New Year, New You…(And Some Sweetheart Deals)
Kathryn Matthews is a lifestyles writer based in New York City and Red Hook, Dutchess County. She frequently writes about travel, health, food and leisure for the New York Times, Town & Country and O Magazine.
On New Year’s Eve, you swore that THIS YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT. You’d eat healthier. Exercise more. Refresh your look. Think positively. Breathe deeply. Relax.
Unfortunately, one tiny backslide snowballed…….(and we know how THAT story ends!)
Recommit to those resolutions—with your partner—just in time for the upcoming Chinese New Year (The Year of the Tiger), which, in 2010, begins on February 14th, Valentine’s Day. Who says resolve and romance can’t mix?
Especially when our region’s rich network of spas, wellness and fitness facilities means that there’s no shortage of expert guidance to feeling good or looking good—both inside and out. Many are offering couples-themed packages through Feb 14th or until end-month, making Valentine’s Day weekend the perfect time to take those first baby steps toward The New and Improved You.
Canyon Ranch
Where else can you get a complete physical evaluation, spend 50 minutes with a physician and enjoy five-star hotel accommodations? At Canyon Ranch’s renowned Integrative Health Center, a roster of board-certified doctors, health specialists and nutritionists work with you in a 100,000-square-foot Spa complex within a restored 1897 marble and brick Bellafontaine mansion, a replica of Louis XVI’s Petit Trianon. The 120-acre scenic grounds laced with trails are ideal for snow-shoeing or cross country-skiing.
Wednesday, February 10th to Sunday, February 14th; All Day
Looking to make heartfelt changes that benefit you and a loved one? This week, Canyon Ranch Lenox teaches practical strategies for heart-healthy living with its “Nourishing Your Heart” event. Resort guests will be privy to the latest heart research findings presented by a team of wellness experts, who will also address common heart-health concerns, as well as various body, mind and spirit approaches to lifelong cardiovascular health. In addition to nutrition and cardiovascular fitness, classes include meditation instruction; mastering the art of forgiveness; stress reduction through Traditional Chinese Medicine; and biofeedback.
When it comes to l’affaire du coeur, activities like Partner Yoga or massages a deux encourage couples to get physical. Or they can book a “Sexual Health” consultation with a certified sex counselor or licensed therapist to address sexual satisfaction and intimacy issues, ranging from post-operative concerns to menopause and inhibitions.
Through March 17th: a 3-night stay in deluxe accommodations starts at $1,930 (per person) for double occupancy and includes all meals, taxes and gratuities.
Canyon Ranch
Lenox, MA; 800.742.9000 or 413.637.4100
Cranwell Resort & Spa
Built on the site of what was originally the Berkshire Hunt Club in 1926, the Cranwell Resort, situated on 380 rambling acres, is known for its 18-hole championship golf course. But golf isn’t the only attraction at this small luxury resort with 114 guest rooms, charmingly appointed among an eclectic ensemble of buildings on the property that include an 1894 Tudor mansion, a late 19th century cottage and carriage house and three townhouses.
Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are pleasurable ways to explore a snow-blanketed landscape at Cranwell, and 6.25 miles of groomed trails crisscross the property. If you’d rather cocoon, the 35,000-square-foot Spa, which offers over 50 spa services, has 16 treatment rooms, a full-service salon and a fitness center with certified trainers on hand. Some treatments are geared specifically toward men (Man’s Facial and Man-icure) and teens (the Cranberry Yuzu Sugar Scrub). And spa-themed packages abound, from day spa specials that include lunch at the cafe, to overnight “Spa Stays”.
SWEETHEART DEAL: Though Sunday, February 28th
During the month of February, Cranwell is offering a “Romance & Relaxation” getaway package. In addition to full use of the spa facility, couples will receive a 50-minute Swedish massage and a complimentary, 30-minute instructional session, where, under the guidance of a massage therapist, couples learn to massage each other.
Cranwell Resort & Spa
Lenox, MA; 800.272.6935 or 413.637.4364
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
If you seek spiritual renewal, emotional wellness or creative expression, consider starting your journey at Kripalu, the largest yoga and holistic retreat center in North America. Founded in 1983 and named after Hindu yoga master Swami Kripalvananda, the original Kripalu Center was a fully functioning ashram (with a spiritual leader and 350 residents) until 1994. Now an educational and retreat center, perched atop a hill overlooking Lake Mahkeenac and 150 wooded acres, program offerings focus on personal growth—weight loss, fitness, emotional recovery from trauma, thinking “outside the box”, among others—and “Healing Arts”, which emphasize body work and energy work. The good news: you don’t have to be a yogi—or even like yoga—to practice the “yoga of life”, a philosophy and lifestyle that strives for balance and mindfulness in movement and thought—on and off the mat.
SWEETHEART DEALS:
Friday, February 12th-Monday, February 15 th (3 Nights)
If you’ve been feeling out of sync with your partner or spouse, two Kripalu programs over Valentine’s Day weekend— “Couples Bodywork: Thai for Two” and “Deepening Your Love: A Retreat for Couples”—encourage physical and emotional intimacy. “Couples Bodywork” is designed to promote relaxation and playfulness through meditation and touch. “Deepening Your Love” teaches communication skills that help resolve conflict and foster authentic connection. For details, see Couples Bodywork.
Friday, February 12th-Sunday, February 14th (2 Nights)
Women game to indulge—and celebrate—themselves over Valentine’s Day weekend can follow the lead of henna artist and designer Stephanie Rudloe, who devotes a two-day workshop (exclusively for women) to the ancient art of shringara, an Indian word meaning “the process of adornment”. Henna and chocolate are her love-inspiring weapons of choice. (PS: Considered an aphrodisiac, henna, a natural temporary dye, has been used for centuries to decorate the body for beauty, fertility and abundance.) In “Shringara Sensual Rituals of Beauty” you master henna body art, massage and henna-designed adornments, sampling Vosges chocolates all the while. Total cost: $429-$960, depending on accommodations.
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
Stockbridge, MA; 866.200.5203; 413.448.3152
SEVEN Salon Spa
On Route 7 (hence, the name “SEVEN”), smack dab in Norman Rockwell country, this cheery yellow Federal-style building with white trim exudes sweet New England charm. Upon entering, however, you are in an airy, loftlike space with nary a Victorian tchotke in sight. In 2006, co-owners Mark Johnson (creative director) and Maurice Peterson (general manager) converted the 3,000 square foot interior into an open, light-filled day salon with buffed wood floors, recessed lighting, muted colors and minimalist modern décor. The ground flour divides into hair and nail stations, and the retail shop carries Jane Iredale cosmetics and other select hair and skincare products, including an organic hair care line. Body treatments and massages take place upstairs, where there are three treatment rooms and two private steam baths. “Natural” is a recurrent theme here, from incorporating natural building materials, such as local stone and wood, to the “natural and free” styling philosophy of Johnson, whose roster of clients have included supermodels and celebrities.
SWEETHEART DEALS:
Through Sunday, February 14th
Peterson and Johnson suggest the “Duet Massage” ($180, with 15% off through Valentine’s Day), where couples receive two individual 50-minute massages together as well as a complimentary steam bath.
Through Sunday, February 28th
And, if you discovered SEVEN by reading this article on Rural Intelligence, say so: you’ll receive 15% off when you choose two or more spa services (including facials, massages and / or body treatments).
Seven Salon Spa
Stockbridge, MA; 413.298.0117
FACE Stockholm
If you’re ready for a new face—and we mean one that doesn’t involve bruising, hideout recovery time or potentially disastrous consequences—a visit to FACE Stockholm is your ticket. Founded in Sweden in 1981, FACE is the brainchild of Gun Nowak, who owns and runs the cosmetic company with her daughter Martina Arfwidson. Nowak’s guiding philosophy adheres to a Swedish beauty ideal: keep makeup simple, clean and natural. Known for its incredibly diverse range of colors, the brand carries over 200 lip colors and 150-plus eye shadows, along with blushes, foundations, powders and a natural skincare line.
Overheard on a recent visit to FACE in Rhinebeck:
“Grow out your eyebrows; they’ll better frame and balance your face.”
“Crème blush is a must to coax out your cheekbones.”
“Use your fourth finger—it has the most padding—to apply makeup with short, quick strokes.”
That was makeup artist and educator Helen Andersson in action during a private consultation. After 20 years as a professional makeup artist to famous faces, such as Isabella Rossellini, Heidi Klum and Halle Berry, this native Swede is well-versed in the art of illusion. And it behooves you to take her advice. In a short time, Helen’s experienced eye and finesse with a makeup brush transformed less-than-perfect women—from an acne-plagued teenager, to a weathered 50-something—into confident swans, who sailed out the door that day, smiles on their faces.
On offer: a menu of makeup application services (that can also be custom-tailored), including makeup lessons and bridal services. While both Hudson and Rhinebeck stores carry the full range of FACE Stockholm makeup, skincare and bodycare, the Make Up School is exclusive to the Rhinebeck location.
Through Sunday, February 14th (Valentine’s Day), FACE is donating 5% of all sales to Doctors Without Borders to assist earthquake victims in Haiti.
Face Stockholm
Hudson, NY 518.822.9474
Rhinebeck, NY; 845.876.2200
Bodhi Holistic Spa
Helping people heal in a holistic, natural way inspired Melinda Macchiaroli, a massage therapist and yoga teacher, to open Bodhi Studio on Warren Street in 2004. Bodhi, a Sanskrit word that means “awakening” or “self realization”, embodies what Macchiaroli hopes are clients’ takeaway spa experiences. “Our treatments emphasize ancient healing practices, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, and we are also committed to using chemical-free products,” Macchiaroli says. You can consult with a naturopathic doctor, deep cleanse with colon hydrotherapy, detoxify in an infrared sauna, or opt for “face lift acupuncture” (facial rejuvenation without drugs or surgery). The boutique, located on the ground floor, carries natural products and organic clothing.
SWEETHEART DEALS: Through Sunday, February 14th
A special treatment available this week is the “Heart Opener”, a 30-minute Citron Sea Salt Scrub followed by a 60-minute therapeutic massage; $110.
The “Wellness Retreat Gift Certificate Special” includes 3 hours of head-to-toe treatments; $175.
Bodhi Holistic Spa
Hudson, NY; 518.828.2233
Rhinebeck Pilates
If you’ve been avoiding exercise because pumping iron (and fear of bulking up) isn’t your thing; you’re sporting a post-pregnancy potbelly; you’re recovering from an injury; or, you struggle with a bad back, Rhinebeck Pilates, run by owner and certified Pilates instructor Elaine Ewing, may be the solution easing you back into movement.
And, for the last time, Pilates isn’t just for women. Or for dancers. Or for elite athletes. It was, in fact, developed by German-born Joseph Pilates, a once-sickly child who trained as a wrestler, body builder, gymnast, boxer, diver and in the marital arts. In the early 1920s, he devised an eponymous series of exercises that came to be known as “Pilates” to strengthen, lengthen and tone the body with an emphasis on using core muscles and light resistance.
At the 1,000-square-foot studio, Ewing teaches all sessions on Gratz equipment, true to the original Joseph Pilates design, including the “reformer”, on which various exercises are done on cushioned board that glides back and forth on what resembles a metal bed frame, and the “Tower”, an elevated mat with attached springs and bars. In 2009, Ewings also became certified to teach Walk-ilates, ideal for improving walking and running biomechanics.
SWEETHEART DEAL: Friday, February 12th-Sunday, February 14th
It’s two-for-one: Recruit a partner to take a mat or tower Pilates class this Valentine’s Day weekend—and he or she can join you for free. Valentine’s Day gift certificates, from $100 (10 mat classes) to $240 (four duets together) are also available.
Rhinebeck Pilates
Rhinebeck, NY 845.876.5686
Haven Spa
Beautiful skin is the focus of this day spa, ensconced in a handsome Victorian in the heart of Rhinebeck village. For those looking to put their best face forward, Haven offers the latest in skincare technology, including microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and the Environ DF machine, which uses ultrasound and electrical current to promote the penetration of vitamins and antioxidants into skin. Facials are designed to address specific goals or issues, from rejuvenation and anti-aging, to acne and rosacea. The menu of spa services also includes massages and body treatments, such as an exfoliating lemon chiffon body polish and cellulite therapy.
SWEETHEART DEAL: Through Sunday, February 14th
With the purchase of two gift certificates, Haven offers 50% off the third.
Haven Spa
Rhinebeck, NY; 845.876.7369 —Kathryn Matthews
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 02/09/10 at 07:36 AM • Permalink
The Salisbury Ski Jumps - Our Winter Olympics
The 2009 Ski Jumps photographed by Jon Capecelatro.
For 84 years, the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) has promised Olympic level competition at the Annual U.S. Eastern Ski Jumping Championships, and the SWSA is good to its word. Last year, we got to see Pete Frenette compete on historic Satré Hill. This year, he’s not returning because he’ll be competing on the U.S. Olympic team in Vancouver. Next year, there could be as many as 200 Olympic hopefuls in Salisbury because the United States Ski and Snowboard Association has awarded SWSA the 2011 Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Junior Olympics (which would return to Salisbury every four years.) But there’s a catch: the SWSA needs to raise $750,000 to construct a new, state-of-the-art steel tower by next fall. “We are positive that we can make it happen!” says SWSA board member Elvia Gignoux, who notes that donations can be made through a fund at the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
Thus, this weekend’s 84th Annual U.S. Eastern Ski Jumping Championships may be the last opportunity to see the young ski jumpers climb the rickety wooden stairs at this improbable sporting venue just off Salisbury’s Main Street. The timeless enthusiasm of both the athletes and their fans is infectious: As competitors fly through the air, spectators ring cowbells, which is the traditional European way to cheer on ski jumpers. Blink and you can imagine that it’s Lake Placid 1932.
Salisbury takes on a winter carnival atmosphere during the ski jumps weekend. There’s target jumping under the lights and a chili cook-off on Friday night. On Saturday afternoon, there’s an ice carving contest on the lawn of the White Hart Inn and the Snow Ball dance in the evening at the Wake Robin Inn. Staffed by volunteers who start making snow weeks in advance, the ski jumps offer the rare opportunity to see Olympic hopefuls compete in a nostalgic, commercial-free setting.
84th Annual U.S. Eastern Ski Jumping Championships
Friday - Sunday, February 5 - 7
Admission $10 daily; free for children 12 and under.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 02/01/10 at 02:57 PM • Permalink
Excursions: Historic Fashion, The Inside Story
The inventor of the loincloth may have been the first homo sapien to get TMI. Undergarments have been shaping the truth ever since.
Bodies never change, but since fashion silhouettes do with great frequency, it falls to underwear to make things right—to cinch the bits that bulge and puff the ones that look deflated. Kjirsten Gustavson, director of education at Clermont, has been pondering this topic ever since she did her thesis on “Corsetry and Adolescence in the 19th Century,” while studying for an MA in History Museum Studies at SUNY Cooperstown. Now she will give a series of three Sunday afternoon lectures, accompanied by illustrative slides and elaborately-reproduced costumes (many of which she makes herself), dubbed, “UnderWhere?” Curiously, the lectures will be conducted in Clermont’s kitchen.
On January 31, Gustavson begins her talks, not with the loincloth, but with the under garments of the 1740s (above left)— just about the time that Clermont, the estate established in 1728 by Robert Livingston, Jr. on 13,000 acres he’d inherited from his father, would have been fit for the sort of ladies who concerned themselves with such things. We’ll find out the difference between corsets and stays, pass around the bum roll, and learn the alarming truth about 18th-century bathing.
“There wasn’t a strong feeling that it was necessary to immerse the entire body in water,” Gustavson says. “It wasn’t considered the only way to get clean. Clean undergarments were thought to be far more important in removing the filth from your body than actually using water. The purpose of the undergarment was to absorb whatever filth a woman may have dispersed, and to keep it off of her outer clothing.”
Then on February 28, we return to the Clermont kitchen to learn about the fashion of the Empire era (right and above right), a period made familiar by countless Jane Austin films, when women’s fashion radically changed.
“Earlier in the 18th century, fashion was limited to the elites,” Gustavson says. “Then major changes in textile production allowed a broader range of women to participate. The Empire era (also called the Federal or Regency period, depending on what country you were in) was more democratic.” It also must have been liberating to be freed from the constraints of corsetry, although Gustavson maintains that, “French women were more willing to give up their corsets than American or English women. Giving up those products is hard for many women. If you’ve been wearing them all your life, you can feel unclothed without them. Besides, they enforce good posture, which was another way of announcing your elite status.”
The final talk, on March 28, concerns the underwear of the late Victorian era, ending in 1880, which was renowned for its elaborate body-shapers—corsets, bustles, bust improvers. By this time, mass-produced undergarments had become widely available. “Thanks to the industrial revolution, women’s underwear became more fanciful and decorative.”
UnderWhere?
Clermont State Historic Site
One Clermont Avenue
Germantown, NY; 518.537.4240
January 31, February 28 & March 28; 2 p.m.
Admission: $5/adults, free/children 12 and under; reservations recommended
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 01/20/10 at 02:02 PM • Permalink
Laps of Luxury: Where To Swim During the Winter
The pool at Taconic Hills High School is a beauty and a bargain
For some reason, most of the pools in our region seem to be locally-guarded secrets—but no more. You can buy day passes at all of them, and, except for the pool at the preppy Hotchkiss School, you gain access to other fitness equipment like treadmills and weight machines. All of these pools offer various membership categories and payment structures so check their websites or call to find out about the, deals that would most suit your lifestyle. Now, you can keep your New Year’s resolution to get healthy and strong—and get warm at the same time.
Bard College Stevenson Gymnasium
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY; 845.758.7531
There are several options for using the six-lane, 25 yard pool at Bard College—from a full-year individual membership for $525 to a six-month weekend membership for $155. (You also get to use the other faciities such as the squash courts). An individual day pass is $10 and twelve passes cost $57; A one-time family pass (for two adults and two children) is $20; a dozen family passes is $83.
Canaan YMCA at Geer Village
77 S. Canaan Road (Route 7) Canaan, CT; 860.824.2790
There is a four-lane, 25-yard pool with scheduled lap swims, family swims and classes. Monhly memberships: $37 for seniors, $40 for adults (22-64), $60 for couples, and $69 for families. Day passes are available and limited to six visits annually: $5 for children under 12; $8 for teens 13 - 18; $11 for adults; $18 for a family.
Kilpatrick Athletic Center at Simon’s Rock
84 Alford Rd, Great Barrington, MA; 413.644.4400
There is an eight-lane 25 yard swimming pool that is part of a modern fitness complex. Individual annual memberships are $875 (children under 21 free and a spouse or parnter gets a 40% discount. One-day guest passes: $15 for 18 years and older; $7.50 for 14 to 17 years olds; $5 for 13 and under. Ten adult passes are $120; 25 passes are $225. Seniors receive a 10% discount.
Berkshire South Regional Community Center
15 Crissey Road,Great Barrington, MA; 413.528.2810
Tucked off Route 7 near the Kmart and Price Chopper, the modern community center has a six-lane swimming pool that is open seven days a week. Individual memberships are $610 annually for adults (18-64) and a day pass is $15. Family/Couple/Domestic Partner memberships are $830 annually, and a family day pass is $37; a single-parent family day pass is $30.
Hotchkiss Pool
Routes 112 & 41, Lakeville, CT
The ten-lane pool at the prestigious prep school is open for adult-only swims sponsored by the Salisbury Recreation Commission on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 - 10:30 a.m. The fee is $5 per session. The Sharon Recreation commission offers swimming for adults on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 - 9:30 a.m.. The fee is $5 per session or $200 for nine months.
Taconic Hills Aquatic Center
73 County Route 11A, Craryville, NY; 518.325.0432
This six-lane 25 yard pool at the Taconic Hills High School is conveniently open 12 months a year, and it’s a bargain. Day fees: $1 for residents and $.50 for resident seniors; $ 2 for non-residents and $1 for non-resident seniors. Annual memberships: $140 for residents; $70 for resident seniors; $200 for non-residents; $100 for non-resident seniors.
The Pittsfield Family YMCA
292 North Street, Pittsfield, MA; 413.499.7650
There is an Olympic sized pool at this downtown Y, which is open daily from 4:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.. It has many membership categories. Individual adults pay $41 a month, single-parent families pay $50.50 and two-parent families pay $60. Day passes: $8 for adults and $20 for a family.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 01/20/10 at 01:15 PM • Permalink
A Currier & Ives Sunday in Stockbridge
Photographs by Lisa Cenis
Long before snow tires and four-wheel drive, the residents of our region travelled by horse-drawn sleighs during the winter. The Colonial Carriage & Driving Society will recreate those bygone days on Sunday, January 10, at The Winter Classic Sleigh Rally at Orleton Farm in Stockbridge. The society’s president, Harvey Waller, has lined up nearly two dozen antique sleighs that will compete in thirteeen different classes. The most photogenic competition is the Currier & Ives class in which participants are judged by how well they create a picture of days gone by; the most difficult is the Pleasure Obstacle Pace which tests a driver’s ability to negotiate a cross country course with obstacles at an optimum time. “The Sleigh Rally began about eight or nine years ago as an event for sleigh owners and then we decided to invite the public too,” says Waller, whose society organizes the annual Coaching Weekend in Lenox every fall. 
“But the weather does not always cooperate. This year we have plenty of snow and we’ll be fine as long as there’s not too much wind.” Waller notes that competition is not the main point of the event. “It’s really about depicting the Victorian moment with sleighs,” says Waller, who is also president of the Carriage Association of America. He has a collection of 40 restored horse-drawn vehicles at Orleton Farm that visitors can view on Sunday. “There will be a bonfire, a tent with heaters and food for sale, and sleigh rides for spectators, too,” he says.
The Winter Classic Sleigh Rally
Parade of Sleighs - 11 a.m.
Orleton Farm
Stockbridge; 413.441.4682
Admission:
$5 per person
$3 (12 years to 5 years)
Under 5 free
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 01/06/10 at 12:23 PM • Permalink
“Along Route 7” with Photographer Stephen Donaldson
“I love Route 7,” says photographer Stephen Donaldson. “It’s not only the history of our region, it’s the history of our country. It’s the road the defines western New England.” Stretching from Norwalk, CT, on the Long Island Sound to Vermont’s border with Canada, the 308-mile stretch of road has scores of farmhouses, clapboard churches, cemeteries, barns and breathtaking vistas, which Donaldson has loving documented in his new book, Along Route 7 (Schiffer Books; $45.) While the natural landscape becomes bigger and bolder as you drive north, the manmade landscape—especially from the 18th and 19th centuries—is remarkably consistent, which is why many of the best preserved towns in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont look so much alike. “It’s a very comfortable part of the world,” he says.
Naturally, Donaldson has favorite parts of the road. He says nothing compares to the stretch from Bulls Bridge in Kent, CT, through Cornwall and Falls Village to Canaan. “It’s the Goldilocks section—it feel just right,” he says. “It feels very intimate. The landscape seems to wrap itself around you.” The most breathtaking part is just north of Bennington, VT. “It’s very dramatic when you arrive in this valley with 3,000 foot mountains. There’s a private toll road called the Equinox Skyline Trail, with incredible views.”
Route 7 is called the Ethan Allen Highway in both Connecticut and Vermont, but not in Masschusetts. “Ethan Allen was born in Litchfield, raised in Sheffield, and was very involved in Vermont politics,” says Donaldson. “It’s the mystery of Massachusetts as to why it’s not named the Ethan Allen Highway there, too.”
Photographs by Stephen G. Donaldson.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 12/16/09 at 12:43 PM • Permalink
Excursions: Holiday Fetes and Strolls
Holiday spirit is highly infectious—no way you’ll catch it at home, watching t.v., and all it takes is one trip to any mall to guarantee immunity well past New Year’s Eve. Our small town holiday festivals, on the other hand, are veritable petri dishes of the stuff. Attend any or several of the many scattered throughout our region this weekend through next, and you’ll find holly spontaneously sprouting in your heart.
©Norman Rockwell Museum
Berkshire County
Sunday, December 6 @ noon to 2 p.m.
Dreaming of an idyllic New England Christmas? The Chamber of Commerce of Stockbridge offers one that’s straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Literally. Every year for the past two decades, the organizers have gone to great pains to create a tableau vivant of Norman Rockwell’s iconic painting, “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas” (above)—same decorations, same vintage cars, the only difference, in the re-creation, the Red Lion Inn is all lit up; whereas, when Rockwell did his study, it was closed for the winter. Even when the painting first appeared in print in 1967 as an illustration in McCall;s, it depicted an earlier, more innocent age (the artist had worked on it for ten years), capturing a Stockbridge that was pre-hippie, pre-Viet Nam, pre-Columbia-and-Berkeley-riots. For a full account of the day’s many other activities, visit the Chamber’s website.
Friday, December 4 @ 5 - 8 p.m.
Alchemy Initiative FUNdraiser to benefit a church re-purposed as a community center, offers artisan-made gifts, such as the toys, ornaments, sweaters and blankets by famed knit recycler Crispina ffrench (whose “Chop Shop” is also on the premises) to kitchen utensils, jewelry, pottery, hand-printed calendars, leather bags and accessories to all sorts of holiday foods to either eat there or take home, cookies, sweets, trees, wreaths, gift wrapping done on premises, live music, mulled cider and wine, and hearty finger fare. Donation: $20
December 6, 3 - 5 p.m.
Each year for the past six, Wheatleigh, the 5-Diamond resort in Lenox, has sponsored a gingerbread-house-making context to benefit Berkshire Grown. It will be held this year at the Lenox Community Center.
Entry details: 413.627.0610
Wednesday, December 9 @ 5 - 8 p.m.
Carolers, treats, a tree lighting, and discounted prices—not bad for Great Barrington on a Wednesday night. For details, visit the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce website.
Columbia County
Saturday, December 5 @ 3 - 8 p.m.
The words “cheerful” and “hip” seldom figure in the same sentence, much less one that’s about the holidays. Yet, somehow, Hudson’s Winter Walk is both. Yes, there is a Santa parade, street musicians, fireworks, people in costumes, such as the couple at left, which are all great for children and make the 2-mile walk from 1st to 8th on Warren Street entertaining every step of the way. But the heart of the matter lies in the shops and galleries, which, on a cold winter night, turn into warm and welcoming havens. All those beautiful storefronts with all those beautiful things in them (20 new businesses since last year’s event) barely need a wreath on the door to look Dickensian. And their proprietors require no false bonhomie (or whiskers)—“showmanship” is not something these seasoned retailers drag out of the attic once a year and dust off. It is what they do every day.
For a complete Winter Walk itinerary, including information on altered traffic patterns and parking, visit the Hudson Opera House website.
December 5 & 6 @ 10 a.m.
Clermont State Historic Site shares the holiday traditions of the Livingston family, who lived there for seven generations. Children can experience Christmas morning through the eyes of Honoria and Janet Livingston, the last children to reside there. The program starts with a stocking-feet tour of the house, which, of course, is decorated for the holidays, followed by a storyteller, in costume, who will teach children about 19th- and early 20th-century Christmas traditions, followed by games, songs and snacks.The program on Saturday is designed for children 3 - 6; on Sunday 7 - 11 year olds. Tickets are $12/children; $2/per accompanying adult. Pre-paid reservations required.
Friday - Sunday, December 4 - 6 & 11 -12
The James Vanderpoel House, one of the jewels in the crown that is Broad Street, Kinderhook, will be the site of the Columbia County Historical Society‘s Wreaths and Holiday Craft Boutique, wreath silent auction, children’s crafts workshop ($5 per child, $10 per family, members free), and adults holiday champagne brunch (members $10, non members $15; reservations encouraged). In addition, next weekend, on December 11, from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., the Village of Kinderhook Candlelight Night is a tour of private homes decorated for the holidays. Tickets will be available for purchase that evening at the Columbia County Museum and James Vanderpoel House; $10/person; $25/family (admits up to 4 people).
December 5 @ 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
The Hawthorne Valley Yuletide Fair and Gingerbread House Auction is a low key, family-oriented event that features shopping for handcrafted items such as wooden toys, a Tiny Treasure Room of gift items to fit the most minute budgets, some crafts workshops (candle dipping, stained-glass ornament making) for adults and older children, and a puppet show for little ones.
Puppet show admission, $4 Reservations strongly advised. 518.672.7092, ext. 112
Sunday, December 13 @11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
In previous years an evening event, Chatham’s Winterfest will take place this year during daylight hours. Carolers will still stroll and Santa Claus will be there, naturally. For details, visit Chatham Business Alliance website.
Now - December 20, Thursday - Sunday @ 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The Spencertown Academy‘s Annual Handmade Holiday Shop features mostly one-of-a-kind gift items—jewelry, hand-knit scares, porcelain dinnerware, hand-bound books, quilted handbags, letterpress holiday cards, etc.—by local artists and artisans.
Dutchess County
December 5, 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Last week, we gave a little background on Sinterklaas (see below), a Dutch-based, Rhinebeck-embellished holiday festival. This Saturday, in honor of Sinterklaas, Rhinebeck throws a day-Long, town-wide celebration, followed, at dusk, by a starlight parade.
Litchfield County
Sunday, December 6 @ 3:30 - 6:30 p.m.
In Lakeville, Santa arrives at 3:30, then at 5:30, the tree on the Green next to the firehouse will be lit. In Salisbury, the band begins playing and carolers start singing at 5:30; the tree on the Green next to the White Hart Inn gets lit at 6:30 and is followed by a Parade of Lights. Hot chocolate, cider and other snacks will be available at both.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 11/30/09 at 08:15 AM • Permalink
Road Trip: Sinterklaas is Comin’ to Town
A fairy tale:
A town was going through a time of trial, as towns often do when they grow. Newcomers were impacting the outcomes of elections, and some even took exception to the quasi-religious celebrations that took place seasonally in their children’s new schools. For their part, the old timers resisted change, though eventually they were forced to give in. Everyone was sore.
The wise leaders of the town decided that a festival was needed to bring the town together. As luck would have it, living in this town was a festival magician, a woman who had orchestrated some of the greatest festivals in the world. She knew just what to do.
Some years before, she had been pressed by the town leaders with a similar request. She had studied the town’s history and learned that there was a great legacy that had been long forgotten. But at the time, she couldn’t persuade anyone that it was a good idea to revive it. To the leaders, it seemed too foreign; they wanted something more conventional. The festival magician wondered if, perhaps, the time was ripe. Even the old timers were not quite as set in their ways as they once had been, and, besides, the leaders were desperate. Something foreign might just do the trick. This time they agreed to give it a try.
The festival magician knew that the warring factions in the town had one thing in common: they loved their children above all else. She had an idea, but when she told it to the leaders, they said, “Nobody will do it.” Nonetheless, they let her try. First she got everyone’s attention by gathering the whole town together to witness a wild, noisy, beautiful ceremony that entailed a boat, a bearded man in a costume and a horse. It was so impressive, everyone got in the festival mood. Then a week later, there was a great parade, just as impressive, and at its culmination, there was a ceremony—the very one the leaders had said no one would want to participate in. The magician got all the grown-ups in the town to kneel down before all the children who had marched in the parade. Everyone did, and the sight was so stirring, the symbolism so powerful, everyone wept.
In a fairy tale, this would be where it says, The End. But this is real life. Sinterklaas, the Rhinebeck festival that last year blew the minds of the thousands who attended, starts this weekend with the arrival of the man himself (played, appropriately enough, by a woman) by boat at the Rhinecliff dock.
The festival magician, Jeanne Fleming, a longtime Rhinebeck resident and veteran event art director and organizer (the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, the re-opening of the Statue of Liberty, the opening of the Walkway Over the Hudson, etc.), has a degree in Medieval history from Bard. She knew that the 15th-century Dutch Roman Catholic Bishop on whom the legendary Sinterklaas is partly based, had, during the Inquisition, protected his own diverse population and had sheltered foreign blacks and Jews, and their orphaned children. She knew that, in early New York, the word Sinterklaas had eventually became anglicized into Santa Claus as the English emerged as the dominant culture, and that in time, for convenience sake alone, Santa Claus’s early-December children’s festival had been merged with one later in the month celebrating the birth of Christ. Fleming shared what she knew—that Sinterklaas is the champion of all children—with some of the region’s Jewish leaders, who passed it on to their own communities. That accomplished, the rest—the elaborate arrival ceremony in a boat made to look, this year, like a goose, the parade, the giant puppets, the children’s crowns and sceptors (made from “gilded” switches, the sort with which “naughty” children of yore got spanked)—for Fleming, all in a day’s work.
Sinterklaas
The Arrival at the Rhinecliff Dock & Rhinecliff Hotel
November 28 @ 4 p.m.
Rhinecliff, NY
Day-Long, Town-wide Celebration & Starlight Parade at Dusk
Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Rhinebeck, NY
For more on the history, click on Read the Whole Story on the Sinterklaas website, for a series of articles by “the magician,” Jeanne Fleming.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 11/24/09 at 10:54 AM • Permalink
Christmas Arrives Early at the Berkshire Museum
The 106-year-old Berkshire Museum not only preserves paintings, photographs, antiquities, and other artifacts that depict our region’s natural and cultural history; it also safeguards the spirit of traditional New England Christmas. The 25th annual Festival of Trees (through January 3) is an antidote to shopping mall ennui and another example of how proud-again Pittsfield excels at celebrating big holidays. (Its Fourth of July Parade was named one of the top ten in the country by USA Today.) The museum commissioned a contemporary star by local artist Eric Drury (photographed above by Pittsfield Contemporary) to hang in the elegant Crane Room, providing a dollop of 21st century attitude.
For the past quarter century the museum has invited businesses (such as the Red Lion Inn and Country Curtains), other cultural institutions 
(such as Jacob’s Pillow and the Ferrin Gallery), community groups (such as the Berkshire Humane Society and Berkshire Stonewall Coalition) and schools (such as Berkshire Country Day and Darrow) to create original Christmas trees to be displayed in its galleries. The theme for the silver anniversary is, appropriately, “Silver Bells,” and the museum is augmenting its display of scores of trees this year with other artworks. “We really want to make clear that the Berkshire Museum has an incredibly rich historical collection and also supports contemporary artists,” says executive director Stuart Chase. He has unearthed some antique silver from the museum’s storerooms—a 19th century European menorah and a Tiffany silver cup with gold lining given to Civil War General William F. Bartlett of Pittsfield in 1874—and there will be a loan exhibition of contemporary silver pieces (right) by the Monterey silversmiths Michael & Maureen Banner. At the entrance to the Festival of Trees exhibit, the walls will be hung with the sparkling abstract photographs (below) of Sharon Lips, who lives in East Chatham, NY, and is the president of the Berkshire Museum Camera Club.
The opening night party for the Festival of Trees is always held in the glorious Art Deco Crane Room, a vast oak-paneled space with a working fireplace, which feels like it was lifted from Rockefeller Center. If you’re nostalgic for bygone department stores and hotel tea rooms, sipping cocktails in the Crane Room and listening to gospel singer Jennifer Poole do her rendition of “Silver Bells” may give you a sense of deja vu. (And if you’ve been looking for an excuse to have your children or grandchildren get dressed up for a party, the opening night gala is meant to be family friendly.)
As the grand dame of South Street, the Berkshire Museum considers bringing people to downtown Pittsfield its civic duty, and it has a full roster of holiday events. And if Christmas is not your holiday, the museum is also opening a new mixed media exhibition, Tonalities, which includes photographs by Edward Steichen and works on paper by Jim Dine, Henry Moore, and Philip Guston from the permanent collection. “We always say, We’re a museum for everyone,” says Chase.
Festival of Trees
November 14 - January 3
Gala Preview Party: November 13, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
$45 members/$55 general public/$60 at the door
The Little Black Dress, Thursday November 19 at 1 p.m.
A fanciful performance linking floral design, festive accessories, and fashion diva Coco Chanel.
The McKrells’ Christmas,
Saturday November 28 at 7 p.m.
Songs, stories, recitations, and virtuosic instrumentals by the renowned performers of traditional and original Celtic, folk, Americana, and bluegrass music.
Berkshire Hillsmen Holiday Special, Saturday December 5 at 1 p.m.
A family performance featuring holiday songs of yesteryear performed with harmony and humor by a barbershop quartet.
The Berkshire Music School’s Holiday Cabaret,
Sunday December 6 at 1 p.m.
Holiday classics with a cabaret twist.
Holiday Family Day, Saturday December 12 from 1 - 5 p.m.
A full afternoon of hands-on fun and family-friendly performances culminates with the official lighting of the Museum’s tree.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr, December 28 & 29 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Enjoy an enchanting musical production of this timeless tale by Berkshire Children’s Theater.
New Years’ Eve Celebration for Kids, December 31 at 11 a.m.
Children can ring in the New Year early with mind-boggling tricks by magician David Hall, followed by festive refreshment.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 11/11/09 at 01:03 PM • Permalink
Stealing Beauty: The Olana Viewshed Tour
You don’t have to be erudite or sophisticated to be moved by a beautiful vista. It’s one form of beauty that everyone agrees upon. Yet the notion of protecting a view that’s comprised largely of private property, is new.
On Saturday, October 24, The Olana Partnership, joins several private and governmental preservation initiatives, and Olana’s neighboring landowners in inviting us to celebrate and investigate the beauty surrounding Olana’s 250-acre property. This is a rare opportunity to trespass on private land, to walk across meadows, beside ponds and streams, through orchards and gardens in order to experience first-hand the variety and magnificence of the region the painter Frederic Church called “the center of the world.”
Church’s property, Olana, often referred to as the “crown jewel” of the Hudson Valley, is the focal point of the tour. It is comprised of his Persian-style house, set amidst a 250-acre working farm and park designed by Church in the 19th-century Picturesque style. His design repeatedly refers to the surrounding landscape, revealing and framing exceptional views, even echoing the shape of the river in a man-made pond near the house. Preservationists argue that the grounds, now under restoration, constitute a masterpiece as worthy of protection as any of Church’s paintings.
Each painting produced by Church and his fellow Hudson River School artists was, in its day, an event eagerly awaited by a broad public, much as a major motion picture might be today. Once completed, the artist would take his picture on tour, at each stop drawing crowds who marveled at how magnificent their country was. Today, the Hudson River School is credited with helping to launch the American Conservation Movement.
While the celebration of views was integral to the Hudson River School’s philosophy, the idea of the public recognizing them as national treasures, to be protected, is new. Efforts are presently underway to protect views in California’s Napa Valley, in the areas surrounding certain Civil War sites, in the environs surrounding Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Virginia. Throughout the Hudson Valley, landscape historians, environmentalists, concerned citizens, art patrons, and land conservationists have joined forces to protect spectacular viewsheds, of which Olana’s is preeminent.
The ten private properties featured on this year’s tour are located along the Hudson River and in the foothills of the Catskill range. They include an 1870’s Calvert Vaux-designed home, the former estate of the famous landscape painter Charles Herbert Moore, a bio-dynamic farm, and a restored 1743 barn perched above 436 protected acres. Following the tour there will be a party at an 1850’s farm with 180-degree views of the Catskill range. As an added incentive for those on the tour to join the Olana Partnership, the Olana bell tower will be open the day of the tour and may be climbed by non-members for an extra fee and by members for free.
Olana Viewshed Tour
5720 Route 9G, Hudson; 518.828.1872 ext. 103
Saturday, October 24, 10 - 4
Tickets and maps may be picked up on the day of the tour at the Wagon House Education Center at Olana
Viewshed tour only: $50/non-members; $40/members
Benefit party only: $100/non-members; $75/members
Bell tower tour: $50/non-members; free/members
Olana Partnership Memberships: $40 - $100
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 10/21/09 at 08:26 PM • Permalink
