V-Day Suggestions for Lovers and Others
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While many a starry-eyed couple indulge in a romantic dinner or sweet gift exchanges, thousands of unattached folks across the nation need not look on with barely restrained jealousy. In fact, here in the Berkshires, opportunities abound to enjoy this mid-winter celebration of love with a different kind of special someone.
On Sunday night, the 14th annual "Father and Daughter Valentine Dance" invites daughters of all ages to share an evening with their dads or other father figures.
"It's kind of a magical event when you're there," said Terri Cooper, the event's co-organizer. "It's really just amazing to see the men up on their feet. The dance floor is full all night long."
Held at St. Anthony's Parish Center on Marshall Street from 6 to 9 p.m., the dance will include a 50/50 raffle, a Chinese auction and music provided by a disc jockey.
Tickets are $10 per person in advance and $12 per person at the door. Tickets are available at Val's Variety on Columbia Street, Adams, Where'd You Get That!? on Spring Street in Williamstown and Persnickety Toys on Eagle Street in North Adams.
Last Friday's benefit performance "The Food of Love," (in support of Mount Greylock Regional High School's "Shakespeare & Company's Shakespeare in the Schools" program) set the stage for the love scenes that have inspired throughout the years.
"Last year, we raised a couple of thousand dollars for the program, and this is its fourth year," said Deborah Burns, the performance coordinator. "We always sell out. The place seats 200 officially. It's a big deal.
"The Williams Inn loads a whole table with chocolates, and the kids, in costumes from Shakespeare & Company, perform probably 25 scenes, including sonnets and soliloquies."
Three of those scenes, not surprisingly, were from "Romeo and Juliet," the couple epitomizing star-crossed love - their first meeting at the Capulet's ball, the balcony scene, and their waking, talking of the lark singing in the morn, when the nightingale would give them more time together.
<L2>Besides "Romeo and Juliet," scenes were drawn from "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "As You Like It," "Twelfth Night," "Antony and Cleopatra" and "Love's Labours Lost."
At Williamstown favorite Where'd You Get That?! those with a jaundiced view of Valentine's Day can splurge on a little romance-bashing fun.
"We have VooDoo pops. Some people are anti-Valentines, and we want everyone to be comfortable," said Michelle Geitz, owner of the toy store, last week.
According to Marla Sloane, an author and motivational speaker in sunny California, the best way to a joyful, partner-less Valentine's Day is doing something to brighten the day of another.
Five Ways to the Happiest Valentine's Day Ever
1. Send a heartfelt Valentine card to someone who has really inspired you and tell them how much they mean to you.
2. Make a homemade Valentine card and send it to your favorite relative you haven't seen in a while.
3. Send flowers or candy to someone who doesn't have a sweetheart, and sign it anonymous.
4. Make a Valentine's basket and send it to a family that has gone through a difficult time and sign it, "From Your Guardian Angel."
5. Take your little niece, nephew, or cousin out for ice cream.
How about making your own heart candy message? It even offers a goth version for the I-hate-Valentines crowd.
More interested in the facts than the sentiment of Valentine's Day? Head to History.com for a primer on the holiday's beginnings and read love letters between presidents and first ladies. You can also test your memory matching up some famous couples - and you can play it alone.
Red Roses and Candy Hearts
If you're still searching for that perfect present for your special someone, there's still time. Check out iBerkshires' gift ideas or cruise on over to your favorite local shop for a deal.
In Williamstown, Spring Street merchants reported varying degrees of Valentine purchasers. There are love tokens aplenty, and in a wide price range.
At McClelland's, Rosemarie Collier said Valentine sales "are starting to pick up. And there are more men than women."
At Hart's Pharmacy, Holly Rolnick said stuffed animals and "lots of candy" are moving at a good clip.
Gietz said Valentine purchases have been accelerating and the shop stocks plenty of choices - whimsical as well as charming. A sizable green plush frog, "Prince Kiss-a-Lot," sings Motown with any encouragement, for example, and a duck sings "Splish-Splash," while a bear, wearing shorts that say he's Loverboy, holds a rose.<R3>
"Valentine's is really a nice day to make people feel good," Gietz said. "We've had people come in to get a present for someone in a nursing home who doesn't get much attention, and people who just want to do a good deed.
"And it's the middle of winter, so it's a nice pick-me-up," she said.
There are packages of Valentine cards in old-fashioned style. And in the window is a sign that says, "What are you waiting for? Where's the ring?"
"Some people need inspiration," Gietz said. "And every year I get at least one person looking for some way to hide the ring." (No had by the weekend.)
If you're really hurting for a last-minute idea, Hallmark offers a variety of e-cards that require little more than a click to send an "I'm-thinking-of-you" message.
No matter what your plans, remember there's nothing wrong with treating yourself to a little Valentine's Day indulgence. For those without a significant other, a solitary evening can have its own pleasures. Who says one can't buy one's own box of chocolates?
Perhaps nibble a few bonbons and read poetry. Poetry such as these astringent lines from Dorothy Parker:
Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song
A medley of extemporanea
And love is a thing that can never go wrong
And I am Marie of Romania
