FOOD & DRINK

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Community Development Board has supported plans for a new hangar at the airport and a change to the cannabis ordinance. Lyon Aviation, located in the Pittsfield Municipal Airport, plans to remove an existing "T" style hangar and replace it with a new, 22,000-square-foot hangar. The existing one is said to be small and in poor condition while the new build will accommodate a variety of plane sizes including a larger passenger jet.

When Ali Louis Bourzgui sings “I’m a sensation” every night on Broadway these days, he might be on to something. He’s starring in the title role of the new iteration of "The Who’s Tommy," which has returned to Broadway for the first time in three decades in a thrilling new production at the Nederlander Theatre.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Community College (BCC) Jazz, under the direction of BCC music instructor Jeffrey Link, presents its semester-end spring concert on Tuesday, May 14 at 2 pm in Room K-111 of the Koussevitzky Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public. The ensemble...

West Stockbridge — Although residents approved the town’s fiscal year 2025 budget, along with all special articles, the May 6 Town Meeting hit a roadblock during the public’s discussion of a proposal to appropriate $25,000 to the Dog Park Advisory Committee, a 10 percent match required of a $250,000 grant that would move forward the project, at least to the design phase. The article ultimately passed but with an amendment that provided a stopgap measure by requiring a Special Town Meeting vote to approve the final project.

DALTON, Mass. — The Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday approved the conversion of the former Zip's Bar & Billiards into four apartments. The owner, Ron Carver, submitted an application for a special permit requesting to convert the first floor of the tavern into residential apartments. "The former tenant...

The Suzhou Alley Women's Mural is a commemorative mural and storytelling project dedicated to the women of Chinatown. The project has only ever been seen online, but a portion of it will be displayed this month at the Richmond Public Library. Yun-Jou Chang, who has been involved with the mural, says the project’s creators are trying to find a permanent home for it.

STOCKBRIDGE - Berkshire Botanical Garden presents the following upcoming programs. Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Language of Flowers Continues with a Splash of Yellow.” Join Anastasia Traina for a two-day workshop exploring color in the world of flowers. In this workshop, participants will delve into the fascinating world of color mixing and incorporate the psychology of color. Using watercolor and colored pencils, participants will explore the yellow and red hues, of which yellow is associated with warmth, positivity, and energy, while red is often linked to passion, energy, and intensity. Participants will also explore greens, considering the technical aspects of color mixing, but also the emotional and psychological responses that different shades of green can evoke. In the realm of watercolors, participants will experiment with creating a stunning rainbow grisaille effect. Grisaille involves painting in shades of gray to mimic the appearance of sculpture or drawing. By combining the technical aspects of color mixing with an understanding of color psychology, participants will not only expand artistic skills, but also infuse a deeper layer of meaning and emotion into botanical creations. Cost is $200 members, $220 nonmembers; Saturday, May 18, “Get GardenFit” with Madeline Hooper, 10 to 11:30 a.m., A fun, interactive class on how to use your body to garden without causing aches and pains. Instructor Madeline Hooper, star of the public television series “GardenFit,” will demonstrate the basic principles of form, balance and posture and teach participants the best body mechanics for gardening: lifting, bending, weeding, digging, and getting up and down from the ground. Participants will also be given key gardening warmups and stretches. You will leave this course knowing how to make your body your most important garden tool. Cost $25 members, $40 nonmembers; Saturday, May 18, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Join Master Gardener Chris to explore how to maintain perennial borders, foundation plots and vegetable gardens that have been created and tended over the years. This course will teach participants how to reshape their garden design and how to choose appropriate types of plants that can improve the gardening process. Cost $25 members, $40 nonmembers. Saturday, May 18, 7 to 9 a.m. “Beginner Birding and Naturalist Walk.” Meadows are often a draw for certain species of birds that require open grassland space and prefer more open and edge habitats. Many native species provide important food sources for birds when they go to seed in the fall but are also home to many larvae and other prey species that birds rely on during the springtime. This class, led by BBG’s Education Coordinator Shannon Welch, will lead participants on a birding and exploratory experience in BBG’s Meadow and Pond Garden. Binoculars, good footwear and field guides are recommended, as well as the MerlinID app from Cornell if you have a smartphone. Cost is $25 members, $40 nonmembers. To register or for more information, visit www.berkshirebotanical.org. Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at 5 West Stockbridge Road.

There are a variety of events this Mother's Day weekend, from tea parties to cake decorating to live music and more. The historic home and garden will conclude its annual Daffodil and Tulip Festival this weekend. The festival showcases more than 150,000 daffodils, tulips, and minor bulbs across eight acres of land.

The Clark Art Institute offers special Mother’s Day activities. Williamstown— On Sunday, May 12th, The Clark Art Institute offers special Mother’s Day activities. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., decorate a special token of appreciation for the mothers and maternal figures in your life at a card-making station. After card-making, enjoy a walk around the Clark’s campus with the people you love, or experience a free chamber music gala presented by the Williams College Music Department beginning at 3 p.m.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.— The annual Bard College at Simon's Rock Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert begins Friday, May 10 at 8:00 p.m. Conducted by Professor of Music, Electronic Arts, and Cultural Studies John Myers, the concert will include new arrangements of pieces by artists such as Thelonius Monk, Johnny Mandel, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and others, as well as the debut of John Myers' original composition "Lifeline."

Singer-songwriters Lyle Lovett and Lisa Loeb will share their gifts of well-crafted original compositions and casual storytelling in two duo concerts in the greater region, at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., tonight at 8, and at UPAC in Kingston, N.Y., on Saturday at 8 p.m. Coupled with his gift for storytelling, Lyle Lovett has broadened the definition of American music by fusing elements of country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel and blues in a convention-defying manner that breaks down barriers. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb, known for such hits as “Stay (I Missed You)” and “Do You Sleep?”, continues to craft irresistible pop songs for the 21st century. (Fri, May 10; Sat, May 11)

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Berkshire Bach Society continues its 2023-2024 season with a choral event on Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 4pm when internationally known choral conductor James Bagwell leads professional soloists, chorus, and Baroque orchestra in two settings of Magnificat by father and son—J.S. and C.P.E. Bach—at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington.

Don is an author, lecturer, member of The Berkshire Eagle’s Advisory Board, a commentator for NPR’s Robin Hood Radio, European editor of the British magazine Port, ex-Time Magazine editor, and a longtime part-time resident of the Berkshires. Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 00:03:30 |...

Stockbridge — The Berkshire Chamber Players gave the New England premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s “Music for String Quartet” at the Congregational Church on Saturday, May 4, in a concert to benefit Stockbridge Library. Nina Bernstein Simmons was on hand to introduce her father’s piece, the discovery of which, years ago (a single movement), lit a fire under retired Boston Symphony librarian John Perkel, who jumped through all the hoops necessary to getting the unpublished score performed in 2021 at Tanglewood’s Linde Center. But that was before Garth Sunderland of the Leonard Bernstein Office discovered a second movement of Bernstein’s student piece at the Library of Congress just months after the Tanglewood premiere.

Editor’s note: Author Pamela Sandler heads her eponymous firm, Pamela Sandler Architecture, headquartered in Stockbridge, Mass. Condominiums are tough. When I was just starting out in the Berkshires, one of my earliest jobs was a condo back when condos were not “a thing” here. Obviously, a lot has changed since then. But what hasn’t changed is the limitations of condominiums, and this one was no exception. It was very chopped up, typical late 1980s design. We couldn’t make any structural changes to the exterior, so we had to utilize the space we already had. That included the screened-in porch, which we brought into the square footage of the house, enclosed it, and it became the main living space. Multiple French doors—French doors everywhere, really–and angled windows (all custom, and cut flush with the roof line) opened the space up tremendously. That was one of the main goals our client had. Even when you are inside the living room, you feel like you are outside because of all the glass and light.

Showers in May also bring flowers! Ever notice that native shrubs, flowers, and trees bloom in white right now? I think they must have evolved as the most attractive color for spring pollinators. I have found hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides) blooming in the woods as well as serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis tree forms) similar to Allegheny serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) the smaller, multi-stemmed variety. Hobblebush has four- to five-inch bloom clusters that seem to float in mid-air. These woody plants will also grow well in a part-shade to shade garden because they are understory plants, occurring in the wild on the edges of woodlands or under much taller deciduous trees. Find a place for one of these among your native plants.

Stockbridge — Starting in 1952 as a comic book, MAD Magazine published cutting edge satire and humor for decades. The magazine was co-founded by EC Comics publisher William Gaines and cartoonist and editor Harvey Kurtzman. After working at MAD for four years, Kurtzman would leave to work at other...