Secret Planet presents a music mediation hike with Garth Stevenson at Race Brook Lodge
Sheffield— On Saturday, March 8th at 1 p.m., Secret Planet presents a music mediation hike with Garth Stevenson at Race Brook Lodge.
Garth Stevenson invites us back into the woods again for an ‘almost spring’ ceremony of sorts, a musical re-wilding, re-earthing, and re-connecting with nature, stillness, and spirit. After a brief hike up the trail from the barn, Stevenson will perform a mostly improvised set of music. Nature is the primary inspiration for Stevenson’s minimalist oeuvre, and his three full-length solo albums are informed by his experiences carrying his 150-year-old double bass to the woods, beach, desert, and other remote locations including Antarctica and Tuva.
The hike is on Saturday, March 8th at 1 p.m. at Race Brook Lodge, located at 864 South Undermountain Road in Sheffield. Bundle up and bring a yoga mat or sleeping bag to sit on. If the weather is not conducive to an outdoor experience, the performance will be in the Barn. This event is part of Race Brook’s Lodge’s annual Almost Spring Weekender festival of music. Weekend and daily passes and a full line-up of musical acts can be found online.
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Berkshire Botanical Garden’s annual bulb show is now open
Stockbridge— Through March 23rd, Berkshire Botanical Garden presents its annual bulb, a celebration of beauty, renewal and the magic of nature’s rhythms.
Experience a spectacular preview of spring — a warm, enchanting escape in the depths of winter. This sensory delight features hundreds of flowering bulbs, including classic favorites like tulips, daffodils and grape hyacinths, as well as lesser-known varieties.
The journey to this vibrant display begins with planning in late summer and planting in the fall beginning with tulips, then daffodils, and finally smaller bulbs. The bulbs are tucked away in cool rooms in the basement, where temperatures hover around 42°F, mimicking the natural rhythms of winter for 10 to 15 weeks, with staggered planting dates to guarantee continuous blooms throughout the show. When the time is right, the bulbs are moved to the greenhouse to “wake up.” Over the next few weeks, they green, stretch, and bloom. Before the big reveal, each pot is dressed with moss, pine needles, or nut shells, and the display team adds creative touches like succulents, branches, and stumps for visual variety and contrast. When the show opens, the Garden’s Fitzpatrick Conservatory transforms into a colorful, fragrant oasis.
The show runs through March 23rd at Berkshire Botanical Garden, located at 5 West Stockbridge Road in Stockbridge. It is open daily between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Admission is free and it is open to the public. More information can be found online.
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WAM Theatre presents a screening of ‘The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause’ at Wander
Pittsfield— On Sunday, March 2nd from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., WAM Theatre, in collaboration with Wander and the Center for Listening and Presence, presents a screening of “The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause” at Wander.
With 55 million women in the United States experiencing menopause, this film explores its hidden impact, provides evidence-based insights, and empowers women to make informed health decisions—all while working to remove the stigma surrounding menopause and aging. There will be a talkback facilitated by Berkshire-based certified Menopause Coach, Edi Pasalis. Enjoy drinks and small bites in Wander’s welcoming space, while sharing, listening, and uplifting the authentic experiences of women.
The screening will be on Sunday, March 2nd from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Wander, located at 34 Depot Street in Pittsfield. More information can be found online.
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Berkshire Lyric presents its annual ‘Kick the Winter Blues’ concert
Lenox— On Saturday and Sunday, March 15th and 16th at 3 p.m., Berkshire Lyric presents its annual ‘Kick the Winter Blues’ concert at the Lenox Town Hall Auditorium.
The 80-voice Berkshire Lyric Chorus, the Lyric Children’s Chorus, and Melodious Accord will perform, led by Berkshire Lyric’s Jack Brown and accompanist Joe Rose. This year’s program is “Genius on Broadway: The Music of Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim and Stephen Schwartz,” and will feature music from “The Sound of Music,” “Godspell,” “Wicked,” “South Pacific,” and more.
The concerts are on Saturday and Sunday, March 15th and 16th at 3 p.m. at the Lenox Town Hall Auditorium, located at 6 Walker Street in Lenox. Children are admitted free of charge. Tickets and more information can be found online. The annual winter concerts support the year round educational efforts of Berkshire Lyric, including three tuition-free choruses for young people.
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Four Freedoms Coalition presents ‘No Kings in America! Rally for Democracy’
Pittsfield— On Sunday, March 9th at 2:30 p.m., U.S. Senator Ed Markey will headline the “No Kings in America! Rally for Democracy” at The Colonial Theatre.
The event is sponsored by a Four Freedoms Coalition led by Berkshire Democratic Brigades and the Rural Freedom Network in conjunction with Greylock Together, Left Field, Berkshire Indivisible, Progressive Democrats of America, and the NAACP.
Shirley Edgerton, a member of the Executive Committee of the Berkshire County Branch of the NAACP, noted that in 1967 civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. asked, “Where do we go from here?” “Today, I repeat Dr. King’s question,” said Edgerton, “Where DO we go from here, as the leader in the White House attempts to return us to legalized inequities and injustices?” The answer, she emphasized, lies with the words of Maya Angelou: “We unite, organize, educate, and demand those representing the people unleash their voices, stand for right, and use all means necessary to save our democracy.”
“Our country was founded to get rid of a king,” said Sherwood Guernsey, co-founder of Berkshire Democratic Brigades and President of the Rural Freedom Network. “Millions of Americans have died to protect our democracy. Now, it is our turn to stand up against the man-who-would-be-king. We will not back down.”
The rally is on Sunday, March 9th at 2:30 p.m. at The Colonial Theatre, located at 11 South Street in Pittsfield. It is open to the public and free of charge. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Jewish Federation presents Carol Goodman Kaufman to speak about her first novel ‘The First Murder,’ which is set in the Berkshires
Pittsfield— On Thursday, March 6th at 7 p.m., Jewish Federation, part of Jewish Literary Voices: A Federation Series in collaboration with The Jewish Book Council, presents Carol Goodman Kaufman to speak about her first novel ‘The First Murder,’ which is set in the Berkshires.
When Mary Jane Bennett is found dead in her bed, the medical examiner rules her death accidental, the result of a sex game gone horribly awry. State police decline to investigate further, but Police Chief Caleb Crane undertakes his own investigation. Facing town councilors afraid of bad publicity, an angry medical examiner, and his own personal demons, Crane labors to solve what he believes is the first-ever murder in his pastoral Berkshire Hills village. Complicating things, the list of suspects includes some of the people to whom he is closest, including his own wife. Running throughout the book is the story of Purim and its messages. Who is the killer hiding behind a mask?
Before evolving into a writer, Carol Goodman Kaufman worked as an industrial and organizational psychologist and criminologist. Her published works span multiple genres, including academic research, food history, travel, human interest, children’s literature, and mystery short stories. The First Murder is her first novel.
The virtual talk is on Thursday, March 6th at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Registration and more information can be found online.
