Crandell Theatre to reopen July 1 with updated schedule
CHATHAM, N.Y. — The Crandell Theatre will reopen July 1–4 with a Thursday through Sunday schedule, reflecting changes in the movie industry and viewing habits exacerbated by the 15-month closing caused by the Coronavirus. Thursday’s festive opening of the Crandell begins at 6:30 p.m. with music and dance presented outside the theater prior to the screening at 7:30 p.m. A complete schedule of screenings for the weekend can be found on the Crandell website, where tickets may be purchased online and at the box office. Movie admission is $9 for non-members, $8 members, and $7 for children 12 and under.
According to Peter Biskind, member of the Crandell board of directors and vice president of programming, “Before the pandemic, studios required the Crandell to run major films for up to four weeks. Attendance would be strong the first week, but by the time the third and fourth weeks came around, the theater would be almost empty. For a single-screen theater in a small town, that made survival difficult. Now, in the streaming era, studios have changed their release strategies. Before the pandemic, the Crandell and other theaters enjoyed a substantial window before new films were streaming. Now, films are often being released simultaneously in theaters and streaming, so we continue to face a difficult financial situation.”
Biskind suggested the Crandell can offer a greater variety of movies by showing films from smaller distributors and independents, and thus continue to serve a wide spectrum of the community. Additionally, the Crandell will have the opportunity to experiment Monday through Wednesday with mini-festivals and topical programming including seasonal features, as well as films by celebrated directors. “We like the flexibility this new schedule provides,” Biskind said. “We are all anxious to get back into the theater!”
Opening weekend film screenings and their times are as follows:
Thursday, July 1: “The Truffle Hunters” 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 2: “Dream Horse” 4 p.m., “Jaws” 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 3: “The Truffle Hunters” 1 p.m., “Dream Horse” 4 p.m., “The Climb” 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 4: “Sunflowers” 1 p.m., “The Climb” 4 p.m.
After the screening of “The Climb” on Saturday evening, producer Noah Lang will participate in a Q&A session with Biskind. Directed by Michael Angelo Covino, “The Climb” was recognized at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 and features a cameo appearance by the Crandell Theatre.
Crandell Theatre staff will be wearing masks and moviegoers will be required to wear masks when entering and moving about the theater. Masks may be removed when seated. Staff are encouraging social distancing while moviegoers are standing on line. The Crandell’s contactless ticketing system automatically provides for social distancing in seating. To avoid congestion, concessions are not being offered at present, although they will return in the near future.
—A.K.
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GB Dems to elect delegates to state convention
GREAT BARRINGTON — Registered Democrats in Great Barrington will hold a caucus Saturday, July 10 at 9:30 a.m. at the Claire Teague Senior Center, 917 South Main St., to elect Delegates and Alternates to the 2021 Massachusetts Democratic State Convention. The caucus will take place in-person, following health guidelines, with an option to participate virtually. Democrats who wish to participate virtually may register by sending a message to larissa.byaple@gmail.com.
This year’s state convention will be held September 25 in Lowell, where Democrats from across the state will come together to adopt a Party platform, discuss Party business, and celebrate successes as they prepare for upcoming elections. The event will take place in line with all federal, state, and local health guidelines and will include a virtual option for participation.
The caucus is open to all registered and pre-registered Democrats in Great Barrington (including Housatonic). Pre-registered Democrats who will be 16 by June 15, 2021 will be allowed to participate and run as a Delegate or Alternate. Great Barrington can elect six Delegates and four Alternates to the Convention.
Youth, minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals who are not elected as a Delegate or Alternate may apply to be an Add-on Delegate at the caucus or at the Mass Dems website by August 6, 2021.
Those interested in getting involved with the Great Barrington Democratic Town Committee should contact Michael Wise at 413-854-1323 or visit this website. The Committee’s next meeting will be right after the caucus concludes, on July 10, 2021, at the Senior Center.
—A.K.
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Free concerts in Lilac Park return July 7
LENOX — Concerts in Lilac Park will return with Misty Blues on Wednesday, July 7, 2021. All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. In the event of rain, concerts will be rescheduled to a later date. When possible, that will be the following Sunday. All concerts are free of charge.
This is the schedule as planned:
July 7: Misty Blues
July 14: Lady Di and the Dukes
July 21: Happy Together
July 28: The Berkshire Jazz Quartet
August 4: The BTUs
August 11: Marty Wendell & his Tour Band
August 18: Tupper and Sweet
August 2: Wanda Houston & the HBH Band
—A.K.
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Berkshire Bounty announces July Mobile Food Drive Date
BERKSHIRE COUNTY — Berkshire Bounty’s next Mobile Food Drive will be Tuesday, July 6 from 9-11 a.m.
The Food Drive will shift its focus in July to gather food for families with children attending the Southern Berkshire Regional School District, Farmington River Regional School District, and Berkshire Hills Regional School District. Each district is working closely with community organizations to help provide food to families in need this summer. This decision was made with the support of The People’s Pantry in Great Barrington, where Berkshire Bounty has historically delivered most of the monthly food donations.
Berkshire Bounty volunteer drivers will go to donors’ homes to pick up canned and/or packaged goods left by donors on their doorstep. Food donors may also drop their donations at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire or The People’s Pantry.
Volunteers are always needed to: a) donate canned and/or packaged food, b) drive to pick up donations at donors’ homes, c) help unload food from drivers’ cars as they deliver on the day of the Mobile Food Drive, and/or d) help sort and organize food for each district at The People’s Pantry. If you are interested in participating, please email Berkshire Bounty at info@berkshire-bounty.org. Please include your street address, email address, and best contact telephone number.
Foods in high demand include: pasta, tomato sauce, canned fruit, granola bars, peanut butter, and jelly. If donating from your own pantry, please make sure to check expiration dates.
—A.K.
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Bennington announces early college program for high school, gap year learners
BENNINGTON, Vt. — Bennington College recently announced the Bennington Early College Program for high school, gap year, and college students, extending the College’s student-directed, interdisciplinary, and experiential approach to education to remote learners anywhere in the world.
These one-credit courses, led by Bennington faculty, are designed for students who want to get a head start on their college experience, or for students already in college elsewhere who want to sample coursework available at Bennington.
Courses will be one-month intensives for one credit each. The first courses will begin in August. Sign up for more information about the program, and visit the College’s website to apply.
“There is an urgent need for college courses that connect with and expand the aspirations of students as they transition from high school college,” said President Laura Walker. “These courses do just that — providing timely and compelling content that engages the creativity, the intellect, and the desire for change that so many students today crave.”
Bennington Early College Program courses may be taken individually or as a series. Courses will be offered in three tracks:
Writing and Literature
Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, creative criticism, and literary studies are taught by award-winning faculty in Bennington’s graduate and undergraduate writing and literature programs, which have produced notable alumni including Donna Tartt, Bret Easton Ellis, Kiran Desai, Jonathan Lethem, Michael Pollan, Safiya Sinclair, Anaïs Duplan, Anne Waldman, Mary Ruefle, and more.
Bennington Early College Program courses include:
Machines Made Out of Words: How to Read a Poem (Begins August 2021)
The Scriptorium: Love (Begins August 2021)
Social and Environmental Justice
Examine the most pressing issues of our time, including racial and social justice, climate change, and economic inequality. Courses are taught by Bennington’s teacher-practitioner faculty who are scholars, activists, politicians, social scientists, and scientists. The College’s students and faculty are at the forefront of movements focused on plastics reduction, PFOA mitigation, and climate justice.
Bennington Early College Program courses include:
Performing Power and Local Government (Begins September 2021)
Politics, Power, and Society
Learn how to create, engage, and change our political systems with courses in political science, anthropology, socio-linguistics, and more. Bennington students, faculty, and alumni are changemakers at a global scale and have served in the United Nations, been key players in civil rights legislation, advocated for global public health, and more.
Bennington Early College Program courses include:
Endangered Languages: Threats, Extinction, Survival? (Begins August 2021)
Bennington Early College Program courses are $600 per course. If a student later applies to attend Bennington as an undergraduate, they will be reimbursed $300; if a student then enrolls as a regular Bennington student, the remaining $300 balance will also be reimbursed.
Through Vermont’s dual enrollment program, eligible Vermont high school juniors and seniors may be able to receive a voucher to cover the cost of Bennington Early College courses.
—A.K.
