LEE, Mass. – One weekend remains to see “The Fascinating Story of Baseball in the Berkshires” at the Lee Premium Outlets.
The summer 2025 home of the Baseball in the Berkshires museum project has welcomed 3,000 visitors over the past couple of months, including people from more than 23 countries and 30 states.
Guides John Belland, John Connolly, Marc Simon, Krysten St. John, Stan Tracy and Larry Moore gave the visitors a “lay of the land” and let them cover the bases which spanned almost 8,000 square feet of a former furniture store.
The local stories of more than 40 Major League players were remembered along with two who have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Frank Grant and Jack Chesbro. The voices of Art, Dale, the Terminator, Turk, the Babe, Lou, Willie and Jackie Mitchell could be heard telling their Berkshire stories as well.
But there were also memories of more than 220 minor leaguers and scores of non-player professional personnel that were umpires, groundskeepers, concessionaires and of course, head office employees.
The future and past stars of recreational baseball were remembered as well, from the pictures, their artifacts and many jerseys and jackets hanging from the ceiling.
All will come down after Labor Day as the sun sets on another year’s celebration of baseball in the Berkshires.
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New Canoe Take-out for the Housatonic River in South Lee
LEE, Mass.— In the final days of 2025, a consortium including the State, the Town of Lee, a conservation group, and a private consultant purchased a 4-acre parcel in South Lee for public access and a canoe take-out.
The parcel is located upstream of Willow Mill Dam and opens a reach that has been difficult to access for lack of a safe take-out.
"This project reconnects people to an extraordinary stretch of river and ensures it will remain accessible for generations to come," said Erik Reardon, Berkshire Watershed Director for the Housatonic Valley Association.
The run starts at the Lee Athletic Fields, owned and protected by the Town of Lee, then the paddler passes through reserves held by the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, MassWildlife's Hop Brook Wildlife Management Area, past private Agricultural Preservation Restrictions, and past part of DCR's Beartown State Forest.
"It is a stretch of river that has seen tremendous public investment in land conservation, but until now, it has been difficult for the public to experience and enjoy," said Schroeder.
The new access and take-out is located directly upstream from Meadow Street Bridge and is permanently protected for public access. The partners include the Town of Lee, who will own the property; Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and its Division of Fisheries and Wildlife ("MassWildlife"), whose purchase of Conservation Restriction helped make the acquisition possible; the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA); and Narain Schroeder whose consulting firm, Tanager LLC, applied for and received a Community Preservation Grant of $100,000 for the acquisition. Schroeder donated his time.
"The town is very appreciative of all the individuals and organizations that made this possible. The town will continue to work with these organizations to create parking on the parcel and cut a simple trail to the water," said Town Administrator Chris Brittain. "Plan to get your canoes down from the rafters this spring and come enjoy this magnificent reach of the Housatonic."
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