Bits & Bytes: Walk a Mile in Her Shoes; ‘Hawthorne & Melville;’ Jordan Carlos at the Garage; Stockbridge Land Trust meeting; Walden Chamber Players concert

Seventh annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes to benefit Elizabeth Freeman Center

Pittsfield — The seventh annual Berkshire County Walk a Mile in Her Shoes March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence will take to the street Thursday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m. during Pittsfield’s Third Thursday event.

Registration will begins at 5 p.m. on the corner of North Street and Columbus Avenue. Walkers are encouraged to wear their flashiest shoes as they walk a mile downtown to demonstrate their commitment to stop violence and show solidarity with abuse survivors. Registration is free and walkers are encouraged to raise funds through pledges as individuals or as teams to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Walkers who raise $55 or more will receive a 2017 Walk a Mile commemorative t-shirt. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Elizabeth Freeman Center, Berkshire County’s domestic violence and rape crisis organization.

In 2016 EFC provided direct victim services for 2,920 survivors from almost every city and town in Berkshire County. EFC helped 738 youth through its violence prevention and sex education programs; worked with 472 families to secure safe homes; and assisted 295 clients to obtain or maintain employment, education or training. Said EFC executive director Janis Broderick: “The statistics are inconceivable. In Berkshire County, the rate of protection orders is 23 percent higher than the state average. Almost one third of the homicides in Berkshire County in the past 10 years have been domestic violence murders. The need is great. Violence affects us all. We must work together as a community to make our homes and streets safe.”

Men are encouraged, though not required, to walk in women’s shoes or to decorate their own shoes at the walk. They can bring their own or choose from shoes and shoe decorations available at registration. Pledge sheets are available online and at all EFC offices as well as at Bagels Too, Flavours of Malaysia, Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, Steven Valenti’s Clothing for Men and Berkshire Running Center. For more information, contact EFC at (413) 499-2425.

–E.E.

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‘Hawthorne & Melville’ to open ‘Herman’ Plays series

Pittsfield — On Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 6:30 p.m., Herman Melville’s Arrowhead will present “Hawthorne & Melville” by Carl A. Rossi, the first event in the “Herman” Plays series.

“Hawthorne & Melville” follows the friendship between the two American authors from August 1850 through November 1851 when both men were working on their new novels “The House of Seven Gables” and “Moby-Dick” and building a relationship that never completely gelled. Surrounding the authors with other literary greats of the era, the play provides a perspective on the unique friendship from outside and inside, a child’s point of view, and a wife’s imagination. Directed by Edge columnist J. Peter Bergman, the play stars Kirk Jackson as Hawthorne and Mel Cobb as Melville, and features Laura Gardner, Erin Hunt, Andrew Joffe, John Trainor and Robert Bruyr.

Tickets are $20 each and $50 for the full series of three. Seating is limited. For more information or to make reservations, contact Herman Melville’s Arrowhead at (413) 442-1793 x14.

–E.E.

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Comedian Jordan Carlos to perform at the Garage

Jordan Carlos. Photo courtesy Berkshire Theatre Group

Pittsfield — Berkshire Theatre Group will welcome comedian Jordan Carlos to the Garage on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m. Carlos is a stand-up comic and television personality best known for his work as a writer and on-air contributor for “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,” “The Colbert Report,” “Guy Code,” “Girl Code” and “Guy Court.” He has also appeared on hit series such as HBO’s “Girls,” Showtime’s “The Affair” and Comedy Central’s “Broad City.” Tickets are $5. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact BTG at (413) 997-4444.

–E.E.

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Stockbridge Land Trust to hold annual meeting

Stockbridge — The Stockbridge Land Trust will hold its annual meeting on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 10 a.m. at Gould Meadows on Interlaken Road. The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 24. The event will include refreshments, a brief business update and a talk by the leaders of the Friends of Gould Meadows to update attendees on the work that is being done to restore Gould Meadows followed by a short, guided walk of the property. For more information, contact the Stockbridge Land Trust at stockbridgelandtrust@gmail.com.

–E.E.

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Walden Chamber Players to perform at Simon’s Rock

Violinist Laura Frautschi. Photo courtesy Bard College at Simon’s Rock

Great Barrington — On Sunday, September 24, at 3 p.m., the South Berkshire Concert Series will present the Walden Chamber Players in the McConnell Theater of Bard College at Simon’s Rock’s Daniel Arts Center. The group will perform an eclectic program of music by Schubert, Lerdahl, Milhaud and Beethoven in a combination of string trio and double bass.

Founded in 1997, the Boston-based Walden Chamber Players is comprised of 12 artists in various combinations of string, piano and wind ensembles. The performing string players will be violinist Laura Frautschi, violist and founder Christof Huebner, cellist Ashima Scripp and bass player Donald Palma. The ensemble has an ongoing commitment to commissioning, performing and recording new music. In 2008, it participated in a Berkshire composers’ project, commissioning new works for oboe, harp, and strings from local composers Sheila Silver, Alice Spatz and Larry Wallach, and performing them in concert programs at Simon’s Rock and at the Clark Art Institute.

The concert is free and open to the public with a suggested donation of $10. For more information, call (413) 528-7212.

–E.E.