It’s All Purple and Gold in Williamstown!

Williams’ Homecoming weekend is upon us! Are you planning your homecoming weekend with your Eph in Williamstown this week? Well here’s what Williams College and the surrounding areas have to offer while you’re here!

Looking for a fun Friday evening?

“Standards, Show Tunes and Surprises” is happening Friday night, November 8^th in the Tavern at the Williams Inn. Howie Levitz, TGL Tunes, plays the piano every Friday night! Come dance and enjoy great music!

Berkshire Theatre Group presents Gordon Lightfoot at The Colonial Theatre on November 8^th. Gordon Lightfoot has recorded 20 albums and received five GRAMMY nominations. His songs have been aired regularly and his radio hits in the USA have earned five #1s, five Top 10s and thirteen Top 40 hits. This is guaranteed to be a great concert!

At Williams: There will be the Homecoming Chili Fest on November 9^th. Join the Williams community for chili and Eph camaraderie under their hospitality tent at Weston Field.

While you’re here, be sure to visit the Homecoming Spirit tent next to Hospitality Tent for purple projects, face painting, pictures with the Purple Cow and Williams spirit treats and goodies!

Then of course, grab your chili and find a spot in the stands to cheer on the Williams Football team as they take on Amherst at 12pm! Go Ephs!

For the Clark Art fans out there, The Clark will be hosting Live in HD: Tosca on November, 9^th. Tosca, the famed opera that includes some of Giacomo Puccini’s most beloved melodies, will be airing live at the institute from the Metropolitan Opera.

Be sure to bring the whole family for all the fun and pack your best purple and gold outfits for game day and the weekend activities! Book your rooms while there are still rooms left and come stay with us at the 1896 House! We can’t wait to see you!

Haunts and Hoots Happening through Halloween

Photo courtesy of matthew_hull

Spending your spooky weekend with us in the Berkshires? There are many creepy-crawly things to do on the spookiest day of the year!

Spend your Halloween day on a haunted trolley ride for the Downstreet Art Thursday celebration in North Adams. Ride to all the galleries, Re-Wilderment exhibition opening and much more. Come evening, Downstreet Art Thursday presents, Ryder Cooley and friends in a creepy concert, calling out spirits!

Perhaps later, you may want to attend the reading of Edith Wharton’s “Kerfol” at her very own pet cemetery at The Mount. “Kerfol” is one of Edith Wharton’s most perplexing ghost stories. The Mount will open at 6 pm for light refreshments and the reading by Ariel Block and Dennis Krausnick, will begin at 6:30.

If you aren’t too scared after the reading, enjoy a 90 minute Ghost tour at 8:30 pm or a Witching Hour ghost tour at 10:30 pm, costumes are encouraged! So come creepy and enjoy a ghoul-ish Halloween at The Mount!

For those of you who aren’t arriving until Friday, the Great Barrington Historical Society is holding a Haunted Hayride Friday evening at 6:30 pm.

So pack your costumes, load up the brooms and come get spooky in the Berkshire and slumber at the 1896 House this creepy weekend!

Things to do this Weekend and More!

Image courtesy of smallwon

It has been an exciting weekend in Williamstown, Williams College football team achieved their first 49-35 win of the season  on Saturday against Tufts! Congratulations and way to go Ephs! For those of you coming into town for the parents’ weekend, Williams’ next game will be home this weekend, Saturday the 26th against Hamilton at 1:00pm at Weston field. Book your rooms with me, family and friends, while there are still rooms left and don’t forget to pack your purple attire!

Meanwhile, on Spring Street, the Williamstown Farmers’ Market had a great turn out. Many fall season items were offered including, pumpkins, handmade clothing, vegetables, and baked goods from local farms and vendors. Many families and football game attendees enjoyed the fall activities and goodies the market had to offer, as well as the beautiful fall weather! I enjoyed sipping cider and munching on baked goods myself while watching the Ephs’ game. The Williamstown Farmers’ Market will be held again this Saturday the 26th at the bottom of Spring Street in Williamstown, MA.

Looking ahead at events to attend this weekend, the Grand Gala & Auction will be held on Saturday, October 26th from 6:00pm to 11:00pm at the Bennington Center for the Natural and Cultural Arts in Bennington, VT. Let’s get fancy! Dress up for this Black Tie Affair and enjoy cocktails, food, music, silent auction on school catamounts and the live auction for 35 designer catamounts on display.

Well, the weather is starting to become quite brisk out here and before we know it we’ll be seeing snow! Hurry now and book your stay with me at the 1896 House and enjoy some last minute fall activities and events and enjoy the remaining foliage in the Berkshires!

We have a new blogger!

We would like to introduce you to Blair, our new front desk assistant and blogger.  She is local to Williamstown, so is familiar with the community, byways, backroads &  little known points of interest in the Berkshires.  We hope you enjoy her suggestions and commentaries.

~Denise & Sue

Photo courtesy of hotblack

It’s Fall ya’ll! And might you be wondering what there is to do while you’re visiting the Berkshires?

While lots of visitors are down about the Clark being closed due to some expansion projects this season, there  is still PLENTY to do during your visit in the Berkshires! While the Clark’s traditional gallery spaces are closed, there is a selection of works from their permanent collection on view in their Stone Hill Center galleries and their library remains open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.

Maybe you’re not so interested in the Clark while they’re under construction but you’re still looking for something to do with the family? What better way to get into the fall spirit and embrace all its spookiness by attending one of Jiminy Peak’s 13 Nights at Jiminy, The Plantation of Jericho, in Hancock, MA! As Fall settles in the valley, ghosts of the mountain’s haunted past rise again! This haunted mountain promises to reach new heights of terror and fall fun from Sept. 28th through Oct. 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 25, 26, 29, 30, and 31^st.

Perhaps you have little ones who aren’t particularly interested in being scared out of their skin quite yet? Or maybe even some of your adult friends aren’t keen on the idea of dressed up goblins and creatures jumping out at them in the dark woods. Then a broad daylight visit to Whitney’s Farm Market in Cheshire, MA is the adventure for you! Join them for their annual Pumpkin Fest with u-pick pumpkins, corn maze, hay rides, face painting, petting zoo, scavenger hunts and more. This is a perfect fall weekend adventure from Sept. 13th through Oct. 31st.

These are just some of the exciting fall activities going on in the area this season. So plan your weekends and book your rooms with me at the 1896 House and come spend fall with us in the Berkshires!

Pittsfield’s 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival!

(The video is last years, but gives a good overview of the different types of events)

Pittsfield’s 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival runs from February 14–24 for the second year in a row. Featuring theatre, art shows, parties and more! Pittsfield is less then 30 minutes from the 1896 Inn,

Last year the festival attracted over 3,000 people to Pittsfield to enjoy more then 4o performances and events.

This year, the 2013 festival will also include a family component, participants include Berkshire Museum, Bisque, Beads & Beyond, Hancock Shaker Village and Miss Hall’s School.

All festival events and exhibits will take place in downtown Pittsfield’s Cultural District, the first state-designated cultural district west of Boston. The Upstreet Cultural District stretches from The Colonial Theatre on South Street to Barrington Stage’s Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center in the North, and from First Street to Center Street.

Find it on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/10x10UpstreetArtsFestival
Or check out it’s official page at http://discoverpittsfield.com/10x10/ for the official schedule. Check out http://www.massvacation.com/blog/2013/02/pittsfields-10x10-upstreet-arts-festival/ as well.

Knitting up a Storm

Photo courtesy of Seemann

What better time to get away from it all for a weekend or a midweek trip with some of your knitting  and quilting buddies, there are some great local shops and a few a few minutes further away that provide a wonderful selection of yarns, quilting supplies, gifts and large variety of classes. Bring your materials back to the inn and pub and enjoy a glass of wine in front of fire and knit up a storm.

Sweet Brook Farm (4 minutes from the 1896 House Inn)

580 Oblong Road, Williamstown, MA

413-884-4246

10am - 6pm, seven days a week

http://www.sweetbrookfarm.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SweetBrookFarm

https://twitter.com/sweetbrookfarm

For fiber enthusiasts, they have an extensive collection of yarn, both from their alpacas and other U.S. alpaca breeders and from designers such as Debbie Bliss and Louisa Harding. Roving from their alpacas is available for spinners as well.

A Stitch In Time (20 minutes from the 1896 House Inn)

Rte 8 45 Commercial St, Adams, MA 01220

413-743-7174

Monday - Saturday: 8:00am to 5:00pm

http://www.astitchintimema.com

A Stitch In Time has been offering its quilting and knitting lessons and materials to the Adams, MA community since 1995. They specialize in helping you make the best quilted items and gifts for your friends and loved ones. A Stitch In Time Offers: Materials,

Learning Resources and Gifts.

Colorful Stitches (35 minutes from the 1896 House Inn)

48 Main St # 2, Lenox, MA 01240

413-637-8206

http://www.colorful-stitches.com/

https://www.facebook.com/colorfulstitchesyarns

https://twitter.com/maryknits

They offer the finest natural fiber and novelty yarns for the hand knitter and crocheter from Rowan, Rowan Classic, Jaeger, Colinette, Debbie Bliss, Noro, Jo Sharp, Berroco, Koigu, Classic Elite, Manos, Gedifra, Filatura di Crosa, S Charles, Tahki, Prism, Mountain Colors, Muench, Artyarns, Alchemy, Karabella, Lana Grossa, Misti International Alpaca, Blue Sky Alpacas, The Fibre Company, Malabrigo, Jacques Cartier/Windy Valley Muskox, Buffalo Gold Premium Fibers, Debby Ware and Hanne Falkenberg

Handknits (45 minutes from the 1896 House Inn)

617 Vermont 100, Wilmington, VT 05363

802-464-7887

http://www.handknits.net/store/pc/home.asp

https://twitter.com/HandKnits

Fine knitting and crochet supplies.

Metaphor Yarns (50 minutes from the 1896 House Inn)

623 Mohawk Trail, Shelburne, MA 01370

413-625-9191

http://metaphoryarns.com/

A six-room shop, filled with yarns, patterns, books, needles, a comfy classroom and Knitting Circle lounge

A Neat Place to Check Out!

From their website

The Studio Club Artworks!

OPEN daily except Thurs. 10 AM to 6 PM • 3301 US Rte 7 Pownal VT

Located in the Pownal Valley along Route 7 just 6 miles from Williamstown, MA.

The gallery features the work of over 200 American artists including a handful of Canadians. One section of the gallery features certified Fair Trade handmade crafts from NGOs operating in developing countries throughout the world. To be certified “Fair Trade” the crafter must be paid a middle-class wage in the context of the local economy and no children can be employed.

American handmade crafts, jewelry and photography. Fair Trade from Africa, South America and Asia.  "I love what you've done with the trash" section features trash-to-treasures. Adjacent to commercial photo studio, Vermont's Best Ice Cream and Vermonster Dogs.

3301 Ethan Allen Highway’ or ’3301 US route 7′. Pownal, VT

802-823-9308

http://www.studioclubartworks.com/learn/

https://www.facebook.com/StudioClubArtworks

https://twitter.com/ArtWorksinVt

Check out their blog at: http://www.studioclubartworks.com/socialize/