Editor

Real Estate

Standout Style

This Washington Contemporary stands out as distinctly unique, sequestered on more than 20 pastoral acres with views. The first floor offers a living room with fireplace and deck, dining area and wood-paneled country kitchen. The house has three fireplaces and three bedrooms. For storage, there is a garage and a

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Community

Make Connections: Travel The High Road Through Berkshire County

All photos courtesy of BNRC. By Amy Krzanik As walkers, hikers, cross-country skiers and snowshoers know, the Berkshires is one of the best places to work up a sweat while you “bathe in nature.” Unfortunately, you’ll have to carry your own cold water or hot drink and snack with

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Parties

Cocktails With James Ivory At FilmColumbia

Robyn Perry Coe reports from Chatham.FilmColumbia 2016 got underway with a special James Ivory Tribute and Kickoff Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 22, benefitting FilmColumbia and the non-profit Chatham Film Club, which owns and operates the Crandell Theatre and produces the festival. The event began with the screening of a

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Arts

Two Chamber Series Offer An Embarrassment Of Riches

Crescendo. Photo by Stephen Potter. By Jeremy D. Goodwin Tanglewood will always be the grand dame among classical music venues in the Rural Intelligence region, and that’s perfectly fine with us. But it’s in the more intimate venues — theaters, churches, museums — where chamber music fans can reliably find

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Food

Recipe: Butternut Squash Cake

One of our favorite events every summer is The Sylvia Center’s Farm-to-Table dinner, hosted by Great Performances in the fields of Katchkie Farm in Kinderhook, N.Y. The mission of The Sylvia Center is to inspire young people and their families to eat well through hands-on learning experiences on

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Community

The Rural We: Mary Mott

Mary Mott is a writer and monologist who lives in Stockbridge, Mass. Two years ago, she performed a one-woman show presented by the Berkshire Theatre Group at The Unicorn Theatre (in Stockbridge), and is now following that up with another show beginning Friday, Oct. 29. Mott was inspired to write

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Parties

The Future Is Female: A Lunch For Perfect Ten At Little Ghent Farm

Amy Krzanik reports from Ghent. I can almost see a lightbulb appear, glowing, above Paula Forman’s head as she recalls how the idea for the Perfect Ten After School program came to her. Six years ago, she overheard some very young girls on a Hudson, N.Y. street in

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Style

Plant Bulbs Now To Light Up The Spring Garden

The Rural Intelligence region is fortunate to have so many gardening experts close by. Our garden writer, Madaline Sparks, is the principal in her own design, installation and maintenance business, Madaline Sparks Garden Design, with clients in Columbia and Berkshire counties. For 12 years she was the contributing garden editor

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Style

The High-Performance Home, Part 2: The Smart Wall

Rona Easton and Lonn Combs of EASTON+COMBS, the award-winning architectural office based in New Marlborough, Mass. have allowed Rural Intelligence to look over their shoulders (and those of their client) throughout the construction process of a high-performance home going up right now. This is the second installment of eight

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Real Estate

Efficient On The Farm

A classic farmhouse exterior houses state-of-the-art mechanical systems, internet-controlled heating and air conditioning, a generator, and foam insulation throughout that keep this large Southfield residence energy efficient. Known as Adams Farm, a historically significant property set on 52 pastoral acres, it includes an original 1760 farmhouse, a guest house, horse

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Real Estate

Sustainable Shaker

Shaker simplicity meets energy efficiency at this property in Kinderhook. Designed by architect Dennis Wedlick, the four-bedroom main home is 98-percent efficient with solar power, energy-efficient appliances and high-velocity HVAC and AC systems. The interior is as stylish as it is green, featuring modern lines, lots of use of natural

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Real Estate

Single-Level Green

Seated on five acres in Ghent, this modernist, one-level residence offers the quiet of the country and the up-to-date conveniences of green features such as energy-efficient radiant heat and solar panels. The house has four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. The open floor plan includes a contemporary kitchen and a large

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