The Berkshire Bach Society presents an organ recital by Renée Anne Louprette on the historic Johnson organ at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House
Housatonic— On Saturday, February 10th at 2 p.m., The Berkshire Bach Society presents an organ recital by Renée Anne Louprette on the historic Johnson organ at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House.
The Johnson organ dates from 1893 and is one of the important historical instruments in the region that Berkshire Bach highlights in its annual concerts. This organ has been called a “hidden gem” of the Berkshires for its sweet voice and musicality, and Louprette brings out its beauty in repertoire suited to the scale of the instrument. She is joined by distinguished musicologist and organist George Stauffer, PhD, who introduces the individual works on the program, and provides commentary.

Renée Anne Louprette has performed on many of the world’s great organs, including the one at the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris before the great fire. She is Assistant Professor of Music at Bard College, College Organist, and Artistic Director and Conductor of the Bard Baroque Ensemble. George Stauffer is a past dean of the Mason Gross School of the Arts and Distinguished Professor of Music History. He is known internationally as a scholar, performer, and writer on the music and culture of the Baroque era and a specialist on the life and works of J.S. Bach. His highly anticipated book on Bach’s “Brandenburg” concertos is due out in the fall of 2024.
The concert is on Saturday, February 10th at 2 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House on Main Street in Housatonic. Tickets are $45 and $40 for members, with a $10 Card To Culture price. Children under age 18 are admitted free. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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‘Bronco Bullfrog & Mod Dance Party’ at Race Brook Lodge
Sheffield— On Saturday, February 10th at 8 p.m., Race Brook Lodge presents a “Broco Bullfrog & Mod Dance Party.” Don your skinny ties and geometric miniskirts for an immersion into 1960s shindig culture!

The evening begins with a very special Berkshire county premiere screening of a reprint of the explosive 1969 blue collar British classic film, “Bronco Bullfrog,” a classic of British social realism that was shot in a run and gun style with non-actors improvising their dialogue. Called a work of “Mod poetry,” the film depicts kids in East London searching for identity in the post-war industrial wasteland of the British working class of the 60s. It focuses on the “Mod” subculture and its outgrowth, the Suedeheads. Influenced by Italian neorealism, the film offers a gritty “kitchen sink” portrait of love, violence and aimlessness in the same London that produced bands like The Small Faces, The Kinks and The Who.
The screening will be followed by a raucous “Mod” dance party courtesy of The Soundry’s Brian Kantor who’ll be leading the lodge’s house garage band. Music that ranges from the Knickerbockers to the Kinks will drive you to jiving and bopping and tapping your Mary Janes as if London herself were in flames.
The party is on Saturday, February 10th at 8 p.m. at the Race Brook Lodge on South Undermountain Road in Sheffield. Dinner and lodging are available on site. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Lenox Library Association’s second annual ‘Stay at Home and Read a Book Ball’
Lenox— On Saturday, February 10th at 7 p.m., the Lenox Library Association will host its second annual “Stay at Home and Read a Book Ball” to benefit the Lenox Library.

Guests are invited to stay at home on a winter evening, join a Zoom conversation with the event hosts, read a favorite book, enjoy a local meal, and donate to the library what they would have spent on a gala or night out.
Five Lenox establishments have each created something special to benefit the Book Ball including the Olde Heritage Tavern, Dare Bottleshop & Provisions, Nejaime’s Wine Cellars in Lenox, 110 Grill in Lenox, and Frankie’s Ristorante.
This year’s Book Ball will be hosted by six local personalities who will share their love of books, their current reads, and personal library stories including local celebrity Terry Hall, aka Terry a la Berry; Lenox Library Director Katie O’Neil; voracious reader and Lenox student Rosalie Cass; educator and former Lenox School Committee member Bob Vaughan; local children’s book author Dan Stern; and a Lenox family of bookworms, The Hursts.
“The Book Ball was so much fun last year, and I am excited to have another wonderful event (excuse) to stay home on a cold winter evening and read. There is no better way to celebrate and support the library than by losing ourselves in a great book,” said Lenox Library Association Trustee and Lenox Town Select Board Member, Marybeth Mitts.
The ball is on Saturday, February 10th at 7 p.m. at home. Donations can be made online, by scanning the QR code in the flyer, mailing a check to LLA Book Ball, 18 Main St., Lenox, MA 01240; or by calling 413-637-2630. More information can be found online.
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The Cornwall Library presents ‘The Conceivable Future: Planning Families and Taking Action in the Age of Climate Change,’ a book talk
Cornwall, Conn.— On Friday, February 9th at 6:30 p.m., The Cornwall Library presents ‘The Conceivable Future: Planning Families and Taking Action in the Age of Climate Change,’ a book talk.
Many ask themselves, “What harm will a hotter and meaner and less stable and less predictable world do to my child?”

The Cornwall Library is excited to present a stimulating evening on this subject with Meghan Elizabeth Kallman and Josephine Ferorelli, authors of “The Conceivable Future: Planning Families and Taking Action in the Age of Climate Change.” They will discuss the ways in which the climate crisis is a reproduction crisis, and what you can do about it. The book offers fresh answers and practical steps in connection with tough questions like, “How do I decide to have a baby in the face of environmental collapse?”, “How do I raise a child in the middle of the climate crisis?”, and “What can I actually do to help stop global warming?”
Kallman and Ferorelli explore what the real threats are to reproductive, gestational, and infant health (spoiler: the threats are inequality, heat, and fossil-fueled pollution). They challenge the population control remedy for climate change, which blames those with the least responsibility and the least power to address the problem. They conclude on a hopeful note, looking at what can be done about the climate crisis today.
Kallman is a professor in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development at UMass Boston, a state legislator, and climate organizer who has deep roots in Cornwall and is a frequent presence there. Ferorelli is a writer, illustrator, and yoga instructor. They have been friends, collaborators, and co-directors of Conceivable Future, the organization that inspired this book, for a decade.
The talk is on Friday, February 9th at 6:30 p.m. at The Cornwall Library on Pine Street in Cornwall, Conn or on Zoom. A Q&A and book signing will follow the discussion. Registration is required. Registration and more information can be found online.
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Community Contra Dance in Williamstown
Williamstown— On Saturday, February 10th from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., North Berkshire Community Dance will hold its monthly contra dance. Popular young caller Liz Nelson will teach every dance to live traditional fiddle music from the local band, Cider Mountain.
Liz Nelson will teach all the dances in an inclusive and welcoming style, using gender-neutral phrasing. Nelson believes that anyone and everyone can dance. Her goal is to help create evenings where music becomes movement and moving together becomes joy, just as natural as breathing.
The band Cider Mountain will be led by locally beloved Tony Pisano on the accordion. Tony, Butch DeGiorgis (whistles and mandolin,) Doone MacKay (fiddle,) and Seamus Connor (guitar and mandolin) will be joined by Bill Matthiesen on piano. Music will be the classic jigs, reels, and waltzes of New England and surrounding areas, played with joy and the camaraderie of decades.

The dance is on Saturday, February 10th from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the Community Hall of the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Williamstown. New dancers and families with children are encouraged to arrive by 7:30 for instruction in the basics. Admission is pay-as-you-can; $12 to $20 is suggested. Barter is also welcome. Masks are encouraged, but not required. More information can be found online.
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Berkshire Theatre Group to hold auditions for Disney’s Frozen, JR.
Pittsfield— Berkshire Theatre Group seeks young actors to audition for its upcoming non-Equity youth production of Disney’s Frozen, JR.
A story of true love and acceptance between sisters, Disney’s Frozen JR. expands upon the emotional relationship and journey between Princesses Anna and Elsa. When faced with danger, the two discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a cast of beloved characters and loaded with magic, adventure, and plenty of humor, Disney’s Frozen JR. is sure to thaw even the coldest heart!
Roles are open to young actors of all ethnicities and genders currently in grades three through 12. Auditions and callbacks will be held Tuesday, February 13th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The snow date is Thursday, February 15th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Students should come prepared to learn songs from Disney’s Frozen, JR. and may be asked to read from the script. Additionally, students may be asked to sing 16 bars of a song they already know, a cappella.
The audition is on Tuesday, February 13th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Colonial Theatre on South Street in Pittsfield. Appointments are necessary. To schedule an appointment for an audition or for further information, email frozenjr@berkshiretheatre.org.
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Stockbridge Grange community dinner
Stockbridge— On Sunday, February 18th, Stockbridge Grange is having a community dinner featuring roast pork, mashed potato, vegetable, and coleslaw with dessert choices of chocolate cream or lemon meringue pie.

The dinner is $15 per person, take-out only, with a noon to 1:30 p.m. pick-up window. Pick-up is at the Stockbridge Grange Hall on Church Street in Stockbridge. Orders may be made by calling 413-243-1298 or 413-443-4352. The reservation deadline is Thursday, February 15th.