Becket — The first-ever Becket Day will be held on Saturday, November 4, at several locations throughout town.
Sheryl Victor Levy, co-owner of the Dream Away Lodge and a Becket resident for 20 years, is a co-organizer for the event. “To me, Becket has a real thriving arts and culture community,” Levy said. “I think that it’s a little bit of a hidden gem. We take a lot of pride in our little town. We’re a tight-knit community, and we thought it would be nice to come together to support arts and culture during the fall season.”
The day starts with a breakfast special at the Neon Newt restaurant at 30 Washington St. “I’m relatively new to Becket, having moved from Martha’s Vineyard, but I love this beautiful town,” Neon Newt chef and owner Olivia Pattison said. “Everyone is just so welcoming and warm.” Pattison said that she will be creating a special breakfast sandwich for Becket Day “which will totally be killer.”
Lunch will be served at The Route 8 Pub at 3235 Main St.
Starting at 2 p.m., at the Becket Arts Center, located at 7 Brooker Hill Rd., will host a staged reading of “The Thanksgiving Play.” According to a press release issued by Levy, “the one-act satirical comedy revolves around four white individuals attempting to create a politically correct First Thanksgiving play for Native American Heritage Month in schools.”
“It’s about a couple of white people trying to put on a very politically correct play that honors Native Americans, but in their horrible attempt, they do just the opposite,” actor Ken Cheeseman, who is on the board of trustees for the Becket Arts Center, said. “We’re bringing in a Native American writer and speaker to do a post-show discussion on, you know, all these issues of how these topics come up in the arts.”
Cheeseman said that his family has owned a property in town for 23 years. “What draws so many of us to the Berkshires is the natural environment, but there are also all of these artists all around,” Cheeseman said. “Becket is a town that only has about 1,800 full-time residents. But a good number of them are either terrific musicians, writers, or skilled visual artists. We have a whole bunch of theater people here as well. There is an overlap between all of us and a deep appreciation for the arts as well.”
The night will end with live performances at the Dream Away Lodge, located at 1342 County Rd., including performances at 6 p.m. by musicians Dave Bacon with Simon Guthrie, and 8 p.m. by the band Purple Dawn.
“I think the different types of arts and artisans here in Becket runs the gamut,” Levy said. “There is a real depth of creativity in this town.”
For more information about Becket Day, visit the Dream Away Lodge’s website.
