Annual reading of The Declaration of Independence set for Shakespeare & Company

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LENOX – Grab a blanket, pack a picnic and join Shakespeare & Company on July 4th as kicks off its seventh annual reading of The Declaration of Independence. This popular event continues to attract growing audiences and participation each year and includes Company musicians, actors, special guests and an anticipated 500 guests who will join in the festivities at the Company’s Bankside Tent on Friday, July 4, at 3:00 p.m.

The reading is part of the FREE outdoor Bankside Festival, generously underwritten by Teddi and Francis Laurin, which offers family-oriented performances, programming, and humanities lectures though August 30. Tickets are free but required, and guests seeking tickets on the day of the event are encouraged to arrive early to secure a seat.

The program includes live, acoustic music, including a festive sing-along led by a group of Company musicians. Traditional barbequed food items will be available for sale under the tent adjacent to Founders’ Theatre before and after the reading, and guests are encouraged to spend the afternoon on the grounds, taking advantage of Shakespeare & Company’s spacious lawns for recreation. A free performance of The Mad Pirate and the Mermaid will held at the Rose Footprint Theatre at 6:15 p.m., and the Company’s production of All’s Well that Ends Well plays at Founders’ at 8 p.m.

For a complete schedule of all Bankside Festival events running in repertory, and information on Shakespeare & Company’s 2008 season, please call the box office at 413-637-3353 or visit the S&Co. website at www.shakespeare.org.


The Declaration of Independence will be divided up into dozens of parts to accommodate the readers who include Shakespeare & Company actors, directors, staff, members of state and local government, and friends in the community. Invited guests include State Representatives William (Smitty) Pignatelli and Dennis E. Guyer, Senator Benjamin B. Downing, and Governor Deval Patrick.

The reading of The Declaration of Independence has become incorporated into family traditions of local residents and Company friends over the last several years and attendance for the event has grown over 100% since its humble beginnings on an uncovered stage on a hot Independence Day in 2001. The annual event came out of a desire by the Company to celebrate our democracy and the power of language to change the world.

The popular FREE outdoor Bankside Festival begins performances on June 25 and includes Preludes (15-minute entertainments) running outdoors prior to Founders’ Theatre performances; the world premiere of the hilarious The Mad Pirate and the Mermaid, opening The Rose Footprint stage and playing in two parts on alternating days and running through August 30; The Bankside Humanities Series, beginning July 1 and offering unique lectures and demonstrations; and Wild and Whirling Words, an introduction to Shakespeare’s language and times, beginning August 3.
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A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business. 

"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality." 

Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.

"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."

After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.

Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.

"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."

The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.

"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."

Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.

"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.

Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.

"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.

The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.

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