Check Out Herbfest!

Photo image courtesy Gracey 

It’s supposed to be a beautiful weekend in the Berkshires. If you are staying at the 1896 House Inn and looking for something to do, check out the Mt. Lebanon Herbfest in nearby New Lebanon, NY. (less then 30 minutes away from the inn).

The Herbfest is a two day festival held on the beautiful Darrow School campus on the grounds of Mount Lebanon Shaker Village. On Saturday June 9, there are local activities and retail offerings throughout town. On Sunday multiple workshops are held.

They recommend pre-registration for workshops as they do fill up. http://www.mountlebanonherbfest.com/june-10/registration-and-locavore-lunch/

More than 30 walks, talks, demonstrations and workshops on herbs in food, pharmacy, gardening and local history

Admission: $10 per person, $20 per family.

The HerbFest is held rain or shine.

Saturday June 9 events and activities

Morning Walk at Hand Hollow Conservation Area

Herbal Walk and Workshop

9:00-11:30 am

Hand Hollow Conservation Area

4079 Route 9, New Lebanon

All Ages – Free

Talk at the New Lebanon Library

1:00 pm at the New Lebanon Library on The Literary Herb

Cattail Walk

at Wyomanock Center for Sustainable Living, 68 Wyomanock Rd, Stephentown, NY

2:30pm

.

Please visit http://www.mountlebanonherbfest.com/june-9/activities/ for more information

Sunday June 10 events and activities

(Sunday has multiple events running at the same time)

10:00 am

Shaker Cooking with Herbs, (1 hour)

Making Herbal Creams and Salves, (1 hour)

Mohican History and the Gift of the Healing Waters of the Lebanon Springs, (1/2 hour)

10:30 am

Herb Gardens: Have one at your fingertips. Delightful to the eye, delicious to the taste. (1/2 hour)

11:00 am

Family Forage: Fun with edible herbs. (1 hour)

Herbal Tinctures for Health. (1/2 hour)

Recent Research into the Ecology of the Shaker Swamp. (1/2 hour)

11:30 a.m.

Green Clean: Cleaning Your Home with Herbs and Essential Oils. (1/2 hour)

Tracking Down Herbs of All Kinds in the Shaker Swamp. (1 and 1/2 hours).

12 noon

Herbs in Modern Cooking 1 hour.

Lebanon Springs: The Source of New Lebanon’s Healing Gift. (1/2 hour).

12:30 p.m.

Making Herbal Soap. (1 hour)

1:00 p.m.

Searching Attics, Papers and Memories: Understanding the Rise and Decline of the Tilden Pharmaceutical Company of New Lebanon. (1/2 hour)

1:30 p.m.

Creating a Living Herbal Wreath. (1 hour)

How to Use Chinese Herbs. (1/2 hour)

2 p.m

Every man his own Physician: Samuel Thomson, the Shakers and the Thomsonian System. (1/2 hour)

2:30 p.m.

Nettles: One of Nature’s Wonder Plants. (1/2 hour)

Native American Storytelling in the Tipi. (1/2 hour)

3:00 p.m.

Making Drinks with Bitters. (1 hour)

Wonderful Garlic. (1/2 hour)

Tea Served in the Beautiful Herb Garden at the Abode. (1 hour)

3:30 p.m.

Cello Concert by Paul de Jong. (1/2 hour)

The Living Machine: An Ecological Wastewater Treatment Solution (1/2 hour)

For more information about each workshop, visit http://www.mountlebanonherbfest.com/june-10/program-schedule/

1896 House Inn June Specials

June is a great time to enjoy the outdoors!

Stay 2 nights in any room, book either a "Bike & Picnic", "Kayak & Picnic", or "Pontoon & Picnic" Package, and get a $35 Gift Card for dinner at the popular '6House Pub!

Bike & Picnic

Bike the beautiful Ashuwillticook Rail Trail along scenic Cheshire Lake.

Find a serene spot to enjoy your freshly packed picnic. 

• Includes a 3-hour bike rental, helmet, and picnic.
• Picnic includes a tuna salad, turkey club, or
• Roast beef wrap with horseradish.
• Pickles & potato chips
• Chocolate Brownie
• Granny Smith Apple
• Bottle of Spring Water
• $39 per person

Kayak & Picnic

Glide over picturesque Pontoosuc Lake in your own kayak as you witness the foliage reflections in the water. Scramble over to an island for lunch, or connect your kayaks and dine in the middle of the lake!

• Includes a 1 hour kayak rental, life vest, and freshly packed picnic.
• Picnic includes a tuna salad, turkey club, or
• Roast beef wrap with horseradish.
• Pickles & potato chips
• Chocolate Brownie
• Granny Smith Apple
• Bottle of Spring Water
• $39 per person

Pontoon Picnic Package

Only 20 minutes drive away is the most beautiful Berkshires lake with gorgeous sunsets, and fabulous mountain views! Why not relax and enjoy a picnic while floating on your rental pontoon for a while?

Package includes boat rental and picnic for 2. Picnic includes 2 sandwiches, (roast beef, ham & cheese, tuna salad or chicken curry), 2 pieces of fruit, 2 chocolate brownies, potato chips, pickle, and choice of any house wine or 2 cans of beer.

I Hour Rental plus picnic for 2  $139 including tax

2 Hour rental Plus Picnic for 2   $ 219 including tax

*Many other packages available, including longer times, and more people.  Get a group together and share the cost!  We’ll make the arrangements!

Make your reservations NOW! at http://www.webervations.com/magic-scripts/resbook.asp?memberid=1896

Bike the Berkshires

All this coming week, the Williamstown area will be celebrating BIKEfest. It's supposed to be a beautiful week for weather in the Berkshires, so come and check out the area and participate in all the fun activities going on.

http://www.massmoca.org/event_details.php?id=749

https://www.facebook.com/NorthBerkshireBikefest

http://northernberkshiretransition.ning.com/events/bikefest-may-13-19-2012

May 13, 2012 to May 19, 2012

Bike North Berkshire is a grassroots coalition of citizens and organizations in Northern Berkshire working together to promote safe bicycling for recreation, physical fitness and environmentally friendly transportation.

BIKEfest 2012

MASS MoCA will be the venue for two of BIKEfests main events, a documentary Bike Film Night and a family Bike Rodeo.

BIKEfest Events Listing:

All of May

Bicycle History exhibit at the Milne Library, Williamstown. Free

Sunday May 5th

MCLA Bike Share Program Community Ride to celebrate the launch of the Bike Share Program!  We will meet in the Quad around 1:30pm and take a ride into downtown North Adams to Rock the Block!   http://rockintheblock.blogspot.com/

Tuesday May 8th

TALK/SOCIAL Biking and Community At the monthly North Adams Green Drinks  5:30 at the Freight Yard Pub Jay Walsh of BIKE North Berkshire and BIKEfest will give a short presentation about biking and bike infrastructure followed by Green conversations.  Bike related door prizes.  North Adams

Thursday May 17th

Bike Documentary Film Night at MASS MoCA, North Adams. Bike Commuter Salon/Social Gathering at 6:30pm, Selection of short Biking Films at 7:30 pm followed by a panel/audience discussion about Biking Locally. A few unique bikes will be on display, Door Prizes (T-Shirts, Bike Accessories and more.... will be given out at the end of the evening).  Refreshments will be avaiable for purchase.

Saturday May 19th

River Walk hosted by Hoosic River Revival starting at MASS MoCA  parking lot. 9:30-10:45am. Free

Buy a Bike for Kids North Adams Police Bicycle Auction, 10:30 am (preview 10am) at the Police Garage. Bikes and Assorted Bikes Parts and other items. Sold as-is, No refunds.

BIKEfest Family Bike Rodeo at MASS MoCA from 11am-2pm (Rain Date Sunday May 20th), Contests with Prizes, Bike Challenge Course, Helmet and Bike Safety Checks,  WIN a Kids Bike, and other Free Bike Related Stuff, Food for Purchase, FREE Admission to MASS MoCA Museum for kids and adults who come to BIKEfest, StoryWalk "Duck on a Bike",Bike Decorating with “Kids Space” and Bike Parade at 2pm. Event is Free and open to kids of all ages. Helmets are required to be worn by event participants.

10% off purchases at the MASS MoCA museum store  "Hardware". (cannot be combined with other offers)

Talk on the History of the Bicycle  at Western Gateway Heritage State Parkmuseum, North Adams at 3:00pm. Free for children and adults. Door prizes.

Wednesday May 23rd

Bike Trail Walk in Adams Parents will meet at the Berkshire Visitor Center at 11:15. Children will walk or ride along the bike trail to Russell Field Playground. Led by Shelley Daly . Child Care of the Berkshires, Inc.

www.ccberkshire.org

Thursday May 24th

FILM “With My Own Two Wheels”  With My Own Two Wheels weaves together the experiences of five individuals into a single story about how the bicycle can change the world—one pedal stroke at a time. IMAGES CINEMA, Williamstown,  5:30 PM. Film Trailer

For more information, visit: http://northernberkshiretransition.ning.com/profiles/blogs/north-berkshire-bikefest-2012

Check out the great midweek rates at the 1896 House http://www.1896house.com/innrates.htm

May Art & Dine Special

It's the last month to take advantage of the Clark ArtInstitute while it is FREE! While you are here, also visit Mass MoCA, Williams College Museum of Art, Berkshire Museum, Norman RockwellMuseum, & Bennington Museum.  Stay 2 midweek nights in any room, show us an admission ticket to any museum and we'll give you one $35 Gift Card per room to the popular '6 House Pub!

To plan your trip better, check out the schedule of exhibits and exhibitions:

Clark Art Institute (5 minutes from the 1896 House)

http://www.clarkart.edu/visit/calendar-of-events.cfm

Mass MoCA (15 minutes from the 1896 House)

http://www.massmoca.org/search_results.php?st=2&search=11

Williams College Museum of Art (5 minutes from the 1896 House)

http://wcma.williams.edu/exhibitions/current/

Berkshire Museum (30 minutes from the 1896 House)

http://berkshiremuseum.org/exhibitions/

Rockwell Museum (50 minutes from the 1896 House)

http://www.nrm.org/category/current-exhibitions/

Bennington Museum (20 minutes from the 1896 House)

http://www.benningtonmuseum.org/exhibitions-calendar.html

A perfect addition to a weekend getaway

When you are on vacation or even just a weekend getaway, one of the things high on the priority list is to RELAX.

Massage is one of the best options to help relax, it also aids in the body healing processes and helps
with general well being. What better way to reduce anxiety (and your blood pressure) by going to get a massage.

In Touch Day Spa is only 5 minutes away from the 1896 House. They offer Massage Therapy, facials, skin care, a full service hair salon, a private outdoor hot tub and a relaxed atmosphere. Check out a full list of their services at http://www.intouchdayspa.com/services.html.

Date Night Special - One hour private Hot Tub for two followed by 2 one hour massages $175.00

As a courtesy to their staff they require a minimum of 24 hour advanced notice to change or cancel appointments.*Otherwise the full fee for booked services will be charged. If you arrive late they will do their best to accommodate you, however they may have to finish on time.

For more information or to schedule an appointment please stop by or call 413-458-3235

In Touch Day Spa
84 Water Street, Williamstown MA
413-458-3235
http://www.intouchdayspa.com/

Where the Wild Things Are Walks

While you are here visiting the 1896 House Inn, getting outdoors in this great weather should be on your "to to" list!

Williams College is putting on a series of Food Foraging Walks taking place locally.

Saturday, April 28 (11am – 1pm) — Aimee Gelinas at Stone Hill in Williamstown

Sunday, April 29 (1 – 3pm) — Blanche Derby at Field Farm in Williamstown

Saturday, May 5 (1 – 3pm) — Russ Cohen at Money Brook Trail in Williamstown

Sunday, May 6 (1 – 3pm) — Russ Cohen at Cole Field in Williamstown

Each walk costs $25 per person, rain or shine.

Register for the events by going to http://www.eventbrite.com/org/2134859133?s=7793761

PLEASE NOTE, participants are required to pre-register for all foraging walks at least 48 hours in advance. Walk-ins are not permitted as there is limited space for each walk. Registration is non-refundable.

Location is subject to change but will remain in the northern or southern Berkshires as originally planned. Registered participants will receive confirmation of location via email the week of the walk. Please wear appropriate clothing and shoes for hiking and weather conditions.

The walks will be led by instructors who will focus on responsible harvesting techniques, recipes, and the history of foraging in the Berkshires. One goal of the walks is to educate the public on ecosystem balance and sustainability.

For more information please visit http://www.berkshirefarmandtable.com/where-the-wild-things-are-2012/sign-up/

Easter is Coming!

Celebrate Easter at the 6' House Pub, take some of the stress of having to cook for the family and let the great 6' House Pub staff make this special holiday fun and relaxing for the whole family.

Easter Dinner 

Served from 11:30 AM-9:30 PM 

Traditional Baked Ham 

with brown sugar pineapple glaze, 

mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, & asparagus 

 $16.96 

Prime Rib au Jus, 

Baked Potato, and asparagus 

 $18.96 

Taking reservations at 413-458-1896