Rural Intelligence (Page 713)

Parties

Berkshire Museum Wine Auction in Two Acts

Cultural correspondent Bess Hochstein reports: It was a bittersweet year for the 7th biennial Berkshire Museum Wine Auction, which was dedicated to the memory of auction co-founder Sheila Chefetz, who died in 2008. In tribute to his late wife, Mike Chefetz served as co-chair with Jacqueline and Al

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Parties

Old and New Mingle at Tom Swope's Gallery in Hudson

Tom Swope set out an elegant table of wine and cheese beneath one of White Webb's Intaglio chandeliers on Saturday evening in Hudson. Some guests arrived early in tuxedos on their way to the Columbia Memorial Hospital Ball in Catskill. Other Warren Street shopkeepers came late after cashing

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Community

The Quadricentennial Flotilla on the Hudson

It's hard to say which is the more iconic ship for this region—Henry Hudson's Half Moon (left) or the Hudson River sloop Clearwater, which we tend to think of (erroneously) as Pete Seeger's boat. Luckily, next week, from Tuesday the 9th when they

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Food

AgriCulture: Bottoms up! It's Rhubarb Season

Mark Scherzer of Turkana Farms does the honors this week, with one small interjection by Peter Davies. We've been writing a lot about our animals lately, but there's another explosion of life happening on the farm these days of high mid-spring: vegetables. I thought we

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Style

Open Days: Three Perennial Favorites

Some gardens, like some novels, can be taken in at once, with a glance; others bear intense study year after year. The regional offerings on the Open Days Conservancy Tour on Sunday, May 31, fall into the second camp. Admission, $5 at each property, may be paid at the door.

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Community

Suddenly Unemployed? Kripalu Wants to Help

It's not unusual for someone to have a favorite getaway, a place he or she loves above all other destinations. For many people, Kripalu, in Stockbridge, is just such a place. Far from your average spa, Kripalu offers world-class instruction in yoga, holistic health, personal growth, and

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Community

Rural Rules of Life: Twenty Questions for Ellen Spear, President of Hancock Shaker Village

Since taking over as president and CEO of Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield four years ago, Ellen Spear has become a regional mover and shaker, a visionary who helped establish the Berkshire Creative Economy Council. “The challenge is how to transform our cultural and artistic wealth into something richer, more

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Style

White Webb's Intaglio at Tom Swope in Hudson

Faster than a rumor skittering across a party line—that’s how the grapevine works these days. Take, for example, the case of White Webb, interior designers from New York, and Tom Swope, Hudson gallery owner. A few months ago, Rural Intelligence ran a story on Swope's hushed

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Food

It's Beneficial To Indulge at the Berkshire Museum Wine Auction

These aren't times for hedonism—unless your self indulgence can be construed as philanthropic, too. If you're an oenophile or sybarite, the Berkshire Museum's Biennial Wine Auction on Saturday, May 30, in Pittsfield offers many ways to splurge on yourself while also supporting the

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Parties

MASS MoCA Is 10 Years Bold

Joe Thompson, the director of MASS MoCA, and his wife, the writer Jennifer Trainer Thompson, designed the 10th anniversary ball, which took place on May 23, to feel as gracious and familial as if they were entertaining at home. The invitation said "creative black tie," which allowed people

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Community

Lodgings: The Inn at Hudson, a One-Doily B & B

What do you do when it dawns on you, too late, that you may have bought more house than you can afford to maintain? That’s easy; turn it into a b & b. At least, it was easy for Dini Lamot and Windle Davis. A little background: The couple

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Parties

Karen LeSage at the Ober Gallery in Kent

Rob Ober likes to hold his openings on Sunday afternoon, which is why they have such a leisurely quality. Nobody seems to be rushing off to the next activity, so they linger and spend time studying the art. And Karen LeSage's abstract impressionist canvases only get more interesting

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