Western MA Beer Fest celebrates tenth anniversary
Dalton — Over the weekend of August 21-23, Kelly’s Package Store will present the Western MA Beer Fest at American Legion Park on Route 9.
On Friday August 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Farm-to-Table Food & Wine Extravaganza will feature more than 40 wines for tasting and samplings from dozens of regional producers and. Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 day of. Proceeds benefit Berkshire County Kids’ Place & Violence Prevention Center.
The 10th Annual Western MA Beer Fest on Saturday, August 22, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. will feature more than 150 drafts from more than 50 breweries served up in 2- to 3-oz. samples by industry professionals and brewers, ample rinse stations, regional food vendors. Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 day of. Proceeds benefit the Dalton Community Recreation Association.
The Sunday Arts Afternoon from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on August 23 will include a regional artisan market, specialty cocktail bar, food vendors, and Outdoor Paint & Sips lead by Debora Ellsworth and a Kelly’s wine expert. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 day of for admission only, or $30 for admission with an Outdoor Paint & Sip experience. Tickets for children ages 6-16 are $3. Children 5 and under are free. Proceeds benefit the Berkshire Community Action Council.
Tickets for each event and weekend passes are available online and at Kelly’s Package Store.
–E.E.
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Berkshire Playwrights Lab extends Free Staged Reading Series
Great Barrington — Berkshire Playrights Lab is pleased to announce an additional play in its 2015 Free Staged Reading season: “Flight of the Monarch” by co-artistic director Jim Frangione. The performance will take place on Friday, August 21, at 7:30 p.m., in the McConnell Theater at Bard College at Simon’s Rock’s Daniel Arts Center.
“Flight of the Monarch” is the story of middle-aged siblings Sheila and Thomas who were born, raised, and still living on Cape Cod. The story is an exploration of what we owe to the people who know and love us best. This new play is directed by Jeff Zinn, the artistic director of the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. Karen McDonald stars as Sheila.
The reading is free but reservations are recommended; register online for tickets or call (413) 528-2544.
–E.E.
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Jacob’s Pillow to host Free Fun Friday event
Becket — On Friday, August 21, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival will host free activities for the public in participation with the seventh annual Free Fun Friday program, sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation, from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
All-ages dance classes will take place on the expansive Great Lawn outside of the Ted Shawn Theatre. Brandon Albright of Illstyle & Peace Productions will teach an all-levels hip-hop class from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., swing dance artists Jaime Shannon and Tony Fraser of the Hell’s Kitchen Kilowatts will teach an open swing dance class for the public.
The day continues with a free PillowTalk film event, “Dancing is Living: Benjamin Millepied,” at 5 p.m. Visitors are also welcome to view this summer’s exhibits on display: “Blake’s Barn’s Best,” which includes highlights from landmark exhibits; former New York City Ballet dancer-turned-photographer Kyle Froman’s “Bodies/Buildings,” located in the lobby of the Ted Shawn Theatre; and Ivan Chermayeff Designs, featuring new and vintage designs in the lobby of the Doris Duke Theatre. A free outdoor performance by the Hell’s Kitchen Kilowatts at 6:15 p.m. at the Henry J. Leir Stage and Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space concludes Free Fun Friday at the Pillow.
–E.E.
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Massachusetts premiere of Ensemble for the Romantic Century’s “Van Gogh’s Ear”
Great Barrington — New York City’s Ensemble for the Romantic Century returns to the Berkshires for the third consecutive summer with the regional premiere of the theatrical concert “Van Gogh’s Ear.” In partnership with the American Institute for Economic Research and the Clark Art Institute, the 10-day, 12-performance series of “Van Gogh’s Ear” complements the Clark’s “Van Gogh and Nature” exhibit and features a special pre-performance discussion August 25 led by the Clark’s curator-at-large, Richard Kendall.
Written by former Stockbridge resident and Tanglewood Fellow Eve Wolf and directed by Donald T. Sanders (director of Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts), “Van Gogh’s Ear” is a fully staged production based on Vincent van Gogh’s letters to his brother, Theo, and interweaves an original script that dramatizes Van Gogh with live performances of vocal and instrumental works by French composers.
Performances run Thursday, August 20 – Sunday, August 30 and will be held in the American Institute for Economic Research’s Stone House Ballroom. Tickets are $85 (concert only) and $99 (includes admission to the “Van Gogh and Nature” exhibit at the Clark). Tickets can be purchased online and by calling the Clark at (413) 458-0524. Call (413) 645-3260 on the day of the show after 4 p.m. and on weekends.
–E.E.
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Canoe trip on the Housatonic River
Lenox — Mass Audubon and the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary present a canoe trip on the Housatonic River on Saturday, August 22, from 8:30 a.m. until noon. Watch for frogs, fish, herons, muskrats, and signs of beavers along the meandering and scenic Housatonic River and learn about the natural history of the waterway that is the heart of the Berkshires.
Registration is required and directions to meeting place will be provided upon registration. Children must be at least 10 years of age, accompanied by an adult, and know how to swim. Bring food, drink, insect repellent, and sunscreen.
Cost is $25 for members and $35 for nonmembers. For more information contact the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary at (413) 637-0320 or email berkshires@massaudubon.org
–E.E.
