Tuesday, November 12, 2024

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

HomeLife In the Berkshires

Life In the Berkshires

BITS & BYTES: Monika Pizzichemi at Marketplace Café; ‘Free to Be…You and Me’ at Eric Carle Museum; Alice Marie Dugan at Art on Main;...

Monika Pizzichemi’s latest photographic project documents yearly tap dance workshops taught to children and adults in the underserved slum communities of Nairobi, Kenya.

Gideon’s Garden: So others may eat

“Gideon’s Garden is the best thing. It’s such a pleasure partnering with them. They have a big heart; they care about everybody.” --George Laye, director of the Guthrie Center

Circus is coming! Smirkus is coming!

The Circus Smirkus performances are a benefit for the Great Barrington Fairgrounds Redevelopment Project. The Smirkus theme is: “Anchors Away for Atlantis, a maritime merriment under the briny big top.”

An American welcome to the Tanglewood season: Opening night starring Renee Fleming

This was an auspicious start of the Tanglewood season, signaling, one may hope, the advent of a special musical welcoming and inclusiveness by Maestro Nelsons and his company.

An Upper Second Hand: The Best Finds of My Generation

The Edge introduces its Berkshires version of an antiques road show, hosted by the estimable and erudite Andrew Flint who's gifted at discovering diamonds in the rough.

Connections: Summer storm at Tanglewood led to Shed

Eighty years ago, Tanglewood concerts were outdoors -- in a tent. At one performance, an all-Wagner concert, with Koussevitsky conducting, a storm rendered the music inaudible.

Theatre of Freedom: A unique way to experience the Fourth of July

'The Theatre of Freedom' is a radical theatrical experiment in community, vulnerability and the meaning of freedom.

After the flood, restoring the Mount’s gardens — again

'There’s been a huge outpouring of support from our members and the community. Many have offered to volunteer but we really need to focus on our existing team. Most importantly we need to emphasize to the public ongoing events such as the Jazz Café on weekends, the lecture series and theater. We’re known now for our many programs and been called the literary hub of the Berkshires.' -- Susan Wissler, executive director, The Mount

Chip’s first ride: A Ride$hare adventure

Elitzer said he found his first Ride$hare expedition “an adventure. It’s a blast. And a lot of fun. You meet so many people.”

How Share the Bounty got started

I was struck by the notion that every dollar donated — in serving three goals —would effectively triple in value: supporting a local farmer, preserving our rural landscapes, and providing fresh, healthy food to community members in need. -- Jonathan Hankin, founder of Share the Bounty

Food Justice: So others may eat

According to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, roughly one in eight people continues to experience hunger in this part of the Commonwealth, an eye-opening fact. Furthermore, one in five children lives in food-insecure households.

Connections: Elm Court epitomized the (past) Gilded Age

'Elm Court…has become famous…as an example of what the progressive modern spirit, backed up by abundant capital, can accomplish.' -- Berkshire Resort Topics, 1904

Fairgrounds improvements on hold, awaiting required floodplain engineering studies

We are not professional developers. We’re the leading edge of a community movement to get this done and to make this happen at the fairgrounds. -- Janet Elsbach, co-proprietor of the Great Barrington Fair Ground

World Cup fever mounts in the Berkshires

It is a soccer extravaganza with an estimated worldwide viewing population of 3.2 billion humans, long anticipated and riddled with controversy. Yet soccer itself is the everyman’s game, ferociously beloved by both rich and poor, and everyone in between.

Living Room Theatre to pop up in Rotary Way: Taboo is the topic

We’re collecting performances about those things we don’t want to talk about, varying from the serious to the funny, like sex, death and politics." -- Pooja Ru Prema

Chelm 01262: On the march for a county of ‘bridges’

"We already have West Stockbridge and now we could get Lenox as North Stockbridge, Lee as East Stockbridge, Great Barrington as South Stockbridge and even Pittsfield as FarNorth Stockbridge." -- The Elders of Chelm 01262

David Magadini: Mayor of Main Street

He argues that by exercising his rights as a citizen of the United States – in this case, to vote and be a free citizen even though he has chosen to remain homeless -- he serves as a model to strongly encourage others to exercise their freedom as well.