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McKay's Family Farm Takes Over Farm Stand in Williamstown

Crates of squash at the farm stand, which will be open year-round offering seasonal produce and items. 

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — A new owner has taken over the former Chenail's Farm Stand at 877 Simmonds Road.

McKay's Family Farm is located in Stamford, Vt., and raises cattle, sheep, horses, goats and more. They also grow a variety of vegetables, and have expanded into the greenhouses at the shopping plaza near the town line. 

"We've been in Stanford for 16 years building our production. And we decided that we kind of do hay and produce all over the place. We have a lot of leased land that we use, and wanted to be able to expand," said owner Luke McKay at Wednesday's celebratory opening.

"We were selling to a lot of restaurants and local stores and some farmers markets and we just figured that this was a centrally located area being great for the community. And it was vacant for so long and the old Chenail's farm stand had such a great name and reputation, and people were sad to see it go and we figured this was a great opportunity for us to really bring back life to Simond's Road."

The farm stand and nursery closed last fall. It was part of a shopping plaza just south of Pownal, Vt., owned for 40 years by the late Richard Chenail and his wife, Donna. Their daughter Pam Shea continued to run the garden center after Richard's death in 2011. The plaza was sold at auction earlier this year.  

"Folks coming from Williamstown to Pownal to go to work, or Pownal from Massachusetts. It's a quick, easy, simple stop for them, coming by, and so many people have missed being able to stop and get a dozen ears of corn or stop to get a pack of apples or flowers for mom and dad," he said.

Chenail's had been seasonal but the McKays plan to keep the farm stand open year round, selling goods based on the season. In the springtime, they will sell garden supplies, flowers, hanging baskets, and more, and add ice cream in the summer. In the wintertime, it will be Christmas trees, and other winter and holiday related items. They plan to also offer items from other local farms. Currently for the fall season, they have pumpkins and fall decor.

"We want to branch out and help our neighboring farms to sell their goods. And then, of course, summertime will be ice cream out front. We have a little trailer coming. We'll have a lot of Amish-made furniture, which is something that the Chenail's used to carry in stock," he said.

The McKays have three greenhouses to grow plants for sale. They also plan to have a special family event every month to attract customers.

"We have a great mum yard out back where we can grow all of our fall mums. So it'll be every month we plan to have something, an extra event to draw in the families as of right now, the only thing we have set for this year is pictures with Santa, which will be December 7," Luke McKay said.

The McKay family wants to make sure that their products are affordable and will add meat products once they get a freezer installed.

"The biggest thing for us is we want to make sure that it's affordable for every family to be able to come in and buy produce. And we plan to put a meat freezer in with all of our own beef and pork that we raise on the farm," he said.

"Anybody that has in the past purchased from the Chenail's Farm Stan, they have a product that they liked, that they had, and we would love to hear from people to be able to bring that product back, whether it's a special flower that they liked, or a product, mulch, or whatever we want to be able to help out the community in any way possible."

The stand is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Williamstown Fire District Dedicates New Station

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
06:37AM / Sunday, May 31, 2026

Chief Jeffrey Dias recognizes firefighter Alexandra Riggs, who will graduate from Williams College next week. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Massachusetts fire marshal came to town Saturday to congratulate the local Fire District and the taxpayers of Williamstown for the "amazing" station they have built on Main Street.

 

"I travel around the state, and I've seen hundreds of firehouses around the state — some great, some not so great," Fire Marshal Jon Davine told a crowd gathered outside the station for its dedication. "And I think we saw what the previous station here was in Williamstown. I'll tell you, especially in Western Massachusetts, we have a really big problem with deteriorating firehouses throughout Western Mass. These buildings are collapsing around our firefighters.

 

"And, as the marshal, it's my job to advocate for the departments for more funding. We've been working with our state reps and local reps and the fire chiefs association, trying to come up with different funding streams, so that we can help these departments build new stations, do better, safer stations, so that they have the equipment and the building they deserve to do their job safely."

 

The chair of the Prudential Committee, which governs the Fire District, and the chief of the department both thanked Williamstown residents for the 2023 special district meeting vote that paved the way for the station that went into operation earlier this year.

 

"It's an honor and a privilege to join you today as we celebrate this grand opening of the new firehouse," Chief Jeffrey Dias said. "This facility is so much more than a building that houses fire trucks. It stands as a symbol of our community's commitment to safety, preparedness and public service. It's a place where our members will maintain our equipment. They will learn about our craft. They'll share meals and, yes, from time to time, they're going to share sorrow.

 

"This isn't a fire station. This is a firehouse. And people have heard me say this a million times already. And it houses the very best second family that one could imagine."

 

Dias was joined at the podium set up in the parking lot for the noon ceremony by Prudential Committee Chair David Moresi, state Rep. John Barrett III and the the Rev. William F. Cyr, who gave an invocation.