Sunday, February 9, 2025

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

Bits & Bytes: ‘The Stone Witch’; Ralph Nader at the Scoville Library; ‘Mysterious and Unexpected’ at Spencertown Academy; HVA trains River Stewards of Tomorrow; plant dye workshop

Three young adults have joined the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) for the summer in its River Stewards of Tomorrow internship program.

BTG to present ‘The Stone Witch’

Judd
Judd Hirsch.

Stockbridge — Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Artistic Director/CEO Kate Maguire will welcome the world premiere of “The Stone Witch” Thursday, July 21 – Saturday, August 20, at its Fitzpatrick Main Stage. Written by PEN USA Award-winning playwright Shem Bitterman (“Harm’s Way,” “Open House,” “Influence”: Film: “Whitney,” “The Job”) and directed by Drama Desk and Humanities Award-winning director Steve Zuckerman (Broadway: “Nuts”; TV: “Everybody Loves Raymond Film, “North Shore Fish”) “The Stone Witch” features Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy and Obie Award-winning actor Judd Hirsch.

The darkly humorous play brings up the question of the cost of success. Aspiring children’s book author Peter is sent to the cabin of his idol, reclusive award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books Simon, to help him finish what might be his last book. Desperate to save his own career, Peter hopes to discover the secret of Simon’s genius, but he must first accept the impossible task: helping Simon confront the monsters that populate the woods inside his mind. The cast also features Rupak Ginn (TV: “Royal Pains”; Film: “Friends with Benefits,” “The Namesake”) and Drama Desk Award-nominated actress Kristin Griffith (Broadway:A Texas Trilogy,”Lu Ann Hampton Laverty Oberlander”; Film: “Interiors”).

Tickets and more information are available from the Berkshire Edge calendar and the Colonial ticket office at (413) 997-4444.

–E.E.

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Ralph Nader to speak at the Scoville Library

Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader.

Salisbury, Connecticut – Author and political activist Ralph Nader will appear at the newly renovated Scoville Memorial Library on Saturday, July 23, from 1:45 p.m. – 3 p.m. to celebrate the library and to discuss his upcoming event, the Booming Winsted Book Festival, to be held in Winsted, Conn., Saturday, July 30, and Sunday, July 31. He will sell and sign copies of his book “Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State” and will donate all proceeds to the Library. For more information, contact the Library at (860) 435-2838.

–E.E.

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‘Mysterious and Unexpected’ art exhibition

Spencertown, New York — Spencertown Academy Arts Center will present the exhibition “Mysterious and Unexpected: the Merger of Art and Science” featuring artists Carrie Crane, Kay Hartung, Larry Kagan, Gwenn Mayers, Karen Schoolman, and Catherine Wilcox-Titus Saturday, July 23 – Sunday, August 14. An opening reception will be held Saturday, July 23 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

“Art and science have much in common from the spark or hypothesis that generates an idea; to the discipline of the process; the risk taking with tools of the trade and the surprise of the result,” said curator Barbara Lax Kranz. “This exhibit displays the work of six artists who incorporate science to create their art. The processes are unique and the results outstanding and unusual.”

For more information, call the Arts Center at (518) 392-3693.

–E.E.

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River Stewards of Tomorrow learn at HVA

River Steward of Tomorrow Caroline Hilli assessing a culvert in Cornwall, Conn.
River Steward of Tomorrow Caroline Hilli assessing a culvert in Cornwall, Conn.

South Lee — Three young adults have joined the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) for the summer in its River Stewards of Tomorrow internship program.

Aaron Hume is working in the South Lee office with Berkshire Director Dennis Regan finalizing a riverside trail pamphlet, developing a Southwest Branch River Stream Team and watershed-based plan, monitoring water in Pittsfield, monitoring two culvert/bridge replacement projects, and assisting in river cleanups, paddle trips and education projects. Hume is a 2015 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and holds a BS in natural resource conservation with a focus in water resources.

The other two River Stewards, Caroline Hilli and Brian Saccardi, are working in HVA’s headquarters in Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut, with Watershed Conservation Director Michael Jastremski assessing culverts, working on a still river management plan, and taking water quality samples in tributaries of the Housatonic River.

Goshen, Conn., native Hilli is a junior at the University of Vermont majoring in environmental studies with a focus on sustainability. She attended Wamogo Regional High School in Litchfield, Conn., and was part of the agri-science program where her passion for watersheds began. In August Hilli will attend the University of Lapland in Finland for a semester of study abroad concentrating in Arctic studies.

Saccardi of Cornwall, Conn., is a senior at the University of Connecticut where he is majoring in natural resources with a concentration in fisheries and wildlife. Brian has gained experience by interning at Great Mountain Forest in Norfolk, Conn., and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection at Sessions Woods. Saccardi is pursuing a career in the field of natural resources conservation.

–E.E.

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Plant dye and fiber workshop

Monterey — On Saturday, July 23, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., the Bidwell House Museum will offer the outdoor craft workshop “Plant Dyes and Fibers,” led by Camille Roos. Participants will be introduced to dyeing of skeins with plant-based pigments. The group will also make cordage from dogbane, milkweed and nettle and practice using a drop-spindle. The workshop is family-friendly event. Participants are encouraged to bring a bag lunch. The cost is $10 for Museum members and $5 for non-members. Admission to the museum is included. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Museum at bidwelleducation@gmail.com.

–E.E.

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