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Join Red Room Radio Redux tonight for an hour of Shakespearean wordplay
Red Room Radio Redux presents “Open Your Ears!” for one night only, Wednesday, July 29 at 7pm, in The Barn”Open Your Ears!” at 1401 Green River Road in Williamstown, This presentation, done in the radio play style, includes accompanying music and enhancing sound effects.
PLUS: Berkshire Author and Educator tour their own backyard to visit hidden, and not-so-hidden, gems
Solos, sonnets, and scenes from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Henry V, and As You Like It, are the pathways “Open Your Ears!” travels to explore the role of the prologue in Shakespeare’s works. Lightheartedly staged by volunteer community performers, the show is a breezy 45-minute romp in a cozy, casual setting. Admission is free, and donations to a Berkshire-area literacy program are gratefully accepted.
“Outerborough,” Reynolds’ first solo album, was released in 2011 on Innova Recordings, and is clear evidence of Reynolds’ determination to explore new ideas and sounds. The work is full of fresh, new sounds, but it should still feel familiar to Berkshire residents; all but two of its tracks were recorded and produced at home by Reynolds while living in North Adams.
Berkshire Farm & Table Presents a ‘SlowBerkshires’ Guide to the Region: Local Author Alana and Joey Chernila’s Walk from North to South
Cookbook author and local food celebrity Alana Chernila and her husband Joey, a storyteller and educator, will be walking the length of the Berkshires from north to south this summer in a week-long excursion. They will explore the back roads, stopping at cultural destinations and dining and lodging establishments along the way, many of which they have never visited before. The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism and Take Magazine, a new magazine featuring New England’s new culture launching this September, will be highlighting their stories as the journey unfolds. Yankee Magazine will feature a story about the walk later this summer and Berkshire Farm & Table will put the spotlight on ‘SlowBerkshires’ for the duration of this epic walk.
The Chernilas’ trek will provide an insider’s guide to the region as they share their story in real time. The walk will highlight a number of topics throughout the week including local food and agriculture, local artisan makers, the rich literary history of the Berkshires and the lure of the landscape.
“We’re always dreaming of taking trips to far-flung places, to get out of our familiar surroundings, but the best remedy for wanting to leave a place might just be to go deeper into it,” said Alana Chernila. “This walk is an incredible opportunity to bring together so many facets of the region that we love and want to know more about so we can share them with people seeking a Berkshire experience.”
Alana’s first book, The Homemade Pantry, has sold 60,000 copies to date, and her much anticipated second book will be published by Clarkson Potter in October 2015. She writes a biweekly recipe column for Rural Intelligence, and a monthly column for TasteBook. She has a dedicated and engaged following on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. For more information, visit www.eatingfromthegroundup.com.
The walk will begin on Sunday, July 26, at the Vermont border and continue down through the northern Berkshires where the Chernilas will hike the back of Melville’s mighty whale along the historic 1844 route of American naturalist and writer Henry David Thoreau’s climb to Mount Greylock’s summit. They will visit Melville’s house in Pittsfield, The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home in Lenox and Naumkeag in Stockbridge. After a quintessential Berkshire experience at Tanglewood, they will walk up Monument Mountain in the steps of Hawthorne and Melville and, on Sunday, August 2, end their adventure on Hurlburt Hill at Bartholomew’s Cobble in Ashley Falls, located on the Connecticut border.
Joey Chernila, a storyteller and educator, has been in love with the Berkshires since his first autumn in Monterey 13 years ago. During quarterly Inkless storytelling shows, Joey brings together longtime Berkshires residents with newcomers to the area to share their spoken-word stories.
“We want to tell the story of being travelers on our native soil,” said Chernila. “In my years of writing and blogging, I am always receiving inquiries from Berkshire visitors. Where should they eat? Where should they stay? Where are the hidden gems? I do my best to respond but, in truth, I don’t spend time in the beautiful inns and restaurants. Through this walk, I hope share the journey with travelers, diners and outdoor enthusiasts so people are inspired to visit and see the Berkshires through a fresh pair of eyes.”
Several Berkshire establishments are supporting the walk and will host the Chernilas on their 75-plus mile adventure providing rooms and delicious farm-to-table meals along the way. Main Street Hospitality Group is the main hospitality sponsor for the walk and will highlight The Porches Inn at MASS MoCA, The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge and the recently opened Hotel on North in Pittsfield. Other sponsors include Cranwell Spa & Golf Resort and The Mount in Lenox, John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant in South Egremont, Eat on North in Pittsfield, Gramercy Bistro at MASS MoCA, Berkshire Mountain Distillers in Sheffield and Guido’s Fresh Marketplace (Pittsfield and Great Barrington.)
The walk can be followed in real time throughout the week. In addition to Alana’s (@alanachernila) and Joey’s (@aoristtargaryen) social media reach, Berkshire Farm & Table will be sharing posts and updates during the walk on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@BerksFarmTable). The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) will repost Alana’s updates on Twitter (@VisitMA) and other social media channels. Take Magazine has committed to an Instagram takeover during the week (@take_magazine) and will publish an article post-walk at thetakemagazine.com. Alana will tell her story as a guest blogger on Yankee Magazine’s site in late August to coincide with their September/October issue featuring literary destinations in New England.
To reinforce a taste of place and as part of a marketing partnership, Berkshire Farm & Table is sponsoring this summer’s walk to promote food culture and new ways to visit the region through storytelling efforts of people who live here.
For more information, follow Berkshire Farm & Table on Facebook, Twitter (@BerksFarmTable) and Instagram (@BerksFarmTable), watch Take Magazine’s Instagram feed (@take_magazine) and MOTT’s social media channels (@visitma) and follow Alana Chernila’s Instagram at @alanachernila.
Berkshire Farm & Table promotes food tourism and food culture in the Berkshires. The non-profit organization collaborates to cultivate tastemakers, produce events and foster dialogue in the media. By sharing the unique stories and expertise of culinary artisans, farmers and food tourism experiences, their work advances food as another reason to explore the Berkshires in any season. For more information, visit berkshirefarmandtable.org.
