Lenox Library to Screen Documentary 'Hear Me: Gun Violence in Berkshire County'

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LENOX, Mass. — Lenox Library presents a screening of "Hear Me,"" a documentary film featuring seven young people from Berkshire County who have been impacted by gun violence. 
 
The film explores root causes, stories of impact, and a way forward—through the voices of experts: those who have lived it.
 
The free screening will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. in the Lenox Town Hall Auditorium, located at 6 Walker Street, Lenox. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and audience Q & A. The panelists will introduce public health models that have been effective at reducing shootings and homicides in other cities, and how they might be implemented in Berkshire County.
 
Panelists include:
 
Sherwood Guernsey served four terms in the Massachusetts State Legislature. Early in his career, he joined the Peace Corps in Panama; he went on to be a senior staff of the Peace Corps in Washington. After law school, Sherwood opened a private practice in Pittsfield. In the 1980s, he ran for elective office and won, serving four terms in the State Legislature. He continued his political involvement by supporting local, state, and national candidates, culminating in the creation of the Berkshire Brigades, the County Democratic Organization. His work in politics has always focused on grassroots organizing and education.
 
Jenny Herzog is an artist working on gun violence prevention and criminal justice reform. She produced Hear Me, a documentary featuring seven young people from Berkshire County who have been impacted by gun violence. Her project, Chaos Theory, uses the arts as a platform for community members impacted by the cycle of violence. Jenny received her Masters from New England Conservatory, and is a jazz singer and tap dancer. She was an Educator with Roca Boston, serving young men at the heart of urban violence; arts teacher at a therapeutic residential school serving teenage girls with a history of complex trauma; and currently works with teenagers involved with the juvenile justice system. Jenny teaches music and theatre in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections.
 
Eulises Rosado is an entrepreneur and mentor from Pittsfield. He is a father and grandfather who is passionate about breaking the cycle of intergenerational incarceration and trauma. Rosado spent his teenage years in and out of the juvenile system, and went to New York State Prison at the age of 16. His lived experience makes him an expert on the criminal justice system and community violence intervention. He received his CDL License, and currently works in transport. Rosado hopes that his story can help to raise awareness, educate, and inspire others.
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A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business. 

"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality." 

Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.

"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."

After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.

Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.

"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."

The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.

"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."

Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.

"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.

Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.

"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.

The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.

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