Citing a desire to bring more tourism into Lenox, Town Manager Fregory Gederspiel has announced the beginning of a large-scale arts project for next winter: The Lenox Silktacular.
"We all want our city to be infested with tourists," said Gederspiel, "and we think a good first step is to infest our streets with thousands of artist-designed silkworms. We anticipate well over 5,000 fiberglass silkworms to line Main Street alone."
Gederspiel announced his plans under a giant tent made entirely of silk, displaying a box full of fiberglass silkworms to the gathered press. The silkworm, he explained, has a rich history in this region.
"In 1868, scientist Etienne Leopold Trouvelot brought the gypsy moth to Massachusetts to breed with other moths for a new strain of silk-producing caterpillars — silkworms. Due to bad planning, some of the gypsy moths escaped, and with no natural enemies and plenty of food, they spread throughout the country and became one of the most hated insects ever. But, silkworms still make good silk, and that's what we're celebrating!"
In addition to the thousands of artist-designed silkworms, a box of 100 fiberglass silkworms will be sent to each school in the area for children to decorate before the end of February. "Students won't just stay warm this winter — they'll stay worm!" said Gederspiel.
Once the student-designed worms are complete, they will be distributed across town. Liss Krowm, a local fourth grader, is already excited about the project.
"Nobody hates us, everybody likes us. We're going to line the street with worms!" she said.
While the students decorate their silkworms, a call has gone out to local artists wishing to decorate a gross of fiberglass worms. The official display will showcase the silkworms, along with traveling actors playing gypsy moths.
Gederspiel encouraged all of the Berkshires to contribute to the Silktacular, by way of either design or donation.
"By sponsoring a silkworm, you can help support the local revitalization of Lenox,†he said. “Although, we are thinking of expanding our offerings to the Web — we may do spidersilk, too."
When asked to respond to rumors that Pittsfield might be copying the idea and pre-empting the town’s plans, Gederspiel replied, "I don't know about ewe, but if they're trying to pull the wool over our eyes, I for one don't plan to be fleeced."
Seth Brown is a freelance humor writer based in North Adams who has foolishly agreed to do a regular column for The Advocate. He is a frequent contributor to the Washington Post's Style Invitational, and like everyone else, is working on a book.
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant
Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.
"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.
A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.
White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.
He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.
Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.
A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.
Cassidy Flynn scattered five hits in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox upset top-seeded Hoosac Valley, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament. click for more
Brayden Durant struck out seven and walked one in a complete-game effort on the mound Saturday to pitch the Drury baseball team to a 6-0 win over Keefe Tech in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament at Joe Wolfe Field. click for more
Jason Codey struck out 13, walked two and allowed just an infield single as the Generals earned a 7-1 win over Wahconah to claim their third straight regional title. click for more
Gracelyn Wright struck out eight, and Genevieve Lagess went 3-for-5 with four runs batted in as the Hurricanes beat Monson, 17-3, to claim their first Western Mass title in four years. click for more
For the boys, Ward Bianchi helped lead the way with a win in the shot put and a second place in the javelin as the Mounties finished 16 points ahead of runner-up Pittsfield (pending the results of the pole vault, which were unavailable at 11 p.m. Friday night). click for more
