Saddle Up For The Clark's Remington Family Day

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WILLIAMSTOWN - Horse around at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute during a free family afternoon full of fun inspired by the Remington Looking West exhibition. During the Remington Family Day on Sunday, April 13, from noon to 4 pm, saddle up and ride a pony, create bucking bronco sculptures, be entertained by Cowboy Rudy, visit the miniature horse petting zoo, and more.

Noted poet and humorist Cowboy Rudy is one of the nation's most requested cowboy entertainers. Rudy, a cattle rancher from Idaho, has performed all across the United States and keeps audiences of all ages laughing with family-friendly humor, original and traditional cowboy poetry, as well as a wide selection of great cowboy songs. Rudy will perform at 1 and 3 pm, and will wander the museum continuing to entertain when he's not onstage.

Horses were an important part of the West. Head out on the range (or the Clark's expansive grounds) for pony rides. Afterward be sure to visit the miniature horse petting zoo.

Remington's first attempt at sculpture, Broncho Buster, is a remarkable achievement-the entire piece is precariously balanced on the horse's back legs. Think you could do it? Take a look at Broncho Buster and The Wounded Bunkie and try making your own bucking bronco sculptures. Dress for the West by designing and creating decorative bolo ties. All materials will be provided.

The afternoon will also feature a marathon screening of the classic television series Mr. Ed, family-friendly "Inside Scoop" talks on Remington Looking West with the curator, and quiet games and puzzles.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Remington shaped America's vision of the West with illustrations, sculpture, and painting. Remington Looking West brings together the Clark's iconic works by the artist with those from public and private collections to explore how he came to this vision and how it evolved throughout his career. Also included in the exhibition are photographs, drawings, and scrapbooks from his personal collection that allow you to "look over Remington's shoulder" and understand his working process. Remington Looking West is on view through May 4.

A visit to the Clark is a rewarding family experience year-round, with 140 acres of scenic meadows and trails providing ample opportunities to run and play, hike, and spot the many birds inhabiting the area. The Clark's grounds are open to the public free of charge. Free admission to the galleries is always offered to children 18 and under and students with valid ID.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (daily in July and August). Admission is free November through May. Admission June 1 through October 31 is $12.50 for adults, free for children 18 and younger, members, and students with valid ID. For more information, call 413-458-2303 or visit www.clarkart.edu
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Williamstown Planning Board Narrowing in on Subdivision Bylaw Changes

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board late last month discussed specific features of what it plans to pass as a new subdivision control bylaw this year.
 
The board long has discussed the complex set of regulations as being out of date and cumbersome to both potential developers and the board itself, which has needed to hear requests for waivers of outdated rules for the handful of residential subdivisions that have been proposed in town in recent years.
 
This spring, the town engaged consultants from Northampton's Dodson and Flinker Landscape Architecture and Planning to go through the existing bylaw, compare it to more contemporary regulations in other communities and help craft a revised bylaw.
 
Unlike the zoning bylaw, where amendments require approval of town meeting, the subdivision control bylaw is a creation of the Planning Board, which can make changes on its own after a public hearing process it hopes to complete this year.
 
At a special Planning Board meeting on May 26, Dillon Sussman of Dodson and Flinker and his colleagues walked the board through a dozen different decision points that the board must resolve — either by leaving the bylaw as is or making a change — and offered suggestions based on best practices.
 
All of the issues are technical and ranged from the fundamental, like how the bylaw will define types of subdivisions, to the highly specific, like what turning radii will be required in new streets that are constructed to serve planned developments.
 
One example of a topic that came up in the recent approval of a four-home subdivision off Summer Street is stormwater management.
 
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