Thursday, November 13, 2025

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

BITS & BYTES: Cricket Creek Farm Fall Picnic; ‘Eva’s Promise’ at Yiddish Book Center; 2nd Street at Wander; Guy Mendilow and Regie Gibson at Adams Theater; Tarot workshops at Ventfort Hall; Lorraine German at Arrowhead; Flying Cloud STEAM Challenge

The public is invited to Cricket Creek Farm to enjoy delicious food, gorgeous views, animal visits, paintings of New England by Linda Fardella, and family-friendly activities on the lawn and inside their historic event barn.

The Barn at Cricket Creek Farm presents its annual Fall Picnic

Williamstown— On Sunday, October 19th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Barn at Cricket Creek Farm presents its annual Fall Picnic. 

The public is invited to Cricket Creek Farm to enjoy delicious food, gorgeous views, animal visits, paintings of New England by Linda Fardella, and family-friendly activities on the lawn and inside their historic event barn.

The event is on Sunday, October 19th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Cricket Creek Farm, located at 1255 Oblong Road in Williamstown. Tickets and more information can be found online. 

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Yiddish Book Center presents a screening of ‘Eva’s Promise’

Amherst— On Sunday, October 19th at 2 p.m., the Yiddish Book Center presents a screening of “Eva’s Promise.”

Courtesy Yiddish Book Center.

On a train to Auschwitz, 17-year-old Heinz Geiringer told his sister Eva that he hid the paintings and poetry he had created beneath the floorboards of their attic hiding place. Heinz made Eva promise that if he should die in the camps, she would retrieve the artwork. Today, his story lives in the shadow of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” and in a twist of fate, Eva became Anne’s posthumous stepsister when after the war her mother married Anne’s father. While the world knows Anne’s story, this film introduces Heinz, his artistry, and his sister’s efforts to find and share his remarkable legacy.

The screening is on Sunday, October 19th at 2 p.m. at the Yiddish Book Center, located at 1021 West Street in Amherst. Tickets and more information can be found online.

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Second Street Second Chances to host Berkshire United Way’s ‘United in Conversation,’ a conversation about criminal justice

Pittsfield— On Wednesday, October 22nd from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Second Street Second Chances (“2nd Street”) will host Berkshire United Way’s “United in Conversation” at Wander. The topic is criminal justice. 

“United in Conversation” is a series of real stories shared by real people who are passionate about making a difference and who want to build bridges of understanding. Gain deeper understanding and foster empathy in a brave and safe space. Your voice matters — and united, we can create real impact.

Courtesy 2nd Street.

The conversation is on Wednesday, October 22nd from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Wander, located at 34 Depot Street in Pittsfield. Admission is free. Registration and more information can be found online.

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Adams Theater presents Ponder to Page, a storytelling workshop by Arts for Social Cohesion Artistic Directors Guy Mendilow and Regie Gibson, the newly appointed inaugural Poet Laureate of Massachusetts

Adams— On Tuesday, October 21st at 6 p.m., by Arts for Social Cohesion Artistic Directors Guy Mendilow and Regie Gibson, the newly appointed inaugural Poet Laureate of Massachusetts. 

“Ponder to Page” is a playful workshop that transforms everyday experiences into powerful stories. Designed especially for “non-writers,” it builds storytelling skills while fostering empathy, connection, and community. Participants leave with skills they can use in personal, community, and professional settings, and with stories that both celebrate individuality and highlight what we share.

Regie Gibson. Courtesy Adams Theater.

Gibson and Mendilow are co-founders and artistic directors of Arts for Social Cohesion, an organization dedicated to using the arts to spark dialogue, highlight shared identities, and strengthen relationships across differences.

The workshop is on Tuesday, October 21st at 6 p.m. at the Adams Theater, located at 27 Park Street in Adams. Registration and more information can be found online.

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Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion & Museum presents ‘An Introduction to the Sensitive Art of Reading Tarot,’ a series of introductory Tarot reading workshops with Chelsea Gaia

Lenox— On Sundays, October 19th and November 16th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion & Museum presents “An Introduction to the Sensitive Art of Reading Tarot,” a series of introductory Tarot reading workshops with Chelsea Gaia

Courtesy Ventfort Hall.

Have you ever been curious about the divine and mysterious art of reading Tarot cards? With roots dating back to the early 15th century, Tarot evolved and debuted in mainstream American and European culture in the New Age and Spiritualism movement of the Victorian Era and the early 20th century.

Participants will learn a brief history, the Ryder-Waite-Smith system, structural basics, and the beginning etiquette of reading Tarot. This is a mostly lecture-style workshop with tea and light snacks as well as independent and collaborative practice time with the instructor present.

The workshops are on Sundays, October 19th and November 16th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ventfort Hall, located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox. Registration and more information can be found online.

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Berkshire County Historical Society presents ‘Grandmother’s Wedding Dress,’ a talk by historian Lorraine German history of textiles, at Arrowhead

Pittsfield— On Wednesday, October 22nd at 5:30 p.m., Berkshire County Historical Society presents “Grandmother’s Wedding Dress,” a talk by historian Lorraine German history of textiles, at Arrowhead. 

Courtesy Berkshire County Historical Society.

A small late-nineteenth century scrapbook filled with fabric swatches reveals a story of fabrics and fashion in nineteenth-century Vermont, as told by three generations of an ordinary family. In the stalk, German uses the swatches and clothing information found in the scrapbook to tell the history of textiles in New England and the fashions of the period.

Lorraine German and her late husband Steve established Mad River Antiques, LLC in 2001, with a concentration on 18th, 19th, and 20th century Americana and decorative arts. She has been a guest speaker at antiques shows, museums, and antiques organizations, where she has covered a variety of topics, including stoneware, redware, quilts, Christmas ornaments, and Santa Claus.

The talk is on Wednesday, October 22nd at 5:30 p.m. at Arrowhead, located at 780 Holmes Road in Pittsfield. Registration and more information can be found online. 

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Flying Cloud Institute presents the sixth annual STEAM Challenge Night at Berkshire Innovation Center

Pittsfield— On Thursday, October 23rd from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Flying Cloud Institute presents the sixth annual STEAM Challenge Night at the Berkshire Innovation Center. 

Courtesy Flying Cloud.

The free, hands-on science and art community event is open to students in Kindergarten through eight grade and their families, who will spend the evening problem-solving together in ways that involve exploring, tinkering, and creating. 

In addition to creative science and art projects with Flying Cloud educators, several local experts and organizations will participate. Berkshire Museum will explore how a physics zipline works, BeatNest School will demonstrate electro music stations, and Berkshire Design presents a design challenge. Participants will explore 3-D scanning and printing with Berkshire Innovation Center representatives, and Bottomless Bricks will help students design and build using LEGO elements. Staff from Berkshire Art Center, Greenagers, Hancock Shaker Village, Mass Audubon, and Latinas413 will also be leading kid-centered challenge activities.

The free event is on Thursday, October 23rd from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Berkshire Innovation Center, located at 45 Woodlawn Avenue in Pittsfield. Complimentary refreshments will be served. Registration and more information can be found online.

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