Hancock Shaker Village: Thanksgiving on the Farm

• Turkey Walk & Talk - Looking for a great way to get out of the house or an activity for visiting guests and family? Gobble up nature and escape the hectic pace of the holiday with a peaceful guided walk on our one-mile Farm & Forest Trail. The walk ends in the barnyard where you can visit the iconic Round Stone Barn and say hello to the farm animals. Included in admission and FREE to members.
  • Friday, Nov. 29, 11am
  • Saturday, Nov. 30, 11am
• Shop & Sip – Avoid the crowds on Black Friday, enjoy a sip of wine or cider, and the experience the ease of shopping at the Shaker Mercantile, a unique store celebrating the region's best artisan makers and handcrafted gifts, including items made at the Village by our own blacksmiths and woodworkers. (Admission to the Village is NOT required to shop at the store.)
  • Friday, November 29, 11am – 4pm
• Member Discount Days - Members enjoy a DOUBLE discount (20 percent instead of 10 percent) in the Shaker Mercantile. It's a great time to shop for gifts! (Some exclusions may apply). Included in admission and FREE to members.
  • Friday, Nov. 29 - Sunday, Dec. 1, 11am – 4pm
• Grateful Shaker Supper – Experience a memorable communal meal in the historical 1830 Brick Dwelling and dine where the Shakers ate their daily meals for over 100 years. Savor a delicious fall harvest meal prepared by Woodlife Kitchen chef Peter Belmonte and soak up the history of the iconic building. Prior to dinner, enjoy a cocktail and a special Shaker music program performed in the Meeting Room of the Brick Dwelling. More information on the menu and tickets can be found at hancockshakervillage.org/events.
  • Saturday, Nov. 30, 6pm

BCC Trustees Vote to Hire Hara Charlier as Next President

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:23AM / Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Catheryn Chacon Ortega, the alumni appointment, liked how Hara Charlier easily connected with students faculty; Melissa Myers, alumni representative, also noted how comfortable Charlier was with various groups. Charlier, right, was called after the vote and accepted pending negotiations and state approval. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It wasn't hard for BCC's Board of Trustees to elect a new president from Minnesota on Monday.

One by one, during a special meeting at Berkshire Community College, board members expressed their conviction that Hara Charlier was the best candidate to lead after Ellen Kennedy retires. They unanimously recommended Charlier as the next president of BCC to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.

"We're not trying to hire a replacement for Dr. Kennedy; We are trying to hire our next leader," Chair Julia Bowen said.

Charlier, currently the president of Central Lakes College in Brainerd, Minn., was one of four finalists identified by the Presidential Search Committee who visited the campus. She was not on site, but was called after the vote.

Catheryn Chacon Ortega was impressed by how Charlier connected with students and faculty, as well as her passion and breadth of experience.  

"As the appointed alumni, I put myself in the students' shoes when I was thinking about this, and I think I feel very represented by her, like if I come back as a student here, I think she will be a person that will be open doors to me, to my community, to the immigrant community, to everybody," she said.

Danielle Gonzalez feels Charlier has a "very" clear commitment to the community part of community college, and a deep experience of serving underserved populations, "really just with great enthusiasm."

"I think that in addition to having really deep community college leadership experience, she was able to articulate a very thorough understanding of the issues of the college of Berkshire County, of what those opportunities might look like, and how she would connect what her experience has been with how she could drive the school forward," said Julie Hughes, a newer member of the board.