A taste of winters past

By Sharon SmullenPrint Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD — The sky is a piercing cerulean blue that only seems to appear in the clear heart of winter, forming a dazzling counterpoint to the soft white snow. At Hancock Shaker Village, children and their parents gather by the open stable door, waiting with eager anticipation in the brisk air. A few wander through the barn to view the antique horse and farm equipment scattered around the stalls, all the while keeping a close eye on their place in the line outside. Suddenly there is a sighting that lifts the spirits of the crowd — their ride is approaching. With a whoosh of snow and a tinkling of bells, down the slope comes what they have all been waiting for — a green sleigh driven with skill and care by longtime Hancock Shaker Village carriage driver, David Larabee. Sporting his signature Western hat, Larabee coaxes his two gentle giant Belgian Draft horses, 7-year-old Bob and 15-year-old Karen, to a halt and discharges his happy passengers. New riders quickly clamber onto the sleigh, ready for their trip to the reservoir. Over the hill, through the woods and round the fields they go! The sleigh comes to rest beside a slope that leads to an expanse of deeply frozen water, part of the intricate system of reservoirs and water courses used by the Shakers to provide for their domestic, farming and manufacturing needs. The Shakers were very adroit at harnessing the energy of water, first with mills and then with strong turbines that powered all sorts of modern machinery, such as belt-driven lathes, saws and laundry equipment in their busy, industrious workshops. And even in the frigid depths of winter, working with water had a special place in the Shaker calendar. The sleigh passengers tread carefully down a slatted wooden boardwalk on to a patch of smooth reservoir surface, swept clean of loose snow. Any initial trepidation at walking on water soon fades as it becomes clear that the ice on the pond is well over a foot thick. (Regardless of the fact that the water is at most no more than 5 feet deep at this location, a freezing dip in the bone-chilling depths is not on anyone’s schedule for the day.) Walking slowly over to the team of experienced ice-cutting helpers led by Dennis Picard, the group watches in fascination as the process is revealed. Under close supervision, a long serrated saw is positioned at a mark on the edge, where solid ice meets open icy water. With a steady circular motion of the two-fisted handle, the blade slices cleanly through the thick ice, stopping at a guideline scored in the surface. A few sturdy taps of a flat, narrow spade and the ice breaks neatly away, floating and bobbing on the frigid water. When observed closely, ice is a fascinating and beautiful medium. Because of the cycle of freezing and melting that takes place near the surface, the hefty ice blocks or “cakes” as they are called — some 18 inches thick and capable of weighing up to 50 pounds — transition visually from almost opaque cloudiness at the top to crystal clarity at the bottom. Facetted occlusions and arrays of trapped bubbles complete the unique visual artistry of each oversized ice cube. A long-handled ice pike is stabbed into the surface of the bobbing block and used to guide the cake of ice over to a wooden ramp. With a clutch of the large ice tongs, the cake is heaved out of the water and pushed up the ramp out of the reservoir bowl. Then it is sent on a swift slide down a chute to a waiting ox cart, ready to transport its load across the road to the 1894 Village Ice House. There, the 100 or so cakes cut during the weekend are stacked carefully like building blocks, awaiting the time when they will be shaved and used in summer ice-cream-making activities. The Northern tradition of ice harvesting has been an essential winter activity for domestic use and commercial gain throughout the ages. In his seminal work “Walden,” writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau provided a vivid description of “a hundred Irishmen ... coming from Cambridge every day to get out the ice” — about a thousand tons of it on a good day — and the pleasure he took in joining them at their toil. For most visitors, the sleigh ride vies with the ice harvesting as the highlight of their visit. Of course, weather conditions determine whether wheels or “bobs” (the name for the sleigh runners) are the means of travel. According to Larabee — one of a group of three horse-team drivers that will be at the Village — it is not so much the depth of the snow as having a good frozen base that makes it ideal for sleigh rides. In his eight years of participating, he has only had to bring the wagon on two occasions. This year, Larabee plans to introduce a new, larger, 14-seater sleigh that he has just built. And as for his trademark Stetson hat? “It is the warmest hat I’ve ever worn, and that’s the main reason I wear it. My ears don’t get cold. And when somebody sees me in the distance, they’ll know who it is.” At Hancock Shaker Village, a Winter Weekend of ice adventures will be available from Friday, Feb. 19, to Monday, Feb. 21. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, ice harvesting activities will be complemented by programs on the lives and times of the Shakers themselves, with music, craft and cooking demonstrations. The ever-popular Hands-on History Discovery Room gives visitors young and old a practical experience of the craft skills, games and toys of the Shaker era, from dress-up opportunities and weaving to milking “Mary-Jane” the model cow. In the Round Stone Barn, livestock typical of Shaker times includes heritage breeds of cattle as well as wrinkly Merino sheep in their thick winter coats. And in the Village Café, hot chocolate and savory soup is readily available to thaw out any winter chills. For the rest of the school vacation week, until Feb. 27, the Village will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day for 90-minute guided tours with hands-on activities for children in the Discovery Room. For tour times, call toll-free, 800-817-1137 or 413-443-0188. During the winter, admission to the Village is $12.50 for adults, free for children under 18. New York writer Sharon Smullen successfully combines her twin passions of motherhood and the arts.
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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
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