Clarksburg State Park Hosts Free Summer Programs

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CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Enjoy free programs at this summer at Clarksburg State Park and meet Smokey the Bear on Saturday. 
 
The state park is located at 1199 Middle Road; a day-use parking fee applies. 
 
All programs are run out of the Nature Center. Programming is free and open to the public but children must be accompanied by an adult. Participants are asked to dress appropriately for the weather; inclement weather cancels outdoor events. 
 
Note that programming does not occur on Aug. 10-18, 24 and 30. For more information: 413-664-8345. 
 
Kidleidoscope: Fridays from 1 to 2 p.m. for ages 3-6. The program includes a story, activity, and a craft. Siblings welcome.
 
Explorers: Fridays from 4 to 5 p.m. for ages 7-12. Explore the plants, animals and trails of the park. Rotating topics that includes an activity. 
 
Campfire Talks: Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for all ages. Join the park interpreter for hands-on, educational programs on a variety of topics that explore the plants and wildlife of the park. Meet at the Nature Center fire pit.
 
Hike the Loop: Saturdays from 10 to noon. This is an easy-to-moderate three miles. Discover the story of the pond and look out for wildlife along the way. Bring water, snack and bug spray and wear sturdy footwear.
 
Aquatic Detectives: Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. for all ages. Come to the hands-on discovery table to explore the plants and animals in and around the pond that make Mausert's Pond their home. Meet at the Nature Center's beach area.  
 
Nice and Easy Hike: Sundays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. for all ages. This mile or less hike will explore one of the trails at the state park. Wear appropriate walking shoes and bring water and wear bug spray. 
 
Art Naturally: Sundays from 11 to 1 p.m. for all ages. Explore your creative side with nature arts and crafts. Supplies will be provided.
 
Junior Rangers: Thursdays from 10 to noon for ages 8–12. This long-standing program is designed to capture the imagination of youth and foster a sense of stewardship. This collaborative program takes place at multiple Western Berkshire state parks over a seven-week period. For registration, call Mount Greylock State Reservation at 413-499-4262. 
 
Junior Rangers is held at Clarksburg State Park on Thursday, July 24. Programs start Thursday July 10 and end Aug. 21.
 
Smokey Bear Visit: Saturday, July 19, from 11 to 1 for all ages. Visit with the Smokey Bear, ambassador of wildfire prevention and celebrate his 81st birthday. Learn about fire safety and black bears. too. Smokey will be joined by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation's District 12 fire crew, a DCR fire truck, and other fire equipment used to fight forest fires. 

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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."

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