Michael Hannahan to speak at Lenox Library
Lenox — Dr. Michael Hannahan, lecturer of political science at UMass Amherst, will present “Hope or Fear: The 2016 Election” as the first lecture of the 2016 Distinguished Lecture Series at the Lenox Library on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 4 p.m.
Michael Hannahan, Ph.D., is the director of the UMass Civic Initiative, a program based in the Donahue Institute. He has managed 47 different exchange programs over the past 11 years and has spoken extensively in Pakistan, Iraq, Indonesia, and Argentina. He has also managed programs in Croatia, Russia, and Bulgaria. Dr. Hannahan’s research examines the effects of political campaign activity, especially direct mail and phone banks. Dr. Hannahan has worked for political parties, managed campaigns and political consulting firms, and served as senior advisor to former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift.
For more information, call the Library at 413-637-2630.
–E.E.
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‘Is Peace Possible? Israelis & Palestinians: A New Paradigm’
Williamstown — On Sunday, Sept. 18, the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires will present David Makovsky and Ghaith al-Omari of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, noted experts on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, who will speak on the topic of “Is Peace Possible? Israelis & Palestinians: A New Paradigm.” An afternoon session will be held at 3 p.m. in the Brooks Rogers Recital Hall at Williams College’s Bernard Music Center, and will be followed by a 7:30 p.m. program at Shakespeare & Company’s Tina Packer Playhouse in Lenox. Both programs are free and open to the public.
David Makovsky and Gaith al-Omari have both served as advisors to high-level political leaders working to resolve the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and will discuss the differing perspectives each side brings to the current situation. As political instability, war, and terrorism have overtaken the greater Middle East in recent years, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has been largely sidelined. Negotiated peace between the two parties, the classic paradigm for the last few decades, has been put aside. Washington Institute fellows Makovsky and al-Omari will share ideas on what might take its place.
Ghaith al-Omari has held various positions within the Palestinian Authority, including director of the International Relations Department in the Office of the Palestinian President and advisor to former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. He has extensive experience in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, having been an advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team throughout the permanent status negotiations (1999–2001).
David Makovsky is the co-author, with Ambassador Dennis Ross, of the 2009 Washington Post bestseller “Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East.” He is also an adjunct professor in Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, and served as a senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during the 2013-2014 Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
For more information, call the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires at (413) 442-4360 x10.
–E.E.
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Behold! New Lebanon Sept. 17 tours
New Lebanon, N.Y. — Behold! New Lebanon, the living museum of contemporary rural American life, has announced its schedule for Saturday, Sept. 17. The programs will include:
Corkscrew Choo! Choo! – Take a leisurely stroll along the Wyomanoc Creek following the footprint of the once-famed Rutland Railroad with Corkscrew Rail Trail Association President Joe Ogilvie.
Pushing Ink into Paper: Traditional Letterpress – Jerry Grant and Sharon Koomler will share the history of letterpress printing and open their Victorian-style print shop for tours.
Auctioneering 101 – New Lebanon’s veteran auctioneer Dolores Meissner will talk about her personal journey, how she learned the auction business, and the rise of her auction house.
Stuffed: Make Sausage with Phoebe Young – Phoebe Young will explain what goes into a good sausage while offering a hands-on demonstration of fresh sausage-making.
Working Dogs – Visitors to the Johnson family homestead will learn how herding breeds of farm dogs are trained and worked.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for youth ages 5 – 16, and free for children 4 and under when accompanied by an adult. Advance ticket purchase is recommended for all programs. For more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Behold! New Lebanon at (518) 720-7265 or info@beholdnewlebanon.org.
–E.E.
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‘Ecology and Industry in the Berkshires’
Lenox — On Saturday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. – noon, Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary will offer the program “From Iron Ore to Orioles: Industry and Ecology in the Berkshires.” Led by Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries Education Coordinator Gayle Tardif-Raser and Hannah Sherman, the program will explore the ecological history of the Berkshires via several sites that reveal how the landscape was shaped through human activity. The day will include travel to lime- and charcoal-making sites at a nearby part of Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and then to the Lenox Historical Society‘s iron ore sites in downtown Lenox, a drive through Lenoxdale to view the memorial to the place where dense smoke from iron furnaces once obscured the sun, and will culminate at the Berkshire County Historical Society’s Arrowhead Museum to view artifacts from the glass- and iron-making industries.
The program is free and registration is required. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call (413) 637-0320.
–E.E.
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Gedney Farm’s second winemaker dinner a success
New Marlborough — On Friday, Sept. 9, Gedney Farm hosted a winemaker dinner with winemaker Randall Grahm, owner of Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, California. Grahm imparted his wit and wisdom to an audience of more than 50 wine enthusiasts at the second in Gedney Farm’s new series of winemaker dinners.
Known for award-winning wines made from unusual grape varietals, Grahm introduced his “Cigare Volant” wines, which pay tribute to a little-known statute in Chateauneuf du Pape, France, whose town bylaws outlaw UFOs from landing in its vineyards.
Grahm, who is cnsidered a pioneer in the new age of California winemaking, visited New Marlborough at the invitation of his friend and Gedney Farm sommelier, Peter Miscikoski. Miscikoski collaborated with Gedney Farm Executive Chef Rob Burnell to develop a pairing menu that would highlight the qualities of the Boony Doon wines. The menu featured a local heirloom tomato salad with a 2013 Le Cigare Blanc Reserve, and American wagu beef “two ways” – seared flat iron steak with smoked tomato salsa and wood-roast short rib with lemon-clove chutney – paired with a Grenache duo of 2011 Le Cigare Volant and 2012 Le Cigare Volant Reserve. The evening concluded with a “melt away chocolate torte” paired with a 2011 Sparkling Syrah.
–E.E.
