Eight private gardens and the gardens of Springside Park will be featured on Pittsfield's 9th Annual Garden Tour, held this year on Saturday July 16th from 10 to 4 and Sunday, July 17th from noon to 4 p.m.
This year's tour is dedicated to the memory of Richard Schmidt, a great friend of the Pittsfield Garden Tour, who died in August of 2005, less than one month after his own garden was shown on the Garden Tour.
The self-guided tour which is a fund of the Berkshire Taconic Foundation, entitled, "Concealed City Gardens: Pittsfield's Hidden Heart" offers the opportunity to see lush containers, a 10 year-old garden that this year celebrates the owners' 50th wedding anniversary with special plantings, outdoor rooms, vegetable and flower beds, shade and sun gardens of every size, panormic views and intimate spaces.
"Every garden is unique and inspiring" according to Donna DiGennaryo one of this year's tour co-chairs and a member of the garden selection committee, "and has been lovingly created by people who are passionate about their involvement with the land."
The tour, held rain or shine celebrates the beauty of Pittsfield, encourages gardening and offers a venue for those who appreciate or want to explore the varying opportunities gardening offers. Proceeds will be used for enhancement projects in Pittsfield.
"With the gardens on this year's tour, we will have shown 69 different gardens in Pittsfield over the past 9 years" says Pat Keegan who co-chairs this year's tour with DiGennaro. "There is a gardening renaissance happening in our community which mirrors the renaissance of Pittsfield itself which is fabulous." "We are very grateful to our gardeners who generously open their gardens to the public."
Headquarters for the tour will be at Springside Park where tickets may be purchased on tour days. Also at Springside will be a silent auction of garden related items and approximately 40 hand-decorated bird houses, made by Bill Jette and decorated by very generous and creative citizens. This is the 5th year that the Pittsfield Garden Tour Committee has presented these colorful and whimsical birdhouses which have truly become collectors' items. No ticket is necessary to bid on silent auction or birdhouses. Silent Auction ends with a "gong" at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 16th.
Tickets purchased prior to 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 10th are $12.00, thereafter $15 can be obtained at Dr. Lahey's Garden Center on Rte 7, Agways on Dalton Avenue, Trillium Garden Company on the Pittsfield Rd, Lenox, and Churchill Gardens on Churchill St. Lanesboro.
Tickets for $15 may also be purchased at Springside Park beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 16h and at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 17.
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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.
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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
