Hancock Shaker Village Country Fair Set for Sept. 28-29

Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Hancock Shaker Village will hold its 16th annual Country Fair on Sept. 28 and 29.
 
The harvest celebration weekend will feature local food, handcrafts, fresh produce, antique farm equipment, oxen demonstrations, pie contests, a bluegrass band, and more.
 
In addition, children can participate in pony and wagon rides, face painting, farm-related games under the children's tent and chicken races.
 
"The Country Fair displays a mix of the old and new," said Director of Farm and Operations Bill Mangiardi. "We employ sustainable practices that long ago worked for the Shakers, and incorporate those lessons and techniques into how we operate as a farm and living history museum today. The fair has a little something for everyone."
 
The theme of old and new blended together runs through each of the Country Fair’s major activities. In large tents filled with vendors, traditional crafts are offered next to contemporary artisans' work. The Farmers Market boasts heirloom produce from area farms as well as new. There will also be an opportunity to sign up for next season's CSA program.
 
Featured events include:
 
Second Annual Chicken Races: Held at 11 and 2 daily, the event showcases heritage breed chickens, making their way down a straightaway to reach a treat at the finish line. Kids can select a chicken and get prizes if it wins.

Eighth Annual Pie Contest: Enter a homemade pie from scratch for a chance to win. Fillings can either be the baker's own recipe, or Shaker Cranberry Pie or Shaker Apple Pie from The Best of Shaker Cooking by Amy Bess Miller. This year's judges are Berkshire Eagle contributor Judith Lerner, Berkshire Museum director of communications Lesley Beck, and Joshua Needleman of Chocolate Springs in Lenox. Guidelines for entry and registration forms are available at here.

A Harvest of Quilts: The Round Barn will host the exhibits and quilting demonstrations; selected quilts will be available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds helping to support village programs. Prizes will be presented on Sunday at 4:30. Submissions can be either owned by or made by the exhibitor, but should not have been previously exhibited at the village. Information: Connie Logan at 413-528-9941 or go here for registration forms.
 
Country Fair admission is free to Hancock Shaker Village members and children 12 and under. Admission for adults is $18 and youth visitors, ages 13 to 17, is $8.
 
For more info on activities and events, visit the Hancock Shaker Village website.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said. 

View Full Story

More South Berkshire Stories