Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 11. Now an annual holiday to celebrate maternal bonds, it was started Anna Maria Jarvis of West Virginia in honor of her own mother, Anna Reeves Jarvis, a social activist who found her calling in Mothers Day Work Clubs. The clubs sought to educate people about sanitation to reduce child mortality and also provided care to soldiers of both sides during the Civil War, later focusing on reconciliation.
Around the same time, Julia Ward Howe, author of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic, also called for a "Mother's Day of Peace" and later issued a proclamation of motherhood and peace celebrated until the outbreak of the Spanish-American War.
Anna Maria Jarvis sought to fulfill her mother's wish for a recognition day and campaigned for a national holiday. The first Mother's Day was held in 1908 in her hometown of Grafton following her mother's death. Within three years, it was being celebrated across the nation. President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
Here are some suggestions for where you can spend time celebrating Mom this weekend. Note that not all events are on Sunday.
Mother's Day Tea
Ventfort Hall, Lenox
Sunday, 1 to 3 p.m.
The Gilded Age mansion and museum serves tea in its elegant dining room with an assortment of savories and pastries. The proceeds fund the mission of restoring the mansion.
Enjoy a picnic style lunch by Once Upon A Table, specialty cocktails and mocktails, a flower arranging session with a bouquet and vase to take home, and a sauna and cold plunge experience.
Tickets are $99 per person, plus fee, and can be purchased here.
Mothers Day Brunch
Door Prize Restaurant, North Adams
Sunday, 10 to 2
This brunch is a preview of the new eatery in Hotel Downstreet on Main Street. Enjoy ordered entrees and a hot and cold buffet with the restaurant's signature potato pierogies.
Tickets are $35, $15 for children ages 4 to 12 and can be purchased here.
Afternoon Tea
The Tea and Boba Lounge, Williamstown
Sunday, 3 p.m.
The tea room on Spring Street is selling out fast for Mother's Day; some seats are left for 3 p.m.
Cost is $35 per person; reserve seats by calling 413-884-6006.
Plants for Mother's Day
The Plant Connector, North Adams & Pittsfield
Sunday, 11 to 3
You and mom can create succulent arrangements or flowering terrariums, while sipping a bubbly beverage and snacking on scones. Held at both shops — Main Street in North Adams and West Street in Pittsfield. Do one, do both.
Enjoy a walk in nature at the state park, starting at the Visitors Center on Rockwell Road. Dress appropriately, bring water and a snack. Inclement weather cancels.
This nature walk is free and open to the public but participants are asked to register by calling 413- 499-4262.
Clark Art Institute
South Street, Williamstown
Sunday, 1 to 3
The Clark is hosting two free events for free this Mother's Day. Try your hand at button-making as you explore personal, family, and community values expressed through the art of the button. At 2 p.m., take part in an interactive engagement in the permanent collection galleries focused on expanding ideas about representation of care, provision, protection, and more.
The Manton Study Center for Works on Paper also has a specially curated selection of prints, drawings, and photographs depicting the many facets of motherhood.
All special activities are free. The educator-led tour is free with gallery admission. Tour capacity is limited; participants may join on a first-come, first-served basis. More information here.
Daffodil & Tulip Festival
Naumkeag, Stockbridge
Through Sunday
Take a stroll through the thousands of tulips and daffodils in Mabel Choate's gardens at the Naumkeag estate before the annual festival ends on Sunday.
Tickets are $25, $15 for children and can be purchased here.
Family Community Picnic
Dewey Hall, Sheffield
Saturday, 4 to 7
Grab picnic blankets and gather in community at Dewey Hall to hang out with kid-friendly live entertainment and activities including flowers and a craft. Bring your own food and drinks, or let Roberto's Pizza handle the cooking.
Add a mini flower bouquet from local florist Pryjma Petals for $10 (order in advance) and a large cheese pizza and salad from Roberto's for $25 (or order directly.)
Tickets are $20 per family in advance or $30 at the door. Contact the host Melanie Willins at 339-223-0959 or melaniepoppinsconsulting@gmail.com.
Flower Arrangements
Berkshire Food Co-Op, Great Barrington
Saturday, 12:30 to 2
Berkshire Food Co-Op is hosting a flower-arranging workshop with Ron Reinken of Vine Gate Lavender Floral Farm. Have a cup of tea while you and your mom create arrangements together.
Cost is $35, plus fees, per pair and includes all materials including the vase. Tickets can be purchased here.
As Mother's Day approaches, these events and destinations across Berkshire County offer something for everyone — whether you're looking to treat mom to a relaxing afternoon, a delicious meal, or a meaningful experience. Be sure to check event details, make reservations where needed, and celebrate the day in a way that makes her feel truly special.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Main & Mill: A Vibrant New Restaurant on Main Street
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — You can now enjoy another eatery on Main Street by well-known restaurant siblings Colleen and Sean Taylor.
Their restaurant Main & Mill opened for the first time Tuesday, bringing their vision of creating something vibrant and new to downtown North Adams.
"We have created Main & Mill to be part of our day. It's very seasonal ingredients, thoughtful cooking, beauty, beautiful presentation and dishes. And we really wanted to be part of the community, the downtown area, and start a vibrant area on this end, which has been shuttered for a while," said Colleen.
The building is owned by Ginko on Main Street LLC, which has granted 20 years exclusive possession of the property to Latent Builds as the developer. Jack and Suzy Wadsworth, behind Ginko, are development partners with Karla Rothstein and Salvatore Perry of Latent.
The bank closed in early 2021 and was purchased by Ginko late that year. Plans for the property unveiled three years ago envisioned a restaurant, retail, a park and rooftop bar.
Colleen saw potential and said she initially wanted the building when it first went up for sale. Being good friends with Rothstein and Perry, she helped them design the kitchen and the bar before learning in March that she could lease it as a restaurant space, something she told them would be a great idea.
She said one of the most important things about the restaurant was the collaboration between Rothstein, Perry, and the Wadsworths, who put a lot of time and energy into the building.
"If Sean and I had done it, we would not be able to do what the collaboration supported. The collaboration of the three of us being able to really have that kind of money to put in down here. The design that the architecture firm that Carla and Sal own is stunning," she said. "The time and effort, everyone came together to do this in a really trusting manner."
The two wanted the restaurant to be an all-day venture, so people could eat at any point throughout the day, all week long.
"We wanted it to be open for coffee and socialization in the morning where people can meet, have their cup of coffee, have a quiche, a vegetarian quiche, or croissant or yogurt. Something intentional with their coffee," she said. "Then move into a lunchtime for the downtown business or anybody, and then go into supper, dinner, with drinks later into the evening. So have it really be open all day long, so that there wasn't a void on any particular day."
They also wanted to do something different than the other restaurants they owned.
"We didn't want to mimic any other restaurant in town. We wanted to bring something that was inspiring, something that had some familiar things that people would see, and other things that we would bring to them for them to experience," she said.
As a woman business owner, Colleen said she wanted to bring a female chef into the kitchen.
Colleen brought on Chef Anna DeRose, who she said puts twists on a lot of her dishes.
"So we have a creme brulee, but our creme brulee is topped with marshmallow," she said. "Our creme brulee is like almost two desserts in one. It's a s'mores creme brulee. So you could have a s'mores, and you could have a creme brulee - but when you put both of them together, fireworks go off."
Jake Eberwein showed the committee sections of the nbess.org website, including the resources page, which will be key to keeping residents informed about the study’s findings and collecting information from those residents. click for more
The planes were paper, the buildings cardboard and Main Street was a hallway at Colegrove Park Elementary School, but the setup represented nearly two weeks of creative research and design by the pupils in the public schools' 21st Century Summer Program.
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