Hancock Shaker Village opens 2025 Season with beloved Baby Animals Festival
Hancock— On April 12th, Hancock Shaker Village opens for the 2025 season with the 23rd annual Baby Animals Festival, an annual signal of spring for Berkshire residents. Visitors are invited to experience the ritual of renewal by welcoming this year’s newest arrivals to the oldest working farm in Berkshire County.
The festival offers the unique opportunity for visitors to spend time with the lambs, piglets, calves, chicks, and kids up close in the Round Stone Barn amidst a wide variety of events and activities throughout the Village occurring in conjunction with the Festival. Throughout the festival there will be several pop-up experiences including a visiting bakery, craft demonstrations, immersive art experiences, as well as the Woodlife Kitchen café serving a variety of delicious sandwiches, salads, snacks, and drinks.
The popular Behind-the-Scenes tour returns this year, providing a unique hands-on experience with the animals guided by our farm leadership team, complete with a wagon hayride around the Village. On May 3rd and 4th, the final weekend of the festival, champion sheep shearer Fred DePaul will give the merino sheep their spring haircuts. Don’t miss the sheep getting tidied up, while learning more about what happens next with their wool.
“After the long winter, the arrival of our baby animals is a very exciting time at the Village and we look forward to welcoming everyone to join us for this magical season,” said Director and CEO, Carrie Holland.
The festival opens on April 12th at Hancock Shaker Village, located at 843 West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield. More information can be found online.
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seeing rainbows, Berkshire Stonewall Coalition, Berkshire Queer History Project, and the Queer Student Association at BCC present Trans Day of Visibility events at Wander and Berkshire Community College
Pittsfield— On March 29th and 31st, seeing rainbows, Berkshire Stonewall Coalition, Berkshire Queer History Project, and the Queer Student Association at BCC present a series of Trans Day of Visibility events at Wander and Berkshire Community College. The events are designed to uplift, honor, and stand in solidarity with the trans and nonbinary community to create space for storytelling, celebration, and critical conversations, centering trans joy, resilience, and visibility.
On Wednesday, March 26th from 2:30 to 4 p.m., Berkshire Community College presents a Transgender Day of Visibility panel in BCC’s Room M317 and on Zoom. Join local trans and nonbinary leaders, including WANDER founder Jay Santangelo & seeing rainbows executive director, maayan nuri héd, for a panel discussion on trans experiences, visibility, and resilience. This event is open to the public and will provide an opportunity for community dialogue, education, and connection. Light snacks will be provided. Registration and more information can be found online.
On Saturday, March 29th from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., seeing rainbows presents a Trans Day of Visibility party. Celebrate with joyful, high-energy community gathering with special drag performances, musicians, and other artists from queer/trans community. This night is a celebration of existence, resistance, and community—because visibility is powerful.
On Monday, March 31st from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Berkshire Stonewall Coalition presents their annual Trans Day of Visibility screening of “Queer History Project,” interviews of local Berkshire Trans community members, a night to celebrate storytelling and solidarity.
“Trans Day of Visibility is about being seen and celebrated—for our stories, our creativity, our power, and our presence. It’s a reminder that joy is resistance, and that we belong everywhere decisions are made, art is shared, and community is built,” said Jay Santangelo, founder of Wander. The events are open to all. More information can be found online.
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Jewish Federation of the Berkshires presents ‘When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion’ with Julie Satow
Pittsfield— On Thursday, March 27th at 7 p.m., Jewish Federation of the Berkshires, part of Jewish Literary Voices: A Federation Series in collaboration with The Jewish Book Council, presents “When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion” a virtual presentation with Julie Satow.
In her book, “When Women Ran Fifth Avenue,” award-winning journalist and author of “The Plaza” and regular contributor to The New York Times, Julie Satow chronicles the rise of the department store through dazzling portraits of three visionary women who took great risks, forging new paths for the women who followed in their footsteps. This stylish account, rich with personal drama and trade secrets, captures the department store in all its glitz, decadence, and fun, and showcases the women who made that beautifully curated world go round.
The free presentation is on Thursday, March 27th at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Registration and more information can be found online.
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Becket Arts Center to host a dance party
Becket— On Saturday, March 29th from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Becket Arts Center will host a dance party to celebrate the artists whose coffee-bag creations will be auctioned off that evening.
Donated by Barrington Coffee Roasting Company, these coffee bags have been transformed into pictures, flags, pillows, sculptures, housewares, and accessories. Bid online through March 28th. Dancing, food, drinks, and fun will follow the auction.
The event is on Saturday, March 29th from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Becket Arts Center, located at 7 Brooker Hill Road in Becket. More information can be found online.
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Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries present a nest box building workshop
Lenox— On Saturday, March 29th from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries present a nest box building workshop.
Nest boxes are suitable for Eastern Bluebirds and other small, cavity-nesting species such as Tree Swallows, House Wrens, Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, and White-breasted Nuthatches. This hands-on workshop will teach you where and how to place nest boxes in ideal habitats to attract nesting birds during the breeding season.
This is a program designed for families with children ages five to 17. As a family, build one of our pre-cut kits and take your box home in the end. No experience is necessary, and all tools and materials are provided.
The event is on Saturday, March 29th from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries, located at 472 West Mountain Road in Lenox. Registration and more information can be found online.
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Berkshire Art Center’s 2025 Berkshire Artist residency application open
Stockbridge— Berkshire Art Center is now accepting applications for its 2025 Berkshire Artist Residency Program.
Since 2012, Berkshire Art Center has coordinated Artist Residencies that pair local visual artists with cultural institutions and historic landmarks across the Berkshires. This year, Berkshire-based artists can apply for a summer residency at four local institutions, including The Red Lion Inn, Chesterwood, Arrowhead, and Hancock Shaker Village. Four artists will be selected to spend three months creating work inspired by the history, landscape, culture, and architecture of these institutions.
Berkshire Art Center recognizes the important outlet and invaluable opportunity an artist residency provides. The extended length and flexible hours of the program give artists, who might not have the luxury to attend residencies away from home for long periods of time, the ability to further their career and create art in a way that compliments their current practice.
The 2025 program runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Selected artists receive access to the buildings and grounds of their site and support for the development, creation, and exhibition of their work. Each artist will receive an honorarium, the opportunity to present an artist talk, an invitation to teach a course or workshop through Berkshire Art Center, and invitations to special events held at their site. Additional benefits, such as meal stipends and studio space, are site specific. Each residency closes with a reception and exhibition of the artist’s work.
The application deadline is April 10th. More information can be found online.
