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A SAMPLING OF THE SEASON’S OFFERINGS
SPR/SUM 2021
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56
40
51
59
6 Great Barrington
FEATURES & DEPARTMENTS
12 Stockbridge
37 Berkshire Reads
14 West Stockbridge
39 Events
16 Lee
40 Music
18 Lenox
43 Theater & Performance
20 Sheffield
45 Dance
22 Pittsfield
46 Visual Art
26 North Adams
48 Outdoor Fun
28 Williamstown
50 Out & About: Art in Public Places
30 Southern Vermont
56 Out & About: Gliding Across the Water
33 Salisbury, Connecticut
59 Farmers Markets
34 Hillsdale, New York
62 Day Trip: Shelburne Falls
TOWNS
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Berkshires
Welcome back!! The Berkshire Edge welcomes you to this issue of Berkshires Calendar magazine, an overview of what’s happening in the Berkshires (and a bit beyond) in May, June, and July 2021. This magazine focuses on places to go and things to do, and we publish three issues a year. Needless to say, we did not publish in print in 2020. What a joy to be back in print again, and to have our pages filled with theater, music, dance, culture, and intriguing outdoor activities. We’re back because the Berkshires are back. This magazine is a publication of The Berkshire Edge, a full-service online newspaper that you can read for free at theberkshireedge.com. This magazine is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s even more online. For the region’s most complete, varied and wide-ranging listing of events, everything from high culture to community dinners, visit our online calendar at berkshirescalendar.com. Our listings are complete because we invite the public to post their own events for free . . . and they do. Our calendar is updated daily and easy to use. Search by 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. In our beautiful online magazine section at berkshirescalendarmagazine. com, you can find expanded versions of what you see here in print, plus many more articles with interesting and useful information. And while you’re there, check out the rest of The Berkshire Edge for the latest news, opinions, reviews, real estate information, a wedding directory, and insight into life in the Berkshires. Plus poems, essays, cartoons, serialized novels, and lots of other surprises. Best regards,
Calendar .com YOUR LINK TO THE SEASONS’ OFFERINGS
Vol. 4. No. 1
PUBLISHER
Marcie L. Setlow
VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
James E. (Jim) Gibbons
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Leslie M. Noyes
ART DIRECTOR
Kelly A. Cade
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Rose A. Baumann
A publication of
edge
Berkshire
the
news & views worth having
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
David Scribner MANAGING EDITOR
Terry Cowgill ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR
Amy Krzanik ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Nicole Robbins
Marcie L. Setlow, Publisher P.S. Yes, the Berkshires are open again, but schedules might not always be back to normal. We tried to give you the most updated information here, but you’d be wise to check websites before you plan your activities.
The Berkshire Edge, LLC P.O. Box 117, Great Barrington, MA 01230 info@theberkshireedge.com www.theberkshireedge.com Contents Copyright © 2021 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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more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
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Jenifer House Commons, Great Barrington, MA • wingateltd.com • 413-644-9960 • Open daily 10 - 5
Contributors Spotlight ANDREW BLECHMAN Andrew Blechman is a former Great Barrington selectman and member of the Finance Committee. He is the author of two nationally reviewed books for Grove Atlantic, and has written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atlantic, among other publications. His pup, Gingersnap, a wolverine-honey badger mix, is perfect in every way.
JULIA DIXON Julia Dixon is a freelance writer, creative economy consultant, and artist based in North Adams, Mass. In addition to The Berkshire Edge, she has written articles and columns for Berkshire Magazine, The Berkshire Eagle, CommonWealth Magazine, and Americans for the Arts. She produced the Bennington County Cultural Plan in 2019 and has contributed to creative economy research projects throughout New England.
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.
AMY KRZANIK Amy serves as assistant managing editor for The Berkshire Edge. She lives in Adams, Massachusetts, and holds a BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College.
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.
Otis State Forest, Spectacle Pond, Gabrielle K. Murphy
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more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
Naumkeag at Night, David Edgecomb
PHOTO CREDITS: Cover: Adobe Stock Olga Lyubkin P 1: David Edgecomb; courtesy Zoar Outdoor; courtesy
Artscape; courtesy Tanglewood; courtesy Berkshire Grown; courtesy Catamount Aerial Adventure Park P 6: Kelly Cade P 8: Kelly Cade P 11: Kelly Cade P 12: Kelly Cade P 14: Kelly
Cade P 16: Kelly Cade P 18: Kelly Cade; David Edgecomb P 20: Kelly Cade; Hannah Van Sickle P 22: Kelly Cade; Leslie
Noyes; Gabrielle K. Murphy P 25: Ally Voner P 26: courtesy
OPEN DAILY 7:30-7 | SHOP ONLINE | CURBSIDE STORE.HAWTHORNEVALLEY.ORG
MASS MoCA; Kelly Cade P 27: Kelly Cade P 28: Kelly Cade P 30: Stephen Goodhue; courtesy Park-McCullough; courtesy
Manchester Designer Outlets P 32: courtesy Dorset Inn P 33: Kelly Cade P 34: Phil Holland, Kelly Cade P 34: Adobe
Stock, nyul; Adobe Stock amenic181; courtesy Leslie Noyes; courtesy Leslie Klein P 38: courtesy Marc Rosenthal; courtesy Christopher “Kit” Lucas; courtesy Kimberly Jochl P 39: Will McLaughlin; Coutesy Shakespeare & Company; Frank Stewart P 40: Fred Collins P 41: courtesy Close Encounters With Music,
Ken Howard; Nick Keene P 42: Lee Rogers Photography P 43: Daniel Rader P 44: Stratton McCrady; Emma K.
Rothenberg-Ware P 45: Rachel Neville; Paul B. Goode P 46: Tony Luong P 47: Thomas Clark; courtesy Berkshire Museum P 48: Gabrielle K. Murphy P 49: Gabrielle K. Murphy; courtesy
Berkshire Botanical Gardens; P 49: Gabrielle K. Murphy P 50: coutesy Art Omi P 51: Thomas Clark P 52: Courtesy Artscape P 53: Robin Tost; Chris Bierlein P 54: Kelly Cade P 55: Kelly Cade
We aim to give our students a sense that there is beauty, truth and goodness in the world. Engagement in practical arts such as handwork, farming, weaving, and building supports a sense that their choices and actions matter.
P 56: Andrew Blechman P 57: Andrew Blechman P 58: Andrew
Blechman P 59: courtesy Berkshire Grown; Adobe Stock, uckyo P 60: courtesy Berkshire Grown P 61: Adobe Stock, Anton Ignatenco; courtesy Berkshire Grown P 62: Adobe Stock, Cheryl P 63: Adobe Stock Ispil38; Abode Stock efaab0 P 64: Andrew Blechman
330 C O U N T Y R O U T E 21 C , G H E N T, N Y 1 2 0 75 H AW T H O R N E VA L L E Y S C H O O L .O R G | 5 1 8 . 672 . 70 92 X 1 1 1 C A L L TO L E A R N M O R E | A S K A B O U T T U I T I O N A S S I S TA N C E
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great barrington
best small town in America
Clockwise from left: Main Street planter, Main Street, The Bookloft, W.E.B. Du Bois trail.
It’s the Rome of the South County. Home to 7,100 people, Great Barrington is the southern Berkshires’ business and cultural hub. Visitors come for the fun shopping, superb restaurants, world-class entertainment, year-round outdoor recreation, and the recreational (and medical) cannabis dispensary that opened a year and a half ago Theory Wellness. The dispensary, which was the first such shop to open in the Berkshires, has been a hit (so to speak) with customers who like their weed legal and carefully sourced—and there are millions of them within driving distance who lack legal access to this popular herbal remedy in their home states. In the past year, four more have opened in Great Barrington. Three of them— woman-owned Calyx, Farnsworth Fine Cannabis and Great Barrington Recreational Cannabis (opening June 15) are right downtown on Main Street, and a fourth—Rebelle—is on Route 7 just south on town. Not all residents are happy about the “Best Small Town in America,” as Smithsonian Magazine named it in 2012, becoming “the pot capital of the Northeast.” Others point to the millions of dollars that have flowed into town coffers from a 3% municipal tax and a 3% community impact tax on cannabis sales. Great Barrington was founded in 1766, and its historic districts and quaint residential neighborhoods are within walking distance of open spaces. This is the birthplace of civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois, and an outdoor interpretive trail at his boyhood homesite is open to visitors.
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Great Barrington is blessed with a number of lively performing spaces, now slowly reopening post-COVID. The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, normally the anchor for the cultural life of the town with a full schedule of music, theater, films and other events, is showing movies for socially distanced audiences on weekends in June and July and will soon announce a schedule of live events for August. Church-turned-performancespace Saint James Place is available now for rent for socially distanced gatherings of up to 104 people and looks forward to welcoming 100 percent capacity events in August. The Guthrie (as in Arlo) Center on Division Street, normally a place to enjoy intimate folk concerts, has not yet posted a summer schedule. The Triplex Cinema downtown, where three screens have grown into four, is open again. Great Barrington is home to Bard College at Simon’s Rock, a four-year liberal arts “early college” with its new Bard Academy for ninth and tenth graders. Berkshire Community College also has a presence in town. The nearby village of Housatonic features renovated mill buildings, dance studios and art galleries. Great Barrington was a local pioneer in the farm-to-table movement, and wonderful restaurants are scattered throughout town. All restaurants are serving, following Massachusetts re-opening guidelines, including Baba Louie’s, Prairie Whale, Café Adam, the solar-powered Barrington Brewery and Restaurant, and Number 10 adjacent to the Mahaiwe. Meet friends for coffee or tea and a bite at Rubi’s, Fuel, and Patisserie Lenox, all on Main Street, or ExtraSpecialTeas on more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
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The new Berkshire Food Co-op with a piece of sculpture from the Art in Public Spaces Initiative. Elm, or the new twoflower café and bakery on Railroad Street. Or for a drink with light fare at Mooncloud on Railroad Street or Miller’s Pub on Main Street. The Berkshire Food Co-op in its new downtown digs on Bridge Street and Guido’s on Route 7 south of town are both open seven days a week year round for top-notch produce, meat, fish and more. Soco Creamery, on Railroad Street, serves great local ice cream. Or Robin’s
Fruit Trees-Blueberries-Seeds-Herbs-Veggie Starts Flowers Supporting Bees, Butterflies and Birds, too.
Candy on Main for your sweet tooth. Again this summer, Railroad Street, right downtown, will limit traffic on Friday and Saturday evenings so local restaurants can serve al fresco. And Barrington Courtyard, through the arcade of the Barrington House building on Main Street, has set up a friendly outdoor eating plaza where Tangier Café, Miller’s Pub, GB Eats, STEAM and Fiesta Bar and Grill are serving, with Baba Louie’s for pizza in its own outdoor space just adjacent. New this year: live street musicians on weekends, thanks to Berkshire Busk!. As for shopping, stores are open, with requirements that you wear masks and use hand sanitizer—a small inconvenience outweighed by the pleasure of being able to shop again. Cruise Main and Railroad for charming owner-run shops, such as Lennox Jewelers for jewelry and watches, Griffin for clothing and gifts, and Emporium and Antique Soul for vintage jewelry and collectibles. Original art can be found at the Lauren Clark and Vault galleries, as well as Bernay Fine Art. Craft stores One Mercantile, Evergreen, and the new branch of An American Craftsman display pieces by artisans from the Berkshires and around the world. Books new and old can be found at The Bookloft (in new quarters on State Road) and Yellow House Books, respectively. Two long-time Railroad Street favorites— The Gifted Child and Church Street Trading Co.—closed this year, but two interesting pop-up shops—Workshop for local creative work and Westerlind for outdoor wear have arrived. And the Flying Church is finally open. (Ask a local to explain.)
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Great Barrington is becoming a mecca for home furnishing shops and design studios. Wingate, opened in 1998 just north of town on Route 7, has grown to become one of the biggest home furnishings and design showrooms in the Berkshires. Sett, a tabletop shop, is on Main Street. Samantha Gale Designs is also on Main, showcasing “the vintage beauty of the farmhouse style.” Just off Main is Hammertown, offering furnishings, “approachable design services,” and more. Destination Design Center on South Hillside Avenue designs and installs kitchens, baths, cabinets, and window treatments, among other things. Find new fixtures for your kitchen and bath at Waterware on Crissey Road just north of town and at S & A Showplace at 40 Maple Drive just southwest of town. Interior design studios are also prominent in the downtown landscape. William Caligari Interiors is a full-scope design studio, servicing clients in the Berkshires and beyond. Sue Schwarz operates her design studio Gallery 315 Home from a new office in Saint James Place. British-born fabric guru Jennifer Owen works out of her eponymous design studio on Railroad Street, and Jess Cooney has opened a new studio on State Road. Are you contemplating a makeover? Professionals are standing by. Now get up out of that designer easy chair and get some exercise! Hike up Monument Mountain north of town or try the Housatonic River Walk, a national recreation trail. Work out at the Kilpatrick Athletic Center at Bard College at Simon’s Rock or the Berkshire South Regional Community Center. Both facilities are open limited hours and required reservations for workout times. Take dance classes at Berkshire Pulse in the village of Housatonic. But, whatever exertions you may undertake, 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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11
stockbridge
Norman Rockwell was—and still is—here
From left: Norman Rockwell Museum, Red Lion Inn, Naumkeag.
If Stockbridge seems strangely familiar, blame Norman Rockwell, who spent his last 25 years 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 acres outside the town center. Visitors have returned to the classic rockers on the porch of the venerable Red Lion Inn on the corner of Main and Route 7. The Inn has been there since the 1770s, when an influx of white settlers was displacing the native Mohican population for whom the town had been created (as Indian Town, complete with an English missionary) in 1737. When the railroad arrived in 1850, so did the wealthy summer folk. Artists and writers came too, among them Daniel Chester French, sculptor of the Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Memorial and the Concord Minute Man, whose home and studio, Chesterwood, is open to the public. Naumkeag, designed by Stanford White, is a 44-room Berkshire cottage fantasy a mile from the town center with extensive gardens. From a perch a couple of miles from the town center, the nonprofit Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health affords a stunning view over the Stockbridge Bowl and, during non-pandemic times, offers day-visits and residential stays that focus on yoga, creative expression, wellness and self-discovery. Temporarily closed, Kripalu expects to reopen late this summer. Some drive, some walk, some cycle: most of Stockbridge’s attractions are within easy reach. The self-guided walking tour of the town is highly recommended by the Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce. On the tour, don’t miss the 1884 former Town Hall (you may know the interior from Rockwell’s The Marriage License). The Stockbridge Library is a particularly fine small-town library, and some of the portraits of former citizens on the
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walls date from the 18th century; you’re welcome to stop in. The Austen Riggs Center, a therapeutic community, an open psychiatric hospital, and a center for education and research now in its one hundred and first year, is unobtrusively located right in the center of town; Norman Rockwell and his wife were patients. 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 outstanding 16-acre Berkshire Botanical Garden just west of town. In the evening, the Berkshire Theatre Group normally 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 year’s festival will offer performances under tents in both Stockbridge and Pittsfield. Once Upon A Table is a cozy spot for lunch or dinner in “The Mews,” an alley right off Main Street. Those with a sweet tooth will also want to check out Peace, Love & Chocolate, right next door. Alice’s Restaurant, which was nearby, exists now only in song (Arlo Guthrie’s song, released in 1969). The new Tiffany’s Café has taken up residence at the Elm Street Market, also just off Main. The recent arrival of The Lost Lamb, “a French-style patisserie and snackerie,” is good news for croissant lovers—and lovers in general. The Lion’s Den, a basement bistro known for burgers and local brews at The Red Lion Inn (all roads lead to—and from—The Red Lion Inn), is temporarily closed, but finer dining is available upstairs. Many other first-rate restaurants and congenial eateries are located south of town along the road to Great Barrington and in other surrounding towns. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
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west stockbridge
it’s happening
West Stockbridge lies between Stockbridge and the New York border, only 40 minutes from New York’s Capital District but a world away, with hills, ponds, and streams beckoning the city dweller with visions of the countryside. There is something about a village (pop. 1,650) with a small river in the middle of it: that would be the Williams River, flowing through the town beneath flower-bedecked bridges as if it were the Arno of the Berkshires. Don’t let the dreaminess of the setting deceive you, though, because West Stockbridge is hopping, with plenty to see and do and eat and drink. The opening of No. Six Depot in the old railway station in 2013 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 home to stylish restaurants, including Rouge, one of the best in the region, and one-of-a-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, 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. The Tap House at Shaker Mill is a family-friendly restaurant, with a diverse and delicious American menu that is the brainchild of chef Brian Alberg of the Main Street Hospitality Group. For a quick build-your-own or creative specialty sandwich, swing by the Public Market on Main Street. This is also a great spot to grab snacks and drinks on your way to picnic at Tanglewood. An exceptional bookstore awaits browsers: Shaker Mill Books on Depot Street has a large but choice selection of rare, used, and out-of-print books, including a great collection of books about the Berkshires. The Book Mill next door holds even more books, and is open during the summer and early fall. Hotchkiss Mobiles Gallery is another West Stockbridge gem; Joel Hotchkiss has been designing ingenious mobiles since 1978, and the gallery will open your eyes to where the concept has gone since Calder. Another local creative, Elaine Hoffman, is the ceramicist behind Hoffman Pottery, where you’ll find colorful, whimsical pieces for the home and garden. Sandy Klempner@HOME, on Main Street, has a fine selection of vintage treasures for home decoration; look in the window and you’ll be drawn right in. Flourish Market is where you’ll find everything from newly-refreshed vintage furniture to modern lighting, along with jewelry and other giftable goodies. SALA is jeweler Stephanie Iverson’s new storefront, where you’ll find all of her fine silver pieces along with other artisans she loves from the U.S. and Mexico. An exciting new arrival in the heart of town is The Foundry, now in its third year of presenting diverse programming in support of a mission “of bringing divided communities together
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From top: No. Six Depot, the Williams River, Hotchkiss Mobiles Gallery. through the performing and visual arts and creating space for emerging work and often unheard voices,” in the words of Artistic Producing Director Amy Brentano. The ongoing Town Hall restoration project is another sign of the town’s vitality, too. Just a short walk away from the town center on Moscow Road is the 16-acre TurnPark Art Space, which combines a sculpture park, exhibition venues, and a beautiful marble amphitheater for outdoor performances. A trail runs along the Williams River and by striking sculptures from the Soviet Nonconformist Art Movement of the 1950s-1980s. If you can’t forget you came for nature as well as culture, or simply want to relax, just join the canoeists, anglers, or strollers in the spell of the gently flowing river as it winds through this unusually attractive town.
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15
lee
eat, shop, learn
From left: paper mill on the Housatonic River, shoppers on Main Street, High Lawn Farms.
Paper mills and marble quarries built the town of Lee, with help from nearby forests and power from the Housatonic. (Learn more about Lee and marble online at BerkshiresCalendarMagazine.com.) The heyday of industry is past, but Lee has held its own, not least because an exit off the Mass Pike makes it “the gateway to the Berkshires.” Lee may be unpretentious, but it has small-town feel and eye-appeal in spades. The steeple on the First Congregational Church is the tallest wooden spire in New England: lift up your eyes. The town hosts an astonishing range of restaurants. Cuisines range from sophisticated farm-to-table fare such as Starving Artist Café to seafood (Salmon Run) 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 or a tall draught beer at Moe’s Tavern (reopening now after a long COVID remodel), or bistro food in a cozy setting at The Morgan House, serving since 1853. The former Chez Nous has a new name (Café Triskele), and a new menu (more informal). Canna Provisions, off the Mass Pike as you head into town, offers a full line of THC and CBD wellness offerings (legal weed, in plain English). And for all your building and renovation supplies, don’t miss Dresser-Hull. 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. Premium 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. Ozzie’s Glass Gallery on Route 102 towards Stockbridge is more than a gallery with
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beautiful, affordable pieces, including jewelry and pipes (the latter upstairs); it’s a chance to see Michael Ozzie, a native Lee artisan, in action blowing glass; he’s happy to explain to you what he’s doing, too. Slightly out of town but worth the trip is family-owned High Lawn Farm. Stop by their Farmstead Creamery for a refreshing ice cream cone at one of their picnic tables while you enjoy their beautiful Jersey herd grazing in the fields. You can also stock up on their full line of fresh dairy products. While not as eminent in the arts as its Berkshire neighbors, Lee has its own distinction. From a renovated former fiveand-dime 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. In South Lee on Route 102, the Saint Francis Gallery, also in a converted church, features an eclectic mix of emerging and established local artists. Young animators aged 5 to 95 will find AniMagic, a museum of animation run by a former Special Effects Oscar-winner, a fun experience. Animation classes are also available. 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 Rivers Fly Fishing can help. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
l
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lenox
still gilded after all these years
From left: The Wit Gallery on Church Street, Tanglewood Visitor Center, The Bookstore & Get Lit Wine Bar.
Set out on foot in downtown Lenox and you’ll be passing—and perhaps entering—the stylish shops, galleries, and eateries that beckon from every street and side street. You can walk to Shakespeare & Company’s campus and Ventfort Hall on nearby Kemble Street, and Tanglewood itself is just a mile and a half away. When did Lenox become fashionable? In 1821, to be precise, when a son of the Sedgwick family moved here from neighboring Stockbridge. He was soon joined by his sister, best-selling novelist Catharine Sedgwick, who was the region’s first literary luminary. Some of their friends from Boston started building grand “cottages” in the neighborhood, and one rented a cottage of the humble kind to Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family in 1850. Although the Hawthornes only stayed for a year and a half, the author of The Scarlet Letter wrote Tanglewood Tales on the grounds of what would later become the summer home of the Boston Symphony; the name “Tanglewood” is Hawthorne’s own invention. In addition to the Bostonians, wealthy New Yorkers like Edith Wharton built some 75 impressive country houses in Lenox and Stockbridge in the latter 19th and early 20th century, and some of them, including Wharton’s (The Mount) 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 several of its 50 rooms. Canyon Ranch Spa occupies another “cottage” (with extensive add-ons for recreation and wellness). Blantyre, a member of the Relais & Chateaux network, has re-opened after an $80-million renovation and now boasts a Café Bouloud restaurant. And, after a $130-million renovation, the former Cranwell has emerged as an all-inclusive wellness retreat called Miraval Berkshires and the more à la carte retreat called Wyndhurst Manor & Club. Tanglewood, the 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
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in rock, folk, and pop. The setting is as spectacular as the music, and a picnic on the lawn at Tanglewood has been a tradition for many visitors over the years. This summer, the BSO is offering a shortened season with all performances held in the Shed to allow for ample spacing between picnickers. Shakespeare & Company will host its season in two outdoor theaters on its Lenox campus. There’s great shopping in Lenox. Popular upscale clothing retailer The Casablanca Group has three stores in Lenox: Casablanca and Swtrz on Church Street and Shooz on Housatonic Street. (Their fourth boutique, GB9, is located in, you guessed it, GB.) Catwalk, one of the Berkshire Humane Society’s two resale outlets (the other’s in Great Barrington), is on Church Street. Steilmann, on Walker Street, carries women’s European fashions, and trendy CERI Boutique has opened a women’s clothing store on Housatonic Street. Purple Plume, MacKimmie Co., Glad Rags, and design menagerie are other well-known shops. Lenox Print & Mercantile, also on Housatonic, offers vintage treasures as well as crafts by over 60 local artisans. An American Craftsman on Walker Street features the work of many artisans working in wood, clay, fiber, metal, glass, leather, and mixed media. The Bookstore & Get Lit Wine Bar is open, although not yet able to bring the town together for readings again. And on Route 7, just north of town, is the Arcadian Shop, the Berkshires’ leading outdoor sports retailer. Lenox eats well. Alta, Bistro Zinc, and Nudel are three good reasons. The more casual Firefly, has re-opened under new owners. Haven Café and Bakery on Franklin Street at the foot of downtown has excellent light fare for breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch. A special treat for the palate is right off Route 7: superb chocolates and great coffee and cocoa await you at cozy Chocolate Springs Café. Saveur magazine recognized chocolatier Josh Needleman as one of the top 10 in the United States. Lenox is still gilded, but in a good way. Check web sites for hours of operation for all these restaurants. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
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Design for Sustainable Living JHarwoodarchitect.com 413 637-8127 BerkshiresCalendar.com
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sheffield
a quiet town, with ukuleles and cannabis canopy
The town of Sheffield lies just north of the
From top: Magic Fluke, Bakin’ Bakery, Roberto’s Pizza.
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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 officially 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. 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. The grounds of the Ashley House are open now, but the house itself is not. Sheffield is also home to visitor-friendly Big Elm Brewing and the Berkshire Mountain Distillers and the new Massachusetts branch of Sunset Meadows Vineyards (all offer tastings), a prominent clay works (Sheffield Pottery), a surprising number and variety of antiques dealers, and a great place for furniture upholstery and window treatments at M Designs. There’s always something going on at Dewey Memorial Hall, an impressive fieldstone and marble structure on the Sheffield green, with many activities now outdoors. 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; it’s part of the Race Brook Lodge cluster of buildings in a woodsy setting off Route 41. If you like your music with strings attached, you might like to visit the Magic Fluke, where they make ukuleles, banjos, violins, and more. The shop is likely to reopen soon for visitors, but orders are always accepted by phone and online. Many visitors head straight to the Marketplace Café on Elm Court in the center of town for indoor and outdoor dining and takeout. The chef-owners created a popular catering business in 1993—the first such farm-to-table enterprise in the Berkshires—and have branched out into four “retail” locations, each with its own style (the others are in Pittsfield and Great Barrington). Two hot new shops started by young entrepreneurs, right next to each other on Main Street, are causing a buzz—Roberto’s Pizza and Bakin’ Bakery. And, should you get a yen to go fishin’, visit Berkshire Bass on Main Street for tackle, apparel and guided tours. They legalized it: Sheffield is the site of Massachusetts’s first licensed outdoor cannabis growing facility, Nova Farms, “boasting 80,000 square feet of sun-grown, organic cannabis canopy,” according to the company. Cannabis canopy is simply the extent of contiguous vegetative growth—like the rain forest, but with marijuana. Theory Wellness is also undertaking outdoor cultivation at Sheffield’s Equinox Farm, well known as the first organic market garden in western Massachusetts. And a new retail and cultivation facility called The Pass is now open on Main Street (Route 7) north of town. In Sheffield, the times, they have a-changed.
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pittsfield
the city at the center
Clockwise from top left: The Common, Museum Outlets, Hancock Shaker Village, Berkshire Museum.
A city of 45,000, Pittsfield is the geographic and 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. Cultural initiatives have lifted the city’s mood and kindled its aspirations to become a hub for the arts. The opening of cannabis dispensaries Temescal Wellness west of town and Berkshire Roots and Bloom Brothers to the east has also lifted moods. The recent opening of the $13.8 million Berkshire Innovation Center, after eleven years of planning and building, is another sign of the city’s resilience. 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 normally 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. Both theaters have plans for a summer season that will make use of outdoor spaces. The Whitney Center for the Arts, established by Pittsfield native Lisa Whitney in 2012 and located in the creatively repurposed 1865 Thomas Colt House, is normally another beehive of culture: it presents art shows, intimate theatre
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and music performances, and special events. It’s temporarily closed, but offering online exhibits. The vibrant Pittsfield visual arts scene features public art, galleries, studios, and cooperatives, and the First Fridays Artswalk (5 to 8 p.m. on the first Friday of the month). The WordXWord Festival and the Pittsfield City Jazz Festival are offering programming online for now, but check for new developments later in the summer. Located in the center of town on North Street, the Berkshire Museum, a wonderful resource for the community, is open for in-person visits, is also offering a full schedule of online programming, and will host summer camps beginning in June. Like many small-city museums, its holdings range across subjects and fields of knowledge, but highlights, including an aquarium, natural history specimens, a mummy, and the Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation, make it a great place to take children to discover worlds beyond their screens. The new, immersive “Curiosity Incubator” gallery is a portal to greater awareness of the human family. Right next door to the Berkshire Museum is Museum Outlets, a fun store for gifts. If you’re in the market for furniture, Paul Rich & Sons, also on North Street, has 30,000 more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
FINE FURNITURE | MATTRESSES | OUTDOOR | DESIGN
20 historic buildings | farm animals | Shaker artifacts | art exhibitions | shopping PITTSFIELD, MA | HANCOCKSHAKERVILLAGE.ORG BerkshiresCalendar.com
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square feet of floor space to look at, most of it American made (and no assembly required), and Circa Berkshires, a few blocks away, offers a treasure trove of hand-picked Danish and MidCentury Modern furnishings. You never know what you may find at ReStore at 347 Columbus Avenue; the store carries donated home improvement products, building materials, and more. Profits go to Habitat for Humanity. In the mood for more shopping? You’ll want to pop into Township Four on North Street. Technically a florist, but really so much more, the deceptively small store is bursting with gorgeous tableaus featuring handmade candles, soaps, and scents; hand-printed tea towels and greeting cards; buildyour-own terrarium kits, seeds, gardening tools, etc. Right next door is one of Pittsfield’s newest shops, Familiar Trees, offering vintage, antique, and contemporary books and art objects. Pittsfield isn’t all urban: the 11,000-acre Pittsfield State Forest offers fall camping and hiking, and the Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, Lake Onota, and Bousquet Mountain Adventure Park also provide fun outdoor experiences. If you’re looking for a pleasant spot to serve as a base for Berkshires experiences, the Bonnie Brae Campground, now under new management, has cabins and RV sites north of town near Pontoosuc Lake (see website for COVID-19 guidelines.) Buy a bike at Berkshire Bike & Board on East Street and explore!
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 and look. The house is open Thursday through Monday with call-ahead reservations and online ticketing; a guide takes you through. (See this magazine’s online article about Arrowhead at BerkshireCalendarMagazine.com.) You’ll have to eat and you’ll have to stay: you can do both at trendy, 45-room Hotel on North, another repurposed downtown building that successfully blends new and old; its stylish bar, restaurant and shops, and this summer—dining outdoors—attract both a local and out-of-town clientele.
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Go to: berkshirescalendar.com BBCG Qtr.pg-Magazine Print.pdf 1 4/23/2021 11:08:35 AM
inspiration for all ages
Open by reservation in downtown Pittsfield Plan your visit: berkshiremuseum.org 413.443.7171
Your community museum.
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2021 SINGLE TICKETS NOW ON SALE UNDER A TENT, BSC PRODUCTION CENTER, 34 LAUREL STREET, PITTSFIELD WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE? The SongS of george gerShwin
JUNE 10–JULY 3
Mission on North Street. For eating and drinking, there are 50 other restaurants, cafés, and wine bars to choose from. Meet a friend for coffee at Dottie’s, pick up lunch at the Marketplace Café, drop into Mission for a locally sourced seasonal menu or a glass of wine, or settle into Methuselah and sixteen taps of craft beer, artful cocktails, and artful eats. The bar Thistle and Mirth has great beer and great company, and has expanded into the storefront next door to offer imbibers a new ramen restaurant. If you’re still pub-crawling, finish up at The Lantern Bar and Grill, a venerable and recently reopened Pittsfield institution. If you’re going to have something to eat before heading to Barrington Stage in the center of town, District Kitchen & Bar, Patrick’s Pub, and Trattoria Rustica are close by. Pittsfield restaurants, as expected, are following COVID guidelines. Check websites for full information. Pittsfield is a good movie town. Open as of May 21,the Regal Cinema at the Berkshire Mall four miles north of downtown has ten screens, reclining seats, reserved tickets, and popular movies. The renovated, five-screen, Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound-equipped Beacon Cinema downtown on North has very comfortable reclining seats, and shows operas in the Met’s “Live in HD” series. It reopened April 28. For a glimpse into a different way of living, 700-acre Hancock Shaker Village beckons from outside of town along Route 20 in Hancock. The Shakers created a religious, utopian farming community here in the 1780s 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 and rich collections of Shaker furniture and artifacts. At the same time, it’s a working farm, with extensive gardens and heritage livestock. And you can do yoga with the goats; check their website for even more fun events coming up this summer, including art exhibits and a concert series.
ELIZABETH STANLEY IN CONCERT JUNE 28
worLD PreMiere PLAY
BOCA JULY 30–AUG 22
AT THE BOYD-QUINSON STAGE, 30 UNION STREET, PITTSFIELD CHESTER BAILEY JUNE 18–JULY 3
new PLAY
ELEANOR JULY 16–AUG 1
worLD PreMiere PLAY
SISTER SORRY AUG 12–29
FALL AT THE BOYD-QUINSON STAGE worLD PreMiere MUSiCAL
A CROSSING SEPT 23–OCT 17
Alysha Umphress in The Hills Are Alive with Rodgers & Hammerstein, 2020, photo Daniel Rader.
BARRINGTONSTAGECO.ORG 413.236.8888
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north adams
if you build it . . .
Clockwise: Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective at MASS MoCA, patrons on Main Street
If Rip Van Winkle had just awakened from that twenty-year nap he took, he might remember that MASS MoCA had just opened (in 1999) as he closed his eyes; no doubt he would have thought it a folly. Welcome to 2021, Rip, and join the more than 160,000 people who visit MASS MoCA annually—in non-COVID years. It’s made North Adams one of the Northeast’s premier cultural destinations. It was not always so. North Adams was built on manufacturing, 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. MASS MoCA was born and has been growing in space and scope ever since; in 2017 the already vast museum doubled its exhibit area by renovating still more of the former Sprague facility. The Museum hosts both temporary and permanent exhibits, spaces for artists in diverse media to create large-scale works, and musical events. After a COVID closing, MASS MoCA is open again every day but Tuesday, but by timed-entry reservations only. The September 2021’s FreshGrass Festival is on, but the lineup has not yet been announced.
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The town now begins to thrive once again. Galleries, restaurants, and shops have sprung up to cater to visitors. The ongoing River Revival project re-imagined the Hoosic as a community resource. 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. The former Norad Mill west of downtown is now honeycombed with businesses and shops. Freia Yarns, which produces handdyed yarns, relocated there from California, and for DIY knitters, the Spinoff Yarn Shop, located in the same building, is worth a trip up to the third floor (there’s an elevator—and a view). For new (and old) tunes, swing by Belltower Records for an eclectic selection of new and used LPs, CDs, tapes, and stereo equipment. If downtown gets too trendy for you, nature beckons on all sides with hiking trails, picnic spots, and recreational opportunities. Got trout? If not, Berkshire River Drifters will take you to where the browns and rainbows lurk. Fresh local produce can be found at the weekly Farmers Market—it’s one more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
of the biggest in the Berkshires. Orders are accepted on the website Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. for local delivery or for pickup on Saturday. Hotels, stores, and restaurants are following COVID procedures. 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 across the street from MASS MoCA. Trendy TOURISTS, located down by the riverside where an old motel once stood, brings you close to nature (there’s also a pool). To eat, try PUBLIC for original, farm-fresh takes on American classics and a wide selection of craft beers; Grazie for the best Italian food up north (and its sister bodega right next door, Tres Ninos Taqueria); and the Capitol on Main Street (“upscale comfort food” now available for takeout and outside dining), all within walking distance of MASS MoCA, which itself has a nice café for coffee or lunch. For pizza, try Ramunto’s, which offers delivery and takeout. 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.
FIND OUT EVERYTHING THAT’S
HAPPENING TODAY—
Go to: berkshirescalendar.com
ART IN THE OPEN
A popular tourist destination, Mount Greylock State Reservation, is the highest peak in the state of Massachusetts. By car, you can access roads to the top from North Adams or Lanesborough.
North Adams, Mass. | massmoca.org
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williamstown
a college town and then some
From top: Lickety Split, Main Street.
Tucked into Massachusetts’ northwest corner, Williamstown is one of America’s first college towns; the town and the college both date to 1791. Williams College, consistently ranking at or near the top of America’s liberal arts institutions, 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 on 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. Nature’s Closet has Patagonia and a wide selection of outdoor footwear, and is also home to the popular Smoothie Spot. Check out the Greylock Gallery next door, which specializes in contemporary American landscapes by emerging and established artists. You could pick up a book at the light-filled Williams Bookstore or at Chapter Two Books, a used bookstore that benefits the town’s library. Dive into Spoon next door for a refreshing frozen yogurt, gelato, or sorbet, or an ice cream cone
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at Lickety Split. Coffee, tea, and baked goods can be found at Tunnel City Coffee across the street. A new arrival near the top of the street is Unlimited Nutrition, specializing in protein shakes and flavored teas, and, at the foot of the street is the newly built and well-appointed Williams Inn, which offers dining in its Barn Kitchen & Bar. If you have recreational cannabis needs, Silver Therapeutics is ready to serve you seven days a week from a little mellow shop a mile east of downtown. Williamstown is also home to the long-established but still adventurous Williamstown Theatre Festival; its 2021 season presents three live productions, all outdoors in various locations around town. Images Cinema, on Spring Street, is one of the few remaining independent movie theaters still going strong. It’s a non-profit community theater that presents a wide range of independent, foreign and classic films. Support the theater by viewing their virtual releases. At the time of this writing in early May, the galleries of the Williams College Museum of Art are closed. But The Clark Art Institute is open, with advanced timed-visit tickets required. Come enjoy 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. There’s a lot of wild country around Williamstown, with well-maintained trails to get you out into it. The Williams Outing Club publishes an excellent guide to North Berkshire recreation, and the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation trail kiosk at Sheep Hill on Cold Spring Road south of town offers complete information on all local trails, including those in the Hopkins Forest, the nearby Mount Greylock Reservation in Adams, and Field Farm. For rural family fun, especially with younger children, Ioka Valley Farm, on route 43 south of town in Hancock, has approachable farm animals and farm-related activities to engage in. Williamstown eats well. Fine restaurants like Mezze, south of town on Route 7, source local foods. Coyote Flaco, also on Route 7, serves a Mexican menu. There’s Indian cuisine at Spice Root on Spring Street, and Thai and Japanese at Blue Mango next door. If you’re just looking for lunch, the Spring Street Market & Café and Pappa Charlie’s Deli are standbys for dining and takeout. The Neapolitan-style pizza at Hot Tomatoes on Water Street is exceptional, and you can enjoy it under the trees beside the Green River at picnic tables behind the restaurant. Looking for a watering hole? The Water Street Grill serves many craft beers on tap, good food, and a warm ambience. For Chinese fare, Chopsticks is just east of town on Route 2. Berkshire Palate, also on Route 2 east, is a good choice if you’re looking for lunch between museums or dinner. Right next door is Korean Garden, which recently relocated from North Adams. (Pro tip: get the hot stone bi bim bab.) If you’re cooking for yourself, stock up at Wild Oats on the same stretch of road.
DISCOVER WILLIAMSTOWN
A unique village where art, culture, and natural beauty thrive.
Uma Thurman in Ghosts, Williamstown Theatre Festival 2019, photo by Jeremy Daniel.
GROUND/WORK
THROUGH OCTOBER 17
Strolling along Spring Street, photo by Carol Stegeman.
Explore the works of six international artists in the Clark’s first outdoor exhibition
Nairy Baghramian, Knee and Elbow, 2020. Marble, stainless steel. Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery Taconic Golf Course
Fourth of July Parade
williamstownchamber.com 413.458.9077 destinationwilliamstown.org
CLAUDE & FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LALANNE: NATURE TRANSFORMED MAY 8–OCTOBER 31 See the first North American museum exhibition in 40 years to showcase Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne’s madly inventive and irresistible world of objects Claude Lalanne, Choupatte (Cabbagefeet), 2017. Galvanized copper. Private collection © 2020 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
NIKOLAI ASTRUP: VISIONS OF NORWAY JUNE 19–SEPTEMBER 19
Discover the paintings and prints of one of Norway’s most beloved artists
Nikolai Astrup, A Clear Night in June (detail), 1905–07. Oil on canvas. Savings Bank Foundation DNB / KODE Art Museums and Composer Homes, Bergen
WILLIAMSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS CLARKART.EDU Ground/work is made possible by Denise Littlefield Sobel. Major support for Ground/work is provided by Karen and Robert Scott and Paul Neely. Additional funding is provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway is generously supported by the Savings Bank Foundation DNB. Support for Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne: Nature Transformed is provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel, Sylvia and Leonard Marx, and the Kenneth C. Griffin Charitable Fund.
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southern vermont
from the Berkshires to the Greens
From left: downtown Bennington, Park-McCullough Historic Governer’s Mansion, Manchester Designer Outlets.
Robert Frost arrived in Vermont 101 years ago with the idea of growing apples, writing poetry, keeping bees, and providing a home base for his family. He bought an old stone farmhouse in South Shaftsbury, just north of Bennington, and he wrote “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” there one summer morning in 1922. Frost’s nearly two decades in Bennington County are the subject of a special exhibition, At Present in Vermont, running through November 7 at the Bennington Museum, and his first Vermont house has been turned into the Robert Frost Stone House Museum, open to visitors under the auspices of Bennington College. You can visit his family gravesite, too, behind the beautiful Old First Church in Old Bennington. The Church is currently closed to visitors, but the graveyard is always open and contains a number of beautifully carved 18th-century stones as well as the poet’s ashes. The Bennington Battle Monument, a 306-foot limestone obelisk commemorating a pivotal Patriot victory of the Revolutionary War, dominates the landscape from its perch at the top of maple-lined Monument Avenue. The Bennington Museum devotes a room of its rich and eclectic collections to the Battle, and an adjacent gallery is home to the largest collection in the world of paintings by Grandma Moses (Anna Maria Robertson). If you bring children, be sure to take them into the transplanted schoolhouse where the artist learned her ABCs in the 1860s; it’s meant to be played in as well as learned from. In the 19th century Bennington emerged as an important and innovative industrial center, a heritage it still proudly continues. Timber frames, airplane components, snowshoes, craft beer, jewelry, and stoneware from famous Bennington Potters are among the many products manufactured here. The Potters’ funky-elegant retail store is located right next to where its wares are made. The Potters’ physical store is closed at present, but the online shop is open. You can still shop in person for fine Vermont jewelry and crafts at Hawkins House on North Street in Bennington. While a major downtown redevelopment is nearing completion a new brewpub, Farm Road Brewing, now occupies one of the corners of the town’s central crossroads. The Blue
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Benn Diner has recently reopened under new owners. This classic 1940s railcar diner is great for breakfast and lunch and has a menu for all tastes. For lunch, Sunday brunch, or dinner, the Mt. Anthony Country Club offers locally sourced seasonal dishes and beautiful views. The Vermont Arts Exchange has temporarily suspended its public events schedule, as has Bennington College, although the college’s online calendar is robust. Oldcastle Theater Company, now in its own building near the center of town, has not yet announced 2021 productions. If you like covered bridges, Bennington has three of them. Scoot right through them all (one car at a time) on the way to North Bennington, if you’re willing to meander across the Walloomsac River three times. North Bennington was writer Shirley Jackson’s home for the latter half of her life, but the natives insist that the village was not the setting for “The Lottery” (Raising Demons and Life Among the Savages, her hilarious accounts of child-rearing in the 1950s, are another matter). The fanciful Park-McCullough Historic Governor’s Mansion in North Bennington was built in 1865 with money made in California and Panama by an attorney who had grown up in the modest town of Woodford just east of Bennington. The trails in the adjacent McCullough Woods are a popular spot for walking. The mansion’s grounds are open daily; “The Big House” is open for self-guided tours Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The Appalachian Trail crosses through Woodford five miles east of Bennington on its way up the spine of the Greens. The Vermont section, known as the Long Trail, was the inspiration for the AT, in fact. Robert Frost and his family were among the first to hike it when it opened in 1922. Arlington, just above Shaftsbury on Route 7A, is home to the woodsy West Mountain Inn, the stately Arlington Inn, and the recently reopened Rockwell’s Retreat; the painter Norman Rockwell lived and worked in a house and studio near a covered bridge over the Battenkill before moving south to Stockbridge in the ’50s. Once a summer retreat, Manchester is now a four-season leisure and shopping destination. Hotels, inns, and B&Bs abound, led by establishments like the Mt. Equinox Resort more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
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and The Inn at Manchester. Some, like the Wilburton Inn and the Barnstead Inn, also host fun musical events. A range of restaurants caters to visitors and locals alike, from the tavernstyle Firefly (choice of locals) to tonier establishments like the Copper Grouse inside the Taconic Hotel. Robert Todd Lincoln’s historic home, Hildene, perched on an escarpment, overlooks the Valley of Vermont; don’t miss the deeply moving President Lincoln exhibit upstairs or the fully restored Pullman car, queen of the railroading era and a stop on Vermont’s African American Heritage Trail, a short walk from the main dwelling. And then there is shopping. Charles F. Orvis got it started in 1856 when he opened a store dedicated to fly-fishing and accessories for the great outdoors. The flagship store is still there, and it has the distinction of being the oldest still-operating mail order business in America. Manchester Designer Outlets are home to many leading clothing brands, whose easy-to-get-to stores make bargain hunting a pleasure. For books and gifts, there’s the well-stocked Northshire Bookstore in the center of town, which, in non-COVID times, hosts frequent readings by leading writers. There are also stores for cooks, wine-lovers, artlovers, antique-hunters, and for sports enthusiasts of every stripe. In nearby Dorset, in the fateful summer of 1776, the idea of Vermont as an independent republic was born in Cephas Kent’s tavern. In today’s Dorset, the aura of the 18th century lingers. The tavern is no more, but the splendid Dorset Inn has
dominated the town green since 1796. If you’re “from away” and are thinking of buying and running a Vermont country store like the wonderful 200-year-old Dorset Union Store (and bakery) on the green, read Ellen Stimson’s Mud Season first; she bought and ran that very store and lived to write (and laugh) about it. The Dorset Theatre Company, in residence this summer (July 9 – September 4), at the Southern Vermont Arts Center’s outdoor stage in Manchester, plans a hybrid season of a world premiere audio play and socially distanced live events.
Dorset Inn.
Weddings IN THE
Berkshires Plan the Perfect Berkshire Wedding The resources you need are in the wedding directory on The Berkshire Edge
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salisbury, connecticut
the quiet corner, with bears
Clockwise: Sweet William’s Coffee Shop & Bakery, Salisbury General Store, Scoville Memorial Library.
As the northwestern most town in Connecticut, Salisbury is where Litchfield County meets the Berkshires. It’s 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, upon seeing a little place with a “For Sale” sign on a well-kept lawn, wouldn’t feel a little tug? Salisbury is a welcoming town, whether or not you own real estate there. It thrives on the mixture of people it attracts, from celebrities (Meryl Streep has lived there for years) to the shaggy hikers who come down a half a mile off the Appalachian Trail to pick up supplies at LaBonne’s Market. Begin with a walk down Main Street and follow your nose to Sweet William’s Bakery, famous for pies, pastries, and cookies. 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. If you can hike half a mile—uphill, that 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-per-head fee for nonresidents. 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. A landmark in Salisbury is Lime Rock Park. The 2021 season opens with the Trans Am Memorial Day Classic on May 28-31. The WeatherTech SportsCar championship returns to Lime Rock on July 16 – 17 with the IMSA Northeast Grand Prix. The 2021 major event season concludes with the 39th annual Historic Festival on Labor Day weekend, September 3 – 6. 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. 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 open every day starting at 7 a.m. for take-out only now. For sit-down dining, you have your choice of the casual Tap Room and its outdoor patio, the Garden room and the elegant Dining Room, all open for dinner Thursday through Monday starting at 5 p.m. and all serving what the restaurant characterizes as “elevated Britishinspired comfort food” that highlights seasonal ingredients sourced from nearby farms. The food is both exotic and local— a good reflection of the town itself. BerkshiresCalendar.com
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hillsdale, new york Heading east on Route 23 from the Taconic through Hillsdale towards Great Barrington is a well-worn path for many visitors to the Berkshires. Nowadays, though, the traffic goes both ways, or stops before it gets there, as Hillsdale has become a destination that Berkshire residents and urban visitors alike are increasingly drawn to. 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); 12 years later it’s still going strong. Interior designer Matthew White renovated an 1855 commercial building on the village square into what is now the Hillsdale General Store, with an emphasis on stylish, functional housewares. The same building is also home to Cross Roads Food Shop, a farm-to-table restaurant that serves a great breakfast. They’re serving breakfast all day, and lunch beginning at 11:30 a.m. with seating both inside and out. White then went a step further, starting up HGS Chef, which sells cookware and offers cooking classes (on Zoom for the moment) with top chefs, in another made-over building across the street. Right next door, Tiny Hearts Farm, which organically farms 15 acres in Copake, is selling vegetables and flowers. A great recent arrival on the scene is the Roe Jan Brewing Company on Anthony Street not far from the town center: fresh beers and a menu with steaks from a wood-fired grill and tasty salads, along with wines and cocktails. They’re serving indoors and out, all at respectable distances. The Hillsdale House, right in the center of things, came alive last year after a makeover and re-opens for both takeout and indoor/outdoor dining on June 25th. The Village Scoop, which the owners of Passiflora created in the space formerly occupied by a tattoo parlor, serves non-alcoholic cocktails as well as exceptional artisanal ice cream. But, if your hair has gone to hell during the pandemic, you can still get a haircut in Hillsdale, too, at least if the pole outside Trudy’s Beauty Shop is spinning; basic women’s or men’s haircuts $20, beards extra.
where New York meets the Berkshires
And whatever your home needs may be, there’s a Herrington in Hillsdale who can help. For your construction and renovation supplies, visit Ed Herrington, Inc., just west of the intersection of Routes 7 and 23, and their Hillsdale Tile Design Center just east of it. Then when construction is done, C. Herrington Home + Design, right at the intersection, with a beautiful retail shop and professional design services, can turn that house into the home of your dreams. Not all the action is in the village. Rodger’s Book Barn, off the beaten track but well worth the ramble, has 50,000 “old and unusual” books on its well-organized shelves. Mirror Mirror, located on Route 23 between the Route 22 junction and the town center, offers both vintage clothing and housewares. And Sideshow Clothing Company has moved from Hudson, N.Y., to the space right next to Mirror Mirror, buying and selling vintage clothing both in the shop and online. The Swiss Hutte Inn & Restaurant, on Route 23 near the Massachusetts line, has new owners—experienced restaurateurs with a great track record in both city and country locations. Stay tuned for exciting new developments there. Turn south on Route 22 and you’ll see O’s Hillsdale Country Diner on your left; the O is for Otto and the food falls in the “fine diner dining” category. The local Stewart’s is there too, if you need to refuel your car or yourself. And east of town on Route 23, Berkshire Pottery has been crafting hand-made wares in a 19th century Dutch barn. Their pottery combines old world craftsmanship with modern practicality. For D.I.Y. food, try 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; stock up your larder for less. Spend your savings at Hillsdale Fine Wine & Spirits, right behind the IGA. 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; if you’re coming in from the Taconic, it’s a convenient stop just east of Craryville on Route 23.
From left: Roe Jan Brewing Company, Hillsdale General Store and Village Scoop.
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more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
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SHOP|EAT|ENJOY Hillsdale General Store and HGS Home Chef two amazing stores plus COOKING CLASSES in Hillsdale NY! Both open 10-5 Wednesday-Sunday
GENERAL STORE
Swiss Hutte has closed but it’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon...
2642 Route 23, Hillsdale NY
Thank you to Gert and Cindy for 35+ years of warm service to the community. The property will be undergoing renovations and we look forward to welcoming you back soon!
2635 Route 23, Hillsdale NY For information on cooking classes and more, visit
www.HillsdaleGeneralStore.com
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berkshire reads
This magazine focuses on places to go and things to do, and we feel that curling up with a good book satisfies both those requirements. Just think of the places you can go as you venture forth into the pages of a good book. We are especially blessed in the Berkshires with a large community of very good writers. The five we present here represent different genres: a romance novel, a compilation of poems, a children’s book, short stories from a mature writer, and a YA (Young Adult) novel. We hope you will discover enticing literary adventures among them. We asked each author (actually, one is an illustrator) to answer six questions that, together, would give you a sense of what and why they write, and some behind-thescenes secrets of their creative process. Here, on these pages, we give you only short introductions and excerpts from their interviews. The full interviews can be read in our online Magazine at BerkshiresCalendarMagazine.com. There you will also find an earlier installment of this “Berkshire Reads” feature with six more writers.
be transported by a good book
First, let us introduce you to Leslie Noyes, a true right- and left-brain talent who lives at the north end of the Berkshires in Bennington, Vt. Not only is she a successful graphic designer (and the creative director of both The Berkshire Edge and this magazine), but she can write, too. Willing is her first novel. Why did Leslie write Willing? Because, she says, “popular fiction for and about women who are over forty is an underserved market. As we age we are tempered by life, which makes us more complicated than ingenues, the usual protagonists of women’s fiction and romance. Entertaining novels about “older” heroines who aren’t mired in tragedy of some form, and have happy endings, are hard to find. So I wrote the novel I wanted to read.” Although Liz Silver, the protagonist of Willing, is a wedding photographer, she has given up on love for herself. As the novel opens, Liz’s creative fire is burning out and she can’t figure out why. She tries to distract herself with short-term affairs. The men she sleeps with have enough “fatal flaws” not to tempt her into love. But when she does meet a man who interests her, the mystery of her creative slump and her issues with love intersect, forcing Liz to decide whether risking her heart is the only way to reclaim her joyful creative life—and maybe love, too.
*** We have a second Leslie—Leslie Klein—who is also an artist as well as a writer. A well-known sculptor who is founder and director of Clay Form Studios in West Stockbridge, Mass., this multi-talented Leslie offers Driving Through Paintings, a compilation of poems, written over many years, that she wanted to share. It is part memoir (“Within these pages/the pulse of my life resides.”) and part ode to the natural world (“I believe in magic/I see it everywhere”) and part road trip through life experiences and landscapes that have inspired her (“Driving Through Paintings/of ribbon roads/and jasper fields.”) She is surprised by how prolific she is: “ . . . the realization of just how many poems I have written, touching on all aspects of life, was a surprise. I also didn’t expect to feel such depth of emotion from my words.”
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berkshire reads Willing: A Contemporary Romance by Leslie Noyes Blender Publisher 477 pp. $14.95
Driving through Paintings by Leslie Klein Shanti Arts 82 pp. $12.95
We Love Fishing! By Ariel Bernstein Illustrated by Marc Rosenthal Simon & Schuster 48 pp. $17.99 Carrying a Torch and other tales of Lust, Love, and Loss by Christopher Lukas Texas A&M University Press 160 pp. $18
Hardly Easy by Kimberley Jochl Wilfred Lee Books 216 pp. $15.99
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find more berkshire reads at BerkshiresCalendarMagazine.com We have included in our list Marc Rosenthal, based in Great Barrington, who is not an author but rather a New York Times best-selling illustrator of children’s books. Marc’s work gives us a chance to look at storytelling from the visual perspective. His latest book is We Love Fishing!, written by Ariel Bernstein. Perfect for the 4 to 8 year olds in your life, this book has been praised every bit as much for its illustrations as for its story which explores what it feels to be “odd man out.” Marc tells us in his interview that “it was challenging to have to illustrate a book that was almost entirely dialogue. I didn’t want it to look like a comic book.”
*** Christopher “Kit” Lukas is not technically a Berkshirite, but he spent formative years here (he sang in the chorus at Tanglewood and studied conducting under Bernstein and Hugo Ross) and visits often enough to feel it’s like a second home. Kit started writing fiction in his 60s when, after a career as a television writer-director, he realized he would not be able to hold up a heavy video camera forever. Now at the age of 86, he offers a collection of 25 short stories in Carrying A Torch. Three sections, “Lust and Love,” “Love and Loss,” and “At Close of Day,” suggest a progression. We lust for what we wish to have, and, in the process discover love. And, having found love, we find also loss. The separation from love, both tragic and heroic, prepares us for our own “close of day.” “The stories are all diverse,” says Kit, “but they all have one thing in common: the characters in these stories are all born from my life and my personality. It has been a fascinating journey.”
*** Another author on a fascinating journey is Kimberley Jochl, a Berkshire County native (Lee, Mass.) who grew up in the 1970s and 80s racing down the ski slopes of Otis Ridge, Bousquet, Butternut and Jiminy Peak. Then, she and her twin sister spent nearly a decade (1980s and 90s) competing on the United States Alpine Ski team. Somewhere in this period, she also became an aviatrix and turned her love of flying into two non-fiction narratives called The Aviatrix: Fly Like a Girl and Fly Baby: The Story of an American Girl. Now this Berkshire-born and –bred adventurer has written an equally adventurous Young Adult novel, Hardly Easy, about a young girl who aspires to fly on and off carriers. As Kim says, “Hardly Easy is a story about inspiring and empowering teenagers to follow their dreams, especially when stepping outside their comfort zone might feel like stepping off a cliff. It tackles current YA social issues in a delicate and respectful manner while still indulging the YA audience (though many have said it’s not just for YA).” more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
events
berkshire culture moves outdoors By Amy Krzanik
Usually, when someone offers us a chance to “take things outside,” it means bad news. Now, the chance to go from indoors to outdoors means someone cares about our safety. If we’re socially distanced while we’re out there, even better! To protect those of us who are not yet vaccinated, and to comply with changing state and town pandemic precautions, local venues have shifted many of their events to the great outdoors, some for a second year and some for the first time. And, there still is a lot of art indoors, too!
Clockwise from left: Romeo & Juliet outside at Shakespeare & Company, Attendees at MASS MoCA Cosmic Latte, Wynton Marsalis at Tanglewood
music
live performance returns
A Tanglewood concert during normal times.
The wait is over! Guests will once again
be able to enjoy live music on the Tanglewood grounds this summer. All performances will be held in the open-air Koussevitzky Music Shed—with appropriate distancing limits— and will last up to 80 minutes with no intermissions. Distanced lawn seating will, of course, also be available. The regular season will run July 9 – August 16 and feature BSO Conductor Andris Nelsons leading eight orchestra programs in this reduced, six-week season. BSO concerts will take place Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons, with Friday evenings reserved for Boston Pops concerts and guest chamber music artists. Guest artists will include Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili, Yefim Bronfman, Karina Canellakis, Leonidas Kavakos, Yo-Yo Ma, Anthony Marwood, Wynton Marsalis, Baiba Skride, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Daniil Trifonov. Updates to the Popular Artist Series will be announced shortly, with a target date of late August and early September for these concerts.
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Close Encounters With Music will present two evenings of “Wine and Song” at The Mount in Lenox. On May 23 in the courtyard, soprano Sonja Tengblad, contralto Emily Marvosh, and pianist Joseph Turbessi present songs of nature, summer, flowers, meteorology and pollution by composers ranging from Schumann, Handel, and Delibes to Cole Porter, Aaron Copland, and Tom Lehrer. On June 13 in the garden, the award-winning New York-based a cappella vocal jazz ensemble West Side Five will offer innovative takes on jazz standards. Later in the summer, CEWM’s Berkshire High Peaks Festival invites the public to participate virtually in two weeks of daily master classes and talks by distinguished musicians, July 20 – August 2. Highlights include late-night jamming and moonlight sonatas; workshops on technique, historical performances, jazz and improvisation; sessions on performing and appreciating world music; open master classes with international faculty artists and pedagogues; talks by leading contemporary more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
The Egremont Barn, already in full swing, will host a full lineup this summer, including comedians Dave Hill and Jessica Kirson, music from Lauren Ambrose and The Leisure Class, Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors, the local acts you love, open mic nights, and more, plus great food and cocktails, and a super chill atmosphere.
composers with glimpses into works in progress; and more. Also virtual this summer will be six concerts presented by the Aston Magna Music Festival, America’s oldest annual summer festival devoted to music of the past performed on period instruments. Celebrating the music of Mozart, Bach, Monteverdi, Purcell, Beethoven and more, streaming of these concerts will premiere on two Sundays in June (the 13th and 27th) and then every Saturday in July from the 3rd through the 24th, and they will be offered free of charge to the public. Find program details on the Aston Magna website. Coming back to live performances, cellist Inbal Segev and The Aizuri Quartet kick off the Tannery Pond Concerts season on Saturday, July 3, followed by a lineup that will include Steven Banks, classical saxophone, and Xak Bjerken, piano; conductor and violinist Scott Yoo and Friends; and pianist Haochen Zhang. Bard SummerScape 2021 opens July 8-10 with the world premiere of I was waiting for the echo of a better day, a
Clockwise from top: Close Encounters With Music presents West Side Five, soprano Maria Valdes and baritone Sebastian Catana from Berkshire Opera Festival’s Rigoletto (2018) return in new operas this season, Hot Sauce performs at The Egremont Barn.
new commission from Bard Fisher Center Choreographerin-Residence Pam Tanowitz and Bernstein Award-winning composer Jessie Montgomery, performed outdoors with live music before an audience at Montgomery Place. Other productions this season will be staged for limited in-person audiences both indoors and out, up through The 31st Annual Bard Music Festival: Nadia Boulanger and Her World in August. Music Mountain opens its season on Sunday, July 4 with local favorite Shanghai Quartet. A full lineup of their season will be announced at a later date. Music outdoors on Friday and Saturday nights begins in June at The Foundry in West Stockbridge and will include Tony Award-winner Cady Huffman, The Fremonts, Charming Disaster, and Habibi, plus jazz, chamber music, flamenco, offerings from The American Songbook, and more.
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music find more events at berkshirescalendar.com
The Town of Great Barrington Summer Concert Series returns to the gazebo with crowd favorite Wanda Houston Band.
Jams in the Hamlet, a new concert series to be held in Hillsdale Hamlet Park on the third Saturday of each month from May to September, will feature classical, jazz, singer-songwriters, and children’s performers, and will close with a community talent show in the fall to coincide with Pumpkin Fest. Listeners are invited to spread out on the lawn and enjoy refreshments for purchase from Roe Jan Brewing Co., Little Apple Cidery, Mama Lo’s BBQ, and Bacon’s Pizza. The Town of Great Barrington Summer Concert Series will present free concerts, weather permitting, every Friday evening beginning May 28th (the premiere concert presents the BTUs) through early September, plus occasional Wednesday evening concerts as well. These folk, rhythm and blues, soul, rock, jazz and more concerts are meant to appeal to audiences of all ages. Plus, David Grover will host children’s concerts every Saturday morning during July and August. Barrington Stage Company, best known for its theater offerings, will welcome Grammy Award-winner and Tony Awardnominee Elizabeth Stanley in a concert on June 28, outdoors under the tent at the BSC Production Center in Pittsfield. Berkshire Theatre Group’s Colonial Concert Series, held Saturday evenings under tents at the company’s Pittsfield location, will run at least through July and include performers Chris Thile, Tom Rush, KJ Denhert, and more. Another theater company more focused this year on music than plays is the Sharon Playhouse, over the border in Connecticut. Musical acts will perform on weekends from July through October on an outdoor main stage, beginning July 3
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with America’s Sweethearts who sing in the style of the Andrew sisters. And there will be patio dinner cabarets on a secondary outdoor stage where Broadway stars, including local favorite Wanda Houston, will perform their cabaret acts. MASS MoCA is planning a series of summer weekend concerts, to include performances by Bang on a Can and Roomful of Teeth. Details will be announced soon. Hancock Shaker Village Back Porch concerts will kick off with singersongwriter Sean Rowe on June 12. This year, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival will reimagine itself, morphing from a weekend in Hillsdale to a one-day event at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Connecticut on July 31. The festival will also offer a livestream of its performances for those who can’t make it to Goshen. A selection of food and crafts vendors will still be on site, but interactive dance workshops are postponed until next year. Berkshire Opera Festival returns this summer with three new offerings: Glory Denied, which tells the true story of Colonel Jim Thompson, America’s longest-held prisoner of war, will be performed July 22 and July 24 at the Daniel Arts Center on the campus of Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington. Much Ado About Shakespeare, an evening concert featuring texts by Shakespeare sung by members of the cast of BOF’s upcoming Falstaff production, is slated for August 11 at The Mount in Lenox. The aforementioned Falstaff, Giuseppe Verdi’s final opera and a celebration of life and laughter, will run at The Mahaiwe for three dates in late August.
more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
one region, many stages
theater & performance
Last years outdoor performance of The Hills Are Alive with Rodgers & Hammerstein at Barrington Stage Company.
Barrington Stage Company’s season will kick off on June 10 and feature productions both outdoors at its Production Center and indoors at the BoydQuinson Stage, both in Pittsfield. Outdoor performances will include Who Could Ask for Anything More?: The Songs of George Gershwin, and Boca by Jessica Provenz (July 30 – August 22). The Boyd-Quinson Stage will open with Chester Bailey (June 18 – July 3) by Emmy Award-winner Joseph Dougherty (thirtysomething, Pretty Little Liars), and starring the father-andson duo of Tony Award-winner Reed Birney (House of Cards) and Ephraim Birney (Gotham, The Americans) as doctor and patient in a potent World War II drama, directed by Ron Lagomarsino (Picket Fences, Ally McBeal). Next up will be a full staging of the new one-woman play Eleanor (July 16 – August 1) by Mark St. Germain, about first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and starring Tony Award-winner Harriet Harris. The world premiere of Sister Sorry (August 12–29) follows, by New Yorker writer Alec Wilkinson and loosely based on a true crime confession. The season concludes
in September with the world premiere of A Crossing. Other events include a streamed virtual reading of the 2020 Burman New Play Award-winner Get Your Pink Hands Off Me Sucka and Give Me Back by Daniella De Jesús, a staged reading of Andy Warhol in Iran by Brent Askari, and Celebrating Black Voices, a week-long celebration of local Black artists, featuring poetry, storytelling, jazz, talent shows, and more. Shakespeare & Company will inaugurate a second outdoor venue on its grounds this summer—the 500-seat New Spruce Theater—with King Lear, starring beloved actor Christopher Lloyd, July 2 – August 29. Other announced performances include Becoming Othello: A Black Girl’s Journey, Debra Ann Byrd’s multimedia choreopoem featuring music that shaped her growing up in Spanish Harlem, at the outdoor Roman Garden Theatre July 16 – 25, after which the theater will be home to Yasmina Reza’s contemporary play, Art, July 30 – August 22.
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Above: The Tempest at Shakespeare & Company. Below: Godspell under the tent at Berkshire Theatre Group in 2020. Berkshire Theatre Group has three immersive outdoor experiences planned for the season, running on multiple stages on its Pittsfield and Stockbridge campuses: The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde’s “trivial comedy for serious people,” will be set on the grounds of BTG’s Stockbridge campus June 18– July 10; Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winner David Auburn will direct the production. For Nina Simone: Four Women, audiences will be seated in the Courtyard of the Stockbridge campus. Tonyand Grammy Award-nominee Valisia LeKae plays the main role in this meditation on Simone’s transition from singer to activist. The Wizard of Oz community production will be a reimagined musical full of world travelers, festive carnivals, and spectacular sideshows for families, outside under the Big Tent on the grounds of the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. The Great Barrington Public Theater, just two years old but already quite accomplished, showcases writers, actors, directors and technical crew who live in the Berkshires. This summer they will present three plays, all live and in-person at the Daniel Arts Center on the campus of Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington. First up is Dad, a new “life with cantankerous father” comedy by Mark St. Germain, June 25 – July 3. Then another new play, Mr. Fullerton by Anne Undeland (July 21 – August 1), is a gilded-age love story about Edith Wharton, her friend Henry James and her younger lover Martin Fullerton. And, running July 30 – August 7, is the East Coast premier of a brand new David Mamet play, The Christopher Boy’s Communion. The summer season will also include Treat Williams in his own one-man play Grant, and The Queen of Fenway Court by Leigh Strimbeck about Isabella Stewart Gardner. Williamstown Theatre Festival’s lineup will feature three world premieres held at three outdoor locations in town July 6 – August 8. Nine Solo Plays by Black Playwrights, centering on and celebrating Black artists and their voices through theatrical storytelling, will take over the front lawn of the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance. The reflecting pool at The Clark Art Institute becomes the stage for Row, an uplifting musical that interrogates the resilience, fear, and ambition inside one individual as she aims to be the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic. Finishing the season, Tony Award-nominated director Michael
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Arden and The Forest of Arden company present Alien/Nation, an immersive experience that takes guests on a journey throughout Williamstown, revealing unexpected surprises around you and within you. Choose to experience this unique site-specific performance by foot or by car, and plunge yourself into the center of stories inspired by real events that took place in Western Massachusetts in 1969. Chester Theatre will find a temporary outdoor home this summer as Hancock Shaker Village welcomes Chester@ Hancock for three performances, one per month from June through August. Will Eno’s Title and Deed, starring James Barry, starts off the season, followed by The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess, “a barnburner of a play” tackling race, history, and power. Tiny Beautiful Things, written by Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) ends the season with a celebration of the simple beauty of being human, based on the “Dear Sugar” advice column written by Cheryl Strayed. Further north, the Dorset Theatre Festival has partnered with Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester for a series of live outdoor performances from July through August. The Festival’s season will also include special performances and talks for audiences on the SVAC campus, which also offers campus art galleries, walking trails, the new curATE café, and performances by the Manchester Music Festival. Show details will be announced at a later date. The Theater Barn in New Lebanon, N.Y., presents a season complete with music, murder, and comical mayhem. The Barn’s five-show season kicks off on June 3 with a relevant historical staged reading of the award-winning new play We the People.
more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
dance
while you can . . .
And, hallelujah!
Jacob’s Pillow is back with a hybrid season of both live and streamed performances. In-person events will run June 30–August 29, with online streaming through September 23. The season will feature commissioned works and world premieres, present new sitespecific performances created for the Pillow’s 220-acre campus, and engage hundreds of artists. A free Season Opening Gala: Global Pillow will be held online on June 12. During the festival, the Pillow’s outdoor amphitheater space, the Henry J. Leir Stage, will host short performances that will include world premieres by Dorrance Dance (June 30 – July 4); a new production, Life Encounters featuring social dance scene legend Archie Burnett and chronicling the evolution of New York City underground dance (July 28 – August 1); and Ballet Coast to Coast, a Pillow-exclusive production with artists from Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet (August 25 – 29). Site-specific creations throughout the Pillow campus will include Eastern Woodland Dances, featuring Indigenous performance traditions (July 17); a real-time Augmented Reality performance from Brian Brooks (July 24); and a world premiere from Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born that tells the story of a Black girl with hair so powerful it allows her to receive and send messages through time (August 6 – 7). The PillowTalk series will continue; The School at Jacob’s Pillow Performance Ensemble will perform on selected Saturday afternoons; in-person workshops with festival artists will be held Sunday mornings; and Families Dance Together classes will occur weekly online. Cirque Barcode & Acting for Climate Montréal will be the only international company to perform on the Pillow’s
Paul Taylor Dance Company, Esplanade
grounds this season (August 13 – 15), but streamed presentations will showcase international companies: Crystal Pite’s Body and Soul performed by Paris Opera Ballet at Palais Garnier (July 1 – 15), and a new performance film by Nrityagram Dance Ensemble offering a rare look at the one-of-a-kind Nrityagram Dance Village in the outskirts of Bangalore, India (July 8 – 22). In a new On the Road series, “Pillow Pop-Ups” will bring free dance performances on a portable stage to towns around Berkshire Country over two weekends. Companies to be featured are the intergenerational Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective (July 31 – August 1) and Philadelphia-based Kulu Mele African Dance & Drum Ensemble (August 7 – 8).
Beginning in May and running through September, PS21: Performance Spaces for the 21st Century will offer a lineup of more than 45 socially distanced performances, classes, workshops, and encounters. The season’s Modern Opera Fest, theater, dance, chamber music, contemporary circus, and processional arts will all be held in PS21’s open-air Pavilion Theater and on its 100-acre campus. Performers include Escher String Quartet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and The Wooster Group. Welcome news for dance lovers: the Paul Taylor Dance Company will be back to PS21 for two special weekends this summer. July 2 – 3 will feature favorite pieces Company B and Esplanade; August 6 – 7 will see the revival and premiere of The Green Table, a modernist masterpiece by famed mid-20th-century choreographer Kurt Jooss.
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visual arts
museums
In the Light of a Shadow, Glenn Kaino at MASS MoCA.
Speaking of going outside, the Berkshires is full of spectacular outdoor art, and we give you the full rundown in “Art in Public Places” on page 50 of this magazine. In the meantime, there’s still lots of art indoors well worth your while. MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest centers for making and enjoying today’s most evocative art. Also, one of the largest in terms simply of floor and wall space. With vast galleries and a stunning collection of indoor and outdoor performing arts venues, MASS MoCA is able to embrace all forms of art: music, sculpture, dance, film, painting, photography, theater, and new, boundary-crossing works of art that defy easy classification. Much of the work shown in its light-filled spaces and late 19th-century courtyards is made there during extended residencies that bring hundreds of the world’s most brilliant and innovative artists to North Adams all year round. Works by the wildly inventive artist James Turrell are now on view at MASS MoCA both outside and in. Outside, Turrell’s Skyscape comes on view starting May 29. This repurposed concrete water tank, measuring 40 feet wide by 40 feet high, is a naked-eye observatory framing, through an observation hole in its ceiling, a small piece of sky as a canvas with infinite depth. Skyscape compliments Into the Light inside the museum, a long-term retrospective of Turrell’s work that currently includes nine light installations. And there’s still more Turrell: his collaboration with Irish potter Nicholas Mousse has produced a curious line of ceramic tableware that absorbs light rather than refracting it. Beginning May 30, MASS MoCA will open an exhibition of this Lapsed Quaker Ware in a modern setting; at the same time, Hancock Shaker Village will display the collection in an historic setting. Glenn Kaino’s In the Light of a Shadow currently spans MASS MoCA’s signature football-field-sized Building 5 gallery with an immersive installation exploring the power of collective action, and its Kidspace gallery, which is free of charge, is hosting work by Wendy Red Star.
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La Dormeuse (The sleeping woman), Claude Lalanne at The Clark. On June 12, Norman Rockwell Museum will debut the gallery exhibition Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration, with a complimentary juried outdoor sculpture exhibit Land of Enchantment opening July 10. Enchanted focuses on fantasy archetypes from the Middle Ages to today, telling myths, fairy tales, and fables through paintings, etchings, drawings, and digital art. Symposiums, meet-the-artist events, and outdoor workshops are scheduled throughout the exhibits’ runs. The title of Robert Frost: “At Present in Vermont” at the Bennington Museum through November 7 comes from a line in his poem called “New Hampshire” which he wrote while living in Vermont. The exhibition is a must for anyone who loves Frost’s poems and admires his quintessential Yankee spirit. If you, too, can make yourself “present” in southern Vermont, the museum invites you to explore Frost’s relationship with the landscapes and people of that region. Love, Marriage, and Divorce, at the museum through December 31, explores the highs and lows of love and heartache, from Victorian wedding gowns to scandalous talks of sexual harassment. Askwa n’daoldibna iodali: We Are Still Here, through December 31, celebrates the staying power of Bennington’s Indigenous people who have survived colonization, wars, disease, stolen lands and forced sterilization yet retain their cultural traditions and continue to make art inspired by their history and traditions. And, don’t end your visit without seeing the works of “Grandma” Moses; Bennington Museum holds the largest public collection in the world of paintings by this great 20th-century folk artist. The major indoor exhibition at The Clark Art Institute this summer is Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne: Nature Transformed (to October 31). It has been more than forty years since an American art museum has shown the work of these married sculptors who worked and exhibited together, often under the joint name “Les Lalanne,” but seldom collaborated on objects. What they shared, though, especially was an abiding interest in nature; the artists drew inspiration from flora and
fauna and transformed natural forms into objets strange and new. This exhibition explores their innovative sculpture, furniture, flatware, and jewelry that have long delighted international audiences and collectors. Nikolai Astrup:Visions of Norway, also at The Clark (June 19 – September 19), is the first North American exhibition of paintings and prints by one of Norway’s most important artists who is, unfortunately, largely unknown outside of his homeland. The exhibition features more than 85 works from this brilliant painter, printmaker, and horticulturalist. And, beginning July 17, The Clark will exhibit its own extensive collection of works by famous printmaker Albrecht Durer and his imitators, copyists, and interpreters in Dürer & After, running through October 3. Chesterwood in Stockbridge is the living embodiment of artistic creativity both indoors and out. At the former summer home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost 20th century public sculptor, Daniel Chester French, a visitor can feel the spirit and observe the process of creativity. French’s public sculpture work can be seen throughout the United States and even abroad, but he is best known for Minute Man, 1874 (Concord, Mass.) and the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial, 1922 (Washington, D.C.). Hundreds of his preliminary models and final works in bronze and marble are on view in the Studio, the Barn Gallery and a new study gallery. French planned and built Chesterwood to be a paradise for himself and his family. To this day, it allows the visitor to feel like a participant in the process of making art.
At the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, art has merged with natural science to produce Animals of the World in Miniature where fourteen miniature scenes depict animals and plants in their native habitats across the Earth. Downstairs, below the lobby level, guests can find themselves swimming between the dark, deep blue walls of the Aquarium face to face with many species of fish, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and more, swimming inside the Aquarium’s more than 35 tanks. Clearly, its own unique form of visual art.
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outdoor fun
The beauty of the Berkshires is that there are outdoor 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, nature is often just a short drive out of town. 48
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so bring the fam— and even the dog
The waterfall at Bash Bish State Park (with the longest vertical drop in Massachusetts) on Mt. Washington or the caves of Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield are feasts for the eyes. The Cobble itself rises a thousand feet above the local terrain and rewards those who make it to the top with exceptional views of the surrounding countryside. The property is stewarded by The Trustees of Reservations, a statewide nonprofit; their other nearby sites include Field Farm in Williamstown, Notchview in Windsor, Ashintully Gardens in Tyringham, Monument Mountain in Great Barrington, and Goose Pond Reservation in Lee. The Trustees also maintain Naumkeag in Stockbridge, where you’ll find a long list of unique outdoor summertime events. Date Night, held Fridays and Saturdays in July and August, is a chance to bring a picnic or reserve a table, enjoy an adult beverage, and take in the site’s amazing view in a socially distanced fashion. Drag story hour meets high tea at Draghatter’s Tea Party, to be held in the Chinese Garden at a date to be announced soon. In June, bring your pruners and take home your own bouquet from Naumkeag’s flower garden. Naumkeag at Night returns in more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
July and The Naumkeag Garden Party fundraiser is scheduled for July 24. Additional re-occurring events at Naumkeag and Bartholomew’s Cobble include mindfulness hikes and meditation, natural journaling and art workshops, and yoga with a view. 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 Mass Audubon’s Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary and Lake Onota also provide fun outdoor experiences close to the city. The eleven-mile long, ten-foot wide, paved Ashuwillticook Rail Trail runs over an old railroad track through the towns of Cheshire, Lanesborough and Adams, and is well suited to walking, biking, roller-blading, and pushing a stroller. Berkshire Natural Resources Council offers 56 reserves, spread across the county, that are open for public use, for free, every day. Three reserves feature trails specifically designed with universal accessibility in mind: Parsons Marsh in Lenox, Old Mill Trail in Hinsdale/Dalton, and Thomas & Palmer Brook in Great Barrington. A new trail will make its debut on the grounds of Hancock Shaker Village this summer. It will lead through the woods to archaeological remains of several Shaker buildings; interpretive signage will tell the history of where “new believers” once lived and mention the indigenous people who lived on this land before they arrived. The Village will again offer its popular outdoor yoga classes with goats on select Saturday mornings. Not into yoga but interested in the goats? The Village remains open for visits to its buildings and barns, where you can view lambs, chickens, cows, and pigs. Want more farms? You got it. Ioka Valley Farm in Hancock serves brunch in season, at Cricket Creek in Williamstown you
can meet the calves and watch the dairy herd come in at milking time, and a trip to the cow barn at High Lawn Farm in Lee can be topped off with an ice cream cone. Four adventure destinations in the Berkshires promise high-flying 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 North America’s longest zipline, whitewater rafting and a 180-element aerial adventure park with self-guided treetop courses at varying levels of difficulty. 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. Play ball! Sports fans will enjoy rooting 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.” For plant lovers of any age, you can tiptoe through the tulips and through many other types of plants now that the Berkshire Botanical Garden has opened again for its 87th season.
Opposite page: Hikers on the Hoosac Range. From top left clockwise: young hikers, Hickory Horned Devil caterpillar at Berkshire Botanical Gardens, enjoying an ice cream treat. BerkshiresCalendar.com
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out and about
ART IN PUBLIC PLACES Want to feel COVID-safe while enjoying good art outside? Here are places throughout the Berkshires that will welcome you this summer. By Julia Dixon
Top: TunnelTeller by Alicja Kwade at Art Omi. Opposite page: Knee and Elbow by Nairy Baghramian at Ground/work at The Clark.
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t
hese Berkshire hills offer an incredible legacy of art in public spaces. Artists have been drawn to the landscape for centuries in search of tranquility and inspiration, but they have also exposed the community to their talents while here. Private space was made public decades ago at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket where performers danced—and continue to do so—without cost to anyone willing to sit and watch under a tree. In 1991, singer Arlo Guthrie purchased the Old Trinity Church in Great Barrington to serve as a spiritual, physical, and creative refuge for the community. Once a palatial estate, Ashintully Gardens in Tyringham was donated to The Trustees of Reservations in 1996, preserving the lands and architectural ruins for the public. And actors have performed Shakespeare’s plays on Pittsfield’s First Street Common for free for thousands of people nearly every year since 2014. Publicly accessible art has taken on new meaning now, in a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has locked many of us at home for months and kept us socially distanced. Indoor spaces, where much of the world’s art is contained, have become menacing, and navigating social space has been challenging. “We heard from The Clark that many people used the trails for respite from the stress that the pandemic precipitated,” said Molly Epstein, co-curator of Ground/work, the first outdoor exhibition mounted by the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. “We have a huge appreciation that [the show] happened at a moment when there was a deep need for comfort, solace, and spending time outdoors.” The Clark is one of several Berkshire cultural institutions to be showcasing art on its grounds this year. Norman Rockwell Museum, Berkshire Botanical Garden, and Chesterwood in Stockbridge and The Mount in Lenox are all featuring outdoor exhibitions as part of their seasonal programming. Some are annual events that had already established important traditions for highlighting the work of regional and national sculptors. Others, like Ground/work, are embracing open-air campus assets to provide a safe space to see artworks. The six installations on view in Ground/work were completed last October and will remain on view through the fall. For Epstein and her fellow curator Abigail Ross Goodman, who began work on this project years before the coronavirus surfaced, it was a perfect opportunity to extend the museum’s reach into publicly accessible natural space. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
“There’s something exciting for artists about making work in a place that isn’t as mitigated by the trappings of an indoor art experience,” she said of participating artists Kelly Akashi, Nairy Baghramian, Jennie C. Jones, Eva LeWitt, Analia Saban, and Haegue Yang. They engaged the material world, embraced the changes in landscape that four seasons bring, and pushed their own practices in new directions in order to provide something special for visitors. Great Barrington-based sculptor Natalie Tyler, who also serves as the program director at SculptureNow, believes that their upcoming exhibition at The Mount will be especially powerful. “A lot of sculptures that may not have touched people before may [do so] now,” she said. Tyler exhibited at TurnPark Art Space in West Stockbridge this spring and witnessed people interacting with her work in new ways. Public art is having a moment, she said, not simply because it is easy and safe to view works outside, but because of the “symbiotic relationship people have with something three-dimensional.” “Sculptures have a deeper meaning now because we’ve been so isolated,” she said. “There’s a renewed interest in interacting with what’s around us, whether that’s habitat or artworks.” Temporary sculpture exhibitions aren’t the only projects that have
changed the significance of public spaces. Murals and municipal artworks have long redefined community and reflected shared experience. Vincent Ballentine’s Metal and Stone, a 100-foot-long painting of a train roaring through the Hoosac Tunnel, tells the story of North Adams’s industrial past. Transitions, a mural created in 2000 by artists William Blake, Jay Tobin, and others, commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Pittsfield Boys and Girls Club, the second in the United States. More murals will be coming to both cities this summer. “Last year, we encouraged people of color to submit proposals that reflected what was going on in the world,” said Abby Powers of Artscape’s ongoing paintbox project. Powers, who is chair of Pittsfield’s public art committee, facilitated the installation of four new paintbox murals that tackle local and national issues including Black Lives Matter. “Public art is breaking down barriers for viewers,” said Powers. “We want to give residents of our community a voice and a space to share.” Many artists share their inspirations by inviting visitors to their studio or work space to see the art-making process first hand. Local sculptors Robert Butler, Roy Kanwit, and Matt Thomases have gone one step further, creating publicly accessible sculpture parks on their
own properties that will all be open this season. A sculptor who works with natural stone and metals, John Van Alstine established a sculpture park on his own land—nine acres surrounding an abandoned lumberyard on the Sacandaga River in New York’s Adirondack State Park. Like many artists who manage their own parks, Van Alstine was inundated with local visitors last summer and welcomed guests by appointment only. But the pandemic-induced isolation that lured many New Yorkers outside created a unique opportunity for the artist inside. “I have made more works this whole year in lockdown than I ever have,” he said. “I was incredibly focused, almost like I was at a forced retreat.” Although Alstine produced nearly 80 new pieces, he will be exhibiting 11 large-scale works, made over the course of his career, at Chesterwood’s 2021 Contemporary Sculpture Show in Stockbridge. He hopes the show will be an “awakening” for people who may not seek out art. “The stone I work with is generally raw and unmanipulated—I see it as the spirit of the stone which I combine with industrial metals for a merging of cultural sensibilities,” he said. “For me, the physical quality of the work is the hook that can draw people in who might not know anything about sculpture.”
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out and about: art in public places
SEASONAL EXHIBITIONS North Bennington Outdoor Sculpture Show Now in its 24th year, the North Bennington Outdoor Sculpture Show— also known as NBOSS—is one of the longest-running outdoor sculpture exhibitions in southwest Vermont. The annual event draws visitors to North Bennington’s downtown where, this year, sculptures by 38 regional artists including curator Joe Chirchirillo will be on display. About 20 sculptures will also be installed across Bennington Museum’s 10-acre property. Sculptures in North Bennington are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the museum’s grounds are free to wander from dawn to dusk. June 19 – November 7, 2021 Daily | FREE 48-66 Main Street, North Bennington, Vt. Bennington Museum, 75 Main Street, Bennington, Vt. nbossvt.org
“Public art is breaking down barriers for viewers.”
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—ABBY POWERS Artscape’s paintbox project
Ground/work at the Clark Art Institute As the Clark’s first-ever outdoor exhibition, Ground/work is a captivating interpretation of the 140-acre campus that many locals and visitors have utilized for decades. Six artists were invited to the museum to get to know the landscape and create site-specific installations that engage with the changing landscape. Participating artists include Kelly Akashi, Nairy Baghramian, Jennie C. Jones, Eva LeWitt, Analia Saban, and Haegue Yang. Ground/work was co-curated by Molly Epstein and Abigail Ross Goodman. The Clark’s grounds are free and accessible day or night. Now – October 17, 2021 Daily | FREE 225 South Street, Williamstown clarkart.edu
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Take a tour, from north to south, of the many public art exhibitions and venues dotting our unique landscape.
SculptureNow at The Mount SculptureNow is a Berkshire staple; the non-profit has been curating sculpture exhibitions in the region for over 20 years and has presented its annual juried outdoor exhibition at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home in Lenox, for eight years now. This summer, 31 artists from across the country are participating in a diverse exhibition of contemporary sculpture. Self-guided tour maps, available at The Mount or via download at sculpturenow. org, contain a scannable link to an audio guide app. Artist-guided tours are also available; contact SculptureNow for details. June 1 – October 13, 2021 Daily, dawn – dusk (closes at 3 p.m. most Saturdays) | FREE 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox sculpturenow.org Phoenix by Robin Tost Land of Enchantment at Norman Rockwell Museum This special juried outdoor exhibition will be held in conjunction with Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration, opening on June 12 in the museum’s galleries. The exhibiting sculptures and installations, which were selected through an open call process, represent or are inspired by fantasy: “Myths, legends, fables, romance, and epic battles involving swords and sorcery [that] occur in a world unfamiliar to us.” The museum’s grounds are free and open to the public daily. July 10 – October 31, 2021 Daily, dawn – dusk | FREE 9 Glendale Road, Stockbridge nrm.org
Contemporary Sculpture Show at Chesterwood Chesterwood’s 43rd Annual Contemporary Sculpture Show will feature the work of John Van Alstine, a sculptor based in Wells, New York. Exhibition curator Caroline Welsh, director emerita of the Adirondack Museum, has chosen 11 of Van Alstine’s large-scale works for display. Chesterwood itself has a rich history in public art; the site is the former summer home of Daniel Chester French, known for creating the statue of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. July 10 – October 25, 2021 Thursday – Monday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. $10 adult/$5 children 13 to 18 4 Williamsville Road, Stockbridge chesterwood.org
Taking Flight at Berkshire Botanical Garden The theme Taking Flight will dominate the indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces at the Berkshire Botanical Garden this year. Five sculptures will be displayed throughout the gardens by participating artists Concha Martinez Barreto, Peter Gerakaris, Rachel Owens, Ian Sordy, and Imml Storr. This outdoor exhibition is curated by Beth Rudin deWoody, renowned art collector, philanthropist, and museum trustee. Masks are mandatory while visiting the gardens and galleries. June 11 – October 31, 2021 Daily, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. $7.50/FREE children under 12 5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge berkshirebotanical.org
Wind Water by Craig Anderson, SculptureNow at The Mount.
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out and about: art in public places
Gathering, a monumental picnic table created from maple trees salvaged from a conservation project at Storm King Art Center in Cornwall, New York, where it was displayed in 2019.
Williams College Museum of Art One of the most noticeable public sculptures on the Williams College campus is Louise Bourgeois’s 2001installation Eyes. Embedded into the museum’s lawn, the large sculptures come alive at night as beams of light shine from the pupils. A dozen more public artworks in the museum’s collection, by renowned artists such as George Rickey and Jenny Holzer, can be found across the college campus. A printable tour guide and interactive Google map are available online. FREE | Williamstown artmuseum.williams.edu
PUBLIC SCULPTURE PARKS TurnPark Art Space This 16-acre abandoned quarryturned-sculpture park is home to an international sculpture collection as well as special events and performances. This summer, the park will feature the work of architect Alexander Konstantinov, the park’s primary architect, who passed away two years ago. The exhibition, titled Wandering Stones, will survey Konstantinov’s public art and architectural projects, including his work at TurnPark. Wandering Stones will be on view from May 15 to July 31, 2021. Daily, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. $15/$12 suggested donation 2 Moscow Road, West Stockbridge turnpark.com
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Taconic Sculpture Park Roy Kanwit’s Taconic Sculpture Park is aptly named—his 20-foot-tall sculptural head of Gaea, or Mother Earth, is visible from the Taconic State Parkway in Columbia County. This self-taught sculptor has maintained a breathtaking outdoor display of mythological figures carved from marble and cement on his property for 36 years, and it remains a popular rest stop for visitors passing through. Call 518-392-5757 to confirm that the park is open. Open mid-May Saturday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. $10 per car 221 Stever Hill Road, Chatham, N.Y. taconic.net/~kanwit Art Omi Art Omi’s Sculpture & Architecture Park features more than 60 works by contemporary artists and architects, with several new pieces—or exhibitions— coming this summer. Among them are TunnelTeller, an immense yet playful concrete sculpture by Berlin-based artist Alicja Kwade, and Jean Shin’s Allée
Daily, dawn – dusk $10 suggested donation 1405 County Route 22, Ghent, N.Y. artomi.org Berkshire Hills Sculpture Garden Sculptor Matt Thomases has created a brand-new sculpture garden on 15 hilly acres of a former farm field in Hillsdale, New York. Privately owned but publicly accessible, the park contains a variety of Thomases’s artworks, from large-scale stained glass pieces to abstract bronze, fiberglass, and steel forms. Paths lead visitors past gorgeous mountain vistas to the sculptures, although at least half of the pieces can be seen from or near the parking area. June 2 – October 31, 2021 Wednesday – Monday, 10 a.m. – 30 min before sunset | FREE 82 Route 7D, Hillsdale, N.Y. bhsculpturegarden.com Butler Sculpture Park This privately owned sculpture park is the home of Robert Butler, a sculptor working primarily in stainless steel. Seven of the property’s 40 acres are outfitted with paths that are adorned with several dozen sculptures, and more are displayed in three indoor galleries—two of which are in Butler’s studio building— which will be open this summer; masks are required to enter all indoor spaces. Accessibility accommodations can be made by calling 413-229-8924. May 20 – November 1, 2021 Daily, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. | FREE 481 Shunpike Road, Sheffield butlersculpturepark.wordpress.com
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PERMANENT PUBLIC ARTWORKS Field Farm Field Farm in Williamstown is a tranquil, 300-acre sanctuary of wetlands, woods, pasture, and hiking trails owned and maintained by The Trustees of Reservations. The landscaped lawns that surround two Mid-Century Modern houses on the property are dotted with 13 contemporary sculptures. Artists include Herbert Ferber, Mario Negri, Richard McDermott Miller, and Bernard Reder. Daily, dawn – dusk | FREE 554 Sloan Road, Williamstown thetrustees.org/place/field-farm MASS MoCA MASS MoCA, known for its long-term gallery exhibitions, has also installed many temporary and permanent public artworks throughout its home city of North Adams. Among them are Victoria Palermo’s The Bus Stand, a stained glass bus stop on Main Street; Klaas Hübner and Andrew Schrock’s Corrugarou, an interactive musical tower installed at TOURISTS hotel; and Big Bling, a 40-foottall sculpture by Martin Puryear that greets drivers as they enter the city. A new outdoor installation by Taryn Simon will be on view starting May 29— admission fee required to view. FREE | North Adams massmoca.org DownStreet Art DownStreet Art, a program of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, has facilitated the installation of over six public murals throughout North Adams and supported the creation of a handful of others in collaboration with local
20-foot-tall sculptural head of Gaea, or Mother Earth, at Taconic Sculpture Park.
partners. Murals include the colorful Justice by Egyptian artist Alaa Awad and Muralismo Publico’s Poppy Girl behind the Mohawk Theater. Two murals, by artists Vincent Ballentine and Danielle Klebes, were added to the city’s public art inventory during the 2019 O+ Festival. FREE | North Adams mcla.edu/mcla-in-the-community/bcrc/ downstreet-art Artscape 24 paintboxes are currently on display in Pittsfield thanks to Artscape, the city’s public art program. The paintboxes are colorful and meaningful murals painted over ubiquitous utility boxes. Artscape also places sculptures in public locations and facilitates collaborative art projects, including The Sun Will Rise, a mural installed in 2020 on North Street, and the upcoming Black Lives Matter Art Project, which will feature a mural on North Street by Frances Chloe Jones-
Whitman and an installation in Sottile Park by Salief Lewis. Maps can be found at firstfridaysartswalk.com. FREE | Pittsfield facebook.com/pittsfieldartscape Art in Public Spaces Initiative Great Barrington’s new public art initiative, founded by gallerist Lauren Clark and sculptors Michael Thomas and Peter Barrett, is beginning to facilitate the installation of public sculptures at downtown sites including the Berkshire Food Co-op and the Triplex Cinema. Five more sculptures will be added to the Powerhouse Square condominium campus, and others will be installed throughout the downtown. FREE | Great Barrington
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out and about
Gliding Across the Water
BERKSHIRES-STYLE By Andrew Blechman
S
everal things occur to me as I saunter down the dock along the pristine waters of Lake Pontoosuc, headed towards my pontoon Cadillac. First, there’s that clean water smell that invigorates me like a shot of ginseng. And then the timberline along the shore that swells into rolling hills and the peak of Mount Greylock just miles away. A view I can only imagine must be like fireworks during peak foliage. But most importantly, there’s the fact that I’m about to board a pontoon boat. Perhaps difficult to believe, but this is actually something I’ve dreamed of doing for years (my dreams can be kind of modest, too). There’s just something so appealing about a boat built for comfort and relaxation on a freshwater lake . . . and little else. A surface optimized to be as flat (and thus as usable) as possible. Comfy seating. A shade awning to promote doing nothing or perhaps snoozing. And maybe Bluetooth speakers to maximize the chill mood. Pontoon boats remind me of giant golf carts that glide across water instead of fairways. They’re not built for speed, but they feel fast—or at least fast enough. When I was writing my book Leisureville, about The Villages in Florida, I marveled at how much fun it was to tool around in a souped-up golf cart, especially with the windshield down. By most reasonable measures, it shouldn’t have been that much fun, but doggone it—it was. Once aboard the boat, the helpful youngsters who manage the mini-marina at Berkshire U-Drive Boat Rentals, give my buddy Rob and me a quick tour of how to operate the boat (and show me how to hook up my iPhone to the Bluetooth speakers). Rob and I look at each other, smile, and shift the boat into gear. Within minutes, we’re gliding across the water, smiles plastered to our faces, the world’s troubles melting away like soft-serve on a summer’s day. I crack open a beer, unpack lunch, and wonder if that smile is ever going to leave my face. Rob and I swap seats and I captain the skiff, making lazy 8’s as I gauge the 19-foot boat’s 30-hp engine, which is delightfully quiet. Today it’s just me and neighbor Rob, but U-Drive’s half-
Capt’n Rob pontooning on Pontoosuc Lake. dozen boats seat as many as ten people. The mini-marina’s owner, Andy Perenick (his boys help staff it) pretty much sums up the joy of tooling along in a pontoon boat when he tells me, “It’s about relaxing—pontoon boats are relaxation boats. Families go out for the day, eat lunch, listen to music, jump into the water. Little kids love it. And so do the parents. It’s fun to buzz around out there. It’s like having your own beach—on pontoons.” And the best part, from a dad perspective? Rob and I discussed that on the drive over: not owning the boat. “You don’t have to clean it, fill the tank with gas, insure it, get it on the water and out of the water, maintain it,” Perenick preaches to this choir. “All you have to do is enjoy it. We’ll even deliver you pizza on waterskies if you’d like.” You can pontoon on Pontoosuc (and say it ten times quickly for fun), or on Onota Lake, Pittsfield’s other watery gem. Actually, you can take all sorts of boats out on Onota, thanks to the the surprisingly large marina there: Onota Boat Livery. A family business as well, the Onota Boat Livery is run by Caryn Wendling and her husband Rick, with the help of their Great Dane Lucy. Turning into the marina’s parking lot at Onota Lake, it’s hard to believe I never knew it existed. It’s the real deal, with multiple docks and slips—100 of them—filled with motor and pontoon boats, some as long as 24 feet. Nearby on land, there are stacks of kayaks and canoes, boats in dry dock, boats in a repair shop (two full-time mechanics), and a sizable tackle shop filled with bait, marine accessories, snacks, hats, and all sort of toys like BerkshiresCalendar.com
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Clockwise from top: Ononta Boat Livery, kayaking Lake Ononta, owners Rick and Caryn Wendling with Great Dane Lucy.
inner tubes and rafts designed to be towed at high speeds. And next to the register and live bait tanks, there’s the obligatory wall of fame—proud fishermen holding surprisingly large catches. Some nearly as big as Lucy. No kidding. I have to keep reminding myself I’m not in Michigan or Maine, particularly when I hear that ice fishing is popular as well. “We have a huge population of fisher-people in Berkshire County,” Caryn tells me. “Guys looking for northern pike will fish this lake. That said, I’ve seen some big browns (trout) pulled out as well.” To my surprise, several of the boats even have fish-finders and depth gauges. Others, that pull waterskies, boast as much as 190 horsepower. No fishing, waterskiing, or even pontooning for me this time. Instead I paddled clear across the lake and back in a cozy kayak that was a cinch to use. The water was calm like glass, the kayak gliding across as I take in the watery surface, green hills, and blue skies, and marveled at which home I’d buy one day for fun. And, as if on cue amidst my reverie, a family of eagles soared in circles above. If you prefer paddling to motoring, the go-to place in North County to rent canoes and kayaks is Berkshire Outfitters in Adams 413-743-5900. Steve Blazejewski and his wife Karen, both competitive whitewater canoers, opened the place 45 years ago when Steve realized he’d get a better deal on replacing their smashed-up racing canoes if they set themselves up as a
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retailer. They’re still at it and generally recognized as the most knowledgeable folks around when it comes to paddling North County. Due to COVID, they may not be able to shuttle you somewhere, but everyone is welcome to come by and rent and they rent roof racks, too. Steve will give you tips on where to go, from Pittsfield to Southern Vermont, including some lakes with primitive access perfect for a summer’s dip or fall foliage looky-looing. The mavens of paddling and rentals in Mid- and South County reside unsurprisingly at the Arcadian Shop in Lenox, legendary for its outdoor gear and advice. They’ve got kayaks and paddleboards and lots of ideas for where to use them. This year, due to COVID, their equipment isn’t for rent but rather to purchase. And next year, they hope to be renting again. The store manager, Chris Calvert, has been there nearly thirty years and knows just about all there is to know about paddling in the area, including the best spots on the Housatonic River. Among the places he recommends: the Stockbridge Bowl; Upper and Lower Goose Pond in Tyringham; Richmond Pond; Otis Reservoir; Woods Pond in Lee; Laurel Lake, Cheshire Lake, and the Housatonic River, of course. The possibilities are endless enough to occupy your summer and fall. And for the more adventurous among you looking to paddle the Housatonic, here’s a tip from Chris: https://housatonicheritage.org/ wp-content/uploads/2015/08/BerkshirePaddleGuide.pdf.
more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
farmers markets BERKSHIRE GROWN
FC HIP SNAP SF WIC
Fresh Connect Healthy Incentives Program SNAP/EBT: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children
Look for markets with the Market Match logo to boost your buying power with SNAP/EBT and HIP benefits. All markets have pandemic protocols in place. Please wear masks regardless of vaccination status. For updates visit https://berkshiregrown.org/guidetolocalfoodandfarms/
NORTH
CENTRAL
BENNINGTON, Vt. Bennington Farmers Market benningtonfarmersmarket.org 100 Veterans Memorial Drive (by the deer park) Saturdays 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., May 1 – Oct 30 Accepts debit cards, online ordering. Curbside pickup available. SNAP
HANCOCK, Mass. Hancock Farmers Market on Facebook 3210 Hancock Rd./Rte. 43 Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Jun 6 – Oct 10 Roadside farmstand and market offering local & organic fruit, berries, vegetables, maple syrup, honey, cheese, jams, jellies, baked goods, gifts, antiques, collectibles, books, art & crafts.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. North Adams Farmers Market explorenorthadams.com/item/ north-adams-farmers-market Municipal parking lot on St. Anthony Dr. between Marshall St. and Holden St. Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., June 5 – Oct 16 HIP SNAP WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. Williamstown Farmers Market williamstownfarmersmarket.org; also on Facebook Parking lot at the base of Spring Street Saturdays: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., May 22 - Oct 16 HIP SF SNAP WIC
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. Berkshire Area Farmers Market Berkshire Mall parking lot, Old State Rd. and Rte. 8 Saturdays 8 a.m. – 2 p.m., May 8 – Nov 20 Vegetables, fruit, plants, meat & more.
LENOX, Mass. Lenox Farmers Market lenox.org/lenox-farmers-market/ 21 Housatonic St. Fridays 1 – 5 p.m., May 7 – Oct 1 Wide assortment of produce, breads, sweets, artisanal & specialty food items and crafts. Note: Current regulations only allow service animals at the market with their owners. SNAP WIC SF NEW LEBANON, N.Y. New Lebanon Farmers Market newlebanonfarmersmarket.com Outdoor Market: 516 US-NY State Rte 20 Sundays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., June 6 – Oct 31 Year-round pre-order markets, please order using website. Pick ups Thursdays 4 – 6 p.m. and Sundays 2 – 4 p.m. at Fisher’s Store, 528 US-NY State Rte 20, New Lebanon. FC HIP SNAP SF WIC
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. Pittsfield Farmers Market Accepts credit/debit farmersmarketpittsfield.org The Common, 100 First St. Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., May 15 – Oct 9 The region’s first teen-run farmers market—powered by Roots Rising! Producer-only market with fresh, local & seasonal produce, meat, eggs, cheese, baked goods, artisan goods and more. HIP SNAP SF WIC
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. Great Barrington Farmers Market greatbarringtonfarmersmarket.org 18 Church St. Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., May 8 – Nov 13 HIP SNAP SF WIC
WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. West Stockbridge Farmers Market weststockbridgefarmersmarket.org The Foundry Green on Harris St. Thursdays 3 – 6 p.m., May 27 – Oct 7 A friendly community market located on the Foundry Green, offering a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, artisanal cheeses, eggs, organic meat, local maple syrup & honey, jams, soaps, fresh flowers, bread, baked goods and more. SNAP WIC SF
LEE, Mass. Lee Farmers Market leefarmersmarket.com 25 Park Place, at the town park intersections of Main St., Housatonic St., and West Park St. in front of the First Congregational Church. Saturdays 10 am-2pm, May 29-Oct 9 Market held rain or shine. HIP SNAP
SOUTH CORNWALL, Conn. The Original Cornwall Farmers Market cornwallfarmmarket.org 413 Sharon Goshen Turnpike, West Cornwall Saturdays 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., mid-May – Oct Locally grown, raised & artisanal handcrafted food, flowers, edible and ornamental plants.
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HILLSDALE, NY Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market copakehillsdalefarmersmarket.com Roeliff Jansen (Roe Jan) Park, 9140 Rte. 22 Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., May 22 – Nov 20 Organic vegetables, fruits, locally raised meats, specialty products, prepared food, cheese, bread, baked goods, eggs, mushrooms, jams & jellies, honey, maple syrup. Live music and children’s programming. CSA pickup. Double Up Food Bucks program. SNAP
MILLERTON, N.Y. Millerton Farmers Market neccmillerton.org/farmers-market Millerton Methodist Church, 6 Dutchess Ave. Saturdays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., May 22 – Oct 30 Managed by the North East Community Center, offers a wide variety of seasonal organic produce, pasture-raised meats, fruit, cheeses, baked goods and prepared foods. All vendors are local and use sustainable and ethical growing practices. SNAP
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MONTEREY, Mass. Monterey Farmers Market At the Roadside Store & Cafe Online pre-ordering at gouldfarmmarket.com Fridays, pick-ups 4 p.m. – 5 p.m., Jun – Aug Offering veggies, eggs, cheese, yogurt, baked goods, and more. NEW MARLBOROUGH, Mass. New Marlborough Farmers Market On Facebook Village Green, 134 Hartsville-New Marlboro Road Sundays 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., May 16 – Oct 10 Local meats, produce, eggs, honey, cut flowers, succulents, starter plants, breads, pickles, veggies, jellies & jams, baked treats, soaps and more. Hand-crafted items by local artisans.
Guide to
NORFOLK, Conn. Norfolk Farmers Market norfolkfarmersmarket.org Town Hall, 19 Maple Ave. Saturdays 10 a.m. – 1p.m., Jun 12 – Sept 11 Locally grown fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meats, herbs, cheeses, breads, cookies, tarts and pies, honey, maple syrup & jams, pickles, finely crafted artisan wares. Live music every week. OTIS, Mass. Otis Farmers Market 2000 East Otis Road East Otis, MA 01029 Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., May 29 – Oct 9 SHEFFIELD, Mass. The Sheffield Farmers Market sheffieldfarmersmarket.org 125 Main St. Fridays 3 – 6 p.m., May 28 – Oct 8 The Market is a venue for meaningful community interaction, offering visitors fresh, local food, live music, and unique products for over 20 years. SNAP
2021
Local Food & Farms
FARMERS MARKETS • FARM STANDS • FARMS • RESTAURANTS
Discover market information at BerkshireFarmersMarkets.org.
Watch for the 2021 Guide in local shops! or find it online at berkshiregrown.org
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day trip
shelburne falls, massachusetts: A delightfully quirky day trip By Andrew Blechman
The Bridge of Flowers
This was my first trip to Shelburne Falls, and I was awfully glad to have made its acquaintance. As I peer into its broad storefront window filled with eclectic impulse buys, the proprietor of Wandering Moon, Laura Felsch, waves for me to come on in. Inside there’s handcrafted silver jewelry by Felsch herself, as well as medieval-themed wall tapestries, a smart-looking collection of international pocketknives, a mix of books about architecture, animals, and social commentary, and curated gift cards. “We’re kind of a mix of all sorts of things,” Felsch explains. “When we first opened 26 years ago, we had a medieval theme. But now we incorporate different periods, like Arts and Crafts”, she continues, pointing to several period lamps. “I can’t really sum up what we are except it feels like a living room filled with beautiful things. We’re unique, so I recommend you just look around and enjoy yourself.” Which is how I’d sum up Shelburne Falls itself: deliciously unique in a way that instills the desire to browse and explore.
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A 90-minute drive from Great Barrington (and about an hour’s drive from Pittsfield), Shelburne Falls fits what I’m looking for when it comes to a successful daytrip: a friendly destination well under two hours away with a scenic drive, natural and cultural attractions, quirky feel, great strolling, and an array of unusual yet delicious restaurants. This was my first trip to Shelburne Falls, and I was awfully glad to have made its acquaintance. First there’s the drive out there. Sure, you can take the Mass Pike, head up I-91, then jog back west. But the better drive is the one through the “Hill Towns” east of Pittsfield through Dalton and then up, up, and more up. The more altitude you gain, the more rural it becomes. This is a region of Massachusetts that’s filled with scenic byways. If you drive out from South County, you’re likely to travel along at least two of them. If you take a longer route back via North Adams on the granddaddy of scenic byways—the Mohawk Trail—you’ll travel along or cross another two or three. If you do travel up through Dalton and the Hill Towns, you might consider visiting Zoar Outdoor Adventures in Charlemont, about eight miles west of Shelburne Falls, and the go-to place for whitewater rafting, kayaking, and ziplining. When you arrive in Shelburne Falls, the first thing you’ll notice is how it straddles the Deerfield River. The two bridges connecting the riverbanks are immediate visual standouts. The car bridge is an old iron structure dating back well over more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
Left: View from the Bridge of Flowers
100 years. And right next to it is a popular local attraction named the Bridge of Flowers—a defunct trolley bridge that was repurposed into a landscaped pedestrian bridge 80 years before Manhattan’s High Line was similarly transformed (reopening in June, check website for date). Just downriver from the bridges are the falls themselves, and below them are the famous Glacial Potholes, bowl-like rock formations that, while not actually formed by glaciers, were formed over thousands of years by this impressive cataract in the Deerfield River.
Glacial Potholes
Shelburne Falls is an historic village designation, and not an actual municipality. Rather, each bank of the river is its own town—Buckland on the west, and Shelburne on the east. Once a popular salmon fishing spot for the region’s indigenous peoples, the area was incorporated in 1775. It was mainly agricultural until the start of the industrial revolution, at which time the river was harnessed to power mills. Those mills kept going until recent decades, when they either closed or moved shop. Remnants of that era include a factory outlet for Lamson, famous for its forged cutlery and located on the Buckland side of the river. Sprinkled among all the durable kitchen knives and utensils are factory seconds, which are great bargains. I couldn’t even locate the imperfections on the spatula and the “mighty mini masher” that I bought—perfect for hand-mashing potatoes and cauliflower with ease. The next economic wave to hit Shelburne Falls was a creative one—artists, gallery owners, restaurateurs, who helped restore aging buildings along Bridge Street as well as the old mill buildings. It’s this creative influx that gives the historic village its unique charm. As you stroll along Bridge Street on the Shelburne side of the river, you’ll come across eclectic stores like Felsch’s Wandering Moon, or Flora! in a building the size of a railcar cantilevered BerkshiresCalendar.com
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Clockwise from top: Bulk food at McCusker’s Market, Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley, an eclectic assortment of new and used at Retreads, vases at Salmon Falls Gallery.
over the river. Watermark Gallery at 1 Deerfield Avenue sells contemporary art. The biggest gallery in town is perched above the Buckland side of the river—the Salmon Falls Gallery. It’s owned by renowned glassblower Josh Simpson and features his work and that of other artists using different media. Down the street is the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum (reopening July 3) that features a 15-minute trolley ride as well as an old pump handcar—guaranteed to be popular with youngsters. When it comes to food, Shelburne Falls is uniquely equipped. For a small village, it has some of the grooviest restaurants I’ve come across in a while. Queen of the ball here is the Gypsy Apple Café, located in a storefront on Bridge Street. It seats fewer than 20, and Chef Wescott’s menu is similarly spare yet beckoning. In the warm weather, a back patio adds seating for another dozen. Another miniscule favorite—this one seating fewer than a dozen—is Delicatesse, (take out only at this writing) which features hand-rolled bagels with lox, potato latkes, a pickle plate, and frisée aux lardons with poached eggs. Yum. I stumbled across another restaurant on Bridge Street, called Hearty Eats, and was psyched to see all sorts of salads and fish dishes on the menu. Not in the mood for a big meal, I opted for the fresh falafel and slaw plate. You’d be amazed at how many people don’t get falafel right. But here, it was perfect, as was the bed of fresh slaw. It was only later, when ordering a dairy-free and gluten-free seed-filled cookie, that I realized this cozy stop was actually vegan and free of gluten. Put simply, the food was so delicious that I hadn’t even realized. I quickly made up for that lack of gluten when I walked over to Baked, a bakery on Deerfield Avenue, and ordered a scone. Sadly, there was little room left for an ice cream shake at the local pharmacy—Baker’s—that still features a counter with swivel stools and a soda jerk. And it’s not for show. This is just how Shelburne Falls rolls—groovy, authentic, unique. If I hadn’t been pushing the clock, I’d have opted for a hike up to the High Ledges, a series of trails on Audubon land above town that have views of the entire valley and Mount Greylock
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in the distance. Shelburne Falls is nestled between two peaks, Massamet and Bray Mountains, so there’s plenty of great hiking. This time around, I settled for a view of the falls around the corner from the bakery. With its brick, stone, and wooden buildings dating back well over 100 years, its functional supermarkets and food co-ops, three bookstores, and a gem of a public library, Shelburne Falls is a joy to stroll around. It’s so picturesque that Hollywood has come calling several times. The Judge with Robert Duvall and Labor Day with Kate Winslet were both filmed there. Star-shaped plaques reminiscent of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame are affixed to many a building in town, including the Town Hall, which happens to house a volunteer-run movie theater on the top floor! And as if a turn-of-the-century town hall with a movie theater weren’t enough, around the corner and down an alley there’s the nation’s second oldest continuously operated bowling alley. And as if that weren’t enough, it’s candlepin bowling! Cozy with just eight lanes, the Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley has been in operation since 1906 (closed due to COVID, reopening soon). Candlepins, if you haven’t played, is akin to ten-pin bowling except that the balls are the size of pomelos, the pins are skinny, and if they fall down and remain in place, you just play on. The best part is you get three tries per turn. And if you wanna celebrate a win, the other best part is the $3 16-oz. drafts of Pabst Blue Ribbon. If bowling makes you hungry as well as thirsty, you’ll have a good excuse to walk back across the river to the popular West End Pub or Blue Rock restaurant. Or if you’re an occasional health geek like me, you can pop over to the historic McCusker’s Market, now run as a satellite natural foods store by Franklin Community Co-op of Greenfield. You’re bound to meander across many of your own finds. In addition to the three bookstores, there’s an artist’s co-op, and a bunch of nicely curated thrift clothing stores. And on your way home, if there’s still time in the day and room in your tummy, don’t forget to make a stop at the Old Creamery (only outdoor seating at the moment) in Cummington, a delightful food co-op and gathering place up among the Hill Towns. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com
FIVE YEARS IN THE MAKING,
the American whiskey collection: 12 brewers, 12 beers, 12 whiskeys. Released in batches each season throughout 2021.
CraftBrewersWhiskeyProject.com
BerkshireMountainDistillers.com
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