Music & More 2009 Season Fall Schedule

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NEW MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – Throughout the month of September and into October, Music & More continues to present musical and literary events in the newly renovated performance space in the 1839 Greek revival Meeting House located on the village green on Route 57 in New Marlborough.

On Saturday, September 5 at 4:30pm, the concert From Mozart to Stravinsky will showcase the union of clarinet with violin or viola and piano. Clarinetist Paul Green, violist and violist Ron Gorevic and pianist Doris Stevenson will perform music by Mozart, Bruch and Milhaud. The highlight of the afternoon will be the performance of Stravinsky’s entertaining theatre piece The Soldier’s Tale - a timely story that warns of the dangers related to the quest for financial gain. Keith Kibler narrates this new version. Tickets are $25 each.

On Saturday, September 12 at 4:30pm the Renaissance band Calliope will perform a concert of music from the 13th century to the present day played on early instruments. For over twenty-five years Calliope has been introducing audiences to Medieval and Renaissance instruments through concerts and recordings. Newcomers to early music will be delighted and surprised by the sense of revelry and fun present in these compositions. Tickets are $25 each.

International jazz vocalist Tessa Souter will appear at the New Marlborough Meeting House on Saturday, September 26 at 4:30pm for an afternoon of contemporary jazz. Of a recent performance the Los Angeles Times said, “a must-see for lovers of world-class jazz.” Ms. Souter will be accompanied by The Jason Ennis Trio. Following the concert in the Meeting House Gallery, there will be a premium wine and food tasting hosted by Domaney’s Wines of Great Barrington. Tickets are $25.

Mitchel Levitas of The New York Times will host an afternoon with prominent American writers Roy Blount Jr., Jayne Anne Phillips and Elizabeth Kolbert on Saturday, October 3 at 4:30pm. Writer and humorist Roy Blount Jr. has authored twenty-one books on everything from the Pittsburgh Steelers to what dogs are thinking. He is a popular panelist on the NPR news quiz show, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me. Of his most recent book, Alphabet Juice Garrison Keillor writes, “Blount is the best. He can be literate, uncouth, and soulful, all in one sentence.” Jayne Anne Phillips’ book, Lark & Termite was reviewed by the New York Times where it was described as an “intricate, deeply felt new novel…” Elizabeth Kolbert has been a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine since 1999. Her book, Field Notes From a Catastrophe chronicles the impact of global warming around the world. Tickets are $20 each.

Music & More is in its seventeenth year of bringing music, film, authors and art to New Marlborough and beyond. All events are held in the newly renovated performance space in the splendid 1839 Greek revival Meeting House on the town green and are followed by a reception in the Meeting House art gallery where attendees can enjoy a glass of wine and meet the featured performers.

Tickets to Music & More events are available in advance or at the door on the day of the event (subject to availability). Please call (413) 229-2785 or visit www.newmarlborough.org for discounts and further information. The New Malborough Meeting House and Gallery are located on Route 57 on the village green in the center of New Marlborough. 

Enjoy a 10% discount at the Old Inn On The Green following each event. Advance reservations are required. Call (413) 229-7924.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.

Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.

The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.

Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is  appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.

Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.

Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.

Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.

The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.

The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.

Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.

Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years. 

He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.

Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.

Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve  a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.

Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.

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