Editor

Food

AgriCulture: The Climes They Are A-Changing

AgriCulture bloggers Peter Davies and Mark Scherzer are the owners of Turkana Farms in Germantown, NY. This week Peter writes. Anyone who denies that we are experiencing extreme climate change should either speak to our farm animals (as I have demonstrated in past columns, our animals can talk) or, better

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Community

Wharton in Words and Spirit at The Mount in The Inner House

Tod Randolph as Edith Wharton; photos by Kevin Sprague "I have sometimes thought that a woman's nature is like a great house full of rooms,” Edith Wharton wrote in her short story The Fullness of Life. She was speaking from experience. Having settled at The Mount in

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Community

Counterintuitive Chic: A New Palette at the Red Lion Inn

"I wanted people who are allergic to wallpaper to feel welcome at the Red Lion Inn," owner Nancy Fitzpatrick says with mischievous glee. She is talking about the 17 new rooms that the landmark hotel (circa 1773) has just added, which have been rigorously designed (and painted, not

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Arts

Reviews: Comic Catharsis Across the Eras

Carolyn Michelle Smith, Tina Benko, and Kathy Searle in WHADDABLOODCLOT!!! at Williamstown Theatre Festival There was a time when I fully subscribed to the notion, as Philip Barry often put forth in his lovely plays The Philadelphia Story and Holiday, that the rich should be looked upon with the same

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Food

Recipe: Cucumber Sorbet with Lime Shortbread

Berkshire native Alana Chernila, local politician, mother of two, and author of the new cookbook, The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making (Clarkson Potter), dispenses change and cooking ideas at the Great Barrington Farmers’ Market. She shares her peak-of-the-season recipes with Rural

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Parties

Shaker Shalom Fuses Cultures at Hancock Shaker Village

Lisa Green reports from Pittsfield.Two seemingly disparate cultures came together on Sunday, August 12 at Hancock Shaker Village in a gala that illuminated shared traditions in community, cuisine, and music. Shaker Soul and Jewish Neshama, an event to benefit both the Village and Congregation Knesset Israel, co-chaired by

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Parties

Up on the Roof: Kick-Off Party for WordXWord Festival 2012

Rachel Louchen reports from Pittsfield. Hailed by the cognoscenti as one of the most exciting events of the summer, the rooftop kick-off party for  WordXWord 2012 on Saturday, August 11 did not disappoint. Sporadic rain showers throughout the evening scratched plans for live music, but celebrants remained up on

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Parties

Bidwell House Summer Garden Party Celebrates Colonial Life

Fiona Breslin reports from Monterey.One of the assets of life in the Rural Intelligence region is the rich cultural heritage that surrounds us, dating back to the Colonial era and beyond. Fortunately, much of this history has been preserved, including the Deacon Hale House, built in 1747, which was

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Arts

Trey McIntyre Project: Power and Grace

Photos courtesy of Jacob's Pillow In 2008, after 18 years of making dances for ballet companies across the globe, Trey McIntyre formed his own company, which debuted at Jacob’s Pillow to instant acclaim. His reputation has grown over the years, and the Trey McIntyre Project filled the

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Parties

Homefield Preview Party at Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Museum

Bess Hochstein reports from Lenox."Designer Dad" blogger and author Stephen Saint-Onge was the celebrity host of Homefield: Bringing Design Home, a Saturday home furnishings, fashion, art, and antiques market held under a tent behind Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum. The market kicked off with

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Parties

Swinging Time at the Litchfield Jazz Festival Friends Gala

Lisa Green reports from Goshen.The theme song for the Friends of the Festival Opening Night Gala of the Litchfield Jazz Festival on the rainy evening of Friday, August 10 could have been Stormy Weather, but festival founder  and executive director Vita West Muir (near left, with Andrea Becker-Abbott)

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Food

AgriCulture: How the Drought Drives Food Prices

AgriCulture bloggers Peter Davies and Mark Scherzer are the owners of Turkana Farms in Germantown, NY. This week Mark writes. You can't call the rain abundant this summer, but at least in recent weeks we've gotten enough to keep us off the drought disaster area map

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