WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.— MapleFest, the town's annual maple syrup celebration, is set to take place this Saturday, March 13, in Hopkins Memorial Forest.
Visitors will get the chance to see the entire process maple syrup-making process, from maple tree tapping to a working sugarhouse with an old kettle boiler, to syrup tasting and pancake eating. The free event will take place, rain or shine, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vans will be available from Chapin Hall.
Maple syrup celebrations have been a part of the country’s calendar for generations. The "maple moon" month, as this time of year is called, brings people together to cook maple syrup.
Visitors also are welcome to visit the sugarhouse anytime during the sugaring season, which is from early March to mid-April.
Hopkins Memorial Forest is located at the intersection of Northwest Hill Road and Bulkley Street. The reserve, managed by the Williams College Center for Environmental Studies, spans more than 2,500 acres in Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont. The land was donated to the college by the family of Colonel Amos Lawrence Hopkins in the 1930s. Since then, the college has actively maintained the forest, which it uses for teaching and research.
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Companion Corner: Max at Second Chance
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
ARLINGTON, Vt. — There is a dog at Second Chance Animal Shelter whose blindness doesn't stop him from wanting to play fetch with his new family.
iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.
Max is a 3-year-old border collie has been patiently waiting at the shelter since January 2023.
Lead canine care technician Alaura Lasher introduced us to him.
"He is a mostly blind dog, so we're looking for someone who is willing to work with him and his blindness, he actually does really well, even though he can't see for the most part," she said.
Max was given to the shelter after his previous owner was not able to care for his special needs. His new owner will have to be able to care for him and make sure his eyes are checked every six months.
"He has degenerative retinal atrophy. He had a surgery for this a year ago. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to gain much eyesight back from that, and we're just monitoring him for glaucoma. He would need someone who is ready to take him to the ophthalmologist every six months," said Lasher. "He gets checkups every six months just to make sure he hasn't developed glaucoma yet and nothing is worsening with his eyes."
It is suggested he goes to a home with older children who can understand his condition as well as no other pets, and a safe place for him to run free without worry of getting lost. Especially to play his favorite game of fetch.
"We do suggest a home with no other animals, just because with his blindness, it's a little hard for him to know how to interact with them. We also suggest a home with a fenced in yard again, because he loves to play fetch. He will play fetch for as long as you will let him, and he does amazing at it, even though he doesn't have the best eyes," Lasher said.
Max is on an eye-drop schedule that will need to be followed.
"He does require multiple eye drops a day, so someone would have to be ready and willing to kind of stick to his eye med schedule and be able to administer those daily," she said.
Max has shown signs of reactivity to strangers and animals and would do great if his next family could work with him in socializing.
"He's a very smart dog. He's very intelligent. I think he would do really well with some basic training. Since he's very toy driven, that would definitely kind of help him in his learning and training process."
If you think Max might be the boy for you, reach out to Second Chance Animal Shelter and learn more about him on the website.
Second Chance Animal Shelter is open Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. It is located at 1779 VT Route 7A. Contact the shelter at 802-375-2898 or info@2ndchanceanimalcenter.org.
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