North Berkshire Contra Dance to Hold Monthly Event in Williamstown

Provided photo

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The North Berkshire Contra Dance will host its monthly community dance on Saturday, January 11, at the First Congregational Church, 906 Main St., Williamstown.

The event will feature live fiddle music and dances led by caller Julian Blechner.

The dance will take place from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the church's Community Hall. Admission is pay-as-you-can, with a suggested contribution of $12 to $20. Barter, including assistance with cleanup, is also accepted.

New dancers and families are encouraged to arrive at 7:30 p.m. for an introductory lesson. Participants can attend with or without a partner, as dancers typically rotate partners throughout the evening.

Music will be provided by fiddler George Wilson and pianist Selma Kaplan. Wilson, known for his Cape Breton and French Canadian-influenced style, has been performing since the late 1970s. Kaplan is a pianist, composer, and arranger frequently sought after by dance events along the East Coast.

A pre-dance calling workshop will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Williamstown Public Library. Participants can bring a dance to practice or attend as dancers to assist others in the session.

The event’s respiratory illness policy advises attendees to stay home if they feel unwell or display cold symptoms. Masks are appreciated but not required.

For more information, visit www.NorthBerkshireDance.org.

Williamstown Recognizes Local Farmer, Library Director at Town Meeting

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
09:35AM / Thursday, May 21, 2026

Win Chenail has had a farm stand at his Luce Road dairy farm since 1965. The Chenails have been farming in Williamstown since 1916. Right, Select Board Chair Stephanie Boyd thanks board members whose terms were up this year. 

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — For more than 60 years, Winthrop F. Chenail has been selling his bountiful crops to residents of Williamstown and beyond. 

 

"The family dairy farm at the top of Luce Road has been an anchor farm in our community since 1916," said Elisabeth Goodman. "His farm stand has been operating since 1965 and that's where we get our sweet corn, homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, cabbage, peppers, summer squash flowers, and pumpkins that he and his grandson Nick Chenail grow as a side business to the family dairy farm."

 

Win Chenail's integrity, excellence, and dedication of service to the citizens of Williamstown was recognized at the annual town meeting on Tuesday with the 11th annual Scarborough Solomon Flint Community Service Award.

 

"At age 90, Win has not slowed down much," Goodman said. "I never did get to speak to him on the phone when notifying him about this award, as his wife told me he was busy in the greenhouse repotting 2,000 tomato plants."

 

Five generations have worked the Mount Williams Dairy Farm that Chenail's grandparents purchased, and Chenail's also been a caretaker of 130 acres of town land at the Spruces and Burbank properties. 

 

"The Chenail family has been managing the land since the 1950s keeping the fields green, lush, and productive with sustainable management practices," she said. "They fertilize it with manure from the dairy farm and lime as needed. With such careful, long-term stewardship of the soil, the land has continued to be fertile and productive for half a century under his fare."

 

Chenail thanked his family and fellow farmers for contributing to the welfare of the community and said it had been a privilege to keep the town-owned fields in farming.