‘The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh’
Stockbridge — On Saturday, November 21 at 3 p.m., the Berkshire Botanical Garden will host Kathryn Aalto in a discussion of her new book “The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Walk Through the Forest That Inspired the Hundred Acre Wood.”
The book is a visually rich journey into one of the most iconic settings in children’s literature: the Hundred Acre Wood, also known as Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, England. This is where author A.A. Milne lived and set the tender adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh and his band of friends. Audience members will learn about Milne’s childhood in the natural world, how he and illustrator E.H. Shepard became the Lennon and McCartney of children’s literature, and discover the real places that inspired the stories as well as the rare flora and fauna of the forest. Attendees will leave with a new understanding of how the Winnie-the-Pooh books are now, more than ever, field guides for the free-range child.
The talk will be followed by a book signing and tea with honey. Tickets are $15 and $10 for Garden members. For more information contact Elisabeth Cary at (413) 298-3926 x15.
–E.E.
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Helsinki Hudson to host Mr. Sun with Tony Trischka
Hudson, N.Y. — Already a quartet featuring four stars of modern string-band music, Mr. Sun will augment its line-up when it performs with special guest Tony Trischka at Club Helsinki Hudson on Thursday, November 19, at 8 p.m.
Led by legendary fiddler Darol Anger, a founding member of both the David Grisman Quintet and the classical-bluegrass fusion outfit, Turtle Island String Quartet, Mr. Sun is the living embodiment of acoustic roots-music history, stretching from old-timey to jazz to Western swing to Bill Monroe to today’s most progressive sounds, which are in large part unimaginable without the path laid out by banjoist Tony Trischka and Darol Anger, who are also bandmates in Psychograss.
The group is filled out by mandolinist Joe K. Walsh, known for his award-winning stint with the Gibson Brothers and for combining jazz and bluegrass to an unprecedented degree; bassist Ethan Jodziewicz, a protégé of Edgar Meyer; and guitarist Grant Gordy, who, like Anger, is a former member of the David Grisman Quintet.
Tony Trischka is considered to be the consummate banjo artist and perhaps the most influential banjo player in the roots-music world. For more than 45 years, his stylings have inspired a whole generation of bluegrass and acoustic musicians.
See the Berkshire Edge calendar for more information or contact the club at (518) 828-4800.
–E.E.
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Stockbridge Library Speaker Series: Simon Winchester
Stockbridge — On Sunday, November 22 at 4 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room at the Stockbridge Town Offices, the Stockbridge Library’s Speaker Series will welcome back New York Times bestselling author Simon Winchester who will discuss his new book, “Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World’s Superpowers.”
In the book Winchester tackles this “oceanic behemoth of eye-watering complexity” by focusing on key moments since 1950 that speak to the greater trends and larger truths about the ocean’s significance to people today. Winchester is the author of many books, including “The Professor and the Madman,” “The Men Who United the States,” “The Map That Changed the World,” “The Man Who Loved China,” “A Crack in the Edge of the World,” and “Krakatoa,” all of which were New York Times bestsellers and appeared on numerous notable lists. In 2006 Winchester was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen. He resides in western Massachusetts.
Contact the library for more information at (413) 298-5501.
–E.E.
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Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School’s Holiday Handcraft Fair
Great Barrington — The Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School invites the community to its 43rd annual Holiday Handcraft Fair on Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the school. At the fair parents and faculty transform the school into a holiday wonderland of family fun that includes puppet shows, donkey rides, candle dipping, and gifts to make and give, all celebrating the joys of a handmade holiday in the Berkshires. Parking and admission are both free and the fair will be held rain or shine. For more information call (413) 528-4015.
–E.E.
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Berkshire Theatre Group to present Sinatra tribute concert
Pittsfield — Berkshire Theatre Group will present “Come Fly With Me: A Frank Sinatra 100th Birthday Tribute Concert” with the Gregory Caputo Big Band featuring Rob Zappulla on Sunday, November 22 at 2 p.m., at the Colonial Theatre, 111 South St.
Celebrating the music of Frank Sinatra, “Come Fly With Me” spans the five decades of classic Sinatra, from the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra to the Las Vegas showrooms. Gregory Caputo has drummed for the world famous Count Basie Orchestra, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and others. Caputo has recorded and performed with the legendary alto sax player Phil Woods and has performed at the Kennedy Center for Billy Taylor’s Jazzmobile program. Rob Zappulla has headlined performances at the Birdland Jazz Club, and Lincoln Center and has performed as a guest vocalist with the United States Military Academy‘s West Point Jazz Knights Big Band and Concert Band. From 2001 to 2009, Zappulla was the featured vocalist for the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.
Tickets are $40 and $25. See the Berkshire Edge calendar for tickets and more information or contact the Colonial’s ticket office at (413) 997-4444.
–E.E.
