Hancock Shaker Village’s Annual Winter Weekend
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Think the only fun thing to do during a long, New England
winter is to stay inside with movies and video games? Think again – Hancock Shaker Village’s annual Winter Weekend is filled with countless family activities that celebrate the season.
Slated this year for Valentine’s Day weekend, Feb. 14 to 16, HSV’s Winter Weekend activities will include ice harvesting at the Shaker reservoir, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and nature walks, in addition to a number of indoor offerings, too. Visitors will have a chance to participate in craft projects, cooking demonstrations, and tours of historic Shaker buildings, in addition to exploring the village on their own from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. daily.
Horse-drawn sleigh rides are included in the village admission price, and carry passengers along trails and through the woods toward the Shaker Reservoir, where ice harvesting is performed.
The Hancock Village Shakers cut, harvested and transported ice from the reservoir for cooling and refrigeration purposes in the 1800s, and during Winter Weekend, Dennis Picard will present ice-harvesting demonstrations that include narrative on the centuries-old art. Picard appeared last year in Absolute Zero, The Conquest of Cold, a PBS Nova program.
Inside, cooking demonstrations will be held for adults, and kids’ craft sessions are planned for younger visitors. Displays of Shaker maple sugaring artifacts and how-to talks about starting a backyard sugaring operation will also be provided, as well as other hands-on programs in HSV’s Discovery Room.
What’s more, Winter Weekend is a great opportunity to try cross-country skiing or snowshoeing on the village grounds – the Farm & Forest one-mile trail offers breathtaking views of the village grounds, as well as a great, low-impact cardio workout. Tickets are just $7.50, and skiers and snowshoers receive discounts on guided tours.
For more information, call the village at (800) 817-1137, or visit www.hancockshakervillage.org.
About Hancock Shaker Village
Hancock Shaker Village, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is situated on 7500 acres of farm, field and woodland. The fully restored Village includes 20 buildings, 22,000 examples of Shaker furniture, crafts, tools and clothes, as well as heritage farm animals and spectacular gardens. Tours, craft and cooking demonstrations, lectures, and a variety of activities for children and families appropriate to every season are available, as well as a Cafe and Museum Store. Open year-round. Hancock Shaker Village is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is supported in part by grants from The Massachusetts Cultural Council and Institute of Museum and Library Services. For more information, call (800) 817-1137 or go to www.hancockshakervillage.org.
