Lenox Notes

12:00AM / Thursday, May 16, 2002Print Story | Email Story

The Tri-Town Rotary Club has announced the recipients of its annual scholarship awards. The club received 32 applications â€” 19 from Lee High School, nine from Monument Mountain High School, and four from Lenox High School â€” and has chosen 17 students to receive a total of $12,500 in college aid. Tri-Town Rotary raises its scholarship money each year through activities like the duck race held during Lee Founderâ€™s Weekend, the golf tournament held May 31 at Cranwell Resort, and a concert of Scottish music and dance. The following high school seniors were chosen to receive scholarships: Alicia J. Powers, Allison E. Loring, Laura E. Griffin, Kristin L. McMillan, Stephanie M. Walker, Bethany L. Miller, Elise P. Naventi, Cassandra L. Basinalt, and Laura A. Walczak, all of Lee High School; Emily E. Coates, Allison J. Graham, Abby N. Gray, Amanda V. Hanley, and Nicholas M. Maloof, of Monument Mountain High School; and Daniel C. Piretti, Michael M. Pierz, and Thomas Oâ€™Brien, of Lenox High School. The recipients and their parents will be the Rotary clubâ€™s guests at a special awards luncheon, Tuesday May 28 at 12:15 p.m. at the Red Lion Inn. Publications Lenoxâ€™s 2001 annual report is out. Copies are available in the town clerkâ€™s office. The Lenox Historical Society has also set up an exhibition of photographs there, of downtown Lenox from 1700 to 1900. The 2002-2003 Directory of the Lenox Chamber of Commerce is here as well. Gail Monterosso, executive director of the chamber, writes that the chamber has printed 5,000 extra copies this year â€” 35,000 in all â€” and will distribute them in Columbia County and Northwest Connecticut, as well as in the Berkshires. The chamber held its spring meeting at Cranwell Resort. President Bob Romeo and officers voted to change the date of the annual meeting to November; newly elected officers would then take up their positions the following January. Volunteers will soon be staffing the Information Center, and the referral service will be running seven days a week, Monterosso said. Bring Brochures, menus and flyers to the chamber office in the Curtis building, or call 637-3646. At the churches Thirty-one children celebrated first communion at St. Anneâ€™s on May 12, and 28 teenagers from St. Anneâ€™s and St. Vincent de Paulâ€™s were confirmed May 13. Sunday school is now over for the year. The church will hold a religious education appreciation dinner to honor St. Anneâ€™s and St. Vincent de Paulâ€™s Sunday school teachers on May 21. The recently reorganized parish council has formed a community life commission, to reach out to people. Community Life has organized volunteers to call the congregationâ€™s homebound seniors every day. Parishioners of all ages, even children, have joined the network. The church is also putting together a web site, with volunteers. â€¢ Sunday, May 19 the Berkshire Concert Choir will perform Bach, Brahms, Beethoven and Bernstein at St. Anneâ€™s, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15; $12 for students and seniors. The Berkshire Concert Choir will also perform at St. Stevenâ€™s Church in Pittsfield, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. â€¢ St. Anneâ€™s will celebrate Memorial Day mass in the parish cemetery, Memorial Day at 10 a.m. The church is also taking a bus trip to see The Lion King on Broadway, and as of press time, eight seats are left. The trip will leave Oct. 9. Tickets are $145, $100 of which is a non-refundable deposit. The rest is due in August. Anyone interested is welcome; call Father CJ, 637-0157. Trinity Church, at the corner of Kemble and Walker streets, holds evensong every Sunday at 5 p.m. Parks and Recreation At this yearâ€™s volunteer appreciation night, the Lenox Community Center presented its fourth annual Volunteer of the Year award to Parks and Recreation board member Jan Milne. Community Center Director Mike Canales said 70 or 80 people came to the ceremony. The community center also gave its first award for lifetime achievement to Tom Bosworth. Selectman Robert Akroyd, then chair of the select board, presented the award, along with thanks for many of Bosworthâ€™s achievements. Bosworth developed the first physical education program in the Lenox school system. He served as athletic director and baseball and basketball coach, and on the school committee and the Academy Building Commission. He was the director of the community center for 14 years. He went on to serve as a member of the parks and rec committee and as the town veteran agent. He now volunteers to oversee the weight training room at the high school. â€œBoz has many other accomplishments and achievements which we couldnâ€™t possibly do justice to, here this evening,â€ Akroyd said, â€œbut one of his greatest achievements was not a volunteer effort, but one he was compensated for â€” though heâ€™ll tell you he wasnâ€™t paid nearly enough for teaching me how to drive. ... This award is called the Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award. I think in this case it may be a little premature, because I donâ€™t think Boz is done with achievements.â€ The brochures are out, and the community centerâ€™s Summer Program Parentsâ€™ Meeting was held May 8. Parks and Recreation and the Community Center have posted their summer schedule. The Town Beach will be opening for the summer Monday, June 17. It stays open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lifeguards will be on duty, but parents, please watch children and belongings. The beach and its parking are free. The tennis courts at the community center are open to anyone who wants to use them, without reservations of membership fees. They are only restricted during tennis lessons. Parks and rec will post a lesson schedule at the courts and at the community center. Full-day and half-day programs begin June 24. The full-day program runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., June 24 to Aug. 23. Every child will be assigned to a counselor during that time. The center will also be open from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. for extended drop-in hours for working families. The full-day program is limited to the first 50 children, ages 6 to 12, who sign up for each week. The limit ensures a safe ratio of children to staff. Each week will have a theme and include daily activities, arts & crafts, games, sports, walks. Twice a week the campers will travel to Laurel Lake to swim. The brochure has a full schedule of weekly trips that the campers will take: caverns, butterfly observatories, water slides, museums, pottery making, music, performances, baseball, and more. Lenox residents and children who attend the Lenox public schools may register before June 1. After June 1, if there are any spots left, the community center will open the registration to other towns. Scholarships are available. Talk to Mike Canales at the Lenox Community Center, to apply. The full-day program will cost $60 a week for each child ($75 a week per child for non-residents). Families get a 10 percent discount for each child they register, after the first. Teenagers, 13 and older, may apply for Counselor in Training jobs by June 1. CITs will be under the program directorâ€™s supervision. They will plan and assist in activities and supervise the campers. CITs commit to working the full day for at least two weeks. The half-day summer program also has CIT positions open. The summer playground program will continue this summer from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., June 24 to Aug. 23. The center will also be open from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. for drop-in hours. The program will be limited to the first 48 children, ages 6-12, who sign up for each week, again for the childrenâ€™s safety. Registration works the same way as the full day program. The half-day program will cost $10 a week per child ($20 for non-residents, if any). Major League Soccer Camp will come to the community center, July 15 - 19, with camps for children age 2 to 4, 5 to 9 (half day) and 7 to 12 (full day). Parks and rec will also offer a basketball program, July 1-3; Coach Brian Cogswell of the Lenox Boys Varsity Basketball Team will offer a boysâ€™ basketball camp July 29 to Aug. 2, and Coach Fred Lafave of the Lenox Girls Varsity Basketball Team will offer a girlsâ€™ basketball camp, July 8-July 12. The Community Center and Aimee Gelinas are offering an African drumming class May 23, May 30, June 6 and June 13 for first through third and fourth through eighth graders. Gelinas has drummed and taught professionally in the U.S. for the past five years. She has studied in Africa, Cuba and the U.S. Students will learn to play a variety of rhythms, and accompany them with songs, from various parts of the world. Gelinas will provide the instruments. Four sessions cost $25. Ras Moon and the U.N. will come to the community center May 18 and June 29 for Moon Action Productionsâ€™ Spring and Summer World Music Dance Parties. Ras Moon comes originally from the Cape Verde Islands of West Africa, and has performed a mix of Cape Verdean, reggae and world rhythms in Africa, Europe and the U.S. The U.N. band artists come from around the world â€” Jamaica, Senegal, the Sudan and the U.S. Everyone is welcome. Thursday, May 16 at 6 p.m., the Lenox Community Centerâ€™s Middle School Leadership Program will put on a spaghetti dinner and bingo night for local elders and adults. The youth came up with the idea and have been enthusiastic about planning the evening. The event is a collaboration between the community centerâ€™s youth programming, Council on Aging and the SBYMCA. Loebâ€™s, Salernos, Variety Video, Nejaimes and the Great Lenox Diner are sponsoring the evening. For information or reservations, call Jodi LaPlante-Santos at 637-5530. Upcoming Events Speaking of summer schedules, the Robbins-Zust Family Marionettes have announced the series of performances for the summer of 2002, in the smallest established permanent floating theater repertory company in America. They perform in their air-conditioned puppet theater at the Lenox House Shops, Routes 7 & 20 in Lenox, Tuesdays and Thursdays in July and August at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and four Saturdays (July 27-Aug. 17) at 11 a.m. only. The 2002 season opens July 9 with Snow White and July 11 with Carnival of the Animals. Watch the Advocate calendar for regular listings, this summer. The Lenox Chamber of Commerce has announced the first Lenox in Bloom contest, beginning May 31. It will continue with biweekly winners through Oct. 11. Everyone with a house of business in Lenox is invited to participate. A panel of volunteers from he Lenox Garden Club and the Lenox Academy Garden Club will judge each garden entered. Entry costs $5 in each category, to offset the cost of prize ribbons. Contenders may enter as many categories as they like, and the entries will remain valid throughout the contest. Entry forms are available at the Lenox Chamber of Commerce, Town Hall, Legacy Banks in Lenox, and online at www.cornellinn.com/LenoxinBloom.html. Cranwell Resort, Legacy Banks, the Cornell Inn and Lenox Village Realty will sponsor the event. Hillcrest Educational Centers will hold a Giant Tag Sale and student car wash at Center Campus, 349 Old Stockbridge Rd., Lenox, Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sale of beds, dressers, freezers, washers and dryers, clothing, baked goods and other household items will benefit the Hillcrest Educational Centers and their students. Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health will host a Yoga at the Leading Edge Retreat, May 16 - 19 with experiential sessions and talks by leading teachers. Call 1-800-741-7353, or visit www.kripalu.org. Sculptor Walter Boelkeâ€™s one-man show â€œWhimsical Figures in Music and Danceâ€ will run May 20 to June 9 at the Lenox Gallery of Fine Art. The reception is May 25. Call 499-6271. The Lenox Memorial Middle and High School Soccer Booster Club will offer a benefit dinner at Bistro Zinc, May 21 at 6 and 8 p.m., to raise funds for lights in Lenox Highâ€™s soccer fields. Members of the boysâ€™ and girlsâ€™ soccer teams will join Bistro Zinc staff to serve a three-course pasta dinner. Dinner includes pasta pesto or pasta Bolognese, salad, bread, and homemade apple crisp. The club will hold raffles throughout the evening, for such prizes as two weeks at the Berkshire Soccer School, gift certificates to Cranwell, Saucony and other local businesses. Tickets cost $25 per person. They are available from any member of the boysâ€™ or girlsâ€™ soccer teams, and from coach Matt Noyes (637-9889). Jim Benson, director of operations for Zinc, is excited to be contributing to a community project, and is an avid soccer fan. The restaurant will be closed for this event only. Soccer Booster club co-presidents Sal Vasta and Paul Bruzzi are responsible for raising the money needed to light the soccer fields. Dr. Richard M. Ziter, a well-known classical pianist, and the Hyperion Quartet, now in residence in Rochester, N.Y., will hold a concert June 2 in the Lenox Town Hall. They will perform at 2:30 p.m. to benefit the Museum of the Gilded Age at Ventfort Hall. Ziter, a North Adams Native, lives in West Stockbridge. He and the members of the quartet are all graduates of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. The quartet have been playing together since 1999. They have participated in the Juilliard Quartet Seminar. Ziter and the Hyperion Quartet will perform works by Brahms, Chopin, Ravel and Barber. Tickets are $50. There will be a reception following the concert, at Ventfort Hall. Call 637-3206. Berkshire Country Day School has announced the second annual Berkshire Hills Feis (Irish Dancing Competition) June 8, at the Brook Farm BCD campus on Route 183. Fancy Feet of the Berkshires will present the Feis, supported by the Irish American Club of Berkshire County, and under the auspices of the North American Feis Commission, an extension of the An Coimisiun, Dublin, Ireland. Dancers must register by May 25. There are a few spaces left for vendors. They will be selling food, crafts, jewelry, dance accessories, ice cream, and Irish memorabilia and souvenirs. Dancers will compete throughout the day, indoors and outdoors, on specially built stages. Last yearâ€™s Feis brought more than 600 people to the campus, and dancers from 5 years to adult. They competed at all levels from beginner to open championship, and came from as far away as Virginia and Canada. More than 200 have already registered for the 2002 competition. Contact Susan Patella, 443-1734, for more information. Buildings and grounds The Lenox Garden Club has awarded the Ventfort Hall Association $3,350 to restore the brick pillars that once marked the Walker Street entrance to the property. Club President Susan Dana honored Marcia Brown and Tjasa Sprague for the work they have done on Ventfort Hall. Thanks to the Lenox Academy Garden Club, the Ventfort Hall Association has also received $500 from the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts to put towards plantings at the restored gate. The Lenox Garden Clubâ€™s grants stem from funds raised at the annual garden and house tours, which will be held again July 13. â€œCentennial Celebration: Designers Salute Edith Wharton and the Mountâ€ opens at The Mount Tuesday, June 4, and will be on view through Nov. 3. Edith Wharton Restoration has invited seven leading designers to create installations in the newly restored rooms of the main house, in tribute to the design principles Wharton articulated in The Decoration of Houses. The installations should be finished by May 28. The Housatonic Valley Association held a training session for Stream Team volunteers, Monday May 13. The nonprofit organization accepts volunteers to perform shoreline surveys of the river. This spring and summer, HVA will survey the stretch below Rising Pond Dam, to Brookshide Road, in Great Barrington. Volunteers learn to recognize signs of erosion, to identify types of habitat based on plants and shoreline conditions, and to tell the difference between manmade oil sheens and foam, and oil sheens and foam that occur naturally. They also document outlet pipes that discharge into the river, invasive species and areas that need cleaning up. HVA stream teams have already compiled reports of the Housatonic in Lee and Lenox, Hinsdale and Dalton, and Pittsfield. A report on the Stockbridge portion is due soon. HVA has launched a quality-monitoring program for the river, which follows the stream team reports. This volunteer program collects water samples, identifies places where the water quality is poor, and keeps an eye on them. Call 394-9796 for more information.

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Friday Front Porch Feature: A Charming House Like New

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:57PM / Friday, December 19, 2025

The home prior to renovations.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Are you looking for a newly renovated home with great space? Then this might be the perfect fit for you!

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 100 Autumn Drive.

This three-bedroom, two-bathroom split level was built in 1965 and is 1,396 square feet on 0.32 acres.

The house was completely renovated recently. It includes a one-car garage, and comes with appliances including a dishwasher and stove/oven, and other major appliances.

The house is listed for $359,500.

We spoke with owners Michael Zeppieri and Chris Andrews, who did the renovations. Zeppieri is an agent with Alton and Westall Real Estate Agency.

What was your first impression when you walked into the home?

Zeppieri: I purchased this home to do a full renovation flip and saw tremendous potential in this mid-century split level home that had not been updated since it was built in the 1960s, in a great North Adams neighborhood.

Andrews: The house was a much different house when we first purchased it in 2022 (photo attached is from about 2010.) The interior was painted all in dark colors and we brightened it up with neutral colors. The transformation makes you feel like you are in a totally different house.

What were the recent renovations, any standout design features?

Zeppieri: The house has had a complete reconfiguration including new kitchen with high-end appliances, ceramic tiled baths, hardwood floors, new windows and roof ... just to name a few. All a buyer has to do is move in and enjoy.

Andrews: Yes, we renovated the entire house. New windows, new roof, all new custom black gutter system, new blacktop driveway, hardwood floors were installed through out the house. New kitchen and bathrooms as well as painting the exterior and interior of the house. New paver patio in the back yard.

What kind of buyer would this home be ideal for?

Zeppieri: The buyer for this home could be a first-time homebuyer or a retiree ... the location is close to attractions in North Adams ... and the property is located in Autumn Heights, which is a very small residential development with several long-term owners.

Andrews: This home is truly ideal for a variety of buyers. Whether a first-time homebuyer, a small family or even someone looking to downsize from a larger home.

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market?

Zeppieri: The location, price and move-in condition of this home make it a true market leader in the North Adams Market.

Andrews: This house is completely renovated and in a desirable location of North Adams. The natural light in the home really makes the interior pop. And with all the upgrades the home stays quite cool in the summer months.

Do you know any unique stories about the home or its history?

Zeppieri: This home was built for the Gould family in 1969 and they lived there till 2010. It was always a family home during that time in which the Goulds had two children ... and Virgina Gould managed Mohawk Forest Apartments and was a very active resident of North Adams.

Andrews: Built in about 1965.

What do the current owners love about this home?

Zeppieri: As the current owner it was a fun project to transform this home and get it ready for its next adventure with a new family to enjoy for many years.

Andrews: No one has lived in the house since we purchased the home. The new owners would be the first to live in the house since the renovations have been completed.

What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space?

Andrews: I would suggest seeing the house either on a sunny day or at twilight to really get a vision of how special the home feels.

You can find out more about this house on its listing here.

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.

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