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The Pied Piper of Pittsfield: Megan Whilden

"I've always liked underdogs, which is one of the reasons I was so attracted to Pittsfield" says Megan Whilden, the city's upbeat director of cultural development since 2005. Whilden is as responsible as anyone for making Pittsfield a destination rather than just a place

By Editor

Food

Rhinebeck Farmer's Market Celebrates Its 15th Season

Rhinebeck has long laid claim to having the Hudson Valley’s largest farmers market, so it is always a big deal, but this Sunday, August 23, when it celebrates its 15th anniversary, it will be an even bigger one than usual.  Festivities begin at 11 a.m. at the market’

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Community

“Taking Woodstock” Benefit at the Moviehouse in Millerton

Next Thursday, August 27, The Moviehouse in Millerton will host two benefit screenings of Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock, portions of which were filmed last summer on Route 22 at the Lone Pine Farm in Millerton.  The remainder of the film was shot in nearby Columbia

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Community

Rachel Maddow at Jacob's Pillow

Rachel Maddow, the MSNBC news star, who has a weekend house in Cummington, MA, came to Jacob's Pillow for a talk on Saturday afternoon, and it was SRO on the Inside/Out stage. What does Maddow know about dance? “I know nothing about dance," she told Scholar-in-Residence

By Editor

Food

Jeremy Stanton Dreams Of A Locavore Butcher Shop

She's a veterinarian and he's a chef, and to watch them cook dinner together is to marvel at how two people whose work involves such different approaches to knives and animals can be so in sync in the kitchen.  The newlyweds (who were married last September

By Editor

Food

The New Ice Cream Cart on the Block

The other day, Great Barrington cheesemonger Matthew Rubiner—who a has sense of irony about foodie culture (though nobody is more serious about good food than he is)—sent out the following email to his customers, and we wanted to share it with you. Until recently we were ardent devotees

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Community

If the Parade Passed You By: July 4th in Pittsfield

Our cultural correspondent Bess Hochstein was an official judge at Pittsfield's famous Independence Day Parade and filed this photo essay and report: Last year USA Today called the Pittsfield 4th of July Parade one of the Top Ten in the nation, so this year I grabbed a front-row

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Community

The Mahaiwe's Mix-Master: 20 Questions for Beryl Jolly

Beryl Jolly, the executive director of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, has been at the historic theater since its grand renovation and reopening in 2005.   Before joining the Mahaiwe, Jolly was the director of individual giving and development at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)  and a

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Community

The Wassaic Project Brings Art to the Right Side of the Tracks

The Wassaic Project has a lofty home and ambitions. Located in a  majestic, partially restored granary just a half mile south of the Wassaic Metro-North station, it is the brainchild of Eve Biddle & Bowie Zunino (who produce art together as Eve + Bowie) and Elan Bogarin, a movie producer. Their

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Community

Creative Solutions for Hard Times: A Great Barrington Auto Dealership Morphs Into an Art Gallery

Beginning Saturday, if you drive by Pete's Motors on Route 7 in Great Barrington late at night, the venerable Ford and Dodge dealership will be lit up inside but there won't be any cars on view.  Pete's Motors closed last year, and it is

By Editor

Food

Year Two: Project Sprout Continues to Flourish

"Part of the job is eating on the job," says Sam Levin, snapping off and handing me a leaf of his favorite—an unfamiliar red "braising green" which, in its delicious raw form, has a spicey, wasabi-like taste.  Exam week is coming up at Great Barrington&

By Editor

Food

The Guru of Indian Cooking Comes to Cornwall

In a world where the term "celebrity chef" is used to describe anyone who has ever cooked in front of a TV camera, Madhur Jaffrey is the real deal. Since publishing her first book, An Invitation to Indian Cooking (Knopf) in 1973, she has earned her celebrity by

By Editor