Hilltop Orchardâ€™s 20th Anniversary - Celebrating A Tradition of Open Space Preservation in the Berks

05:25PM / Friday, August 03, 2007Print Story | Email Story

farm painted by local artist Sue Leal

Richmond â€“ Hilltop Orchards is 160 years-old but the Vittori familyâ€™s purchase of it 20 years ago started a new chapter for this 200 acre farm. They rescued the apple orchard from development in 1987 with a desire to ensure the preservation of open space and farming tradition for generations to come. It is now the largest producer of fresh pressed cider in the region and home to the Berkshireâ€™s First Farm Winery. The Furnace Brook wines have been awarded multiple medals in the 2006 and 2007 Big E Northeast Wine Competition and free wine tasting of these award-winning wines are available during hours of operation; Friday â€“ Sunday from 11am-5pm. Join us as we celebrate the last 20 years and look forward to sustaining this valuable farmland for years to come. Event: â€œ20th Anniversary Celebrationâ€ Date: Saturday, August 18 and Sunday, August 19 from 1pm-5pm Place: Hilltop Orchards 508 Canaan Rd. / Rt. 295 (just over the NY border) Richmond, MA 01254 Tel. 1-800-833-6274 Less than 10 miles from downtown Lenox, less than 5 miles from Hancock Shaker Village and about 1 mile west from the junction of Rt. 295 and Rt. 41 Details: Free admission, free wine tasting and hors dâ€™oeuvres Justin Allen Trio â€“ live jazz band Background This year marks the 20th anniversary that John Vittori and his sister Wendy purchased the 200-acre Hilltop Orchards. John and his wife Julie and their children live on the property year-round. At the time of the purchase, the orchardâ€™s cider production was only 3% of what it is today. The Vittoriâ€™s invested substantially in the business to ensure that the orchard would sustain itself financially in order to preserve the open space that symbolizes the beauty of the Berkshires. This included boosting production of sweet cider (the largest in the region with over 200,000 gallons per year) and the 1994 introduction of Johnny Mash, a hard apple cider containing 6% alcohol. After the success of Johnny Mash, they built a 6,000 square foot facility to house a new cider-mill and necessary equipment to pasteurize and ferment all their products on site. In 1998 they started Furnace Brook Winery, the first farm winery in the Berkshires. The Furnace Brook Winery label (named after the brook that originates on their property and runs into the historic Richmond Furnace site) includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, White Zinfandel, Chardonnay, French Cidreâ€™, Sparkling Muscato and Blanc de Blancs. Last year, for the first time, John submitted wines for judging at the Big E Wine Competition and was honored to win silver medals for the 2004 Riesling, Muscato and 2003 Chardonnay Special Reserve. The 2007 Big E Wine Competition recently honored the 2004 Riesling with a gold medal and the 2004 Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Muscato plus Johnny Mash with bronze medals. The farm winery store at Hilltop Orchards is open year-round, Friday through Sunday, from 11am â€“ 5pm. In addition to wines and ciders, the store sells fruit pies, scones, cider donuts, healthy local produce and cheeses. One year ago, the Vittoriâ€™s acquired The Garden Gables Inn on Main St. in Lenox and are making substantial improvements to the property. As farm owners and members of Berkshire Grown, they are committed to supporting other local farmers by buying regionally grown and prepared ingredients for their Innâ€™s kitchen.

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Berkshire Community College Graduates Historically Large Class

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:41AM / Saturday, May 30, 2026

Class valedictorian Jeremiah Reagan says he found himself at BCC in in nursing, earning his associate's degree from the program. See more photos here.

LENOX, Mass. — The largest Berkshire Community College class in more than 10 years crossed Tanglewood's stage on Friday night.

It was also President Ellen Kennedy's last BCC commencement in the position, as she will step down at the end of June.

"It has been the greatest gift of my professional life to have been on this journey with you, all of you," Kennedy said.

"Though our paths will now diverge, I know that the memories, the relationships, the moments of conflict and pain that led to new possibilities and growth, those will stay with me always."

The 341 graduates in 38 programs of study earned a total of 377 awards: 218 associate degrees, and 159 certificates. This is the highest number of graduates the college has had since 2014, when it conferred awards to 362 students.

Graduates ranged in age from 17 to 68, and while a majority live in Massachusetts, others are from Connecticut, Kentucky, New York, Vermont, and West Virginia.

Travis Murach, who earned an associates degree in liberal arts, took the mic as he crossed the stage to receive his diploma to say he had been at BCC for a total of 15 years, dropped out three times, and has finally done it.

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