August 5 First Fridays Artswalk
Pittsfield — The August 5 First Fridays Artswalk will encompass more than 15 art shows, four live performances, and over two dozen accomplished regional artists with opening receptions and artists present throughout from 5 – 8 p.m. A free guided walking tour will begin at 5 p.m. on at the BRTA Intermodal Center.
Watercolorist Marguerite Bride and performance photographer Lee Everett will present “Jazz Visions,” a show highlighting work by the two featuring jazz musicians and subjects from Friday, August 5, to Saturday, August 27, at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts. The Whitney Center for the Arts will present the art show “Living Color” featuring the work of Dr. Michael Fabrizio, Ivor Parry, and Scott Taylor through the month of August. A free live performance by Tap & Blues: Two White Girls and the Backbeat will begin at at 8 p.m. Berkshire Organization for Original Music will present performances by the Matchstick Architects at Downtown Pittsfield, Inc.; Sherry Steiner’s ukulele group the Tuesday Trio Plus Two at Crawford Square; and James O’Neill at the Crowne Plaza from 5 – 7:30 p.m.
New shows from local artists will also be displayed at Berkshire Paint and Sip, Steven Valenti’s Clothing for Men, Hotel on North, Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, the Marketplace Café, Berkshire Museum, Kinderhook Group Real Estate, Bagels Too, and NUarts Studios and Gallery.
For more information, call (413) 443-6501.
–E.E.
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BTG to present ‘Constellations’
Stockbridge — Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) will present the Tony Award-nominated drama “Constellations,” to feature Tony Award-nominated Kate Baldwin (Broadway: “Finian’s Rainbow;” BTG: “Bells Are Ringing,” “A Little Night Music”) and Broadway and television actor Graham Rowat (Broadway: “Mamma Mia,” “LoveMusik;” BTG: “Bells Are Ringing,” “A Little Night Music”), at the Unicorn Theatre from Wednesday, August 3, through Saturday, August 27.
Directed by Tony Award-nominated actor Gregg Edelman (Broadway: “City of Angels,” “1776,” “Into The Woods;” BTG: “Deathtrap,” “A Little Night Music”), the poignant two-character drama follows quirky quantum physicist Marianne, played by Kate Baldwin, and beekeeper Roland, played by Graham Rowat. Exploring the endless possibilities of their budding romance, the characters create their own universe to see how their relationship would play out if they had chosen fate over chance.
For more tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call the Colonial ticket office at (413) 997-4444.
–E.E.
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Housatonic River cleanup
Pittsfield – Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) and Berkshire Environmental Action Team will present a Housatonic River cleanup on Saturday, August 6, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. beginning at Fred Garner Park on Pomeroy Avenue. Volunteers can expect to be in the river as well as on the riverbanks. A few crews will use canoes to move about the river and transport trash (water level permitting). Old clothes, a hat, sunscreen, old sneakers or waterproof boots/waders, a water bottle and sunglasses are recommended. Trash bags, work gloves and lunch will be provided. Registration is not required, but is helpful for planning crews and lunch. For more information or to register, call HVA at (413) 394-9796 or email adixon@hvatoday.org or jane@thebeatnews.org.
–E.E.
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Lee Library to host art exhibit
Lee — The Lee Library Association will host an art exhibit at the Lee Library’s J. Peter Scolforo Gallery by artists from the studio of Gloria Malcolm Arnold’s during the month of August. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, August 4, from 6 – 8 p.m. Artist Gloria Malcolm Arnold has created award-winning paintings inspired by nature and teaches classes at her studio in Lee. For more information, call the Lee Library at (413) 243-0385.
–E.E.
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Paint and oil collection set for south Berkshire
Lenox — On Saturday, August 6, from 8:30 – 10:30 a.m., the South Berkshire Household Hazardous Waste Collaborative will hold a paint and oil collection in Lenox for the 15 participating towns of Alford, Becket, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham and West Stockbridge. The Center for EcoTechnology will coordinate the collections.
Acceptable materials are oil-based paint, stains, paint thinners, spray paint and turpentine, as well as waste motor oil. No other type of oil or fuel will be accepted. Latex paint will not be accepted at this event. Empty cans can be recycled with scrap metal. Empty cans of oil-based paint, stains and solvents as well as dried-up cans of latex paint can be disposed with the regular trash.
Those interested in participating in the event must register online or by contacting Coryanne Mansell at Coryanne.Mansell@cetonline.org or (800)-369-3333 x238. Residents from communities that are not participating should call their city or town halls for information about hazardous household product collections.
–E.E.
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Appalachian Trail (AT) Community Day a success
Monterey – Every year on the third Saturday in July, Great Barrington hosts an Appalachian Trail Community Day at Benedict Pond in Beartown State Forest in order to celebrate the many volunteers, hikers, and community members who enjoy and support the AT.
A joint effort among the Great Barrington Land Conservancy, Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Greenagers and Berkshire Magazine, this year’s celebration took place on July 23. About 100 community members were in attendance along with around 20 through-hikers who happened to be in the right place at the right time. A 7-mile AT hike from Fernside Road in Tyringham was popular, as was a meditative “forest bathing” hike that led participants about the Pond Loop Trail at Beartown. A potluck picnic was held in the afternoon, with music by the Berkshire Ukulele Band and salads and Cliff Bars for the hikers from the Berkshire Co-op Market donated some green salads for the potluck and Cliff Bars for hikers.
Great Barrington was one of the first communities to receive the designation of Appalachian Trail Community, a recognition of the town’s dedication to promote and protect the AT.
–E.E.
