Race Brook Lodge presents ‘Fanna-Fi-Allah Sufi Qawwali Party’ continuing the Lodge’s Eid-al-Adha Festival
Sheffield— On Sunday, July 2nd from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., Race Brook Lodge presents “Fanna-Fi-Allah Sufi Qawwali Party” continuing the Lodge’s Eid-al-Adha Festival.
Experience the fervor and passion of Sufi Qawwali music, an ancient devotional art form that invokes deep remembrance of the Beloved through powerful song and dynamic rhythm. Qawwali is a passionate devotional practice in which the fire of divine love is ecstatically expressed through the mystical verses of Sufi poets sung in Urdu, Farsi, Hindi, and Punjabi.
Fanna-fi-Allah’s founding members have spent over 22 years learning this classical art from some of the greatest masters of qawwali in India and Pakistan. With the blessings of the masters, the ensemble carries the flame of traditional Sufi Qawwali around the world.
The party is Sunday, July 2nd from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Race Brook Lodge on South Undermountain Road in Sheffield. Tickets are $40 general admission, $35 in advance, and $45 on the day of the event. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting Race Brook Lodge online.
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Race Brook Lodge presents ‘Ecstatic Dance with Omar Aena’ continuing the Lodge’s Eid-al-Adha Festival
Sheffield— On Sunday, July 2nd from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Race Brook Lodge presents “Ecstatic Dance with Omar Aena” continuing the Lodge’s Eid-al-Adha Festival.
In honor of the Muslim holiday Eid-al-Adha, DJ Omar Aena will take you on a dance journey through Turkish and Middle-Eastern inspired musical tracks. This workshop is open for everybody in all levels of experience. Come with an open heart, wear comfortable clothing for movement and bring socks.This will be a safe and inclusive space, welcoming people from all walks of life to freely express themselves through movement. No prior dance experience is required, just come as you are!
The workshop is on Sunday, July 2nd from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Race Brook Lodge on South Undermountain Road in Sheffield. Doors open at 2:30. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting Race Brook Lodge online.
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Race Broke Lodge presents ‘Sufi Whirling Space with Dervish Aziz’ continuing the Lodge’s Eid-al-Adha Festival
Sheffield— On Monday, July 3rd from 10 a.m. to noon, Race Broke Lodge presents “Sufi Whirling Space with Dervish Aziz” continuing the Lodge’s Eid-al-Adha Festival.
In this whirling dance workshop, Aziz will lead movement exercises demonstrate the practice of Sufi whirling. This is a physical practice that uses body movements and chanting to open a heart, and experience the Unity of Love in the human body. There will be breath-work, chanting, and Sufi spiritual discussion. This workshop is open for everybody in all levels of experience. Come with an open heart, wear comfortable clothing for movement, and bring socks.
The workshop is on Monday, July 3rd from 10 a.m. to noon at the Race Broke Lodge on South Undermountain Road in Sheffield. Tickets are $30-$60 on a sliding scale. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting Race Brook Lodge online.
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Race Broke Lodge hosts ‘Eid-al-Adha Banquet’ at Mumbet’s Freedom Farm at Race Brook Lodge
Sheffield— On Monday, July 3rd from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Race Broke Lodge hosts “Eid-al-Adha Banquet at Mumbet’s Freedom Farm”.
The banquet features a Middle-Eastern feast by Chef Rami el Aasser served outdoors at Mumbet’s Freedom Farm.
Chef Rami el Aasser, in collaboration with the Race Brook Lodge culinary team, presents a special Middle-Eastern feast to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid-Al-Adha. The banquet will be served outdoors at Mumbet’s Freedom Farm at Race Brook Lodge.
Chef Rami’s menu includes goat cheese and fig in a zucchini ribbon purse with arugula-walnut pesto; tomato with feta and dill; arugula salad with fig-balsamic dressing; a farmer salad with cucumber, tomato, herbs, and lemon dressing; arnabit, roasted cauliflower with crisp herbs and garlic tahini sauce; Egyptian lamb fattah, a festive dish of spit-roast lamb over seasoned rice and crisp pita; imam bayaldi, a vegan dish of half an eggplant roasted and stuffed with chickpeas with a garlic tahini sauce, pomegranate, and pine nuts; orange blossom ruffled milk pie, phyllo baked in custard with orange blossom water and candied orange peel; and a vegan Chocolate Coconut Pudding sweetened with maple and topped with toasted coconut.
The banquet is on Monday, July 3rd from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Mumbet’s Freedom Farm at the Race Brook Lodge on South Undermountain Road in Sheffield. Tickets are $101 and include the 4-course dinner and non-alcoholic beverages. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting Race Brook Lodge online.
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The Pittsfield Parade Committee presents the Greater Kensington String Band and the WhoaPhat Brass Band in concert to benefit the Pittsfield 4th of July Parade
Pittsfield— On Monday, July 3rd at 6:30 p.m., the Pittsfield Parade Committee presents the Greater Kensington String Band and the WhoaPhat Brass Band in concert to support the Pittsfield 4th of July Parade.
Since 1946, the Greater Kensington String Band has been a totally volunteer organization that participates in the world famous Mummers Parade on New Year’s Day in Philadelphia. At this July 3rd concert, they will be playing highlights from their foot-tapping music and will showcase their good-humored fun. At the Pittsfield 4th of July Parade, they will march in their famously colorful costume attire.
WhoaPhat Brass Band specializes in a unique instrumentation which can range from seven to twenty musicians, quality of musicianship, and dynamic music arrangements. Their brass band repertoire spans across decades of musical genres including second line, jazz, funk, disco, and rock. WhoaPhat Brass Band has won top honors for musical performances in the Philadelphia Mummers and Saint Patrick’s Day Parades.
The concert will be on Monday, July 3rd at 6:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church on Fenn Street in Pittsfield. Doors open at 6 p.m. The show is 2.5 hours long with an intermission. Admission is a $20 donation to the Pittsfield Parade, collected at the door.
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The Pittsfield Parade Committee to host a car show to benefit the Pittsfield 4th of July Parade
Pittsfield— On Sunday, July 2nd from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Pittsfield Parade Committee will host a car show to benefit the Pittsfield 4th of July Parade.
Keeping within this year’s Parade theme “Stars, Stripes, and Smiles in the Berkshires”, organizers say 45 classic cars and trucks will be on display. They say it’s an open invitation show which is open to a wide variety of vehicles from hot rods to pick up trucks. The event includes a 50-50 raffle, music. and food.
The show is Sunday, July 2nd from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the McKay Street parking lot in Pittsfield. Donations are requested to benefit the parade.
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West Stockbridge Historical Society presents an author talk and slide show on the race to save our vanishing bird population
West Stockbridge— On Thursday, July 6th at 7 p.m., the West Stockbridge Historical Society presents Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal, two veteran journalists, for an author talk and slide show on the race to save our vanishing bird population.
Over the last fifty years one third of the birds of North America alone have disappeared. During the pandemic, Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal packed up their Airstream and set out on a 25,000-mile odyssey to investigate why birds across the globe are vanishing from our skies in staggering numbers. Using journalistic skills honed over long careers, the Gyllenhaals interviewed the scientists, foresters, researchers, and farmers who are employing age-old practices and exciting new technologies to reverse this terrifying trend.
Their new book, “A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save Our Vanishing Birds” provides a sweeping view of bird conservation from the front lines of the struggle. “Good Morning America” calls it “a fascinating story.” “The New York Times” says “the Gyllenhaals are skilled storytellers, and the dual narration is a rare and welcome approach.” Susan Page of “USA Today” hails the book as “a soaring achievement, beautiful and compelling.”
The free talk and slide show is on Thursday, July 6th at 7 p.m. at the Old Town Hall on Main Street in West Stockbridge. A reception and book signing will follow at Shaker Mill Books on the corner of Depot Street and Route 102 in West Stockbridge. For more information visit the West Stockbridge Historical Society online.
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Ventfort Hall exhibits guided age hat collections
Lenox— Now on display, Ventfort Hall is pleased to display three collections of hats.
Gilded Age fashion was extravagant, opulent, and over-the-top, and hats were a popular and essential accessory. The exhibit brings a glimpse of that past to visitors and also more modern examples showcasing the popularity of hats over recent decades.
Generously on loan from the Berkshire Historical Society at Arrowhead are Gilded Age hats that are representative of various styles from the period ranging from small dainty bonnets to wide brimmed, flamboyant Gibson Girl hats. These hats highlight delicate details of handmade velvet and silk flowers, intricate beadwork. and large flowing plumes.
Designer Carl Sprague, a long time supporter of Ventfort Hall and son of one of the Ventfort Hall Association founding members, Tjasa Sprague, has provided samples from his collection that include fun vintage pieces as well as his own unique creations embellished with feathers, silk flowers, and monarch butterflies.
Geoffrey Brown, Ventfort Hall board member and son of one of the Ventfort Hall Association founding members, Marcia Brown, donated his mother’s collection of hats to the exhibit. Her treasures include vintage items from the fifties, sixties and seventies including fanciful contemporary pieces and hats heavily adorned with feathers and flowers created especially for the Lenox Tub Parade. Also included are the many hat boxes she collected to carefully store her beloved pieces.
The exhibit is now on display at Ventfort Hall on Walker Street in Lenox. Viewing hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily. The exhibit is included with regular museum admission. More information can be found by visiting Ventfort Hall online.
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The Clark Art Institute offers drop-in watercolor painting
Williamstown— On Thursdays in July and August, the Clark Art Institute offers drop-in watercolor painting on on the Clark Center’s Fernández Terrace.
Get inspired by the magical exhibition, “Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth”, or by our fabulous permanent collection galleries, and see the surrounding landscape with new eyes! Then, pick up a miniature watercolor kit and try your hand at plein air painting on the Clark’s 140-acre campus. Watercolor kits include paint, paper, miniature palette, and optional painting prompts.
Drop-in watercolor painting is free and open to the public on Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Fernández Terrace at the Clark on South Street in Williamstown. No registration is required. For more information, visit the Clark online.
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Volunteer with BEAT and HVA for West Branch Housatonic River Cleanup
Berkshire— On Saturday, July 22nd from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers are invited to help clean up the west branch of the Housatonic River with Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) and Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) at one of their annual river cleanups.
Cleanup teams will meet up and then will disperse to nearby locations, gathering miscellaneous trash from the river banks and bottom. Canoes will be used to transport the trash. Old clothes, a hat, sunscreen, old sneakers or waterproof boots/waders, a full water bottle, and sunglasses are recommended.
Cleanups make a considerable difference in the health of the Housatonic River. Over the years, BEAT and HVA have collected a startling array of debris — including mattresses, shopping carts, inflatable pools, bicycles, televisions, tires, construction materials, metal barrels, and all kinds of everyday trash. Once, they even found an empty ATM. Since beginning annual cleanups, their efforts have made a noticeable difference, with the piles of trash getting smaller, and this wouldn’t be possible without the help of their volunteers.
The cleanup is on Saturday, July 22nd at 9 a.m. Participants are asked to meet at Wahconah Park on Wahconah Street. After the cleanup, volunteers will be provided a free hot lunch from a local restaurant. Volunteers must RSVP in advance to reserve a free lunch. For more information or to register to volunteer, contact BEAT at team@thebeatnews.org or call 413-464-9402. The cleanup will be canceled in the event of pouring rain or lightning.
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Berkshire United Way and Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires, in partnership with RSVP, are holding an in-person Volunteer Fair at the Berkshire Innovation Center
Pittsfield— On Wednesday, July 12th from noon to 3 p.m., Berkshire United Way and Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires, in partnership with RSVP, are holding an in-person Volunteer Fair at the Berkshire Innovation Center.
Sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, this free event features 30 diverse nonprofit organizations sharing information about their mission, programs and volunteer needs. “Coming out of an isolating pandemic, volunteering can help people re-establish connection and find a sense of purpose and happiness”, said Liana Toscanini, executive director of the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires. “And because of staffing shortages, volunteers are needed more than ever.”
The fair is on Wednesday, July 12th from noon to 3 p.m. at the Berkshire Innovation Center on Woodlawn Avenue in Pittsfield. Attendance is free but registration is encouraged. Registered attendees will be entered into a drawing to win a basket of summer goodies. To register, visit www.berkshireunitedway.org/volunteer-fair-july. If you can’t attend, opportunities to volunteer are available in Berkshire United Way’s Volunteer Center at www.volunteerberkshireuw.org.
