Berkshire Historical Society Celebrates Orchard Day

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society celebrates Orchard Day on Oct. 4 with a guided history hike, family activities, and a hard cider and beer tasting.

Try a new hard cider made exclusively from heirloom apples grown at Herman Melville's Arrowhead. Berkshire Cider Project and Hot Plate Brewing will lead guided tastings of ciders and beers made as part of the Berkshire250 and MA250 celebration of American Independence. Kids of all ages can enjoy fresh-pressed cider and cider donuts.

Events take place from 10 am - 2 pm, starting at Constitution Hill in Lanesborough, moving to Arrowhead in Pittsfield at noon.

In 2022, BCHS teamed up with Berkshire Cider Project to plant an heirloom apple orchard at Arrowhead. Approximately twenty-five apple varieties were selected to represent the historic orchard on site during Melville's time here as well as other important heirloom varieties. The orchard now provides a learning destination for fruit growers, activities for kids and family, and apples used for cidermaking.

Start the day at 10 am with a hike up Constitution Hill, a Berkshire Natural Resources Council property in Lanesborough, and learn about the history of the site. After the hike, taste "Constitution Hill," a hard cider created by Berkshire Cider Project to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and learn about its development.

The hike is 1.7 miles round trip and is moderate. Meet at the trailhead. Please note that due to bridge construction on Bridge Street, access Constitution Hill trailhead via Putnam Road, then take a right onto Meadow Lane. This brings you back to Bridge Street and bypasses the construction.

From noon - 2 pm events shift to Arrowhead for tours of the orchard and cider tastings with Berkshire Cider Project. Learn about our unique cider made from apples grown on site and how Melville made his own cider in the nineteenth century. You can also try cider pressing, button making, and yard games for kids and enjoy free cider donuts.

At 1 pm Berkshire Cider Project and Hot Plate Brewing Company team up for a historical hard cider and beer tasting flight and presentation. Taste Arrowhead Cider and Constitution Hill Cider and two local Hot Plate Brewing Company beers, and hear from cidermakers about the planting of the Arrowhead orchard. Tickets for the tasting are $15 for BCHS members, $20 non-members and can be purchased by using the BOOK NOW button at berkshirehistory.org.  Must be 21+ to participate.

This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Greylock Federal Credit Union, and The Feigenbaum Foundation.

Colombian Artist Celebrates Immigrant Stories in New Pittsfield Mural

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
06:49AM / Saturday, October 24, 2026

Artist Laura Barrios explains the  inspiration of the mural, of immigrants building new lives in the Berkshires.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The walls along the Intermodal Center's train platform are a little more colorful following the unveiling of Let It Shine's third mural at that location, transforming a space once surrounded by bare concrete into a vibrant display of public art.

 

The unveiling on Thursday, marks the close of Let It Shine's 2026 outdoor public art season and the third year of its emerging artist program, said Mill Town Foundation Program Director Andy Wrba. 

 

Let It Shine's Emerging Artists Mentorship program was established in 2024 to support aspiring artists in the community by providing guidance, hands-on experiences, and opportunities to create large-scale public art.

 

"This mural, along with all the murals, as part of this emerging artist program, and even more broadly, all the murals that you see downtown throughout Pittsfield shows that we care about the cultural scene and we care about the creative people that live and work in our city," Wrba said.

 

The new mural, painted by Colombian artist Laura Barrios, celebrates immigrants who have built lives and found a sense of home in Berkshire County.

 

Barrios has been working on the piece for the last two months alongside mentor artist, Jesse Tobin McCauley. 

 

"It's a homage to the immigrants who work and make a home in the Berkshires … this is a very personal experience too because I am an immigrant," Barrios said in her speech.