Ventfort Hall to Hold 2nd Annual Medieval Faire

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LENOX, Mass. — Medieval chivalry and armored tournaments are not dead, but will be alive and thriving, when Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum will host the second annual Ventfort Hall Medieval Faire at the historic mansion Saturday, Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Organized by Ventfort Hall and the Western Massachusetts chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism, the day’s events will include displays of armored combat every hour on the hour; equestrian demonstrations; medieval arts, crafts and clothing; strolling troubadours and musicians; as well as exhibits, food and other demonstrations. Re-enactors in armor and period costumes will take part in the action. Based on the success of last year’s Faire, organizers expect the event to draw several thousand people.

“Although the Gilded Age and the Middle Ages were centuries apart, there are a number of parallels and our English-style Manor provides the perfect backdrop for this event. We aim to teach people about history in fun, engaging and exciting ways and it doesn’t get much more fun, engaging and exciting than this!” said Jeffrey Folmer, executive director of Ventfort Hall.

Heading the day’s programs is Jeffrey Mann, since 1983 a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, one of the world's largest medieval living history organizations. Mann's specialty is the study of the evolution of armor through the Middle Ages including, how it is made, and tournament combat. Mann has attained the rank of a knight and master armorer within the reenactment organization. For more than 20 years, Mann, his squire and retainers have taken their interest and knowledge of medieval life to schools, nursing homes and scouting organizations, bringing the Middle Ages alive.

“Our lively presentation helps sort fact from fiction and explain how many of our modern customs evolved from then till now," said Mann.

Advance tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for 5 to 17 years of age, and free for children 4 and under and include admission to the mansion/museum. “Day-of” tickets are $22 and $12 respectively. “Picnics on the Porch” will also be available. For further information, call 413-637-3206 or visit www.GildedAge.org. Ventfort Hall is located at 104 Walker St.

An Official Project of Save America’s Treasures, Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum offers tours of the historic mansion, as well as lectures, concerts, teas, theater and other programs. This elegant Jacobean-Revival Berkshire “cottage,” listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is open to the public year-around and is available for private rental. Built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan (sister of the financier, J. P. Morgan), Ventfort Hall has undergone substantial restoration, which continues.
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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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