Life in the Berkshires | Spring 2025 HEALTH & WELLNESS ISSUE
Warm Welcome The owners of Doctor Sax House have created a chic gathering space in Lenox.
MIND & BODY Local pros share their wellness wisdom
GETAWAYS Where to stay in 2025!
Cheers! Delicious (zero-proof) drinks
Award-Winning Wellness in Your Own Backyard Experience world-class wellness and expert insights for your physical, mental & spiritual well-being.
canyonranch.com/lenox
from the publisher and editor
CONNECTIONS COUNT. Our relationships
MICHELLE THORPE PETRICCA Publisher mpetricca@berkshireeagle.com
AMY CONWAY Editor aconway@berkshireeagle.com
P.S. Speaking of making plans, we are working on a special event of our own: The B’s Passport to Summer. Consider this your all-access pass to Summer 2025–you’ll get the inside scoop on everything happening in the Berkshires and can even book your spots with our concierge ticketing service. Join us at The Belvedere in Lenox on May 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Reserve your spot! tinyurl.com/B-Passport
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A E R I A L YO G A : A B I G A I L F E N TO N ; B O O K : T R I C I A M C C O R M A C K
are more important than ever—studies show that maintaining close ties with family, friends, and your community overall can lead to a longer, healthier life. Is it just us, or does it seem like those connections come easier in the Berkshires? When you’re new to the area (and we’ve both been there!), people pull you in, get you involved. They want to share what they love about the Berkshires. We may be a diverse group but we are also kindred spirits, and we gather at our Aerial yoga at Canyon Ranch— “community centers,” all up and down the county. inversions are They are our museums, theaters, music venues, historic homes, good for you! restaurants—the list goes on. It’s remarkably easy to strike up a conversation over the salad greens at Guido’s, while on a hike up Monument Mountain, or with the person on the next pickleball court at Bousquet Sport. Doctor Sax House is one of our newest such places—that’s why we put it on the cover of our health and wellness issue. Owners Kelly and Bryan Binder are themselves new in town—but talk about kindred spirits. Since opening their Lenox boutique hotel, with its welcoming loungelike spaces, they have made it into a venue for community events and a gathering spot. Like MASS MoCA, The Mount, or your favorite café, it’s a place to make connections. Actually, let’s just call them friends. We have a lot to look forward to this spring. You’ll find our listings of exhibits, festivals, and events on page 12–take a look and why not make plans to go with friends or family to see the baby animals at Hancock Here’s the book that inspired our cover couple. Shaker Village or an exhibition at the Clark? We’ll see you there.
Light Therapy A zero-gravity bed uses red and infrared light to help reduce pain and discomfort.
Infrared Sauna Pod This whole-body wellness pod is a dry heat sauna with vibration massage and Himalayan ionic salt-air infusion with face cooling.
Neuro-Stimulation For mental and physical restoration and optimization, pulsed pressure waves help rebalance the nervous systems.
Life on the (Canyon) Ranch Canyon Ranch’s offerings in Lenox range from ancient healing techniques to the latest hightech treatments. On a recent visit, we were lucky Compression and Percussion Air compression and percussion enough to try both. Yoga (aerial in this case) was treatments can help speed accompanied by a sound bath, in which senior recovery, improve training, and spiritual wellness advisor Dan Marko used maximize performance singing bowls and other instruments to create an immersive sound-therapy experience. Flash forward a couple thousand years to the CR Vitality Experience— this new offering was designed by scientists and doctors to help improve energy, recovery, sleep, and more. Sessions in the Vitality Studio at Canyon Ranch can be added on to an overnight stay or day pass. Special offer for members of Bousquet Sport—book the CR Vitality Experience on its own for $80! P H OTO S : A B I G A I L F E N TO N
Join Us for Dinner! Canyon Ranch + The B Guest chef Jon Sterrett—soon to open his own Lenox restaurant— and CR executive chef Julien Ardouin are crafting a special spring dinner, and you’re invited! April 17, $150 per person.
T W McClell and & Daughter s Fine Jewelry 597 South Main St. Great Barrington Thur s - Sat, 11 - 5 & by appointment t wmcclell and.com ig @t wmcclell and 413-645-3399
Spring 2025
Features
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Happy & Healthy Local experts share their wellness wisdom.
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Mixing Things Up Dave Mixer’s Mill Town gives back to the Berkshires in big ways.
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The Feigenbaum Formula The generosity and brilliance of two brothers has a lasting legacy. PICKLEBALL, COCKTAIL, COUPLE, YARN: ABI GAI L FENTON; BROTHERS: COURTESY OF THE F EIGENBAUM FOUNDATION
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Raising the Bar
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Cheers to mocktails—these nonalcoholic drinks are for everyone.
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Yarn to Dye For
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Plus!
Getaways
The fiber arts are thriving in the Berkshires—meet the maker of gorgeous ombré yarn.
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Grace Notes A musician and a doctor find harmony at a stunning home in Lenox.
Resort, hotel, inn, or B&B? We’ve got it all. See page 81
In every issue: The Local Life 11 | Voices & Views 27 | Field Guide 81 | Last Look 88 On the cover: Bryan and Kelly Binder, Doctor Sax House, Lenox P H OTO BY T R I C I A M C C O R M A C K ; H A I R & M A K E U P BY D A N I E L A P I G N AT E L L I
Lisa Vollmer Photography
VOL. 3, ISSUE 1 Spring 2025 PUBLISHER
EDITOR IN CHIEF
mpetricca@berkshireeagle.com
aconway@berkshireeagle.com
DESIGN DIRECTOR
EDITOR-AT-LARGE
Michelle Thorpe Petricca
Julie Hammill
julie@hammilldesign.com COPY EDITOR
Amy Krzanik CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS
Sari Botton Alana Chernila Jane Larkworthy Pops Peterson
Amy Conway
William Li
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Ben Garver Gillian Jones-Heck Stephanie Zollshan
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Lily Goldberg
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contributors: The B's Saints & Eccentrics
ANN VOLKWEIN (“Grace Notes”) is a bestselling cookbook author and recipe developer based in Stockbridge. She is the author of the “Arthur Avenue Cookbook” and “Chinatown New York.” Her most recent collaborations include “Tasting History” with Max Miller, “My Mexican Mesa” with Jenny Martinez, and “Salt Hank” with Henry LaPorte. LILY GOLDBERG (contributing editor) is a writer and music-maker from New York City. A graduate of Williams College, she’s worked at MASS MoCA, The Clark, and The Berkshire Eagle. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Times-Union, No Depression, PAPER, The Brooklyn Rail, and more. KATE ABBOTT (“Community Centered”) explores the Berkshires as a freelance writer, editor, and oral historian. She writes for publications from the Boston Globe to the Eagle and the Hill Country Observer, and she runs the website By the Way Berkshires, btwberkshires.com. ROBBI HARTT (“Happy & Healthy, Mind & Body”) taught English and directed the writing center at Greens Farms Academy (Westport, Connecticut) for 20 years, and now lives in Mill River, where she and her husband created a respite for families dealing with pediatric cancer. She writes regularly for local publications. NEIL TURITZ (“Mixing Things Up”) moved to the Berkshires from New York City, along with his wife. They have since welcomed a son. Turitz is a screenwriter, author, filmmaker, journalist, and creator of “6 Word Reviews.” @6wordreviews
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LARA TUPPER (“Get Your Fest On”) is an award-winning author, teacher, and vocalist based in the Berkshires. A faculty member for 10 years at Kripalu Center, she now leads writing workshops via Swift Ink Stories. laratupper.com ABIGAIL FENTON (“Mixing Things Up,” “Raising the Bar,” “Grace Notes”) is an international photographer rooted in the Berkshires. Specializing in lifestyle and wedding photography, she expertly captures the essence of human experience. In her personal work, Abigail primarily works with film photography. abigailfenton.com TRICIA MCCORMACK (“Style and Substance”) is the owner/lead photographer of Berkshire’s premier photography team. An 8-time consecutive winner of Best of the Berkshires, Tricia’s work has recently been featured in Forbes, Conde Nast, The Boston Globe and the New York Times. Tricia resides in Lenox with her husband and two teenage sons. triciamccormack.com ASHLEY WEEKS CART (“Yarn to Dye For”) is a Berkshire-based artist and educator specializing in outdoor family and portrait photography. Her personal art practice meditates on parenthood and grief and the interconnected worlds of both. She lives and works in Williamstown. ashleyweekscart.com BEN GARVER is an award-winning photojournalist whose work has been published by nearly every major news outlet in the country. He has been a staff photojournalist for The Berkshire Eagle for almost 30 years. An avid hiker and biker, he rarely leaves home without a camera and we can all be thankful for that.
Big thanks to our interns! Williams students ZOE LEINDECKER (left) and TEBIN KIM (right) contributed to this issue.
P H OTO S : C O U R T E SY O F T H E C O N T R I B U TO R S
CHRISTOPHER MARCISZ (“The Feigenbaum Formula”) is a writer who has lived (mostly) in the Berkshires for the past 20 years. As a staff writer for The Eagle he covered North County, and now writes about the arts here and abroad. He is passionate about traveling, cooking, and pickup ice hockey.
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Local Life Exploring Our Towns for the Best in the Berkshires
A R T: C L A U D E LO R R A I N , L A N D S C A P E W I T H T H E V OYA G E O F J A C O B , 1 6 7 7, O I L O N C A N VA S . C L A R K A R T I N S T I T U T E , 1 9 5 5 . 4 2
Pastoral on Paper The Clark Williamstown “Landscape with the Voyage of Jacob” by Claude Lorrain, 1677, is just one of the works in this exhibit opening March 8. For more spring events, turn the page.
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the local life: Around Town Happenings
Spring Flings There’s lots to do and see this season—mark your calendars with these events. “Pastoral on Paper” The Clark, Williamstown, March 8-June 15 This exhibition presents 17th- and 18th-century European books, drawings, and prints of idealized landscapes. clarkart.edu
4th Annual Sourdough Bread Competition Dewey Hall, Sheffield, March 14 Celebrate craftsmanship and flavor as bakers showcase their best loaves. deweyhall.org
ThunderFest Adams Visitor Center, Adams, March 22 (rain date: March 23) This outdoor festival is designed to shake off the winter blues with live music, local food, and community fun for kids and adults. exploreadams.com
Cast your vote at the Sourdough Bread Contest, Dewey Hall, Sheffield.
The Bulb Show at Berkshire Botanical Garden Stockbridge, through March 23 Witness the iconic beauty of spring as vibrant flowers bloom by the thousands in every color imaginable. berkshirebotanical.org
“Cultural Apothecary”
“All for Laughs: The Artists of the Famous Cartoonist Course” Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, through June 15 This lighthearted exhibition showcases the craft and humor of cartooning with instructional drawings by iconic 20th-century humorists. nrm.org
The Daffodil and Tulip Festival at Naumkeag, Stockbridge
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T U L I P S : D AV I D E D G E C O M B ; B R E A D : D E W E Y H A L L
MASS MoCA, North Adams, now open Reflect on modern anxieties through an exhibition by Alison Pebworth that blends art with cultural critique. massmoca.org
Mother’s Day at the Clark Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, May 11 Wander galleries, explore the outdoors, and enjoy special programming. clarkart.edu ArtWeek Berkshires May 16-26 Explore the rich artistic talent of the region through a week of hands-on and behind-thescenes events. berkshires.org/ artweek-berkshires
The Workshop Experience, based in and around Hillsdale, New York, includes open gardens, such as this magical Claverack property of garden designer Peter Bevacqua and Stephen King.
“The Archive of Lost Memories” MASS MoCA, North Adams, April 5-June 29 Randi Malkin Steinberger offers a collection of found images and objects reimagined with care and creativity. massmoca.org Baby Animals at Hancock Shaker Village Pittsfield, April 12-May 4 Enjoy the sights and sounds of spring with baby animals and a taste of farm life. hancockshakervillage.org
BerkChique Ventfort Hall, Lenox, May 2-4 Explore a treasure trove of curated fashion and unique finds at this pop-up boutique supporting local nonprofits. berkchique.org Berkshire Botanical Garden Spring Fest Stockbridge, May 4 Celebrate the season with classic May Day traditions, lively performances, and creative activities for the whole family. berkshirebotanical.org
CATA Gala Tina Packer Playhouse, Great Barrington, May 10-11 A celebration of creativity and human expression takes center stage for Community Access to the Arts’ inspiring annual performance. cataarts.org
H A N C O C K S H A K E R : B E N G A R V E R ; G A R D E N : P E T E R B E VA C Q U A
The Workshop Experience Hillsdale, New York, May 10-11 Join talented local creatives for experiential learning events in gardening, culinary arts, floristry, fiber arts, theatre, and more. theworkshopexperience.org
Annual Daffodil and Tulip Festival Naumkeag, Stockbridge, April 18-May 11 Walk through stunning gardens alive with vibrant spring blooms. thetrustees.org/naumkeag Pittsfield CityJazz Festival Downtown Pittsfield, April 24-May 4 Ten days of live jazz performances bringing energy and talent to the heart of the city. berkshiresjazz.org
Sculpture at The Mount, The Mount, Lenox, opens May 24 The annual exhibition of contemporary sculpture extends across 50 acres of forest, gardens, and meadows at Edith Wharton’s home. edithwharton.org Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder Chatham, New York, May 18 This challenging yet rewarding bike ride through scenic trails supports Columbia County organizations. farmersdaughtergravelgrinder.com Berkshire International Film Festival Great Barrington, May 29-June 1 Enjoy a weekend of captivating film, thought-provoking live discussions, and parties! biffma.org Berkshire Yoga Festival Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock, June 12-15 Returning after a successful inaugural year, this fest will reconnect you with yourself and nature through yoga, meditation, and outdoor wellness events. berkshireyogafestival.com
—Compiled by Tebin Kim
Meet the piglets at Hancock Shaker Village.
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the local life: Food & Drink
It’s the people, places and past that make the Berkshires beautiful. Discover it all with a subscription to The B! berkshireeagle.com/theb 800-245-0254
What’s Brewing
Community Centered More than a café, Wander Berkshires is dedicated to creativity and connection. When looking through a camera lens, photographer and photojournalist Jay Santangelo is able to slow down and focus on clear, bright moments in everyday life, finding light, shadows, and highlights. When Santangelo and their wife and daughter moved from Austin, Texas, to the Berkshires two years ago, they wanted to provide a gathering space that was welcoming for all, and that would allow others to experience similar moments of creation and introspection. Enter Wander Berkshires, a combination coffee shop, art space, and venue— with a darkroom on the way. The light-filled 3,000-square-foot space in Pittsfield can host a dance party or quiet talks in the café. As a trans owner, Santangelo imagines Wander as a safe space for queer and LGBTQ folk and the whole community. They offer nonalcoholic beverages, mocktails, teas, and tinctures. Events on tap: pop-up dinners, film screenings, storytelling, breathwork, sound journeys, and sober dance parties. The darkroom is scheduled for this spring and Santangelo plans to host photography workshops for local teens. When they taught similar classes in Hunts Point in the Bronx, they cherished the sense of power their students felt in choosing how to see and reveal the world around them, and how they wanted to see themselves. “They would bring in their film and develop it,” Santangelo said, “and they would say ‘It’s beautiful,’ and I’d say ‘That’s your life.’” —Kate Abbott
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P H OTO S : B E N G A R V E R
wanderberkshires.com
Among the plants at Ward’s in Great Barrington, Kevin Kelly of After Hours preps dinner.
Pop Ups
The Roving Restaurant This dinner was plant-forward in more ways than one: The creative multi-course winter menu from After Hours GB featured lots of veggies—and it took place in the greenhouse at Ward’s Nursery and Garden Center. It’s just one recent dinner from After Hours, founded and run by Kevin Kelly of Great Barrington; he works with local businesses to host fresh, community-minded dining experiences. This spring features a collab series with Berkshire Botanical Garden, and more. wardsnursery.com • afterhoursgb.cm
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Pros’ Picks
Sober Sips When you want all the flavor, but none of the buzz. With zero-proof drinks catching on, we asked three local experts—wine and spirits purveyors, in fact—for their top product recs (for more on mocktails, see page 60).
Ashley Zurrin Assistant Manager, Spirited, Lenox spirited-wines.com Lautus Sauvignon Blanc This de-alcoholised Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorite N/A wines. It is bright and tropical but very well balanced by acidity, making it the perfect elegant white to have with a meal or on its own. St. Agrestis Phony Negroni The botanicals in this are so beautiful, natural, and organic. It’s their take on a traditional Negroni, with a perfect bit of bitterness and bubbles, pre-mixed and ready to drink.
Lily Nejaime Store Manager, Nejaime’s Wine Cellars, Lenox & Stockbridge nejaimeswine.com De Soi Spritz Italiano This has a well-balanced, crisp profile that mimics the traditional spritz. It’s the ideal drink for those seeking a lively, sophisticated alternative that’s celebratory and refreshing. Unified Ferments Jasmine Green Crafted using high-quality jasmine green tea; the natural fermentation process enhances the complex flavors making it smooth and layered. (Note: due to the fermentation process, this contains small amounts of alcohol.)
Michael Brunelle Wine, Beer & Spirits Sales Manager, Big Y Foods, bigy.com Lyre’s Dark ’N Spicy I’m a fan of the Lyre’s entire range of zero-proof offerings. Specifically, I like their ready-to-serve Dark ’N Spicy. It’s a riff on the classic Dark and Stormy with a bit of heat that mimics the alcohol nicely. Guinness Zero There are so many good non-alcoholic craft beers, but I still go back to Guinness Zero. It’s rich, creamy, and malty just like the original—you’d be hard pressed to tell them apart!
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