2008 Greater Barrington - June

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Greater BARRINGTON Volume IV, Issue Two

Complimentary

June 2008

Eat, Drink & Be Merry in

Great Barrington

Food should be fun, right? So why is wine so intimidating? Well, it isn’t anymore, or so I found out when I spoke with Joe Smegal, General Manager at Grape Finds in Great Barrington. In a calm and gentle voice Joe walked me around the shop – with its rainbow of artfully arranged displays, including store mascot “Clyde” with a tuba and cigar – and explained the essence of Grape Finds’ mission, “offering the world’s best wine values in a way that makes shopping for wine as enjoyable as drinking it”. Most of the wines are small production/hand-crafted vintages, never a mass-produced beverage. The selection process requires a wine to be “easy to love...beautiful...and delicious”. It doesn’t hurt that the vast majority of their merchandise is priced mostly in the area of $15 a bottle either. But what I LOVE about

the shop is the color coded wine categories and the engaging and entertaining “shelf talkers”. I have to admit to a mild organizational obsession. I file, code and organize anything that happens to fall into my hands. So I was ecstatic over Grape Finds’ color-coded wine categories. Boldly-colored graphics throughout the shop serve as headers for each “category” of wine that the store sells, and there are eight of them, with descriptions just as tasty on the tongue as the wines themselves - fizzy, fresh, soft, luscious, juicy, smooth, big and sweet. From there each selection is given its own “shelf talker,” a witty and informative block of text that explains what sort of wine is in a specific bottle, and also food pairing tips, serving tips and any other information that might help in the selection and enjoyment process. I laughed out loud at some of the phrases included in these descriptive “tag lines”, with their familiar and conversational tone setting me at ease and answering any questions I may have had. For example, in the “luscious” category I found a white wine exclaiming “Bellybutton shot!” – now, why wouldn’t I stop and read all about a wine like that? Adios intimidation, hello perfect selection! But, should you remain stumped, you can approach the store’s wellinformed staff for guidance and suggestions. The shop offers many tastings and educational venues through its “Grape Finds University”.

Grape Finds is located at 700 Main St. (in the Big Y Plaza) in Great Barrington. For hours and more information you can contact them at 413-528-6600, or by e-mail at info@grapefinds.net. They also have a comprehensive Web site: www.grapefinds.net. Some of their course offerings include: “Wines of the Great 48,” “Say Cheese!”, and “Food and Wine Made Fun”. Class sizes are limited, so it is important to register as soon as a class becomes available. Sommelier-in-training Joe Smegal often serves as instructor for these courses and explains that they are “not for ‘wine snobs,’ but for people who like wine and just want to learn about it”. To continue to educate the community about the connection between good wine and great dining experiences Grape Finds offers free restaurant showcases on

Saturdays beginning with the July 4 holiday and running through the Labor Day weekend, then offers special showcases during the winter holidays. From 2-4 p.m. on each presentation day, an area restaurant sets up shop in the center of the Grape Finds retail space and prepares some of their most popular items. Joe then pairs up the food with three or four wines available in the shop. Patrons can enjoy this food and wine tasting for free, no reservations required. (continued on page 4)


Enjoy the links in

Great Barrington

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers Publication Toby Raymond, contributing writer Peter Czaja, Sales Representative Debra Johnson, Sales Representative Pearl Dennis, page design

Berkshire Penny Saver 154 West Park Street Lee, Massachusetts 01238 413-243-2341 Renee Tassone, General Manager

A steady hum of activity filled the Pro Shop at the Egremont Country Club, which seemed odd for a Wednesday in early spring. “We are off to a good start,” Frank Mazzarelli said indicating the “front 9” of the Club’s golf course with a wave of his hand. I had to agree as I gazed out on the expanse of emerald-green grass, small yellow flags snapping in the steady breeze, a scattering of golfers in brightly colored clothes in the distance. It was a scene straight out of mid-June. “We have been watering the grass since April!” Frank laughed, but then considered for a moment and added wryly, “but it’s the Berkshires, who knows what the weather will be tomorrow”. I was about to agree, and add the proverbial “enjoy it while it lasts,” but a young girl passing by the shop’s front window expressed my sentiment so much better. She was holding her

arms above her head, her hands and fingers dancing in the breeze, a broad smile across her freckled face as she sat in the passenger’s seat of her mother’s golf cart. If a golf cart could “zoom,” then they were zooming! The two were clearly having a great time making their way through the 18 holes. As I looked around I realized that everyone seemed to be wearing a smile. The Egremont County Club definitely has a comfortable and familiar air; the staff greeted the golfers by name, helped them with their gear and chatted amiably. I overheard two ladies meeting for the first time after the winter, laughing about their chances of doing well on the driving range. A few vendors and sales reps had casual business chats with Frank about the upcoming season. All of these (continued on page 3)

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Greater Barrington

June 2008


(continued from page 2) scenes offered evidence to the unstated mission of the Club, to offer a “public facility available for the local people to play on”. This place is clearly a local institution. Country clubs are generally wellkept and tidy, but the Egremont Country Club takes it a bit farther, the grounds are pristine and the gardens are all ready for a season of bloom, but I found a whimsical sculpture of a squirrel hiding in one corner, and noticed picnic tables and well-worn benches in shady areas of the course. With the numerous fund-raisers and charity events that take place at the facility each year, the name “Egremont Country Club,” is bound to be repeated almost non-stop throughout the area during the golfing season. A casual listing of events includes the wonderful Kare Bear Invitational (which takes place August 6 of this year), the annual Sheffield Kiwanis Tournament, the Monument Mountain Girls Softball Team and Boys Basketball Team Benefits, the Lee Football Team Fund-raise, the Earth Angels

Tournament, the “Slice of Heaven” Tournament by the Marion Helpers in Stockbridge, just to name a few. The Country Club also has its own tournament, the “Egremont Spring Classic,” which sees it 30th annual celebration on May 17 and 18 of this year. Entry into the competition is on a first-come basis, with an anticipated $8000 in prizes to be awarded. The celebratory weekend also includes cocktails and dinner on the evening of the 17th and a midday barbecue and awards presentation ceremony on the 18th. The kitchen of the Club House, the Country Club’s banquet and dining facility will provide catering for this special event. Able accommodate events with up to 225 guests, and boasting service in the dining room or on the canopied deck - complete with a view of the Berkshire hills, the Club House also offers lunch daily April through October. Chefs Lynn Pino and Silver Reilly have created an affordable menu reflective of the region and the wide-range of guests to the Country Club. You can enjoy a glass of wine with your

“Mar’s Spinach with Portabello” salad, or you can custom design your own “Clubhouse Burger,” to go along with a nice cold beer, and either way your lunch bill won’t break $15. The menu for catered events reads like a long dream list of many favorite foods – right down to the three-tiered wedding cake. Existing since the 1930s, the Club is now in the able hands of Frank

Mazzarelli and his partners Sam, Jim and Mike Mazzarelli and Robert Petrovits. I asked if there were plans for expansion or to offer other athletic opportunities, but Frank shook his head and said, “No, really we just think it is nice to be able to offer an 18-hole course locally, and keep doing what we’re doing.” Judging by all of the smiles I saw that day, I would say they are doing it right.

The Egremont Country Club is located on Rt. 23 in Great Barrington. Their telephone number is 413-528-4222, or you can visit their Web site at www.egremontcountryclub.com.

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June 2008

Greater Barrington

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Eat, Drink & Be Merry in

Great Barrington

Farmers’ Markets Great Barrington Farmers’ Market May 10 – October 25 Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 44 Castle Street, Great Barrington Farmers’ Market at the Nutrition Ctr. June 4 – August 27 Wednesdays from 3-7 p.m. 94 West Ave., Great Barrington Farmers’ Market in Lenox May 9 – October 17 Fridays from 2-6 p.m. Aspinwall, 293 Main St., Lenox

(continued from page 1) As I said, wine can seem intimidating to the novice or the uninitiated, but Grape Finds doesn’t take itself too seriously, instead surrounding patrons with whimsy and tons of information. It makes plain the idea that wine is something to be enjoyed by everyone. Shop owners Gene and Karen Faul stand behind their efforts to offer only the best in an

Hilltop Orchard Farmers’ Market Lee/Mass Pike service area, eastbound, Lee, MA Contact Donna Hill at for details 617-248-2962 Open-Air/Seasonal Lee Farmers’ Market Town parking lot, Main Street, Lee, MA 01238 Contact Amy Wedder for details 413-243-3088 Fridays - Open-Air/Seasonal WIC Coupons accepted Lenox Farmers’ Market 55 Pittsfield Road, Route 7 & 20, Lenox Shops May 12 - October 28 Fridays 3PM - 7PM

accessible manner and with a sense of fun through their special Grape Finds Guarantee, which states that they are “committed to astounding you with both our products and our service”. With their high-quality merchandise and top-notch service Grape Finds easily meets that guarantee, allowing shoppers to select a wine in a way that is “simple, easy, and affordable.”

Farmers’ Market in Otis May 10 – October 25 Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 2000 East Otis Rd., Otis Farmers’ Market in Sheffield May 9 – October 17 Fridays from 2-6 p.m. 340 S. Main St., Otis

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June 2008


The Great Outdoors in

Great Barrington

Surprises of a Secret Picnic Spot I had always known about the bridge, but never taken the time to meander down the short dirt drive to explore its abutments and pretty expanse. In 1994 I was saddened to learn it had burned down. Only after settling in the Berkshire area a few years later did I hear of the bridge’s restoration. In 2005 I FINALLY made a visit to the Sheffield Covered Bridge, along with my sweetheart, for a romantic spring

picnic. It is an ideal place for that purpose. Swallows dove madly across the water in hot pursuit of a meal, a weeping willow shaded the little slope where we spread out our blankets and picnic baskets, and the deep cool grass was perfect for our bare feet and toes. The Housatonic River sashayed by without a care. We enjoyed our lunch and then did something that every couple in love should do...we hunted for four-

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leaf clover. Stalking such prey allows a thorough exploration of any site, and here was no exception. We admired the marble abutments on both sides of the river, the timber structure of the re-built bridge was the topic of much discussion (“they don’t make things like they used to”) and the numerous wildflowers around the site were mentally cataloged for later identification. The old road, now closed to automobile traffic, made for a lovely, long stroll. We were surprised by many things that afternoon. First, we struck the jackpot in clover, acquiring many new good luck tokens (we press them in books, and give them away). Next, we read the information board and discovered that one set of abutments (those on the east side of the bridge) were quarried from the same marble that belongs to the Washington Monument - the dazzling reflected light from these stones is kin to that in one of our most beloved national monuments! Lastly, four hours somehow slipped away from us in that glorious afternoon. We still think of the Sheffield Covered Bridge as our secret spot, and we visit it

as often as we can. We see many familiar faces with each visit, some human and some canine. We often stop just with a cup of coffee to reminisce over our perfect picnic, but whenever we get enough time we kick off our shoes and go hunting! The Sheffield Covered Bridge is directly off of Route 7 in Sheffield, MA. The turn is clearly marked and is located near Limey’s Restaurant. The Bridge is open to the public, but closes at sunset.

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June 2008

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Shopping in

Great Barrington

Berkshire Eye Center, Modern Technology Meets Old-Fashioned Customer Service JF Rey, Calvin Klein, Juicy Couture, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Coach, Lafont... I was not strolling down Fifth Avenue, browsing high-end boutiques; I was standing in the Berkshire Eye Center in Great Barrington perusing a wide assortment of extremely cool glasses. The news that I had reached a stage in my life that would require eyeglasses for activities such as driving safely, viewing movies, and generally seeing clearly at a point beyond the end of my nose was not received happily. But I have to admit that the blow was softened when I saw the array of fashionable choices the Center offers. Seated at the dispensing table at the front of the office, I was amazed at the pace of the business taking place. When I spoke with Dr. Neal Ginsberg I soon understood why the little office buzzes with activity. The Berkshire Eye Center is not just a place to get a good eye exam performed by friendly and obviously well-trained staff who also help you select the perfect pair of stylish glasses, it is a facility that works to provide the highest quality eye care in the region. They are continually investing in the latest technology in order to stay “ahead of the curve in the ever-

changing field of ophthalmology”. I wondered what equipment would make an ophthalmologists’ office cutting-edge these days, and the list of services and procedures offered at the Center explains it very quickly. Apart from board certified ophthalmologists and a full service optical shop; the Center has “sub-specialists in the areas of cornea/external disease, refractive surgery, glaucoma, retina and lowvision, providing medical and surgical eye care.” They offer the only wavefront guided laser vision correction center in Berkshire County, meaning they can correct near and farsightedness as well as astigmatism. The office is also able to offer the newest technologies allowing patients undergoing cataract surgery to see without the need for glasses. With offices in Great Barrington, Pittsfield and in Valatie, New York, the entire region has access to these complete and comprehensive vision services. A large part of the mission of the Berkshire Eye Center is to “maintain the most competent, compassionate and well-trained team of staff and physicians possible,” considering their top

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Greater Barrington

June 2008


A Father’s Day Gift to Remember Father’s Day is the perfect time to thank Dad for driving to and from t-ball, coaching little league and helping with homework. Much like a Dad’s responsibilities are wide and varied, so, too, are his interests and personalities. Whereas a coffee mug or necktie used to be the “one size fits all” gift for Father’s Day, for those who want to show how much they truly appreciate Dad’s efforts over the last year, it’s best to let his personality and interests dictate what’s the most appropriate gift.

(continued from page 6) priority the “well-being and respect” of patients. That they are meeting this mission is attested to by the constant activity throughout the business day. As for me, I was treated to a thorough examination, an explanation of my nearsightedness (finally understanding why I could NEVER read a street sign in time to make the turn!) and walked through the frame selection process, settling on a jazzy pair of cat’s eye frames with little stars at

the corners. The numerous additional options available for my lenses, Crizal Alize - allowing me to drive at night without the hazards of glare, the option to have them darken in bright daylight, and many more, were reviewed. In less than a week I was back to pick-up my new glasses, proud that I had owned up to my visual failings and glad to have selected Berkshire Eye Center, whose doctors and staff allowed me to feel completely confident and satisfied with their care.

Protect Pets From Summer Sun You would never dream of leaving your child outside in the summer sun for several hours without protection, so why would you leave your pet out there? Sun protection is important - even for the furry members of our family. Many people don’t realize it, but veterinarians say pets suffer the same problems humans do, like overheating, dehydration and even sunburn. There are two key things you can do to protect your pets from the heat, say officials with the Humane Society of the United States: Provide them with plenty of water and shade. Making sure Fido has enough water is easy, but the shade part can be tricky for those with sunny yards. However, now there’s an easy way to create shade in any yard. Easy Gardener’s Sun Screen Fabric is a protective mesh covering that’s great to use for creating a UV protective tent or large covering over your pet’s outside areas. Creating a shaded area for your pets is easy with the fabric. In addition, once you install your Sun Screen Fabric, it will last a long time and it cleans easily with a garden hose. Even in wet condi-

June 2008

tions, the cloth deters mildew because it is made with breathable fabric. The attractive Sun Screen Fabric comes in a variety of colors: heavy black, smoke blue, saddle tan and heavy green. You also have a choice of size. The six foot wide Sun Screen Fabric comes in lengths from 20 feet to 100 feet. The innovative, breathable fabric allows heat to escape while cooling the shaded area and reducing temperatures up to 15 degrees. As mentioned, installing the fabric is easy, even for those who aren’t “do-it-yourselfers.” Included with Sun Screen Fabric are project suggestions as well as a project ideas brochure. For further information call Easy Gardener at 1-800-327-9462 or visit www.easygardener.com. Easy Gardener has several accessories that make installing the fabric a breeze: wood fasteners, snap grommets, locking clips and locking ties. All of the accessories will be located next to the Sun Screen Fabric at your local gardening store or chain retailer.

For the Classic Dad Psychologists say that smell is more likely to trigger a memory than all of a person’s other senses combined. One might catch a whiff of smoke coming from a charcoal or gas grill and suddenly be reminded of summer BBQ’s, while another may be reminded of waiting tables at a restaurant. Perfumes and colognes have the same effect. They often remind us of friends and family members. For the Sporty Dad Most Dads love sports, which can mean baseball, football, basketball, etc. Since “sports” is such an ambiguous term, a host of gift ideas exist to put a smile on pop’s face. If Dad is a diehard baseball fan, consider tickets to a ball-

game, as the baseball season coincides with Father’s Day. If Dad is more of an overall sportsman, consider a new fishing pole or taking him out for a backpacking trip. With so many sports to choose from, chances are those looking for a gift for their sporty Dad can find something that will fit the bill. For the On-the-Go Dad For the Dad who is always traveling for work, look for a gift that can make his travels a little more enjoyable. For example, if Dad is routinely racking up the frequent flyer miles, consider a handheld DVD player to add some entertainment value to those long and often boring flights. If Dad is not much of a movie buff but loves his music, perhaps an MP3 player would be the ideal gift to make his travels a little less stressful. When it comes to Dads and business travel, they’re likely to welcome anything that can help them better cope with the negative side of being away from home.

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Greater Barrington

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June 2008


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