Historical society to host ‘Winter Wonderland’
Sheffield — Beginning Saturday, Dec. 12, the Sheffield Historical Society will host “Winter Wonderland” on the grounds of the Dan Raymond House, 159 Main St. In order to keep the crowd size small, the historical society will host two opening celebrations — from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, and Saturday, Dec. 19 — that will include a socially distanced Santa Claus, music, firepits and extended hours at the nearby Old Stone Store, 137 Main St.
All are invited to stroll through a festive forest of 20 lit trees sponsored and decorated by local businesses, organizations and families, every evening from 4 to 7 p.m. through Wednesday, Jan. 6. In addition, an 8-foot Remembrance Tree will be featured for residents to create personalized ornaments dedicated to friends, loved ones and heroes.
The event is free and open to the public. Attendees are asked to park in the Town Hall parking lot, 21 Depot Square, and follow the signs to the entrance. Masks are required and there may be a slight delay in entry as crowd limits and distancing are monitored and maintained. For more information, contact the Sheffield Historical Society at (413) 229-2694 or sheffieldhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.
–E.E.
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MCLA-IAH to host final ‘Unlikely Conversation’
North Adams — The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Institute for the Arts and Humanities will host “Unlikely Conversations: From Intern to Industry,” the final part of its virtual three-part “Unlikely Conversations” series, Monday, Dec. 14, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Produced and moderated by MCLA-IAH communications and administrative assistant Declan McDermott, the discussion will feature WAM Theatre associate artistic director Talya Kingston, Jacob’s Pillow director of community engagement Thasia Giles, and MASS MoCA artist services and intern director Meghan Labbee. The panelists will discuss unpaid internships in the arts. The conversation will focus on the ways the participants and the surrounding industry have approached internship funding in the past, and how this can be improved in the future. Overall, this event aims to establish a space in which everyone will be able to gain valuable insight from the conversation that they can take into their personal careers and professional circles to make an impact on how internships in the arts are structured.
The event is free and open to the public via Zoom. Registration is required. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar, or contact the MCLA Institute for the Arts and Humanities at (413) 662-5406 or mcla-iah@mcla.edu.
–E.E.
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Ventfort Hall hosting sculpture exhibit
Lenox — Ventfort Hall is decorated for the holidays and hosting a new exhibition of 20 bronze sculptures by Andrew DeVries. DeVries has chosen works from his dance series for this exhibit including his most recent life-sized bronze, titled “Starlight. “
DeVries’ career spans four decades, and he not only creates but also casts his own works in bronze. His atelier and casting studio is located in Middlefield. His sculptures are in private and public collections on five continents. He and his wife, Patricia Purdy, founded DeVries Fine Art International Inc. in 2002.
All sculptures are for sale, with a portion being donated to Ventfort Hall to help the museum’s ongoing restoration. Reservations are required, as are masks and social distancing. For more information, contact Ventfort Hall at (413) 637-3206 or info@gildedage.org.
–E.E.
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Storytelling series to feature middle-school students
Ancram, N.Y. — Ancram Opera House will close its all-virtual 2020 season Saturday, Dec. 12, at 3 p.m. with “Real People Real Stories: Taconic Hills,” featuring fifth- and sixth-grade storytellers from the Taconic Hills Central School District.
Student participation in “Real People Real Stories” evolved from a storytelling workshop that AOH co-director Paul Ricciardi has been leading at the school this fall. Ten students volunteered to participate in the Dec. 12 performance; stories will include discovering how guinea pigs swim, enduring broken arms, getting lost in the Bahamas, and more.
The event is free to stream online, but registration is required. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar, or contact the Ancram Opera House at (518) 329-0114 or info@ancramoperahouse.org.
–E.E.
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Hunt Library to offer chocolate workshop
Falls Village, Conn. — On Saturday, Dec. 19, at 5 p.m., the David M. Hunt Library will host a virtual culinary workshop with Ann Bidou of Toymakers Cafe on how to make no-bake chocolate mice. The workshop is appropriate for all ages, and free and open to the public via Zoom. Registration is required, and is recommended a week in advance so as to allow time to gather ingredients (each participant will receive a list of ingredients along with their Zoom invitation once they register). For more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar, or contact the David M. Hunt Library at (860) 824-7424 or dmhuntlibrary@gmail.com.
–E.E.
