Berkshire Grown Indoor Winter Farmers Market Season Begins

Print Story | Email Story
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — In Great Barrington, the first in the season of six indoor Winter Farmers Markets will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Housy Dome (Housatonic Community Center).
 
Starting in December the five remaining indoor markets will run every third Saturday through April 19, 2025. The Housy Dome is located at 1064 Main Street in Housatonic and is included on the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority BRTA route #21.
 
In North County, the Winter Farmers Market will take place at Greylock WORKS in North Adams on Sunday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Dec. 22, from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Berkshire Grown is once again partnering with host Greylock WORKS to offer a mini maker market within the Winter Farmers Market, featuring a carefully curated gathering of local artisans.
 
Local musicians will play live original music at both market locations.
 
"We look forward to bringing back some of the extras that add sparkle to these wonderful winter farmers markets, including live music and the local artisan crafts at both markets," said Executive Director Margaret Moulton. "Raising our SNAP match to $30, thanks to BAV's Market Match program, is another highlight of the upcoming season."
 
Berkshire Grown's Winter Farmers Markets host farmers and producers from Berkshire County and the surrounding region, proving that the season to buy locally-grown food never ends for farmers and food producers in the Berkshires. Shop for locally-grown food, including fresh greens, winter squash, root crops, apples, meats, cheeses, honey, maple syrup, baked goods, prepared foods, and more. Meet the artisans whose creativity, craftsmanship, and traditions are inspired by the Berkshire landscapes and farms.
 
Admission to the Winter Farmers Markets is free and food access is an integral part of the markets. Shoppers using SNAP will receive a match up to $30, and the HIP incentive reimburses shoppers who spend SNAP funds on fresh fruits and vegetables. SNAP and HIP can be processed at the market manager's station, as well as at several farmers' booths.
 
Berkshire Grown abides by current local health regulations regarding COVID-19. Masks are welcomed but not required, and shoppers are encouraged to stay home if they feel ill.
 
The market is made possible through sponsors: Berkshire Money Management, Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, Berkshire Food Co-op, Ed Herrington, Inc., Fairview Hospital, Rolling Rock Salt, Vitality Chiropractic, 1Berkshire Strategic Alliance, Inc., 328North: Farm + Flower + Food, Adams Community Bank, Blue Spark Capital Advisors, Fiber Connect, Guido's Fresh Marketplace, Lee Bank, Marty's Local, State Food +Drink, Blue Q, Housatonic Real Estate, Mercantile One / Sett, Mungy, Prairie Whale, Ward's, Wheeler & Taylor, Wild Oats Market and Williams College Zilkha Center for the Environment.
 
SNAP matching at the Winter Farmers Markets is funded by Berkshire Agricultural Ventures' Market Match program. Berkshire Grown also thanks the Town of Great Barrington and Greylock WORKS for hosting the Winter Farmers Markets, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources for their ongoing support.
 

Tags: farmers market,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

King and Confidantes Debate Hope and Change in 'American Five'

By Alan PetrucelliSpecial to iBerkshires
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Fiction and fact meld in the regional premiere of "The American Five," now playing at the Larry Vaber Stage of the Unicorn Theatre. 
 
The play takes a fictionalized look at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his four closest confidants in the months leading up to the famed March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. The quintet, through differing opinions, animated arguments, constant threats of violence and a late-night meal featuring challah bread and wine, become a family as they prepare for the history-making march that galvanized the Civil Rights movement.
 
Most of us know the King saga. It's the second act in which playwright Chess Jakobs' genius shines. Prejudice runs rampant here: Is Stanley Levison, a Jewish lawyer from New York who shows up in Montgomery to join the fight for racial equality and "to repair the world," viewed as white? Jewish? Both? And march strategist and organizer Bayard Rustin experiences his own fight for civil rights because of his homosexuality. Here, Jakob explores prejudice on different levels.
 
The cast is top-notch with many emotional highs. As King, Rashun Carter (who would look more like his character if he had a full moustache) and Sydney Elisabeth (as Coretta Scott King) are at their best during a scene that bounces between humor and poignancy. 
 
She questions her husband about his meeting with President John F. Kennedy; he is angry and refuses to discuss it. "There is no 'you' out there, without a 'me,' in here," she says, leading King to agree that because of her self-worth and unwavering devotion to him, she is "Coretta Scott Queen."
 
As Clarence Jones, King's personal counsel, Brett Diggs has assurance and dignity; Harry Smith's portrayal of lawyer Stanley Levison, is nothing short of extraordinary. Destan Owens' performance as gay Bayard Rustin is the play's most outstanding performance as he defends his relations with men: "You don't get to judge me!" he tells King. "I'm just trying to find love."
 
"The American Five" is tightly directed by Gerry McIntyre; the historic period projections and footage/designed by Alex Hill remind people that there are dreams, such as hope and change, that are still being fought.
 
View Full Story

More South Berkshire Stories