Last chance for tickets to July 29 Dig & Dine dinner
Great Barrington — On Wednesday, July 29 Great Barrington will once again play host to 200 diners dressed entirely in white enjoying a summer meal in the middle of Main Street. Due to the success of the first GB Dig & Dine event on June 3, the Downtown Promotion Committee has organized a second event with support from the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. The committee is dedicated to promoting businesses in downtown Great Barrington while the town is in the midst of its Main Street reconstruction project.
Following the model established by the first event, chefs from area restaurants will collaborate to serve a three-course meal. Michael Ballon and his team from Castle Street Café will combine efforts with Naji’s and Old Inn on the Green to cater the meal. Berkshire Mountain Bakery will provide dinner rolls. Sandy & Sandy will return to entertain the diners.
The Main Street reconstruction project, which began in earnest this spring, is upgrading and refreshing the town’s infrastructure and streetscape and is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of the summer of 2016. In the meantime, merchants are exploring innovative ways to mitigate any disruption to business that the construction might cause.
Barbara Watkins, owner of Evergreen Fine American Crafts, has led the I Dig GB campaign, organizing sales and special events to draw people to Great Barrington even during the rockiest periods of construction. When asked the about the event, she explains, “At one of our committee meetings Betsy Andrus (of the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce) said, ‘We should have a dinner in white!’ The idea . . . caught on pretty well with the public, too. Our first event sold out within two weeks!” The “Dinner in White” concept was premiered in Paris more than 25 years ago. Usually “Dinner in White” events are picnics, so the fact that GB Dig & Dine is catered gives it a slightly different flavor.
The deadline to purchase tickets, which cost $45 or 45 BerkShares, is 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 25. Tickets can be obtained by calling Barbara at Evergreen Fine American Crafts at (413) 528-0511 or emailing info@evergreencrafts.com
–E.E.
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Berkshire Farm & Table presents “The Summer of Greylock Gin”
Sheffield — Berkshire Farm & Table has gathered a group of hospitality professionals to pioneer a craft cocktail movement. Nearly two dozen establishments will participate in “The Summer of Greylock Gin,” a campaign that features an award-winning local spirit and joins restaurants, bars, and retail shops in promoting craft cocktails as another way to experience the Berkshires. In celebration of Berkshire Mountain Distillers’ Greylock Gin, Berkshire Farm & Table has selected this spirit as the focus of the summer-long campaign.
Weekly spirits tastings featuring Greylock Gin will take place on the mansion terrace at Cranwell Spa & Golf Resort every Tuesday and Jane Burns, Guido’s family member and Mezze Bistro bartender, will be mixing cocktails starring Greylock Gin on Saturday, July 25 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Guido’s Fresh Marketplace in Great Barrington. Additional retail shops will offer tastings throughout the summer. Guest bartenders will visit Berkshire Mountain Distillers’ tasting room on Saturdays to shake up Greylock Gin craft cocktails. Several events will highlight Greylock Gin including the Tanglewood Food & Wine Festival and Shakespeare & Company’s “Broadway in the Berkshires” gala.
A listing of upcoming tastings throughout the region, as well as more information about the event, is available online.
–E.E.
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Appalachian Trail community celebration
Great Barrington – On Saturday, July 25, celebrate Great Barrington’s connection with the Appalachian Trail. Join MassParks staff and Great Barrington Trails & Greenways partners on one of three separate hikes being offered. Parking for the event will be offered at the main entrance for Beartown State Forest near the boat ramp on Benedict Pond Road in Monterey. The event includes four guided hikes (two 7-mile hikes and two shorter hikes), a potluck picnic at 5 p.m., and a performance by the Berkshire Ukulele Band.
Pre-registration is required for the hikes. For hike registration and picnic information, email info@gbtrails.org or call (413) 528-0904.
–E.E.
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“Moving Through the Tree of Life: Where T’ai Chi meets Kabbalah,” July 27
Pittsfield — On Monday, July 27 at 10:45 a.m., the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires hosts acupuncturist, t’ai chi, and qigong teacher Sue Gurland who will share her ideas and experiences in a talk and demonstration. The program at Congregation Knesset Israel is part of the Federation’s Connecting With Community series.
Gurland holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Yale University, a Master of Acupuncture degree from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute, and a Certificate of Completion in Jewish Spiritual Direction from the Lev Shomea Institute. In 2011, she received the Community Service Award from the Jewish Theological Seminary.
For more information, please call the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires at (413) 442-4360 x10.
–E.E.
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Songs and stories from the early 1900s at Camphill Ghent concert
Chatham, N.Y. — A medley of songs from the early 1900s will be performed and included with anecdotes and historical notes by performers Doug Schmolze and Vikki True at a free concert July 26 at 4 p.m. in the Culture Hall at Camphill Ghent.
Schmolze is a tenor and guitarist who studied guitar and composition at the Berklee College of Music. He has sung with the Pro Art Choral, the Lorien Ensemble, the Berkshire Bach Singers, Berkshire Choral Festival, Berkshire Opera and the Cantilena Chamber Choir. He is also a Certified Music Practitioner, trained in the Music for Healing and Transition Program. Vikki True has been singing since an early age and is known throughout the Berkshires and beyond as a singer and voice teacher. Her repertoire ranges from gospel to blues to jazz to traditional music.
For more information contact Camphill Ghent Activities Director Gry Brudvik at (518) 392-2760 x104.
–E.E.
