanglewood features special programming in memory of Andre Previn as well as the debut of the TLI – Tanglewood Learning Institute.
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pittsfield
the city at the center
Caption
Clockwise from top: The Civil War Monument, July 4th parade, Jacob’s Pillow at 3rd Thursday; Rachael Plaine’s Zumba in the park.
A city of 45,000, Pittsfield is the geographic and
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Thomas Colt House, is another beehive of culture: it presents art shows, intimate theater and music performances, and special events. The vibrant Pittsfield visual arts scene features public art, galleries, studios, and cooperatives, and the First Fridays Artswalk (on the first Friday of the month). Cultural festivals include 3rd Thursdays, the WordXWord Festival, and the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival. The Berkshire Museum — the legal dispute around the sale of artworks (including Rockwells) has been resolved, and the Museum is going ahead with plans to enhance its science and natural history offerings on a sounder financial foundation. The natural history displays in “Berkshire Backyard,” the aquarium, the dioramas, and interactive exhibits of technologies developed in the Berkshires make it a great place to take children to discover worlds beyond their screens. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
Fourth of July Parade: Janet Pumphtry
commercial center of the Berkshires, with a proud history of manufacturing — and the contemporary challenges and opportunities that the decline of that sector has brought. In 2010 the Financial Times proclaimed the city the “Brooklyn of the Berkshires,” and while that phrase is passé, the city’s transformation into a cultural hub continues. Pittsfield’s downtown is now its Upstreet Cultural District, anchored by the beautifully restored 1903 Colonial Theatre, part of Berkshire Theatre Group, and the innovative Barrington Stage Company, which now attracts almost 60,000 patrons per year to its four downtown venues and has become the incubator of shows that regularly go on to stages in Boston and New York. The Whitney Center for the Arts, established by Pittsfield native Lisa Whitney in 2012 and located in the creatively repurposed 1865
The Popcorn Wagon comes out for special occasions.
Let Whitman keep Brooklyn; Herman Melville had Pittsfield. The native New Yorker bought a 1785 farmhouse in 1850 and settled in for some serious writing – and an intense affair with the mistress of the neighboring manor. He named his new digs Arrowhead after the many Indian ‘points’ that turned up in his fields, and it’s now a museum run by the Berkshire Historical Society dedicated to his 13 years’ residence under its roof. Visitors can see the room where Melville wrote Moby Dick, with its view north to Mount Greylock, whose profile is said to have evoked for the author the whale that obsessed Captain Ahab. He built a porch on the north side, too, and called it a piazza; you too can sit there and dream. The house is open every day. Pittsfield isn’t all urban: the 11,000-acre Pittsfield State Forest offers fall camping and hiking, and the Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, Lake Onata, and the Bosquet Mountain Adventure Park also provide fun outdoor experiences. You’ll have to eat and you’ll have to stay: you can do both at the stylish 45-room Hotel on North, another repurposed downtown building that successfully blends new and old. There are 50 other restaurants, cafés (meet a friend at Dottie’s), and wine bars to choose from, too. If it’s more wine you’re after and you can forsake downtown, try Balderdash Cellars, which turns California grapes into “wicked” New England wines. For an entirely different vibe or family visit, 750-acre Hancock Shaker Village beckons from outside of town on Route 20. The Shakers created a utopian religious community here in 1783 around the ideas of pacifism, celibacy, and communal living. No Shakers remain, but their way of life forms the basis for a living history museum with 20 authentic Shaker buildings, costumed interpreters, rich collections of Shaker furniture and artifacts, a full schedule of activities and workshops, a mile-long hiking trail and picnic areas, a store and cafe, and a working farm with extensive gardens and heritage-breed livestock, including goats to do yoga with.
FIND WEST PITTSFIELD EVENTS and beyond—online at
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north adams
if you build it...
Clockwise from left: MASS MoCA — interior and exterior veiws, Eagle Street Beach Party.
It began with manufacturing,
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Paris has Paris-Plage along the Seine; North Adams has the Eagle Street Beach Party, with help from 250 tons of sand spread from curb to curb on Saturday, July 13. The town (technically a city, the smallest in Massachusetts), now has a vibrant Cultural District and a Downstreet Arts Initiative. The creative economy has spread to other former factory facilities as well, now home to artisans and specialized producers of everything from food to beer. If downtown gets too trendy for you, nature beckons on all sides with hiking trails, picnic spots, and recreational opportunities. Take in the free concerts on nearby Windsor Lake. And don’t miss the weekly Farmers Market — it’s one of the biggest in the Berkshires. Looking for a novel place to stay? Consider The Porches, which bills itself as (brace yourself) “an intimate 47-room boutique property whose retro-edgy backdrop and industrial granny chic décor combine to create a strikingly colorful style all its own;” it’s right opposite MASS MoCA. TOURISTS, located down by the riverside where an old motel once stood, opened last year and brings you close to nature. And to eat, try PUBLIC for original, farm-fresh take-offs on American classics and a wide selection of craft beers (no reservation required, except for large groups); Gramercy Bistro (“eclectic modern fare”); or the Hub on Main Street (“comfort food in a retro-accented diner”), all within walking distance of MASS MoCA. If you prefer food for the mind, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is not far, and it too has caught the art bug with its innovative undergraduate art programs and MCLA Gallery 51.
more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
Left: Gabrielle K. Murphy; top right: Shutterstock
thanks to power generated by the Hoosic River flowing right through the center of town. Shoes, bricks, hats, cloth, marble, and the iron plates that sheathed the Monitor in the Civil War poured forth from North Adams’s busy factories. When the Depression shut many of those factories down, the Sprague Electric Company arrived to save the day. Sprague’s development and manufacture of components for early NASA launch systems and the consumer electronics industry provided employment for more than 4,000 workers in the post-war period, until foreign competition in the 1980s led to the closing of the firm and a sharp decline in the town’s economic fortunes. Many former New England mill towns have never recovered from such setbacks. For North Adams, recovery came from a surprising source: contemporary art. Sprague Electric’s beautiful and extensive brick buildings, dating from the 19th century, lay idle. Thomas Krens, then Director of the Williams College Museum of Art, saw an opportunity. The result was the creation of MASS MoCA, the largest museum of contemporary art and performance in America, which opened in 1999 and has been growing in space and scope ever since. It hosts both temporary and permanent exhibits, spaces for artists in diverse media to create large-scale works, and events like the annual Solid Sound Festival June 28-30. They built it, and people came, about 160,000 a year at last count. The town began to thrive once again. Galleries, restaurants, and shops sprang up to cater to visitors. The ongoing River Revival project reimagined the Hoosic as a community resource.
williamstown
a college town and then some
Williamstown, nestled in Massachusetts’ northwest corner, was one of America’s first college towns; the town and the college both date to 1791. Williams College, consistently ranked at or near the top of America’s liberal arts colleges, is the town’s largest employer. You don’t have to have a connection to Williams, though, to enjoy what the town — and the College — have to offer. You could begin with Spring Street, the commercial center, where you’ll find galleries, stylish clothing stores, coffee shops with fast Internet connections, and restaurants that cater to the tastes of college students, locals, and visitors alike. Stop by the Greylock Gallery, which brings together traditional and contemporary art from emerging and established artists. Or step in to Mountain Goat Artisans around the corner on Water Street for pottery, weaving, furniture, jewelry, women’s clothing, honey, photography, original art and more. For DIY knitters, the Spin-off Yarn Shop is right there on the ground floor. Pick up a book at the Williams Bookstore and start reading at Tunnel City Coffee across the street. If you have Apple computer needs, there’s Mad Macs to help out.
Images Cinema, one of the few remaining independent theaters still in operation, is also on Spring Street. This non-profit community movie theater presents a range of independent, foreign and classic films and has been described as “a permanent film festival.” The staff are welcoming and the popcorn is always fresh. If you’re visiting, you probably came for the art and the theater. Visitors travel from all over the globe to The Clark Art Institute for its extraordinary permanent collection, groundbreaking special exhibitions, and striking architecture by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando. The Clark campus boasts 140 acres of lawns, meadows and walking trails. Seasonal exhibitions are a special draw; this summer, Renoir will be the main attraction. The Williams College Museum of Art offers modern, contemporary American, and world art (and free admission). An exhibit of James Van der Zee’s photographs is on view through June 2; Van Der Zee was a black photographer from the Berkshires who opened a studio in Harlem in 1916 and documented black life there at the time of Harlem’s emergence as a center of African American culture. If you want even more art, you can travel over
The Clark; Jeff Goldberg, Esto
Clockwise from top: Clark Art Institute, international Spring Street, the Williams campus, Tunnel City Coffee.
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Mt. Greylock Monument the Vermont border to the Bennington Museum, or east to MASS MoCA in nearby North Adams. If it’s theater you’re after, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, winner of a Tony Award for Best Regional Theater among its accolades, has been staging classic and contemporary plays since 1955. For eight weeks, from June 25 to August 18, WTF presents three plays on its Main Stage and four plays on the smaller Nikos Stage. Ready for some outdoors activity? Visit Sheep Hill, a 50-acre former dairy farm that was purchased by the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF) in 2000. The farmhouse and grounds are open to the public for picnicking, hiking, and bird watching, and a full schedule of regular seasonal events and exhibits. The WRLF, at its Sheep Hill trail kiosk, offers complete information on all Williamstown trails, including Hopkins Forest, Mount Greylock and Field Farm. Climb (or drive) to where the Appalachian Trail crosses Mount Greylock at the highest point in Massachusetts. Camp to the sound of waterfalls at Sperry Campground, or, for more civilized repose, dine and rest at the Bascom Lodge just below the summit of Greylock. Note that the Williams Inn will be in the process of moving to new quarters at the foot of Spring Street this summer; reservations end July 1 and resume September 1 to allow time for the move. For food, visit the weekly Saturday Farmers Market on Spring Street or Chenail’s Farm Stand on Luce Road, voted by locals to have the best fresh corn. Local restaurants like Mezze source local foods there. The Neapolitan-style pizza at Hot Tomatoes on Water St. is exceptional. Chase it with homemade ice cream from the Lickety Split scoop shop on Spring Street.
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David Edgecomb
FIND MORE WILLIAMSTOWN EVENTS — online at berkshirescalendar.com
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out and about the berkshires
the clothes of yesteryear: vintage fashion The Berkshires is fully engaged with the cultural present, but it also shows off — and trades on — its past. Museums, historic homes, repurposed factories, antique stores: it’s a region where retro and modern mingle and sometimes coincide (and occasionally collide). So it’s not surprising that there’s a market for vintage clothing and accessories, along with some wonderful stores to serve it. When Keats called for “a draught of vintage,” he was referring to old wine, not old clothes. These days, “vintage” has attached itself to everything from old cars and estate jewelry to old movies, postcards, vinyl, bicycles, furnishings, erotica, cheese, India’s warplanes, and even civic rituals (a certain Rockwell-inspired parade in Stockbridge comes to mind). According to language columnist Mark Peters, there are even vintage people. They are of a certain age; perhaps you are one of them. Or perhaps you take your fashion cues from Taylor Swift, who loves a vintage look. When it comes to clothes, vintage is partly a look and partly an era. “It’s 30s-40s-50s,” says Connie Giroux, owner of Griffin on Great Barrington’s Railroad Street, “and 60-70s too — and now 80s — even 90s in some cases.” Everyone will tell you that older clothes were better made than what the current rag trade furnishes (with some exceptions, of course), and people cared for them better in the old days, too. The best vintage garments have not been used so much as broken in, and fancier offerings may only have been worn once or twice. Wear that dress with all those tiny faux pearls in the shape of a bird (which you picked up for a song) to your next art opening and let that bird take flight again. If you have a taste for the real thing, there is nothing to compare with Lynda’s
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Antique Clothing Loft in Adams. Lynda Meyer, a New Yorker and former dancer who fell in love with the Berkshires, is a self-taught expert in vintage wear who has given presentations to local historical societies and museums. She has been at her Adams location for twelve years; correction, she just moved her shop one flight up at her venerable Park Street building. The clothes of yesteryear are here: gowns from the turn of the century (the last century!) through the 1950s, with the occasional exceptional piece (by Versace, for example) of more modern date; lawn dresses, bed jackets, silk blouses, velvet gowns, all in
Lynda advises, “If you like it, just wear it.” excellent condition and at reasonable prices, antique children’s clothes, hats, purses, jewelry, combs. See for yourself: her inventory is online. She gets her stock largely from estate sales — they call her first. The Williamstown Theater Festival is a regular customer, but her clientele is varied. Lynda’s advice as to when to wear vintage: “If you like it, just wear it.” The clothes in all Berkshires vintage outlets have been accepted and priced according to various criteria. “When I opened, I was afraid that I wouldn’t have enough stock,” says January Sarno, owner of Boho Exchange in Great Barrington. “Then people started arriving with a lot of stuff, and I became selective. Number one criterion: quality of the garment. Number two, I like clothes (shoes, too) with style, that are going to look good on you.”
Great Barrington has several vintage and resale outlets. Griffin always has an eclectic mix of clothing on hand, both new and vintage. The store also stocks home goods, art, furniture, toys and books, all chosen by the discerning eye of owner Connie Giroux. Not far away at the corner of Main and Elm, and mostly one floor up, is Boho Exchange, where the stock runs (as you might expect) more to bohemian. Had enough of the malls? Escape to Boho. Check out the hangers at Hey Day too, right on Main Street. The clothes will appeal to both young people looking for a one-of-a-kind prom dress to older customers, but there’s more to the shop than that: “Fine Things Found” is owner Eileen Ward’s motto, and she’s a good judge of what’s “fine” among the merely “found,” whether it’s vintage jewelry, clothing, shoes and bags, Berkshire-made furniture, or vintage linens in perfect condition. Great Barrington also has Catwalk Boutique, on Route 7 north of downtown, a non-profit resale shop that specializes in stylish but affordable women’s clothing, with an emphasis on designer labels and contemporary fashion. Handbags, jewelry, shoes, and accessories such as scarves, hats, and gloves are also on offer. “Some of our stock is vintage, but most is newer — 90s to the recent present,” says co-founder and co-manager Mimi Rosenblatt. “We tend toward the artsy and unusual. People come in to find things for weddings and special occasions or just for stylish daily wear. We’re happy to help you outfit yourself, too. We get a varied clientele — well known actresses whose names I would love to mention (but won’t!), drag queens — and the rest of us.” The Catwalk name stands not only for fashion but also for animals: the shop is run by the Berkshire Humane
Society, and all profits go toward supporting the Society’s programs. All stock is donated, and some staff volunteer; receipts are given for tax purposes. The shop opened in 2014 and has been so successful that a sister operation (also Catwalk) opened in Lenox early this year in a spacious, light-filled shop at 26 Church St. Donations may be dropped off at the Berkshire Humane Society at 214 Barker Road in Pittsfield, at Purradise at 301 Stockbridge Road in Great Barrington, and at the stores. If vintage clothes can creep up on more recent fashion, where do you draw the line? If you’re a shopper, you don’t. Layo Camche of A Little Boutique, an upscale consignment shop tucked away off Main Street in the Mews Alleyway in Stockbridge, doesn’t call her clothes vintage, but they’re not new either. “These days, people don’t let clothes stay in the closet. They put them back in circulation. And buy new ones.” The idea of a donation-dependent clothing and housewares business with a charitable purpose may be credited to Goodwill Industries, founded in Boston 1902 and now a multi-billion dollar global enterprise. The autonomous news, views & what’s happening at theBerkshireEdge.com
Clockwise from top, the new Catwalk boutique in Lenox, Lynda with a 1905 lawn dress with many lace inserts ($650), Connie sporting a 60s jacket, fun and functional footwear at Catwalk in Great Barrington.
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out and about the berkshires: vintage shopping Berkshires administrative unit comprises six Goodwill stores in western Massachusetts and southern Vermont. Not only does Goodwill operate the stores but it also runs job-training programs and gets job candidates outfitted and otherwise prepared for interviews through its Suit YourSelf program. The Goodwill stores are “thrift stores,” with inexpensive used clothing, shoes, and other items for everyday use, but vintage treasures occasionally show up on the racks. “We’re treasure hunters,” says CEO David Triggs, “but we receive and process all kinds of clothes. Some we bale for resale and recycling, the best make it to the racks, where we don’t distinguish vintage from more modern garments. I once found a hat from the 1800s right there on the shelf. The theaters are good customers, but we also help clothe the homeless and get people employable. We ourselves employ 100 people. When you make a donation or a purchase, it goes right into your community.” Looking for something in particular from Goodwill? Let your local store manager know and you might get a call. Besides stores in Pittsfield, Lee, North Adams, and Great Barrington (now in new and larger quarters at the former
Unlimited repurposing WE ASKED RACHEL HARDAGE BARRETT, editor-in-chief of Country Living, what was being done with vintage wares these days. “What isn’t being done? Repurposings are all the rage: old dollhouses used as shelving; crossed tennis racquets used as table supports; old ice-chests used as bathroom vanities. We even published a book about it called Salvage Style. Come see for yourself at the Country Living Fair at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, May 31 and June 1–2, rain or shine. We typically have 200 to 250 vendors, and you’ll find everything from century-old pine furniture to antique metal signs to midcentury mainstays to fabulous 60s swing coats. Artwork is also very popular, whether it’s faded oil portraits, panoramic varsity photos, or botanical prints.”
From top, the racks at ReWraps; old clothes at Boho Exchange; the Goodwill in Lee.
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Sears outlet store), there are also outlets due north in Vermont in Bennington and Rutland. Donations are also accepted at locations in Lenox, Williamstown, and Egremont, and in Vermont in Arlington and Manchester Center.
Vintage without Borders ReWraps, over in trendy Chatham, New York, is another resale store with a charitable purpose. The Main Street store is designed to generate additional income for PS21’s arts programs, while providing the community with a convenient site at which to view program information, sign up for memberships, and purchase tickets. The clothes are selected from a steady stream of donations. They’re mainly natural fiber contemporary wear, with some vintage items mixed in, along with a large collection of shoes, belts, hats, scarves, bags and jewelry. A women’s Armani jacket in mint condition was recently $48, and a stylish Joan and David jacket was on sale for $23, a steal! Feel free to admire yourself decked out in Mirror Mirror’s fashionable resale stock. The shop opened in 2014 in a handsomely renovated house just east of the center of Hillsdale, New York. Stocks of high-quality dresses, blouses, sweaters, footwear, bags and more rotate frequently. Owner Lynne Chmurzynski has a good eye for affordable fashion and will help get you outfitted. Check out the supply of Vera Bradley bags while you’re at it. There are true vintage items (satin shoes!) as well as more contemporary styles. Zippy Chicks is a flourishing resale clothing consignment shop in Manchester, Vermont, with a helpful online inventory. Owner Ellen Adams keeps the stock moving (if it doesn’t sell within a certain time period, it is returned to the owner or, with their consent, donated to Goodwill). All kinds of trendy and classic wear show up, with occasional vintage pieces, but the mainstay is fashionable clothing for working women. Footwear is a specialty. Young people in search of fun and affordable rags won’t be disappointed, and there’s a sideline of men’s clothing, too.
events
get your calendars ready!
Renée Fleming joins the Emerson Quartet in a world premiere July 24 (see p. 36)
The Jets were jumping at Barrington Stage’s 2018 production of West Side Story
Captions Nicole Ward of Ballet BC at Jacob’s Pillow June 19-23
The Clark Art Institute presents new exhibitions as well as old favorites like Bouguereau’s Nymphs and Satyr
Soul Science Lab comes to MASS MoCA May 18 (see p. 38) BerkshiresCalendar.com
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music
every summer the Berkshire Hills are alive with the sound of music
From Concerts at Tanglewood by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and top popular performers to folk, jazz and cabaret in the intimate settings of cafes, bars, and galleries, there is music in every town and village during the summer months. You will even find it in the splash of streams and the songs of birds (which is what Julie Andrews was actually singing about). Tanglewood has been the main attraction since the BSO made the grounds its summer home in 1937. Whether you listen from inside the Shed or from the surrounding Lawn, the acoustics are a marvel, and the drop-down screens allow everyone a close-up view of the orchestra. Wonderful musical events go on in the Seiji Ozawa Hall, too, where you can hear the Venice Baroque Orchestra this year on July 11. This summer was to have celebrated André Previn’s 90th birthday in the presence of the beloved composer and conductor himself, whose ties to the BSO are many. He would have been 90 on April 2; he died on February 28. The shows will go on, in a key that will no doubt deepen the emotional impact of Previn’s music. Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter was Previn’s wife and close musical collaborator. She will appear as soloist in a performance of Previn’s BSO-commissioned violin concerto Anne-Sophie on July 6. The concerto was premiered by the Symphony in 2002; BSO Musical Director Andris Nelsons will conduct the orchestra. The world premiere of Previn and Tom Stoppard’s BSO-commissioned Penelope, with 2019 Koussevitzky Artist Renée Fleming and the Emerson Quartet, will take place on July 24.
Cabaret diva Meow Meow appears (and meows) July 9
Tanglewood isn’t even only music anymore. This summer marks the debut of
Alison Krauss is at Tanglewood June 19 at 7:00 pm Anne-Sophie Mutter
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Mutter: © Bastian Achard (2015)
the Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI), “offering participants new levels of wide-ranging enrichment and education initiatives,” housed in the new Linde Center for Music and Learning. The Meet the Makers series will feature such talents as composer Joan Tower, bow-maker Benoît Rolland, and playwright Tom Stoppard, among others, speaking about their work. On July 9, cabaret diva Meow Meow presents Pandemonium. If that is not your kind of catnip, you can attend talks by Madeleine Albright and Doris Kearns Goodwin in Ozawa Hall at 5pm on July 6 and 27, respectively.
At Tanglewood, it’s not just the Symphony anymore. The 2019 season
Brian Wilson and his band perform at the Shed
Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops
The BSO’s Tanglewood season begins July 5 with an evening of Mozart and Mahler, with Emanuel Ax on piano. On the 12th comes the Tanglewood debut of acclaimed young Polish-Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki performing Grieg’s popular Piano Concerto (Previn once conducted the opening bars of that work with British pianist — and comedian — Eric Morcambe as soloist; the clip is on YouTube and has been viewed more than a million times). Previn could be lighthearted, but the mood for the Symphony’s Verdi Requiem on July 13, when the orchestra will be joined by the Symphony Chorus, is likely to be somber. The premiere of a new BSO commission is always a much-anticipated event: this summer soprano Renée Fleming and baritone Rod Gilfry join the orchestra in Kevin Puts’ The Brightness of Light, inspired by letters of artist Georgia O’Keeffe to her photographer husband Alfred Stieglitz, on July 20. The month ends with a complete BSO performance over two evenings (July 27 and 28) of Wagner’s Die Walküre with a roster of internationally acclaimed soloists.
kicks off with mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile, who will broadcast his “Live from Here” radio show on June 15, followed on the 16th by Brian Wilson performing the entire album Pet Sounds (from 1966, when Beach Boys co-founder Wilson pursued his musical genius far beyond the beach). Al Jardine, one of the original Boys, will join him, as will former band member Blondie Chaplin. Josh Groban, a star in many media, will sing and otherwise entertain on July 2, followed by Tanglewood icon James Taylor for two shows July 3 and 4 — with fireworks on the 4th; sorry to say that the Shed is already sold out, and Lawn tickets will sell out, too. On July 7, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and guest conductor David Newman are featured in a program entitled “Across the Stars: Music of John Williams,” inspired by Ms. Mutter’s recent recording of the same name. On July 23, Boston Pops Conductor Laureate John Williams himself will join Andris Nelsons, Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart, and conductors James Burton and Thomas Wilkins in the annual extravaganza that is Tanglewood on Parade. The Pops, the BSO, the BSO Children’s Choir, and orchestras of the Tanglewood Music Center will be making the music. It all ends with a whoosh and a pop: fireworks over the Stockbridge Bowl.
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music
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The FreshGrass Festival at MASS MoCA
MASS MoCA | Not only is the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams the biggest contemporary art museum in the U.S., it’s become one of the top music venues in the Berkshires too, offering more than 75 performances each year featuring indie-rock, progressive bluegrass (as in the FreshGrass Festival in September), world music dance parties, barn dances, and a great deal more. The premier event of the early summer season is the Solid Sound Festival on four stages over three days (June 28-30). Alternative rock band Wilco is the headliner, with Courtney Barnett, Tortoise, The Feelies and many other bands and performers ready to entertain. A more intimate venue, MASS MoCA’s “up in the club” with cabaretstyle seating at space B10, is the setting for a performance by Soul Science Lab on May 18; the music and multimedia duo Chen Lo and Asante Amin are backed by a hot live band — the kind with horns.
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The French-Cameroonian duo Les Nubians, known for their blend of warm R&B and francophone hip hop, will headline the inaugural O+ North Adams festival of art, music and wellness (May 10-11); the + is for positive, as in O+, the universal donor blood type, as in a transfusion of artistic energy that everyone can enjoy. The O+ idea began in Kingston, New York, in 2010 as a way for underinsured artists and musicians to create and perform in exchange for a variety of services donated by doctors, dentists, and other care providers; it’s now gone national. In North Adams, creatives and festival volunteers who donate their time and talent to the weekend will receive free health and wellness care in an Artists’ Clinic at MASS MoCA staffed by local providers across disciplines. Festival venues include Common Folk, The Green, the Elks Lodge and Hunter Center. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
This summer will also see the first sound installation at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. A site-specific combination of sculpture and music by the Canadian artist Janet Cardiff, “The Forty Part Motet,” created in 2001, features forty separately recorded choral parts that are played through forty speakers arranged in an oval at ear-height in a reworking of a 16th-century motet by Thomas Tallis. The motet is played in a 14-minute loop that includes eleven minutes of singing and three minutes of intermission, when the singers were recorded talking freely among themselves. Early Music specialists Aston Magna will be playing “Music of Three Centuries” on four consecutive weekends in July; on Fridays they perform in the Hudson Valley, in either Hudson or Amenia, and on Saturdays at Saint James Place in Great Barrington. A 45-minute talk precedes each program, and at Saint James a wine and cheese reception follows each performance. 2019 marks the ensemble’s 47th season in the Berkshires. Meanwhile, on June 21 and 22, the Boston Early Music Festival presents not one but two encore performances of their 2016 production of “Versailles: Portrait of a Royal Domain” at the Mahaiwe. King Louis XIV commissioned two chamber operas to celebrate the fountains and pleasures of his made-over palace; gorgeous costumes, Baroque dances, and sumptuous staging complement the sublime music. Close Encounters with Music will be continuing its 28th season with a program of Mozart, Barber, and Schubert by the outstanding Escher Quartet at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington on May 18. A Close Encounters Gala follows on June 8. The musical theme of the evening is “Like Father-in-Law, Like Son-in-Law: Antonin Dvořák and Josef Suk.” The musically gifted Suk was Dvořák’s student in Prague before he married his teacher’s daughter and became a successful composer himself. Close Encounters With Music holds its 10th annual Berkshires High Peaks Festival at the Berkshire School in Sheffield, July 23 to August 2. Concerts, master classes and lectures are open to the public. More information at www. berkshirehighpeaksmusic.org.
Buddy Guy THE MAHAIWE is hosting three notable musical acts that are, respectively, a tribute to the longevity of a group of rockers, a legendary bluesman, and an actress who is also one of the great Broadway divas. Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes play that good old Jersey Shore rock on June 21. On July 14, Buddy Guy, now 82 and still going strong, will share a musical legacy with origins that predate the era of Hendrix, Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, all of whom he influenced. Lastly, the formidable Patti Lupone will present an evening of Broadway show tunes under the heading “Don’t Monkey with Broadway” on July 20.
The Guthrie Center | The Center, located in Great Barrington’s Trinity Church (where a certain restaurateur named Alice once lived), was founded by Arlo Guthrie to honor his parents, the great Woody Guthrie and his wife Marjorie Mazia-Guthrie. It’s a home for interfaith services, spiritual exchange, and music. The Troubador Series brings a host of wonderful performers from June through September, with an emphasis on blues, folk, and social engagement, but with room for bands that you can kick up your heels to. Beer, wine and a full dinner menu are available on concert nights.
Arlo Guthrie, 1969, see page 72
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music find more events at berkshirescalendar.com Just over the New York Line in New Lebanon, Tannery Pond will be presenting six chamber music concerts, and in Annandale-on-Hudson the Bard SummerScape festival offers seven weeks of musical excellence. Leon Botstein will direct the American Symphony Orchestra in the U.S. premiere of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s opera The Miracle of Heliane for five performances beginning July 26. Set in an unnamed totalitarian state, The Miracle of Heliane features an erotic triangle among a ruthless despot, his beautiful and neglected wife Heliane, and a young, messianic Stranger. It was a hit in Hamburg in 1927; its time has perhaps come again.
Fisher Center at Bard
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PS21 in Chatham, New York, will be presenting Mikael Darmanie & the Warp Trio on May 11 in the Black Box Theater. See what happens when a chamber music ensemble, a rock band, and an art project (all in the shape of a piano trio) walk onto a stage: something new and different that will open your ears. PS21 is located in an idyllic setting on top of a gentle hill half an hour from Stockbridge. Also in New York in nearby Hillsdale, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival celebrates its 31st year of folk music and dance on the first weekend in August; the venue is Dodds Farm, and many come and camp out. Dip into Connecticut and there’s Music Mountain, now in its 90th year, featuring outstanding chamber music, jazz ensembles, and more, from June through September, and in Norfolk, Infinity Music Hall and Bistro presents a varied lineup of wonderful musicians all summer long.
more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
dance
shall we? oh yeah!
In 1931 the American dancer Ted Shawn had a vision. He purchased a run-down farm in the Berkshire town of Becket with the extravagant idea of turning it into a home for modern dance. The farm was not far from the switchbacks of Jacob’s Ladder Road, and a large, sloping boulder on the grounds had already earned the place the name of Jacob’s Pillow (the Bible says that Jacob laid his head on a stone before dreaming of a ladder to heaven). It all made sense to Shawn, who turned his own dream into reality. Top, Momix returns to the Mahaiwe with Opus Cactus, July 5 and 6; bottom, Irene Rodriguez brings her Cuban flamenco company back to Jacob’s Pillow, June 26-30. BerkshiresCalendar.com
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dance
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The Jacob’s Pillow Gala opens the season on June 15: performances, dinner, auctions, exhibits, plus dancing at the after-party, all to benefit the Pillow. These days the Pillow is about more than dance performances. An intensive school that attracts an international mix of young professionals and advanced level pre-professionals is woven into the fabric of Pillow life. The Pillow has a number of community outreach programs going too, making dance a force for cultural expression and social connection in the greater Berkshires.
Dancers in rehearsal at Jacob’s Pillow
Paul Taylor Dance Company
“The Pillow,” as it’s known, has grown through the years to become America’s top summer destination for dance. Twenty companies and many outstanding individual performers from America and abroad will come to its stages this summer, ranging from the acrobats of Brisbane-based Circa to flamenco dancers from Cuba’s Compañía Irene Rodríguez and Reggie Wilson’s premiere of POWER, which imagines what black Shaker worship might have been like; POWER is based in part on Wilson’s research at the Berkshires’ own Hancock Shaker Village. Standbys like the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Paul Taylor troupe also present their work to the Pillow’s sophisticated audiences. The Festival will feature more than 350 free performances, tours and “Pillowtalks,” exhibits, community events, classes, and special events. Many patrons arrive early to take in the free “Inside/Out” series of outdoor performances by emerging and established dance companies, as well as presentations by dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow every Wednesday through Saturday at 6:15 p.m. Once a month, the Festival also extends all the way into the Dance Zone at the north end of Pittsfield’s Third Thursday cultural street festival to present free, family-friendly, pop-up performances beginning at 6 p.m.
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Kyle Abraham of A.I.M.
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Hop over to SPAC in Saratoga to catch performances of Coppélia and works by Balanchine by the New York City Ballet, July 16-20; it’s less than 90 minutes from Stockbridge.
Circa comes to the Pillow June 19-23.
Colonial Theatre | On June 8 you’re invited to celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month at the Fourth Annual Berkshire Dance Party and Cabaret (below) at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield (the grande dame of Berkshire venues and the perfect spot for a Drag Pageant competition hosted by Fuse’s Shade: Queens of NYC star Brita Filter).
You can watch the Bolshoi present a twin bill of Carmen Suite and Petrushka in HD on the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center’s bright screen in Great Barrington on May 19. Brita Filter
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theater & performance
one region, many stages
“Summer theater” –
Top, Shakespeare & Co.’s The Taming of the Shrew; bottom, the Berkshire Playwrights Lab is known for its fully-blocked, script-inhand staged readings. Catch them at the Mahaiwe, June 26, July 10 and 24, August 7.
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the very sound of those words is catnip to theater-goers. That’s because there is nothing quite like live professional theater on summer evenings, away from the hurlyburly of city streets. What better way to end a summer’s day than by going to see a play? The Berkshires has been providing superb summer theater for decades, and there are many plays to choose from this season, from Shakespeare to exciting new works that haven’t yet arrived in urban settings. Expect a variety of stages, too, from the great outdoors at The Mount to the classic “boards” of the Berkshire Theatre Festival’s Fitzpatrick Main Stage in Stockbridge. Shakespeare deserves top billing. He gets it in July at Lenox-based Shakespeare & Co., which will stage his gender-bending comedy Twelfth Night at the beginning of the month (from July 2) and follow it a week later with The Taming of the Shrew, set in Renaissance Padua, where gender roles are the subject of a mighty (comic) struggle. The latter play will take place outdoors in the Dell at the company’s old home at The Mount. Both productions run concurrently from the 9th. One of the “Co.” in “Shakespeare & Co.” is Kenneth Lonergan, whose 2001 Pulitzer Prize finalist play The Waverly Gallery opens on May 23 and runs through July 14. It’s the story of a vibrant, successful woman’s decline in old age and how her family copes with her losses. The play ran on Broadway last winter with an 86-yearold Elaine May in the role of Gladys. Elizabeth Aspenlieder and Annette Miller star in the Lenox production under the direction of Tina Packer.
Shakespeare & Co’s Twelfth Night: Viola comes to Illyria (the hard way).
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Since 1955 the Williamstown Theatre Festival has been revisiting classic plays with fresh productions and also developing new plays and musicals. This year’s season opens with Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, which runs from June 25 through July 13 on the Main Stage. The play opened on Broadway sixty years ago, but its probing of racial and economic issues has lost none of its force. Meanwhile, on the Nikos Stage, Jonathan Payne’s A Human Being, of a Sort opens on June 26 (its world premiere) and runs through July 7. Set at the Bronx Zoological Park in 1906 and based on a true story, it too raises questions of racial justice. Bess Wohl’s Grand Horizons, July 1–28 on the Main Stage, is also a world premiere. Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Mary Steenburgen star as a couple whose marriage — after years — is in trouble. Another look at a family’s inner life is provided by the play that follows on the Main Stage, Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts, opening July 31 in a new translation by Paul Walsh. Uma Thurman plays Mrs. Alving. The Nikos Stage is the site of two other world premieres in July. Selling Kabul, by Sylvia Khoury, is centered on an Afghan family coping with the many challenges of living in the war-torn city of the title, July 10–21. Sharyn Rothstein’s Tell Me I’m Not Crazy, another world premiere, July 24–August 3, also deals with contemporary issues. It’s a comedy, but the plot is set in motion when a man who has been forced into retirement buys a gun.
Classics by Lorraine Hansberry and Bess Wohl come to the WTF this summer.
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theatre & performance
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Top, Barrington Stage presented West Side Story last year; this year’s lineup includes Into the Woods, Gertrude and Claudius, and comedies by David Ives.
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The Barrington Stage Company sells more than 57,500 tickets annually to nine stage productions and numerous concerts, cabarets and special events with over 285 performances in four venues in downtown Pittsfield. A lot of this growth has come since the year 2000; the BSC has been a major player in the revitalization of the city center. This summer the company is presenting Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods at the 590-seat Boyd-Quinson Main Stage to open their 25th season; “Anything can happen in the woods” — and does, June 19–July 13. A new play by Mark St. Germain, Gertrude and Claudius, follows on the Main Stage, July 18–August 3. Based on the novel by John Updike, it’s a clever and intriguing treatment of the Hamlet backstory (imagined as a love and power triangle with King Hamlet as the third party) before the Hamlet that we know from Shakespeare’s play returns to the court of Denmark to attend his father’s funeral. Unsung American hero Gordon Hirabayashi fought passionately for the Constitution against an unexpected adversary: his own country. During World War II, he refused to report to a relocation camp with thousands of families of Japanese descent, launching a 50-year journey from college to courtroom and eventually to a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Hold These Truths, by Jeanne Sakata, is his story, May 22–June 8 at the 132-seat St. Germain stage. Next up on the same stage is the world premiere of America v. 2.1, by Stacey Rose. A troupe of black actors reckons with their nation’s history and their place in it in “a post-apocalyptic America.” The play runs June 14–30, with post-show “talkbacks” on June 15 and 26. In July BSC patrons have a special treat in store: Time Flies and Other Comedies, five one-acts by David Ives, all in one evening, July 5–27 at the St. Germain; Ives is an American original, a master of intelligent comedy and offbeat dialogue. Meanwhile, the BSC’s Mr. Finn’s Cabaret, also in downtown Pittsfield, offers a roster of cabaret-style acts all summer long. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
Don’t let the corporate sound of “Berkshire Theatre Group” or the word “merger” fool you. True, the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge and the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield did join forces in 2010 under a new name, but they have retained the ethos that inspired the creation of those two institutions in 1928 and 1903, respectively, namely to foster the unique power of theater to engage and entertain. The Colonial will be presenting Rock and Roll Man: The Alan Freed Story June 27– July 21 (Freed was one of the white guys who helped black music “cross over” on radio in the 1950s). The Fitzpatrick Main Stage in Stockbridge brings us Thornton Wilder’s prescient 1943 drama The Skin of Our Teeth, July 11–August 3, and at the nearby Unicorn Theatre, Albee’s The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?, May 24– June 15, followed by John Patrick Shanley’s Outside Mullingar, June 19–July 15, and Working: A Musical, based on the book by Studs Terkel, July 18–August 24. Community Access to the Arts (CATA), based in Great Barrington, nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities through shared experiences in the visual and performing arts. The Annual Gala and Performance (May 11 and 12, respectively) at the Tina Packer Theater on the premises of Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox showcases the talents of people with disabilities and is one of the performing arts highlights of the season.
theatre without borders New York You can’t go home again. Thomas Wolfe said it, and Horton Foote dramatized it in A Trip to Bountiful, in which Carrie Watts, an elderly woman, longs to escape from her cramped Houston apartment and to return to her beloved hometown of Bountiful, Texas, one final time before she dies. It’s a moving play that asks what it means to belong to a house, a family, and a town. This production from the Actors’ Ensemble runs June 1 and 2, and again June 8 and 9, at PS21 in Chatham. New York also provides all-musicals-all-the-time at the Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham (Camelot, Curtains, Sunset Boulevard, Grease, Ragtime) and a fun series of plays and musicals at the Theater Barn in New Lebanon.
Connecticut Slip down to the Sharon Playhouse in Sharon and help celebrate their 60th season with crowd-pleasing musicals (including the Gershwin brothers’ Crazy for You, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast) and excellent children’s theater.
Vermont From top: The Wedding Singer, at Mac-Haydn; the PS21 open air theater; Bennington’s Oldcastle Theatre Company is presenting Red, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and Judevine (above) this summer.
more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
The lively Dorset Theatre Festival in picturesque Dorset is presenting Noel Coward’s timely Private Lives (June 20-July 6) and a new play, Dig (July 11-27), written and directed by Theresa Rebeck, of whom the New York Times said last year, “Her plays have the gall to resonate for the people sitting next to, in front of and behind the critics.” The Living Room Theatre’s summer home is the Carriage Barn of the grand Park McCullough House in North Bennington, where the atmosphere is intimate and the acting always first-rate. And in Bennington itself, the Oldcastle Theatre Company is located right downtown. The troupe has been presenting new and classic plays for 47 years.
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visual arts
museums & galleries
American paintings at the Clark Art Institute
Outside of urban settings, there may be no place with more art of more kinds than the Berkshires in the summertime. The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, and MASS MoCA in North Adams are the headliners, but innumerable galleries, craft shows, and intriguing displays of public art extend the visitor’s art experience in virtually every town. Not only are the permanent collections of the region’s museums impressive, their special exhibitions are worth traveling for in their own right. It’s a region that has long attracted visual artists and craftspeople, too, a place where art is a living presence in many forms.
Opposite left from top, Renoir’s Boy with a Cat, Daniel Chester French’s studio at Chesterwood; gallery at the Williams College Museum of Art; Far right, Creation by Ida O’Keeffe.
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CHESTERWOOD | Daniel Chester French, the sculptor of Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial and the Minute Man in his hometown of Concord, Mass., spent working summers at his elegant (and functional) home in Stockbridge. The 1908 house itself, a National Trust property, with original wallpaper and furnishings, is worth a visit, but the permanent collections gallery, with over 150 sculptures by French and with portraits of the artist and family members, on view for the first time in this gallery, is no less a draw. The 122 acres of formal gardens and woodland paths were created by French himself.
WILLIAMS COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART & SCULPTURE WALK | Works of public art, most of them from WCMA’s collection, can be found all across the Williams College campus. These sculptures and installations, from the newly controversial 1867 Haystack Monument to Louise Bourgeois’ striking Eyes (nine elements) of 2001, integrate encounters with art into the daily lives of students, residents, and visitors. A guide to the location of the artworks is available online.
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THE CLARK ART INSTITUTE | The rural setting is serene, the permanent collection extensive and important, the special exhibits often sensational. The Clark is destination enough for any art lover from anywhere; one visit is typically not enough to take it all in. Moreover, the Clark has grown substantially in recent years. The collection features European and American paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs, and decorative arts from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. It’s especially rich in French impressionist and Academic paintings, British oil sketches, drawings, and silver, and the work of American artists Winslow Homer, George Inness, and John Singer Sargent. A Gilbert Stuart George Washington looks down at you with a profoundly reassuring gaze; seemingly around the corner, Gauguin invites you to escape to Tahiti. “This daring exhibition is the first major exploration of Renoir’s unceasing interest in the human form,” reads the press release for the show Renoir: The Body, The Senses opening June 8 at the Clark Art Institute. The Clark and the painter are both implicated in that “daring.” Artist of the male gaze, Renoir painted sensuous, and occasionally sensual, female nudes all his life (which ended 100 years ago this year) in unceasingly original ways. Through 60 paintings, drawings and sculptures spanning the whole of Renoir’s long life, the Clark invites you to look through the lens of the nude body at the trajectory of the painter’s career — and at the figures themselves, of course. The choice of a young male nude as one of the show’s poster images promises a fresh look at a popular painter.
The Clark’s summer surprise is not its Renoir show, though that is the headliner, but the first exhibit devoted to the work of Ida O’Keeffe, two years her famous sister Georgia’s junior and an accomplished artist in her own right. The 35 works on view, first gathered last year at the Dallas Museum of Art, confront the title of the show head on: Ida O’Keeffe: Escaping Georgia’s Shadow. Clark curator Robert Wiesenberger remarks that “Creation (c. 1936), O’Keeffe’s stunning foray into total abstraction, prompts us to ask what might have been, had the artist’s career unfolded differently.” BerkshiresCalendar.com
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visual arts
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The Sol Lewitt galleries
MASS MoCA | To comprehend the phenomenon of MASS MoCA, you have to think big. It’s the ultimate loft, with 500,000 square feet of open and naturally lit industrial space in the former Sprague Electric complex of 28 buildings on 16 acres astride the Housatonic River in the heart of North Adams. But it’s also a big idea: it reconfigures the traditional, jewel-box concept of a museum as “a dynamic open platform that encourages free exchange between the making of art and its enjoyment by the public, between the visual and performing arts, and between an extraordinary historic factory campus and the patrons, workers, and tenants who once again inhabit it. . .” Patrons come — more than 160,000 of them last year alone — for collections like the Sol Lewitt galleries, Anselm Kiefer’s striking Velimir Chlebnikov (2004), a steel pavilion containing 30 paintings dealing with nautical warfare, and for other large-scale contemporary works some of which were created at MASS MoCA. There is only one month left (May) to see Thumbs Up for the Mothership, in which individual works as well as a collaborative installation by New Orleans conceptual artist Dawn DeDeaux and Alabamian self-taught sculptor and musician Lonnie Holley explore issues of ecology and social justice: artists who experienced Hurricane Katrina are in a position to convey a sense of the apocalypse. If that makes you anxious, take comfort in the fact that Sol Lewitt’s wall-drawing retrospective is scheduled to remain open through 2043. More than a dozen other provocative exhibitions remain open at least through the summer. New exhibits will be opening, too, for those who want to experience le dernier cri. In the case of singer-songwriter-activist Annie Lennox, that involves a trip into her personal past through an assemblage of objects that is part material diary and part art installation. Lennox will present a benefit performance of An Afternoon of Conversation and Song on May 25. A reception for Lennox and the creators of two other new exhibits will take place later that same day. The first of the other exhibits, Suffering 50
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Dawn DeDeaux’s Thumbs Up for the Mothership at MASS MoCA
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from Realness, features works by 17 artists curated by Denise Markonish in an attempt to explore the politics of representation in an age of uncertainty. Also new and spanning the entirety of MASS MoCA’s expansive first-floor galleries, Cauleen Smith’s We Already Have What We Need will feature a new immersive installation, a survey of her videos made over the last decade, new textiles, a selection of banners from her In the Wake series featured in the 2017 Whitney Biennial, a written manifesto, and new works on paper. Lawn chairs upholstered in indigo-dyed jute made inviting with fake fur and satin pillows will provide a space for contemplation. MASS MoCA isn’t just for grown-ups. In its Kidspace, Still I Rise uses portraiture to re-imagine nuanced portrayals of women, with a focus on women of color at various stages of life. The exhibit opens June 15.
NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM | Not only does the Norman Rockwell Museum hold the world’s greatest collection of Rockwells, it mounts special exhibitions on aspects of the art of illustration. One that opened this past winter, The Art and Wit of Rube Goldberg, will be on view through June 9. Goldberg is famous as the inventor of machines (for lack of a better word) that perform mundane tasks through elaborate (and improbable) means. Although he has no doubt inspired many an engineering hobbyist, his inventions were simply the product of a fertile imagination and the cartoonist’s art. An “automatic dieting machine with goat attachment,” “a simple one-shift bouncer for freeloaders,” and many more, as well as controversial political cartoons, flowed from his pen during the 1930s and 1940s and made the “Rube Goldberg machine” proverbial.
The Simple Mosquito Exterminator — No Home Should Be Without It by Rube Goldberg. The picture-perfect town of Stockbridge provided an ideal setting for an artist who celebrated American values in his canvases. But Norman Rockwell did not choose to move his family to Stockbridge in 1953 for its aura of wholesomeness; it was the presence of the Austen Riggs Center, a psychiatric institute founded in 1919 that still discreetly occupies a site near the town center, that drew him. He and his wife Mary had already been receiving treatment at the Center; they moved in virtually next door. Rockwell’s therapist was the psychoanalyst Erik Erikson, famous for coining the phrase “identity crisis,” who had considered becoming an artist himself. He and Rockwell became fast friends. Inspired: Norman Rockwell and Erik Erikson, opening June 8, chronicles their friendship and the ways in which each stimulated the other’s creativity. The Norman Rockwell Museum opened in “the Old Corner House” in 1969. The House itself is the subject of a small exhibition, but the tumultuous year 1969 is the theme of a greater one that displays the ways in which American illustrators of the time, including Rockwell, imagined contemporary culture and events. It opens June 8.
From top, the Norman Rockwell Museum presents Woodstock to the Moon: 1969 Illustrated from June 8; Rockwell himself painted Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper for a 1969 album cover; Rockwell’s 1948 Christmas Homecoming is also a portrait of his family and friends.
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and a galaxy of galleries, too
Schantz Galleries in Stockbridge is a museum in everything but name. Visitors can experience the work of more than 50 internationally recognized glass artists, including some of the best known in the world: above, Cappy Thompson’s Unicorn and Rider, from the Gallery’s Drawn to Glass show, May 11–27.
WHEN WORLD-CLASS MUSEUMS ARE NOT ENOUGH, or simply for a change of pace, the region’s distinctive galleries and extensive craft fairs beckon. Some draw on the creative resources of the Berkshires’ own artists; some bring fine art and objets d’art from the far corners of the world to the main streets and side streets of the region’s towns. But be forewarned: the quality of the art on offer is likely to put you in an acquisitive mood. To gallery-hop in the Berkshires is to feel the pulse of the region’s creative economy. And perhaps to contribute to it. . . Whether you’re after a one-of-a-kind gift or simply an object of desire for yourself, or just to browse, the Berkshires make it easy to see original examples of the latest developments in painting and sculpture, home furnishings, work in glass, clay, and cloth, hand-made furniture, bowl-turning, ironworking, photography, jewelry, quilting, and more. Don’t be surprised to find 19th-century nautical scenes and vintage home decor on the same block as the latest trends in ceramics. It’s all part of the region’s charm.
FRELINGHUYSEN-MORRIS HOUSE AND STUDIO | For intimate contact with great art, it’s hard to beat the Frelinghuysen-Morris House and Studio in Lenox. Suzy Frelinghuysen and George L. K. Morris may not be household names, but they are well known to connoisseurs of 20th century art and architecture as a couple who were both abstract artists and collectors. Morris’s studio at Brookhurst, his parents’ estate, was the first building in New England in the Modern style. He and Suzy went on to integrate a stucco and glass house onto it and to decorate with frescoes, furniture, their own paintings, and works by Picasso, Leger, Gris and others. They extend a posthumous invitation to you.
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Top: the grand opening in March of Bernay Fine Art on Route 7 just north of Great Barrington, where you can find distinguished contemporary artists working in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics and works on paper. Above: Lauren Clark Fine Art, also on Route 7 but south of Great Barrington, features the work of painters, printmakers, potters, glassblowers, jewelers and woodworkers, and also offers a complete custom framing shop. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
Botanical illustration is an art of its own, a marriage of close observation and artistic technique. The Berkshire Botanical Garden will present Nature Narratives — The Botanical Art of Carol Ann Morley, April 6–May 26 in its Center House Leonhardt Galleries in Stockbridge. Carol has taught drawing at the Garden for many years. A “Meet the Artist” gallery presentation is scheduled for May 26, 2-4pm.
wait, there’s more Community Access to the Arts (CATA), presents its annual Art Show, I Am a Part of Art, celebrating paintings, drawings, sculptures, and more by artists with disabilities. Free public exhibits take place at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown and the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in Pittsfield. Visit CATAarts. org for details on “Meet the Artists” events. The Mount is the site of the 2019 Sculpture Now Exhibit Opening Celebration June 9 at 2:30pm. Not only will the art be displayed, but the exhibiting artists will also be stationed throughout the grounds to provide insights into their creative process. The event is free but reservations are encouraged.
Fusiform Gyrus by Vincent Hawley from the 2018 Sculpture Now at The Mount. BerkshiresCalendar.com 5353 BerkshiresCalendar.com
family fun
so bring the fam— and even the dog
The beauty of the Berkshires for families is that there are fun activities to suit every age group and pocketbook, from traditional pursuits like hiking and horseback riding to activities that may be as new to parents as to children, such as negotiating the treetops on aerial walkways and ziplines.
In the Berkshires, wild nature is often just a short drive out of town. The waterfall at Bash Bish State Park (with the longest vertical drop in Massachusetts) in Mt. Washington or the caves of Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield will give kids (and adults) destinations to aim for. The Cobble itself rises a thousand feet above the local terrain and rewards the hiker who makes it to the top with exceptional views of the surrounding countryside. The Berkshires are mountains. The Appalachian Trail traverses 90 miles of western Massachusetts, passing over Mt. Greylock in Adams, at 3,491 feet the highest peak in the state; the summit is accessible by trails and an automobile road. Camping is available at many state parks and state forests, such as Beartown State Forest in Monterey and October Mountain Forest in Lee. The Guilder Pond Loop at Mt. Everett State Park circles around a lovely mountain pond, and you can bring the family dog. The 11,000-acre Pittsfield State Forest offers camping, hiking, and swimming, and both Mass Audubon Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary and Lake Onata also provide fun outdoor experiences close to the city. Eleven-mile long, ten-foot wide, paved Ashuwillticook Rail Trail runs over an old railroad track through the towns of Cheshire, Lanesborough and Adams; it’s well suited to hiking, biking, roller-blading, and pushing a stroller.
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Left, Bash Bish Falls; right, The Heritage State Park Museum in North Adams will appeal to anyone who has ever wondered how they bored the Hoosac Tunnel through almost five miles of rock in the 19th century to link the town to Albany by rail. You can ride a train today between Adams and North Adams on the Berkshire Scenic Railway. The Railway also operates a fun museum-station in Lenox, with rides in the railyard.
Summer is berrying season, with strawberries, raspberries, and cherries becoming ripe in June and July; pick your own at Lakeview Orchards in Lanesborough.
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Left, the Berkshires offer many chances for kids to connect with farm animals; below right, MASS MoCA’s Kidspace is popular with younger artists.
Four adventure destinations in the Berkshires promise memorable experiences. Jiminy Peak in Hancock, in winter a ski mountain, offers chairlift rides in summer, mountain biking, a mountain coaster, an alpine super slide, a self-guided aerial forest ropes course, a two-person zipline, a giant swing, a climbing wall, bounce houses and — wait for it — a Euro bungy trampoline. Catamount Aerial Adventure Park in South Egremont features 12 self-guided treetop courses with varying levels of difficulty; they’ve been at it for
From left, the Acrobats of Cirque-tacular present a Free Fun Friday at the Mahaiwe the morning of July 12; see the Pittsfield Suns play ball at Wahconah Park.
eleven years. Ramblewild is another top arboreal adventure destination in a beautiful hemlock grove in Lanesborough, and Bousquet Adventure Park in Pittsfield has waterslides, ziplines, miniature golf, and more. Many of the region’s farms welcome guests and provide children with both fun and learning. Hancock Shaker Village is a whole world of rural living designed for family visitors. Adults come on their own, too, for Goat Yoga (bleat in, bleat out — no kidding). Ioka Valley Farm in Hancock serves brunch in season, and at Cricket Creek in Williamstown you can meet the calves and watch the dairy herd come in at milking time. Even the region’s cultural attractions take children into account. MASS MoCA’s Kidspace is a creative child’s playground, and the Berkshire Museum also offers special experiences for children, including one for infants (and their caregivers); the aquarium and nature exhibits are perfect for days when your hiking plans get rained out. Why not take the family out to the ballgame? You can root for the Pittsfield Suns, a collegiate summer baseball team that competes at city-owned Wahconah Park. The park, constructed in 1919 and seating 4,500, is one of the few remaining ballparks in the United States with a wooden grandstand right out of “Casey at the Bat.” Play ball!
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weddings It’s
Destination: Berkshires
no secret that weddings are a big deal —
and big business — in the Berkshires. If you’re a resident, you’ve caught glimpses of the happy couples and their retinues most weekends from May to October. And if you were one of those couples who made the Berkshires your wedding destination, chances are you’re glad you did, because the region has a great record of hosting wonderful weddings of all kinds. It’s fair to say that no two Berkshires weddings are alike! More than 60 venues are experienced hosts, ranging from the intimate to the spectacular, from the funky to the formal, from the grounds and halls of inns and estates to museums and mountaintop retreats. There is broad scope for originality in any venue, given the region’s wealth of specialized purveyors of food, flowers, cakes, and all the other trimmings that make each wedding unique.
Let’s begin at the beginning. Adam and Eve had it easy. Were they even married? It must have been a very simple ceremony. No formal wear. Today’s weddings are more complex. Choice of place and date is just one thing (two, actually). Then there’s the guest list. That’s up to you (if you’re lucky). Once you know who you want to invite, then you have to. . .invite them. Perhaps you’d better send a save-the-date card, and then the invitation itself (you’ll have to compose the words and select the script and the cardstock, and
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(From left) Lakehouse Inn | Jocelyn Vassos/Dear Edith and Lily Studio; Mass MoCA | Eric Limรณn Photograpy; Cranwell | Eric Limรณn Photograpy; Chesterwood | Jocelyn Vassos/Dear Edith and Lily Studio
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The Mount | Jocelyn Vassos/Dear Edith and Lily Studio; Gedney Farm | Eric Limรณn Photograpy; Eisner Camp | Christopher Duggan Photography:
Tanglewood | Jocelyn Vassos/Dear Edith and Lily Studio; Camp WA WA Segowea | Eric Limรณn Photograpy Opposite page: Clark Art Instite. Eric Limรณn Photography;
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proof and approve the text) — and you’ll need a reply card, and a pre-addressed, stamped reply envelope, too — and — and — you’ve only just begun. In fact, aren’t you getting ahead of yourself? Shall we talk money? No, first let’s talk romance. That’s a feeling, an intangible that’s in the hearts of the beholders. But the setting definitely helps. The Berkshires has mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, gardens, rolling lawns, and more trees than most city dwellers see in a year; not to mention orchards, arbors, bowers, and other green and romantic spots. And that’s just Mother Nature. Now add art. One of the most quietly romantic paintings in the Berkshires is Norman Rockwell’s The Marriage License, created in 1954 for a Saturday Evening Post cover and now hanging in the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. Numerous proposals have been made in front of it, according to Museum staff. By the way, you, too, are going to need a license. (See page 62). OK, back to business: What is your budget and who’s paying? It is possible to have a beautiful, memorable wedding on a modest budget in the Berkshires if that’s what you prefer or can afford. It’s also easy to spend lavishly for the big day. Berkshires wedding planner Tara Consolati reports that she did her first million-dollar wedding last summer, with more on the way. “Most of the weddings I do — they’re all destination weddings — run around $200,000 to $300,000, but you don’t have to spend that much.
A lot of my clients are from Manhattan, but I’ve had couples from all over the country and abroad.” To get the financial lay of the land, you may wish to consult https://www.costofwedding. com. Type in a Berkshires zip code and get average prices on the range of things that you (or your parents!) are likely to be spending for. Or are you still arguing about — excuse me, discussing! — whether to invite this or that relative and this or that old friend and his or her old ex? Even under the best of circumstances, you’re likely to be hitting the wedding etiquette books before long or spending anxious evenings perusing sites that promise to reveal “The 50 biggest wedding mistakes” and “The nine largest hidden wedding costs.” You wanted a simple wedding: by now you know that there are no simple weddings, that planning a wedding is to plunge into a social and financial maelstrom. To ease the stress, you could hire a wedding planner, a kind of event concierge who knows the territory both literally and figuratively. The Berkshires has a number of experienced wedding professionals ready to assist you, each with networks of vendors connected to them. Or, if you’ve already chosen your venue, you may prefer to freelance the fixings. Most venues are happy to make recommendations (some have planners of their own), and they are likely to have a “preferred vendors” list of people and businesses they’ve successfully worked with before. The final BerkshiresCalendar.com
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Hancock Shaker Village | Jocelyn Vassos/Dear Edith and Lily Studio, Red Lion Inn | Eric Limรณn Photography, Chimney Corners| Christopher Duggan Photography
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choices will be up to you, however. The Berkshires has depth (and healthy competition) in all departments, which is another reason to get married in these hills. Bear in mind that a venue coordinator is not the same as a wedding planner; the latter are more likely to have seamstresses on speed-dial if a dress needs to be repaired at the last minute. “I’ve shot many weddings in the Berkshires,” says Great Barrington-based photographer Eric Limón, “and I’ve seen the effect this region has on people. Maybe it’s because they’re destination weddings, couples indulge in a little fantasy. They’re not at their local church, synagogue, or country club — they’ve been transported to this other environment, maybe an old mansion or a rustic barn or a museum, where they’re surrounded by natural beauty, history, and art. Couples get creative.” You’ll find that Berkshire venues, even the more formal ones, encourage your input. You may decide to have the works — the rehearsal dinner, the ceremony, the reception, the dancing, and even the sleeping and the brunch, all in one place, or you may choose to move yourselves and your guests around for each phase of your celebration. If the latter, you can charter bus or limo service as needed. Chances are you won’t have far to go. Large indoor spaces such as barns are one option for rehearsal dinners and receptions, and outdoor tents are another. One of the beauties of a tent is that you can pitch it anywhere, including in your well-off Berkshire aunt’s backyard. Of course, you don’t pitch it yourself, you call an experienced outfit like Mahaiwe Tent of Great Barrington, which will also rent (and set up) tables, linens, dinnerware, bars, bandstands, and flooring for dancing. Massachusetts and Vermont were leaders in authorizing same-sex marriage, and New York followed not long behind. Gay couples will find a warm welcome in the area. The same goes for interracial and minority couples in a region that remains predominantly white. Plus, it’s easy to get to for you and your guests. Western Massachusetts is only 2½ hours by car from Boston and New York; there’s also bus service. The Albany airport and Bradley Field outside of Hartford are each about an hour away, depending on where in the Berkshires everyone will be heading, with limo service available. The nearest Amtrak route runs from New York along the Hudson; the stops at Hudson and Albany are 45 minutes or so from the lower and upper Berkshires, respectively. One thing’s for sure: the Berkshires are full of comfortable and interesting places for your guests to stay, from B & Bs to inns, hotels, and resorts. And another thing: the towns are loaded with attractive and original shops, cafés, galleries, and eateries. Exceptional cultural, horticultural, and recreational opportunities abound: you won’t have to worry about keeping your guests entertained; in fact, they’ll be disappointed if you don’t allow them time to roam a little. Don’t blame your guests if they decide to linger when the time comes for you to jet off to Bali. The whole idea of a wedding is to gather the people you know and love to witness this rite of passage. It takes a village, as someone once said. Your later lives may take you far from the scene of your vows, but you’ll always have the Berkshires to return to, to remind you of how it all began. Adam and Eve (alas) never had it so good.
MASS MoCA | Jennifer Mckenna Photography; Santarella | Jocelyn Vassos/Dear Edith and Lily Studio
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Venues by category Just a little cottage in the Berkshires…
Norman Rockwell’s The Marriage License was set in Stockbridge, just a few doors away from the artist’s studio. The couple Rockwell recruited to use as models were actually engaged.
Making it Legal Marriage is a contract governed by the laws of the state where the marriage is recorded. In Massachusetts, a town clerk issues a license (for a small fee, $20 to $35, depending on the town — bring cash or check and a photo ID). Even if you’re going to elope, plan ahead: there’s a three-day waiting period from the time you apply for the license to the time that you can pick it up. You need to apply for the license in person, but you can do that at any town clerk’s office in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (and that’s where your legal papers will be recorded if you ever need to request copies). Some town clerks will mail your license to you, but others require you to pick it up in person. It’s good for 60 days from the time of issue. Bring your license to the wedding, because your officiant will need to sign it. He or she must be authorized by the Secretary of State to perform the ceremony — or rather, execute the contract. Massachusetts Justices of the Peace, as well as in-state members of the clergy, will already have authorization, but out-of-state JPs and clergy will have to file an application for authorization well ahead of time. The same goes for a friend or family member acting as a “one-day officiant,” which has become an increasingly popular option, according to Berkshires town clerks. Where are the couples who come to the Lenox Town Clerk’s office coming from (there were 40 of them last year)? “We’ve been getting a lot from Brooklyn lately,” says Town Clerk Kerry Sullivan. “But we also get couples from Texas and California. I’ve noticed that a lot of couples like to sit under the dome in our beautiful town hall while I’m doing their paperwork. It’s a nice small-town experience.” Apropos, if you’re thinking about stepping right into that Rockwell painting, I’m afraid you can’t; the Stockbridge town offices have moved down the street since 1954. Don’t leave town without seeing the painting itself, though (at the Norman Rockwell Museum). One more tip: make sure you know how to spell your mother’s maiden name! For Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, and Connecticut marriages, the regs are easily found online.
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A “Berkshire cottage,” that is, from back in the good old Gilded Age, when 75 grand summer homes were built in Lenox and Stockbridge by the one-percenters of the day (banking, railroads, law). A number of those homes are now open to the public, and they all host weddings. If your dream is to get married at Edith Wharton’s summer place (The Mount) in Lenox in the presence of, say, 250 of your friends, it can be arranged. So can more intimate gatherings in the halls and gardens of many of these “cottages.”
Apple Tree Inn | LENOX Constructed in 1885 as a private residence and since 1937 operating as an inn, the property has longrange views of the mountains and a beautifully sited swimming pool. Celebrations take place under a tent or in the main house.
Blantyre | LENOX Built at the turn of the century in the Feudal-Revival style, elegantly refurbished Blantyre boasts of “a new age of Gilded Grandeur.” An on-site wedding professional will help you design every aspect your celebration.
Chesterwood | STOCKBRIDGE Sculptor Daniel Chester French purchased this grand property in 1896 for use as his summer home and studio. He modeled his great statue of Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial here and designed the gardens too, leaving a lovely flat spot to pitch a wedding tent, even one for 500 guests (it happens). The house and studio are open to the wedding party during the cocktail hour.
Cranwell Resort-Miraval
wellness — and weddings — as of June 1, after a major renovation. Cranwell was acquired by Miraval Resorts last year.
Gateways Inn | LENOX Harley Proctor (think Proctor & Gamble) built this retreat during the Gilded Age building boom, and it comes with a staff experienced at managing weddings. Various packages are on offer, depending on the number of guests. The atmosphere is intimate, whether for elopements or up to parties of 80.
Seven Hills Inn and Restaurant | LENOX What began as an 18th-century farmhouse became in the 19th century a Berkshire cottage and in the 20th an elegant 54-room inn with a long history of hosting weddings and prominent Tangle‑ wood musicians. A just-completed renovation has brought all of its facilities up to date, including the pool, and an in-house wedding planner will make it easy for you to take the plunge.
The Mount | LENOX Edith Wharton didn’t just live well and write at The Mount (built in 1902); she also designed the house and gardens. Her 112acre estate is open to the public, except when a wedding is going on: then you can have one of the pearls of the Berkshires all to yourselves.
Thornewood Inn GREAT BARRINGTON This oasis of an inn (there is a pool) has been operated by the same family since 1983. They transformed an old Dutch Colonial house into an elegant country inn with its own restaurant (The Point) and host weddings for up to 140 guests.
LENOX The resort’s 380 green acres will be fully open for business — and
Ventfort Hall | LENOX Fifty-room, Jacobean-Revival
Kemble Inn | LENOX
Stonover | LENOX With farm-and-cottage design from 1890, a beautiful barn, a lawn, a duck pond, and 14 rooms (including a bridal hideaway), Stonover is the ideal rustic-elegant wedding venue. Eric Limón Photography
Ventfort Hall, built in 1893 for J.P. Morgan’s sister and her husband, features 28,000 square feet of living space and a number of event rooms and halls — but the staff makes sure that no one gets lost (or moves in).
Wheatleigh | STOCKBRIDGE Built as a Mediterranean-Revival villa in 1892, since 1976 Wheatleigh has been operated as a hotel. Proximity to Tanglewood contributes to its cachet.
Inns and Hotels There is something undeniably convenient about having at least part of your wedding at the hotel or inn where you and your guests will be staying. These places are in the hospitality business: they’ll take good care of you. And each offers something unique.
Fairfield Inn & Suites GREAT BARRINGTON A stylish Marriot hotel in the South County neighborhood also accommodates wedding events in a room with a capacity of 150. Blocks of ten rooms earn a discount.
Courtyard Lenox Berkshires LENOX This is a second Marriott hotel, with architecture and views that
pay homage to the Berkshire cottage aesthetic. An event space can accommodate up to 77 people, and the hotel offers discounts for blocks of wedding guests.
Devonfield Inn | LEE This country house B & B is an early 19th-century dwelling with 11 rooms and suites tailored to contemporary hospitality standards. On the small side for weddings, the Inn offers elopement packages complete with officiant to perform the ceremony (but remember that it takes three days to get a marriage license, so plan ahead).
Renovated in this decade as a modern boutique hotel, the Kemble Inn provides a romantic setting for weddings and elopements. It’s LBGT-run and has welcomed same-sex couples since its reopening. There’s a commercial kitchen, among other amenities, and the Inn can comfortably accommodate from 25 to 175 guests (the latter groups under a tent).
Lakehouse Inn | LEE There is something about a lake house — a peaceful place away from it all by calm waters. This one’s on Laurel Lake, on the Lee-Lenox line. You can rent the whole 16-room inn for the weekend and hold as many of your events there as you like. The lawn can accommodate 150 guests.
Porches | NORTH ADAMS MASS MoCA (across the street and the river) is a repurposed former mill, and Porches is a one-of-a-kind boutique inn that repurposes a row of 19th-century millworkers’ houses. The two exponents of North Adams’ makeover aesthetic sometimes
work together for weddings, though Porches can also handle intimate, arty-elegant celebrations on its own.
Red Lion Inn | STOCKBRIDGE Venerable and fun at the same time, the Red Lion specializes in smaller weddings (“from eight to eighty”). It’s been located on the same Main Street corner since 1773 and now bills itself as a “village,” as it includes accommodations adjacent to the substantial main building. You can sip mimo‑ sas in the flower-filled courtyard and toast the bride and groom in private banqueting rooms with antique prints and china lining the walls.
Rookwood Inn | LENOX The Inn began life in 1825 as the Williams Tavern and got a Victorian makeover, complete with turret, in the 1880s. Modern renovations now combine with antique furnishings for a homey-elegant feel. The inn advertises “Elopement Packages” (innkeeper Amy is a Massachusetts Justice of the Peace, should you require one), and couples and their families sometimes take the Inn over as their base
Garden Gable Inn | LENOX The Inn is a charming and luxurious leafy retreat of 14rooms located in the heart of Lenox. It’s operated by the same people who run Hilltop Orchards in nearby Richmond, which has become a wedding venue in its own right in recent years. Couples and company often stay at the Inn.
Hotel on North | PITTSFIELD This 45-room boutique hotel on Pittsfield’s main street occupies a stately brick building made over with a warm, modern, Berkshires-urban vibe. They’re ready to handle all of your wedding needs in style or just part of them.
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Race Brook Lodge | SHEFFIELD If your idea of a wedding involves a romantic getaway with easy access to hiking trails, this 31-room rustic retreat in a wooded setting at the foot of Race Mountain will suit you and your guests in fine style. A barn provides space for a reception and dancing far into the night. Wake up to birdsong in the morning. Eric Limón Photography
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wedding and a dance. The plays that Shakespeare & Company puts on each season take priority, but weddings are hosted at openings in the schedule.
of operations for weddings. The setting is secluded, but only a short walk to the town center.
Santarella | TYRINGHAM Also known as the Gingerbread House, one-of-a-kind Santarella was the home of British sculptor Sir Henry Hudson Kitson — and perhaps also his masterpiece. If you’re hoping to have a fairy-tale wedding, this might be the place. There’s a “honeymoon silo” if you decide to linger.
Museums and Libraries It might at first seem odd to have a wedding at a museum — unless you’re both paleontologists — but in case you haven’t noticed, museums are themselves getting engaged…in society, in creative new ways. They inspire — like the Muses for which they are named — and they have beautiful and unusual spaces that are unused after hours. So do libraries. And, of course, they need all the revenue streams they can get.
Berkshire Museum PITTSFIELD Located right in the heart of downtown Pittsfield, this eclectic museum offers a unique Art Deco reception setting in its elegant Crane Room. You can pose on the Art Deco staircase, too. Rental fees are modest; some restrictions apply.
MASS MoCA | NORTH ADAMS MASS MoCA has been doing weddings for 20 years, but is increasingly in demand for ceremonies and receptions with a contemporary buzz. The spaces in this palace of brick and glass are dramatic and highly Instagrammable. One is a new, dedicated event space with a production team available to help you put on any kind of a show. You can gather in galleries and also make use of outdoor spaces. New trend: couples are getting married at MASS MoCA in all seasons. New Year’s Eve is
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Tanglewood | LENOX
Lenox Library | LENOX The architecture is impressive, and the spaces inside are on a human scale. The Lenox Library has become an especially popular spot for rehearsal dinners, especially for booklovers and those who want to escape the ordinary. There is something delightfully transgressive, too, about turning the circulation desk into a bar. And in not being quiet! But if the band plays past bedtime, you may have to pay a fine. Eric Limón Photography
now a coveted date (plus, you can file jointly).
Norman Rockwell Museum STOCKBRIDGE This is Norman Rockwell country, but until you’ve spent time at the Norman Rockwell Museum you may not have yet taken the full measure of Rockwell’s art. If you get married there — down by the Housatonic River behind the Museum is a popular spot — you and your guests will have the Museum to yourselves during cocktails (served on the terrace). Docents will be there to guide you through the galleries if you wish. In any case, Rockwell will lend his genius and humor to your celebration. And everybody will be moved by The Marriage License. A tent over the terrace accommodates 150, but you’ll have to stop the music and dancing at 11 pm.
Clark Art Institute
vows, while the terrace and adjacent indoor exhibition spaces are often used for cocktails and reception dinners. All this happens after Museum hours. The Museum collections are not open during weddings, but many out-of-town guests return the following day to see the art.
Theaters & Tanglewood Jacob’s Pillow | BECKET Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Dennis were the (married) couple who began it all in the 1930s. Dance companies come from all over the world to perform, and students to learn. Couples also come to get married and have their receptions. Some are dancers, some are drawn to a place that has been the site of so much physical and artistic energy. Plan ahead! The Pillow is already booked for the rest of this year.
WILLIAMSTOWN
Shakespeare & Company
The Clark is the latest museum to get into the wedding business (as of 2016). The striking architecture, and the way it fits into the landscape, impart an aura to ceremonies. The spreading maple at the foot of the Reflecting Pond is a favorite setting for
LENOX Shakespeare’s comedies end in marriage, sometimes in more than one marriage (like Lenox on a summer Saturday). Whatever the confusion that comes before (and there is always confusion before) gets resolved in a
A lot goes on at Tanglewood! 300,000 visitors flow in and out every summer. But management is somehow able to — orchestrate — everything, including weddings in a variety of settings on Tanglewood’s 400 bosky acres. You don’t have to be musical to feel musical. Plus, you’re supporting the BSO.
Camps Married life is an adventure, so why not start it off where you and your guests are sure to have fun in an idyllic lakeside setting? Camp-style weddings tend toward bohemian chic. Perhaps you once toasted marshmallows at this very camp. What better setting for a rite of passage? Some advice: leave your heels at home; be careful with fire; and don’t tip over your canoe.
Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA | BECKET Two well-established camps on waterfront property, Camp Becket for boys and Chimney Corners for girls, provide a peaceful setting for woodsy weddings. Rustic buildings are complemented by modern, full-service dining facilities, and members of your party can sleep over in the cabins and lodges. There is plenty to keep friends and family busy over the course of the wedding weekend with a fleet of canoes, a ropes course, and other traditional camp activities. It all makes the perfect setting for earning merit badges or taking wedding vows.
Camp Lenox | LEE Camp facilities may be rented May 25-June 10 and August 13-September 15. Have the ceremony on the dock and the reception at the lodge and dance the night away, with breaks to gaze up at the stars.
Jiminy Peak | HANCOCK You don’t have to be a skier to choose a ski mountain for your ceremony. But it’s handy to be transported up to the top on the express chairlifts, and the views over the valley below are sensational. There’s a little alpine village at the summit with plenty of lodging and reception spaces. Mountain Bay Photography
Adams, you know that it goes right over a mountain (the same one that the famous Hoosac Tunnel goes through). The spacious but cozy main lodge on this 50-acre estate provides a dramatic summit setting for weddings, with peace and quiet (until the music starts), cabins for your guests, and an all-season outdoor hot tub to relax — or frolic — in.
By the Links You don’t have to be a golfer to hold a wedding or a reception at one of the Berkshires’ scenic golf clubs, but if you are, there’s no place like home.
Pittsfield Country Club PITTSFIELD
Camp WA WA Segowea SOUTHFIELD Have your wedding “the WA WA way” (ex-campers will know what that means, and it’s all good) in sylvan surroundings at a private lake with a lodge, dining hall, kitchen, cabins (so your guests can sleep over!), and even an outdoor chapel.
In the Mountains Bascom Lodge MT. GREYLOCK If you want to be on top of the world when you get married in Massachusetts, this is the place, just a hundred yards south of the summit of Mt. Greylock, at 3,3491 ft. the Bay State’s highest peak. A paved road will get you there; some outdoorsy couples hike up. The solidly built rusticelegant lodge sleeps 34 in a variety of arrangements. And there are no neighbors to disturb if the celebration gets out of hand.
Rose and Goat Retreat FLORIDA (MASS.) If you’ve ever driven the Mohawk Trail (Route 2) east of North
Herman Melville’s brother once owned it; Herman Melville’s lover was married to the man who owned it; Melville himself lived next door. The 1785 manor became home to a golf club in 1900, and the original building forms the main part of the present structure. The porch is ideal for cocktails, the Grand Ball-room and smaller banqueting rooms for dining and dancing.
Berkshire Hills Country Club PITTSFIELD A.W. Tillinghast designed the course in the 1920s, but the attraction for wedding parties is the striking 2003 clubhouse with its wrap-around deck and ballroom with space for 300 guests. This is a popular spot for celebrations, hosting more than 30 weddings per year.
Egremont Country Club GREAT BARRINGTON Mountain views, a canopied deck, and a banqueting hall in the clubhouse that can accommodate 250 guests make this a sweet green setting for
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Church on the Hill | LENOX
weddings. You’ll have the first fairway on one side and the 18th hole on the other: life itself.
Farms, Gardens, Barns & Orchards Berkshire Botanical Garden STOCKBRIDGE The 15-acre gardens have been one of the gems of the Berkshires since the 1930s. Recent renovations to the 18th-century Center House have opened the property to expanded eventhosting, and it’s already become a popular spot for day-after-theceremony brunches. It’s like being in the middle of a wedding bouquet, and you enter through a “living wall” of plants.
Chrissey Farm GREAT BARRINGTON Some Berkshires “event barns” are old; this one’s new (2007) and
Saint James Place | GREAT BARRINGTON It looks like a church — it was a church (an Episcopal church) — but since 2017 it’s been a beautifully restored event space (three of them, to be precise) for performances, community gatherings, and weddings. Located right in downtown Great Barrington, air-conditioned, handicap-accessible, pet friendly, with excellent lighting and acoustics and a caterer’s kitchen, it’s an elegant blend of sacred and secular. Christina Lane Photography
“green” (solar powered). The owners, Gary and Chelsea, get high ratings from reviewers, and the reasonable rental fee will let you save something for the honeymoon.
Gedney Farm NEW MARLBOROUGH
Bloom Meadows HANCOCK A terraced lawn beside a wildflower meadow for ceremonies, a stone patio for cocktails, a rustic-modern event barn for up to 170 guests for dinner and dancing, all by a bend in the road in rural Hancock. Owners Sarah and Greg got married there themselves! Jocelyn Vassos/Dear Edith and Lily Studio
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Located in a National Historic District, Gedney Farm is a former dairy farm that now offers lodging (16 rooms) in the elegantly converted cattle barn and three levels of event space in the old horse barn. Both venues have AC and heat — Berkshire weather can be so changeable! The shade of an ancient black cherry tree is a popular site for ceremonies, and acres of rolling fields make for a private, bucolic setting that wedding parties typically take over for the weekend.
Hancock Shaker Village
Hilltop Orchards | RICHMOND No matter what part of the growing cycle you choose — from apple blossom time in May to when the trees are hung with fruit later in the season — an orchard wedding is as close to paradise as it gets. Get married underneath the boughs, celebrate under the tent. And if you’re looking for a place to stay, the owners of Hilltop also run the Garden Gable Inn in Lenox.
You can see why the first settlers of Lenox decided to put their meetinghouse here. The present church, belonging to the United Church of Christ, dates from 1805. It’s not only beautiful, but welcoming: “Church on the Hill celebrates Christian marriages for couples of all sexual orientations and gender identities.” The chapel, located down the hill, is also available. The church’s wedding specialist will be glad to help you with your plans.
First Congregational Church of Stockbridge STOCKBRIDGE This beautiful brick-and-wood church bills itself as “a sun-filled sanctuary for couples planning the quintessential New England wedding.” The church can accommodate ceremonies both large and small (with seating for up to 400 including the balcony). There’s a Steinway piano and a Johnson organ — and someone available to play them. The Pastor will help you plan the ceremony — and talk to you about the meaning of marriage, too.
First Congregational Church of Williamstown WILLIAMSTOWN
Churches & Synagogues For couples who prefer to make their vows in a sacred setting, many Berkshire churches are happy to open their doors and rent their facilities — and provide spiritual counseling too. Among the most popular religious wedding ceremony destinations in the Berkshires are these.
PITTSFIELD
The Guthrie Center
The practice of celibacy contributed to the Shaker sect’s decline, but their influence is felt to this day in many fields — and the fact is that the restored Shaker Village (also a working farm) makes a one-of-a-kind spot to get married or hold a reception. ‘Tis the gift to be simple!
GREAT BARRINGTON It was once the Trinity Church; it was once where a certain restaurateur named Alice lived; now it’s a place where people come together for inter-faith services, spiritual exchange, music, and events like weddings, in a welcoming atmosphere.
Classic colonial architecture in a village setting makes this a popular wedding destination in the northern Berkshires. The light-filled sanctuary and spacious event hall can accommodate weddings large and small. “We welcome weddings and commitment ceremonies of all sexual orientations and gender expressions,” says the Church’s website.
Synagogues There are a number of synagogues and temples in the Berkshires of various denominations — Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist. Jewish couples “from away” who want to be married by a local rabbi who is licensed in Massachusetts can find the names of Berkshire
for the (big) day. It’s not for sleepovers, but it makes a grand setting for weddings. The adjacent Carriage Barn is well equipped for receptions, and the house is surrounded by beautiful gardens and green fields where horses graze.
Mount Anthony Country Club BENNINGTON Set on 110 acres of rolling green slopes beneath the Bennington Battle Monument in historic Old Bennington, with views north and east to the Valley of Vermont and its flanking Green and Taconic Mountains, the clubhouse and its elegant event spaces beckon couples and guests in all seasons. The ballroom seats 200, the banquet room 80, and the on-site restaurant (The Grille) ensures smooth food service sourced from Vermont farms. Mountain Bay Photography
congregations online. Start by calling rabbis to see who you like and who is available.
Weddings without Borders Southern Vermont shares the same mountains as the Berkshires and it’s also a prime wedding destination. Here are some of the most popular venues.
VERMONT Park McCullough House NORTH BENNINGTON This well-preserved, 35-room Romantic Revival mansion, built in 1865 by lawyer and entrepreneur Trenor Park, can be yours
A charming wedding venue in Great Barrington.
Equinox Resort MANCHESTER There has been a hostelry on this site since the time of the Revolutionary War. The innkeeper proved to be a Loyalist, so his tavern was sold to help fund the fledgling government of Vermont. These days it makes an elegant setting for weddings. The Pavilion on the Pond, close by but a world away, is a dreamy site for ceremonies, cocktails, and dinners. Picture the pond reflecting the steeply rising slopes of Mt. Equinox by moonlight (in Vermont).
Hildene MANCHESTER
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Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert Todd Lincoln became a railroad magnate as President of the Pullman Company, and there’s a beautifully restored Pullman car on the property. It’s the dramatic setting on an escarpment overlooking the Valley of Vermont that is the draw for couples and their guests. The house itself, with a moving exhibition on President Lincoln in one of the upstairs rooms, is open during the cocktail hour. With thirty weddings taking place on the grounds each year, the staff knows how to put on a successful celebration.
The Inn at Manchester MANCHESTER 21 rooms in a classic Vermont inn minutes from Manchester’s shops and eateries, plus a 2,500 square foot Celebration Barn opened in 2015,
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make this a popular venue for both intimate and large-scale weddings and receptions.
Wilburton Inn MANCHESTER The Levis family has run the Inn since 1937 and has put their creative stamp on a 1902 mansion and estate. The setting is magnificent; it’s on the same stretch of land as Hildene, a little higher up. The Inn and adjacent villas can accommodate 100 guests, and 60 more can stay at smaller mansions operated by the Inn. Dinner for 250 is no problem, and this year dining and dancing can take place in the new tented marble pavilion.
The West Mountain Inn ARLINGTON In town they still talk about Michael J. Fox’s wedding at the Inn. Such a nice man! The Inn is nice too, an elegant Vermont country house with a built-forthe-ages barn from 1900 that has been discreetly equipped as a modern event space. An idyllic wedding venue.
NEW YORK Basilica Hudson HUDSON Basilica Hudson is a non-profit multi-disciplinary arts center founded in 2010 that hosts events, screenings, community gatherings — and rentals. 7,000 square feet of light-filled interior space in a reclaimed 1880s factory building on the Hudson River; 10,000 square feet of outdoor space; 400 feet south of the Amtrak station in Hudson; plenty of free parking; with a range of equipment, tables and chairs and lighting included. If you’re planning a big wedding...
Helsinki Hudson HUDSON A beautifully renovated 1863 brick and wood industrial building a mile away from the river offers four distinct event spaces, each of which is available separately or in any
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combination and all of which are wheelchair accessible. The Restaurant can seat 85, the Club 250, and when a massive panel is slid away they combine to handle nearly 500. One floor up, the spacious Ballroom, for dining and dancing, has its own entrance. Lastly, the Courtyard off the Restaurant is ideal for outdoor gatherings and can accommodate tents.
Copake Country Club CRARYVILLE 160 scenic green acres by Copake Lake, with both indoor and outdoor spaces for ceremonies and dinners, has made the Club a popular wedding destination. The Greens restaurant, located right at the Club, and the Barn at Copake Lake are part of the attraction.
Mount Gulian Historic Site FISHKILL Tucked away on 48 acres overlooking the Hudson River, Mount Gulian is an 18th-century Dutch Colonial homestead with a beautiful Dutch barn from the 1720s and picturesque flower garden. What’s historic about it? The homestead served as headquarters to General von Steuben during the Revolutionary War and was where the Society of the Cincinnati was founded after the war ended. George Washington was its first president before he became ours.
CONNECTICUT Wake Robin Inn LAKEVILLE 38 rooms and reception space for up to 225 guests make the Wake Robin an attractive choice for larger weddings in northwest Connecticut. Plus, it’s on a hilltop, with birds and flowers (btw, the wake robin is one of the latter).
farmers markets BERKSHIRE GROWN
BENNINGTON FARMERS MARKET
LEE FARMERS MARKET
NORTH ADAMS FARMERS MARKET
AMENIA, N.Y. Amenia Farmers Market
CORNWALL, CONN. The Original Cornwall Farmers Market
HANCOCK, Mass. Hancock Farmers Market
ameniafarmersmarket.com
cornwallfarmmarket.org
Located between the firehouse
Amenia Town Hall parking lot, Rte. 22
413 Sharon Goshen Tnpk.,
and Hancock Central School.
Fridays 3pm-7pm, May–October
West Cornwall CT 06796
Sundays 10am-3pm and Wednesdays
A wide selection of fresh produce, farm products, prepared foods, and more.
Saturdays 10am-1pm, May 18–October 26
10am-2pm, June 16–October 13
Locally grown, raised and artisanal handcrafted food, flowers, edible and ornamental plants.
A roadside farm stand and farmers market offering local organic fruit and produce.
Accepting WIC, SFMNP. BENNINGTON, Vt. Bennington Farmers Market
3210 Hancock Rd/ Rte. 43,
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. Berkshire Area Farmers Market
benningtonfarmersmarket.org
DALTON, Mass. Dalton Public Market
150 Depot St., at the Riverwalk Park
Community Recreation Association,
Old State Rd. and Rte. 8
400 Main St.
Wednesdays and Saturdays 8am-2pm, May
Thursdays 4pm-7pm, June–August
4–October 26
Organic vegetables, grass-fed beef and
Vegetables, fruit, plants, meat and more.
Saturdays 10am-1pm, May 4–October 26 Fresh produce, baked goods, eggs, crafts, jams and jellies, and more. Accepts debit
Berkshire Mall parking lot,
cards.
lamb, pastured heritage pork, maple prod-
COPAKE/HILLSDALE, N.Y. Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market
books, and other locally made items. Artist pavilion features local artists works for sale.
leefarmersmarket.com
copakehillsdalefarmersmarket.com
Libation tastings and prepared foods.
25 Park Place, at the town park at the inter-
Roeliff Jansen (Roe Jan) Park, 9140 Rte. 22, ½ mile south of Rte. 23, Hillsdale
ucts, plants, seedlings, micro greens, soaps,
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. Great Barrington Farmers Market
LEE, Mass. Lee Farmers Market
sections of Main St., Housatonic St., and West Park St., in front of the First Congregational Church.
greatbarringtonfarmersmarket.org
Saturdays 10am-2pm, May 25–October 12
May 25–October 26
18 Church St.
Market held rain or shine.
Organic vegetables, fruits, locally raised meats, specialty products, prepared food, cheese, bread, baked goods, eggs, jams/ jellies, honey, maple syrup. Live music and
Saturdays 9am-1pm, May 11–October 26
Accepts SNAP/HIP.
Saturdays, 9am-1pm,
children’s programming.
Meet your farmers, listen to live music, run into friends, and above all eat good food. Accepts SNAP/EBT/HIP/WIC/Senior FMNP.
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food & farm
find more at berkshirescalendar.com
MILLERTON, N.Y. Millerton Farmers Market
SALISBURY, Conn. Salisbury Farmers Market
millertonfarmersmarket.org Millerton Methodist Church,
38 Main St.
6 Dutchess Ave.
Scoville Memorial Library Lawn
Saturdays 10am-2pm, May 18–October 26
Saturdays 10am-1pm
Managed by the North East Community Center. A wide variety of seasonal organic produce, pasture-raised meats, fruit, cheeses, baked goods and prepared foods. All vendors are local and follow sustainable
May 18–October 12 Organic vegetables, grass-fed meats (chicken, pork, and heirloom beef), breads, fresh donuts, coffee, maple syrup, honey, jams, seedlings, ornamental plants, cut flowers, health and beauty products, breakfast, lunch, occasional tastings and
and ethical growing practices. MONTEREY, Mass. Monterey Farmers Market
live music!
chef demos.
In the center of town
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. North Adams Farmers Market explorenorthadams.com/item/northadams-farmers-market
SHEFFIELD, Mass. Sheffield Farmers Market
Municipal parking lot on St. Anthony Drive between Marshall St. and Holden St.
125 Main St.
Tuesdays, 4pm-6pm, Opening June 5th Offering vegetables, eggs, meat, cheese, baked goods, jam, fruit and more. NEW LEBANON, N.Y. New Lebanon Farmers Market facebook.com/newlebanonfarmersmarket
Saturdays 9am-1pm, June 8–October 19 Accepts SNAP/EBT/HIP.
519 State Rte. 20/22 Columbia County Turnpike Sundays 10am-2pm, June–October A community gathering place to access locally grown and produced food, goods, art, and entertainment. Vendor- run market. Accepts SNAP/EBT/HIP, Senior Coupons, credit cards.
OTIS, Mass. Otis Farmers Market
WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. West Stockbridge Farmers Market
Otis Farmers Market has been going strong since 2005. Each year continues to get better and better with more
PITTSFIELD, Mass. Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market
Locally grown fruit and vegetables, locally raised meat, herbs, cheese, yogurt, bread, cookies, tarts and pies, jewelry, honey, maple syrup, jams, pickles, arts, crafts, and much more. Enjoy our local farmers, food producers and artisans while listening to
farmersmarketpittsfield.org The Common Park on First St. Saturdays 9am-1pm, May 12–October 13 Year-round producer-only market. Fresh, local & seasonal produce, pasture-raised meats, eggs, cheese, bread, wine, coffee, artisan goods & more. Live music, chef demos, workshops & children’s activities. A program of Alchemy Initiative. SNAP, HIP, WIC & Senior FMNP benefits proudly accepted
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The place in Sheffield to buy and sell food fresh from the farm as well as other locally produced goods directly from the producers while socializing with your friends and neighbors. Rain or shine. Accepts SNAP,
Saturdays 9am-1pm, May 25–October 12
norfolkfarmersmarket.org
Saturdays, 10am-1pm, May–October
Fridays 3pm-6:00pm, May 4–October 11
HIP, Berkshares, debit and credit cards.
vendors and more to choose from.
of Rte. 44
Old Parish Church parking lot
In the parking lot of Papa’s Healthy Food and Fuel, 2000 East Otis Rd., East Otis
NORFOLK, Conn. Norfolk Farmers Market Town Hall, 19 Maple Ave. One block north
sheffieldfarmersmarket.org
weststockbridgefarmersmarket.org Village Center, The Green at the Foundry opposite the Post Office Thursdays 3pm-7pm, May 23–October 3 Fabulous Food, Entertainment and Fun. Meet the farmers! Find the Rooster at the Market & Win a Prize! Rain or shine. Accepts SNAP/EBT. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. Williamstown Farmers Market williamstownfarmersmarket.org also Facebook Parking lot at the base of Spring Street Saturdays 9am-1pm, May 18–October 12
day trip
woodstock — the town behind the brand
Clockwise from left: Natalie Chitwood, istockphoto/littleny, Jim Gibbons, Jim Gibbons, Shutterstock
“The most famous small town in the world,” crows the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Arts, overlooking a case of mistaken identity. They’re right about the “small,” though; the year-round pop. (about 5,800) is still what it was in 1969. Famous or not, the town hasn’t lost that funky feeling, as the street scenes above attest.
Forget (for a moment)
the Festival, which, as everybody but a few hapless tourists knows, took place elsewhere, in a town (Bethel) many Woodstock residents have never visited and can’t even give directions to. Woodstockers have their own scene, and they’ve had it since the early 19th century. That was when the area’s rural beauty and teeming trout streams attracted well-heeled anglers and painters from New York. In 1902 the southern slopes of Overlook Mountain became home to the Byrdcliffe Colony, a utopian settlement with an arts focus whose residents filled the fields with easels on summer afternoons. Esopus Creek was dammed a decade later to make Ashokan Reservoir to provide drinking water to New York City; twelve communities with two thousand residents were displaced. The enormous project brought European immigrants and African Americans to the area as laborers, sowing the seeds of an ethnic diversity and vitality that the area retains to this day. Then came the musicians: first the folkies, then the rockers, to compose and record (Dylan, the Band, Paul Butterfield, and many more). The Woodstock Sound Outs, a series of music festivals in a country setting just outside of town, began in 1967. They attracted the notice of a young music promoter named Michael Lang, and
before long Woodstock Ventures was born. The spirit of Woodstock turned out to be a moveable feast: Lang and Co.’s Woodstock Festival took place more than 50 miles away two years later. Fifty years on, Woodstock locals have come to terms with it. Second home owners and the visitors drawn by the aura that inspired the Festival energize the local economy. The nostalgia shops take care of the past, and the still artsy beat of the town goes on in the present. “It might look sleepy, but Woodstock is actually kind of edgy,” says one local resident in a tone of approval. “Plus, you’re likely to recognize a few old rockers just going about their business if you keep an eye open.” Woodstock, on the west side of the Hudson, is in the Catskills, a scenic hour and a half from Pittsfield. In some ways it’s like the Berkshires, but funkier. You’re not at Tanglewood anymore, but closer to Bearsville (just west of town), the Utopia Soundstage and the production studios and offices of Radio Woodstock (101.1 WDST — be sure to tune in as you approach). Woodstock is a walking and shopping town. The sidewalks fill up on weekends, but no one is in a hurry. Galleries, craft stores, toy stores, clothing stores, jewelry stores, book stores, and more stores line the main drag of Mill Hill Rd. and its continuation as Tinker St. BerkshiresCalendar.com
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day trip
woodstock, new york
After midnight on the first day of the festival in 1969, an excited and obviously stoned 19-year-old singer from the Berkshires named Arlo Guthrie took the stage (after delivery by helicopter) and announced that “the New York State Thruway is closed, man” — it wasn’t, but the traffic jams were epic and nearby Thruway exits were indeed shut down. BerkshiresCalendar.com 72 BerkshiresCalendar.com
Museum at Bethel Woods This summer the Bethel Woods Center’s special exhibition at the Museum at Bethel Woods is We Are Golden: Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival and Aspirations for a Peaceful Future. The Center will also be hosting Mountain Jam, one of the Northeast’s largest rock n’ roll camping music festivals, now in its 15th year, with Willie Nelson and many more June 13–16. In August, on the same dates as the original Festival (August 15–18), Carlos Santana (who performed at it) and a strangely youthful 79-year-old Ringo Starr will appear. If you were at Woodstock or are of an age to remember it, you may be amused to learn that the grounds where it was held were recently the object of an archaeological dig.
Woodstock 50 If, in the end, it’s another Woodstock Music & Arts Fair you want, you’ll have to drive all the way to Watkins Glen in the Finger Lakes, which is nearer to Buffalo than it is to the Berkshires. There, August 16–18, Woodstock Ventures will be staging Woodstock 50, three days of peace, love, and music, with an activist bent. Santana will be playing there too, on the same bill as Miley Cyrus (who was born in 1992), along with Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper, Pussy Riot, and many more. Other performers from fifty summers ago will also make the scene, including Melanie, who was 22 at the time she sang alone for 400,000 in the Woodstock night. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
Clockwise from top right: Jim Gibson, Museum at Bethel Woods, James Shelley
You’ll find the work of accomplished local artists and artisans for sale at the Byrdcliffe Guild’s shop on Tinker (the 250-acre Byrdcliffe campus is a few miles outside of town). The Woodstock Artists Association is right next door; the Association is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. Opening receptions for new exhibits take place monthly. At Mower’s Flea Market, fifty or so vendors sell antiques, jewelry, vintage clothing, vinyl records, crystals and more; the weekend market opens a block off Mill Hill Road May 18 this year. To get there, you pass by Bread Alone — only it’s likely that the aroma of freshly baked croissants will get to you coming or going. The bakery serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch seven days a week; you can enjoy a poppy seed bagel in their outdoor courtyard while people-watching. Besides the need to shop, there is the need to dine. Woodstock is serious about good food, no, great food, especially of the farm-totable type. The Garden Café is one of the best vegan establishments anywhere. Cucina, SYLVIA, and Joshua’s Café for Mediterranean fare are places where you’re assured of a fine meal. If it’s just breakfast or lunch you’re after, Oriole 9 on Tinker is a local favorite. The streets can be crowded on weekends, but you can always escape to nature on one of the many hiking trails nearby, the one up 3,140 ft. Overlook Mountain, for example; it’s a 5-mile hike in and out. There’s a large Buddhist temple near the trailhead and the ruins of the Overlook Mountain House towards the summit, but otherwise it’s all natural; you’re not likely to see a rattlesnake, but they do breed on the mountain. The view from the top will amply reward you (climb the fire tower for even better views). For something less taxing, the beautiful 76-acre Comeau Property is open to hikers (and dogs on a leash) right near the center of town. The Waterfall Park along Tannery Brook is another popular spot within walking distance of the main streets. If you prefer to bike, you can rent equipment at Overlook Bicycles; you might like to try the dreamy paved path along part of the Ashokan Reservoir. If you want to see where almost half a million people gathered for three days of peace and music in 1969, you’ll have to leave Woodstock behind and hit the road to Bethel, an hour and a half southwest of town. The festival site now includes the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.
A concrete shell is all that remains of the Overlook Mountain House, near the summit of Overlook Mountain, which fell victim to the Depression and was never completed. The hiking trail leads right to the front steps. Relax in the ruins before pushing on to the summit.
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