Denny Alsop to arrive in Agawam on Monday
Agawam — On March 21, Housatonic River Initiative member, grandfather, and canoe builder Denny Alsop set out, for the second time in his life, on a month-long canoe trip across Massachusetts to bring attention to the importance of clean water for the Commonwealth and beyond. On Monday, April 4, at 11 a.m., he will arrive at the Springfield Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility located on Bondi’s Island off Route 5, Avenue M. Hewill meet wastewater treatment operators, trip supporters, several environmental groups, invited guests, and the general public to celebrate his ‘Canoe for Clean Water’ mission.
By focusing attention on the successful cleanup efforts and restoration of rivers across the Commonwealth, Alsop hopes to emphasize that an aggressive campaign to remove pollutants and restore a river is not only theoretically possible, but in a relatively short time, has been accomplished. The Housatonic River suffers the legacy of being one of the most PCB-contaminated waterways in Massachusetts and due partially to persistent activism by community organizations, the first two miles of the Housatonic has been remediated and restored.
“I last made this journey in 1988 and many of the rivers I plan to travel are cleaner now than they were a generation ago,” said Alsop. “But there is still much more that needs to be done to make every river swimmable and fishable, and to make sure every community’s drinking water is safe.”
–E.E.
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Journalist Juliana Barbassa to speak at Williams
Williamstown — Journalist Juliana Barbassa will visit Williams College on Tuesday, April 5, to speak about the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the challenges facing Brazil as it prepares for international scrutiny. Barbassa’s talk will take place at 7 p.m. in Room 3 of Griffin Hall and will be free and open to the public.
Barbassa recently published her first book, “Dancing With the Devil in the City of God,” which details the story of Brazil’s preparation for the Olympic Games under an intense international spotlight and amid a deep economic recession with politicians and business elite facing serious corruption charges. The Brazilian-born Barbassa began her career with the Dallas Observer, where she won a Katie Journalism Award in 1999 for covering immigration. She joined the Associated Press in 2003 and, after two more awards from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the APME, she returned to Brazil in 2010 as the AP’s Rio de Janeiro correspondent. Barbassa holds bachelor’s degrees in Spanish literature and journalism from University of Texas at Austin and master’s degrees in Latin American studies and journalism from University of California, Berkeley.
For building locations on the Williams campus, consult the online map or call the Office of Communications at (413) 597-4277.
–E.E.
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Embodied Positive Psychology Summit at Kripalu
Stockbridge – Beginning Tuesday, April 26, and running through Friday, April 29, the Wholebeing Institute will present the Embodied Positive Psychology Summit at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.
Embodied Positive Psychology recognizes that well being requires a multidimensional view of wholeness, and the summit is designed to be of use to anyone who wants to live life more fully, including individuals, coaches, consultants, therapists, yoga teachers, and others who might want to use the teachings professionally. The Summit will feature presentations by author and researcher Barbara Fredrickson; Tal Ben-Shahar, co-creator of the Certificate in Positive Psychology program; meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg; and Pittsfield-based author, clinical psychologist, and inspirational speaker Maria Sirois.
Pre-summit workshops, beginning Sunday, April 24, will also be offered for those who want to more extensively explore a particular aspect of positive psychology. The cost of the Summit is $495 and the pre-Summit workshops are $225. Rooms and meals are available at an additional cost. Commuters are welcome and a special rate will be applied. Registration is required. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call Kripalu at (800) 741-7353.
–E.E.
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Carole Owens to receive Preservation Massachusetts award
Stockbridge – Edge columnist Carole Owens has been named a recipient of the 2016 Paul & Niki Tsongas Award by Preservation Massachusetts. Since 1988 the award has recognized the very best in historic preservation efforts, individuals, and achievements across the Commonwealth and is Preservation Massachusetts’ highest honor. An awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 4, at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston.
Owens has dedicated over 40 years of her life to Massachusetts preservation. She was the first director of Lenox’s Ventfort Hall and Pittsfield’s William Russell Allen house. Her 1984 book, “The Berkshire Cottages,” was the first book to document the Gilded Age cottages of the Berkshires. She writes three newspaper columns and has authored six additional books, the latest of which, “Remarkable Women of New England,” was published in January.
–E.E.
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ThinkFOOD conference at Simon’s Rock
Great Barrington — The Center for Food Studies at Bard College at Simon’s Rock will hold its annual ThinkFOOD conference on Saturday, April 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Kellogg Music Center. This year’s theme is Berkshire Foodways and the conference will look inward at Berkshire County to define the “what, how, and where” of food in the region.
The conference will feature two panel presentations and a poster session by students in the current course “Foodways: Connecting Past, Person, and Place.” Participants in the conference include cookbook author and food writer Alana Chernila, Hosta Hill owner Maddie Elling, Berkshire Mountain Bakery owner Richard Bourdon, Peter Stanton of the Nutrition Center, Sarah Gardner of Williams College, Nick Martinelli of Marty’s Local, Jock Herron of Harvard Design School, and head of the Center for Food Studies Maryann Tebben.
Admission to the conference is $15 for the general public and free for students. Lunch is available for an additional $10. Registration is required due to limited seating. For more information or to register, contact Karen Advokaat at (413) 528-7247 or kadvokaat@simons-rock.edu.
–E.E.
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Beverly Almond book signing and luncheon
South Egremont — On Wednesday, April 6, at noon at the Egremont Village Inn, the Egremont and Mount Washington Councils on Aging will present Egremont resident Beverly Almond and her daughter, Anne Hamlin, in a discussion about their newly published book, “Beverly Almond: An Ageless Adventurer.”
The book tells the story of Almond’s involvement in World War II and her work breaking the Enigma Code. Hamlin will read excerpts from the book and Almond will answer questions and sign copies.
A lunch of soup and sandwiches will be served alongside the presentation and a $5 donation is suggested to cover the cost of the lunch. An RSVP to Mary at (413) 528-0182 x10 is required.
–E.E.
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JD Logan at Farm & Home
Great Barrington — Farm & Home/Brockman Real Estate will host an exhibition of the work of Berkshire artist JD Logan during the month of April. A reception for the artist will be held on Sunday, April 3, from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Self-taught artist JD Logan uses the beauty of the Berkshires for inspiration when creating his “treescape” artwork. Intentionally leaving people and animals out of his work creates a feeling of stillness and solitude and allows viewers to place themselves into the scenes and make them their own, he explains.
Both original acrylics and framed prints will be on display and for sale. For more information call (413) 528-9100.
–E.E.
