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Berkshires Beat: Berkshire Grown Sets 20th Annual Harvest Supper for Sept. 24
12:54PM / Monday, September 17, 2018
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Berkshire Grown’s 20th annual Harvest Supper puts local food at the center of the celebration on Monday, Sept. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Ski Butternut in Great Barrington.

Good meal

Berkshire Grown’s 20th annual Harvest Supper puts local food at the center of the celebration on Monday, Sept. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Ski Butternut in Great Barrington. More than two dozen Berkshire Grown member chefs and local beverage producers will be on-hand. The chefs will be serving a wide selection of tastings - all featuring fresh ingredients from local farms. The evening also includes a silent auction with favorites like dinner and an overnight stay at Old Inn on the Green in New Marlborough, dinner at Blue Hill New York City, a sheepskin from Mayflower Farm in South Egremont, and fruit trees from Windy Hill Farm.

This year's event is Barbara Zheutlin's last as executive director and marks a new era in the organization's history. The 20th annual Harvest Supper offers the community a chance to meet and get to know Margaret Moulton, Berkshire Grown's new executive director. Moulton's recent work with the Trustees of Reservations and her long-time interest in sustainable agriculture as a volunteer educator at Stone Barns Center for Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., have prepared her to shepherd Berkshire Grown into its next stage of development. This includes expanding programs and networking opportunities for farmers, extending the indoor farmers markets throughout the winter and spring, and directly engaging community members at events year-round.

The Harvest Supper is returning to the Upper Lodge at Ski Butternut, where the event has plenty of space for guests - including seating areas - and room for an expanded lineup of chefs and beverage producers, including Berkshire Mountain Bakery Café, Blantyre, Cantina 229, Canyon Ranch, Chocolate Springs, Farm Country Soup, Field and Cellar at Thornewood Inn, Firefly Gastropub and Catering Co., Frankie's, The Gateways Inn & Restaurant, Hotchkiss School, John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, The Marketplace Kitchen Table, Morgan's at the Interlaken Inn, nAtURAlly's Kitchen, The Old Inn on the Green, Prairie Whale, The Red Lion Inn, Seeds Market Café, SoCo Creamery, Stagecoach Inn, 20 Railroad Public House, and Williams College. Complimentary drinks will also be provided by Barrington Brewery, Berkshire Mountain Distillers, Big Elm Brewing, MS Walker Wines, and No. Six Depot Roastery and Café.

The dinner is by reservation only. Tickets are $75 for Berkshire Grown members and $85 for non-members. In response to a successful launch of $40 tickets for those under the age of 40, a limited number of tickets are available at a discounted price. Tickets sell out and are available online or by calling 413-528-0041.

 

Williams and Hawai'i

Williams College is joining a growing number of colleges and universities — Princeton, Yale, Washington and Lee, and Georgetown — in confronting its complex role in history by delving into a perhaps unexpected issue: its complicated, centuries-long relationship with the people of Hawai'i—including the role of Williams alumni in converting native Hawaiians to Christianity, in developing a written Hawaiian language, founding the Hawaiian plantation economy, and later overthrowing the Hawaiian monarchy, which was replaced by a republic first led by a Williams alumnus, Sanford B. Dole.

The Williams College Museum of Art's new exhibit "The Field is the World: Williams, Hawai'i, and Material Histories in the Making," on view through Jan. 2, brings to light this history through archival materials and through objects, including an object once belonging to the Lyceum of Natural History, a student-run museum on Williams' campus from 1835–1908. The Lyceum built its collection through international expeditions, gifts from missionaries, and correspondence with institutions such as the Smithsonian. Yet it is important to remember that its ambitions were inextricably tied to European and American constructions of natural history that dismissed both the complexity and sovereignty of indigenous peoples around the world.

"Drawing on campus collections in the college archives, the biology department and WCMA, 'The Field is the World' poses questions about the lives of objects, about where they come to rest, and why. It's also a meditation on the collecting and display strategies that use material objects to render some histories visible, and others invisible," said exhibit co-curator and Interim Deputy Director Sonnet Kekilia Coggins, who adds that efforts are under way to make rare Hawaiian language texts found in the school's archives accessible to scholars, cultural practitioners and the public.

Among the archival objects on view in the WCMA exhibit is a Hawaiian kupe'e niho ilio, an ankle adornment made of dog teeth. This object serves as a starting point in a conversation that leads visitors from the story of the Lyceum to a case study investigating the impact of the generations of Williams missionaries and their descendants who went to and came from Hawai'i in the 19th century. Today, traces of these histories at Williams are found on campus within Mission Park dormitory, where the entries are named for missionaries, and in the Haystack Monument, which commemorates the beginning of the American Protestant missionary movement.

"The story of Williams students in Hawai'i is complex and ongoing," said Kailani Polzak, exhibition co-curator and assistant professor of art. "Our aim for this exhibition is to present these materials as a means of taking stock, not only of objects, but also of histories and of ourselves. In bringing together multiple voices and local collections, we hope to draw attention to a past that is unfamiliar to many at Williams and to encourage further conversations about our histories."

 

Halloween Parade entries

Pittsfield's 74th annual Pittsfield Halloween Parade will be held 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, on Tyler Street. Zombies, ghouls, goblins, superheroes, floats, marchers and more are wanted as planning for this popular Pittsfield tradition gets underway.

School, community, and civic groups are encouraged to participate. Every "unit" will need to complete a General Entry Form, and those entering a float must also complete the Float Entry Form; for the parade, all float entries must have a theme that is Halloween-related. The deadline for completed forms is Friday, Oct.12.

There will be a seminar on building floats at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept.17 in Room 203 at City Hall, 70 Allen St. A representative of each organization/school interested in building a float for the parade is required to attend this meeting.

 

Anthony model sought

The town of Adams will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, and the bicentennial of Susan B. Anthony's birth, by commissioning sculptor Brian Hanlon to create statues  depicting Susan B. Anthony both as a child and as an adult, to be erected on the Town Common in 2020.

The Adams Suffrage Centennial Celebration Committee is looking for a girl from Adams, Cheshire or Savoy in either kindergarten or the first or second grades to serve as a model for the statue of the "Young Susan." If the parents/guardians of such a girl wish their daughter to be considered as a possible model for that statue, they may obtain an application online and submit it to the ASCCC at 8 Park St., Adams, MA 01220 on or before Oct. 1.

 

Big move

Uncle Beazley, the Triceratops model that has long been a favorite of young visitors to the Berkshire Museum, moved to a new home on Thursday, Sept. 13. The dinosaur model, along with four smaller models, was originally made for a popular 1968 film called "The Enormous Egg." The smaller models will remain in Pittsfield, and the 11-foot-long Triceratops will now reside at the EcoTarium museum of science and nature in Worcester, Mass. The Berkshire Museum is pleased that members of the Worcester community will be able to enjoy Uncle Beazley now and for many years to come.

On the evening of April 18, 1968, an estimated 32 million people tuned in to watch "The Enormous Egg," a television adaptation of Oliver Butterworth’s 1956 book of the same name. In the story, a boy discovers a huge egg which hatches into a baby Triceratops, which he names Uncle Beazley. Six fiberglass models made by Louis Paul Jonas Studio in Hudson, N.Y., were used in the National Broadcasting Co. production. The 25-foot-long full-size model was donated to the Smithsonian by the Sinclair Oil Company (known for their dinosaur logo) and has had many homes over the years, most recently at the National Zoo. The five smaller models were donated to the Berkshire Museum in 1979 by George A. Heinemann, a producer of the show.

The five models given to the Berkshire Museum illustrated the story of "The Enormous Egg" from egg to adolescent dinosaur. The largest model, 11 feet in length and weighing approximately 200 pounds, was regularly on view as part of the museum's Dinosaurs and Paleontology exhibition from 1980 through 2014. In October 2014 the largest Uncle Beazley model was loaned to the Berkshire Athenaeum and was on display in a courtyard adjacent to the children’s section of the library. It has been transferred to the EcoTarium and is now on view there.

The four Triceratops models that remain at the Berkshire Museum include a foot-long just-hatched baby Triceratops; a 3-foot baby Triceratops; a 5-foot young Triceratops; and the egg.

 

Online permitting

The city of Pittsfield's new online permitting system for special events is now available for use by the public, replacing the existing process for garnering approval for events in the city. A special event is classified as any activity that occurs upon public or private property that affects the ordinary use of parks, playgrounds, beaches, fields, buildings, public streets, right-of-way, or sidewalks; it may feature entertainment, food, including non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages.

The current system required applicants to acquire signatures in person from various city departments. City Clerk Michele Benjamin, who spearheaded the internal committee for this project, said the new system will offer greater efficiency for those who need this resource. The new special event application system is offered through Permit Eyes software, which the city currently uses for other online services. It can be accessed through the city's website here.

 

Walk A Mile

The eighth annual Berkshire County "Walk a Mile March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence" takes to the street during Pittsfield’s Third Thursday celebration on Sept. 20, rain or shine, in downtown Pittsfield. Registration begins at 5 p.m. at Persip Park on the corner of North Street and Columbus Avenue. The march begins at 6 p.m.

The 1-mile walk in a downtown loop demonstrates commitment to end all forms of gender-based violence and show solidarity with abuse survivors. Registration is free, but walkers are encouraged to raise funds through pledges as individuals or as teams. Participants who raise $55 or more will receive a complimentary 2018 Walk a Mile commemorative T-shirt. Proceeds from the event benefit Elizabeth Freeman Center, the domestic violence/rape crisis agency in Berkshire County.

Men are encouraged (but not required) to walk in women's shoes or to decorate a pair of their own shoes at the walk. They can bring their own or choose from shoes and shoe decorations available at registration.

 

BArT information session

The Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School is hosting an information session on Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the school, located at 1 Commercial St. in Adams. Anyone interested in enrolling is invited to attend. Families will have the opportunity to hear from and speak with school leaders, such as the school's principal and the director of special education. A Spanish translator will also be in attendance to speak with families with limited English proficiency.

Attendees will learn about BArT's college prep curriculum as well as the school's strong foundation in arts and technology. They will learn about BArT's free transportation as well as free breakfast and lunch program. Anyone unable to attend the information session who would like more information should contact the Enrollment Team via email.

 

BCArc certification

Berkshire County Arc received the highest possible License and Certification of two years from the Department of Developmental Services' Office of Quality Enhancement. The organization received a two-year license during the previous full licensing and certification review, which made the agency eligible for a self-assessment review of its quality management processes for the current licensing and certification survey cycle.

This self-assessment review was conducted in conjunction with a targeted review completed by OQE.  The targeted review focused on eight critical licensing indicators as well as evaluated new and strengthened licensing and certification indicators that address compliance with Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services "final rule" standards. The review was comprised of a sample of residential services, individual home supports, respite, and community based day services, as well as employment supports.

Findings from the targeted review noted that all eight critical indicators relating to health and safety standards were met. In certification areas, BCArc was noted as demonstrating strengths in communication, maximizing independence, choice control and growth and career planning, development and employment. Additionally, the survey team noted the strength of nursing oversight, staff dedication and longevity as well as consistency in supports across all services. The results of the review support the effectiveness of the licensing safeguards the organization has in place, and the practices BCArc has established to promote quality of service across certification domains. 

 

Adams property valuations

The Adams Board of Assessors has set preliminary values on all the real and personal property in the town of Adams for Fiscal Year 2019. The new values are part of the recertification process that is required under the Department of Revenue regulations.  Fiscal Year 2019 valuations are based on sales during calendar year 2017.

Individuals owning taxable real and personal property may check the new assessments at the Assessor's Office located in Town Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, through Thursday, Sept. 27. Assessments may also be viewed at the town library and on the town’s website. Residents with questions may contact the Board of Assessors at 413-743-8300, ext. 178.

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