2009 Summer Guide by Hersam Acorn

��

Lakes Fishing

Golf

Map Not To Scale

2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

��

�� Guide �� 4 �� A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication 2009�� Summer ��

��

Horse Enthusiasts Head to Vermont Summer Festival weather rings, schooling and riding areas, permanent wash racks, paddocks and trails for casual riding. There is food available on site, as well as a bar, and there are a number of places to dine in nearby towns. Highlights this year include a $10,000 Open Welcome Stake every Friday at 1 p.m., the $30,000 Grand Prix to be held every Sunday at 2 p.m. and the Grand Finale $50,000 Grand Prix on Sunday, August 9th at 2 p.m.

David Mullinix Photography

- Beth Traver Adolphus

When you need a break from the equine scene, head to Manchester, Vermont. Known in part for its excellent shopping opportunities – from major designer outlets to antiques and fine arts and crafts – the town also offers gourmet food, hiking, golf, tennis, fishing (the town is home to Orvis) and other recreational activities. Or take a drive and enjoy views of the beautiful Green Mountains and the charm of quintessential New England towns.

The Vermont Summer Festival Horse Shows at the Beebe Farm in East Dorset, Vermont are a horse lover’s dream. All together, the six weeks of competition make up the largest AA rated hunter/jumper show in New England. This rating is based on the prize money given, which this year will be over $750,000. Organizers believe this also makes it the largest sporting event in Vermont. The affair is significant enough to earn a spot on the governor’s schedule, and for many years he has attended to present some of the awards.

The cost of admission to the Vermont Summer Festival Horse Shows is $5 for adults and $3 for children Wednesday through Saturday and $7 for adults and $5 for children for Grand Prix Sundays. All gate receipts are donated to the Friends Foundation for the Manchester (Vermont) Elementary/Middle School. For more information, call 802-496-4878 or visit www.vt-summerfestival.com.

The show has been around for over 20 years, and on average, there are 900 to 1,100 horses on site each week. Competitors – including Olympic medalists – are mostly from the Northeast, but some travel from the Mid-Atlantic States and the Southeast

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers Publication Jen Hathaway, cover design Melissa Miller, page design TriState Pennysaver News 109 South Street, Bennington, VT 05201 802-447-3381 Vermont News Guide 99 Bonnet Street, Manchester, VT 05254 802-362-3535

David Mullinix Photography

(primarily Florida). They also hail from Central America and occasionally even Europe. Participants of all ages will convene at the Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset from 8 a.m. to around 4 p.m. each Wednesday through Sunday from July lst through August 9th for dozens of division contests. The Beebe Farm, home to the Summer Festival for the last 15 years, was chosen because of its lovely pastoral setting and proximity to a number of first-class amenities. It boasts six all 2009 Summer Guide

Berkshire PennySaver 154 West Park Street, Lee, MA 01238 413-243-2341 Yankee Shopper 20 Cleveland Road, Dalton, MA 01226 413-684-1373 Renee Tassone, General Manager

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

A Bigger, Better Summer in the Park - Beth Traver Adolphus Bennington, Vermont residents and visitors alike have enjoyed the downtown Summer in the Park Concert Series for some time, but organizers weren’t satisfied that the ongoing summer event was living up to its potential. This year’s Summer Fest Entertainment Series is far more expansive, adding another day to the schedule, new locations and more variety to the entertainment.

Lisa Dee and Fred Lantz sing at the 2008 Summer in the Park Concert Series.

In years past, the series featured outstanding musical acts performing free concerts in a park behind one of the local downtown banks on Friday and Saturday nights in July and August. While after-work performances on Friday nights from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. will still anchor the new series, Saturday’s shows will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. along with all new family activities throughout the downtown area. The location of the Main Stage has also changed; the live concerts will be offered at the site of the former Harte Theater next to Shaffe’s Men’s Clothing on Main Street.

��

Another new feature of the series will be Bennington’s celebration of its friends’ and neighbors’ gifts on Sunday afternoons from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. “Hometown Sundays” will feature performances by local organizations such as church choirs and other choral groups, high school musicians, local poets and authors, dance groups and more. The kickoff for the Summer Fest Entertainment Series will take place at Midnight Madness on July 16th when all of Bennington converges on Main Street to shop late into the night to take advantage of the best bargains anywhere. Shoppers are cautioned to watch for a new herd of moose that has stampeded into town for MooseFest 2009.

��

Saturday afternoon activities will include Plein Air, an outdoor downtown arts event featuring local and regional artists creating works of art on the spot. They will also offer completed pieces for sale. A new Sunshine Market in the parking areas surrounding the Town Office on South Street will complement the popular weekly Walloomsac Farmer’s Market. Vendors will offer everything from handmade crafts to antiques and tag sale items. Also on Saturdays, street entertainers will amuse spectators on Main Street with their various talents.

All events and activities are free and open to all. For more information and a schedule of performers, call 802-442-5758 or visit www.betterbennington.com.

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

FARMS/AGRICULTURAL ATTRACTIONS Adams Family Farm 15 Higley Hill Road in Wilmington, Vermont 802-464-3762 Rain or shine, this sixth generation working farm offers the “ultimate agricultural experience,” says the Boston Sunday Globe. The farm offers wagon rides, agricultural demonstrations, hay rides, bonfire parties, a “baby barn” of young animals, shepherding demonstrations, pony rides, a corn maze, special events and more. Reservations required for some activities. Open mid-June through October, 10am-5pm (Farm Store and Quilt and Fiber Arts Loft open daily, year-round, from 10am-5pm). The farm grounds are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. www.adamsfamilyfarm.com

��

The Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop Vermont Route 7 South in Bennington, Vermont 802-447-7780 or 888-8APPLES The Apple Barn and Country Bake Shop has become a “must stop” for locals and visitors alike. Featured as an Editor’s Choice in Yankee Magazine Travel Guide, the Apple Barn combines highquality baked goods with pick-your-own fruit in the summertime. Enjoy over 30 varieties of apples grown by nearby Southern Vermont Orchards. The Apple Barn has been featured on The Food Network’s $40 a Day, Ron Hazelton’s House Calls and Good Morning America. www.theapplebarn.com

��

Billings Farm & Museum Route 12 & River Road in Woodstock, Vermont 802-457-2355 The Billings Farm & Museum is keeping alive the spirit and values of Vermont’s rural past. The farm dates back to 1871, when native Vermonter Frederick Billings set out to build a farm and forestry operation that would serve future generations as a model of wise stewardship. His farm flourished and, today, is still a firstclass working farm, operating with a museum of Vermont’s rural heritage. The Billings Farm & Museum operates in partnership with the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, the only national park to tell the story of conservation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America. Those visiting can get to know the farm’s animals through interactive programs and activities and can try their hands at actual farm work. The farm offers a large number of events, including Time Travel Days, Foodways Fridays, a Wagon Ride Weekend on June 20th and 21st, Old Vermont 4th on July 4th, Cow Appreciation Day on July 18th, Antique Tractor Day on August 9th and more. The farm is open May 1st through October 31st, 10am to 5pm. www.billingsfarm.org

��

2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

FARMS/AGRICULTURAL ATTRACTIONS

Cabot Creamery 2878 Main Street in Cabot, Vermont • 888-792-2268 Visit Cabot’s Visitors’ Center in Cabot Village, home of Cabot’s famous cheddar cheese, and take a factory tour. The guided tour tells the history of Cabot Creamery and a little something about the agricultural history of Vermont. After the video, take a walk down the hall to view Cabot’s award-winning cheese being made. Following the tour ($2 per person over twelve years of age), nibble Cabot’s many varieties of cheeses, including the World’s Best Cheddar and Best Flavored Cheddar. The visit will include a Cabot Critters Coloring Book and weekly specials on selected cheese products. Call to confirm cheesemaking days. Large groups welcome with reservations. Open daily June through October from 9am-5pm. www.cabotcheese.com Hilltop Orchards and Furnace Brook Winery 508 Canaan Road in Richmond, Massachusetts 800-833-6274 Furnace Brook Winery, Berkshire’s first farm winery, is located at Hilltop Orchards, a 200-acre family fruit farm. Taste their awardwinning wines and ciders. The Normandy Gazebo offers wines by-the-glass and a menu in an open air environment overlooking the orchards and the Berkshire Hills. Hilltop Orchards, established in the early 1900s, today produces over 27 varieties of apples, plums, pears and grapes and is the largest producer of fresh apple

cider in the Berkshires. The Hilltop Orchards Farm Store stocks fresh baked goods, local produce and cheeses, as well as apples, cider and cider doughnuts. Pick your own apples from late August through the end of the harvest in October. Hiking, biking, picnicking and guided hikes are also offered. The orchards and winery are open Friday-Sunday, 11am-5pm. www.hilltoporchards.com

FESTIVALS, FAIRS & EVENTS (See also Music and Theater)

Agricultural Fairs Columbia, Rensselaer and Washington Counties, New York August 24-30 Washington County Fair on Old Schuylerville Road off of Route 29 in Greenwich. One of New York’s largest agricultural fairs. 518-692-2464. www.washingtoncountyfair.com September 2-7 The Schaghticoke Fair at the junction of Routes 67 and 40 in Schaghticoke. Third oldest fair in New York State. Children under 13 free. 518-753-4411. www.schaghticokefair.com September 2-7 Columbia County Fair on the fairgrounds at the intersection of Routes 66 and 203 in Chatham. 518-758-1811. www.columbiafair.com Southern Vermont July 25 The Pownal Valley Fair takes places at the Fire Department field on Route 346 in Pownal. Kids’ fun fair. 802-823-5258. August 27-30 92nd Deerfield Valley Farmers’ Day Fair takes place on the grounds of the middle/high school on School Street in Wilmington. 802-319-0117. August 28-30 The 212th Bondville Fair takes place on Route 30 in Bondville/ Winhall. Since 1797. 802-297-2927.

��

�� 8

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

�� 2009 Summer Guide

FESTIVALS, FAIRS & EVENTS

September 4-13 The Vermont State Fair is held on the fairgrounds on Route 7 in Rutland. 802-775-5200. www.vermontstatefair.net Western Massachusetts July 31-August 2 34th Adams Agricultural Fair at Bowe Field off Route 8 in Adams. 413-743-5281 or 413-743-2148. www.adamsfair.com August 15 Berkshire County 4-H Youth Fair and Horse Demonstrations and Clinics off Holmes Road in Pittsfield. 413-448-8285. Berkshire Crafts Fair Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington, Massachusetts 413-528-3346 The annual Berkshire Crafts Fair features a wide range of contemporary and traditional work. Over the years the Berkshire Crafts Fair has developed a reputation as a high quality, well-run show which has been awarded The Sunshine Artists 200 Award and has been listed in the Harris List of the Nation’s Best Arts and Crafts Shows. August 14th through 16th. www.berkshirecraftsfair.org Berkshires Summer Arts Festival At Butternut Basin Ski Area on Route 23 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts 1-800-834-9437 A special art show featuring 175 juried artists, live demonstrations, music, gourmet food and entertainment. The festival runs from July 3rd through July 5th, rain or shine, under tents and inside the air-conditioned lodges. www.berkshireartsfestival.com Circus Smirkus Dorr Farm in Manchester, Vermont and Vermont Agricultural Business Education Center in Brattleboro, Vermont 802-533-7443 2009 Summer Guide

Every summer, a company of talented Smirkus Troupers ages 10 to 18 from both the U.S. and abroad tour around New England. This year, the Big Top Tour will be Smirkus Ever After: A Big Top Fairytale. Circus Smirkus combines the best of traditional and contemporary circus styles, performed in a 750-seat Europeanstyle one-ring Big Top tent. Circus Smirkus is presented in most towns by local nonprofit youth or community organizations. The ticket sales and sponsorships raised through the performances provide a major source of income for their programs. This year, Circus Smirkus will perform on July 8th and 9th at Dorr Farm in Manchester, Vermont and July 14th and 15th at the Vermont Agricultural Business Education Center in Brattleboro, Vermont. www.smirkus.org

��

at Bromley Mountain’s SUN MOU T N A IN A D V EN T URE PA RK �� A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

Events at Robert Todd Lincoln’s Hildene Historic Route 7A in Manchester, Vermont 802-362-1788

FESTIVALS, FAIRS & EVENTS

Eighth Annual Cambridge Hot Air Balloon Festival Cambridge, New York 518-677-0887 The Cambridge Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival “takes off ” the weekend of June 5th, 6th and 7th. Plans include hot air balloon launches on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Cambridge Central School. Related events include opening ceremonies, competitive cycling race, craft fairs, carnival rides, a “Balloon Bash,” a music, art and food festival, a “Moon Glow Celebration,” a farewell pilots’ breakfast and other community events all weekend. www.cambridgenychamber.com Ethan Allen Colonial Fair Colgate Park on Route 9 in Bennington, Vermont 518-526-3400 Come to the Ethan Allen Colonial Fair on June 20th and 21st from 10am-5pm both days and learn about Vermont’s history in the Revolutionary War. Exhibitions and demonstrations will entertain children of all ages. Enjoy period song and dance, musical instruments, games and crafts. www.ethanallencolonialfair.com

The beautiful Georgian Revival home of Robert Todd Lincoln has magnificent views of the valley nestled between the Taconic and Green Mountains and is a perfect place to enjoy an eclectic schedule of events. (See Museum listings for more information on Robert Todd Lincoln’s Hildene.) June 14 GNAT-TV Culinary Experience July 2 Vermont Symphony Orchestra July 17 Alex Torres and the Latin Kings July 23 Hubbard Hall Shakespeare July 26 Komen Race for the Cure July 29 Washington County Band Concert July 31-August 2 Southern Vermont Art & Craft Festival August 7 New England Shakespeare Under the Stars August 12 Robert D. Thum Memorial Concert October 2-4 Foliage Art & Craft Festival www.hildene.org Fifteenth Annual Whipple City Festival & Craft Fair Downtown Greenwich, New York 518-692-7979 This free, community-wide festival from June 19-21 includes a parade, 5k race, live music, food, community events, games and demonstrations, animal exhibits, a family carnival, craft fair, open mic and more. www.greenwichchamber.org/communitycal.htm

��

Jewelry, Gem and Mineral Show American Legion in Pownal, Vermont 413-664-4115

��

This show features minerals, gems, jewelry, gifts, a fish pond for children, prizes and refreshments. It will be held September 11th (10am-6pm) and 12th (10am-5pm). Children will be admitted free (when accompanied by an adult), and there is a minimal charge for adults.

��

Pawlet Public Library’s 42nd Annual Book Sale Mettawee Community School on Vermont Route 153 in Pawlet, Vermont • 802-325-3123

��

The Pawlet Public Library Annual Book Sale is celebrating its 42nd year this year on Saturday, July 25th from 9am to 3pm and Sunday, July 26th from 10am to 2pm. The annual book sale is one of the largest book sales in Southern Vermont and last year featured between 30,000 and 40,000 hardcover and trade paperback books. The annual book sale is the principal source of funds for new books and magazines and library programs throughout the year. The event features a raffle with many chances to win, as well as a bake sale table and other refreshments.

��

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

FESTIVALS, FAIRS & EVENTS

Summer Fest Entertainment Series Main Street in Bennington, Vermont • 802-442-5758 What was once simply a concert series has expanded this year to include street entertainers, children’s activities, a Plein Air outdoor arts event and a Sunshine Market of handmade crafts, antiques and tag sale items. Free concerts will still be offered on Fridays from 5-7 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-3 p.m. from July 16th through August 22nd. Acts will include Kirsten Thein, Caught in the Act, Peter King & The Prescriptions, Dafe Brundajo, Stardusters, Fred Lantz & Lisa Dee, Hill Hollow Band, Buck Hill Ramblers, Blues Sanctuary, Zuela, Greg Van Houten and Bluprint. www.betterbennington.com Vermont Summer Festival/Horse Show At the Harold Beebe Farm just off Route 7 in East Dorset, Vermont • 802-496-4878 The Vermont Summer Festival features six weeks of top equestrian competition in the Manchester region. The show grounds boast six all-weather rings, including one of the largest Grand Prix fields in New England, as well as several all-weather schooling and riding areas, permanent wash racks, paddocks and extended trails for casual enjoyment. The festival runs Wednesdays-Sundays from 8am-4pm on the following dates:

July 1-5 Vermont Summer Special July 8-12 Manchester Summer Festival Horse Show July 15-19 Manchester Classic Horse Show July 22-26 Valley Classic Horse Show July 29-August 2 Manchester & the Mountains Horse Show August 5-9 Vermont Summer Celebration www.vt-summerfestival.com

GALLERIES/VISUAL ARTS Bennington Arts Guild Gallery 103 South Street at the Four Corners, Bennington, Vermont 802-442-7838 The Bennington Arts Guild is a cooperative run by artists from Bennington and the surrounding communities with the common goal of providing a viable market for, and bringing public attention to, fine art and fine craft produced in the area. Membership is open to artists throughout the greater Bennington area. Bennington Arts Guild Gallery is open Sunday 12pm-4pm and Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10am-5pm. www.benningtonartsguild.com

��

�� 2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

GALLERIES/VISUAL ARTS

Bennington Center for Arts Route 9 just west of Bennington, Vermont 802-442-7158 The Bennington Center for the Arts is known primarily for its fine arts galleries of nature-inspired and Native American art. It has, over the years, acquired a wonderful collection of sculpture, weavings, pottery and carvings. These works represent the beauty of wildlife, landscapes and the culture and history of Native Americans. It houses the award-winning Oldcastle Theatre and the Laumeister Galleries, which feature rotating art exhibits and art sales. It is also home to the Vermont Covered Bridge Museum. Bennington Center for the Arts includes a museum shop, a main theater and a covered bridge theater, as well as a visitors’ information center. Open 10am-5pm Wednesday through Monday. www.benningtoncenterforthearts.org Lichtenstein Center for the Arts 28 Renne Avenue in Pittsfield, Massachusetts 413-499-9348 The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts is a community arts center housed in a historic building in downtown Pittsfield. Inside is a gallery and performance area, workshops and artists’ studios. The center features current work of local and regional artists and craftspeople, both well known and emerging. This community arts

��

MASS MoCA 1040 MASS MOCA Way in North Adams, Massachusetts 413-662-2111 MASS MoCA is an extraordinary project converting a 27-building historic mill complex in the Berkshire Mountains into a multidisciplinary center for visual, performing and media arts. More than a static display hall, MASS MoCA provides space, tools and time for artists, cultural institutions and businesses working in sculpture, theater, dance, film, digital media and music. With annual attendance of 120,000, it ranks among the most visited institutions in the United States dedicated to new art. Hours are 11am-5pm (closed Tuesdays), then 10am-6pm daily from June 26-September 9. MASS MoCA offers public tours hourly between 11am and 4 pm on weekends and at 11am, 1pm, 2pm and 4pm weekdays. www.massmoca.org Southern Vermont Arts Center West Road in Manchester, Vermont • 802-362-1405 Vermont’s oldest cultural organization, the Southern Vermont Arts Center is located in Manchester, Vermont in a National Historic Trust Mansion. The Arts Center’s ten galleries feature classic and contemporary art on view and for sale. Its 407 acres are situated on the slope of Mount Equinox and offer hiking trails, a botany trail, sculpture gardens and an indoor/outdoor café. In addition, art classes and performances of music and dance are offered in renovated facilities. The Elizabeth de C. Wilson Museum is a stunning Hugh Newell Jacobsen-designed fine arts facility to display the Arts Center’s 800-piece permanent collection and special traveling exhibitions from the nation’s finest museums. Open year-round, Tuesday through Saturday, 10-5pm, and Sunday, 12-5pm. The center is also home to a number of festivals and events. www.svac.org

��

Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts • 413-458-2303

��

The Clark is a dynamic institution welcoming visitors year-round to experience outstanding European and American art in a beautiful, rural setting. Surrounded by 140 acres of woodlands, meadows and hiking trails, the Clark’s intimately scaled galleries are home to an exceptional collection. Opened in 1955 by Singer sewing machine heir Robert Sterling Clark and his wife, Francine, the Clark is renowned for its French Impressionist paintings by Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro and especially Pierre-Auguste Renoir, with more than 30 paintings by the artist. The collection is also rich in American paintings by Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Frederic Remington and Mary

��

center also features performances and readings by a variety of musicians, dancers, actors and poets. Nine individual artist rental studios are housed in the Lichtenstein Center, joining over 40 other working artist studios in downtown Pittsfield to create a thriving creative community. Local teaching artists lead a variety of classes, including ceramics, tap dancing, life drawing, tai chi and more. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, noon-5pm. www.culturalpittsfield.com

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

GALLERIES/VISUAL ARTS

Cassatt; Italian and Northern Renaissance masterpieces; portraits and landscapes by European masters; and an extraordinary collection of silver, porcelain and furniture. The Clark also features two new galleries and houses the Williamstown Art Conservation Center in its Stone Hill Center, newly opened last year. The Clark offers a lively variety of events and programs for all ages including concerts, films, family activities, gallery talks and after-hours events. Most public events, including family days and summer band concerts, are free of charge. Food is available year-round. Trails of varying lengths and difficulty cross the property and offer spectacular views of Williamstown and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Picnic tables and benches dot the landscape, inviting visitors to relax and enjoy the surrounding hills. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10am-5pm. Open daily July and August, 10am5pm. www.clarkart.edu Williams College Museum of Art 15 Lawrence Hall Drive off of Main Street, Route 2 in Williamstown, Massachusetts • 413-597-2429 One of the finest college art museums in the country, the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) houses 13,000 works that span the history of art. Within the broad range of time periods and cultures represented, the collection emphasizes modern and contemporary art, American art from the late 18th century to the present and the art of world cultures. In addition to displaying works from the permanent collection, the museum organizes loan exhibitions of outstanding works from other collections. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am-5pm and Sunday from 1-5pm. Admission is free, and the museum is wheelchair accessible. www.wcma.org

GARDENS, NATURE PRESERVES & PARKS Ashintully Gardens Sodem Road in Tyringham, Massachusetts • 413-298-3239 Ashintully (Gaelic meaning “on the brow of the hill”) was the name given to the original 1,000-acre estate assembled in the early 20th century by Egyptologist and two-time state representative Robb de Peyster Tytus from three farms in Tyringham and additional land in Otis. In 1937, noted contemporary composer John McLennan, Jr. acquired the estate, later moving into the farmhouse at the bottom of the hill and renovating the nearby barn into a music studio. McLennan created, over the course of thirty years, Ashintully Gardens. The gardens blend several natural features—a rushing stream, native deciduous trees, a rounded knoll and rising flanking meadows—into an ordered arrangement with both formal and informal beauty. Garden features include the Fountain Pond, Pine Park, Rams Head Terrace, Bowling Green, Regency Bridge and Trellis Triptych. Urns, columns and statuary ornament the garden, while foot bridges, foot paths, stone stairs and grassy terraces connect various parts of the garden. A half-mile woodland loop trail leads to the ruins of the Marble Palace. From these ruins, visitors can take in a distant view north through the Tyringham Valley. Open June 1st through October 15th on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons from 1-5pm. 2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

GARDENS, NATURE PRESERVES & PARKS www.thetrustees.org/pages/251_ashintully_gardens.cfm Berkshire Bird Paradise Sanctuary 43 Red Pond Road in Grafton/Petersburgh, New York 518-279-3801 The Berkshire Bird Paradise Sanctuary is a safe haven for disabled and injured birds. It is one of the largest bird sanctuaries in the country, with over 1,200 birds and almost 100 different species, including: Australian black swan, blue eared pheasant, bald eagle, golden eagle, Indian bar headed geese, golden pheasant, white peacock, Ferruginous hawk, great horned owl, Impean pheasant, emu, osprey, blue peacock, Reeves pheasant and Demosih crane (India). Open 9am-5pm daily Memorial Day to Labor Day. A small admission is charged to help feed and care for the birds. www.birdparadise.com Berkshire Botanical Garden Junction of Routes 183 and 102 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts 413-298-3926 Nestled in the scenic Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts, the Berkshire Botanical Garden (BBG) offers visitors a peaceful refuge of natural beauty, stunning display gardens, exciting community events and informative classes for all ages and levels of skill and knowledge. The collections (over 3,000 species and varieties) emphasize plants that thrive in the Berkshires and are displayed

in an informal, country setting. The display gardens are laid out on a residential scale to inspire and inform the home gardener. The garden also serves as a gathering place for community events, weddings, meetings and classes. Display gardens open 10am-5pm daily, May through Columbus Day. www.berkshirebotanical.org Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center Dyken Pond Road off of Route 80 in Grafton, New York 518-658-2055 Dyken Pond is the principal headwaters of the Poestenkill and the largest lake on the Rensselaer Plateau. Its historic dam was built in 1902 by Manning Paper Company and regulated the stream flow powering machinery along the Poestenkill to Troy. Manning Paper Company donated its land holdings to Rensselaer County in 1973. Since that time, Rensselaer County has owned and operated this living watershed as an ecological teaching unit as well as a low-use recreation area. Thirty-three ecological communities offer an exciting blend of places to explore and enjoy. The park has five miles of trail on county-owned lands and two miles of trail on privately owned conservation lands. No motorized vehicles, mountain biking, horseback riding, barbecues or swimming permitted. There is a non-motor boat launch near the parking lot. Call ahead to assure vehicle access to launch. Dogs are welcomed on leashes. Open daily during daylight hours. www.dykenpond.org

��

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

��

� � ��

��

2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

GARDENS, NATURE PRESERVES & PARKS Green Mountain National Forest Forest Supervisor, 231 North Main Street in Rutland, Vermont 802-747-6700 The Green Mountain National Forest follows the backbone of Vermont north from the Massachusetts border, all the way to the Appalachian Gap. It was established in 1932 after uncontrolled logging, fire and flooding ravaged the State of Vermont. Today, the Green Mountain National Forest has grown—tract by tract—to almost 400,000 acres that stretch across nearly two-thirds the length of Vermont. The mission of the Forest is to sustain, protect and enhance forest ecosystems. The Appalachian and Long Trails, which extend along the ridgeline of the Green Mountains, are part of its 312 miles of trails. Within the forest’s boundaries are cold streams and beaver ponds famous for brook and rainbow trout fishing. Other activities include birding, berry picking, canoeing, mountain biking, cross-country skiing and scenic drives.http://www.fs.fed. us/r9/forests/greenmountain/htm/greenmountain/g_home.htm

�

Lake Paran Houghton Street in North Bennington, Vermont 802-442-2422 Peaceful and beautiful, Lake Paran offers swimming, picnicking and fishing, as well as a bath house, snackbar, charcoal grills and canoe rentals. Certified life guards are on duty during peak swimming times. An evening summer concert series is offered on select weekends. Daily admission. Summer memberships are available. Lake Whitingham/Harriman Reservoir Wilmington/Whitingham, Vermont Lake Whitingham, also known as Harriman Reservoir, is Vermont’s largest recreational lake wholly within its borders, fully eight miles long from north to south, with over 28 miles of undeveloped shoreline. The lake was formed by the construction of the Harriman Dam, named for Henry I. Harriman, the engineer under whom it was constructed in 1923 by the New England Power Company. This large earthen dam stands 200 feet tall, 1,200 feet across and a quarter of a mile wide at its base. By the dam is the “glory hole,” an enormous 60-foot spillway shaped like a gigantic morning glory. Boating, fishing, swimming and picnicking are all available around the lake. It is maintained by the New England Power Company at no cost to the public. www.thisisvermont.com/storywaters.html The Long Trail Green Mountains, Vermont

��

Built by the Green Mountain Club between 1910 and 1930, the Long Trail is the oldest long-distance trail in the United States. It follows the main ridge of the Green Mountains from the MassachusettsVermont line to the Canadian border as it crosses Vermont’s highest peaks. It was the inspiration for the Appalachian Trail, which coincides with it for one hundred miles in the southern third of the state. Although the Long Trail is known as Vermont’s “ footpath in the wilderness,” its character may more accurately be described as backcountry. The trail climbs rugged peaks and passes pristine ponds, alpine bogs, hardwood forests and swift streams. It is steep in some places, muddy in others and rugged in most. Novice and expert alike will enjoy the varied terrain. With its 270-mile footpath, 175 miles of side trails and nearly 70 primitive shelters, the Long Trail offers endless hiking opportunities for the day hiker,

��

�� 16

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

GARDENS, NATURE PRESERVES & PARKS weekend overnighter and extended backpacker. The Long Trail is marked by two-by-six-inch white blazes. Intersections are usually marked with signs. Double blazes may mark important turns. Side trails are blazed in blue and signed. www.greenmountainclub.org/page.php?id=2 Merck Forest & Farmland Center Route 315 Rupert Mountain Road in Rupert, Vermont 802-394-7836 Merck Forest and Farmland Center’s mission is to teach and demonstrate the benefits of innovative, sustainable management of forest and farmland. The purpose of the farm is to demonstrate modern, sustainable approaches to agriculture while producing maple syrup, organic vegetables, flowers and herbs and raising livestock for meat, eggs, wool and dairy products. These are sold at Merck’s farm stand, through its Community-Supported Agriculture program and at three local farmers’ markets. Timber products include hardwood logs for furniture, veneer, flooring and other products. Merck Forest and Farmland Center has several relatively rare types of forest communities, which provide valuable wildlife habitats and allow for scientific research. Merck has a number of trails, camp sites and educational programs. Open year-round, dawn to dusk. www.merckforest.com Pember Nature Preserve/Pember Museum of Natural History Preserve located on Route 22, eight miles south of Granville, New York Museum located at 33 West Main Street in Granville, New York 518-642-1515

The Pember Library and Museum were established in 1909 by Franklin Tanner Pember and his wife, Ellen Wood Pember. Both institutions continue to operate in the building designed and built for that purpose. Franklin Pember was an entrepreneur, with interests in the fur trade, oil fields and orange groves. From boyhood he was interested in the natural world and collected mounted birds and mammals, bird nests and eggs, shells, insects, plants, rocks and minerals. This collection became the basis of the museum. Open year-round Tuesday-Friday from 1-5pm and Saturday from 10am-3pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays. www. pembermuseum.com

��

The Pember Nature Preserve, donated to the Pember Library and Museum in 1979, encompasses 125 acres of forest, wetland and fields on both sides of Black Creek, a tributary of the Battenkill. The mission of the Pember Nature Preserve is to provide a refuge

for the region’s native wildlife and plant species. Visitors to the marsh walk on elevated walkways and over a footbridge spanning Black Creek. An observation platform at the edge of Black Creek allows for the observation of wetland wildlife. In 1987, the Granville School District deeded the Porter Schoolhouse to the Pember Library and Museum for use as a nature education center. The Porter Schoolhouse is one point of entry to the preserve; the other is on South Grimes Hill Road. Seven nature trails are available year-round from dawn to dusk. Trail maps at both entrances. www.pembermuseum.com/preserve.shtml

��

�� 2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

�� 17

Field Farm on Sloan Road in South Williamstown. 413-458-3135. www.berkshireweb.com/trustees/field.html Somerset Reservoir Glendale Falls on Clark Wright Road in Middlefield. Somerset Road off of Route 9 on Searsburg Mountain, Vermont 413-684-0148. www.thetrustees.org/pages/305_glendale_falls.cfm Just shy of 1,600 acres in size, this is the first of a series of large Goose Pond on Cooper Creek Road in Lee. 413-298-3239. reservoirs utilizing the Deerfield River for electrical power. The www.thetrustees.org/pages/306_goose_pond_reservation.cfm south end of the reservoir, just after the dam, has a parking lot Hopkins Memorial Forest at the intersection of Bulkley Street with public toilets. Below the parking lot is a boat launch suitable and Northwest Hill Road in Williamstown. 413-597-4353. for motorized and man-powered vessels. To the right of the launch www.williams.edu/CES/hopkins.htm a series of picnic tables and stone fireplaces provide opportuniKennedy Park on Route 7A in Lenox. ties for a day of picnicking with views of the opposite shoreline. Jug End State Reservation and Wildlife Management Area on Jug The shoreline varies from grassy around the dam to brushy and End Road in Egremont. 413-528-0330. forested as one progresses north. By canoe, fishing hidden inlets www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/juge.htm for rainbow trout, walleyed pike and bass are possible. Note: Only Lilac Park on Main Street (Route 7A) in Lenox. 413-637-3646. swim in designated spots. The area is open to day use between 6am McLennan Reservation on Fenn Road in Tyringham and Otis. and 9:30pm. www.thisisvermont.com/storywaters.html 413-298-3239. www.berkshireweb.com/trustees/mclennan.html Monument Mountain Reservation on Route 7 in Great State Parks and Other Wilderness Preserves Barrington. 413-298-3239. www.berkshireweb.com/trustees/monument.html Massachusetts Mountain Meadow Preserve on Mason Street in Williamstown. Beartown State Forest on Blue Hill Road in Monterey. 413-298-3239. 413-528-0904. www.thetrustees.org/pages/333_mountain_meadow_preserve.cfm www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/bear.htm Mt. Greylock State Reservation Visitor’s Center on Rockwell Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, off of Holmes Road in Road in Lanesboro. 413-499-4262. Pittsfield. 413-637-0320. www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/mgry.htm h t t p : // w w w. m a s s a u d u b o n . o r g / N a t u r e _ C o n n e c t i o n / Natural Bridge State Park on McCauley Road off of Route 8 in Sanctuaries/Canoe_Meadows/index.php North Adams. 413-663-6392. w w w.mass.gov/dcr/parks/ western/nbdg.htm Notchview Reservation on Old Route 9 (off of current Route 9) in Windsor. 413-2983239. w w w. b e rk s h i re we b.c om / trustees/notchview.html October Mountain State Forest on Woodland Road in Lee. �� 413-243-1778. �� w w w.mass.gov/dcr/parks/ �� western/octm.htm �� GARDENS, NATURE PRESERVES & PARKS

��

JULY 22 - AUGUST 8

JUNE 17 - 27

�� by Conor McPherson

Agatha Christie’s

�� directed by Carl Forsman

directed by Carl Forsman ��Δ�� Δ�� Δ�� Δ��Δ��

JULY 1 - 18

�� by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly directed by Jonathan Silverstein

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

AUGUST 12 - 29

�� songs by Stephen Sondheim

THE KAUFMAN COLLECTION: Volume III

SUMMER 2009

conceived and developed by Craig Lucas & Norman René musical direction by John Bell directed by Jonathan Silverstein

FOR TICKETS 802-867-5777

www.dorsettheatrefestival.org 2009 Summer Guide

GARDENS, NATURE PRESERVES & PARKS Pittsfield State Forest on Cascade Street in Pittsfield. 413-442-8992. www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/pitt.htm Pleasant Valley Sanctuary on West Mountain Road in Lenox. 413-637-0320. www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/ Pleasant_Valley/index.html Sandisfield State Forest (York Lake) on York Lake Road in Sandisfield. 413-528-0904 in winter, 413-229-8212 summer. www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/sand.htm Tolland State Forest on Tolland Road in East Otis. 413-269-6002. www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/toll.htm Tyringham Cobble on Jerusalem Road in Tyringham. 413-298-3239. www.berkshireweb.com/trustees/cobble.html Waconah Falls State Park off of Routes 9 and 8A in Dalton. 413-442-8992. www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/wahf.htm Windsor State Forest on River Road in Windsor. 413-684-0948 or 413268-7098 (off season). www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/wnds.htm New York State Cherry Plain State Park at 26 State Park Road in Cherry Plain. 518-733-5400 or 518-279-1155. http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=115 Grafton Lakes State Park on Long Pond Road in Grafton. 518-279-1155. http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=116 Southern Vermont Bomoseen State Park at 22 Cedar Mountain Road in Fair Haven. 802-265-4242. www.vtstateparks.com/htm/bomoseen.cfm Emerald Lake State Park at 65 Emerald Lake Lane in East Dorset. 802-362-1655. www.vtstateparks.com/htm/emerald.cfm Jamaica State Park at 285 Salmon Hole Lane in Jamaica. 802-874-4600. www.vtstateparks.com/htm/jamaica.cfm Lake Shaftsbury State Park at 62 Shaftsbury SP Road in Shaftsbury. 802-375-9978. www.vtstateparks.com/htm/shaftsbury.cfm Lake St. Catherine State Park at 3034 Vermont Route 30 in Poultney. 802-287-9158. www.vtstateparks.com/htm/catherine.cfm Lowell Lake State Park at 1765 Little Pond Road in Londonderry. 802-824-4035. www.vtstateparks.com/htm/lowell.cfm Molly Stark Park at 705 Route 9 East in Wilmington. 802-464-5460. www.vtstateparks.com/htm/mollystark.cfm Townshend State Park at 2755 State Forest Road in Townshend. 802-365-7500. www.vtstateparks.com/htm/townshend.cfm Woodford State Park at 142 State Park Road in Bennington. 802-447-7169 summer. www.vtstateparks.com/htm/woodford.cfm

��

MUSEUMS/HISTORIC SITES

2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

�� 19

Bennington Battle Monument 15 Monument Circle in Bennington, Vermont • 802-447-0550 This 306’ dolomite obelisk is Vermont’s tallest structure and was dedicated in 1891 to commemorate the 1777 Battle of Bennington. In 1953, it was restored by the Vermont Historic Site Commission, which now administers it for the state. The monument was constructed on the site of the Continental arms storehouse, the object of this Revolutionary War battle in which General John Stark led his troops to one of the first major American victories against the British. There are interpretive exhibits, an elevator to the top of the monument and a gift shop. Scenic vistas of Vermont, Massachusetts and New York can be seen from the observation level high within the structure. Open mid-April to October 31st, 9am-5pm daily. http://www.historicvermont.org/bennington/ Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site Route 67 between Walloomsac, New York and Vermont state line 518- 686-7109

     



 

Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site is the location of a Revolutionary War battle fought in August 1777 between the British forces of General John Burgoyne and Colonel Friedrich Baum against the American forces under Brigadier General John Stark and Colonel Seth Warner. British forces underestimated the strength of their enemy, and most of their men were killed or taken prisoner while the Americans sustained smaller losses. The British surrendered on October 17, 1777. The summer season often includes special events and exhibitions. Site includes caretaker’s house (open 1pm to 4pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays), game fields and 276 acres. Open daily May 1st through Labor Day from 10am-7pm. Open weekends only from Labor Day to Veterans Day, 10am-7pm. www.nysparks.com/sites/info.asp?siteID=3 Bennington Museum West Main Street (Vermont Route 9) in Bennington, Vermont 802-447-1571 The Bennington Museum was founded as the Bennington Historical Association in 1875 to celebrate Bennington’s Colonial past and, more specifically, to commemorate the historic Revolutionary War Battle of Bennington in 1777. Over time the museum acquired paintings and sculpture by Vermont artists, children’s toys, maps, books and military artifacts. Its Grandma Moses Gallery hold the largest public collection of Grandma Moses art and memorabilia available to the public. It also features: an extensive array of American glass from the 19th to the early 20th century; vintage portraits of early settlers by Ammi Phillips; a unique Ralph Earl townscape; examples of abolitionist newspapers by William Lloyd Garrison; a Windsor writing-arm chair owned by Ira Allen, a founder of Vermont and author of the State’s Constitution; and the world’s largest collection of Bennington pottery. The museum is open daily (except Wednesdays) from 10am-5pm. In addition, the adjacent Hadwen Pavilion and Trails are open to the public free-of-charge. www.benningtonmuseum.org Cambridge Historical Society & Museum 12 Broad Street in Cambridge, New York 518-677-5232 This museum was established in 1929 by the Cambridge Historical Society to preserve the history of Cambridge and the surrounding area for the education and enjoyment of the public. The house

��

�� 20

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

��

2009 Summer Guide

MUSEUMS/HISTORIC SITES is a fine example of Victorian architecture featuring a mansard roof, wraparound porch and ornate exterior moldings. Displays include Revolutionary and Civil War memorabilia, fire-fighting exhibits, Cambridge-made (19th century) Baron furniture, china, glassware, antique kitchen utensils, antique hat boxes, spinning wheels, toys, period clothing and more. Tours are given Tuesdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm or by appointment from May 31st to October 18th. www.cambridgenychamber.com/theregion.html

��

Chesterwood Estate and Museum 4 Williamsville Road just off of Route 183 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts • 413-298-3579 Sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial, the Minute Man at Concord, Massachusetts and many familiar public monuments, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931) was a leading turn-of-the-century sculptor. In the 1920s, his studio—Chesterwood—provided a retreat from New York’s urban life. Models, studies and full-size sculptures of his famous works, as well as striking contemporary sculptures, are displayed in the studio, museum gallery, summer home and gardens. Open daily from 10am-5pm, May 1st through October 31st, for self-guided tours. www.chesterwood.org Georgi Museum & Park Center Adams Lane in Shushan, New York 518-854-3773

��

�

��

2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

MUSEUMS/HISTORIC SITES

��

A collection of Renaissance art, European antiques and Asian collectibles, situated on nine acres of park and gardens along the famous Battenkill trout stream. The art collection is comprised of Italian, Dutch, Flemish, German and French paintings from the fourteenth through the eighteenth centuries. Chinese and Asian tapestries and Oriental figurines are an added attraction. The Georgi Museum also boasts an extensive mineral collection with samples from as far away as South Africa. Museum grounds are open dawn to dusk. Open Sundays from 1-4pm. www.salem-ny.com/georgi.html

Herman Melville’s Arrowhead 780 Holmes Road in Pittsfield, Massachusetts • 413-442-1793 Arrowhead was the home of Herman Melville from 1850-1863 and where he wrote his most famous work, Moby Dick, along with three other novels, Pierre, The Confidence-Man and Israel Potter, a collection of short stories entitled The Piazza Tales, all of his magazine stories and some of his poetry. Arrowhead is now a house museum interpreting the life of the Melville family in the Berkshires. It is owned and operated by the Berkshire County Historical Society. Open daily from Memorial Day Weekend to Columbus Day from 9:30am-4pm. Tours begin every hour on the hour with the first tour at 01am and the last tour at 3pm. www.mobydick.org

��

802-375-6747 www.sugarshackvt.com

��

Route 7A, Arlington, VT

��

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

��

You can’t afford to buy poor quality. Not now… not ever. Miele dishwashers and laundry systems both use less water, less detergent and less energy. With a 20-year life design specification, and 90-day money back satisfaction guarantee, Miele is an investment you can’t afford not to make. Explore the complete line of Miele cooking and cleaning appliances, now available at Best Appliance & Kitchens.

120 Woodstock Avenue, Rutland, VT 05701 �802.773.4292 �800.439.4292 �Bestappliance.biz Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:30am; Saturday, 9am - 3pm

��

�

��

�

��

�

��

�

��

�

��

�

��

2009 Summer Guide

��

�

��

�

��

�

��

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

��

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

MUSEUMS/HISTORIC SITES

��

Museum of Black WWII History 179 Oak Hill School Road in Pownal, Vermont • 802-823-5519

��

�

This museum was created not to glorify war but to document it— in particular to honor the long-ignored role of African-Americans in the largest worldwide conflict of human history. The museum’s goal is to enlighten visitors about the relatively unknown and unappreciated contribution of the 1.1 million African Americans who served in the U.S. military in World War II. More than a collection and display of objects, the museum is a center for ongoing teaching and research on this broad subject. Open Thursday to Monday from 10am-5pm and special hours upon request. www. blackww2museum.org The Mount: Edith Wharton’s Estate and Gardens 2 Plunkett Street in Lenox, Massachusetts • 413-551-5111 The Mount—Pulitzer-prize winning author Edith Wharton’s 1902 estate and gardens—is the creation of one of America’s greatest authors. An icon of American architecture and landscape design, The Mount combines English, French and Italian elements with a New England twist. The estate has been extensively restored, with nearly $9 million invested to bring the 42-room mansion and formal gardens back to life. Like Jefferson’s Monticello, The Mount is an “autobiographical house,” a telling reflection of her remarkable life and work. Three acres of formal gardens surround the mansion. Wharton, an authority on European landscape design, created her gardens as architectural compositions, divided into rooms and planned in concert with the house and surrounding natural landscape. Linger over lunch on the terrace where Wharton entertained notables like Henry James. The Mount is the only U.S. monument to Edith Wharton. Open daily from 10am-5pm. www. edithwharton.org Naumkeag Prospect Hill Road in Stockbridge, Massachusetts • 413-298-3239

��

�

��

� ��

��

�

� ��

��

An aura of grand times and gracious living still lingers at Naumkeag. This 26-room gabled mansion, designed by Stanford White in 1885, was the summer home of Joseph Hodges Choate (1832-1917), noted attorney and ambassador to England at the turn of the century. The rooms contain the Choate family’s collection of Chinese export porcelain, antique furniture, elegant rugs and tapestries. Naumkeag is famous for its eight acres of terraced gardens and landscaped grounds surrounded by forty acres of woodland, meadow and pasture that stretch to the Housatonic River Valley. Open daily Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day from 10am-5pm. Allow a minimum of one hour for the garden or two hours if also taking the house tour. www.thetrustees.org/pages/335_naumkeag.cfm New England Maple Museum Route 7 in Pittsford, Vermont • 802-483-9414 The New England Maple Museum offers a trip through over 200 years of maple sugaring history starting with the Native American

2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

Lakes Fishing Golf

Map Not To Scale 26

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

MUSEUMS/HISTORIC SITES discovery that maple sap cooked over an open fire produces a sweet syrup. The museum has the most complete collection of sugaring artifacts in existence, from an ancient block of wood with a sap collecting gash made by American Indians to modern plastic pipeline. And a trip would not be complete without sampling various grades of maple syrups and mouth-watering Vermont specialty foods in the tasting room. Open daily 8:30am-5:30pm from May 23rd to October 31st. www.maplemuseum.com North Adams Museum of History and Science Western Gateway Heritage State Park in North Adams, Massachusetts • 413-664-4700 Housed in a beautifully restored historic freight yard, the North Adams Museum of History and Science portrays a microcosm of America as told through the history of North Adams and the environment of the Northern Berkshires. It provides over 25 exhibit areas on its three floors and includes hands-on discovery rooms, the Solar System Black Light Gallery, the Natural History Center, early social, industrial and railroading history, the Fort Massachusetts Barracks Room and other military exhibits and more. Open 10am-4pm Thursday through Saturday and 1-4pm Sunday May through December. Free admission. www.geocities.com/northadamshistory Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge Route 183 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts • 413-298-4100 Presenting the world’s largest collection of original Rockwell art, his original Stockbridge studio and changing exhibitions featuring current and past masters in the field of illustration. Highlights include enduring favorites from Rockwell’s Saturday Evening Post covers, the powerful Four Freedoms and the nostalgic Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas. The Norman Rockwell Archive contains more than 100,000 photographs, letters and other rare mementos. Current exhibitions: A Day in the Life: Norman Rockwell’s Stockbridge Studio; The Art of Norman Rockwell: Highlights from the Collection; Norman Rockwell’s 323 Saturday Evening Post Covers; and Artists in Their Studios. Open daily, 10am-5pm May through October. www.nrm.org Old Bennington Walking Tours Old Bennington, Vermont Old Bennington, located on and around Route 9 and Monument Avenue just west of downtown, contains the Bennington Battle Monument (but not the battlefield), a statue of Colonel Seth Warner, the Walloomsac Inn, the site of the Old Catamount Tavern, the Old First Church and its surrounding burying ground. Standing much as it did during its dedication in 1806, the Old First Church is a beautiful example of early colonial architecture. The cemetery adjacent to the church contains the graves of Robert Frost and approximately 75 revolutionary war patriots as well as British and Hessian Soldiers killed in the Battle of Bennington. The site of Ethan Allen’s home is on the border of the cemetery. Across the street from the church is the Walloomsac Inn, which is now 2009 Summer Guide

private property. Built in 1764, the inn is the oldest in the state. Many great dignitaries, including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, stayed there. About halfway up Monument Avenue on the right is a marker for the site of the Catamount Tavern, where a pivotal meeting between the patriots and Ethan Allen took place on May 3, 1777. http://www.bennington.com/chamber/walking/ monumentdescription.html Old Hopkins Observatory & Mehlin Museum of Astronomy Main Street (Rt. 2) in Williamstown, Massachusetts 413-597-2105 The Hopkins Observatory is the oldest existing observatory in the United States. In 1834, Prof. Albert Hopkins went to England, with the permission of the trustees of the college, to search for astronomical apparatus. On his return, he enlisted some of his students to build a permanent observatory, which they constructed by hand from 1836 to 1838. That building is now the planetarium. It was originally located in the center of the quad but was moved to the far end in 1908 and to its present location in 1961. Some of the original equipment from the 1834 trip to England still survives in this building. www.williams.edu Park-McCullough House Corner of Park & West Streets in North Bennington, Vermont 802-442-5441 The Park-McCullough House, a 35-room Victorian Mansion, was completed in 1865 for Trenor and Laura Park. Trenor Park, a Bennington lawyer, had made a fortune in California successfully managing John C. Fremont’s Mariposa gold mines. Returning East, he commissioned architects Diaper and Dudley to �� design this “summer home,” �� a classic example of French �� Second Empire Style. The fur�� nishings and decor are nearly unchanged. As you walk in the �� front door, you will find rooms �� with fourteen-foot ceilings opening onto a gracious central hall �� with a sweeping staircase. The �� fine interior details include oak �� and walnut paneling, parquet �� floors and bronze chandeliers �� (originally supplied with gas �� from an ingenious gas-making �� machine). The grounds feature �� a playhouse, rose gardens and �� a Carriage Barn, which houses �� a fine collection of horse-drawn �� carriages, buggies, sleighs and fire-fighting equipment. Open daily 10am-4pm mid-May to

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

��

MUSEUMS/HISTORIC SITES mid-October. Guided tours on the hour. There is a series of classical concerts on Sundays at 4pm in July and August, and the ParkMcCullough House also plays host to theater and other events. www.parkmccullough.org Robert Frost Stone House Museum Historic Route 7A in Shaftsbury, Vermont • 802-447-6200 The Robert Frost Stone House Museum opened in 2002 in the home where Frost lived in the 1920s and wrote one of his most famous poems, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Frost came to live in Shaftsbury at the height of his career. He wrote two books of poetry during his first nine years at the Stone House and was awarded three of four Pulitzer Prizes during the time he lived in Shaftsbury. A small bookshop offers books, posters and postcards. Open May 1st to November 30, Tuesday through Sunday, 10am-5pm. Allow one hour for your visit. www.frostfriends.org/stonehouse.html Robert Todd Lincoln’s Hildene Historic Route 7A in Manchester, Vermont • 802-362-1788 In 1902, Robert Todd Lincoln, the eldest son of President Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, hired a Boston architectural firm to build a stately home on a promontory overlooking the Battenkill Valley in Manchester. The site he chose commanded sweeping views of the valley bordered by the Taconic Mountains to the west and the

��

� �

��

� � � � � � � � �

��

Online Prescription Renewals www.thorpespharmacy.com

Jim Monahan, Proprietor 28

Corner of Church & John Streets Hoosick Falls, New York

518-686-5711

Green Mountains to the east. His magnificent Georgian Revival style home was completed three years later. Robert Todd Lincoln named his new home Hildene, meaning “hill” and “valley.” Hildene would be Mr. Lincoln’s summer home for the next 21 years and would be the only house in America where all of Abraham Lincoln’s descendants would eventually reside. Mary “Peggy” Lincoln Beckwith, a great-granddaughter of Abraham Lincoln, was the last of the president’s descendants to live at Hildene. She occupied the home until 1975. Shortly thereafter, Friends of Hildene, a nonprofit organization, was formed to oversee “the preservation of Hildene’s open land and the restoration of those buildings that best serve the public as an educational and cultural resource and as a memorial to the Lincoln family.” Today, Hildene welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world who arrive to enjoy this meticulously restored home with its elegant formal gardens, cutting and kitchen gardens and farm and to participate in the many special events held annually on the beautiful grounds of the estate. To enjoy the home, exhibits and grounds you should allow two to three hours. You may also visit the cutting and kitchen gardens, the observatory, the exhibit area and the Museum Shop. Grounds passes are available to visit the gardens and grounds but are not valid for admission into the Lincoln home. Open 9:30am to 4:30pm daily. www.hildene.org Slate Valley Museum 17 Water Street in Granville, New York • 518-642-1417 The Slate Valley Museum is housed inside a restored 19th Century New World Dutch Barn. Through artifacts, photographs, videotapes, art, displays, immigrant histories and a quarry shanty, the museum presents the history, science and art of slate quarrying and its influence on Slate Valley culture and community life. Learn why the Slate Valley is unique in all the world and why slate from the Slate Valley has been used in national landmarks such as the White House. Open year-round. Summer hours (Memorial Day through Labor Day): Tuesday through Saturday, 10am5pm, and Sunday 1pm-4pm. www.slatevalleymuseum.org Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum 67 East Road in Adams, Massachusetts • 413-743-7121 Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820 in the town of Adams, Massachusetts. Her birthplace, built in 1818, stands as an important symbol of the Women’s Suffrage movement in the United States. The new Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum, opening in early August, will preserve the birthplace and raise public awareness of the wide-ranging legacy of the great social reformer, Susan B. Anthony, who was a pioneering feminist and suffragist as well as a noteworthy figure in the abolitionist and temperance movements of the 19th century. As part of its mission, the museum will highlight the familial and regional influences which shaped Anthony’s early life, by displaying the textiles and furnishings of that period, as well as the literature and other memorabilia associated with her later career. Open Thursday through Monday from 11am-4pm. www.susanbanthonybirthplace.com Williamstown House of Local History David and Joyce Milne Public Library, 1095 Main Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts • 413-458-2160

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

MUSEUMS/HISTORIC SITES Williamstown House of Local History was founded in 1941 to promote knowledge of the town’s history by collecting and preserving materials, mounting exhibitions, presenting educational programs and facilitating research. The collection includes photographs, documents and artifacts from the 1700s to the present day, as well as published material on the town and genealogical material on local families. Open Monday through Friday 10am-noon and 1pm-3pm and Saturday 10am-noon and other hours by appointment. As it is staffed by volunteers and interns, it is best to call ahead. www.milnelibrary.org/hlh.html

MUSIC Aston Magna Festival Performances at Daniel Arts Center at Simon’s Rock College in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and The Sterling And Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts 1-800-875-7156 Presenting its 37th season, Aston Magna is the oldest annual summer festival in America devoted to music performed on period instruments. Aston Magna’s performances aim to interpret the music of the past as the composer imagined it. Aston Magna has been recognized internationally for decades for its contributions to the popularization of early music performed using historically accurate instruments and performance practices. New to this year’s festi-

val are pre-concert lectures one hour prior to concert times included in the price of the ticket. Performances in Great Barrington on June 27, July 4 and 11. Performances in Williamstown will be June 28, July 12 and 19. www.astonmagna.org

��

Lauraʼs Garden ��

��

2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

Surprises in Salem - Beth Traver Adolphus Sometimes tiny towns hold big surprises. You wouldn’t expect to find many places of interest in the small hamlet of Salem, New York. That’s exactly why local artists joined with area farmers to create the Focal Points Arts and Agriculture Self-Guided Tour to showcase what the community has to offer. This year’s event will take place on Friday, August 7th and Saturday, August 8th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Most sites on the continued on page 31

��

Serving Washington County, Southern Vermont and Beyond

��

�� THE K WARD TEAM CAN SHOW & SELL ANYONE’S LISTINGS

��

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

Surprises in Salem continued from page 30

farm turned sculpture park and artists’ community. In addition to demonstrations, at least one site will be offering workshops (bookmaking). You’ll also get a chance to converse with some of Washington County’s most creative individuals, including glass blowers, woodworkers, painters, potters, photographers, farmers, fiber artists, gallery owners and more. When you get hungry, sample the sweet corn and other locally grown veggies, pick your own berries or stop in at the café/chocolate shop conveniently included on the tour. “[The tour] showcases the Salem area as a very intriguing place,” said tour co-organizer Meg Southerland of Gardenworks, a marketplace featuring garden flowers, local food, handcrafts and an art gallery. “Summer is a great time to visit.” Tour maps will be available after July 1st at North Main Gallery, the Court House and Steinenger’s Café & Chocolate Shop in downtown Salem, Gardenworks on Route 30 and Trip’s Antiques, Garden & Gifts in Shushan, New York (just south of Salem). For more information, call 518-854-3250.

tour are within walking distance of one another in Salem, though beautiful scenery is part of the reward for driving to those spots not immediately in the village. Around 15 different studios, galleries, farms and other points of interest are included on the

��

tour. Some are not normally open to the public, but during this weekend they welcome visitors, often with refreshments. Among this year’s tour stops are a daylily farm with over 600 varieties in peak season, a fiber studio/angora rabbit colony in renovated 18th century barns, an alpaca farm and a former dairy 2009 Summer Guide

��

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

Lakes Fishing

Golf

Map Not To Scale 32

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

A Taste of the Berkshires: Farmers’ Markets - Beth Traver Adolphus Consumers have become increasingly concerned about food safety, food quality, the treatment of animals in the food industry and the colossal resources needed to create food on a large scale. As a result, more and more people are turning to organic goods and locally grown products produced on small farms. Farmers’ markets are ideal sources for such products, allowing people to buy safe, high quality produce and farm products in a friendly, open air environment. Given the choice, most people would buy eggs from a smiling neighbor, whose backyard hens laid them that very morning, rather than shop under fluorescent lights for mass produced eggs. Western Berkshire County’s ten farmers’ markets — in Adams, Great Barrington, Lanesboro, Lee, Lenox, North Adams, Otis, Pittsfield, Sheffield and Williamstown — feature a mix of fresh produce and farm products including fruits, vegetables, baked goods, flowers, jams and jellies, crafts, potted plants, garlic, meat, maple products, honey, farmstead cheeses, canned goods, eggs and specialty foods. A number of vendors offer organic products, and, of course, everything is fresh and delicious. Some markets offer entertainment in the form of music, kids’ activities or demonstrations. The Saturday Great Barrington market, for example, offers face painting and storytelling, music

and a special “Dog Day” with free locally made dog biscuits for well behaved pups. The Wednesday Great Barrington market, though smaller, features an opening celebration complete with a band, singers and barbecue. They also host a local chef every week who presents cooking demonstrations using foods from the market. In the appropriate seasons, the Otis market holds its Corn Festival (fritters, chowder, you name it) and Blueberry Festival (with everything from traditional blueberry pancakes to an unusual blueberry salad). At the Williamstown market, sample the organic cupcakes or take home some steaks from grass-fed Scottish cows. Take advantage of health screenings at the community-minded North Adams market, which also offers free rides to those who need a lift. Each market provides a vibrant link between consumers and their food via the farmers and bakers who produce it. Talking directly with Massachusetts’ farmers, artisans and other locals is what makes these markets truly rewarding. Whether you are a local resident or a visitor, you will feel a sense of community as you mingle with other shoppers to find the juiciest tomato, chat with a vendor about making goat cheese or smell the fresh-cut flowers while eating fresh baked bread and listening to the music of the day. With an experience like that filling your body and soul, you’ll never go back to fast food.

��

�� 2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

Farmers’ Markets

��

Adams Farmers’ Market (3 vendors) 60 Columbia Street Fridays, noon-6 p.m. Saturdays, noon-6 p.m., May through October Great Barrington Farmers’ Market (20-24 vendors) Former Railroad Station (behind Town Hall) Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., May through October Wednesdays, 4 p.m.-7 p.m., June through August Lanesboro Farmers’ Market (vendor count not available) Berkshire Mall Parking Lot by Sears Wednesdays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., May through November ��

��

Lee Farmers’ Market (still in startup mode with 1-2 vendors) Next to the Post Office Fridays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., May through October Lenox Farmers’ Market (20-24 vendors) Main Street across from Mobil Station Fridays, 2 p.m.- 6 p.m., May through October North Adams Farmers’ Market (7-14 vendors) St. Anthony Municipal Parking Lot Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon, July through October Otis (11 vendors) 2000 East Otis Road Saturdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., May through October Pittsfield Farmers’ Market (vendor count not available) Downtown Pittsfield Thursdays, 4 p.m.-7 p.m., June through October

��

Sheffield Farmers’ Market (vendor count not available) Old Parish Church Parking Lot Fridays, 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., May through October Williamstown Farmers’ Market (around 10 vendors) Spring Street Parking Lot Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon, May through October

�� 34

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

MUSIC Berkshire Choral Festival Performances on the Berkshire School campus, 245 North Undermountain Road (Route 41) in Sheffield, Massachusetts 413-229-8526 The Berkshire Choral Festival has become the leading summer choral music festival, featuring conductors and choral groups from across the country. Festival concerts will be held on July 18, 25 and August 1, 8 and 15. www.choralfest.org The Cabaret and Mainstage at Fort Salem Theater 11 East Broadway in Salem, New York • 518-854-9200 From church to fort, back to church and thence to theater— through war, fire and vicissitudes—the building now known as the Fort Salem Theater has endured for nearly two-and-a-half centuries. In 1972, Judge Whilliam Drohan of New York City purchased it and replaced the altar with a stage and produced the first shows. This summer, the Fort will offer music, musicals, local talent and cabaret acts on its Mainstage and in the Cabaret and the Cabaret Theater: Surf City Singers; Corn! The Musical; The Young Divas; Benita Zahn in They’re Playing Our Song; and a Talent Show Winners Cabaret www.fortsalemtheater.com Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Performances at Dodds Farm, 44 County Road 7D in Hillsdale, New York • 860-364-0366 The 21st Falcon Ridge Folk Festival will be held from July 23-26. Customarily, over 40 acts perform on four stages, including an intimate Workshop Stage and the Dance Stage. Camping is available. The festival also features food and crafts vendors. Some of this year’s performers include Kathy Mattea, Gandalf Murphy & the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Clayfoot Strutters and Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion. www.falconridgefolk.com Live on the Lake Concert Series Onota Lake, Pittsfield, Massachusetts • 413-236-4105 Greylock Federal and WBEC sponsor this free community concert series on Wednesdays in July and August. Manchester Music Festival 42 Dillingham Avenue in Manchester, Vermont 802-362-1956 or 800-639-5868 The Manchester Music Festival offers concerts of fine chamber music—performed by world-class artists—and a strong music education program. This year’s concerts take place every Thursday evening from July 9-August 20. www.mmfvt.org

2009 Summer Guide

Memorial Hall Center for the Arts Main Street (Route 9) in Wilmington, Vermont 802-464-8411 Located in Wilmington, Vermont, Memorial Hall Center for the Arts offers a professional cultural arts series from early July through Labor Day, as well as one community theatre production each summer. The season traditionally includes cabaret, Broadway, Motown, musicals, oldies, light opera and classical concerts. Memorial Hall Center for the Arts is named after the historic building that it calls home. Endowed with acoustics that rival halls of greater capacity and renown, Wilmington’s Memorial Hall is resplendent with the spirit of a time gone by. www.memhall. org Sonatina School of Music 5 Catamount Lane in Old Bennington, Vermont 802-442-9197 Sonatina is a live-in, international piano camp offering two separate programs: Summer Sonatina for children ages seven to 16 and Sonata for adult pianists. The camps are housed in a 42-room historic house furnished with antiques, beds and 30 pianos; three Steinway grand pianos, three Yamaha grand pianos, four Kawais grand pianos, 15 uprights, a Zuckerman harpsichord, a MIDI lab and five Yamaha clavinovas. Several articles have been written about the Sonatas in various newspapers and music magazines, including an article in late 2002 in the New York Times Sunday Travel section. The 2003 August Sonata was featured on CNN Newsnight with Aaron Brown. Sonatina students present two weekly concerts during the month of July. The Thursday evening concert is held at 6pm at Bennington Center for the Arts, and the 10:30am Sunday morning concert is held in the backyard at 5 Catamount Lane. The public is welcome to enjoy an evening or morning of music. • www.sonatina.com

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

MUSIC South Mountain Concerts Performances at South Mountain Concert Hall, two miles south of downtown Pittsfield on Routes 7 and 20, Massachusetts 413-442-2106 Since its founding in 1918 by the woman described as “the fairy godmother of chamber music,” Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, South Mountain has been sending the beautiful strains of great chamber music wafting over the Berkshire Hills. Distinguished musicians who have performed at this site include Leonard Bernstein, Leontyne Price, Alexander Schneider, Rudolph Serkin, the Beaux Arts Trio and such string quartets as the Borromeo, the

��

Emerson, the Guarneri, the Juilliard, the Orion, the Tokyo and the Vermeer. Concerts on Sundays at 3pm in September and the first two Sundays in October. www.southmountainconcerts.com Tanglewood Route 183 (297 West Street) in Lenox, Massachusetts 413-637-1600 Tanglewood has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home for more than 60 years. The 2009 season, featuring the BSO performing with world-class conductors, acclaimed soloists and renowned musicians, is a vibrant mix of musical styles. Before the Opening Night concert of Tchaikovsky, Tanglewood will feature TMC: String Quartet Marathon, Emerson A STITCH IN TIME String Quartet, Julliard String 413.743.7174 Quartet, James Taylor and Linda Kornn a live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion with KNITTING & QUILTING Garrison Keillor. The BSO CLASSES season includes a long list of BEAUTIFUL YARNS & guest artists, including Joshua FABRICS AVAILABLE Bell, Tony Bennett, Sir James JOIN US FOR Galway, Andre Previn, Yo-Yo KNITTER’S WEEKENDS! Ma and more. www.bso.org 45 Commercial Street Adams, MA 01220 Stitchintime6@aol.com

Vermont Symphony Orchestra Performing at Jackson Gore Inn, Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vermont and Hildene Meadowlands in Manchester, Vermont 800-VSO-9293, extension 10 or 802-86FLYNN (for tickets) Seventy-one years ago, a small group of musical enthusiasts meeting in Woodstock, Vermont convinced each other that by working together, they could assemble the necessary musical and financial resources from across rural Vermont to create a statewide symphony orchestra. Whereas most other orchestras originate in a single town or city, performing there in one concert hall and touring occasionally, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra dedicated itself to traveling to any gymnasium, armory, racetrack or hillside where an audience could be found. The musicians, whose numbers

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

MUSIC included barbers, lawyers, mail carriers, doctors and farmers, came from all across the state to rehearse and perform. Before the advent of modern highways, this represented an extraordinary commitment. For 71 years, the orchestra has shuttled from town to town, overcoming geography with such energy and persistence that it has earned a national reputation. The VSO will perform “The Lake Effect” concert on July 2nd at 7:30pm at Hildene Meadowlands in Manchester and June 26th in Ludlow to honor Lake Champlain’s Quadricentennial as part of the Summer Festival Tour. Call for a complete schedule of concerts in Southern Vermont. www.vso.org.

THEATER AND CINEMA

Barrington Stage Company Berkshire Music Hall at 30 Union Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts • 413-236-8888 Barrington Stage Company is a professional award-winning Equity theater now located in the crossroads of the Berkshires in Pittsfield. Co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, BSC is committed to presenting new productions of neglected musicals and plays, in addition to developing new works for the American Theater. BSC garnered national attention with William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s Tony Award-winning musical hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which began as a workshop at BSC. Performances are offered on its Main Stage and Stage II; it also offers youth theatre and special events. www.barringtonstageco.org

Adirondack Theatre Festival Charles R. Wood Theater, 207 Glen Street, Glens Falls, New York 518-798-7479

Berkshire Theatre Festival Main Street in Stockbridge, Massachusetts • 413-298-5576

The Adirondack Theatre Festival is a professional summer theater. According to The New York Times, “audiences delight in this company’s work on an old-fashioned main street in Glens Falls.” AFT brings the best writers, actors and theater artists from New York City and around the country to present a season of live theater at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls. ATF produces “new and contemporary” plays and musicals so audiences will see some world premieres, some of the best recent shows from Broadway and Off-Broadway and some of the most promising “up and coming” artists working in the theater today.

The Berkshire Theatre Festival is the oldest performing arts venue in Berkshire County and one of the oldest in the United States. This year marks its 80th anniversary season. www.berkshiretheatre.org

The Albany Berkshire Ballet 116 Fenn Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts • 413-445-5382

Colonial Theatre 111 South Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts • 413-997-4444 Pittsfield’s refurbished Colonial Theatre is a living time machine, transporting visitors to a resplendent Gilded Age theater in its

The Albany Berkshire Ballet was founded in 1960 by Artistic Director Madeline Cantarella Culpo. Nationally recognized for its versatility in performing both classical and contemporary dance works with excellence, the company’s classical repertory rivals that of any large company performing today. With works created by some of ballet’s greatest choreographers, including Igor �� Youskevitch, Michel Fokine �� and Antony Tudor, the Albany �� Berkshire Ballet performs such full-length ballets as Giselle, �� Cinderella, Coppelia, The �� Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s �� Dream, delighting audiences of all ages. �� www.berkshireballet.org

��

�

��

2009 Summer Guide

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

��

THEATER AND CINEMA prime. Designed by noted theater architect J.B. McElfatrick, the Colonial was of a class above most playhouses of the day. Noted London theater consultant Louis Flemming called the Colonial “one of the greatest acoustical houses in the entire world.” McElfatrick designed about 350 theaters around the country—66 in New York City alone—but the Colonial is one of only a dozen still standing. An extensive and meticulous restoration brought the majestic 1903 theatrical masterpiece back to life. The 810seat historic theater will once again host leading performers from around the country. Dorset Playhouse/Dorset Theatre Festival Cheney Road off Route 30 in Dorset, Vermont • 802-867-5777 The historic Dorset Playhouse has been in continuous use since its construction in 1929. This playhouse is the site of the Dorset Theatre Festival, which received the Moss Hart Award for Outstanding Theatre in 1995 and 1997. Some of the plays and authors first produced with the Dorset Theatre Festival or written at the Dorset Colony have gone on to major openings in New York, Miami and elsewhere. www.dorsettheatrefestival.org; www.dorsetplayers.org Hubbard Hall Projects, Inc. 25 East Main Street in Cambridge, New York • 518-677-2495 This community arts center, dedicated to bringing the best of theater, music, dance and the visual arts to the region, is housed in a restored 1878 rural opera house. Hubbard Hall offers plays, concerts, classes and local art. Among this season’s offerings are La Tragedie de Carmen (August 13-23), Children’s Theatre Group, Music from Salem concerts, dance performances, the Theatre Company at Hubbard Hall’s Summer Outdoor Shakespeare Tour, contra dances, a theater conservatory and more. www.hubbardhall.org Images Cinema 50 Spring Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts • 413-458-5612 One of the few remaining single-screen, independent theaters still in operation, Images Cinema is a historic part of the Northern Berkshires, offering an exceptional variety of independent, foreign and classic films year-round. Images has shown independent cinema for independent minds for over 80 years. www.imagescinema.org

��

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

THEATER AND CINEMA Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 358 George Carter Road in Becket, Massachusetts 413-243-0745 Celebrating its 76th year, Jacob’s Pillow is America’s premier dance festival and is now a National Historic Landmark. World-renowned dance is performed in two theaters, and there are free outdoor performances, talks, exhibits and historic grounds to visit. Founded by dance pioneer Ted Shawn in the 1930s, the Pillow today is renowned not only for producing a premier festival, but also for its professional school, intern program, archives of rare holdings, artist residencies and year-round community programs. This year’s community day will be July 26th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.jacobspillow.org Mac-Haydn Theatre 1925 Route 203 in Chatham, New York 518-392-9292 (Box Office) Mac-Haydn Theatre is New York’s exciting professional musical theater-in-the-round. It boasts outstanding professional performers and children’s theater shows in July and August. Performances are Thursday through Sunday. www.machaydntheatre.org Main Street Stage 57 Main Street in North Adams, Massachusetts •413-663-3240

��

The Main Street Stage presents published and original works by area playwrights for small casts. It is committed to theater that delves into the human condition with pluck and mettle. www.mainstreetstage.org

��

Oldcastle Theatre Company Performing at the Bennington Center for the Natural and Cultural Arts at the junction of Gypsy Lane and Vermont Route 9 in Bennington, Vermont ª 802-447-0564

��

Company members have played in theaters from local Hubbard Hall in Cambridge, New York to Broadway. www.oldcastletheatreco.org

��

Paramount Theatre 30 Center Street in Rutland, Vermont •802-775-0570 Opened in 1914, The Playhouse Theatre of Rutland was considered by many to be one of the finest theaters in New England through the early part of the 20th century. The Paramount, as it has been known since the early 1930s, has been completely restored as the “Jewel of Downtown Rutland.” The Paramount Theatre is more than just a beautiful building that embraces the remarkable history of the area; it is a living performing arts venue that echoes with the voices of Sarah Bernhardt, Ethel Barrymore, Harry Houdini, Groucho Marx and others. www.paramountvt.org

2009 Summer Guide

��

� ��

��

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

http://theaterbarn.pcinfinity.com

THEATER AND CINEMA Shakespeare & Company 70 Kemble Street in Lenox, Massachusetts •413-637-1199

The Weston Playhouse 703 Main Street in Weston, Vermont • 802-824-5288

Launching its 32nd season, Shakespeare & Company is a company that performs as the Elizabethans did—in love with poetry, physical prowess and the mysteries of the universe. With a core of over 150 artists, the company performs Shakespeare, generating opportunities for collaboration between actors, directors and designers of all races, nationalities and backgrounds. Performances in Founders’ Theatre, Spring Lawn Theatre, Outdoor Rose Footprint Theatre and on Bankside. The free outdoor Bankside Festival, already one of the largest Shakespeare Festivals in North America, has expanded and includes country dances, magical pageants, sword play, songs, lectures and presentations on life in Shakespeare’s day. Some of this year’s offerings include Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night and Othello, as well as Harold Pinter’s Pinter’s Mirror, Donald Freed’s The Devil’s Advocate, William Gibson’s Golda’s Balcony and more. www.shakespeare.org

The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, a nonprofit regional theater dedicated to excellence in a unique Vermont setting, serves a community of artists and audiences through a broad spectrum of dramatic works and educational programs. The playhouse is Vermont’s oldest professional theater, now in its 72nd year, and the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company is one of the oldest summer stock theater groups in America. Act IV Cabaret each evening immediately following Main Stage performances. www.westonplayhouse.org

Starlight Stage Youth Theatre Performing at First Congregational Church, 906 Main Street (Route 2) in Williamstown, Massachusetts • 413-458-4246 Founded in 1976, the Starlight Stage Company works with local youngsters ages 8-18 to present excellent theater for general audiences. This year, Starlight celebrates its 34th season from June 29 through August 2. www.starlightstageyouththeatre.com The Theater Barn 654 Route 20 in New Lebanon, New York • 518-794-8989 The Theater Barn provides “Professional Theater in the Country,” the best of Broadway and Off-Broadway at the base of the Berkshires. Performances are Thursdays through Sundays.

��

Williamstown Theatre Festival Performing at the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance at Williams College, 1000 Main Street (Route 2) in Williamstown, Massachusetts 413-597-3399/413-597-3400 (box office) Nestled in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts, the Williamstown Theatre Festival is a summer-long celebration of theater that brings together a vast and impressive array of artists and offers audiences varied cultural experiences. Every summer, WTF presents over two hundred performances of classic and new plays, outdoor free theater, cabaret and countless readings and workshops. www.wtfestival.org

TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES 23rd Annual Manchester and the Mountains Antique & Classic Car Show Dorr Farm, Route 30 in Manchester, Vermont 802-379-1753 The 23rd Annual Antique & Classic Car Show will be held on June 13th and 14th. In addition to antique and classic cars and vintage trucks, there will also be live music, car-related games, contests and crafts, a car show, a parade, a Poker Run, a barn dance, awards, tech sessions with Chop-Shop Customs and plenty of food vendors. www.manchestervermont.net/carshow/index.html 43rd Annual Bennington Car Show & Swap Meet Green Mountain Race Track in Pownal, Vermont • 800-229-0252

��

This year’s show will be held September 18th through the 20th. It features original or restored to original classic cars, trucks, tractors and motorcycles 25 years and older, a swap meet, craft festival, car corral, tractor pull events, flea market, food, entertainment and more. www.bennington.com/attractions/events/carshow.html

��

�� 40

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum and the Gateway to the Gilded Age: A Museum of Berkshire History Housatanic Street and Willow Creek Road in Lenox, Massachusetts 413-637-2210 On summer weekends and holidays, the museum offers two 90minute round-trip excursions from Lenox Station to Stockbridge and a 45-minute round-trip excursion from Lenox Station to Lee narrated by a uniformed conductor using a diesel locomotive from the 1950s and vintage standard gauge coaches from the 1920s. The museum collects, restores, preserves, operates and displays railroad equipment and artifacts in addition to providing a repository for information of an educational and historic nature relating to the history of railroading in the Berkshires. A vintage railway coach houses The Gateway to the Gilded Age: A Museum of Berkshire History, a permanent exhibit where visitors are introduced to the rich history of Berkshire County and 24 important Gilded Age sites. Open weekends and holidays 9:30am-4:30pm through October. www.berkshirescenicrailway.org Equinox Skyline Drive Off of Route 7 in Sunderland, Vermont • 802-362-1114 or 802-362-1115 The Mount Equinox Skyline Drive is the longest privately owned paved toll road in the U.S. Begin your adventure at the Toll House on Historic Route 7A in Sunderland at an elevation of 600 feet. As Skyline Drive winds and twists its way up the mountain, it provides panoramic views of lakes, rivers and valley communities below. There are many vistas and areas for picnicking along the 5.2-mile drive, which has a vertical gain of 3,248 feet to the summit. The serenity and beauty of the world famous Battenkill River may be seen meandering through town, farm and woodland below. There is so much natural beauty that the drive to the summit is half the experience. However, the view from the summit is truly breathtaking and an experience you’ll not soon forget. It offers incredible sunsets and panoramic views of the Green, White, Adirondack, Berkshire and Taconic Mountain ranges. The drive offers picnic areas, many of which have marble picnic tables made from marble quarried on neighboring Dorset Mountain. There is a fireplace for grilling at the first area located 1/4 mile from the entrance of the drive. Open 9am to dusk, May 1st through October 31st, weather permitting. www.equinoxmountain.com/skylinedrive

collection of automotive items: over 150 unique reproduction porcelain signs, dozens of die-cast models, pedal cars, auto artwork, clothing, books and more. At the old-fashioned Sunoco filling station, attendants will clean your windshield and check your oil. Hemmings also hosts Cruise-Ins every other Thursday night from mid-May through August, as well as the Third Annual New England Concours d’Elegance in Stratton, Vermont (July 17th through 19th) and Fourth Annual Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car Show in Saratoga, New York (August 8th). The Filling Station and Gift Shop are open daily from 7am-7pm (closed holidays); its Caffeine Alley coffee shop is open in the mornings. The vehicle display is open on weekends in May and daily from 10am-3pm June through October, and the gas pumps are on 24 hours a day. www.hemmings.com Mohawk Trail Route 2, Western Massachusetts • 413-743-8127 or 866-743-8127 The Mohawk Trail is the first scenic road in New England. National Geographic Traveler selected the Mohawk Trail as one of 50 of the most scenic routes in the United States. The American Automobile Association also chose “The Trail” for scenic recognition, as has the federal government in one of its national programs. The Mohawk Trail has gained a world-wide reputation for its scenic beauty, both natural and man-made. It carries on its ancient trade route heritage via over 100 unique shops, attractions, public and private camping areas, inns and villages that line its path. With 63 miles of unsurpassed splendor and 50,000 acres of state parks and forests, it’s an excellent vacation choice for fun and adventure for all ages during any season. It extends from Williamstown to Shirley. www.mohawktrail.com Motor Madness 2009 Schaghticoke Fairgrounds, junction of Routes 67 and 40 in Schaghticoke, New York • 518-279-9247 June 20th and 21st, the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds will host Motor Madness. It’s drag racing complete with regulation drag tree, but when the light goes green on this track, the competition vehicles must race down a 160-foot mud track. There will also be a custom car, truck and bike show, food, parts for sale and vendors. Gates open at 9am, and racing starts at noon both days. Saturday will also feature a cruise-in with ‘50s & ‘60s music from 4-8 p.m.; all booths will remain open during the event.

Hemmings Motor News 216 Main Street in Bennington, Vermont • 800-447-9580 Located in the town of Bennington, Vermont, for over 50 years, Hemmings Motor News publishes the world’s largest collector-car magazine, affectionately known as the “bible” of the collector-car hobby, as well as their more recent titles, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines and Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car. Their free vehicle display features a selection of their collector vehicles and an automobilia collection. The collector-car display also includes panel trucks, pickup trucks, bicycles, marine engines and vintage porcelain signs showcasing the automotive industry through the decades. The Car Lover’s Oasis Shop contains a huge 2009 Summer Guide

��

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

��

�� 41

The Quality of Place Photography, Space and Specificity From May 30 through August 30, Bennington Museum will exhibit photography drawn from the Museum1s permanent collection, as well as other local collections featuring such prominent photographers as Alfred Stieglitz, Lee Friedlander, Lewis Hine, and Ansel Adams. The Quality of Place Photography, Space and Specificity examines how photography has been used over the years to convey a sense of place. This exhibit offers a range of images including albumen prints of landmarks in Bennington such as the Catamount Tavern and the Bennington Battle Monument to images by prominent photographers, such as Benmont Avenue taken by Lewis Hine in 1909. Also on view is an atmospheric view of the Bennington College Campus and interior shots of the Old First Church by Clara Sipprell from the 1930s. A small group of photographs depicting places both distant and near by Kevin Bubriski, a nationally prominent photographer who lives in Shaftsbury, brings the show to our own age. From local collections, such as that of Bennington College, the exhibit features images by prominent photographers like Ansel Adams, Alfred Stieglitz, and Lee Friedlander representing the concept of place in more distant lands. One of the sections of the exhibit entitled 3Arm Chair Explorer features an album of early salt print photographs of Egypt, Greece, and the Middle East taken by Brattleboro native Leavitt Hunt in 1852. Stereographs created by the H. C. White Company in North Bennington at the turn of the twentieth century of exotic places from across the world are also on view. These both represent how photography was used to capture a place, codify it, and bring it to people who could not actually be there. Images from the museum collection by both famous and anony-

SEWARD’S TIRES, INC. ��

Tel. (413) 528-3168 • Fax (413) 528-5073 www.sewardstires.com �� SERVING THE TRI-STATE AREA SINCE 1973 42

mous photographers are also included in the exhibit. For the last two years, Bennington Museum has been working to digitize approximately 8,000 glass plate negatives in its collection. To date approximately 4,000 of these have been catalogued and 3,000 have been scanned. In addition to the Museum’s sizable collection of historic photographic prints, these newly digitized negatives offer a broad look at what Bennington and surrounding towns looked like, or how people with cameras wanted them to look like over the years. Illustrating two opposing schools of photography in the early 20th century, Lewis Hine1s photograph of mill housing on Benmont Avenue in 1909 is viewed with an image of Bennington College taken by pictorialist photographer Clara Sipprell around 1939. These contrasting images represent those who supported the idea that photography should be an unvarnished 3straight2 depiction of the subject (Hine), and those who used photography as a medium to create beautiful, atmospheric works of art (Sipprell). This juxtaposition also demonstrates how varied a place like Bennington can be. From a working class mill town to home of one of the country’s most forward thinking colleges, it reflects how different photographers have been able to capture differences with the photographic medium. This insightful exhibition explores the history of photography and shows how the medium captured, transformed, and added to the ambiguous and multifaceted concept of 3place.2 Mainly seen as a scientific and objective tool in its early years, photography was believed to be an unerring eye that froze and captured a specific bit of time and location for later contemplation by those both close and distant to the site. By the late nineteenth century, it was becoming accepted as an artistic medium, and began to be used to record more than the surface reality of the subject. ŒPlace1 was now approached with a more questioning gaze. Photographers began to question how focus, angle, subject selection, and other artistic decisions effected the viewers1 perceptions. Once established as an artistic medium, photography became more easily and widely accessible to the general public opening the door to artists, scientists, commercial photographers, and amateurs alike; thereby enabling them to express their concept of place. The Bennington Museum is located at 75 Main Street (Route 9), Bennington in The Shires of Vermont. The museum is just a short ride from Manchester, Williamstown, and eastern New York. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the museum is closed on Wednesday. Visit the museum at www.benningtonmuseum. org <http://www.benningtonmuseum.org> or call 802-447-1571 for more information.

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

2009 Summer Guide

��