Spencertown Academy announces Young Writers’ Contest
SPENCERTOWN, N.Y. — Spencertown Academy Arts Center announces its 7th annual Young Writers’ Contest. Held in conjunction with the Academy’s Festival of Books, the contest is open to students in grades 9–12 (including homeschoolers) in Columbia County, New York, and Berkshire County, Massachusetts. This also includes high school students residing in these counties during the 2021–22 school year who studied online elsewhere.
Works will be judged in an anonymous process by published authors and publishing professionals, volunteering their services for this contest. The top three fiction and nonfiction winners will receive cash prizes: $250, $150, and $100 respectively.
The deadline for submissions is Sunday, May 1, 2022. Full details, as well as samples of prior winning entries, can be viewed online.
Prizes will be awarded before the end of the 2022 school year. All winners will be invited to read from their work on a Zoom presentation event for friends and family. Additionally, first-prize winners may be invited to read live at the Festival of Books in the autumn, depending on state recommendations for public gatherings.
—A.K.
* * *
Bidwell House Museum to offer snowshoe hike
MONTEREY — Rob Hoogs will lead a snowshoe hike through the Bidwell House Museum property on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. View animal tracks in the snow, see how the trees are faring in the cold, and marvel at the beauty of the snow-covered Berkshire woods.
The hike will be approximately 1-2 miles and will last 1-2 hours, depending on conditions. Hikers should bring their own snowshoes, poles, water, and a snack, and dress in layers. The program is limited to 15 people and pre-registration is required. Please note that parking is limited onsite when there is snow on the ground, so car-pooling is encouraged.
If there is no snow on February 12, the program will become a guided winter hike along the Bidwell trails. The museum grounds — 196 acres of woods, fields, historic stonewalls, trails, and picnic sites — are open all year, free of charge.
—A.K.
* * *
Tyringham Cultural Council announces 2022 awards
TYRINGHAM — The Tyringham Cultural Council announces the awarding of more than $6,000, distributed in varying amounts, in support of the following programs and non-profit organizations: Music in Common, Hilltown Families, Hop Brook Community Club, Dewey Memorial Hall, Tap Root, Tyringham for Racial Justice, Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park, SculptureNow, Great Barrington Public Theater, Tyringham Public Library, Bidwell House, Berkshire South Regional Community Center, Flying Cloud Institute, Massachusetts Walking Tour, Alex Leff (“Cycle of Memory”), and Mark Caldwell: Musician.
This past year, the Tyringham Cultural Council received 23 worthwhile applications with requests for more than $13,000 in funding. Applications for the calendar year 2023 will be available September 1, 2022.
—A.K.
* * *
HRBT awards Mac-Haydn $7,500 for tech workshop upgrade
CHATHAM, N.Y. — The Mac-Haydn Theatre has been granted $7,500 from the Hudson River Bank & Trust Foundation. The award will go toward the renovation of the scenic shop area.
The renovation will include a new technical workshop, providing a sheltered, safe, spacious, and professional work environment for the theatre’s designers and technical team. The existing space consists of limited covered workspace, forcing most of the work outdoors and exposing the technical team and set pieces to the elements.
“The Mac-Haydn Theatre has had tremendous growth over the past several years in all areas, especially in the scope and quality of our productions,” said the Theatre’s longtime lighting and set designer Andrew Gmoser. “This new technical workshop will allow us to keep pace with this growth, and take it even further, while creating a more professional environment for the staff and patrons.”
The Hudson River Bank & Trust Foundation provides funding to support charitable causes and community development in Columbia County.
The full cost of the scenic shop upgrade is estimated at $80,000 and is expected to be completed by May 2022, in time for the 2022 summer season. The Mac-Haydn is continuing to seek additional support for the project. For further information, email support@machaydntheatre.org.
—A.K.
