‘Heartflow’ community celebration to honor Housatonic River
Great Barrington — The Housatonic River Walk will host “Heartflow: Honoring the Housatonic River” Saturday, June 22, from 2 to 4 p.m.
The event offers an opportunity for people to connect with the river individually and as a community. The event will begin at Stanley Park, across the street from Cumberland Farms, and will culminate at the W. E. B. Du Bois Rain Garden with stops along the way for information, reflection and creativity. Berkcirque will open the event with circus-style fun against the backdrop of the Housatonic. A gentle half-mile procession along the Housatonic River Walk will follow, with pauses for assembling pinwheel blessings, listening to poems, cello music and a chance to pay respect to the river. The event is part of the annual Radical Joy for Hard Times’ Global Earth Exchange observances taking place around the world.
The event is free and open to the public. Families and people of all ages are invited to join the procession at any point or for its entirety. For more information, contact the Great Barrington Land Conservancy at info@gbland.org.
–E.E.
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Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary to host Wild Thing trail race and walk
Lenox — Mass Audubon’s Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary will present its fourth annual Wild Thing 5K/10K trail race and 5K walk Sunday, June 23, at 9 a.m.
The races and walk will begin at the wildlife sanctuary, and the courses will feature the single-track trails and scenic carriage roads of adjacent Kennedy Park. All racers and walkers are invited to a post-race celebration in Pleasant Valley’s big red barn where they can enjoy treats from Chocolate Springs as well as other light refreshments. Prizes will be awarded to the male and female winners and runners-up of the 10K and 5K races, as well as to the top two “Best Dressed Native Species” racers. All race participants will receive a tote bag from Blue Q and are eligible to win prizes donated from local businesses including Artifact Cider, the Annie Selke Companies and Cranwell Resort. New this year is the family-friendly “Walk on the Wild Side,” a 30-minute guided nature walk perfect for friends and family waiting for a runner to finish their race.
The entry fee for the races is $30 by Saturday, June 22, and $35 the day of the event. Race-day registration can only be done in person from 7 to 8 a.m. The fee for “Walk on the Wild Side” is $20. Proceeds will benefit Mass Audubon’s conservation and education programs throughout Berkshire County. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary at (413) 637-0320 or berkshires@massaudubon.org.
–E.E.
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‘River Art Project 3’ to raise awareness of Housatonic River
Stockbridge — The River Art Project will host an opening reception for the “River Art Project 3” group exhibit Friday, June 21, from 6 to 8 p.m.
The mission of the exhibition project is to raise awareness of the beauty and importance of the river environment and offer opportunities to educate on how to protect it. For the third year, the River Art Project will donate a portion of sales to three organizations that are actively working to protect the Hudson and Housatonic rivers: the Hudson Riverkeeper, the Housatonic River Initiative and the Housatonic Valley Association. The exhibition features six painters from the Berkshire region who work with the river as subject: Bart Elsbach, Michael Filmus, Ann Getsinger, Mary Sipp Green, Scott Prior and Jim Schantz.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the River Art Project at (413) 298-5163.
–E.E.
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Discover Connecticut bicycle tour to explore Falls Village
Falls Village, Conn. — As part of the 2019 Discover Connecticut Bicycle Tour series, Bike Walk Connecticut and the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area will present a tour Sunday, June 23, at 8:30 a.m. beginning at 108 Main St.
The ride has four scenic routes of 13, 20, 40 and 44 miles. The 13-mile route is mostly on dirt roads and affords views of the Housatonic River. The 20-, 40-, and 46-mile routes are on pavement and pass through the historic towns of West Cornwall, Sharon and Salisbury. All the routes afford riders the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful and historic Upper Housatonic Valley on low-traffic roads. At the end of the ride, there will be a post-tour social with food and entertainment on the Falls Village Green.
Registration is $50 for adults and $20 for youth ages 12 and under. A portion of the proceeds go to the hosting community to help fund local biking and walking projects. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Susan Smith at susan@bikewalkct.org.
–E.E.
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Race Brook Lodge to welcome GoldenOak, Thin Lear
Sheffield — Race Brook Lodge will welcome GoldenOak and Thin Lear to its BarnSpace Friday, June 21, at 7 p.m.
Conceived in the winter of 2013, GoldenOak’s woodsy, modern folk sound weaves together rich, four-part harmonies and piercing melodic lines over a unique blend of cello, guitar, trumpet and cajón. Siblings Zak Kendall and Lena Kendall were born and raised in the Sandy River Valley of western Maine and started making music together as children. The bond of brother and sister is evident in their carefully crafted songs, poetic lyrics and flowing harmonies. They perform regularly throughout the Northeast.
Thin Lear, the eclectic project of New York City-based songwriter Matt Longo, lovingly crafts ornate and cinematic songs, from glowing ballads to psychedelically tinged folk to propulsive grooves, with rushes of color and lush walls of sound.
Tickets are $15–$20. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Race Brook Lodge at (413) 229-2916 or info@rblodge.com.
–E.E.
