Monterey Marks 250th Celebration of the Knox Trail

07:42AM / Monday, January 12, 2026Print Story | Email Story

MONTEREY, Mass. — Join the Monterey Historical Society, Monterey Library and the Bidwell House Museum for a celebration of the 250th anniversary of Henry Knox's Noble Trail of Artillery through the Southern Berkshires.

Beginning in December of 1775 from Fort Ticonderoga in New York, 25-year-old Henry Knox led an expedition to move 60 tons of captured British artillery to the Continental army in Boston in order to force the British to evacuate the city. Knox's journey took three months and came through the Berkshires in January 1776, during the depths of winter, using little more than ox and horse-drawn sledges and manpower.

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of this achievement, the Monterey Historical Society, the Monterey Library and the Bidwell House Museum are collaborating on a series of Knox Trail-related programs on Jan. 16 and 17, 2026.

The weekend begins at the Monterey Library on Friday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. with the opening reception and program for the exhibition The Knox Trail through the Greenwoods. On Saturday, the program will continue with talks, a guided walk and a panel discussion. Rob Hoogs will present "Henry Knox and the Noble Train of Cannons Through the Greenwoods" at 10 a.m., followed by Jonathan Barkan at 11 a.m. and his Knox Trail Media Show. Barkan created a traveling slideshow about Henry Knox for the 1976 Bicentennial which has been updated and remastered for today's audience. Both of these talks will take place at the Monterey Library.

After lunch, the celebration moves to the Bidwell House Museum at 2 p.m. for the start of a guided walk on the Knox Trail, with Hoogs. Attendees will gather around the fire with hot cider while Hoogs introduces the walk and then carpool to Brett Road for a one-mile guided walk. Visitors will be encouraged to imagine the struggles of Knox and his team as they pulled 60 tons of cannons through the woods of the Southern Berkshires in mid-winter.

Finally, the celebrations will conclude back at the Monterey Library at 7 p.m. with a panel discussion with several Knox Trail historians including Hoogs, Ron Bernard, Bernie Drew, Gary Leveille and Tom Ragusa about their new book "Ye Trodden Path."

The Knox250 exhibit at the library will continue through Feb. 28. Additional talks and programs will be scheduled during the exhibition run and will be posted on the website. For more information and a full schedule of events, head to the Bidwell House Museum website.

The exhibit and programs are sponsored in part by grants from Housatonic Heritage and the Friends of the Monterey Library. All programs are free and open to the public. Parking for the library is limited and visitors can also park in the public lot behind the Monterey Town Hall. Weather-related updates or cancellations to the program will be posted on the Bidwell House Museum Facebook page.

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Free Pet Food Drive-Thru in Becket

10:43AM / Friday, February 06, 2026

BECKET, Mass. — Berkshire Humane Society will give out bags of cat and dog food to pet owners in need during a drive-thru event this Saturday, Feb. 7 from 9:00 – 11:00 am, at the Becket Washington School Parking Lot, 12 Maple Street in Becket.

The drive-thru is in conjunction with the Becket Food Pantry.

Cat and dog owners can drive up to the distribution point and remain in their vehicle while someone takes their order and loads it into their vehicle. Cat owners will get a 6-pound bag of food and dog owners will get a 20-pound bag, no questions asked. The event is open to all, regardless of enrollment in Berkshire Humane Society's Pet Food Bank or participation in the Becket Food Pantry and is made possible by donations from Wendy and James Martin of the Martin Family Donor Advised Fund, the Eichenbaum/Archer Family Foundation and an anonymous private foundation.

"We gave out nearly 7,200 pounds of pet food in our holiday drive-thrus in Great Barrington, North Adams and Pittsfield," said John Perreault, Berkshire Humane Society's Executive Director. "People not only drove, but walked up to those events. I can't tell you how many of them told us how thankful they were for help feeding their cats or dogs," he said. "With the cold weather lately, we don't want people choosing between staying warm and feeding themselves or their cats their pets. With this event, we're hoping to reach more folks in the hilltowns. Thanks to our generous donors, we have more than 7,500 pounds of pet food to do just that! Thank you to the Becket Food Pantry for making the event possible."

Berkshire Humane Society's Food Pantry events are part of the nonprofit's efforts to keep families together and prevent people from feeling they must surrender their pet to the shelter. Other programs include the shelter's monthly Pet Food Bank, to which drive-thru recipients may enroll; low-cost spay and neuter and other veterinary services at the Society's Wellness Clinic; and dog obedience classes at Family Dog School.

Berkshire Humane Society also accepts donations to provide pet food for more families in need. Monetary donations are preferred because the shelter has agreements with pet food companies to buy nutritious food at a bulk rate, feeding more animals per donor dollar. For more information about the drive-thru event or making a donation, call 413-447-7878, extension 127.

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