Editor

Parties

Ferrin Gallery Dish+Dine: An Arts Salon on Decadence & Decay

Cultural correspondent Bess J.M. Hochstein reports from Pittsfield.The genteel tradition of the art salon finds new vitality at the Ferrin Gallery’s periodic Dish+Dine soirees, which bring together local artists, food, academics, and chefs, plus guests interested in any or all of those topics, to share a

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Community

Passages: A Farewell from Marilyn & Dan

From the start, Rural Intelligence was an experiment. Our goal to create an online culture-and-lifestyle magazine that would unite four counties in three states was and remains, as far as we know, unique.  We are proud of the work we've done and that we've

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Arts

David Dorfman: Dance to the Music

Dance review by Bess J.M. Hochstein Photos: above, Kate Enman; below, Cherylynn TsushimaProphets of Funk, an evening-length work performed by David Dorfman Dance this week at Jacob’s Pillow, begins with the choreographer strutting his stuff diagonally across the stage on a path of light. He’s no

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Arts

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet: Articulate Company

Dance review by Bess J.M. Hochstein Photos: Rosalie O'Connor A well-composed program of work by three European choreographers, in performance by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet this week at Jacob’s Pillow, shows off the many skills of this company’s ten talented dancers: speed, strength, grace,

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Arts

The Wharton Salon: Bringing Edith Wharton's Works to Life at The Mount

Preview by Bess J.M. Hochstein Longtime Berkshire theater goers fondly reminisce about the days in the late 1970s when Tina Packer and her merry band of thespians took up residence at The Mount, where, in addition to Shakespeare, they performed theatrical adaptations of the work of the estate’s

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Community

The Hyde Park Trail: History in Motion

by Kathryn Matthews “If beauty is good for the soul, then I wish I could have taken the whole world to walk with me early Saturday morning in the woods at Hyde Park,” Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote of her restorative walks at Val-Kill, her Dutchess County retreat. Dogwood trees

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Parties

From Mountaintop to Rooftop: Celebrants Scale the Heights

Bess J.M. Hochstein reports from Monterey and Pittsfield.Parties reached a peak this Saturday, August 13 – at least two of them did in the Berkshires, where celebrants could scale a rural mountainside to sip pina coladas and daiquiris, or climb a steep set of stairs for an urban party

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Food

AgriCulture: Leading a Lamb to Assisted Living

AgriCulture bloggers Peter Davies and Mark Scherzer are the owners of Turkana Farms in Germantown, NY. This week,  Mark writes: Since I wrote about the dilemma of what to do with an increasingly frail elderly ewe a few months ago, a number of people have asked me "What happened

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Parties

Drama in The Pastures at Volunteers in Medicine Benefit

Bess J.M. Hochstein reports from Southfield, Massachusetts.Supporters of Volunteers in Medicine, which operates a clinic in Great Barrington that provides free healthcare to low-income, uninsured Berkshire workers and residents, gathered at The Pastures during the 'golden hour' on Thursday, August 11, for VIM’s annual

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Style

The Wandering Eye: House Guests

Our blogger, interior designer Carey Maloney, and his partner Hermes Mallea, an architect, are principals in the M (Group). Okay.  Hermes had (another) good idea..  A blog on House Guests.  Avoiding all the clichés, comparisons to old fish, etc. All it takes is a few moments searching the Interweb to

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Style

McTeigue & McClelland Are in the Business of Enchantment

For nearly a century following its founding in 1895, McTeigue & Co. was one of the most respected hallmarks in the fine jewelry trade, selling only to elite retailers such as Tiffany & Co., which in 1990 acquired and absorbed the family-owned business into its own. Yet as he

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Parties

What’s Love Got to Do With It?

Just about everything it turns out, as le tout Hudson showed up at Club Helsinki to celebrate the release of Evermore, a new cd by Chris Swicegood, one half of the local favorite singing duo Chris and Lolly Swicegood. The couple (in photo, left) usually sing together and did that

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