LGBTQ+ Business, Professional Leaders Networking Event

10:16AM / Wednesday, May 13, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Local LGBTQ+ business owners, professionals, and community leaders will gather in Pittsfield on Wednesday, May 20, to discuss the growing trend of LGBTQ+ individuals and business owners relocating to the Berkshires from across the country—and the economic, political, and demographic factors driving this migration and the intertwined departure of younger parts of the community because of rising housing prices and difficulty finding living wage work.

The community conversation and networking event will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Renaissance House, located at 247 South St. in Pittsfield. It is part of an ongoing series of monthly Networking Events held on the third Wednesday of every month that brings Berkshire LGBTQ+ business, professional, and community leaders together at different queer-owned businesses to foster community, collaboration, and networking.

A central focus of the May 20 gathering will be a panel discussion led by real estate and community leaders. Panelists will examine the factors influencing LGBTQ+ people migrating to the Berkshires from major hubs like Boston and New York City and more repressive parts of the country, as well as those leaving the region.

Attendees will explore actionable ways to foster inclusive conditions that allow a diverse spectrum of LGBTQ+ individuals to live, work, and thrive locally.

"In this time of tumultuous change, it's vital that our local LGBTQ+ business owners and professionals come together to support one another and work in solidarity with our many allied businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to create opportunity and community for the diverse parts of our LGBTQ community," said Bart Church, Q-MoB Executive Director.

Alexandra Eberhardt, Executive Director of the Mass LGBT Chamber of Commerce, echoed this sentiment regarding the region's changing demographics.

"The Berkshires are becoming a magnet for new business and innovation because diversity is a long-held value in the region AND is good for business," Eberhardt said. "We are seeing LGBTQ+ leaders moving here from more repressive parts of the country because they are not just tolerated, but welcomed. Diversity and creativity are contagious."

The event is hosted at the Renaissance House, a 1890s Victorian home currently being renovated into a multi-purpose space for creativity, community, housing, education, artistry, and activism. Inspired by the Harlem Renaissance, the space aims to be a center of music and creativity, uplift underrepresented voices, and contribute to downtown Pittsfield's & the Berkshire's revitalization.

The panel features the founders of the Renaissance House project & the Executive Director of the Statewide Mass LGBT Chamber of Commerce:

Keytoria Jenkins, a dedicated public servant, local postmaster, and licensed realtor. Driven by a commitment to equitable housing access, Jenkins works to guide individuals—especially those from historically marginalized communities—through the home-buying process as a pathway to financial stability. She serves on multiple committees focused on health equity and inclusion.
Dr. Charell McFarland, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and founder of Community First Therapy and Consulting, LLC. Dr. McFarland provides mental health services across Massachusetts, Maryland, and Vermont. Her work is deeply rooted in addressing health disparities related to socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.
Alex Eberhardt, Mass LGBT Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, brings a wealth of experience in economic development, workforce pipeline building, and community leadership. She will be reflecting on the effects of LGBTQ business innovation, gentrification, demographics, and emigration in LGBTQ communities across the state.

In addition to the panel, attendees will have the opportunity to introduce themselves, promote their businesses, and announce new offerings launching this spring and during the upcoming Pride season.

This event is jointly sponsored by Mass LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Q-MoB, and Berkshire Magazine, with funding support from the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

For more information, or to RSVP, click this link:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1245086690809?aff=oddtdtcreator

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Greylock Youth SummerFest

Come join in on the wealth building fun! August 3-8. Click for event details. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

The Round Stone Barn is 200 as Hancock Shaker Village Celebrates

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires.com
11:49AM / Monday, August 03, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Hancock Shaker Village shared a bicentennial birthday, inviting the community to take part in the festivities.

On Sunday, Hancock Shaker Village celebrated the 200th birthday of their signature Round Stone Barn, the only circular barn ever built by the Shakers.

"The Round Stone Barn turned 200 this year," Hancock Shaker Village CEO Carrie Holland said. "It was erected in 1826, so we thought we would celebrate with the whole community. We'd do some cupcakes, and then we're lucky to work with Yo-Yo Ma's team to curate some special performances in the Round Stone Barn."

The community was invited to come to the village for free and take part in a wide range of activities including tours, live music from Ida Mae Specker Trio and Tanglewood, demonstrations, and more.

The Round Stone Barn is widely recognized as an architectural icon and agricultural wonder.

The Shakers operated a working dairy farm at Hancock until the 1950s, and the barn was originally a stable for its 52 milk cows, according to the museum's website.

It has ground-level access on all three levels so, wagons could enter on the upper level to deposit hay into the central haymow on the main floor below, then the empty wagons would be driven around the circular barn floor and exit the same door it came in, eliminating the potentially dangerous activity of backing wagons out of a barn, the website said.

The cows stabled on the main floor faced inward toward the haymow for ease of feeding and manure was shoveled through trapdoors to the cellar, where it was stored until needed as fertilizer in the gardens.

"Every time anyone comes into the timber frame, it's the very first thing that they see, and they always say, 'It's just like a photograph,' and it is," Director of Collections Kathleen Lynch said. "It's beautiful. People want to get married in front of it. We did our Christmas the festival of trees in here, and the mechanisms of it are so phenomenal."

Hundreds enjoyed music in the round barn and celebrated with free cupcakes and food trucks while listening on the history the village portrays.

"I think this is one of our most iconic buildings, and a lot of people have their own memories tied to it," Holland said. "We do baby animals here, and so there's personal history. ... But it's also a fantastic opportunity to share a bit about the Shakers, their design techniques and practices, their sort of obsession with making operations efficient, because this is used as a dairy barn, and so they created these three layers to make their operations more efficient."

"So you can talk about their innovation. Of course, they're the longstanding legacy of agriculture here. So it provides us an opportunity to kind of share the Shaker history in this beautiful space, tied to folks who have their own personal memories here as well, and it's such an impressive, beautiful spot. I have such appreciation for what it took to build this 200 years ago, and whenever we can do fun things and throw good parties here, it's a great day.""

Holland helps build momentum for the unveiling of Hancock Shaker Village's new visitor center that is planned to take place next month.

The new facility will include updated galleries, community event spaces, collection storage, and research areas for the museum's collection of over 22,000 Shaker artifacts and ephemera. The renovated building aims to enhance the visitor experience through improved orientation, expanded program offerings, closer access to collection items, and views of the surrounding landscape.

"Part of what we're also celebrating is past, present, future, and the future," Holland said. "We're very excited for expanded programming. We're opening our new visitor center, our Center for Shaker Studies, so that creates a whole new opportunity for our visitor experience, our galleries, our stewardship, and then that relates also to the programming that we can do in the historic village."

View Full Story