Friday, February 14, 2025

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

BITS & BYTES: Spring Hoppening at Berkshire Botanical Garden; Pittsfield 78th annual egg hunt; ‘Hop’ at The Crandell Theatre; Easter brunch with Michael Aaron at Dottie’s/Dorothy’s; Ivan Trabka at The Foundry; Anna Watkins Fisher at The Clark

You’re invited to the Berkshire Botanical Garden for a spring festival extravaganza, including the company of a rather large and friendly bunny.

Spring Hoppening at Berkshire Botanical Garden

Stockbridge— On Saturday, March 30th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Berkshire Botanical Garden begins its 90th season festivities with its second annual Spring Hoppening.

You’re invited to the Berkshire Botanical Garden for a spring festival extravaganza, including the company of a rather large and friendly bunny. Enjoy egg hunts, food trucks, face-painting, pony rides, a story walk, games, crafts, photo opportunities, and more! 

At 10:30 a.m., there is an egg hunt for children ages three and under. At 10:45 a.m., there is an egg hunt for children ages three to six. At 11 a.m., there is an egg hunt for children ages seven to 12. Older children are welcome to help their younger siblings and friends.

Spring Hoppening at Berkshire Botanical Garden.

The event is on Saturday, March 30th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Berkshire Botanical Garden on West Stockbridge Road in Stockbridge. Admission is $15, $10 for members, and free for children under age four. Registration is recommended. More information can be found online. 

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City of Pittsfield’s 78th annual Eggstravaganza egg hunt

Pittsfield— On Saturday, March 30th at 10 a.m., the City of Pittsfield’s Department of Community Development Recreation Program hosts the 78th Annual Eggstravaganza Egg Hunt at the Common Park.

At 10 a.m., there will be special appearances by Bowie the Clown and Mr. Bunny.

The egg hunt kicks off at 10:30 a.m. and will be divided into five age groups:

  • 10:30 a.m. for 9, 10 & 11 year olds
  • 10:40 a.m. for 7 & 8 year olds
  • 10:55 a.m. for 5 & 6 year olds
  • 11:10 a.m. for 4 year olds
  • 11:25 a.m. for 2 & 3 year olds
City of Pittsfield’s 78th annual Eggstravaganza egg hunt.

The free event is on Saturday, March 30th at 10 a.m. at the Common Park on First Street in Pittsfield. Prizes will be awarded to the golden egg finder in each egg group. The snow/rain date is April 6th. Learn more online.

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The Crandell Theatre presents ‘Hop’

Chatham, N.Y.— On Saturday, April 13th at 1 p.m., The Crandell Theatre presents ‘Hop’ (Animation, Adventure, Comedy | PG | 95 minutes.)

“Hop” follows the comic adventures of E.B., a young rabbit who would rather drum in a band than succeed his father as the Easter Bunny. But when the hapless, unemployed Fred (James Marsden) accidentally injures the Easter Bunny, E.B. and Fred must come up with a plan to decorate and deliver all those Easter eggs on schedule.

The Crandell Theatre presents ‘Hop.’

The screening is on Saturday, April 13th at 1 p.m. at The Crandell Theatre on Main Street in Chatham, N.Y. Come early for a pre-show Easter egg hunt! Tickets are $5. Tickets and more information can be found online. 

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Dottie’s Coffee Lounge and Dorothy’s Estaminet presents an Easter brunch with live music by Michael Aaron

Pittsfield— On Sunday March 31st from 10 a.m. to noon, Dottie’s Coffee Lounge and Dorothy’s Estaminet presents an Easter brunch with live music by Michael Aaron. (Brunch is served from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

Inspired by music icons from past decades, Michael Aaron projects a familiar but new sound while bringing back the lyrical tellings of the classic American singer-songwriter.

Michael Aaron. Image courtesy of Dottie’s/Dorothy’s.

The menu includes omelets, quiches, and steak and eggs served with focaccia, roasted carrots, feta, and breakfast potatoes; pancakes and waffles served with Ioka Valley maple syrup and sausage or bacon; and avocado toast served on Berkshire Mountain Bread sourdough with truffle egg salad, roasted tomatoes, and mixed greens.

The brunch is on Sunday March 31st from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with live music from 10 a.m. to noon at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge and Dorothy’s Estaminet on North Street in Pittsfield. No reservations are required. Learn more online.

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The Foundry presents a night of Zoltán Kosály and Bach played by cellist Ivan Trabka

West Stockbridge— On Friday, April 5th at 7:30 p.m., The Foundry presents a night of Zoltán Kosály and Bach played by cellist Ivan Trabka. 

Ivan Trabka. Image courtesy of The Foundry.

Ivan Trabka started his career as a cellist in 1996 at the age of eight. He studied cello performance at UMass Amherst, under the instruction of Astrid Schween, the current cellist for the Juilliard Quartet. Trabka attended the Boston University Tanglewood institute orchestra and chamber music workshop in 2006, and in 2012 he participated in the Castleman Quartet Program at SUNY Fredonia, under the direction of Charlie Castleman, of Eastman School of Music. He performed with the Cape Ann Symphony in 2016 and 2017, under conductor Yoichi Udagawa, as well as at The Mahaiwe, The Colonial, Symphony Hall in Boston, and the Longy School of Music. At age 20, he was the featured soloist with the Stockbridge Sinfonia, when he performed the Lalo concerto at the First Methodist Church in Pittsfield. 

The program includes “Sonata for Solo Violoncello, Op.8, in B minor,” by Zoltán Kodály, “Suite No.2 in D minor for ‘cello solo, BWV 1008,” by J.S. Bach, and “Suite in C major for ‘cello solo, BWV 1009,” by J.S. Bach.

The concert is on Friday, April 5th at 7:30 p.m. at The Foundry on Harris Street in Pittsfield. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25. Visit the Foundry online for tickets and more information. Parking is limited at the venue, so please utilize the three public parking lots in Town. To avoid a parking ticket, visit the Foundry online for further details.

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The Clark Art Institute’s Research and Academic Program presents a lecture by Anna Watkins Fisher examining artistic resistance in the twenty-first century

Williamstown— On Friday, April 5th at 5:30 p.m., the Clark Art Institute’s Research and Academic Program presents a lecture by Anna Watkins Fisher (University of Michigan) who examines artistic resistance in the twenty-first century, when disruption and dissent are co-opted and commodified in ways that reinforce powerful systems.

Kate Gilmore, Star Bright, Star Might, 2007, video still.

This lecture weighs the gambit of artists who willfully abandon the radical scripts of opposition and refusal long identified with anti-capitalism and feminism to embrace parasitism, tactics of complicity that effect subversion from within dominant structures. The talk explores their irreverent and often troubling artworks and what they tell us about the conditions for resistance and critique today.

The free talk is on Friday, April 5th at 5:30 p.m. in the Manton Research Center auditorium at the Clark Art Institute on South Street in Williamstown. There will be a pre-show reception at 5 p.m. in the Manton Research Center reading room. More information can be found online. 

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