Berkshires Calendar magazine Fall 2018 edition

BerkshiresCalendar .com YOUR LINK TO THE SEASON’S OFFERINGS FALL 2018

What’s Happening

NOW

apple picking visiting with your dog rail trails holiday events art, music & more

A FREE publication from theberkshireedge.com BerkshiresCalendar.com

1

discover BEAUTY inside & out

Visit our expanded store on Main Street in Great Barrington for Clean Makeup, Facial Waxing and Express Natural Nails.

THE SKINCARE MAKEUP DERMATOLOGIST & ALLERGY TESTED. #TheSkincareMakeup | JANEIREDALE.COM TM

2

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

BerkshiresCalendar .com YOUR LINK THE OFFERINGS A S A MTO PLIN G O FSEASON’S THE SEASON ’S OFFERINGS

FA L L 2 0 1 8

30 26

24

50

TOWNS 6 Hillsdale, N.Y. 9 Salisbury, Conn.

12 Great Barrington 18 Sheffield 19 Stockbridge 21 West Stockbridge 23 Lee 24 Lenox 26 Pittsfield 28 North Adams

19

40

36

FEATURES & DEPARTMENTS 30 Bring the Dog 36 Ideal for Apples 40 Hit the Rail Trails 43 To Ski or Not to Ski 44 Berkshires Holidays 50 Arts & Performance 56 Food & Farm 60 Day Trips: Southern Vermont

44

29 Williamstown

BerkshiresCalendar.com

1

news & ideas worth sharing

your online portal to the Berkshires

events

updated daily life in the berkshires

real estate

obits

NEWS

business

jobs

CALENDAR

ENTERTAINMENT TRADE & COMMERCE environment POLITICS arts

the online newspaper for the tri-state area theberkshireedge.com

THE ONLINE NEWSPAPER FOR THE

tri-state area theBerkshireEdge.com

2

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

PHOTO CREDITS |

Table of Contents, Page 1: (Clockwise from top left), Landscape, Ogden Gigli; Dog, Courtesy of Hotel on North; Arrowhead, photo by Ogden Gigli/Berkshire Visitors Bureau; Little girl with apple, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism; Train: Frank DeMars/Norfolk Historical Society; Stockbridge clown, Joe Laino; Illustration by Gregory Manchess from Above the Timberline at the Norman Rockwell Museum; Cover, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Hillsdale, N.Y., Pages 6-8: Page 6: Casana T House, photo by Yumiko Izu; General Store, photo by Phil Holland; Page 7: HGS Chef, photo by Phil Holland. Salisbury, Conn., Pages 9-11: Page 9: Salisbury General Store and Sweet William’s, photos by Phil Holland; Page 10: The White Hart Inn and Scoville Memorial Library, photos by Phil Holland. Great Barrington, Pages 12-17: Page 12: Railroad Street, photo by Tim Grafft/ Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism; Kellogg Music Center, courtesy of Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Page 16: Monument Mountain, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Sheffield, Page 18: Page 18: Colonel Ashley House, Trustees of Reservations. Stockbridge, Pages 19-20: Page 19: Road, photo by Ogden Gigli/Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism; Store Interior, photo by Joe Laino, courtesy of Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce. Page 20: Jack-o-Lantern, Shutterstock. West Stockbridge, Pages 21-22: Page 21: All photos by Joe Roy. Page 22: Photo by Lear Levin. Lee, Page 23: Page 23: Main Street, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Photo of Prime Outlets courtesy of Carolyn Edwards, Prime Outlets, Lee, Mass. Lenox, Pages 24-25: Page 24: Shopping, courtesy of Lenox Chamber of Commerce; Bridge in Lenoxdale, Ogden Gigli/Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Pittsfield, Pages 26-27: Page 26: 100 North St. illuminated, courtesy of Berkshire Lightscapes; Hotel on North, Courtesy of Downtown Pittsfield, Inc; Pontoosuc Lake, Courtesy of Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism; Barn at Hancock Shaker Village, Courtesy of Hancock Shaker Village; Façade of Berkshire Museum, Courtesy of Berkshire Museum. Page 27: Steve Valenti’s, photo by Leo Mazzeo. North Adams, Pages 28: Page 28: Aerial shot of MASS MoCA, photo by Douglas Mason, Courtesy of MASS MoCA; Mohawk Theater, photo Tim Grafft/North Adams Chamber of Commerce.Williamstown, Page 29: Page 29: Mount Greylock Tower, courtesy of Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism; Clark Art Institute gallery, Courtesy of Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Bring the Dog, Pages 30-33: Page 31: “Going and Coming,” Norman Rockwell illustration © SEPS, hanging at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Page 32: David York, photo by Phil Holland; Duke, Courtesy Hotel on North. Page 33: Photos by Ogden Gigli; Dog on trail also courtesy of Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Ideal for Apples: Pages 34-39: Page 34: Courtesy of Bartlett’s Orchard. Page 36: Children in orchard, courtesy of Riiska Brook Orchard; Jaeschke’s Orchard, photo by Phil Holland. Page 37: Bartlett’s Orchard, photo by Ogden Gigli/Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism; organic apples, courtesy of Bear Swamp Orchard. Page 38: Top photos, courtesy of Bartlett’s Orchards; Bottles, courtesy of Bear Swamp Orchard. Page 39: Lake-view sign, photo by Phil Holland. Hit the Rail Trails, Pages 40-42: Page 40: Full trail map, Courtesy of Harlem Valley Rail Trail. Page 41: Train, photo by Marie Hartig Kendall, courtesy of Norfolk Historical Society; On the rail trail, photo by John Yuill; To Ski or Not to Ski, Page 43: Page 43: Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, courtesy of Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Berkshires Holidays, Pages 44-49: Page 44: Stockbridge at Christmas, photo by Joe Laino, courtesy of Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce. Page 45: Stockbridge clown, Joe Laino, courtesy of Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce.

Page 46: Illustration by John Leech from “The Christmas Carol,” First Edition.

Page 47: Barn at Hancock Shaker Village, courtesy of Hancock Shaker Village; Tree, courtesy of Berkshire Museum. Page 49: Holiday scene, Courtesy of The Sheffield Historical Society; Girl with cocoa, Shutterstock.com; Band, courtesy of The Salisbury Band & Hot Chocolate Society. Arts & Performances, Pages 50-55: Page 50: Illustration by Gregory Manchess from Above the Timberline at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Page 51: “Blind Eye”, photo courtesy of the Clark Art Institute. Page 52: Photo by Cesare Naldi, Andaman Islands, from National Geographic book and traveling exhibit “Rarely Seen: Photographs of the Extraordinary”; Morris’s studio, courtesy of Frelinghuysen-Morris House and Studio. Page 54: Roman Rabinovich, photo Balasz Borocz; top right: “Seagull”, photo by Jasper Nash/MASS MoCA. Page 55: Cheshire Harbor Trail, courtesy of Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Food & Farm, Pages 56-59: Page 56: Seeds, courtesy of Main Street Hospitality; Chocolate Springs, photo by Michelle Murphy/Berkshire Visitors Bureau; Café Adam, courtesy of Café Adam.Page 57: The Orchards, courtesy of Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism; Field and Cellar, courtesy of Field and Cellar; Marketplace Café, courtesy of Marketplace Café. Page 58: Cranwell, courtesy of Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism; R&G Cheese, courtesy of R&G Cheese; Baba Louie’s, courtesy of Baba Louie’s. Page 59: Courtesy of Big Elm Brewing. Day Trips: Southern Vermont, Pages 60-64: Page 60: Sauna, photo copyright Cally McDougall; Southern Vermont Orchards, photo by Paul Hersey. Page 61: Sheep in Snow, photo copyright Cally McDougall; view from Bennington Monument, photo by Phil Holland. Bennington Potters, Courtesy of Bennington Potters/David Barnum. Page 62: Chiselville Bridge, photo by Phil Holland.Page 64: Hildene, courtesy of Manchester Designer Outlets: Shop in snow, courtesy of Manchester Designer Outlets; Merck Forest, Courtesy of Merck Forest & Farmland Center.

NATURAL FOODS & GROCERY STORE O P E N D A I LY 7: 3 0

a m -7 p m

Local organic and Biodynamic produce | Animal Welfare Approved meat | our famous sauerkraut made on our farm organic breads + Biodynamic yogurt, cheese, raw milk & more | specialty holiday items including organic turkey + Christmas trees ®

A N OT H E R 5- S TA R G O O G L E R E V I E W !

“Premium fresh organic food grown and produced mostly local and from all around.

Truly a superstore that includes selling raw milk from cows you can thank in person...” ~Aresh J.

FESTIVAL joinus! FALL Y U L ETIDE FA IR

10/7 • 10-4 12/1 • 10-4

327 COUNTY ROUTE 21C, GHENT, NY 12075 | HVFSTORE.ORG BerkshiresCalendar.com

3

The Berkshire Edge welcomes you . . . to Issue #2 of BerkshiresCalendar.com, an overview of what’s happening in the Berkshires from September through January. We’ll publish new installments of this magazine every four months, to keep the Berkshires alive and accessible for you in all seasons.

BerkshiresCalendar .com YOUR LINK TO THE SEASON’S OFFERINGS

PUBLISHER

Marcie L. Setlow VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

BerkshiresCalendar.com is a print companion to our extraordinary online calendar, which you can visit at www.berkshirescalendar.com (hence our magazine’s name) and where you will find the most complete, varied and wide-ranging event listings available anywhere in the Berkshires and its environs… from high culture to community dinners… all online, updated daily and easy to use. Our listings are complete because we invite the public to post their own events for free… and they do.

James E. (Jim) Gibbons

In a region so rich in events and activities, our goal is to make the Berkshires easy for you to navigate. This print publication gives you a broad introduction to your options, organized by town and by category.

Then we encourage you to go to the online calendar and get in-depth information about the places, events, and activities that intrigue you.

Michael Richman

Our online calendar puts amazing search features at your fingertips.

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.

And while you’re at the calendar, check out the rest of The Berkshire Edge (www.theberkshireedge.com). Four years old now, we are the fastest growing news publication in the Berkshires—a complete newspaper, online-only and updated daily, where you can get the latest news, opinions, reviews, real estate information, births and obituaries, and insights into life in the Berkshires. Plus poems, essays, cartoons, serialized novels and lots of other surprises.

We figure the more you know about what’s happening in the Berkshires, the more you’ll enjoy yourself. So enjoy!

Best regards,

Marcie L. Setlow, Publisher

ART DIRECTOR

Leslie M. Noyes WRITER

Phil Holland

MARKETING DIRECTOR

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Rose A. Baumann

A publication of

edge

Berkshire

the

news & views worth having

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

David Scribner MANAGING EDITOR

Terry Cowgill EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Emily Edelman ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Kathrine Mason

The Berkshire Edge, LLC P.O. Box 117, Great Barrington, MA 01230 info@theberkshireedge.com www.theberkshireedge.com Contents Copyright © 2018 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.

Contributors Spotlight: OGDEN GIGLI, PHOTOGRAPHER OGDEN literally grew up in a successful New York photography studio. His father, Ormond Gigli, was one of the city’s most sought-after fashion and portrait photographers; Ogden got his early training when his father let him help at the studio. Later, he worked in the studios of some other top New York photographers, including Arthur Schatz, Laslow Stern and David Kennedy, before opening his own successful studio in New York City. In 1988, Ogden relocated to Pittsfield with his family. His work has been widely published in the area, as well as nationally.

He says he has photographed everything from CEOs to widget makers and the widgets themselves. He considers himself very fortunate to make a living in a field he is so passionate about.

committed to cultivating young women and men who are

hands hearts minds adept with their

connected to their

and who push their

in new directions.

joinus!

10/7 • 10-4

FALL FESTIVAL 12/1 • 10-4

YULETIDE FAIR mid - dec .

330 CO UN T Y RO U T E 2 1 C , G HEN T, N Y 1 2 075 H AW T H O R N E VA L L EYSC HO O L .O RG | 51 8 . 672.7092 X 111

MES SIAH WINTER CO N CERT

BerkshiresCalendar.com

5

hillsdale, new york

where New York meets the Berkshires

New York and Massachusetts are sepa-

shingle in 2009, billing itself as “an eclectic mix of all things

rated by walls of mountains at the north and south ends of

contemporary, quirky, and chic” (primarily housewares and

their common border, but in between there are passage-

personal care products); it’s still very much in business. The

ways: roads that follow valleys that cut through the higher

Federal designation of the Hillsdale Hamlet Historic District

terrain. One of those roads is Route 23, which runs between

in 2010 certainly advanced the cause. Interior designer

Hillsdale on the New York side and South Egremont in

Matthew White’s 2011 renovation of a run-down building

Massachusetts, where it joins Route 41 and continues on

on the village square that is now the stylish Hillsdale Gen-

to Great Barrington, a total distance of only 11 miles.

eral Store may have had something to do with Hillsdale’s

Nowadays the traffic goes both ways, as Hillsdale has

renascence. He transformed a historic 1855 commercial

become a destination that Berkshire residents and visitors

structure into a venue that also houses the CrossRoads

are increasingly drawn to. Hillsdale is also a portal for traffic

Food Shop, a farm-to-table restaurant.

from New York City, only 2 hours and 8 minutes away on the Taconic Parkway.

Writer Malcolm Gladwell (who lives more or less down

White then went a step further, opening HGS Chef, which sells cookware and offers on-site cooking classes with top chefs, in another renovated building across the street.

the road in Salisbury, Conn.) popularized the concept of the

Hillsdale economic development grants have recently laid

tipping point, that development that seems to precipitate

new sidewalks and paid for attractive streetlights. White

a marked change in action or outlook. Just when Hillsdale

characterizes Hillsdale as “low key but world class” and

tipped could be debated, but it has definitely happened,

credits the local community for inspiring and supporting his

sometime within the last ten years: the formerly sleepy

efforts.

farming town is now a second-home magnet with a vibrant

The newly spruced up Casana T House is another

artistic and commercial culture in which part-timers are as

elegant addition to the town center. Owner Carrie Chen

invested as year-rounders. Passiflora hung out a lonely

has created a space where East meets West; you can take

(Left) The elegant interior of the Casana T House; (right) the renovated 1855 Hillsdale General Store, all decked out and open for business on the village square.

6

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

your choice between styles for breakfast and lunch, or take away a traditional bento box lunch. No need to rush off to a mindfulness workshop: just order one of the artisanal teas and relax. Or invite your friends for a tea ceremony accompanied by food prepared in-house. The T House also presents talks and exhibits by artists and craftspeople with local ties. With fine ceramic gifts on offer as well, the venue is a good example of the sophisticated way Hillsdale combines culture and commerce.

If you’re looking for traditional American food and drink and perhaps a game of pool, the 1881 Mt. Washington House is also in the neighborhood. In addition to a tavern with antique pressed-tin walls and ceilings and the original mahogany bar, the Mt. Washington fits three pool tables

In the pink: HGS Chef sells cookware and hosts cooking classes.

under its roof and presents live music on weekends. Mean-

ment. If you’re coming to the Berkshires for the weekend,

while, the owners of Passiflora have turned a former tattoo

it’s a great place to stock your larder for less. You can even

parlor into the Scoop Shop, which serves non-alcoholic

get a haircut in Hillsdale, at least if the pole outside Trudy’s

cocktails as well as artisanal ice cream. Don’t worry, Hills-

Barber Shop is spinning; haircuts are $17, beards extra.

dale also has the Hillsdale Supermarket (“home of the one

Not all the action is in the village. The Swiss Hutte Inn

dollar sale”), a classic full-service IGA right near the village

& Restaurant, just east of downtown on Route 23, is a

square. It’s locally owned and has an excellent meat depart-

popular spot for lunch and dinner. Zurich native Chef

Wines, spirits, sparkling wines and champagne from around the globe and here at home.

Everyday Sale Section: Mix & Match 3 Wines for $20 Hours: Sunday 12 - 5pm • Monday 12 - 6pm Tuesday through Thursday 10 - 6pm • Friday and Saturday 10 - 7pm

518-325-4010 8 Anthony Street, Hillsdale behind the IGA Supermarket

Swiss Hütte route 23, hillsdale, ny on the mass border

Enjoy a cocktail by the Firepit!

For ALL Your Holiday and Weekend Needs • High quality, name brand meat, chicken and deli products • Farm fresh produce • In-store bakery • Local dairy and other products (honey, maple syrup, granola, peanut butter & candy)

OUTDOOR PATIO DINING SERVING LUNCH sat and sun SERVING DINNER wed thru sun

518 325 3333 413 528 6200

closed mondays and tuesdays

swisshutte.com

2628 Route 23, Hillsdale, NY

518-325-4341

Monday - Thursday 8am - 7pm Friday & Saturday 7am - 7pm Sunday 8am - 6pm

BerkshiresCalendar.com

7

JOIN US FOR EXCITING EVENTS

Roe Jan—What’s in a name?

THE NAME POPS UP EVERYWHERE in this part of eastern New York. It’s short for Roeliff Jansen, a settler of Norwegian descent who moved with his family to the region in the early 1600s, when the

Where East meets West Artisan tea, espresso, brunch, beer/wine, gifts & events

Dutch controlled the Hudson Valley. One day he discovered the tributary of the Hudson now known as the Roeliff Jansen Kill (he also discovered that Indians were camping at the mouth of it). Now his name is attached in its full form to a park, and in its abbreviated version to a bike tour, a golf tournament, and the Hillsdale region itself. Learn more about the HOURS 9AM – 4PM (Closed Wed • Thurs) 2633 State Route 23 Hillsdale, NY 518-325-6105 www.casanatea.com

region at the Roe Jan Library, another active player in the area’s cultural scene.

Gert Alper presides over a marriage of European cuisine with locally sourced ingredients. When the snow falls, you can watch skiers on the slopes of the nearby Catamount

Hillsdale General Store and HGS Home Chef two amazing stores plus COOKING CLASSES in Hillsdale NY! Both open 10-5 Wednesday-Sunday

Ski Area, which straddles the border between New York and Massachusetts, while you dine. You can also stay at the Inn and join them.

The supply of older houses around Hillsdale for use as second homes has been exhausted (not that they don’t occasionally change hands), leading to some development along the back roads. Newer weekend houses tend to be architecturally bold interpretations of country house design with energy-saving features that make them feasible for

GENERAL STORE 2642 Route 23, Hillsdale NY

year-round use. Of course, you don’t have to own a home to spend a weekend. The hosts of the Green River Inn, Silvanus Lodge, and Honored Guest B&B will be happy accommodate you.

Hillsdale still has plenty of dairy farms and cornfields.

The Farmers Market merged with neighboring Copake’s market several years ago and attracts hundreds of shoppers to the open-sided barn where it’s held every Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm through October 27. And the farming

2635 Route 23, Hillsdale NY For information on cooking classes and more, visit

www.HillsdaleGeneralStore.com 8

BerkshiresCalendar.com

scene itself is changing. Witness Tiny Hearts Farm, which grows flowers organically on 15 acres in Copake and has a showroom and shop in Hillsdale’s business district. Town and country come together for the 7th annual Pumpkin Festival in early October. Maybe it was those pumpkins that tipped Hillsdale’s scales toward “happening.”

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

salisbury, connecticut

the quiet corner, with bears

If you don’t live in Salisbury or own a second home there, you can be forgiven if you wish you did. Tucked into the northwestern-most corner of Connecticut, it’s where Litchfield County meets the Berkshires. It’s elegant and well-kept and home to two prep schools, but also wild and mountainous: the town’s website warns residents prominently about encounters with black bears. Salisbury has a small-town feel, with full-time and part-time residents whose lives often take them into Manhattan, just a little over two hours by car and also reachable by rail from Wassaic, only fifteen minutes away. Who wouldn’t want to drop in on a town like that and feel a little tug at every “For Sale” sign?

Salisbury is a welcoming town, whether you own real estate there or not. It thrives on the mixture of people it attracts, from celebrities (Meryl Streep has lived there for years) to race car drivers and their fans drawn by Lime Rock Park, one of the pioneer tracks in America and one that retains a professional and devoted amateur following. You might see — or be among — the affluent weekenders hav-

The Salisbury business district is leafy and low-key. But there’s a sign on the bakery door explaining the absence of outside trash receptacles, as it seems that bears too like pastries.

ing a midday bite at the Country Bistro on Academy Street BerkshiresCalendar.com

9

The White Hart Inn (left) and the Scoville Memorial Library (right) are longtime Salisbury landmarks.

— or one of the shaggy, hungry Appalachian Trail hikers

cake Books, specializing in rare and collectible volumes.

descending the half-mile from the Trail into town to pick up

Go a little further and you’ll soon be on the Railroad

groceries at LaBonne’s Market.

Ramble, Salisbury’s scenic rail trail.

Begin with a walk down Main Street and follow your

Outdoor activities draw many people to the area.

nose to Sweet William’s Bakery, famous for pies, cookies

Don’t let the AT hikers have all the fun. If you can hike half

and (in season) its gingerbread men. Right across the street

a mile — uphill, that is (the hike is listed as ”moderate to

is the General Store, which also doubles as the town’s

strenuous”) — pluck up your courage and try the trail to

pharmacy. Around the corner is browser-friendly Johnny-

Lion’s Head for spectacular views over the surrounding

It’s a Wonderful Life in the Litchfield Hills

10

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

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 348acre 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 non-residents. Boat launching (at an additional $10) and various watercraft rentals are also available. The fishing is excellent, and Connecticut licenses are available at the Grove.

But perhaps hooking a bass from a boat is not the kind of thrill you’re looking for. Head to Lime Rock Park. 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. The public is welcome (for free) at one such event this fall, the Lime Rock Drivers Club Spec Miata Race on September 22 from 5-6pm. Bring blanket and cooler and enjoy the action. For a full calendar, visit www.limerock.com.

The original extreme sport was ski jumping, and Salisbury was in the forefront. It still is. The Eastern U.S. Ski Jump Championships have been held in Salisbury since the 1920s and will take place this year in February, when the Salisbury Winter Sports Association puts on its annual Jumpfest.

But perhaps you took the advice of the New York Times and traveled to Salisbury simply to dine at the White Hart Inn on dishes prepared by celebrated British chef Annie Wayte. The Inn houses Provisions, a stylish café and sandwich spot, the casual Tap Room,

open for dinner and serving what the restaurant charac-

terizes as “elevated British-inspired comfort food,” and the elegant Dining Room, with offerings that highlight seasonal ingredients sourced from nearby farms. The food is both exotic and local — a good reflection of the town itself.

FIND SALISBURY EVENTS and beyond—online at

berkshirescalendar.com BerkshiresCalendar.com

11

great barrington the best small town in America In 2012 Smithsonian Magazine named

College at Simon’s Rock, a 4-year liberal arts “early col-

it “Best Small Town in America,” and it just keeps getting

lege,” and a campus of Berkshire Community College.

better. Great Barrington is home to 7,100 people and is the

This is the birthplace of civil rights leader, W.E.B.

southern Berkshires’ business and cultural hub. Visitors

DuBois, and his childhood home is open to visitors. The

come for the fun shopping, superb restaurants, world-class

historic Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center anchors the

entertainment and year-round outdoor recreation.

cultural life of Great Barrington, with a full schedule of

Great Barrington was founded in 1766, and its historic

music, theater, films and other performing arts events.

districts and quaint residential neighborhoods are within

At the Mahaiwe this fall, you can catch weekly live Metro-

walking distance of open spaces. The nearby village of

politan Opera broadcasts as well as pre-broadcast talks

Housatonic features renovated mill buildings, dance studios

about the opera of the day. There are live performances

and art galleries. Great Barrington is also home to Bard

too, including local boy Arlo Guthrie’s “back by popular

(Left) Brick buildings line the broad streets of Great Barrington’s downtown; (right) the Kellogg Music Center at Bard College of Simon’s Rock.

12

BerkshiresCalendar.com

wine for the people (beer and spirits too).

mon-sat 10am - 7pm // sun 12-4pm

@south_egremont_spirit_shoppe www.southegremontspirits.com

71 main street south egremont, ma

413-429-4901

LENNOX JEWELERS D i amo nds ON-SITE FULL SERVICE JEWELRY & WATCH REPAIR 165 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230 Tel. 413.717.4239 | Fax: 413.717.4251 | mail@lennoxjewelers.com | www.lennoxjewelers.com news, views & what’s happening at theBerkshireEdge.com

BerkshiresCalendar.com

13

Experience the Drama

Emily Marvosh, contralto

Dov Scheindlin. Sooyeon Kate Lee, Inna Faliks

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH MUSIC

Irina Muresanu, Peter Zazofsky, American Brass Quintet, Emily Marvosh,

Live Chamber Music CELEBRATING OUR 27TH SEASON

Yehuda Hanani

www.cewm.org | 800.843.0778

Our Upcoming 2018-19 Season!

AT THE MAHAIWE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Saturday, October 13, 6 PM

A ROSSINI EXTRAVAGANZA! Saturday, December 8, 6 PM

MOZART AND SCHUBERT— MARZIPAN AND THE “TROUT” Saturday, February 23, 6 PM Saint James Place

HAYDN SEEK—DISCOVERING THE HUMOR AND WIT IN PAPA HAYDN Saturday, March 23, 6 PM

The Mahaiwe (top) offers a full schedule of performing arts events; the Guthrie Center (bottom), where Arlo and other folk singers and alternative rock bands perform.

demand” Alice’s Restaurant show on November 17. New on the scene is church-turned-performance-space Saint James Place, where something is always happening. Enjoy intimate folk concerts at the Guthrie Center on Division Street; Arlo himself lives not far away. Catch the latest movies at the Triplex Cinema downtown, where three screens have now grown into four.

Great Barrington is home to the local farm-to-table

RUSSIAN TROIKA—PROKOFIEV, RACHMANINOFF & STRAVINSKY

movement, and wonderful restaurants — more than 60 of

Saturday, April 13, 6 PM

the Prairie Whale, the solar-powered Barrington Brew-

THE AMERICAN BRASS QUINTET Saturday, May 18, 6 PM

them! — are scattered throughout town, including Allium, ery and Restaurant, and (until some time in November) the charming “roadside eatery” that is the Bistro Box. If

THE ESCHER QUARTET—BARBER, MOZART, SCHUBERT QUINTET

you’re into cooking yourself, meet the farmers (and your

Saturday, June 8, 6 PM

the end of October. And don’t leave town without a lick

LIKE FATHER-IN-LAW, LIKE SON-IN-LAW— ANTONIN DVORAK AND JOSEF SUK

neighbors) and stock up on fresh produce at the Weekly Farmers Market on Church Street every Saturday until of local ice cream at SoCo Creamery.

As for shopping, cruise Main and Railroad Streets for charming owner-run shops, such as Lennox Jewelers or

14

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

REAL

FOOD.

REAL

GOOD. BERKSHIRE CO-OP MARKET b e rk s h i re . c o o p

located in downtown Great Barrington BerkshiresCalendar.com

15

LLPLLP LLP LLP

LAZAn GLOVER & PUCILOSKIL LAZAn GLOVER PUCILOSKI L Attorneys at Law Law LAZAnAttorneys GLOVER & &at PUCILOSKI L Attorneys Attorneys at at Law Law

David Lazan Lazan || Peter Peter Puciloski Puciloski || Alexandra Alexandra Glover Glover David David Lazan Puciloski AlexandraGlover Glover | |Alexandra of| ||Peter counsel, James B. B. McLindon McLindon David Lazan Peter Puciloski of counsel, James David LazanJames Peter Alexandra of counsel, B. Puciloski McLindon|and Scott A.Glover Sanes of of counsel, counsel, James James B. B. McLindon McLindon

Small firm firm attention. attention.

Small Small attention.

Large firm expertise. expertise.

Large Small firm attention.

Large firm expertise.

Large firm expertise.

413.644.0200 // LAZANLAW.COM LAZANLAW.COM // 785 785 Main Main St. St. Great Great Barrington Barrington 413.644.0200 413.644.0200 413.644.0200 // LAZANLAW.COM LAZANLAW.COM // 785 785 Main Main St. St. Great Great Barrington Barrington

Monument Mountain: if a child can climb it, so can you.

If the view could inspire Nathaniel Hawthorne ...

Griffin, featuring offbeat and one-of-a-kind treasures.

berkshiresouth.org something for everyone!

Original art can be found at the Lauren Clark and Vault galleries. For the work of local artisans, visit One Mercantile or HayDay or Evergreen. Buy books (new and old) at the Bookloft or the Yellow Book Store.

Ready for some exercise? Hike up Monument Mountain and follow in the footsteps of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville; they met on an excursion to the top with some literary friends in 1850. Take the Housatonic River Walk, a national recreation trail and a birding hotspot, or walk around the lake at the Beartown State Forest. Hike, canoe, or kayak at idyllic Lake Mansfield, work out at the gyms at Bard College at Simon’s Rock or the Berkshire South Regional Community Center, or take dance classes at Berkshire Pulse in the village of Housatonic. You’ll be feeling healthy, fit, and happy before you know it. Of course, if should you should sprain an ankle, or have a more serious medical emergency during your stay, Great Barrington’s award-winning Fairview Hospital and its efficient ER are there to help.

FIND GREAT BARRINGTON EVENTS and beyond—online at 15 Crissey Road Great Barrington, MA 413.528.2810

16

BerkshiresCalendar.com

berkshirescalendar.com

Int’l H D sts B ro adc a

C la s s ic M o v ie s

chris botti Master Jazz Trumpeter

sat oct 6 at 8pm

postmodern jukebox 21st Century pop hits in a variety of vintage styles

fri nov 2 at 8pm

arlo guthrie Alice’s Restaurant Back by Popular Demand

sat nov 17 at 8pm

john pizzarelli & jessica molaskey Radio Deluxe Live

sat dec 22 at 8pm Great Barrington, MA • 413.528.0100 • mahaiwe.org

Interior design and decorating throughout the Northeast williamcaligari.com 413-528-3556

Find Find out out what’s what’s

GOING ON now!

berkshirescalendar.com berkshirescalendar.com

LISTINGS, LISTINGS, DIRECTIONS DIRECTIONS TICKETS TICKETS BerkshiresCalendar.com

17

sheffield a quiet town …

The town of Sheffield lies just north of the Connecticut border in the Housatonic River valley, with gentle mountains on both sides. It’s only 100 miles from New York’s Central Park as the crow flies, or two and a half hours by car, and it’s where the Berkshires begin. After almost 300 years, it’s still a rural town with a comfortable pace of life. Second homes both new and old mix in nicely with working farms; produce from the latter goes on sale at the weekly Farmers Market. Part of the town lies along Route 7, and the charming village of Ashley Falls is just

variety of antique dealers. There’s always something going

a few miles to the southwest. The Colonel John Ashley

on at Dewey Memorial Hall, an impressive fieldstone and

House there, where the enslaved Mum Bett (Elizabeth

marble structure on the Sheffield green. The Stagecoach

Freeman) sued for and won her freedom in 1781, is a

Tavern, as its name implies, got its start in an earlier

stop on the Upper Housatonic Valley African American

age; now it’s a place to go not only for food and drink but

Heritage Trail.

jazz and events. And if you like your music with strings

Sheffield is also home to visitor-friendly Big Elm Brew-

18

The Colonel John Ashley House is a stop on the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail.

attached, you might also like to visit the Magic Fluke,

ing and the Berkshire Distillery (both offer tours and tast-

where they make ukeleles, banjos, violins, and more. And

ings), a prominent clay works, and a surprising number and

yet, Sheffield is a quiet town …

BerkshiresCalendar.com

stockbridge

Norman Rockwell country and then some…

If you can resist just sitting there in the

to establish a museum of his work, now the Norman

crisp fall air on the famous front porch of the Red Lion

Rockwell Museum on 36 green acres outside the town

Inn, the self-guided walking tour of the town is highly

center. His studio itself was moved to the grounds of

recommended (the Chamber of Commerce’s helpful web-

the Museum and provides a fascinating glimpse into his

site will guide you). You won’t be able actually to step into

creative process (it’s open to visitors into November — the

the setting for Norman Rockwell’s “The Marriage License,”

Museum itself is open year round). The “Four Freedoms”

but you’ll pass right by the 1884 House that provided it.

are on tour this fall, but a special exhibit on the history of

Nor will you be able to get anything you want at the

narrative illustration runs through October 28, and two

original “Alice’s Restaurant,” but the song — or at least the

new exhibitions opening November 10, make up for their

refrain — is likely to come back to you as you pass by that

temporary absence.

site too — it’s just off Main Street.

If other places look familiar, blame Rockwell, who

Some drive, some walk, some cycle: most of Stockbridge’s attractions are within easy reach. Naumkeag,

spent the last 25 years of his life in Stockbridge, living

designed by Stanford White, and Chesterwood (by

and working right in the heart of town. He created some

now you should recognize these as so-called Berkshire

of his most visionary and socially engaged work here,

cottages) have beautiful gardens, and the latter was the

without losing the touch that had already made him the

home of Daniel Chester French, sculptor of the Lincoln

beloved painter of small-town American life. At his death,

Memorial and the Concord Minute Man; many of French’s

he bequeathed his studio, archive, and many paintings

own studies for sculptures are on view.

(Left) A road less traveled beckons walkers near the town; (right) Alan O’Brient, proprietor of the well-stocked Williams & Sons Country Store, sells what you need to deck a tree and fill a stocking.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

19

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, handicappedaccessible trail that runs beside the river, a trail that leads up to Laura’s Tower, with a three-state view, and the boulder-strewn trail to Ice Glen.

If you’re in town on October 26, don’t miss the Halloween Parade & Party and Pumpkin WalkAbout, beginning at 6pm at the corner of Main & Pine Streets. The Pumpkin Walk-About begins at the Stock-

Green Inspired Design

bridge Library following the parade.

Pamela Sandler, Architect Sandleraia.com Stockbridge, MA 413.298.4227

Let the pumpkins guide you Hit the Pumpkin Trail at Naumkeag Friday and Saturday October 5th and 6th, and 12th and 13th, from 5pm - 8pm for a pumpkin-lit walk through the gardens, and meet story-tell-

The Berkshire Edge is free to read, but not free to produce.

ing creatures of the Berkshire forests along the way. Bring the kids and the whole family for this fun, non-scary, fall tradition. But beware: the Haunted House will be open Friday and Saturday the 19th and 20th, and 26th and 27th, from 6pm - 9pm. Not recommended

Support a lively and independent voice for the Berkshires.

JOIN US AS A MEMBER. www.theberkshireedge.com/membership

20

BerkshiresCalendar.com

for those under 13 or seniors with unreliable pacemakers.

FIND STOCKBRIDGE EVENTS and beyond—online at

berkshirescalendar.com more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

west stockbridge it’s happening If West Stockbridge isn’t on your radar,

in the region, and one-of-a-kind shops, too. One-of-a-kind,

maybe it’s time you pointed your radar in its direction.

as in Charles H. Baldwin & Sons, which has been preparing

The town of 1,650 lies between Stockbridge and the

extracts for cooks for 125 years. Their vanilla bean extract,

New York border, only 40 minutes from Albany but a

aged in casks that have been used for generations, is out of

world away, with its hills, ponds, and streams beckoning

this world; no wonder bakers who come across this store

the city dweller with visions of the countryside. Don’t

tend to think they have gone to heaven. Boomers will think

let the dreaminess deceive you, though, because West

they’ve gone back in time, too, amidst the retro novelties and

Stockbridge is hopping.

candies. If heaven is not exotic enough for you, Truc Orient

The opening of No. Six Depot in the old railway sta-

Express offers authentic Vietnamese food in their eatery, as

tion started it all. No. Six is a small-batch coffee roastery,

well as Vietnamese crafts such as pottery, silk scarves and

café, art gallery and event space that serves as a gathering

jackets, and lacquer work in their store next door.

place for both locals and visitors; the sandwiches are

Just a short walk away from the town center is the Turn

delicious, and their coffees show up on menus throughout

Park Art Space — and it comes with a story. In 2016 a young,

the Berkshires. The lively downtown area is now home

Russian, art-collecting couple appeared out of nowhere and

to stylish restaurants, including Rouge, one of the best

bought 14 acres that included an old lime and marble quarry

Enjoy the view of the Williams River (top left) that flows through the town; No. Six Depot (bottom left) is the principal gathering place in the town, with art by local artists, good food, and freshly roasted coffee; the boys jam (above) on a downtown bench.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

21

There’s more art downtown. The Diana Felber Gallery, located in a former glass-blowing workshop, features work in a variety of media by nationally recognized artists and craftspeople from California to the Carolinas —and the Berkshires too. At the other end of town — but not far away — is the Stanmeyer Gallery and Shaker Dam Coffeehouse (all under one charming roof), with stunning photographs by National Geographic photographer John Stanmeyer. The ongoing Town Hall restoration project is another sign of the town’s new vitality.

And if you can’t forget that you came for nature as well as culture, or simply want to relax, just join the on (of all places) Moscow Road. They’d been looking for a place to house their sculpture collection and hoped to establish an art park. Turn Park Art Space now combines a sculpture park,

canoeists, anglers, or strollers along the gently flowing Williams River as it winds through this unusually attractive town.

exhibition venues, and a beautiful marble amphitheatre for outdoor performances. It’s a fun place for adults and children alike, with a trail that runs along the river and next to striking sculptures from the Soviet Nonconformist Art Movement of the 1950s – 1980s.

FIND WEST STOCKBRIDGE EVENTS and beyond—online at

berkshirescalendar.com Edge - 2018_Layout 1 3/30/18 9:06 AM Page 1

A WILDLY AMBITIOUS DREAM. — The New York Times

EXPERIENCE MATTERS

www.StoneHouseProperties .com

massmoca.org | 413.662.2111 | North Adams, Mass.

22

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

lee eat, shop, learn

Two places to shop in Lee, but worlds apart: along historic Main Street and the Premium Outlets mall.

“What I love about Lee is that it’s very low

into Lee and environs to find things that can’t be found

key,” says a visitor who knows the Berkshires, “and it’s so

anywhere else. Several places just outside of town are

pretty, too.” Lee may be unpretentious, but that makes its

definitely worth a visit, such as the Route 102 Trading Post

charm and eye-appeal only more alluring. Even the steeple

for a great selection of antiques, and Ozzie’s Glass Studio,

on the First Congregational Church, the tallest wooden

also on Route 102 between Lee and Stockbridge, where you

spire in New England, soars discreetly above the town.

can watch Ozzie himself blowing glass.

But make no mistake: Lee will welcome you warmly

While not as eminent in the arts as its Berkshire neigh-

and keep you quite busy. For one thing, this small town

bors, Lee has its own distinction. From a renovated former

has more than 60 establishments serving food and drink.

five-and-dime on Main Street, the College Internship

Lee hosts an astonishing range of restaurants, from those

Program (CIP) offers a year-long curriculum focusing on

serving sophisticated farm-to-table fare such as Starving

creative and educational development in the visual and

Artist Café and Chez Nous, to Greek, Vietnamese, Chi-

performing arts for young adults with Asperger’s, autism,

nese, Peruvian, Italian, French, and Indian establishments,

ADHD, and other learning differences. The Spectrum

as well as humbler eateries where you can get a hot dog

Playhouse in a converted church and the Good Purpose

on the go, pick up a pizza (try Timothy’s), or join the locally

Gallery on Main help integrate these individuals into the

sourced customers for a plate of corned beef hash at Joe’s

community and enrich their lives through creative work in

Diner. Each Lee restaurant is an experience unto itself:

fields where they often display special abilities.

you may be dining in a former blacksmith shop or a faith-

Lee will appeal to nature lovers too. October Moun-

fully restored railroad depot, a one-time stage coach inn,

tain State Forest, the largest in Massachusetts, is just

or even a long-ago post office from the era when Norman

north of town. It offers camping, hiking, picnicking, and

Rockwell used to drop into Joe’s for a bite.

non-motorized boating. There’s also the Goose Pond

The eclectic collection of shops downtown is comple-

Reservation in a dreamy setting south of Lee. The Appa-

mented by the more than sixty stores at Premium Out-

lachian Trail crosses adjacent National Park Service land,

lets, with name-brand merchandise at discount prices, just

and Goose Pond itself, a mountain lake with exceptionally

one mile east of town via US Route 20. The Outlets is the

clear water, is ideal for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. And

most popular attraction in Berkshire County, with about

if you’d like to try fishing, or simply floating, on the region’s

two million annual visitors, some of whom then head

rivers, Berkshire Rivers Fly Fishing can help.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

23

lenox

when tanglewood sleeps

(Left) As surely as the leaves turn, shoppers arrive to browse the shops on Church Street; (right) a dam helps keep the waters untroubled below the impressive footbridge that crosses the Housatonic River in Lenox Dale.

Lenox has been a popular retreat since

on the weekend of December 15 and 16, enjoy a staged,

the 19th century, when wealthy New Yorkers built some

costumed reading of Jon Jory’s adaptation of “Pride and

75 so-called “cottages” there and in nearby Stockbridge.

Prejudice.”

Many still remain and are open to the public. Elegant Ventfort Hall, built for J.P. Morgan’s sister, is open year

you’ll find Lenox is alive with fine shops and restaurants

round. The Mount, home of author Edith Wharton, is open

— some of the best in the Berkshires. One treat for the

through October; she designed the house and gardens

palate is right on Route 7: hot chocolate, velvety mousse

herself. “Ghost Tours” on Friday evenings in September and

cakes, divine chocolates, and great coffee await you at

October pay homage to Wharton’s skill as a writer of ghost

Josh Needleman’s Chocolate Springs Café, recognized

stories. Canyon Ranch Spa occupies another “cottage,” as

by Saveur magazine as one of the top 10 chocolate makers

do the luxurious hotel/restaurant/spa/condo complexes

in the United States.

at Blantyre and Cranwell. A more modern retreat, the

Lenox is home to many fine and unusual galleries

Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health occupies a former

for browsing and gift-giving. Lenox Print & Mercantile

Jesuit seminary and offers classes and stays that focus on

on Housatonic Street offers vintage treasures as well as

yoga, creative expression, wellness and self-discovery.

crafts by over 60 local artisans. The Bookstore & Get Lit

First-class professional theater is a mainstay of the

Wine Bar brings the town together for regular readings,

Lenox cultural scene. The season of plays by Shakespeare

good conversation — and wine; out-of-towners definitely

at Shakespeare & Company may have passed like a

welcome.

summer’s day, but a production of Taylor Mac’s comedy

24

Explore Church Street and its little side streets and

Lastly, if you’re in town for the weekend of September

“HIR” runs through October 7, and “ANN,” Holland Taylor’s

22-23, chances are you’ll be joining in the fun of the 39th

one-woman tour de force starring Jayne Atkinson, takes the

Lenox Apple Squeeze, an annual street fair and harvest

Tina Packer stage October 19-28. Forget “The Winter’s Tale”:

festival.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

SERIOUS HOT OR ICED CHOCOLATE GOURMET GELATO AND TREATS HAND CRAFTED IN THE BERKSHIRES OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

Escape into Chocolate

™

55 PITTSFIELD/LENOX ROAD ROUTE 7, LENOX MA 413-637-9820

chocolatesprings.com

GOING ON now!

Always something new to see!

10 exhibitions through 2019

Triple Self Portrait © SEPS 1960, Norman Rockwell Museum Collections.

Find Find out out what’s what’s

berkshirescalendar.com berkshirescalendar.com

LISTINGS, LISTINGS, DIRECTIONS DIRECTIONS TICKETS TICKETS

The Art of Adventure; Holidays Across Cultures; Rube Goldberg; Frank Miller, and more!

NRM.org 413.298.4100 Stockbridge, MA open year-round

BerkshiresCalendar.com

25

pittsfield

the city at the center

A city of 45,000, Pittsfield is the geographic and

culture: it presents art shows, intimate theater and music

commercial center of the Berkshires, with a proud history of

performances, and special events. The vibrant Pittsfield

manufacturing — and the challenges and opportunities that

visual arts scene features public art, galleries, studios, and

the decline of that sector has brought. In 2010 the Financial

cooperatives, and the First Fridays Artswalk (on the first

Times proclaimed the city the “Brooklyn of the Berkshires,”

Friday of the month through December). Cultural festivals

and while that phrase is now (thankfully) passé, the city’s

include 3rd Thursdays, the WordXWord Festival, and

transformation into a cultural hub continues.

the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival.

Pittsfield’s downtown is now its Upstreet Cultural

year over its planned selling off of works by Norman Rock-

Theatre, part of Berkshire Theatre Group, and the innova-

well and other artists in its collections, has lent the most

tive Barrington Stage Company, which now attracts almost

famous of them, “Shuffleton’s Barbershop,” to the Norman

60,000 patrons per year to its four downtown venues and

Rockwell Museum, where it is currently on view. The legal

has become the incubator of shows that regularly go on to

dispute around the sale of the artworks has been resolved,

stages in Boston and New York, including the Tony-award-

and the Museum can now go ahead with plans to enhance

winning musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”; it’s presenting “The Glass Menagerie” October 3-21.

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 another beehive of 26

The Berkshire Museum, much in the news this past

District, anchored by the beautifully restored 1903 Colonial

BerkshiresCalendar.com

(Clockwise, from upper left): Bershire Lightscapes lights up 100 North Street; Hotel on North is a stylish downtown hotel; the view to Lake Poontosuc; the Round Stone Barn at Hancock Shaker Village; the Berkshire Museum is creature-friendly. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

old. There are 50 other restaurants, cafés, and wine bars to choose from. If it’s more wine you’re after and you can forsake downtown, try Balderdash Cellars, which turns California grapes into “wicked” New England wines.

For an entirely different vibe or family visit, 750-acre Hancock Shaker Village beckons from outside of town on Route 20. The Shakers created a utopian religious community here in 1783 around the ideas of pacifism, celibacy, and communal living. No Shakers remain, but their way of life Pittsfield: the kind of town where a man can buy a suit at Steve Valenti’s.

forms the basis for a living history museum with 20 authentic Shaker buildings, costumed interpreters, rich collections of Shaker furniture and artifacts, a full schedule of activities

its science and natural history offerings on a sounder

and workshops, a mile-long hiking trail and picnic areas, a

financial foundation. Let Whitman keep Brooklyn; Herman

store and café, and a working farm with extensive gardens

Melville had Pittsfield. The native New Yorker bought a 1785

and heritage-breed livestock. The Village is open daily

farmhouse in 1850 and settled in for some serious writing.

through November 12, then on November 23 and weekends

He named his new digs Arrowhead after the many Indian

through December 23. See the Holiday section for details

‘points’ that turned up in his fields, and it’s now a museum

on end-of-season celebrations.

dedicated to his 13 years’ residence run by the Berkshire Historical Society. Visitors can see the room where Melville wrote Moby Dick, with its view north to Mount Greylock, the profile of which is said to have evoked for the author the whale that obsessed Captain Ahab. The house’s architectural eccentricities will be familiar to readers of Melville’s droll

Why Cross...?

Cross...?

Why Why Cross...?

short story “I and My Chimney,” including the room with nine doors and the imposing chimney itself. Nathaniel Hawthorne, another Berkshire resident, was a frequent visitor.

Fellow Pittsfield author (and Supreme Court Justice) Oliver Wendell Holmes had introduced them on a climb up nearby Monument Mountain. The house is open every day through October 21.

Pittsfield isn’t all urban: the 11,000-acre Pittsfield State Forest offers fall camping and hiking, and the Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, Lake Onata, and the Bousquet Ski Area also provide fun outdoor experiences.

You’ll have to eat and you’ll have to stay: you can do both at the stylish 45-room Hotel on North, another repurposed downtown building that successfully blends new and

FIND PITTSFIELD EVENTS

Bardwell, Bowlby and Karam and Colt Insurance are now together to serve you better.

Bardwell, Bowlby and Karam and Colt Insurance

The local service you have come to depend on combined with the strength of have joined withindependent Cross.

CrossBardwell, Insurance,Bowlby New England’s leading insurance and Karam and Colt Insurance are agency.

now together to serve you better.

Now we can offer you personal local service combined with OFthe THE OFFICIAL INSURANCE BROKER

The local service you have come leading to depend on combined with thecompany. strength of strength of New England’s independent insurance Cross Insurance, New England’s leading independent insurance agency.

Conveniently located at 101 South Street, Pittsfield,THE MAOFFICIAL • Phone: 413-445-5648 INSURANCE BROKER OF

and beyond—online at

berkshirescalendar.com

Conveniently 101 South Street,•Pittsfield, MA •Street, Phone:Pittsfield, 413-445-5648 Robert located Zuber •at 413-445-5648 101 South MA BerkshiresCalendar.com

27

north adams

what a story!

MASS MoCA from above; the Mohawk Theatre on Main Street, which opened as a movie palace in 1938, closed in 1991 and is now the focus of a restoration effort.

It began with manufacturing, thanks to

River Revival project reimagined the Hoosic as a commu-

power generated by the Hoosic River flowing right through

nity resource. The town (technically a city, the smallest in

the center of town. Shoes, bricks, hats, cloth, marble, and

Massachusetts), now has a vibrant Cultural District and

the iron plates that sheathed the Monitor in the Civil War

a Downstreet Arts Initiative. The creative economy has

poured forth from North Adams’ busy factories. When the

spread to other former factory facilities as well, now home

Depression shut many of those factories down, the Sprague

to artisans and specialized producers of everything from

Electric Company arrived to save the day. Sprague’s devel-

food to beer.

opment and manufacture of components for early NASA

on all sides with hiking trails, picnic spots, and recreational

provided employment for more than 4,000 workers in the

opportunities. And don’t miss the weekly Farmers Market

post-war period, until foreign competition in the 1980s led

­— it’s one of the biggest in the Berkshires. Few museums

to the closing of the firm and a sharp decline in the town’s

welcome dogs other than guide dogs; one of them is the

economic fortunes.

Museum of Dog itself, a few blocks from MASS MoCA (see

Many former New England mill towns have never

our “Bring the Dog” story, p. 30)

recovered from such setbacks. For North Adams, recovery

Looking for a novel place to stay? Consider The

came from a surprising source: contemporary art. Sprague

Porches, which bills itself as (brace yourself) “an intimate

Electric’s beautiful and extensive brick buildings, dating from

47-room boutique property whose retro-edgy backdrop and

the 19 century, lay idle. Thomas Krens, then Director of the

industrial granny chic décor combine to create a strikingly

Williams College Museum of Art, saw an opportunity. The

colorful style all its own.” And to eat, try PUBLIC for original,

result was the creation of MASS MoCA, the largest museum

farm-fresh take-offs on American classics and a wide selec-

of contemporary art and performance in America, which

tion of craft beers; Gramercy Bistro (“eclectic modern

opened in 1999 and has been growing in space and scope

fare”); or the Hub on Main Street (“comfort food in a retro-

ever since. It hosts both temporary and permanent exhibits,

accented diner”), all within walking distance of MASS MoCA.

spaces for artists in diverse media to create large-scale

If you prefer food for the mind, the Massachusetts College

works, and events like the annual FreshGrass bluegrass

of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is not far, and it too has caught the

festival. They built it, and people came, about 160,000 a year

art bug with its innovative undergraduate art programs and

at last count.

MCLA Gallery 51.

th

The town began to thrive once again. Galleries, restaurants, and shops sprang up to cater to visitors. The ongoing 28

If downtown gets too trendy for you, nature beckons

launch systems and the consumer electronics industry

BerkshiresCalendar.com

There really is no place with the attractions — and story! — of North Adams. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

williamstown a college town and then some Williamstown, nestled in Massachusetts’ northwest corner, was one of America’s first college towns; the town and the college both date to 1791. Williams College, consistently ranked at or near the top of America’s liberal arts colleges, is the town’s largest employer. You don’t have to have a connection to Williams, though, to enjoy what the town — and the College — have to offer.

You could begin with Spring Street, the commercial center, where you’ll find galleries, stylish clothing stores, coffee shops with fast Internet connections, and restaurants that cater to the tastes of college students, locals, and visitors alike.

Stop by the Greylock Gallery, which brings together traditional and contemporary art from emerging and established artists. Or step in to Mountain Goat Artisans

FIND EVENTS IN WILLIAMSTOWN more­—online at

berkshires calendar.com

around the corner on Water Street for pottery, weaving, furniture, jewelry, women’s clothing, honey, photography, original art and more. For DIY knitters, the Spin-off Yarn Shop is right there on the ground floor. Pick up a book at the Williams Bookstore and start reading at Tunnel City Coffee across the street. If you have Apple computer needs, there’s Mad Macs to help out. Images Cinema, one of the few remaining single-screen, independent theaters still in operation, is also on Spring Street.

If you’re visiting, you probably came for the art. Visitors travel from all over the globe to The Clark Art Institute for its extraordinary permanent collection, groundbreaking special exhibitions, and striking architecture. The Clark campus boasts 140 acres of lawns, meadows and walking trails. Seasonal exhibitions are a special draw, and

(Top to bottom) The Veterans War Memorial Tower at the summit of Mt. Greylock; café society on Spring Street; at the Clark Art Institute.

two new ones are opening in November.

The Williams College Museum of Art, always free and always innovative, offers modern, contemporary American, and world art. This season’s special exhibition,

(or drive) to where the Appalachian Trail crosses Mount Greylock at the highest point in Massachusetts.

For food, visit the Saturday Farmers Market on Spring

“Dance We Must: Treasures from Jacob’s Pillow 1906-

Street or Chenail’s Farm Stand on Luce Road. Local restau-

1940,” mounted jointly with Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival,

rants like Mezze source local foods. Some say Hot Toma-

runs through November 11. See our Arts pages for details.

toes Pizza on Water Street is the best in the Berkshires.

Ready for some outdoor activity? Visit Sheep Hill,

Wherever you go, you’ll be mingling with Williams

a 50-acre former dairy farm that was purchased by the

students. You could even go along with them to root for

Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF) in 2000. The

the Ephs (that’s short for Ephraim, as in founder Ephraim

WRLF offers complete information on all Williamstown

Williams; pronounce it to rhyme with “chiefs”). Why is every-

trails, including Hopkins Forest, Mount Greylock and

one wearing purple? That’s the college color. What’s with

Field Farm at its Sheep Hill trail kiosk. You can also climb

the purple cow? The college mascot, of course.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

29

Bring the Dog Here’s How, Here’s Where

You own a dog and would like to take a weekend jaunt in the Berk-

You can even go to

the Museum

shires. You have a decision to make: You can board your dog in your hometown (or city), you can hire someone to stay with or

of Dog together

visit your pet, or you can bring the dog.

By all means bring the dog. He or

the trip is only one thing to think about.

Fortunately, once you arrive in the Berkshires, a range of pet-friendly lodgings and pet-care facilities is available to serve you.

Most (but not all) hotels, motels, and inns will take guests with dogs, with charges

she is a member of your family, after all, who deserves to

and restrictions that vary from one establishment to the

share in your adventures. New sights, new smells! Dogs

next. You’ll pay an extra $25 per night to have your dog

need to get out of the house too, and the Berkshires

room with you at the Best Western in Pittsfield, for exam-

abounds in nature trails, friendly streets, and businesses

ple, or $40 at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge and Hotel on

and inns well equipped to accommodate you and your

North in downtown Pittsfield, which has a few crates avail-

dog when you arrive.

able at no extra charge (crates are handy for when house-

Before you go, though, remember Mitt. Mitt Romney

keeping visits, though required only in the case of dogs

brought the dog on a family vacation to Ontario in 1983.

likely to cause trouble). The Williams Inn in Williamstown

Nothing unusual about that, except that the Governor has

charges a pet fee of $40 per stay and for $50 will furnish

a large family and Seamus (the canine in question) spent

a doggie bed and doggie treats. Leaving dogs in rooms is

12 hours strapped to the roof of the Romney vehicle.

generally discouraged (and at some establishments not

To be fair, it was the windshield-equipped carrier, not

allowed), but hotel staff are likely to go out of their way to

Seamus himself, that was strapped to the car, and Seamus

keep pets looked after if approached.

did survive the trip. However, when Romney ran for Pres-

30

Securing your pet comfortably during

Dog boarding and day care facilities are available in

ident 29 years later, the incident came back… to bite him.

all of the larger Berkshire towns, enabling owners to take

Better to emulate the family in the Rockwell painting, or

their Seamuses with them on a hike in the afternoon but

better (and safer) yet, keep your dog in a crate or harness

to board them at night. There are also dog-sitting services

on a seat or in the “way back” when you travel. And get

that will visit your accommodations and walk and feed

those kids into seat belts too!

your dog when you can’t. In short, the Berkshires are a

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

“Going and Coming”

Norman Rockwell’s (1947) hangs in the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. Rockwell loved dogs and sometimes brought his own dog into the studio to keep him company as he worked. He advised his fellow illustrators to paint pets “as carefully and understandingly as you paint the people.”

“Going and Coming,” Norman Rockwell illustration © SEPS

BerkshiresCalendar.com

31

dog-friendly destination, as a stroll down any street or along the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail will bear out. If you can’t hit the trail with your dog, there are dog parks in many towns.

The trend of providing services for dogs in terms formerly reserved for people has reached the Berkshires. The name of the Shaker Hill Pet Resort may conjure up visions of dogs lounging by the pool, but though it offers dogs what it calls hotel rooms, they are simply clean, glass-doored enclosures, with adjacent lawns to run in, at rates comparable to what hotels charge. “The word ‘kennel’ is outdated,” says Resort manager Kim Sawyer. She may be right. The Animal Inn of the Berkshires, also in Pittsfield, offers boarding, grooming, and doggie daycare. The Greylock Animal Hospital in North Adams has veterinary acupuncture and laser therapy available, among other services. In a heated pool at the Canine Aquatic Gym in Great Barrington, Alden Beane provides mobility therapy for older dogs or those recovering from surgery. And yes, there are still classic kennels providing standard care from owners who are typically dog-lovers themselves.

Don’t expect to see dogs (except the occasional guide dog) inside Berkshire museums, except at (where else?)

North Adams’s Museum of Dog, about half a mile upriver from MASS MoCA. Philanthropist, dog lover, and dog entrepreneur David York (who founded Barking Hound Village 32

BerkshiresCalendar.com

(Top left) “More and more people are traveling with their dogs,” observes Museum of Dog founder David York (above left). “They want their dogs to be able to share in their experiences.” They can at his Museum.

Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for children, and dogs get in free. Reserve ahead to be sure of admission at the hour of your choice.

(Above) Duke at Hotel on North; (Opposite top) many dogs enjoy apples, and this pup appears to be no exception; (Opposite bottom) hiking Mount Everett with a canine pal.

in Atlanta 20 years ago) has installed 200 dog-related artworks from his collection in an 8,000-square-foot former paint and wallpaper shop that was most recently a biker bar called the Crystal Hardhat Saloon. That was then.

Now pooches as well as their owners can enjoy displays of vintage Steiff dog puppets, superb dog sculptures and paintings, a collection of 18th-century dog collars, and an abundance of canine-themed art and artifacts from York’s collection, some displayed at dog level. Rotating exhibits of dog art and photography fill a small gallery, and an interactive tribute to York’s rescue Weimaraner, Daisy, complete with what remains of her favorite seat in York’s Jeep, occu-

This just in: On Saturday, October 27, the First

Annual Halloween Dog Parade will commence at the Mount in Lenox at 11am. You and your canine are encouraged to dress up and strut your stuff. Prizes (dogs only) will be awarded for Best Literary Costume, Cutest Costume, Best Hand-Made Costume, and Best Matching Costume. The event is free, but registration is recommended.

Does your dog like to dance? Plan ahead for next summer: Jacob’s Pillow puts on Dog Day in July. It’s a movement workshop for dogs and their owners. The ability to stand on two legs is not required.

pies a separate room. “About a third of our visitors bring their dogs,” says York with a touch of his native Missouri drawl. How many visitors? “We opened in March, and we were soon drawing 500 per week. We had 1000 a week in August.” York, who came upon the vacant future Museum building almost by chance, has gotten involved in the local community. The Museum gave the seniors in McCann Technical School’s metal fabrication program a collective $10,000 scholarship to purchase tools to start their new businesses. As a gesture of thanks, McCann students created the metal dog silhouettes that decorate an exterior wall of the Museum.

33

There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch, Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall.

So wrote New England poet (and orchardist) Robert Frost in “After Apple Picking.” He picked his own, and you can too, this fall, at orchards in the Berkshires.

34

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

apples IDEAL for

Orchards with enterprise . . . and apple therapy too

The Berkshire region is ideal for apples. Early settlers grew them for cider (hard cider) and vinegar, and discovered by trial and error which varieties were best adapted to their soil and location. More than 60 varieties, including many you will never find at your local supermarket, are now grown in the Berkshires. You’re invited to pick your own as soon as the apples are ripe until the season is over.

We’ve all seen paintings of Eve reaching for that apple, but when you do it yourself — at the invitation of the owners of the orchard (that was Eve’s mistake) — and grasp those red, green, or yellow globes, so nicely fitted to the human hand, swinging from the tips

BerkshiresCalendar.com

35

You’ll not only see (and perhaps show your children) where your food comes from, you’ll have a chance to meet the people who work year-round to provide it. of apple boughs, you can see why Eve (and Adam) yielded

show your children) where your food comes from, you’ll

to temptation. And the taste of a fresh apple, bursting

have a chance to meet the people who work year-round to

with juice, that you’ve picked yourself in an aromatic apple

provide it.

orchard on a sunny fall afternoon — that’s what paradise is

Orcharding is hard work! The setting out of new trees,

all about (now), and it’s an experience that many Berkshire

the pruning, the mowing, the spraying to control insects

residents and visitors look forward to every year.

and fungi, the picking, the pressing, the bagging and bot-

You don’t have to get up on a ladder (though some

tling — not to mention the threat of hailstorms, late frosts,

orchards make short ladders available). Most of today’s

and other vagaries of Mother Nature, now compounded

apple trees are dwarf varieties whose fruit can be reached

by the effects of climate change. And then comes the

from the ground. On older or taller trees, professional

selling, an operation in itself. No wonder that it’s often a

pickers pick the heights, leaving the low-hanging fruit for

multigenerational family business and that family mem-

you. Check orchard websites to see what’s picking at any

bers often have “day jobs” as well.

particular time.

Even if you don’t get out and do the picking yourself,

Many orchards combine several businesses in one, like HILLTOP ORCHARDS in Richmond. “It definitely

a visit to an orchard farm stand is almost as good. There

requires you to be resourceful,” says John Vittori, who has

you’ll find bags of apples, as well as fresh cider, cider

co-owned the 200-acre operation with his sister Wendy

donuts, apple pies, homemade jams and jellies, and rows

since 1987. “We offer not only apples and other fruits and

of pumpkins awaiting you in sight of the trees and fields

press a lot of cider, we host weddings, and since 1996

that produced them. You’ll not only see (and perhaps

we’ve had a winery too (the Furnace Brook Winery). We

(Left) A family outing at Riiska Brook Orchards in Sandis-field. (Above) Chuck Wandrei, part owner of Jaeschke’s Orchard in Adams, has been working there since he was a teenager, and that was 50 years ago. Of apples, he says, “Anybody can grow the damn things, the trick is to sell ‘em.”

Beside the Orchard store, Jaeschke’s has a retail outlet in Pittsfield, where they make cider from September to March, and you’ll also find their fruit and flowers at the Lee and Adams Farmers Markets through the fall.

36

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

Bartlett’s Orchard in Richmond offers apples and scenic views.

make hard cider from our own apples, but we buy grapes from the Northeast and California to make the wine. We also make mead from locally produced honey. Oh, and there’s cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter and full moon hikes in the orchard throughout the year.

We also have a place in town: three years ago my sister

Organic apples ready for cider-making at Bear Swamp Orchard

and I bought the Garden Gables Inn in Lenox, which ties in nicely with our wedding business.” Hilltop has 27 different varieties of apples available, with Honeycrisp and Gala among the most popular. On fall weekends, expect live music and hayrides, too. Freshly pressed cider is available year round at the retail store, as well as cider donuts and Old Chatham (NY) Sheepherding Co. cheeses. The tasting room with its horseshoe-shaped bar offers a chance to sample Hilltop’s liquid wares before you buy.

Also located in Richmond, BARTLETT’S ORCHARD is now into its fourth generation on 52 acres on the slopes of Lenox Mountain. Bartlett’s produces between 15,000 and 20,000 bushels of apples per year, and you can pick some yourself from Labor Day to the end of the season sometime in mid-October. The Orchard has 13 varieties available for pick-your-own, including Macoun, Mutsu, and Liberty. Its retail store, with everything from baked goods and pumpkins to fresh cider and coffee from West Stockbridge’s No. 6 Depot, is open year round. Ron Bartlett, who oversees the store and also works as a sheriff’s deputy, says that family heritage and the opportunity to work outside brought him back after some years away.

He’s seen the orchard’s trade shift from a mostly local clientele to one tipped toward tourists from New York and Boston. “They come with their families to connect to the land and see how food is grown and harvested,” says Ron.

area orchards Bartlett’s Orchard 575 Swamp Road Richmond, MA 413-698-2559

Jaeschke’s Orchard (retail only) 736 Crane Avenue Pittsfield, MA 413-443-7180

Bear Swamp Orchard and Cidery 1209 Hawley Road Ashfield, MA 413-625-2849

Lakeview Orchards 94 Old Cheshire Road Lanesborough 413-448-6009

Hilltop Orchards 508 Canaan Road Richmond, MA 800-833-6274

Riiska Brook Orchards 101 New Hartford Road Sandisfield, MA 413-258-4761

Jaeschke’s Orchard 23 Gould Road Adams, MA 413-698-3896

Windy Hill Farm 686 Stockbridge Road Great Barrington, MA 413-298-3217

“Apple-picking seems to put everyone in a good mood.”

BerkshiresCalendar.com

37

(top left) Harvest in progress at Bartlett’s Orchards; (top right) Gideon is one of Bartlett’s veteran pickers; (below left) hard cider for sale at Bear Swamp Orchard; (below right) an apple a day …

tively, and planted a thousand apple trees on a 30-acre former dairy farm. They’ve been planting apple, peach, plum, pear, apricot, and cherry trees, as well as raspberries, blueberries, currants, saskatoons, and vegetables ever since. They chose dwarf trees from the start, and their pick-your-own orchard is a family favorite. One of their JAESCHKE’S (PRONOUNCED YES-KEYS) ORCHARD is another family orchard that grows 33 varieties of apples

a Yellow Delicious that has a bright, creamy red color with

on 55 acres in Adams, including Honeycrisps and Macs,

green highlights and a sweet, tangy flavor. The Jurczaks

along with heirlooms like Stayman Winesap, Wolf River,

press cider, bake cider donuts, process their own honey

Baldwin, and Winter Banana. The orchard is located on the

and maple syrup, and offer Polish specialties such as

eastern slopes of Mt. Greylock and affords stunning views

kapusta, golumpki, and pierogis from their retail kitchen.

over the Hoosac Valley. There has been an orchard on the

“Just keeping busy,” says Judy.

site since 1881, and a few grafts taken from the original

“You’ve got to be dedicated to grow apples,” remarks

trees still produce apples (of uncertain variety) on modern

76-year-old Bill Riiska of RIISKA BROOK ORCHARD in

rootstocks. Jaeschke’s grows peaches, plums, and grapes

Sandisfield, half an hour due east of Sheffield at the south-

at the orchard, too, and flowers and tomatoes in its green-

ern end of the Berkshires. Bill is the grandson of one of

houses; the strawberry plants in hanging baskets are a

four brothers who came from Finland to farm the property

current hot seller. Rhetta (the matriarch) makes jams and

in the early 1900s. The farm made the transition from

jellies, and if you try one of their cider donuts, chances are

cows to apples in the early 90s. Now 25 acres of hilltop

you’ll walk away with a bagful.

land are devoted to 11 varieties of apples, including Macs,

LAKEVIEW ORCHARD in Lanesborough is also in the

38

specialties is the Brock apple, a cross between a Mac and

Fujis, Ida Reds, and Honeycrisps. Cider is made from a

northern end of Berkshire County. In 1996 Dave and Judy

blend of Empires and Galas. “A lot of families come to the

Jurczak left jobs as a pipefitter and schoolteacher, respec-

orchard to pick. It’s inexpensive outdoor fun. Plus, you get

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

“We have a feeling of stewardship for the land, and we’re able to pass it on to our children. Plus, we love providing for other families who want to eat organically.” to eat the apples,” says Bill, whose two daughters help

their two teenaged sons also help out. With construction of

out on the weekends. “People from New York City tell

the solar-powered cidery four years ago, the orchard transi-

me that picking apples is therapeutic.” In which case,

tioned from an “out of control hobby” into a business.

the orchard should be having a good year.

WINDY HILL FARM is located right off Route 7, a

Bear Swamp pick-your-own days are Friday-SaturdaySunday late September through mid-October. Jonafree, the

mile south of Stockbridge. The area was more rural

featured PYO variety, is a bright red, full-flavored, all-purpose

when Judy and Dennis Mareb planted an apple orchard

apple with plenty of juice. On November 2 – 4, as part of

on a former dairy farm there in 1982. Thirty-six years

Franklin County’s Cider Days, Jen and Steve will be leading

later, they pick 25 varieties, newer ones like Candy

tours and offering workshops on cider-making techniques

Crisp and Honeycrisp and old favorites such as Baldwin,

and apple growing at the orchard. Why does orcharding have

Macoun, and Northern Spy. “People come from all over

such a hold on them? “We have a feeling of stewardship for

to pick,” says Judy, “and they usually take home our

the land, and we’re able to pass it on to our children. Plus, we

unpasteurized cider too.” The Farm is also a landscap-

love providing for other families who want to eat organically.

ing business and a nursery and garden center, employ-

They seek us out and tell their friends.”

ing a staff of 25 in season. There are blueberries and

What makes orcharding in the Berkshires sustainable?

pears and Christmas trees and, in the holiday season,

You do! Patronize the orchards that help make this region a

wreaths and winterberries slipped into sleeves. It goes

rural paradise.

without saying that they also do cider donuts and pies, with the help of other local food businesses. This year they’re growing pumpkins and gourds, too. “You can’t sit still in this business,” says Judy. The Farm is open through December.

BEAR SWAMP ORCHARD AND CIDERY lies on the eastern side of the Berkshires in the Franklin County town of Ashfield. It’s the only certified organic orchard in the region, and it’s small, with only five acres currently in production. Only one or two varieties will be available for pick-your-own this year, but sample the cider and you’ll be glad you came. With organic growing practices, the fruit develops in a more natural way, and you can taste the difference: this is cider with terroir.

In addition to sweet cider, Bear Swamp also makes several varieties of organic hard cider; tastings take place weekends when the orchard is open for apple picking, and Saturday afternoons later in the season until Thanksgiving. The present orchard got its start (or restart) when Jen Williams and her husband Steve Gougeon reclaimed an abandoned orchard in 2006. He’s a cabinetmaker with home-brewing expertise, she’s a biology teacher with a Ph.D. in ecology; BerkshiresCalendar.com

39

HIT

RAIL TRAILS the

We think you can,

we think you can!

MANY OF THE BACK ROADS of the Berkshires are well suited to biking — they tend to be well paved, not too frequently traveled, and follow routes with the least incline — and there are walking trails in and around almost every town, but it’s the area’s rail trails that are increasingly sought out by bikers and hikers alike. If you’re new to the concept, the idea is simple, and it’s another example of the repurposing ethic at work: take

Learn more about the Harlem Valley Rail Trail at the Trail’s website (hvrt.org), which 66 295 Chatham has information mile 46.1 203 on the history of TSP the region and 66 its rails as well as Ghent mile 42.2 descriptions66 of individual sections 9 of the Trail.

an abandoned rail line and turn it into a publicly TSP

accessible, motor-free thoroughfare. The practice has been going on since the 1960s, often with parmile 36.6

11

Stevers Crossing Road

website (TrailLink.com) keeps track of them.

One of the highest-rated rail trails of the

Northeast is the — wait for it, and pronounce it

23 22

slowly — Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in the north-

TSP

ern Berkshires, the result of a citizen initiative

and it’s easy to see why: Mt. Greylock rises to the west, the Hoosac range to the east, with the

LEGEND OPEN - PAVED OPEN 2018 - 19

Hillsdale

mile 26.6

Craryville

Taconic Hils Central School

begun in the 1990s. The Native American name means “pleasant land between the mountains,”

23

mile 29.2

23

Black Grocery Road mile 23.5

MASTER PLANNED SHOVEL-READY

22

Taconic State Park

P

344 P

Valley View Rd

MASS

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com P Under Mountain Road Boston

SET

mile 18.6

ACHU

BerkshiresCalendar.com

22

Copake Falls mile 22.3

40

P

mile 24.2

Orphan Farm Road

23

P

YORK

of rail trails across the U.S., and a comprehensive

217

Philmont

NEW

tial Federal funding; there are now 30,000 miles

The train from Canaan rolls into Norfolk, CT, circa 1886. Part of the track is now the Billings Rail Trail in Norfolk. This photograph is in the Norfolk Historical Society’s current exhibition, “An Extraordinary Legacy: The Photographs of Marie Hartig Kendall,” at the Society on the village Green, weekends 1:00 to 4:00 pm through Columbus Day, admission free.

Hoosic River valley in between. The well-maintained, 10-foot-wide paved trail runs like a ribbon 11.2 miles between Lanesborough and Adams through woods, along brooks and wetlands, by the Cheshire Reservoir and the Housatonic, and past impressive old mill buildings in the vicinity of Adams. There are numerous benches and picnic tables along the way, located at particularly scenic spots and at places to observe wildlife. The Trail is mostly level, making it accessible to riders, rollerbladers, runners and strollers of all ages and abilities (and disabilities). In winter, it’s ideal for cross-country skiing, too. The southern end begins along Route 8 at Berkshire Mall Road, the northern end at the Adams Visitor Center, with access points in Cheshire in between. There are public parking areas at both ends of the Trail and in Cheshire.

Bikes can be rented at the Adams end, in Cheshire, and in Pittsfield. The Trail can get a little crowded on weekends, but an easy-going ethos prevails. And now you can help fellow travellers pronounce the name: Ash-oo-WILL-ti-cook.

Just as the demand for rail freight eventually dried up in western Massachusetts, so too in the

Rail trails aren’t just for biking — walkers and rollerbladers love these trails, too.

(Above) Folks enjoy the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail on a perfect fall day.

eastern New York corridor, known as the Harlem Valley, that skirts the Connecticut and Massachusetts border up to Hillsdale, then veers west and north to Chatham. Passenger service to Wassaic, terminus of the Metro North line, remains, and that is where the Harlem Valley Rail Trail (HVRT) begins. It’s a paved

BerkshiresCalendar.com

41

(Above) Bash Bish Falls can be accessed from New York and Massachusetts trails. (Right) Stop at the Depot Deli on the Harlem Valley Rail for lunch or provisions.

trail along the former rail bed of the New York and Harlem

Towns of Copake, Hillsdale and Ancram, offers five bike

Railroad that will eventually run 46 miles all the way to

routes of between 10 and 50 miles. The routes mostly fol-

Chatham. The Trail currently goes for ten miles from

low lightly traveled public roads through the region’s rich

Wassaic to Millerton, with another six miles in two sec-

farmland, rolling hills and picturesque hamlets. Registra-

tions south of Hillsdale. The intervening eight miles follow

tion is free, though donations to support continued work

a bikeable, scenic country road. Work on the Hillsdale-

on the HVRT are welcome.

to-Chatham section is proceeding. The 6th annual Roe Jan Ramble Bike Tour on September 22, sponsored by the

Not all rail trails are paved, not all run for miles on end, and not all lend themselves best to biking. The Railroad Ramble in Salisbury, Connecticut, for example, is grass and dirt, only 1.7 miles long, and best suited to... rambling, though in foliage season some of the views will stop you in your tracks. Beginning from the south end just off Route 41 at Farnam Road in the hamlet of Lakeville, the trail passes through woodlands and open fields, crosses several streams, skirts a pond, runs behind residential neighborhoods, and comes to an end at Library Street in Salisbury. A guide available from local businesses provides information on locations along the route. Or you can simply let your dog lead the way.

A second northwest Connecticut trail is the Billings

And if it’s real rails you want to ride... …the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum runs trains from Adams to North Adams and back on weekends and Columbus Day through October. The

Trail in the town of Norfolk. It’s an attractive dirt path in three sections that covers three miles over land owned by the State and the Norfolk Land Trust. Plans are afoot to extend it to nine miles. Norfolk was a popular retreat in the late 19th century, and the Mountain Express brought

round trip takes one hour and begins in Adams at

city-dwellers to the town on the present rail-trail route.

4 Hoosac Street, next to the Visitor Center and the

The current trail makes for pleasant hiking through forest

northern terminus of the AshuwillticookRail Trail.

and past ponds, and it’s popular for cross-country skiing in

It’s a great way to see fall foliage and relive the

winter. The trail connects with others managed by the

heyday of rural railroading at the same time.

Norfolk Land Trust. A trail map, with information about parking and starting points, is available at TrailLink.com.

42

BerkshiresCalendar.com

to Ski or Not to Ski The snow is the only question

O

nce the fall biking season is

BERKSHIRE EAST SKI AREA | Charlemont

over, the Berkshires can get blanketed

BOUSQUET SKI AREA | Pittsfield

— or even belted — ­ in December, if

BUTTERNUT | Great Barrington

not earlier, and/or there can be a spell

CANTERBURY FARM CROSS COUNTRY SKIING | Becket

of shirtsleeve weather when it should

CATAMOUNT | Hillsdale NY

be freezing cold outside. Fortunately,

CRANWELL RESORT (cross country) | Lenox

Berkshire ski areas know how to make the best of whatever comes in the early skiing season, and you can track real-time conditions online. When the weather cooperates, there is great skiing to be had at both alpine and cross-country destinations in the region. Here’s an alphabetical listing

HILLTOP ORCHARDS (cross country) | Richmond JIMINY PEAK | Hancock MAPLE CORNER FARM (cross country) | Granville MOHAWK MOUNTAIN | Cornwall CT NOTCHVIEW (cross country) | Windsor OTIS RIDGE | Otis STUMP SPROUTS (cross country) | Hawley

of ski-areas in the Berkshires; crosscountry-only areas are so noted.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

43

berkshire

holidays FESTIVITIES & FEASTS ABOUNDING

take me back Norman Rockwell painted the scene in 1956 and touched it up in 1967: “Home for Christmas (Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas).” From noon till 2pm on Sunday, December 2, you can step right into the painting — not the original eight-foot long canvas, on view in the nearby Norman Rockwell Museum — but the annual recreation of the scene Rockwell depicted as conjured up by the Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce, complete with vintage automobiles and other touches from the past. If nature cooperates with a dusting of snow, it will be déjà vu all over again, because this is the 29th time the town has put on this popular event. The weekend of celebrations begins on Friday at 5pm at the Stockbridge Library with readings of classic stories of the season, then continues on Saturday with house tours, a children’s sing along, caroling with luminaria, and a holiday concert at the First Congregational Church. Sunday is total immersion in the holiday mood.

44

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

but first comes Thanksgiving!

You may well go over a river and through the woods if you’re traveling to a Thanksgiving celebration in the Berkshires, even if your grandmother doesn’t live here. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 22, this year, and a number of events both sacred and secular are open to the public.

MANY AREA RESTAURANTS put together special Thanksgiving meals, and it’s a good bet that the ingredients (including the bird) won’t have travelled far from the farms where they were raised. A preview of sorts takes place on September 24 from 6 to 8pm at the Upper Lodge at Ski Butternut in Great Barrington in the form of the 20th annual Harvest Supper to benefit Berkshire Grown, an organization that promotes a thriving food economy in western Massachusetts. A silent auction accompanies a tasting of dishes prepared by local chefs. Berkshire Grown also sponsors Holiday Farmers Markets in Great Barrington on November 18 and December 16 and in Williamstown on the 19th and 17th of those months.

not all turkeys end up on the table. You can see heritage-breed birds at Hancock Shaker Village during their Thanksgiving On The Farm days, Friday – Sunday, November 23, 24, and 25, 10am-4pm. Say hello to other animals too, and in the Discovery Barn create your own critter to take home. You can learn about the Shakers and see their beautifully designed objects in the 19th-century Brick Dwelling anytime, or on tours at 11am and 2pm. A guided tour of the Round Stone Barn takes place at noon. There are woodworking and blacksmithing demos throughout the day, or you can shop for the holidays in Shaker Mercantile for handcrafted goods you can’t find elsewhere. Spiced local cider and an autumn lunch will be available at the Seeds Market Cafe. If you’d like to savor a candlelit harvest dinner in the Brick Dwelling, where Shakers ate communally beginning in 1830, and support the Village’s farm internship program at the same time, join Christmas in Stockbridge brings out the child in everyone, and many people bring out their children, too.

in the Grateful Shaker Supper on November 24, at 6pm. You’ll meet head farmer, Bill Mangiardi, too, who will share Shaker farming secrets.

Tickets are $90.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

45

BREAKING BREAD WITH YOU Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington puts on its annual Community Thanks Supper the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, this year on the 20th, with seatings at 5pm and 6:15pm. Dinner is aimed at locals, but donations are gratefully accepted from one and all, and non-perishable food items are collected for local food banks.

The United Church of Christ in Lenox, also known as The Church on the Hill, will hold a simple service of Thanksgiving celebrating the Goodness of Creation in word and song on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 21 at 6:30pm at the Meetinghouse.

Lee Congregational Church is partnering with Catholic St. Mary’s for an Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, November 18th.

This year the service will be at St. Mary’s at 7pm.

A popular event The Children’s Holiday Extravaganza (reserve early!), takes place at Pittsfield’s Colonial Theatre, Sunday, November 25, 12pm-2pm.

Doors open at 11am. There’ll be entertainment, face painting, popcorn, pizza, a visit from Santa and Ms. Claus, raffles, prizes and more.

Gift bags will be given out to the first 400 kids (children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian). Please bring non-perishable food items for donation. The event is free, but you should call in advance to reserve tickets (limit of 6 per family), as it will sell out.

do you know how to stroll?

The Colonial Theater will also present performances of “A Christ-

You’ll catch on if you join in the fun at

through Saturday, December 22, with 2pm matinees on subsequent

Great Barrington’s annual Holiday

Saturdays and Sundays. Adults $39, children 16 and under $29,

Stroll, put on by the Southern Berkshire

except for the Wednesday, December 12, 6pm Special Community

Chamber of Commerce. It’s a festive

and Sensory-Friendly Performance, when all tickets are $5.

mas Carol,” in a version adapted by Eric Hill and directed by Travis Daly. The show opens on Saturday, December 8, at 7pm and runs

downtown event that runs from 2 to

46

8pm, with raffles, storytelling, and live

You can also enjoy another production of “A Christmas Carol,” by

music. The stroll proper begins at 4pm

Walking the Dog Theater, at Hancock Shaker Village, December 15,

when shop windows come alive (literally),

from 4-7pm. Dickens’s classic tale is directed by Ted Pugh and dra-

and hayrides, wreath-making, games

matized by David Anderson, with original music by Jonathan Talbott.

and crafts, and a bonfire ensue. Amidst

Adults $35, children $15. Where Scrooge has trod, Santa is not far

all this activity, a quiet spot is set aside

behind. He’ll be on hand for brunch Saturday, December 22, and Sun-

where you can write a letter to Santa. A

day, December 23, 10am-2pm. Crafts, music, story time, and visiting

menorah and tree lighting as well as fire-

the animals in the Round Stone Barn are all part of the experience.

works precede a concert by the Berkshire

Treats include eggs (from the Village’s own chickens), pastries, and

Children’s Chorus.

even mac ‘n cheese. Adults $45, children 12 and younger $25.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

december 1 falls on a Saturday this year. The timing is right for the Berkshire Botanical Garden’s annual year-end, all-day event that finds the Garden transformed into a glittering holiday market. The highlight is the Gallery of Wreaths, a Garden tradition offering one-ofa-kind wreaths created by some of the area’s most talented designers and artists. A holiday plant sale features flowering plants, traditional centerpieces, and holiday swags, and regional craft vendors offer a range of products from gifts and jewelry to beeswax in many forms.

The Hancock Shaker Village also gets into the act on December 1. As darkness falls (3-7pm), candles and twinkling lights

In late December, the Berkshire County Women of Color Giving Circle will host its annual Kwanzaa event. All members of the community are invited to attend. There will be music, food and opportunities for discussion.

provide illumination and the festivities begin. $45 for adults, $25 for children.

The event is repeated the following Saturday the 8th, too. And on Sunday the 2nd and 9th, noon to 4pm, Holiday Tea (with Shaker tea cakes) is served in the Brick Dwelling, decorated festively for the holidays; adults $35, children $22.

PITTSFIELD’S WHITNEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS presents Christmastime In

The Berkshire Museum’s annual Festival of Trees runs from November 17, 2018, through January 6, 2019. The theme this year is “Often Heard,” to echo “Rarely Seen,” the title of the exhibit of photographs from the National Geographic Society opening October 5. Local businesses decorate trees in original ways to match the year’s theme. This year each tree will interpret a popular song; the trick for visitors is to guess the song based on the decorations.

A Festive Preview Party will celebrate the

The City, the annual holiday variety show directed by Monica Bliss and Jeff Hunt, on Friday, December 14 at 8pm, Saturday, December 15 at 8pm, and Sunday, December 16 at 2pm. This three-time sell-out evokes the Christmas spirit through song and the spoken word. Tickets are $15 and $18 and may be purchased online at www.thewhit.org or reserved by calling 413-443-0289.

opening of the Festival on November 16, from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Call 413-443-7171 ext. 314 to reserve tickets; the proceeds go to supporting the Museum.

FIND MORE EVENTS online at

berkshirescalendar.com

BerkshiresCalendar.com

47

Free seasonal family events at the Sandisfield Arts Center begin with Pumpkin Decorating, October 22, 2-4pm, and continue with a Yuletide Festival, December 8 at 1pm, with crafts, caroling, holiday tree-trimming (you create the ornaments) and refreshments. The free family film nights (with popcorn) that began in May run right through

the Lee Congregational Church Holiday Fair

December. Then comes 2019, ready or not!

The Lee Congregational Church puts on several events during the holidays. The annual Holiday Fair will be held on December 1st from 10am-3pm. The Fair includes hand-crafted items, holiday decorations, baked goods, lunch, a raffle, and a “nearly new” shop.

Two weeks later on December 14 and 15 comes the Sounds of the Season Concert, both evenings at 7pm at the church. Jim Morrison directs the Christmas Angels Chorus (not that Jim Morrison!) with

The Season of Advent All are welcome at the United

special prelude music by the Lee

Church of Christ in Lenox during the season of Advent. On four

Bell Choir starting at 6:30pm. All are

successive Sundays, beginning on December 2 at 10:30am at the

welcome at this free Lee holiday

Meetinghouse, the Advent Wreath, made of a circle of evergreen

tradition, which includes a visit from

branches laid flat to symbolize eternal life, is lit. Four blue candles

Santa and refreshments following

stand in the circle, and each Sunday one more candle is lit until all four

the concert.

are burning bright. In the center of the circle is a fifth candle, the white Christ Candle. It is lit on Christmas Eve, when the Candlelight Service of

On Christmas Eve a “no rehearsal”

Lessons and Carols will be celebrated at 5pm. At the end of the service

Pageant begins at 4pm, giving

the Christ light is passed around, and each person lights a candle as

children the chance to participate as

the house lights dim and all join in singing “Silent Night.”

Mary or Joseph, angels, shepherds, wise men, and animals. All welcome, especially children! Finally, at 7pm on Christmas Eve, all are welcome at a service of scriptures, carols, Holy Communion, and the concluding candle lighting and singing of “Silent Night.”

48

BerkshiresCalendar.com

Hanukkah begins Sunday, December 2. A great place to find a beautiful menorah is Concepts of Art in Lenox. And don’t forget to buy your candles early at the supermarket before they run out. Even if you aren’t celebrating Hanukkah at your house, your stomach will thank you for some potato pancakes (latkes) and jelly donuts (sufganiyot), the traditional foods of the season.

As the holiday gets closer, check for celebrations at local synagogues and temples.

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

Winterlights at Naumkeag On November 23, Naumkeag will launch Winterlights, an all-new, immersive, LED light installation and event series on the extensive grounds of the 44-room Gilded Age “cottage” in Stockbridge. Visitors will be welcomed through the front doors into the festively

THE SHEFFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY is behind the town’s 19th annual Festival of Holidays, November 2 – December 30, on weekends 11am-4pm at The Old Stone Store on Main Street (you can’t miss it). The Store sells crafts by Berkshire artisans, including jewelry, pottery, leather goods, basketry, carved wooden items, glass ornaments and many other decorative pieces, as well as holiday goodies made by Society members and friends. There are toys and books for little ones and home accessories for adults, all at small-town prices. The opening night reception takes place on November 2, from 7-9pm.

decorated first floor of the mansion before setting out on a self-guided walking tour of gardens illuminated by a spectacular array of tiny, shimmering lights. The tour will wind through the many garden “rooms,” the forests, greenhouses, and allées of the 48-acre estate, including the iconic Blue Steps. In addition, there will be live music, including performances by local

Hometown Holidays

choral groups, special guests (including Santa), a Frozen-themed night,

in Salisbury, Conn., is an annual

children’s activities and more.

event that takes place at the

“’Winterlights’ is the first-of-

White Hart Inn on the first Sun-

its-kind presentation of this

day in December. Santa will be

size and scope in all of the

doing some advance work there,

Berkshires,” says Naumkeag

and you can expect cookies and

General Manager, Brian

hot cocoa, too. The Salisbury

Cruey. “Winterlights” will

Band & Hot Chocolate Society

be open Thursdays through

Will put

Sundays from 5pm to 8pm

cocoa in cup

through December 31.

plays Christmas music, with Michael Brown leading the gathering in some old-time caroling.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

49

art &

performance art, music, theater, comedy, & more

Outside of urban settings, there may be no place with more art of more kinds than the Berkshires. The Clark Art Institute and the Williams College Museum of Art in Williamstown, the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, and MASS MoCA in North Adams are the headliners, but innumerable galleries, craft shows, and intriguing displays of public art extend the art experience in virtually every town. Not only are the permanent collections of the region’s museums impressive, their special exhibitions are worth traveling for in their own right. It’s a region that has long attracted visual artists and craftspeople, too, a place where art is a living presence in many forms.

50

THE NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM holds the world’s

Then come back for “Frank E. Schoonover: American

greatest collection of Rockwells, and it also mounts special

Visions,” opening November 10. Schoonover (1877-1972)

exhibitions on aspects of the art of illustration. “Keepers of

may not be a household name, but his adventure paintings

the Flame: Parrish, Wyeth, Rockwell and the Narrative

illustrated many household books during his long career.

Tradition” through October 28 advances an intriguing

To get a feel for the scenes of Jack London’s fiction, in 1903

thesis: that there is an unbreakable thread connecting

he traveled 1,200 miles in Canada and Alaska by dogsled,

legendary American artists such as Maxfield Parrish, N.C.

canoe, and snowshoe. Also opening on November 10th

Wyeth, and Norman Rockwell to the roots of European

is a show of some of the 123 oil paintings executed by

painting through the long line of teachers who have passed

celebrated contemporary illustrator Gregory Manchess

along their wisdom, knowledge, and techniques to the next

to illustrate his remarkable 2017 science-fiction fantasy

generation of creators through the centuries.

novel Above the Timberline.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

To comprehend the phenomenon of MASS MoCA, you

photographs, and decorative arts from the Renaissance to

have to think big. It’s the ultimate loft, with 250,000 square

the early twentieth century. A Gilbert Stuart George Wash-

feet (about five acres) of open and naturally lit space in the

ington looks down at you with a profoundly reassuring gaze;

former Sprague Electric complex astride the Housatonic

around the corner, Gauguin invites you to escape to Tahiti.

River in the heart of North Adams. But it’s also a big idea: it

Two exhibits opening in November and December,

proposes to reconfigure the traditional, jewel-box concept

respectively, are worth a special trip. The timely “Extreme

of a museum as “a dynamic open platform that encourages

Nature!” (November 10 – February 3, 2019) explores the

free exchange between the making of art and its enjoyment

fascination of 19th-century artists for visions of fire, flood,

by the public, between the visual and performing arts, and

and other boundary-breaking natural phenomena. “Turner

between an extraordinary historic factory campus and the

and Constable: The Inhabited Landscape” (December 10

patrons, workers, and tenants who once again inhabit it …”

– March 15, 2019), highlighting works from the Clark’s collection as well as loans from other New England

PATRONS COME TO MASS MOCA for collections like

museums, isn’t just about pretty pictures. Turner’s and

the Sol Lewitt galleries, Anselm Kiefer’s striking “Velimir

Constable’s works are explored to reveal the social, cultural,

Chlebnikov,” a steel pavilion containing 30 paintings

political, and personal significance of their subjects during a

dealing with nautical warfare, and “Come to Your Senses,”

period of rapid change in the English countryside.

the current show in the Kidspace gallery, curated by Sally Taylor, which asks visual artists, poets, dancers, musicians,

MANY VISITORS TO THE CLARK also stop in at the

perfumers, chefs, and sculptors to use one another’s art as

Williams College Museum of Art to see selections from

a catalyst to create their own work; artworks by local school-

its collection of more than 15,000 art objects spanning the

children laid the groundwork for the explorations.

globe and the centuries right up to the present. One current special exhibition is “Dance We Must: Treasures from

The Clark Art Institute is destination enough for any

Jacob’s Pillow, 1906-1940,” through November 11, which

art lover from anywhere; moreover, the Clark has grown

explores the fascinating world of Ted Shawn and Ruth St.

substantially in recent years. The collection features Euro-

Denis, the visionary couple who lit the way for American

pean and American paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings,

dance in the early 20th century.

(Opposite page) Selected illlustrations from Gregory Manchess’s science-fiction fantasy novel Above the Timberline will be at Norman Rockwell Museum from November 10th. (Above) Los Angeles-based Jennifer Steincamp’s “Blind Eye” is the Clark Art Institute’s first video installation, featuring six of the artist’s most immersive projections. It runs through October 8.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

51

art & performance

find more events at berkshirescalendar.com

And a Galaxy of Galleries, too WHEN WORLD-CLASS MUSEUMS are not enough, or simply for a change of pace, the region’s distinctive galleries and craft fairs beckon. Some draw on the creative resources of the Berkshires’ own artists; some bring fine art and objets d’art from the far corners of the world to the main streets and side streets of the region’s towns.

To gallery-hop in the Berkshires is to feel the pulse of the region’s creative economy. And perhaps to contribute to it …

Whether you’re after a oneof-a-kind gift or simply an object

Rarely Seen and Not to Be Missed

of desire for yourself, or just to browse, the Berkshires make it

An unusual photo show is opening at the Berkshire Museum on October 5:

easy to see original examples of the

it’s the National Geographic traveling exhibit “Rarely Seen: Photographs of

latest developments in painting and

the Extraordinary.” Such as: 30,000-year-old cave art sealed from the public;

sculpture, home furnishings, work

animals that are among the last of their species on Earth; volcanic lightning;

in glass, clay, and cloth, hand-made

giant crystals that have grown to more than 50 tons; the engraving inside

furniture, bowl-turning, iron-work-

Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch. Those National Geographic photographers

ing, photography, jewelry, quilting,

do get around!

and more.

DANIEL CHESTER FRENCH, the sculptor of Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial and the Minute Man in his hometown of Concord, Mass., spent working summers at Chesterwood, his elegant (and functional) home in Stockbridge. The 1908 house itself is a National Trust property, and the 122 acres of formal gardens and woodland paths were created by French himself. French’s studio and residence are open seven days a week through October 8. After Columbus Day, they’re open weekends only through the end of October. Guided tours are offered with general admission beginning at 11am until 2pm daily.

For intimate contact with great art, it’s hard to beat the Frelinghuysen Morris House and Studio in Lenox (photo at right). Suzy Frelinghuysen and George L. K. Morris may not be household names, but they are well known to connoisseurs of 20th century art and architecture as a couple who were both abstract artists and collectors. Open through October 7.

52

BerkshiresCalendar.com

Morris’s studio at Brookhurst, his parents’ estate, was the first building in New England in the Modern style.

He and Suzy went on to integrate a stucco and glass house onto it and to decorate with frescoes, furniture, their own paintings, and works by Picasso, Leger, Gris and others.

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

begins just hours after Kate has been acquitted of the

ARTCOUNTRY , a consortium of five north

Berkshire arts organizations — the Clark Art Institute, the Williams College Museum of Art, the Bennington Museum, MASS MoCA, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival — is offering flexible new discounts on admissions and lodging in 2018 — details at artcountry.org.

murder of her father; how it all ends… is a matter of conjecture. Play number two is “Lady Randy,” by contemporary playwright and actor Anne Undeland, which also delves into the 19th century for its theme. The Lady in question had married the English Lord Randolph, she was beautiful, rich, sexually fearless, and she had just given birth to Winston Churchill. What could go wrong? Those with tickets to this special evening will find out. If you happen to be an aspiring

Theater, Comedy, Music, Dance The Boston Symphony has left Tanglewood, and the boards of Stockbridge’s Fitzpatrick Theater have fallen silent. Not to worry: you’ll find plenty going on at other Berkshire venues right through the holidays.

Shakespeare & Company’s production of Taylor Mac’s comedy “HIR” runs through October 7 in Lenox, and “Ann,” Holland Taylor’s one-woman tour de force starring Jayne Atkinson, takes the Tina Packer stage October 19-28. Forget “The Winter’s Tale”: on the weekend of December 15 and 16, enjoy a staged, costumed reading of Jon Jory’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Oh, and the Company involves over 500 high school students in the region in an intensive 9-week Shakespeare program that culminates in student productions at the Tina Packer Theater November 16-19.

So much for “off season.”

playwright yourself, and live within a 50 miles of Great Barrington, you can submit a short work (by October 1) for possible inclusion in the 3rd annual Radius Playwrights Festival, which will take place January 25 and 26, 2019, at St. James Place. See the BPL website for details.

PITTSFIELD’S COLONIAL THEATRE and its lobby (and the part of it called the Garage) are the scene of a variety of fall shows. Comedian Derek Gaines brings his act to the Garage on September 27 at 7:30 pm; tickets are only $5, so don’t wait till the last minute. Katie Goodman is the comedy headliner at the Garage on October 25. On November 15, it’s Catherine Cohen, right out of Brooklyn and the East Village.

On October 13 at 7:30 pm, bassist Christian McBride takes to the Colonial stage with his New Jawn Quartet as part of the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival. It’s Melvin Seals and JBG on October 11 at 7:30 pm. Seals played Hammond B-3 organ and keyboards with the Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years; expect a musical trip.

THE BERKSHIRE THEATRE GROUP is presenting Pirandello’s “Naked” at the Unicorn Theater in Stockbridge, September 27-October 28. In “Naked,” the author of “Six Characters in Search of an Author” has created a story about a woman in the midst of questioning her existence, as the men around her impose their view of her on the world. Eric Hill directs Nicholas Wright’s new version of the play.

Known for fostering original work, the Berkshire Playwrights Lab stages play reads and performances.

On September 27 at 5 pm, it presents a twin bill at The Mount, and it first turns to the woman who once presided there, Edith Wharton herself, for a script.

Inspired by the sensational story of Lizzie Borden, Wharton began work on “Kate Spain” in 1935, but she finished only the first act. The play

BerkshiresCalendar.com

53 53

art & performance

find more events at berkshirescalendar.com

THE COLONIAL also books top tribute acts. Neil Young lives (on) in the Berkshires; on October 5 a group of veteran musicians from the area presents a show called (with a nod to two of Young’s albums) “Harvest and Rust.” Is that Glen Campbell presenting “The Glenn Campbell Xperience” on October 12? Not quite: it’s Jimmy Mazz giving a good impersonation of Campbell (and friends’) greatest hits. Tom Petty had (and still has) a following in the Berkshires; Berkshire musicians pay tribute on October 27. On November 10, “BonJourneyNY” brings back the sound of Bon Jovi and Journey; their show sold out the last time they were in town. Do you miss the Talking Heads? You don’t have to: a 7-piece band recreates their music at the Colonial on November 17.

You can sing anything you want at Great Barrington’s Guthrie Center, at least at its weekly Hootenannies on Thursdays at 7 pm. They run year round and are open-mic. Joe Crookston plays on September 22, and three soon-to-beannounced shows are scheduled for the Columbus Day weekend.

If your tastes run to classical, Close Encounters with Music will be presenting “A Rossini Extravaganza!” with Emily Marvosh, contralto, Sonja Tengblad, soprano, and Roman Rabinovich, piano, at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington on October 13 at 6 pm. The program includes duets, arias, and Rossini’s brilliant “Sins of Old Age” for piano. Then, in a concert entitled “Marzipan & The Trout” on December 8 at 6 pm, also at the Mahaiwe, you can hear two gems of the classical Roman Rabinovich, pianist, will be in concert on October 13th.

chamber repertory, Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet and Mozart’s “Quartet in E-flat Major,”

played by five outstanding musicians, led by Artistic Director Yehuda Hanani.

You can also catch broadcasts of live opera from the Met in HD at the Mahaiwe

MASS MOCA ISN’T JUST ART. It’s innovative performances, too (too many to list, see listings online at www.BerkshiresCalendar.com), in a variety of modes, from songs by Schubert and Schumann (“Nacht und Träume,” October 20, 4 pm) to funk to comedy by New York’s Chicago City Limits on November 3 at 8 pm.

Smaller venues also get into the act: the Stagecoach Tavern in Sheffield regularly hosts intimate musical acts for brunch and in the evenings. Slip over into Hillsdale and dance to live music (weekends) at the Mt. Washington House; or shoot a game of pool there if you prefer.

The summer season at dancemecca Jacob’s Pillow has ended, but an extraordinary coda takes place in the original Barn Studio (now the Bakalar Studio) September 21-23.

Adam M. Weinert and his nine-person male ensemble, featuring dancers

on Saturdays and Wednesdays; see their website for details.

who studied at The School at Jacob’s

The outstanding chamber group Aston Magna is presenting “A Baroque

“Dance of the Ages” from 1938 with

Concert for a Fall Afternoon” at Saint James Place in Great Barrington on Sunday, October 28, at 4 pm; a pre-show talk begins at 3 pm. The program features sonatas by J.S. Bach, W.F. Bach, and Dietrich Buxtehude, as well as excerpts from J.S. Bach’s “A Musical Offering.”

54

“I am a Seagull” at MASS MoCA

BerkshiresCalendar.com

Pillow, will reconstruct Ted Shawn’s a mixture of historical accuracy and contemporary reflection. This was the first full-length work of modern dance, and Shawn considered it to be his crowning achievement. more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

Wait, there’s more

paved road to the top from Lanesborough. Or you can

MOTHER NATURE ALSO PUTS ON A SHOW, everywhere,

October 7. Take a ride on the Berkshire Scenic Railway or,

in the Berkshires in the fall, and you can enjoy the essence of it Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October 7, 10 am 5 pm, at the Berkshire Botanical Garden’s annual Harvest Festival. The Festival encompasses the entire

just stay in Adams and enjoy the Ramblefest on Sunday, if you prefer, get a horse — a pair of them, drawing an antique carriage — in one of the tours of historic downtown Adams put on by the Adams Historical Society.

15-acre Garden campus, with children’s activities, pony and hay rides, games, live entertainment, over 100 regional artisan vendors, a farm market, tag and plant sales, and educational offerings scheduled throughout the weekend.

If you’re looking for something wilder to do on the Columbus Day weekend, why not try the 51st Annual Greylock Ramble on Monday, October 8 from 8 am to 4 pm? Free shuttles take hikers from downtown Adams to and from the base of the Cheshire Harbor Trail. From there, it’s an exhilarating 3.3-mile trek up to the summit of Massachusetts’ highest mountain. If that’s too much for

On the Cheshire Harbor Trail.

you, it’s only fair to mention that there is also a 16-mile

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, November 24, 2018

The Berkshire Edge is again supporting and promoting the activities of local shops and restaurants in a variety of communities throughout the Berkshires on Small Business Saturday .

VISIT: www.theberkshireedge.com to subscribe to our daily email and receive updates on this year’s promotions.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

55

food & lodging HANCOCK SHAKER VILLAGE SEEDS MARKET CAFÉ

BERKSHIRE GROWN Restaurants & food services committed to locally grown ingredients FOOD AND LODGING KEY

R Restaurant L Lodging G Grocery C Catering

NORTH BLACKINTON MANOR L blackinton.manor.com 1391 Mass. Ave., North Adams, MA 01247 413 663-5795 Brewhaha! R cafebrewhaha.com 20 Marshall St., North Adams, MA 01247 413 664-2020 Gala Steakhouse & Bistro @ Orchards Hotel R galarestaurant.com 222 Adams Rd. Williamstown, MA 01267 413 458-9611 ext. 517

56

BerkshiresCalendar.com

CHOCOLATE SPRINGS

Gramercy Bistro R gramercybistro.com 87 Marshall St. North Adams, MA 01247

CAFÉ ADAM

Berkshire Organics Market & Delivery G berkshireorganics.com 813 Dalton Division Rd. Dalton, MA 01226

413 663-5300

413 442-0888

Mezze Bistro + Bar and Mezze Catering + Events R C mezzerestaurant.com or mezzecatering.com

Birchwood Inn L birchwood-inn.com

777 Cold Spring Rd., Williamstown, MA 01267

7 Hubbard St. Lenox, MA 01240 800 524-1646

Cranwell Spa & Golf Resort R L cranwell.com 55 Lee Rd. Lenox, MA 01240 413 637-4061 Country Club of Pittsfield R ccpittsfield.org 639 South Street Pittsfield, MA, 01202 413 447-8500

413 458-0123 catering: 413 458-8745

Blantyre R L blantyre.com

Firefly Restaurant and Catering R C fireflylenox.com

Wild Oats Market G wildoats.coop

16 Blantyre Rd. Lenox, MA 01240 413 637-3556

71 Church St. Lenox, MA 01240 413 637-2700

413 458-8060

Café Lucia R cafelucialenox.com

CENTRAL

80 Church St. Lenox, MA 01240 413 637-2640

The Gateways Inn & Restaurant R L gatewaysinn.com

Alta Restaurant & Wine Bar R altawinebar.com

Canyon Ranch L canyonranch.com/lenox

320 Main St. Williamstown, MA 01267

34 Church St, Lenox, MA 01240 413 637-0003 Ayelada R ayelada.com 505 East Street Pittsfield, MA 01201 413 344-4126 Berkshire Mountain Bakery R G berkshiremountainbakery.com

165 Kemble St. Lenox, MA 01240 413 637-4400 ext.5302 Chocolate Springs R chocolatesprings.com 55 Pittsfield Lenox Rd. Lenox Commons Rte. 7, Lenox, MA 01240 413 637-9820

51 Walker St. Lenox, MA 01240 413 637-2532 Guido’s Fresh Marketplace R G guidosfreshmarketplace.com 1020 South St. Pittsfield, MA 01201 413 442-9912 Hancock Shaker Village Seeds Market Café R hancockshakervillage.org 1843 W. Housatonic St. Pittsfield, MA 01202 413 443-0188

180 Elm Street Pittsfield, MA 01201 more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

THE ORCHARDS

Haven Café and Bakery R havencafebakery.com 8 Franklin St. Lenox, MA 01240 413 637-8948 Kate Baldwin Catering C katebaldwinfood.com 633 Dublin Rd. Richmond, MA 01254 413 698-2885

Olde Forge Restaurant R 125 N Main St. Lanesboro, MA 01237 413 442-6797 or 413 443-9764 Rouge Restaurant & Bistro R rougerestaurant.com 3 Center St. West Stockbridge MA 01266

Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health L R

413 232-4111

kripalu.org

Savory Harvest Catering and Samel’s Deli R C savoryharvestcatering.com

57 Interlaken Rd. Lenox, MA 01240 866 200-5203

115 Elm St. Pittsfield, MA 01201

The Marketplace Café Pittsfield R ourmarketplacecafe.com

413 442-5927

53 North St. Pittsfield, MA 01201 413 358-4777

SoMa Catering R C somacatering.com 4 Albany Rd. West Stockbridge, MA 01266

nAtURAlly Catering C

413 854-1720 or 413 698-3400

180 Elm St. Pittsfield, MA 01201

Stonover Farm B&B L stonoverfarm.com

naturallycatering.com

413 822-7738

169 Undermountain Rd. Lenox, MA 01240

No. Six Depot Roastery and Café R sixdepot.com

413 637-9100

6 Depot St. West Stockbridge, MA 01266 413 232-0205

Studious Baker R studiousbaker.com 123 North St. Pittsfield MA 01201 413 441-4447

FIELD AND CELLAR

Trattoria Il Vesuvio R trattoria-vesuvio.com 242 Pittsfield Rd. Lenox. MA 01240 413 637-4904 Wheatleigh R L wheatleigh.com Hawthorne Rd. Lenox, MA 01240

MARKETPLACE CAFÉ

Barrington Brewery & Restaurant R barringtonbrewery.net 420 Stockbridge Rd. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230 413 528-8282 Berkshire Co-Op Market R G berkshire.coop

413 637-0610

42 Bridge St. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230

Zucchini’s Restaurant & Catering R C zucchinisrestaurant.com

Berkshire Mountain Bakery G berkshiremountainbakery.com

413 528-9697

1331 North St. Pittsfield, MA 01201

367 Park St., Rt. 183 Housatonic, MA 01236

413 442-2777

413 274-3412 office

SOUTH

Bistro Box R thebistrobox.rocks on Facebook

allium restaurant + bar R alliumberkshires.com 44 Railroad St. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230 413 528-2118 Baba Louie’s R babalouiespizza.com 286 Main St. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230

937 S. Main St. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230 413 717-5958 Botanica R @BotanicaGB on Facebook and Instagram 34 Railroad St. Great Barrington, MA 01230

413 528-8100

413 645-3548

517 Warren St. Hudson, NY 12534

café ADAM R cafeadam.org

518 751-2155

420 Stockbridge Rd. Rte. 7 Building 3, Gt. Barrington, MA 01230 413 528-7786

BerkshiresCalendar.com

57

food & farm

find more at berkshirescalendar.com

BABA LOUIE’S

CRANWELL RESORT

Cantina 229 R cantina229.com

Gorham & Norton G on Facebook

229 Hartsville NM Rd. New Marlborough, MA 01230

278 Main St. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230

413 229-3276 Number Ten R numbertengb.com 10 Castle St. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230 413 528-5244 Chez Nous R cheznousbistro.com 150 Main St., Lee, MA 01238 413 243-6397 The Dream Away Lodge R thedreamawaylodge.com 1342 County Rd. Becket, MA 01223 413 623-8725 Farm Country Soup R farmcountrysoup.com facebook.com/farmcountrysoup instagram @farmcountrysoup

413 528-0900 Guido’s Fresh Marketplace G guidosfreshmarketplace.com 760 Main St. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230 413 528-9255 The Inn at Sweet Water Farm L innsweetwater.com 1 Prospect Lake Rd. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230 413 528-2882 Interlaken Inn R L interlakeninn.com 74 Interlaken Rd. Lakeville, CT 06039 860 435-9878 John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant R johnandrewsrestaurant.com

The Marketplace Kitchen Table R marketplacekitchen.com 240 Stockbridge Rd. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230 413 528-2233 Old Inn on the Green R L C oldinn.com 134 Hartsville New Marlboro Rd. New Marlborough, MA 01230 413 229-7924 The Old Mill R oldmillberkshires.com 53 Main St. South Egremont, MA 01258 413 528-1421

178 Main St. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230 413 528-5050

55 Cliffwood Street Lee, MA 01238

GPS: 1 Blunt Rd. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230

The Red Lion Inn R L redlioninn.com

413 528-3469

30 Main St. Stockbridge, MA 01262

413-273-8300, ext. 1 Gedney Farm R L Gedneyfarm.com

18 Elm Court Sheffield, MA 01257

Route 57 New Marlborough, MA 01230

413 248-5040

413 229-3131 BerkshiresCalendar.com

413 528-8400 The Southfield Store R southfieldstore.com 163 Main St. Southfield, MA 01259 413 229-5050 Stagecoach Tavern R stagecoachtavern.net 864 S. Undermountain Rd. Sheffield, MA01257 413 229-8585

Route 23 in Hillsdale, next to Catamount Ski Area.

Hillsdale, NY 12529

SPECIALTY PRODUCERS

413 528-0040

The Marketplace Café Sheffield R C marketplacekitchen.com

5 Railroad Street Gt. Barrington, MA 01230

413 528-6200 or 518 325-3333

Red Door B&B L reddoorbnb.com

224 Hillsdale Rd. S. Egremont, MA 01258

453 Stockbridge Rd. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230

SoCo Creamery R sococreamery.com

Swiss Hutte R L swisshutte.com

Prairie Whale R on Facebook

389 Stockbridge Rd. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230

Field and Cellar R C Fieldncellar.com

58

R&G CHEESE

413 394-4375

413 298-5545 Rubiner’s Cheesemongers and Grocers & Rubi’s Coffee and Sandwiches R G rubiners.com 264 Main St. Gt. Barrington, MA 01230

Artisan Beverage Cooperative artbev.coop 413 773-9700 Katalyst Kombucha and Green River Ambrosia.

Worker-owned crafter of fine libations.

All are sulfite and gluten free.

Tasting room open Friday 4-7pm Sat 2-6pm.

413 528-0488 more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

Battenkill Wholesome Foods (Battenkill Brittle)

Great Cape Baking greatcapebaking.com

battenkillwholesomefoods.com

508 322-0408

Ooma Tesoro’s Kitchen and Factory oomatesoros.com

802 375-2698

Hand-cut cider & seasonal doughnuts, New England farmhouse style breads, small batch preserves. Events, farmers markets, weddings.

413 684-0898 Marinara sauce. A generations-old recipe made new.

Small batch sauce brimming with fresh ingredients.

Berkshire Mountain Distillers berkshiremountaindistillers. com

H.R. Zeppelin Fine Handmade Chocolates hr-zeppelin.com

Paper Cake Scissors papercakescissors.com

413 559-0272

413 229-0219 Hand-crafted small batch Ice Glen Vodka, Greylock Gin, Ragged Mountain Rum, Berkshire Bourbon and New England Corn Whiskey.

All of our truffles and confections are made in small batches, using only the finest organic ingredients.

Custom orders are a pleasure to create!

Savory and sweet scones, chocolate truffles, biscotti, meringues, marshmallow caramels and hand-stenciled tea towels.

BerkShore berkshore.com

Hop2O Soda hop2osoda.com

Gluten-free, high energy products: energy bars, crumble topping, cereals.

Online and in local stores.

BIG ELM BREWING

Asia Luna asialuna.com 518 672-4959 All natural, using pure essential oils — soaps, scrubs, mist sprays, bug spray, spa and soy candles, body butter and more.

Assembly Coffee Roasters assemblycoffeeroasters.com 413 443-0280 A true micro-roastery, roasting specialty coffees for wholesale clients and for our own webstore in small batches.

Auntie Elsie’s Oatmeal Crisps auntieelsies.com 413 461-1076 Oatmeal crisps made with the finest ingredients from local farmers.

Balderdash Cellars balderdashcellars.com 413 464-4629 Boutique winery focused on producing ultra-premium wines from grapes grown by world-class CA vineyards.

Barrington Coffee Roasting Company barringtoncoffee.com

Providing Berkshire County with a selection of curated local and regional seafood directly from the Boston Fish Pier.

Big Elm Brewing bigelmbeer.com 413 229-2348

518 860-3804 Hop2O is a hops-infused sparkling soda made in two locations in Columbia County. Handcrafted, artisanal, farm product.

Jacuterie jacuterie.com

Taproom open Thurs-Sun 12-7pm.

Handcrafted ales and lagers.

Hand-crafted charcuterie.

Caroline’s Scottish Shortbread on Facebook

413 243-3370

413 212-1482 Traditional homemade Scottish shortbread — my grandmother’s recipe.

Clarksburg Bread on Facebook

Klara’s Gourmet Cookies klarasgourmet.com Hand-baked gourmet cookies using natural, organic, nonGMO ingredients wherever possible.

Naga Bakehouse nagabakehouse.com 802 325-3596

Breads, granola, granola bars, cookies, muffins, coffeecakes.

Family run micro-farm and wood-fired bakery specializing in hearty breads and hand-crafted matzoh.

Dancing Bare Soap dancingbaresoap.com

Oliva Provisions on Facebook

413 662-2291

800 528-0998

413 634-2208

Farm-direct coffees roasted to order in the Berkshires.

Organic, vegan, hand crafted soaps using homegrown and locally sourced herbs and flowers.

518 653-4045 Oliva Provisions makes an artisanal Lacinata Kale and Walnut Pesto with love and organic locally grown kale.

802 823-4094

Pioneer Valley Vinegar on Facebook 413 575-0745 12 flavors in 4 base vinegars, using locally grown herbs, berries and spices.

Purple Duck Baking mattscookiebars.com purpleduckbaking.com 413 446-6694 Organic, gluten-free baked goods.

R&G Cheese rgcheese.com 518 436-7603 We offer a full line of artisan cheeses, both cow and goat’s milk, as well as yogurt.

Strudel Z strudel-z.com 917 551-0286 Baked with hand-pulled dough and fruits and vegetables from Hudson Valley farms.

The Sweetish Baker thesweetishbaker.com on Facebook 413 429-5997 Granola, pies, galettes, rugelach, muffins, cakes and cookies. Custom orders happily accepted.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

59

day trip

a visit to Southern Vermont

the call of the Shires CROSS THE BORDER INTO VERMONT going north on Route 7 and you enter what local boosters call “The Shires,” that is, Bennington County, which comprises 17 towns in the state’s southwest corner, including Manchester and Dorset. Don’t confuse the Shires with that part of Middle Earth inhabited by Hobbits (that’s the Shire) — although you could be forgiven for doing so: the Vermont landscape invites comparison with the picturesque rural fantasyland of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagination, and most of the Shires lies between two mountain ranges, the Greens to the east and the Taconics to the west. The plural “Shires” comes from there being two courthouses in the county, one in the north at Manchester, the other southwards in Bennington. Stay out of trouble and you won’t have to give them a further thought; you can simply enjoy what

No Hobbits live here. In fact, it’s a sauna, but AirBnB guests of the Studio Hill Farm in Shaftsbury are welcome to use it. The farm is the product of regenerative farming practices; tours are available.

this part of Vermont has to offer, which is a lot.

Leaf-peepers flock to Vermont from mid-September

“Bennington mob” by their detractors. They turned their

through October, when the maples turn vivid shades of

combative posture first against the State of New York and

orange, red, and yellow, and the air is crisp and fragrant

then against the British army invading from Canada in 1777.

with autumnal scents. Then, when the snow begins to fly

With help from militia from New Hampshire and Massa-

in late November and December, Stratton, Bromley,

chusetts, the Vermonters dealt the King’s forces a blow at

and Nordic ski centers get into gear for skiers and snow-

the Battle of Bennington which led to the British surrender

boarders (the modern snowboard was pioneered at

at Saratoga two months later, an event that changed the

Stratton by Jake Burton in the late ‘70s).

course of the Revolutionary War. Lest you forget, the impos-

Bennington was Vermont’s first township and the one that gave rise to the Green Mountain Boys, known as the

ing 306-foot tall Bennington Monument stands on the site of the Continental storehouse that was the object of British

Southern Vermont Orchards sits on a hill overlooking the broad sweep of the Valley of Vermont.

60

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

(Clockwise from top left) Early snow at Shaftsbury’s Studio Hill Farm; the view south from the Bennington Monument; Old Bennington’s Old First Church; farmhouse bowls ready for firing at Bennington Potters.

attack. It’s arguably the most beautiful of the many obelisks raised in the 19th century to commemorate the heroes and battles of the Revolution. An elevator takes visitors up to an observation level from May through the end of October.

While you’re in the neighborhood, the Old First Church and its adjacent cemetery are also worth a visit.

The 1805 Church is open for visitors through mid-October, and the cemetery, where Robert Frost is buried, is accessible year round. The Bennington Museum lies right below the Church on Route 9. Its eclectic permanent collection includes many works by “Grandma Moses” (Anna M. Robertson), who took up painting at age 78 in nearby Eagle Bridge, N.Y. and was probably the most famous artist in America when she died in 1961 at the age of 101. A special exhibit at the Museum, “Crash to Creativity: the New Deal in

Back to the Land

Southern Vermont is home

to a number of farms practicing organic and regenerative agriculture. Clear Brook Farm on Route 7A in Shaftsbury has its own organic vegetables, fruit from local orchards, and a selection of locally produced meats and cheeses. The Wing & A Prayer Farm on Myers Road in Shaftsbury is a “fiber farm” making yarn from its own sheep, goats, and alpacas. The town of Pownal, right across the Massachusetts and New York borders, is also rich in farms; see the “Discover Pownal” website for details. If you’re willing to go a little further afield, you’ll discover that the Consider Bardwell Farm in West Pawlet (well known to cheese fanciers) is worth the trip.

Vermont,” runs through November 4.

BerkshiresCalendar.com

61

daytrip a visit to Southern Vermont to the kilns. Michelle Obama chose the blue agate pattern for the White House. Downtown shops and those near the Potters such as Hawkins House and the Tap House at Catamount Glass also contribute to the town’s artsy feel.

Live theater has a home downtown, too; the Oldcastle Theatre Company, now in its 47th season, is presenting O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night” October 5-14.

Before he moved to Stockbridge in 1953, Norman Rockwell lived in Arlington, 10 miles north of Bennington, East Arlington’s Chiselville Bridge was featured in “Baby Boom”

for 14 years. A dissenting voice at a Town Meeting gave him the inspiration for “Freedom of Speech” in his “Four Freedoms” series. The Arlington neighbors who served as the artist’s models still get together once a year; they may have

Bennington has been famous for pottery from its

aged, but the town hasn’t changed much since Rockwell’s

earliest years, but the founding of Bennington Potters 70

day. A covered bridge over the Battenkill is still just a short

years ago by David Gil is responsible for the town’s modern

walk from his former house and studio, and the house is

distinction in stoneware. Located half a mile north of the

now the Norman Rockwell Inn.

town center, the Potters invites visitors to “come see it made.” The showroom is located in an old gristmill adjacent

Manchester is an outlet-shopping mecca, but there’s no central mall; the shops are tucked along the southern

Crash to Creativity The New Deal in Vermont June 30 through November 4

Francis Colburn (1909-1984), Charley Smith and His Barn, ca. 1939, (detail), Oil on canvas, 38.5 x 33.25 inches, Collection of Bennington Museum

Fostering a culture of creativity and innovation among writers, artists, and civil workers.

In Some of the Other Galleries Visit ManchesterDesignerOutlets.com for your FREE Coupon Book.

ARMANI TUMI KATE SPADE G.H. BASS & Co. & More!

62

BerkshiresCalendar.com

19th-Century Bennington Stoneware Paintings by Grandma Moses 20th-Century Modernists Early Vermont History

ART HISTORY INNOVATION

Bennington, VT • 802-447-1571 benningtonmuseum.org

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

A

Bennington discover

Vermont’s 1st town

EN JOY T HE S M A LL T O W N

WELCOME

A short beautiful

ride away... plein air painting

blue benn diner

walkable downtown mount anthony country club grille & public golf

bennington museum

bennington potters

farmers market

AMONG OUR ATTRACTIONS — Oldcastle Theatre • Bennington Museum Bennington College • Robert Frost House Southern Vermont College/Laumeister Center

vermont arts exchange

Hemmings Motor News • 3 Covered Bridges/ 3.6 Mile Loop • Lake Paran Swims • Long Trail old first church

Biking Mt Anthony • Blue Benn Diner • Apple Barn & Maze • Hawkins House Craftsmarket VAE Basement Music • Village Chocolate Shop Sonatina Piano Camps • Catamount Glass &

oldcastle theatre

Tap House • Bennington Bookshop • Battle Monument • Unique Inns/Bed & Breakfasts

For maps & more info, stop by Bennington Potters — 7 Days a week!

BerkshiresCalendar.com 63

daytrip a visit to Southern Vermont and eastern approaches to town. They tend to have helpful staff and discounts worth traveling for. The well-stocked Northshire Bookstore lies at the town’s commercial crossroads (now a roundabout — don’t let memories of “Malfunction Junction” keep you away). A hotel building boom has added many rooms to the town’s lodging inventory, though the Equinox Resort still reigns supreme. Robert Todd Lincoln’s 400-acre estate, Hildene, is open year-round, though not for overnights. The grand house and gardens (befitting the surviving son of President Lincoln, who became president of the Pullman Company) are perched above a valley and offer five-star views of the Green Mountains.

Don’t be afraid to branch out from route 7A. On September 22, the mountain village of Peru (go west on Route 30 to Route 11) holds its annual Peru Fair. It’s billed as an old-fashioned country fair, and it’s ideal family fun. Peru (pop.

375) is where the ‘80s comedy “Baby Boom” was filmed; the fixer-upper that Diane Keaton occupied still stands, and Country Baby applesauce had its debut at the J.J. Hapgood General Store and Eatery at the center of town. Visit Peru and you’ll see why Keaton’s character decided to stay.

Go east on Route 30 from Manchester and look for the H.N. Williams Store on your right. They have everything you’re likely to want in the way of country gear and clothing, as well as good things to eat. Get back on the road and you’ll soon arrive in picture-perfect Dorset, home of the Dorset Inn and Dorset Union Store. The fireside of the Inn is a restorative place to have a drink when it’s cold outside, and the Store is charming and fragrant with fresh-baked goods.

One of its former owners, Ellen Stimson (who was “from away”), wrote Mud Season about it, a painfully funny memoir of her turbulent time in charge in the 2000-aughts.

If you really want to get away from it all, go still further to the town of Rupert and visit the Merck Forest, a dreamy nature preserve that is open year round. On September 22nd at 6 pm you can join a guided hike under the full Corn Moon; the charge is only $5, but you should reserve ahead.

Snow may have fallen in the Shires when it’s scanty further south. Bromley is a great family-friendly mountain that faces southeast, and Stratton gets its share of powder on north-facing trails. Mt. Snow in Dover, reachable via (From top): Hildene, in Manchester; elegant outlet stores in Manchester; cross-country skiing at the Merck Forest in Rupert.

Route 9 east from Bennington and Route 100 north from Wilmington, is a third southern Vermont mountain with its own following. For cross-country enthusiasts, there’s Wild Wings Ski Touring Center in Peru and Prospect Mountain Nordic Ski Center in Woodford, 15 minutes east of Bennington on Route 9.

64

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com

413 637

1086

www.cohenwhiteassoc.com APPLEGATE, SHEFFIELD

Exclusively offered at $2,500,000 CONTEMPORARY, STOCKBRIDGE

100 + acres of very special land located on the border of Egremont and Sheffield on a back country road with its own lake!

SHUN TOLL FARM, EGREMONT

UNDERLEDGE, LENOX

Stockbridge contemporary with WESTERN VIEW, blazing sunsets and heated pool all minutes from Tanglewood.

Exclusively offered at $2,250,000 GREAT BARRINGTON

Rarely does a property come on the market in the Berkshires like this special residence on one of the most beautiful country lanes in the area. Architecturally renovated the casual, but elegant...

Exclusively offered at $2,240,000

Exclusively offered at $1,700,000

Fabulous Contemporary in the Berkshires. Stunning interior with lot’s of bedrooms and baths for everyone, including a guest wing.

Exclusively offered at $4,200,000

Unsurpassed 19th Century Queen Anne Style Berkshire Lenox ‘’Cottage’’ restored and reinvented for today’s most discriminating family wishing for an understatedly elegant, ‘cool’ and comfortable Twenty-First Century lifestyle.

BERKSHIRE REAL ESTATE...

MARY JANE WHITE | BRANDON WHITE | NANCY KALODNER ELLEN COHEN | CORTNEY DUPONT | STEVE ERENBURG THOM GARVEY | EDWARD ACKER | JENNIFER R. WILKINSON HENRY HAGENAH | LORI SIGNER | ROBERT DOERR 3 BerkshiresCalendar.com

4

BerkshiresCalendar.com

more news and features at theBerkshireEdge.com