Berkshire Museum Hosts Hudson River Swimmer
Christopher Swain will screen Public TV documentary and answer questionsPittsfield, Mass. - Next April, Massachusetts resident Christopher Swain will dive into the Atlantic Ocean in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and begin a 1000+ mile swim to Washington, DC, in an effort to plead the case of the world’s oceans.
But first, he’ll visit the Berkshire Museum. A documentary film chronicling his Hudson River effort, entitled “Swim For The River” has been showing on Public Television stations across the nation. It will be screened as part of the Berkshire Museum’s Festival of Trees on Saturday, November 29 at 2 pm. After the film, Christopher will answer questions from the audience. The program also includes a showing of “Thirst”, the documentary about water as a global commodity.
The forty year-old father of two puts it this way: “We live on a water planet. If we want to live healthy lives, we need to go the distance to protect and restore the waters that we all depend on. I’ve decided to do just that: go the distance--all the way to Washington to plead the case of the oceans. Along the way, I want to let folks know how we can make our water planet a healthier place to live.”
The ocean swim is part of Christopher Swain’s TOXTOURTM project, an ongoing campaign to collect and recycle, ethically, one billion pounds of used electronics. Discarded computers, TVs, telephones, etc., commonly known as “e-waste,” are full of toxic chemicals and heavy metals that are fouling the world’s waterways and ecosystems.
Swain, an environmental educator, was the first person in history to swim the entire lengths of several dirty waterways including the Columbia River, the Charles River, the Hudson River, and Lake Champlain—all in support of clean water.
“Borders and labels aside,” Swain says, “We are one people sharing one watershed. We are islanders, surrounded by ocean. In the end, every choice we make affects not just our water, but our entire world.”
During Festival of Trees, the Berkshire Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, and close at 2 p.m. on December 24 and December 31. Each Thursday during the Festival, Berkshire Museum Shop will be open until 6 p.m.
Admission to Festival of Trees is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 3 to 18. ($5/$3 for Museum members). Children under 3 are admitted free. With advance booking, special group rates of $7 per person for parties of ten or more people are available. Group reservations are required and may be made by calling 413-443-7171, ext. 20. Festival of Trees is sponsored by Legacy Banks Foundation. Admission includes all galleries at the Berkshire Museum.
Located in downtown Pittsfield in Western Massachusetts, Berkshire Museum is conveniently located near other popular year-round attractions, such as the Clark Art Institute, Norman Rockwell Museum, Hancock Shaker Village, and MASS MoCA, as well as ski resorts and other outdoor recreation areas.
Berkshire Museum is located at 39 South Street on Route 7 in downtown Pittsfield. For more information, contact the Berkshire Museum at 413-443-7171, ext. 10, or visit www.berkshiremuseum.org.
