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A Pittsfield Milestone: Hotel On North Opens

Lisa Green reports from Pittsfield. How long did it take to get to this point? The answer to that might be up for debate, but this much is known: A blend of Berkshire roots and cosmopolitan style, the fabulous boutique Hotel on North officially opened on Thursday, June 4 with

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The Rural We: Athenaide Dallett

Litchfield County resident and Kent School English teacher Dr. Athenaide Dallett is the author of the newly published book, "The Absinthe Association." Based on a true story, the book chronicles the lives of a group of college grads who distill absinthe for fun, but find that its popularity

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Clermont's 'Wordscape' Adds Literature To The Landscape

By Amy Krzanik From published poets and writing teachers to elementary school students, a huge range of submissions have come in for Clermont Historic Site’s newest exhibit, Wordscape. Laminated words (poems, quotes and other writings) have been placed along Clermont’s woodland paths, lilac walk and garden for guests

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Artisans Breathe New Life Into Historic Winsted Mill

Don Wass. Photos by David Archambault. By Lauren Curran Here in the Rural Intelligence region, we are blessedly removed from the land of strip malls. We like our commercial areas to be as artistic as the people and contents inside. And we’re fortunate that New England’s history of

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The Rural We: Natalia Zukerman

Natalia Zukerman is a touring singer/songwriter, painter and muralist with strong ties to the Rural Intelligence region. A slide guitar, lap steel and dobro player, she has released six albums since 2001, showcasing her own blend of “rootsy, Americana blues folk." She will be performing with double bassist

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The Rural We: Joseph Luzzi

Photo by Helena Baillie Joseph Luzzi, professor of Italian at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, is the author of four books including 2014’s My Two Italies. He will be discussing and signing copies of his soon-to-be-released memoir, In A Dark Wood: What Dante Taught Me

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The Rural We: Jess Conzo

Jess Conzo is the executive director of the Alchemy Initiative and market manager of the Pittsfield Farmers Market. With parents who were both business minded and socially conscious, it’s not surprising that she would become a community organizer. Born in Worcester, raised in Boylston, she majored in social work

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The Rural We: Serge Madikians

An Armenian born in Tehran, Iran who has worked and studied both in Los Angeles and New York City, Serge Madikians has a palate that is both intense and subtle. But Madikians, chef and owner of Serevan which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, now finds inspiration in his

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You Thought You'd Have Your Mom Forever. And You Do.

Mothers by Martha Holmes Martha Holmes, who lives in Gallatin, NY, worked on Madison Avenue for 30 years. Upon retirement, she and her husband moved to their weekend home full time. This essay, which she read on NPR's 51% in 2005, elicited more requests than any other. Holmes

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Kent Needle Arts Retreat: Namaste For Knitters

It takes a bit of chutzpah to open a yarn shop when you aren’t a knitter yourself. And it takes something — confidence, talent, drive? — to be able to say that within less than a decade there isn’t anything you can’t knit or teach. Nancy Hamilton, owner of

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The Rural We: Mark Prezorski

Photo by Melanie Hasbrook. The beauty of Olana Historic Site, the former home of artist Frederic Church and its accompanying land overlooking the Hudson River, is apparent even on the pages of a book, where Mark Prezorski first saw it. But viewing it in person was the catalyst that led

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The Great Barrington Historic House Tour Invites You Inside

By Amy Krzanik Many of us enjoy paging through House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Dwell and other design and decorating magazines looking for inspiration and basically ogling how other people live. Luckily for us, the folks at the Great Barrington Historical Society (GBHS) share our interests. On Saturday, May 2 from

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