Dewey Hall to kick off dahlia festival with dahlia growing workshop on May 23rd
Sheffield— On May 23rd, Dewey Hall offers a virtual dahlia growing workshop. Kicking off the spring growing season, Dewey Hall announced a new “Community Gala” for the early fall; a flower filled celebration of Dahlias and Dahlia growing. In keeping with the hall’s tradition of offering old school events with an updated twist, the event will include a judged dahlia competition with several prizes, a flower bar, flower crown making, face painting, colorful floral beverages, live music, and more.
The festival is slated for September 17th, but in order to give local growers a head start, the Hall is teaming up with Jenny Elliot of Tiny Hearts Farm to offer a virtual Dahlia Growing workshop on May 23rd (a biodynamic flower day). The workshop is just in time for the growing season and will cover the growing process including choosing and planting tubers, feeding, pinching, staking, harvest and vase life tricks, and fall digging and storage. Registration is required and proceeds from the workshop will benefit Dewey Hall.
“Celebration and community are at the heart of Dewey Hall, and I can’t think of a better flower to celebrate this region’s agriculture, community, and harvest bounty than the dahlia, an end of season treat that no gardener should be without”, stated Luke Franco, co-owner of Tiny Hearts Farm and band leader of Dewey Drop-In Jazz Jams.
For tickets to the May 23rd virtual workshop, visit Dewey Hall online.
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‘You Might Not Know About the Birds in Your Neighborhood’
Salisbury— On Saturday, May 20th at 11 a.m., Scoville Memorial Library presents “You Might Not Know About the Birds in Your Neighborhood”
Did you ever wonder why some owls have “ears” and some don’t? Have you ever heard of a duck that lives in a tree? Emma Jean Sisk, a seventh grader at Salisbury Central School and an avid birder, will share her enthusiasm and love for birds with attendees. She will answer these questions and many more, helping attendees build their nest of knowledge about these fascinating feathered creatures.
Attendees will learn how to open not only their eyes, but also their ears to discover more about the birds they see in their own yards or nearby forests, meadows, lakes or ponds. Weather permitting, the talk will include a short birding walk along the rail trail, some fun bird trivia, and a bird-inspired snack! Bring binoculars along if you have them!
The all ages event is on Saturday, May 20th at 11 a.m. at the Scoville Memorial Library on Main Street in Salisbury, CT. More information can be found by visiting Scoville Memorial Library online.
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Race Brook Lodge presents ‘The ReMemberers’ for an evening of mesmerizing song, music and story
Sheffield— On Friday, May 19th at 7 p.m., Race Brook Lodge presents “The ReMemberers” for an evening of mesmerizing song, music and story. This gathering of spoken word and sacred singing weave together a few of the best ancient customs of being human. The ReMemberers practice community-based ritual story telling and song. Annie Southard’s numinous vocalizations, Alex Harvey’s vibrating strings and John de Kadt’s percussion and wisdom tales collide into a single heart opening experience.
A multi-disciplinary encounter at its most spontaneous, this sharing offers ancient stories from a variety of indigenous and mystical origins that are accompanied by a variety of traditional and original music. The ReMemberers call their genre “prayer-formance” – a gathering of energy and attention that invites listeners to turn spirit-ward and explore the contours of their own inner mythologies. The ReMemberers aim to reconnect the dismembered parts of our individual, collective and ancestral subconscious – allowing us, for a short time – to dwell in a village of resonance with our oldest utterances.
The event is on Friday, May 19th at 7 p.m. in the Barnspace at Race Brook Lodge on South Undermountain Road in Sheffield. Tickets are $20 to 40. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting Race Brook Lodge online.
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The Mahaiwe and the Clark present ‘The Met: Live in HD- Don Giovanni’
Great Barrington/Williamstown— On Saturday, May 20th at 1pm, both the Mahaiwe and the Clark present “The Met: Live in HD- Don Giovanni”.
Tony Award-winning director Ivo van Hove makes a major Met debut with a new take on Mozart’s tragicomedy, re-setting the familiar tale of deceit and damnation in an abstract architectural landscape and shining a light into the dark corners of the story and its characters. Maestro Nathalie Stutzmann makes her Met debut conducting a star-studded cast led by baritone Peter Mattei as a magnetic Don Giovanni, alongside the Leporello of bass-baritone Adam Plachetka. Sopranos Federica Lombardi, Ana María Martínez, and Ying Fang make a superlative trio as Giovanni’s conquests—Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, and Zerlina—and tenor Ben Bliss is Don Ottavio.
Live in HD is the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning series of live high-definition cinema simulcasts. Simulcasts feature the full performance along with backstage interviews and commentary.
The Mahaiwe is located on Castle Street in Great Barrington. Tickets to “The Met: Live in HD- Don Giovanni” at the Mahaiwe are $25 for adults and $10 for for ages 21 and under. The Mahaiwe accepts “Connector Care/WIC/EBT Card to Culture” good for four press tickets to movies or HD broadcasts per individual. Tickets and more information can be found at The Mahaiwe online.
The Clark is located on South Street in Williamstown. Tickets to “The Met: Live in HD- Don Giovanni” at the Clark are $25, $22 for members, $18 for students with valid ID, and $7 for children 10 and under. Advance reservations are strongly suggested and no refunds are offered. Tickets and more information can be found at The Clark online.
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The Bookstore in Lenox will host author Ralph White for his new book
Lenox— On Saturday, May 20th at 3 p.m., the Bookstore in Lenox will host author Ralph White for his new book “Getting Out of Saigon: How a 27-Year-Old American Banker Saved 113 Vietnamese Civilians”, published this year by Simon & Schuster.
A Litchfield Ct. county native, White was an entry-level corporate banking officer in Chase Manhattan’s foreign branch office in Bangkok, Thailand in April of 1975, just as the Vietnam War was drawing to a close. Chase had drawn criticism 20 years earlier when they closed their branch in Seoul, Korea, fearing an invasion by the North Korean army. Other international banks stayed open, and when there was no invasion Chase was left with egg on its face. They resolved not to let that happen again.
They needed an American, preferably one who was young, and single, and in White’s own words, expendable. He volunteered. He arrived in Saigon on April 15 and recognizing the situation at hand, immediately met with senior diplomats at the U.S. Embassy, the CIA, and the military and began the seemingly fruitless task of not just protecting his employees, but saving their lives, and the lives of their families.
His book is an account of the frantic measures he took as the North Vietnamese Army drew closer to the city day by day. Finally he hit on a plan to ‘adopt’ his employees, thereby circumventing possible obstruction by the ambassador, and flew them all to safety, first to Guam, then on to New York City Chase headquarters. It is a harrowing tale told with a mesmerizing sense of awareness, all the more remarkable for the bravado of a 27 year old going up against an incredibly dysfunctional bureaucracy – and winning!
The free event is on Saturday, May 20th at 3 p.m. at the Bookstore on Housatonic Street in Lenox. A Q & A session will follow the reading. For more information please visit the Bookstore online, call 413-637-3390, or email matt@bookstoreinlenox.com.
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Chris Merenda & The Wheel live at the Guthrie Center
Great Barrington— On Saturday, May 27th at 8 p.m., the Guthrie Center presents Chris Merenda & The Wheel.
Chis Merenda is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and lead singer who has been performing and re-inventing his sound for the past two and a half decades. Whether it is Ska, Reggae, Punk, Rock or Folk, Americana, Blues and Bluegrass, Chris is a master of style. Chris utilizes all these genres in his arsenal of spine tingling, melodically infectious songs, not to mention his wild, wide-ranged, rough-and-ready voice that can be mistaken for no other. The only thing that might even outshine his unique vocals is his imposing stage presence.
Founded in 1991 by Arlo Guthrie to honor the legacy of his parents, Woody Guthrie and Marjorie Mazia-Guthrie, the Guthrie Center offers interfaith services and spiritual exchange. Bringing individuals together for cultural, educational, and spiritual exchange. We work together with other non-profit agencies to serve those in need. In doing so we hope to create an environment where individuals can come together to cultivate a deeper awareness of culture, humanity and the environment of which we are all a part. The Guthrie Center seeks to cultivate cultural preservation, promote educational achievement and foster community outreach to meet the ongoing needs of the community.
The concert is Saturday, May 27th at 8pm at the Guthrie Center on Van Deusenville Road in Great Barrington. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Members of the Guthrie Center receive a discount. Beer, wine and lite fare available for purchase. More information can be found by visiting the Guthrie Center online.
