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‘Dragon Tales’ LEE — The Lee Library Association will host “Dragon Tales,” with Lynne Fay, a pajama party and story hour for preschool and kindergarten students, Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Space is limited. Call Fay, 243-1319, to register. Children are encouraged to bring pillows and wear their pajamas. Bartini nominated LENOX — Gov. Mitt Romney has nominated Thomas Bartini of Lenox to the position of clerk-magistrate for the Southern Berkshire District Court. Bartini has worked at the Southern Berkshire District Court in a variety of positions since 1986, including acting clerk-magistrate since last March. Before assuming his current position, he was the first assistant clerk-magistrate, a probation officer and a court officer. He has participated in the Changing Lives Through Literature Program and was also a board member of the Juvenile Drug and Alcohol Diversion Program. Bartini earned both his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in criminal justice from Westfield State College. Computer recycling PITTSFIELD — The Center for Ecological Technology, in cooperation with the city of Pittsfield, the Lenox Environmental Committee, Lee Recycling Committee and Southern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District, will hold a free collection of unwanted computers on Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Pittsfield Public Works Yard, 232 West Housatonic St. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The collection is open to residents of Alford, Becket, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlboro, Otis, Pittsfield, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham and West Stockbridge. Only computers, computer monitors, printers, keyboards, mouses and other computer peripherals will be accepted. Disposing of unwanted computer equipment has become a problem for individuals and communities, according to the CET. The average life expectancy of a computer is about two years. The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition has estimated that over 300 million computers will become obsolete in the United States by 2005. A typical computer processor and cathode ray tube monitor contain five to eight pounds of lead and other heavy metals, such as cadmium and mercury. Even small quantities of these persistent toxins can reach harmful levels over time because they accumulate in fatty tissues of animals, increasing in concentration as they move up the food chain. They have been linked to certain cancers and nervous system, reproductive and developmental problems. Computer and monitors brought to the collection will be disposed of in a way that doesn’t pose a risk to human health or the environment, according to the CET. Working computers and monitors will be cleaned of all remaining data and sold, often in Third World countries where new equipment is not affordable. Non-working equipment will be separated into components, some of which will be used and others recycled. The one-time free collection is possible through funding from Dell, in partnership with the National Recycling Coalition. The CET is one of 20 community partners across the country selected to work with Dell and the coalition to deal with the challenge of electronic waste. For those who cannot participate in the Nov. 6 collection, GoodWill Industries of the Berkshires accepts unwanted electronics and televisions in Pittsfield and Adams or a small fee. Dell offers consumers home pickup of any brand of used computer for recycling or donation at no charge with the purchase of a new system or for a nominal charge without purchase. Information: www.dell.com/recycling. Volunteers are needed to help with the collection in Pittsfield. Information: Amy Johns, 445-4556, ext. 14, or e-mail amyj@cetonline.org. Autumn Table NEW MARLBORO — “An Autumn Table,” an annual event in the Berkshires, will feature a five-course gourmet dinner, cheese-tasting and wine auction on Sunday, Nov. 7, at The Old Inn on the Green at Gedney Farm. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Food Bank and the Eastern Native Seed Conservancy. Autumn Table" is a meal of heirloom and gourmet foods prepared by the Berkshires’ best chefs in a classic New England setting. Each year's meal is assembled from local ingredients. Many of the ingredients are unusual or extremely rare — or grown especially for the event from seed by the conservancy. This year’s chefs include Peter Platt from the Old Inn on the Green, Dan Smith, chef-owner of John Andrews in South Egremont, William Webber, of the Verdura Restaurant in Great Barrington, Megan Moore, owner of Moore Fine Food, a Berkshire-based catering company, and James Tracey, from Mezze in Williamstown (formerly of Tom Colicchio's Craft in Manhattan). Tickets are $115 and are available by calling The Food Bank, 413-247-9738. Seating is limited. Information: www.enscseeds.org. The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts distributes 6.4 million pounds of food annually to a network of more than 400 local meal sites, food pantries, shelters and other social service agencies and programs in the four counties of Western Massachusetts. Information: www.foodbankwma.org. Organ recital GREAT BARRINGTON — The music of J. S. Bach and two other leading organ composers will be featured Sunday, Nov. 7, at 11:45 a.m. in the second in a series of “Brunch-Time Musicales” featuring organist Charles Olegar at St. James Episcopal Church. The 30-minute programs, given the first Sunday of each month, are open to the public without charge. Olegar will perform three works: “Passacoglia in D Minor” by the German baroque composer Dietrich Buxtehude; “Rose Window” by French impressionist composer Henri Mulet and Bach’s large-scale “Toccata, Adogio, and Fugue.” St. James’ pipe organ, with over 50 ranks of pipes, is considered one of the area’s largest and most versatile. The church is widely noted as an acoustically desirable venue for musical performance. Olegar serves as the organist and minister of music of St. James, having come to Great Barrington this past summer from a similar position at St. Paul’s Church in Troy, N.Y. Over several decades of performing, he has appeared at many of the nation’s most musically prominent churches, as well as in Canada and England. St. James is at 352 Main St., on the corner of Taconic Ave. and Main, and is accessible to the handicapped. Information: 528-4541 or www.stjamesgb.org. Hamill tribute GREAT BARRINGTON — The music of the late organist and choirmaster Paul Hamill will be featured at St. James Episcopal Church at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7, in “Remembering the Saints,” a concert celebrating the lives of people who made a difference. The tribute will include music composed by Hamill, such as “Prelude on the Hymn-Tune ‘Foundation,” the anthem “Thou Art God,” selections from the “New England Requiem” and the organ postlude “Aria da Chiesoa.” The concert will also include the “Service of Compline,” with chant harmonization arranged by Hamill. Soloists John and Lee Cheek, the St. James Choir and organist Charles Olegar will perform. There will be hymn singing by the audience as well. The event is open to the public without charge. Information: 528-4541 or www.stjamesgb.org. Healthy arts GREAT BARRINGTON — “Healthy Arts: A Morning of Entertainment and Swimming” will begin its second year on Saturday, Nov. 6, with a singing and drumming performance by Vicki True and Peter Schneider at Berkshire South Regional Community Center, 15 Crissey Road, just north of the Price Chopper plaza. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own drums or percussion instruments to the event. The event will be performed again on Saturday, March 5. Healthy arts is underwritten by Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation and is a collaborative program between the community center, Community Access to the Arts and the Community Health Program. The program is designed for families with young children and individuals with developmental, physical, mental or emotional disabilities. Each event will begin at 11 a.m. with one hour of entertainment followed by one hour of swimming. Upcoming events include William K. Whiskers, a CATA faulty artist, puppet show on Saturday, Dec 11, and Saturday, April 2. Another puppet show, hosted by CATA faculty artist Meredyth Babcock, as Dr. Marmalade, will be held on Saturday, Jan. 8. On Saturday, Feb. 5, and Saturday, May 7, CATA faulty artist Roger Reed, as Roger the Jester, will perform a juggling show. The program is free, but all children must be supervised. Swim diapers are required for children who are not toilet trained. Information: community center, 528-2810. Medicaid seminar LENOX — A free seminar, "Understanding Community-Based and Long-Term Care Medicaid: Strategies To Access Care and Protect Your Home and Assets" will be held on Sunday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. at the Lenox Community Center, 65 Walker St. The seminar will focus on how to access benefits for at-home care and community-based Medicaid for frail elders. For those elders who cannot safely remain at home, the seminar will outline how to access nursing home care while protecting the family home and assets for the spouse remaining at home. The seminar will illustrate the role of Medicare, long-term care insurance and other financial strategies in paying for extended care, either at home or in a nursing home setting. The seminar will be conducted by Paula Kahn Almgren, an elder law attorney with McCormick, Murtagh, Marcus & Almgren, and Thomas A. Curtin, a certified financial planner from the insurance firm of Wheeler & Taylor. Refreshments will be served. Information or reservations: Cheryl, 528-0630. Quilt lecture LENOX — The Lenox Historical Society will host a lecture, “Collecting Antique Quilts,” on Sunday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. at the Academy on Main Street. The program’s speaker will be Lisa Pyenson, a quilter who spent many years living in Europe and returned to the Berkshires two years ago to open her shop, Antiqualia, in West Stockbridge. She sells European antiques and decorative item, as well as antique quilts from around the world. Pyenson’s interest in and study of antique quilts began over 10 years ago, when she began collecting them. Her talk on antique quilts is designed to be of interest to those who may have heirloom quilts in their families and want to know more about them or anyone as thinking of starting a collection or simply purchasing an antique quilt. She will cover the basics of quilt styles and patterns, how to estimate the age and value of early quilts and how to care for them. The lecture will be presented in conjunction with the Historical Society’s exhibit of antique and contemporary quilts at the Museum of Lenox History at the Academy. Both the lecture and ongoing exhibit are free and open to the public. Information: Vickie Salvatore, 637-2458. Plant lecture STOCKBRIDGE — “American Household Botany: A History of Useful Plants” will be offered on Saturday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, intersection of Routes 102 & 183. Author Judith Sumner will discuss the practical experience and botanical wisdom of generations of Americans, crossing the disciplines of horticulture, history and ethnobotany. She will talk about how European settlers and their descendants made use of the “strange” new plants they found in America and consider the transition from wonderment to daily household use, as homesteads were built upon and prospered from the plants of the New World. Sumner teaches medicinal botany at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and at Garden in the Woods, the botanic garden of the New England Wild Flower Society. She is author of “The Natural History of Medicinal Plants and American Household Botany.” The cost for the slide-illustrated lecture is $18 for garden members and $22 for non-members. Registration is required: 298-3926. Information about upcoming family, youth and adult programs: www.berkshirebotanical.org. Veterans gala LENOX — Stockbridge Summer Music will hold a “Harvest Moon Night” Veterans Day gala at the Seven Hills Inn on Plunkett Street on Thursday, Nov. 11, beginning at 7 p.m. General admission is $10 — $15 per couple — for all veterans. Cash or check will be accepted. Champagne Jam will provide music for dancing from 8 to 11. Hors d‚oeuvres and a full-service cash bar will be offered. At intermission, four in-house door prizes will be awarded, ranging in value from $20 to $175. Parking is on the inn grounds, and the event is accessible to the handicapped. Reservations and Information: 443-1138. Famine event LENOX — The United Methodist Church of Lenox Youth Group, 6 Holmes Road, will participate in a World Vision 30-hour famine on Saturday, Nov. 6, and Sunday, Nov. 7. Youths will go without food for 30 hours as they learn about the plight of children around the world and their daily hunger. Each teenager will be asked to find sponsors to raise money as a donation. According to World Vision, $30 will feed one child for one month. Information: www.30hourfamine.org Preschool art GREAT BARRINGTON — Berkshire South Regional Community Center invites the public to, “The Ocean Above: Sea Animals by Preschool Students,” through December. Community Center Arts Coordinator Grant Hackett, approached Sunshine at Berkshire South Preschool Director Patricia Codwise with the idea to invite area preschools to create sea-themed art to hang in the lobby of the community center. Codwise asked other participating members of the Berkshire Hills Community Partnership, and the following preschools participated: Sunshine at Berkshire South Preschool, Art Sparks! Preschool Enrichment Class at the community center, Southern Berkshire Early Child Care Center, Saint Paul's Children’s Center, Great Barrington Head Start and the Mountainside Preschool. The public may view the exhibit during regular business hours. The community center, 15 Crissey Road, is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Berkshire South Regional Community Center is a nonprofit organization open to all. Financial aid is available. Nutrition series GREAT BARRINGTON — Berkshire South Regional Community Center will continue its Family Nutrition Lecture Series with Susan Higa on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 6:30 p.m. “Creating Healthy Habits for Children” is designed to teach parents how to create positive lifestyle habits for children. The discussion will focus on healthy food choices and will include a sampling of dairy-and sugar-free recipes. On Jan. 11, participants will learn about “Weight Control” and simple, healthy steps for losing weight. Registration is required for all lectures. The fee for each lecture is $10 for members, $15 for guests. Financial aid is available. Information and registration: community center, 528-2810 or visit the center at 15 Crissey Road, north of the Price Chopper Plaza. Interim director GREAT BARRINGTON — Chesterwood has announced that Rena Zurofsky has been named interim director of the museum through the end of 2004 or until a new director is hired. Zurofsky is a full-time museum consultant with more than 25 years of her career focused on museums and the ways in which art, business and life connect. According to a news release, Zurofsky believes museums should strive to serve the broadest possible public and to do so successfully requires diligent and inspired leadership. As a former vice president and treasurer of Edith Wharton Restoration, she comes to Chesterwood with experience in historic site management and preservation. She has worked at the American Museum of Natural History, The Brooklyn Museum and the Metropolitan Museum, all in New York City. “Chesterwood is a beautiful estate which also served an important role in the creation of one of the nation’s iconic monuments — the great statue of Abraham Lincoln,” Zurofsky said in the release. “While one of its primary charms is the opportunity to peek through the window at a gracious former world, I am interested in working with the long-term staff, volunteers and local council to seek ways to enhance Chesterwood’s relevance to the modern world.” Besides working to smooth the transition between full-time directors, Zurofsky said the major focus of the next few months will be planning events for the upcoming 2005 season, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the site being open to the public. Work has already begun on Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood 2005. Zurofsky is a widely published writer, most recently in The Berkshire Eagle about the local gallery scene but also in The New York Times, Fodors, Museum Magazine and independent book projects. Chesterwood is a national Trust Historic Site and a National and Massachusetts Historic Landmark. It is accredited by the American Association of Museums. The museum’s programs are funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Visioning session GREAT BARRINGTON — A “visioning session’ on what should be done with the Searles and Bryant schools will be held Saturday, Nov. 13, at 1:30 p.m. at the Searles gymnasium. Housing project LEE — Elder Services of Berkshire County Inc. held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Lee Central Enriched Housing Project in the gymnasium of the former Lee Central School on Oct. 22. U.S. Rep. John Olver, D-Amherst, state Sen. Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr., D-Pittsfield, and state Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, D-Lenox, key supporters of the project, each spoke at the event, which signified the beginning of converting the school into 38 units of affordable senior housing. The project has been planned and coordinated with the assistance of consultants Gagnier, Hicks Associates of Springfield, Studio One Architects of Springfield and general contractor N.L. Construction of Ludlow. Town staff, including Town Manager Robert Nason, the Selectmen, the Planning Board, the Department of Public Works, the Council on Aging and the building commissioner, have supported in the project. The senior housing units will be managed by Berkshire Housing, with residential coordination and service provision through Elder Services. The gymnasium will be restored and available for sports and community-based events. The building, when completed in early spring of 2006, will have a cafeteria that serves lunch Monday through Friday and a therapeutic bathing facility. It will house the Lee Council on Aging and its activities. Services offered to eligible residents will include Meals on Wheels, personal care, house-cleaning, laundry, health-insurance counseling and money management. There are plans for an aging-resources library and a computer lab, where seniors will have the opportunity to learn how to operate computers and to navigate the Internet. The renovation of the Lee Central School into senior housing has been funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the state Department of Community Development, Pincus talk GREAT BARRINGTON — Andrew Pincus, music critic for The Berkshire Eagle, will speak at The Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire on Sunday, Nov. 7, at 5 p.m. Pincus will explore the distinction between religion and spirituality in his talk, “Spirituality and Music,” using brief selections from Mozart, Bach, Stravinsky and Bernstein. Pincus has been with The Eagle since 1967 and is also a freelance writer on music who has authored three books and contributed articles to The New York Times, The Boston Globe and numerous other publications. He has twice won the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ Deems Taylor award for excellence in music criticism. He has been a consultant to the opera/musical theater program of the National Endowment for the Arts and served on the board of its Massachusetts state affiliate. He is board member of the Literacy Network of Southern Berkshire. All are welcome at The Unitarian Universalist Meeting, which will take place at the United Methodist Church, 198 Main St. Historic lecture WEST STOCKBRIDGE — The Friends of the West Stockbridge Library will sponsor a public lecture on Friday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Village School on Route 102. Guest speaker will be Gary Levielle of Great Barrington, who will present a slide show and talk, "Travel Back in Time — Around and About West Stockbridge.” With the help of rare photographs and antique postcards converted into a slide presentation, he will examine how things used to be in West Stockbridge. Included will be rarely seen old-time views of West Stockbridge and the surrounding area. Levielle is the author of the best-selling photo history book "Old Route 7, Along the Berkshire Highway" and "Around Great Barrington and Stockbridge.” He is principal of Berkshire Creative Communications and has over 20 years’ experience as a writer, editor and author. He was formerly a senior editor and editorial project supervisor for Hasbro Games in Springfield. He has worked on numerous editorial projects for Milton Bradley, Hasbro, Parker Brothers, Disney, National Geographic, Antiques Road Show and others. He was also a local history columnist for the former Berkshire Courier and serves on the board of directors of the Great Barrington Historical Society. Refreshments will be served following the presentation. Admission is free and open to all. Information: 232-0308/ Estate planning GREAT BARRINGTON — Attorney Donna Kelly will lead a presentation on estate planning on Monday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of Berkshire South Regional Community Center. The presentation will cover essential elements of a good estate plan, including the importance of a will, power of attorney and health-care proxy. Admission is free to members, $5 for guests. Information and to register: 528-2810 or visit the center, at 15 Crissey Road, just north of the Price Chopper Plaza. Taste of Lenox LENOX — The Junior League of Berkshire County will host its second annual “A Taste of Lenox” fundraiser on Wednesday, Nov. 10, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Participants will visit several Lenox restaurants over the course of the evening, enjoying hors d’oeuvres and buffet selections at Antonio’s Ristorante, Firefly and Café Lucia. The evening will conclude with an array of desserts and coffee at the Gateways Inn. A Taste of Lenox celebrates the diversity of fine eateries in the town. There will be a cash bar at all restaurants. Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased in advance by contacting the Junior League office, 443-5151. Tickets will also be sold at Different Drummer’s Kitchen on the Pittsfield-Lenox Road in Lenox. All proceeds from ticket sales will help fund the Junior League’s annual scholarships and its Care 4 Kids campaign, which involves mentoring young women in the Pittsfield school system’s Teen Parent Program, a refurbishment project for the playroom at the Elizabeth Freeman Center, a shelter for battered women and children, and an entrepreneurial/role model program with Girls Inc. of Pittsfield.
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Friends of Great Barrington Libraries Holiday Book Sale

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Friends of Great Barrington Libraries invite the community to shop their annual Holiday Good-as-New Book Sale, happening now through the end of the year at the Mason Library, 231 Main Street. 
 
With hundreds of curated gently used books to choose from—fiction, nonfiction, children's favorites, gift-quality selections, cookbooks, and more—it's the perfect local stop for holiday gifting.
 
This year's sale is an addition to the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Stroll on this Saturday, Dec. 13, 3–8 PM. Visitors can swing by the Mason Library for early parking, browse the sale until 3:00 PM, then meet Pete the Cat on the front lawn before heading downtown for the Stroll's shopping, music, and festive eats.
 
Can't make the Holiday Stroll? The book sale is open during regular Mason Library hours throughout December.
 
Proceeds support free library programming and events for all ages.
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