Fifth annual Lenox Rhubarb Festival
Lenox — The fifth annual Lenox Rhubarb Festival will take place on the lawn beside the Lenox Library Saturday, June 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until all the rhubarb pies are gone.
The festival celebrates eating rhubarb in ways both sweet and savory and will include rhubarb biscotti from Samascott Orchards; rhubarb pancakes and crepes from Pleasant and Main chef-owner Craig Bero; rhubarb muffins from David Barile of On a Roll Cafe; rhubarb frozen yogurt from Ayelada; strawberry rhubarb ice cream and raspberry rhubarb sorbet from the Scoop; and other goodies such as rhubarb cake, rhubarb bars, rhubarb jams and preserves, rhubarb drinks and rhubarb tacos.
What had been a rhubarb chili contest for the last three years is now a rhubarb savory contest, and the public judges will get to taste the unique dishes highlighting rhubarb made by restaurant chefs from Canyon Ranch, Cranwell Spa & Golf Resort, Firefly Gastropub, Olde Heritage Tavern and Blantyre. A number of Lenox restaurants will feature rhubarb on their menus, and some downtown shops will give away complimentary rhubarb treats. For those who have never cooked with rhubarb and/or want some new ideas, author Tinky Weisblat will have her rhubarb cookbook on hand.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact info@lenoxrhubarbfestival.com.
–E.E.
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Third annual Dance Party and Cabaret to celebrate LGBTQ pride
Pittsfield — Only in My Dreams Events will present the third annual Dance Party and Cabaret celebration of Pride Month and the diversity of LGBTQ culture in the Berkshires Saturday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at the Colonial Theatre.
The event will kick off with the first ever Mr./Miss Berkshire Drag Pageant from 7 to 9 p.m., hosted by Brita Filter, star of FusionTV’s “Shade: Queens of NYC.” Contestants in the pageant will compete for a prize package worth over $3,000 and the title of Mr./Miss Berkshire. Those who would like to participate in the pageant should contact info@onlyinmydreamsevents.com. Guests are then invited to walk the pink carpet and break in their dancing shoes with DJ BFG spinning a mix of upbeat and eclectic beats to lighting and projections by digital artist Joe Wheaton. The cabaret will feature special guest performers and a party will celebrate and embrace diversity.
Tickets are $35–$50. The event is suitable for those ages 21 and older. A portion of tickets sales will be donated to Berkshire Pride. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Berkshire Theatre Group at (413) 997-4444.
–E.E.
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Casana T House to host ‘Calder in Conversation’
Hillsdale, N.Y. — Casana T House will host the lecture “Calder in Conversation: Jed Perl and Stanley Cohen on Friendship with a Legend” Sunday, June 10, at 6 p.m.
Art critic and Alexander Calder biographer Perl’s “Calder: The Conquest of Time: The Early Years: 1898-1940” is the first in a two-volume biography of the artist. Perl recently completed a nationwide book tour in conversation with Calder’s grandson Sandy Rower. Cohen, who was a long-time friend, neighbor and legal advisor of Calder, will replace Rower for the event at the T House. Cohen helped convert Calder’s home in the Loire Valley into an artist residency program. Together with Rower, Cohen created the biennial Calder Prize, which is awarded to a young three-dimensional artist. During the week of Perl’s lecture, an exhibit of Calder’s works including gouaches, a mobile and stable-mobile will be displayed at the T House.
The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by a special dinner for $30 per person. For more information or to RSVP for either event, contact Casana T House at (518) 325-6105 or info@casantea.com.
–E.E.
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‘River Walk Gone Wild’ presentation to focus on foraging for local edibles
Great Barrington — The Housatonic River Walk will present “River Walk Goes Wild” Sunday, June 10, at 1 p.m. at W.E.B. Du Bois River Park, when naturalist and wild foods enthusiast Russ Cohen, author of “Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten,” will share his knowledge of local edibles.
The event will with a talk by Cohen, who has over 40 years of experience teaching foraging for edible wild plants. Following the lecture, Cohen and River Walk’s horticulturalist and landscape gardener, Heather Cupo, will lead guided hikes featuring native edibles and native plants and flowers. Cupo has worked with local and native plants for over 25 years, hoping to keep or increase diversity in the small parts of the world she inhabits. The event is free and all are welcome to attend. Pre-registration is requested as group sizes for walks will be limited. For more information or to reserve a spot, contact river@gbriverwalk.org.
–E.E.
