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Hancock Shaker Village Announces 50th Anniversary Programming

Hancock Shaker Village Upcoming Summer Events 50th Anniversary Gala and Family-Friendly Charter Day, New Tours, Workshops, and More 

Hancock Shaker Village’s 50th anniversary celebration continues through the summer with major special events, including a festive Gala and family-friendly Charter Day, newly-designed tours titled “A Young Shaker's Tour - For Kids Only!” and “Attic Access Tour,” woodworking workshops, and the “Return and Learn” series of lectures and workshops on a variety of Shaker-inspired topics, plus a book signing by author Ilyan Woo and a Limited Edition Shaker Button Box Signing by master artisan Steve Grasselli. Details on all of these events follow below. Hancock Shaker Village is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm daily for self-guided visits through October 31. Hancock Shaker Village members and children 12 and under are admitted free of charge. Admission for adults is $17.00 and youth visitors aged 13 to 17 are $8. On Ten Dollar Tuesdays, admission for adults is $10. For more information, call 800.817.1137 or go to www.hancockshakervillage.org

Attic Access Tour
September 18, and October 16

Rates: $27 for Non-HSV Members; $24 for Members
Presenters: Todd Burdick, Education Director, and Lesley Herzberg, Collections Manager

Ever want to go beyond those "Museum Staff Only" signs and see what's behind closed doors? Sign up for this special tour and you'll get to peek into the nooks and crannies of rarely seen areas, normally closed to the public, which feature unique Shaker architectural details and design styles well ahead of their time. The tour will also explore curatorial storage areas and view furniture and artifacts not on view to the general public. Tour runs approximately 90 minutes and includes upper floors and basements of three highlight buildings. Space is limited and reservations are required. Participants must be able to negotiate multiple sets of stairs (up to six stories); proper footwear required.

WORKSHOPS 

Workshop: Shaker Oval Box Making Basics
October 9-10, 9:00am - 4:00pm each day, maximum ten students

Tuition: $200 HSV Members / $220 Non-Members

Make your own nest of four boxes while learning to carve swallow tails, bend the box, and install tops and bottoms with instructor Steve Grasselli. A great weekend for woodworking beginners to get a good start, and for experienced woodworkers to develop a new skill. No previous experience required. Tools and materials provided.

Hancock Shaker Village Fall “Return & Learn” Series, Woodworking Workshops, and Spinning & Weaving Week 

Hancock Shaker Village’s 50th anniversary celebration continues with a bounty of fall “Return & Learn” events related to Shaker cooking, food foraging and preserving, beekeeping, renewable energy, Shaker textiles, and guided hikes, as well as workshops on traditional timber framing and Shaker oval box making.  Details on these events follow below—all are free with admission unless noted otherwise. Hancock Shaker Village is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm daily for self-guided visits through October 31. Children 12 and under and Hancock Shaker Village members are admitted free of charge. Admission for adults is $17.00 and youth visitors aged 13 to 17 are $8. For more information, call 800.817.1137 or visit www.hancockshakervillage.org

Shaker Cooking For Today
September 9, 11:00am

Presenter: Michael Roller, Savory Harvest Catering and Hancock Shaker Village Harvest Café

The Hancock Shaker Kitchen Sisters were renowned for their culinary skills, and for the nutritious, delicious meals they produced for their fellow believers. Vegetables, herbs, meats, cheeses, breads, pies, puddings—most of it from the Shakers’ own productive farms, orchards, and gardens. In this program, Hancock Shaker Village Chef Michael Roller will discuss and demonstrate how you can make the most of the seasonal availability of fresh foods and provide tips about adapting Shaker recipes and techniques for your kitchen today.  

To Bee or Not to Bee: An Introduction to Backyard Beekeeping
September 18 and 19, 1:00pm and 3:00pm on both days

Are you interested in your own backyard beehive? Do you want to enjoy fresh, natural honey from your own hive? Ever wonder how beeswax candles are made? Or are you simply fascinated by the viewable demonstration hive in the HSV Discovery Room? See what the "buzz" is all about. Come for one of four introductory level sessions and learn all about bees and beekeeping, including what you would need to know before setting up your own apiary. Includes a discussion of the various kinds of equipment needed to set up and care for your hives. Learn how the bee serves as an important pollinator around the world and in your own neighborhood. Take part in hands-on honey extracting and other bee related activities. This program is a great opportunity for all ages. 

Timber Framing: A Traditional Approach
September 22 - 26

Call Jack Sobon 413.684.3223 or Dave Carlon 413.684.3612
Tuition: $430 HSV Members / $475 Non-members

Participants learn the craft of timber frame construction using 18th and 19th century tools and techniques, completing the parts and assembling the frame of a small building. Instructional demonstrations and discussions supplement the hands-on learning activities. Tools and materials provided; students may also bring their own. Participants must register directly with instructors Jack Sobon and Dave Carlon.

Renewable Energy at the City of Peace: Shaker Water Power and Archaeology Tour
October 3, 3:00pm

Presenter: Todd Burdick, Hancock Shaker Village Director of Education

This two-hour “green tour” focuses on the Hancock Shakers’ nineteenth century water power technology and other examples of renewable energy evident at the Village yesterday and today (hydro, solar, wind, biomass, biofuels, architectural design, smart growth town planning). Included will be a demonstration of the 1858 water power turbine and an easy/moderate level hike to the Village’s North Family archaeological site to view ruins of Shaker buildings and dams. Co-sponsored by the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area (UHVNHA), Heritage Walks, and Mass. Historical Commission Archaeology Month.

Spinning & Weaving Week
October 4 - October 10

As part of National Spinning and Weaving Week, Hancock Shaker Village highlights Shaker textiles. See and participate in activities related to making cloth—flax processing, spinning, dying and weaving. See Shaker textiles from our collection that will change your notion of what the Shakers wore and made.

Highlights from the Hancock Shaker Village Collection: Textiles
October 6, 2:00pm

Presenter: TBA

This behind the scenes “curator’s tour” offers a rare opportunity to examine up-close some original artifacts from the Hancock Shaker Village collection. This session will reveal the wide variety of Shaker textiles, such as clothing, blankets, chair tape, rugs, towels, cloaks, and quilts. Learn about typical Shaker fibers and see the near-perfect cross stitching of the sampler made by young Shaker girl Besty Crosman. Read poignant words of spiritual dedication and encouragement creatively stitched into an old linen salt sack.  Hold in your hands a Shaker burial shroud. Learn about how the Shakers invented a process for making clothing waterproof and wrinkle resistant. This program is held in conjunction with Hancock Shaker Village Spinning and Weaving Week, October 4 -10, so plan time to visit with the expert spinners and weavers and participate in hands-on textiles activities that change daily and are geared for all ages and interests. 

Shaker Oval Box Making: Box Basics Workshop
October 9-10, 9:00am - 4:00pm, maximum ten students

Tuition: $200 HSV Members / $220 Non-Members
Make your own nest of four boxes while learning to carve swallow tails, bend the box, and install tops and bottoms with instructor Steve Grasselli. An excellent weekend for woodworking beginners to get a good start, and for experienced woodworkers to develop a new skill. No previous experience required. Tools and materials provided.

Hancock Shaker Village Farm and Forest Trail Seasonal Hikes
October 18 at 2:00pm


Presenter: Roger Schroder, Hancock Shaker Village Staff Interpreter

The Village will host four guided hikes on the Farm and Forest Trail, with visitors encouraged to come back to experience the changing seasons, as this is never the same walk twice. This family-friendly, easy level, walk and talk on Hancock Shaker Village’s one-mile long, accessible trail focuses on natural and cultural history of the Village’s outlying farmlands, wetlands, fields, and forests, and on how the Shakers considered themselves stewards of the land.
The autumn hike (October 18) will showcase the stunning color of the Berkshires’ famous fall foliage. Hikers will feel the crunch of fallen leaves under their feet and watch for different woodland birds and animals as they scurry about preparing for the coming winter. They will also get to taste an heirloom variety apple from the long-ago abandoned Rock Orchard.

Fall Foods Forage
October 23, 2:00pm

Presenter: David St. James, Naturalist

The Berkshire harvest season is winding down by October, but there are still plenty of wild edible plants growing in the fields and forests. Not familiar with foraging on your own, and unsure of what is edible and what is not? Spend this adventurous afternoon on a fall foods forage with a local naturalist and wildlife expert, and see what edible treats you can find—wild rose hips high in Vitamin C, sumac fruit clusters that can be made into a “lemonade,” the surprisingly tasty and nutritious burdock root, and much more.  This program will take place off the beaten path, so be prepared to hike through the fields and forests with clothing appropriate for outdoors, including sturdy footwear.  

Food Preservation 101
October 30, 2:00pm

Presenters: Julie Gale, Founder and Cooking Instructor, At the Kitchen Table Cooking and Gianni Ortiz, Executive Director, Regional Farm and Food Project

Wondering how to best preserve the foods from the bountiful fall harvest through the coming months? This session will provide basic information and practical advice, tips, and techniques for proper food storage and preservation. Highlighting lacto fermentation, the natural fermentation of foods as a preservation technique (sauerkraut is a good example), this program will also touch upon canning, pickling, drying, and freezing.

Hancock Shaker Village 50th Anniversary Country Fair 

Hancock Shaker Village’s 50th anniversary Country Fair promises fun for the whole family with Shaker-inspired games in the Kids Tent, a farmers’ market with samples of heirloom vegetables to taste, a juried fine craft show, wagon rides, antique engines and tractors, sustainable gardening tips, a pie contest, square dancing demonstration, quilt show, and more. Celebrating the bounty of the harvest, the Country Fair will be held on September 25 and September 26 from 10:00am to 5:00pm. “For those who have told us they miss the Hancock Shaker Village Craft Fair, we’re delighted that we have more fine craft artists than ever lined up for this year’s Country Fair,” said Ellen Spear, president and CEO of Hancock Shaker Village “This event is always a festive highlight of the year and a great way for families to learn about our mission and its connection to sustainable, principled living.” Children 12 and under and Hancock Shaker Village members are admitted free of charge. Admission for adults is $17.00 and youth visitors aged 13 to 17 are $8. For more information, call 800.817.1137 or visit www.hancockshakervillage.org

Farmers Market and Artisan Tents

At the Country Fair, more than 70 vendors will fill the Village with delightful fresh produce, finished farm products, and fine crafts of all sorts. The farmers’ market will boast vegetables from Clover Hill Farm, homemade jams from Cricket Hill Jams and White Oak Farm, gourds and gourd art from L Kreations, Berkshire Blue Cheese, teas and spices from Commonfolk Farm Herbs (run by Betsey Ann Golon from Sabbathday Lake Shaker Museum) and the Tea Peddler, along with other treats. Among the many artisans selling their wares will be Nathan Taylor Baskets (Shaker and Nantucket baskets), Stephen Earp (redware pottery), the Carpenter's Workshop (Shaker-style furniture), the 19th Century Tinsmith (19th century American tinware), and Bonnie White Folk Art (folk art paintings, prints, calendars, puzzles, Christmas cards). Kari Chapin, author of The Handmade Marketplace, will award the “Best in Show” of the crafts area, and a judge TBA will determine the award for the farmers’ market.

A Harvest of Quilts

Quilts and country fairs go hand in hand. This year, Hancock Shaker Village again celebrates a harvest of color and the Shaker tradition of fine craftsmanship with A Harvest of Quilts, a two-day juried exhibition that will feature approximately 30 antique and newly-made quilts on display in the Round Stone Barn. There will also be daily demonstrations of quilting techniques. Viewers Choice and Heritage Award prize ribbons will be awarded on Sunday at 4:30pm.

Kids Tent and Wagon Rides

At the Kids Tent, Hancock Shaker Village interpreters will lead a host of fun activities, including crafts, old-fashioned games, and face painting. There will also be wagon rides through the scenic Village grounds and, of course, a hay pile to jump and play on.

Sustainable Gardening Tips

Visitors to the Country Fair can learn how to get their gardens ready for fall with sustainable gardening tips, such as how to save seeds from tomatoes or put gardens to bed for the season. They can also sample fresh-brewed teas from the historic Village gardens while enjoying one of the scheduled “herbal walks” to consider what to plant next year.

Square Dancing Demonstration

At 3:00pm on Saturday, there will be a square dancing demonstration led by Pittsfield Squares.

Timber Framing: A Traditional Approach

Beginning Wednesday before the Country Fair, students can learn timber frame construction using 18th & 19th century techniques and tools, assembling the frame of a small building. Instructional demos and discussion supplement hands-on learning, and by the close of Country Fair on Sunday, a finished building will be on display. Participants must register directly with instructors Jack Sobon and Dave Carlon by calling 413.684.3223 or 413.684.3612.

5th Annual Pie Contest

Warm up those rolling pins. The pie contest will include both professional and amateur categories, with judging held on Saturday afternoon, September 25th. Entries must be baked from scratch and fillings can either be the baker’s own recipe or Shaker Cranberry Pie or Shaker Applie Pie from The Best of Shaker Cooking by Amy Bess Miller. This year’s pie judge team includes Berkshire Living Managing Editor Lesley Ann Beck, RuralIntelligence.com Co-editor Marilyn Bethany, WAMC President Alan Chartock and MCLA Professor Roselle Chartock, Berkshire Eagle Executive Editor Tim Farkas, and Mimi Rosenblatt, host of Mimi’s Morning Mojo on WSBS. Guidelines for entry and registration forms are available on the Hancock Shaker Village website, www.hancockshakervillage.org

The 2010 Country Fair is generously supported by Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, Country Curtains, Price Chopper, and Media Sponsors: Yankee Magazine and WGBY.

About Hancock Shaker Village 

Hancock Shaker Village celebrates its 50th anniversary as a living history museum and center for the study of principled living in 2010. Situated on a picturesque expanse of farm, field, and woodland in Pittsfield, Mass., the fully restored Village includes 18 historic buildings, heirloom medicinal and vegetable gardens, 22,000 examples of Shaker furniture, crafts, tools, and clothes that depict daily life at the Shakers’ City of Peace through its 220 years, as well as heritage breed farm animals and spectacular hiking trails. There are daily tours, craft and cooking demonstrations, lectures and workshops, and a variety of activities for children and families, as well as a Museum Store and Shaker-inspired cuisine at the Village Harvest Café. The Discovery Room offers hands-on opportunities for kids of all ages to try their hand at chair seat weaving, working at a loom, trying on Shaker-style clothing, or milking a life-sized replica of a cow. An interactive audio tour (free with admission) is available in English, French, Italian, and German. For more information, call 800.817.1137 or go to www.hancockshakervillage.org.
Hancock Shaker Village is located on Route 20 in Pittsfield, Mass., just west of the junction of Routes 20 and 41. For GPS purposes, the Village is located at 34 Lebanon Mountain Rd., Hancock, Mass. 01237. Or, enter 1843 W. Housatonic St., Pittsfield, Mass. 01201 then proceed 1/2 mile further west on Rt. 20 to the parking lot.

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Valley Yoga Class Fees, membership options & other Information

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2010 Noble Ball:  The Ball is in Our Court NOBLE BALL CHAIRS ANNOUNCED
 


Bill & Jan Parks

Bo & Kristin Sullivan

Bill and Jan Parks and Bo and Kristin Sullivan will serve as co-chairs for the 46th Annual Noble Hospital Ball, the signature annual fundraising event for the Hospital. The Ball will take place Saturday, November 13, from 7 p.m. to midnight, at the Woodward Center at Westfield State University.
The black-tie gala provides financial support to enhance the outstanding level of care our community has come to expect from Noble Hospital. Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit the Diagnostic Imaging Department toward the purchase of an X-ray Image Intensifier (XRII). Sometimes referred to as a C-arm or fluoroscope in medical settings, it is an imaging device which uses X-rays and produces a live image feed which is displayed on a television screen. The C-arm, with its variety of movements, is used in a variety of surgical procedures such as orthopedics and urology. A portion of the proceeds will also be directed to the establishment of a scholarship benefiting students enrolled in the first class of the new Westfield State University Nursing Program.
Bills Parks is the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield. Jan Parks is a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Enfield, Connecticut. Bo Sullivan is the program director and co-host of the morning program on WHYN-AM in Springfield, Massachusetts and president of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield. Kristin Sullivan is the Section Chief for Planning & Workforce Development at the Connecticut Department of Public Health, and she was also elected to the Board of Trustees for the Westfield Athenaeum.
“We are very pleased and excited to have the Parks and the Sullivans lead our Ball this year,” said Roger Butler, chair of the Noble Hospital Board of Trustees. “Our community deserves an outstanding healthcare facility with state of the art equipment. Our students, too, deserve access to an affordable education that will prepare them to enter the healthcare field. The community's financial support is a critical element that allows Noble to invest in technology and services that are vital to our ability to meet the healthcare needs of the greater Westfield area."
With more than 600 employees, Noble Hospital serves more than 150,000 patients annually through many inpatient, outpatient, and specialty services. The Hospital also provided more than $2 million in charity and uncompensated care in 2009.
Corporate sponsorship opportunities and individual tickets are available for the Ball, which includes a gourmet dinner, dancing to the music of Steppin Out Band, as well as silent and live auctions. 

For more information, please visit: 

For sponsorship and ticket information, contact the Community Development Office at community@noblehealth.org, or call 413-568-2811 x 5520.

Noble Hospital is 97 bed community-based hospital located in Westfield, Massachusetts. The employees of Noble Hospital are committed to a CARES philosophy – treating the community with Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Excellence and Satisfaction.  Noble Hospital has achieved the highest overall patient satisfaction scores in the Pioneer Valley region according to HCAHPS/Press Ganey inpatient satisfaction survey data for the last year.  For more information please visit www.NobleHospital.org.

Earthwork Programs - Homeschooling 

Wild Earth Homeschool Program: Amherst; Nature awareness class for children, age 5 to 8 and parent!  A safe, fun, learning environment where your child will develop a deep understanding of the natural world and relationship to community, family and self. $30-40/class, sliding scale. Register online: www.earthworkprograms.com. Or call 413-522-0338.

Heron Homeschool Program:  Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Amherst; Classic Earthwork Program for ages 7 through 12! Learn wilderness living skills while fully immersed in nature! $50-65/class, sliding scale. Register online: www.earthworkprograms.com. Or call 413-522-0338.

Swift Eagle Homeschool Program: Leverett; For preteens and teens. Introduction to many new skills and adventures while building on the foundations of the Heron Program, including first aid training, fire challenge, aidless navigation, pottery and firing, natural sleeping bags, bow and arrow making, and so much more. $50-65/class, sliding scale. Register online: www.earthworkprograms.com. Or call 413-522-0338.

Jewish Family Jam

Wednesdays, 10:30-11:45 a.m.
September 22, 29, 2010
October 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2010
November 3, 10, 17, 24, 2010
December 1, 8, 15, 22, 2010

Jewish Family Service presents this popular program for infants, toddlers and their caregivers.  Appropriate for ages 0-3.  Together we will sing, drum and dance our way through the Jewish cycles and explore musical play and rituals that your family can enjoy together.  Led by Felicia Sloin, $25 registration fee.  Pre-registration is strongly recommended, contact JewishLife@jfswm.org or (413) 737-2601.  Location:  Lander Grinspoon Academy, 257 Prospect Street, Northampton.

Trustees of Reservations Events

Saturday Sustainability Workshops
Land of Providence Reservation, Main St., Holyoke

Trustees members $5,  non-members $10.   Spaces are limited; Call The Trustees of Reservations at 413 532-1631 x13 or email pvregion@ttor.org to reserve a spot. Check www.thretrustees.org for full workshop schedule. 

Meditation and Yoga
Sundays | 9:30 AM-10:30 AM
Land of Providence Reservation, Main St., Holyoke

Come for a peaceful class overlooking the Connecticut River. This is a gentle yoga session appropriate for beginners. Please bring a yoga mat and wear comfortable clothing. Meets every Sunday through the summer. Rain cancels. Trustees members and Holyoke Residents $5, non-members $10. Call the Trustees of Reservations at 413-532-1631 x13 or email pvregion@ttor.org for information.

Land of Providence Tours
Saturdays (June through October, and by appointment) | 11 AM
Land of Providence Reservation, Main St., Holyoke

Take a guided exploration of The Trustees of Reservations’ new property in Holyoke, which features community gardens, river views, and walking trails. $2 donation per person welcome. Call The Trustees of Reservations at 413 532-1631 x13 or email pvregion@ttor.org to register or for more information.

About the Trustees of Reservations in the Pioneer Valley

Since 2001, The Trustees have been building a stronger conservation presence in the Pioneer Valley region with educational and grassroots community outreach programs and the pursuit of significant land conservation opportunities. Currently, The Trustees own and manage 13 spectacular properties in the region.  These include Notchview, the Bryant Homestead, Dinosaur Footprints, Chapel Brook, Bear Swamp, Chesterfield Gorge, Petticoat Hill, Glendale Falls, Little Tom Mountain (to open 2012) and Peaked Mountain.  Recent acquisitions which will open to the public in the future include the Bullitt Reservation, Mt. Warner Reservation, and Land of Providence. The Trustees locally operate the Highland Communities Initiative (HCI), a program created to protect the natural and cultural character of 38 rural hilltowns located between the Connecticut and Housatonic Rivers.  To find out more about HCI, visit www.highlandcommunities.org. For more information on becoming a Trustees member, donor and/or volunteer or to reach The Trustees of Reservations Pioneer Valley regional office, please call 413.532.1631.

The Trustees of Reservations are 100,000 people like you, who love the outdoors and the distinctive charms of New England, and believe in celebrating and protecting them for current and future generations. Founded by open space visionary, Charles Eliot in 1891, The Trustees “hold in trust” and care for special places throughout the Commonwealth called "reservations.”

A member-, donor-, volunteer-, and endowment-supported organization, The Trustees (and its affiliate, Boston Natural Areas Network) own and care for  more than 100 spectacular reservations and 34 community gardens located on 25,000 acres in 73 communities throughout Massachusetts. From working farms and historic homesteads, several of which are National Historic Landmarks, to formal and community gardens, barrier beaches, open meadows, woodland trails, mountain vistas, a Gold LEED-certified green building, and a popular campground, all reservations are open for the public to enjoy.

The Trustees offer hundreds of programs and activities throughout the year, most of which are free-of-charge or discounted for members. In addition, The Trustees are a leader in the conservation movement and serve as a model for other land trusts nationally and internationally. Working with communities and conservation partners around the state in addressing important conservation issues and efforts, The Trustees hold conservation restrictions on more than 16,000 acres of privately owned land and have worked with partners around the state to assist in the protection of an additional 16,000 acres.

As land is being developed and open space is being fragmented at a rapid pace around the state, time is running out to save the best of Massachusetts’ landscapes and landmarks. To find out how you can protect a special place in your community, become a partner, request a speaker, and/or become a Trustee through your volunteer, donor, or membership contributions, please call 781.784.0567, visit www.thetrustees.org, or email membership@ttor.org. We are all Trustees.