march 29th issue

March 29, 2012Volume II, Issue 45

www.berkshirebeacon.comLenox, MA 01240

FREE

1 Local 6 Editorial6 From the Tower9 Fast Picks10 Calendar

12 Books13 Movies 13 Girl-2-Girl16 College Sports Report

The Berkshire Beacon

Index

MCLA set to host event for local children More than 350 local sixth graders will visit Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on April

10 and 11 as part of “Berkshire County Goes to College Day,” an annual event held by the Berkshire Compact for Education and MCLA.

Read a full story in next week’s Berkshire Beacon.

Kameron Z. SpauldingBeacon Staff Writer

GREAT BARRINGTON – A recent state ruling has forced some major changes to the town’s plans for Main Street.

The town had asked to be ex-empt from a requirement that the project have a two percent maxi-mum gradient slope. The Massa-chusetts Department of Trans-portation (Mass DOT) recently ruled that the town does need to meet the requirement.

This change to the design plans

New Lenox school budgetmoves forward

Catherine M. KrummeyBeacon Staff Writer

LENOX – Making good on Lenox School Committee Chair-woman Marybeth F. Mitts’ com-ments to the Lenox Board of Se-lectmen, Superintendent Dr. Edward W. Costa II and the school administration have made cuts to the fiscal year 2013 budget.

The administration cut ap-proximately $181,000 from the budget, including an additional

grounds position, some field trips, conference costs and pro-fessional development. Instead of adding three STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) classes to the schools, there will only be one this year.

They also found savings in utility costs from the unseason-ably warm and light winter.

As of Monday night’s school committee meeting, the current number for the tentative FY ‘13

see MAIN STREET page 5

see SCHOOL page 4

Bera B. DunauBeacon Staff Writer

LENOX – Lenox resident Scott Laugenour is preparing for a second run as a Green-Rain-bow Party candidate for the Massachusetts State House.

“We are running because we’re growing and because we’re becoming stronger, and people are ready for the kinds of solu-tions that we have to offer,” said Mr. Laugenour, when asked why he was seeking higher office in an interview with The Beacon.

Mr. Laugenour grew up in California and attended the

University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he graduated in 1980 with a degree in liberal studies/applied linguistics.

He taught English in Japan before going on to have a 20-year career at Marriott Hotels, where he eventually rose to the position of regional vice president.

Mr. Laugenour and his hus-band, Mark Woodward, have lived in Lenox since 1999. Mr. Laugenour has served on Lenox’s Economic Development Action Plan Steering Committee and is currently the Lenox representa-

see GREEN page 4

Laugenour prepares to run on Green line

Main Street plan faces changes

Photo Credit / AnnA W. ShiPPee

Main Street in Great Barrington is set to begin repairs next spring and be finished in early 2014.

The above drawing by Foresight Land Use shows the expected changes to the sidewalk along Main Street.

2 The Berkshire Beacon March 29, 2012


LEE –Now the heat is on. After long debate and several

meetings with concerned resi-dents, the Lee Board of Select-men have authorized the ad hoc Lee Energy Efficiency Commit-tee to negotiate with Broadway Electric Incorporated for the in-stallation of three solar arrays on town-owned property.

If residents approve the con-tract, Lee would enter a 20-year purchase agreement with Broad-way for the power.

At a special meeting last Friday, Committee Chairman Thomas Wickham told the board that he sees no reason why the town and Broadway couldn’t have a deal reached in time for the town meeting in May.

Yet some members of the board expressed concern.

“We are in no hurry to get this in place,” said Selectman Gordon Bailey. “If we don’t have the right figures in time, we’ll put off the vote.”

Broadway’s current proposal

includes solar panels being in-stalled at the former landfill, the wastewater treatment plant and at the former proposed golf course site on Stockbridge Road.

The Stockbridge Road site has become the target of much scru-tiny in recent months, mainly over the addition of recreational soccer fields to the location.

The fields would replace the two that would be used for solar panel locations at the water treat-ment site.

A group of residents that live along Stockbridge Road have at-tended many of the board’s recent meetings to explain their displea-sure with the plan.

They feel that the soccer fields will cause a large increase of traf-fic in the area.

If approved, the sites could generate well over two million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, according to a report from Beacon Solutions to the board in December 2011.

That amount of power, Beacon claimed, has the potential to save the town $2.3 million over the 20-year contract.

Lee to move forward with solar power Catherine M. Krummey

Beacon Staff Writer

NORTH ADAMS – This April, residents of Berkshire County will explore the collision of the environment and art through Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ (MCLA) “Tricks of the Trade” series.

According to MCLA Director of Special Programs Jonathan Se-cor, Berkshire County has a plethora of environmental and ecological issues that are un-tapped resources of artistic-social change.

The three April seminars will allow artists and members of the public throughout the county to learn how to engage with the en-vironment through art.

On April 10, MCLA Gallery 51 in North Adams will present “River Art: Controversy, Restora-tion and Engineering,” a round-table discussion with panelists in-cluding the Hoosic River Revival Coalition’s Lisa Bassi, River-Works’ John Case, psychologist-artist-activist Nancy Goldberger, the Housatonic Valley Associa-tion’s Berkshire Program Direc-tor Dennis Regan and MCLA

Environmental Studies Program Coordinator Elaina Traister.

On April 11, Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield will host a lecture and discussion featuring visual artist Jane Philbrick, whose work will be on exhibit at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) from May

through October.On April 12, IS183 Art School

in Stockbridge will host another roundtable discussion, “Oppor-tunities for Environmental Resi-dencies.” The panelists include Earthdance Director Krista DeN-io and I-Park Residency Program Director Brad Tuggle.

MCLA to host three April environmental art workshops

The white lines in the upper-right hand corner show where the panels would be on the Stockbridge Rd. site. In the lower left you can see the controversial proposed athletic fields.

The latest “Tricks of the Trade” will begin at MCLA Gallery 51 in North Adams on April 10.

Past “Tricks of the Trade” series have generated lots of inter-est and large crowds. On April 12, IS183 Art School in Stock-bridge will host another roundtable discussion.

March 29, 2012 The Berkshire Beacon 3

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HANCOCK – Applications are now being accepted for the Lola Greene Legacy Scholarship.

A one-time grant of $250-500 will be awarded to a graduating high school senior from Berkshire County who is planning to con-tinue to study Latin and/or the classics in college.

The scholarship will be award-ed based on scholastic achieve-ment with emphasis on Latin study and related activities, fu-ture plans to continue Latin and classics studies, demonstrated leadership and good moral character.

Lola Greene worked at Mt. Greylock Regional High School from 1984-2000. During this

time she developed the school’s Latin program and Junior Classi-cal League into one of the most successful programs in the state.

She instituted toga and cata-pult contests, won numerous teaching awards and has her place in the school hall of fame. Ms. Greene lived a life filled with in-tegrity, compassion and love for all those around her.

She was a dynamic and dedi-cated educator who inspired her students to achieve to the best of their abilities.

The deadline for submitting a scholarship application is April 20.

For further information and application materials, visit lola-greene.com or send an email in-quiry to [email protected].

Local scholarship accepting

applicants until April 20


NORTH ADAMS – Think you still remember all that you learned in high school?

Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School (BArT) is holding its annual fundraiser “Get BArT Smart” on Saturday, April 28 from 6-9:30 p.m. at 1 Commercial St.

Get BArT Smart pits teams of four to six people against one an-other in fevered battles of trivia, math, literature and SAT questions.

Teams follow a school-day schedule and travel from class-room to classroom throughout the evening. Every classroom will also have faculty members pres-ent to keep “students” on task.

Many of the questions through-out the evening come directly from BArT students’ curriculum and past SAT exams, giving teams a chance to experience the rigor-ous expectations of the middle and high school students at BArT.

The winning team at the end of

the night will be crowned “vale-dictorian” and, along with prizes, win untold fame, fortune and ad-ulation throughout Berkshire County.

The event serves as the primary fundraiser for BArT. Participants

are asked to donate a minimum of $60 per person; the donation includes dinner and a selection of beer and wine.

The school invites additional companies to join MountainOne in sponsoring the event.

Get Smart at BArT

Photo Credit / KAmeron Z. SPAulding

Saturday, April 28 adults can try their hand at questions many teens encounter in the classroom all the time.

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budget is just under $8.63 million.

The needs budget for FY ‘13 sat at over $8.8 million, while Town Manager Gregory Feder-spiel has approximately $8.445 million earmarked for the Lenox Public Schools in the town budget.

At last week’s joint meeting of the school committee, select board and finance committee, Chairwoman Mitts asked for the town to split the $362,527 difference with the schools.

The school committee found their half, but the select board has not officially accepted the $181,000 increase on the town’s end.

Public budget hearing scheduled

The school committee’s pub-lic budget hearing was initially scheduled for the March 26 meeting, but it has been pushed back to this coming Monday, April 2, at 7 p.m. at Lenox Town Hall. Following the hearing, the committee will vote to approve the FY ‘13 budget and send it forward to the select board.

Activity fee increased

At the March 26 meeting, the school committee also unani-mously voted to increase the Lenox Memorial Middle and High School student activity fee (for athletics, drama and musi-cals) from $30 to $50, with the cap for one family going from $150 to $250 (but remaining at the equivalent of five fees).

Students who are eligible for the free and reduced lunch pro-gram can have this fee waived.

The fee has been set at $30 for the last three years, and after

looking at the higher fees at neighboring schools and dis-tricts, the school committee thought the increase was a logi-cal step that could help cover costs including grounds and building maintenance.

Bus survey results revealed

Superintendent Costa also shared the results of a recent parent bus survey with the school committee. The goal of the 19-question survey was to determine how the schools can maximize the efficiency of their transportation.

One response that was key in the survey’s findings was the need for shorter bus rides. The respondents expressed a desire to keep the maximum (one-way) riding time at 30 minutes, while one respondent indicated that the current route can take 45 minutes for some students.

Superintendent Costa said that he would take the parental preference for shorter bus rides into account when working on an updated transportation plan. He told the committee he would have that plan presented to them by the end of the year.

The full survey results are posted on the Lenox Public Schools website.

Other business

The committee unanimously approved two out-of-state field trips for LMMHS students. The eighth graders will be headed to High Meadow Resort in North Granby, Conn., for a day of out-door activities.

The junior class will be going to New York City to see the new American wing at the Metropol-itan Museum of Art and the Pu-litzer Prize-winning play Cly-bourne Park.

tive to the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority. He is also a Berkshire County representative on the Green-Rainbow Party’s state committee.

Mr. Laugenour’s core political philosophy is based around pro-viding strong public services so that the private sector can thrive, and funding those services through a fair and equitable tax system.

“At the moment our taxes are unfair and our budgets are mis-prioritized,” said Mr. Laugenour. “Economic development to me is healthy, educated, solvent people being free to be enterprising and right now we have uneducated, unhealthy people in debt. How can you have economic develop-ment in that situation?”

Mr. Laugenour supports estab-lishing a single-payer health care system, something that he points out that 73 percent of Berkshire County voters voted in favor of when it was on the ballot as a pol-icy question in 2010.

“This country introduced pub-lic education, which is a direct approach to taking tax money and spending it so that people get a fair chance at education, ” said Mr. Laugenour. “We haven’t fol-lowed a similar trajectory with health care, but there’s no reason that we can’t get onto it.”

Mr. Laugenour is a strong sup-porter of public education, in-cluding public higher education. He backs putting more money into higher education, and re-ducing the debt burden that many students are graduating with, which he describes as outrageous.

“The amount of debt that we ask our students to take on is a function of how much money we put into the public higher educa-tion system,” said Mr. Laugenour.

“There are a number of people, talented people, who are making rational decisions not to get an education (because of its high cost),” he added. “We’re missing opportunities.”

On energy, Mr. Laugenour is in favor of the so-called Massa-chusetts “Muni Choice Bill,” which would make it easier for towns to set up their own munic-ipal power companies. He also is a supporter of alternative energy.

On taxes, Mr. Laugenour is in favor of introducing a progressive income tax to Massachusetts.

“That’s the way we make our tax system fair,” said Mr. Lauge-

nour, who added that this change in the tax code would even bene-fit those who end up paying more under it, because of the increase in services that would come with its implementation. “We feel overtaxed more so because of what we don’t get than because of what we pay.”

When it comes to the subject of economic development, how-ever, Mr. Laugenour favors a bit of a hands-off approach.

“Healthy people, educated people, solvent people, following their dreams, will do a much bet-ter job of discovering what’s right for the district than me,” said Mr. Laugenour. “Too many politi-cians in too many positions talk about ‘I want this industry to come in so I’m going to give them tax favors,’ and I’m more for edu-cated, healthy, solvent people be-ing the drivers of (the) local econ-omy that will employ local people. They can guide us more than some policy wonk can.”

Mr. Laugenour is running for the newly redrawn 4th Berkshire Massachusetts House District, one of the largest in Massachu-setts. His opponent in November will be four-term representative and fellow Lenox resident Wil-liam “Smitty” Pignatelli.

“I didn’t decide to run against him, I’m running for the seat. I’ll say that quite purposefully and emphatically,” said Mr. Laugenour.

Mr. Pignatelli defeated Mr. Laugenour when they ran for the old 4th Berkshire District seat in

2010.Despite choosing to not focus

his campaign on his opponent, Mr. Laugenour isn’t neglecting political strategy. To this end he has hired Kalin Jordan of Wolfe-boro, N.H., to be his campaign manager.

“After reading a bit about him and the district he just seemed like a real authentic, genuine per-son who really wants to make an actual difference in the district,” said Ms. Jordan, when explaining why she chose to work for Mr. Laugenour.

A graduate of Suffolk Univer-sity, Ms. Jordan has worked on a number of campaigns including the Massachusetts state represen-tative campaign of John A. Keith in Boston, the presidential cam-paign of President Obama in 2008 and Senator John Kerry’s 2008 senatorial campaign. This will be her first time managing a campaign.

“Our campaign is going to be as open as humanly possible,” said Ms. Jordan. “Scott and I both believe in being very frank with the voters.”

In that spirit, Mr. Laugenour says he will answer all surveys and questionnaires that are sent to him as a candidate and make his responses public, even if they come from organizations that he disagrees with.

Mr. Laugenour will be formally launching his campaign in April. He has pledged not to take any money from either corporations or corporate PACs.

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for Main Street comes at a large price increase, raising the expect-ed cost to $5.2 million from the previous $3.8 million expected cost.

The vast majority of that addi-tional cost would be paid by the state.

The changes will include add-ing a series of two steps from the sidewalk to the road to cover the gradient change from Castle to Railroad streets.

Town Manager Kevin O’Donnell said that the project is on track to begin construction by April 2013. If that date is met, the majority of the work would be done by November 2013.

The only work to happen after that time would be landscaping and the addition of a final coat of asphalt, all to be completed in the early spring of 2014.

This timeframe did cause some concern among the board. Last year, during the early stages of the project, several design firms in-formed the board that a full re-construction, like there will now be required to meet the two per-cent grade, would take far longer.

“How does this fit into one year?” said Selectwoman Alana Chernila. “I need to be able to look people in face and say that, when you said that if we had a full deck reconstruction it would take two years before.”

Members of the Foresight Land

Services, the design firm of the project, confirmed that they be-lieved that a one-year build was possible. Yet they did admit that the recent changes to the plan could cause some difficulties.

The town again reiterated that the road would stay open throughout the project and that all the businesses on the street would be open.

To help insulate local business-es from a downturn in business due to the construction, the town has already allocated $10,000 to support a plan by the chamber to promote the businesses and the over 1,000 parking spots that will still be open in downtown.

There was also some discussion over using LED lights for the street lights along Main Street.

The major hold on their use is that currently the state has not approved National Grid to install the LED fixtures in municipalities.

The town announced plans to lobby the state to allow the new light technology to be used in its building project.

Other Business

The board of selectmen voted to remove the term limit on the chairperson position.

The board had discussed the possible change at past meetings and decided that with the town’s larger board, now five members instead of three, that it was safe to remove the limit.


NORTH ADAMS – This Sat-urday, Berkshire Community College (BCC) Acting President Ellen Kennedy will join 10 Mas-sachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) business administration students in being inducted into the Zeta Zeta chapter of the Del-ta Mu Delta national honor society.

“It is with great pride that the MCLA Department of Business Administration and Economics takes this opportunity to honor Ellen for her distinguished career, including her current appoint-ment at acting president of our sister college, Berkshire Commu-nity College,” said Dr. Nancy Ovitsky, business administration professor at MCLA and faculty advisor to Delta Mu Delta.

The induction will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday in MCLA’s Murdock Hall (room 218).

Founded in 1913, Delta Mu Delta was established to recog-nize and reward superior scholas-tic achievement by business ad-ministration students. Since 1992, MCLA has inducted more than 500 members into its local chapter.

Ms. Kennedy will also be the guest speaker at this year’s induction.

She received her bachelor of science degree in business admin-istration from North Adams State College (now MCLA) in 1983, and went on to begin her career there. Her MCLA titles included coordinator of office services, di-rector of administration services, chief advancement officer and president of the MCLA Foundation.

“Ellen has gone on an incredi-ble journey, acquiring distinctive graduate educational experiences as well as ever-increasing respon-

sibilities in the world of non-profits and academia, including her years here at MCLA,” Dr. Ovitsky said.

Ms. Kennedy has also worked as interim COO for the National Patient Safety Foundation and the director of development for WFCR New England Public Radio.

She has furthered her educa-tion with a master of business ad-ministration from the University of Massachusetts and a master of public administration from Har-vard University. She is currently working on her doctoral degree from Northeastern University.


LENOX – The Lenox Plan-ning Board and the Lenox His-toric District Commission (HDC) are continuing to move forward on an agreement for a new sign bylaw for Lenox’s His-toric District.

Members of both committees discussed the topic at the plan-ning board’s March 27 meeting.

At issue is the often lengthy process that Lenox business own-ers within the historic district must currently go through to get a sign approved by the HDC.

“They really didn’t like the process set to do a sign,” said Planning Board Chairman Jo-seph Kellogg, referring to the feedback that he and the plan-ning board received at the two public hearings on Lenox’s sign bylaws that the planning board held last year.

The solution that the planning board has come up with would be to transfer the power to ap-prove signs within the historic district from the HDC to Lenox Building Commissioner William Thornton.

Commissioner Thornton would approve or reject signs

based on a set extensive of guide-lines that would be crafted by the HDC. These bylaws could be re-vised by the HDC at any time, and those business owners who have proposed signs rejected by Commissioner Thornton could go through the old process of go-ing to the HDC for approval.

“Meet the guidelines, he (Commissioner Thornton) gives you a permit. Don’t, and he re-fers you to the HDC and you go through the old process,” said Chairman Kellogg.

The planning board’s proposal hit a snag, however, when faced

Sign law changes move forward

MAIN STREET from page 1

The above drawing from Foresight Land Use shows the changes to the town hall in the latest set of plans.

BCC president up for MCLA honor society

Berkshire Community College Acting President Ellen Ken-nedy is being inducted into Delta Mu Delta.

see SIGNS page 10


Editorial:Reaction to

restaurant story

Editorial:Winter specials

good for downtownGeorge C. Jordan IIIEDITOR & PUBLISHER

Kameron Z. SpauldingEDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Susan G. RobinsonGRAPHIC DESIGNER

Bera B. Dunau, Rae A. Eastman, Susan M. Wicker Guerrero, Janel M. Harrison, Catherine M. Krummey, Dick L. SyriacCONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Janel M. Harrison, Jacqueline J. Wendling, Nancy G. Shepherd, Shannon T. MillerADVERTISING SALES

The Berkshire Beacon is published weekly. The Beacon is distributed throughout Berkshire County, MA. The Berkshire Beacon assumes no financial responsibility for failure to publish an advertisement, incorrect placement or typographical errors pub-lished. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertising and claims and offers contained within their advertising. The Berkshire Beacon reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason. All contents copyright ©2012 The Berkshire Beacon. No portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

THE GUIDING LIGHT OF THE BERKSHIRES

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Spring is here and there has been some infighting by those on Lenox’s Marketing Committee as to whether or not to spend mon-ey beyond their budget.

There seems to be some frus-tration on the marketing con-cepts put forth and the need for more money to get the message beyond the town limits.

Let’s agree that “Lenoxology” is the KEY to promotion this year. It may require more soul-search-ing and hands-on to make it work.

The one thing the local restau-rants can do in April and May is designating a Lenox Restaurant Week with reduced prices, which

will help to promote the summer tourist season in their offerings.

Among those who have had winter specials are the Olde Heri-tage Tavern, Frankie’s Ristorante Italiano and Firefly.

The goal should be to use the week as a promotion to get the word out to locals and our tour-ists, who seek new places and new items on the menu of their favor-ite eating-place.

This is a win-win for the down-town merchants and opens up a time when sales and the numbers of tourists are flat. Today there is opportunity to promote beyond the taxpayer dollar Lenoxology.

A free independent weekly strives on the goodwill of the lo-cal and extended communities; in this case, it’s Berkshire County.

When people take the editor-publisher into their confidence, in most cases the newspaper own-er is bound not to share the information.

If the information by the retail businessman is shared in a public place, the information can filter out.

If there is more than one per-son in the discussion, the agree-ment is not binding.

However, when the editor is “bound” and his/her reporter comes upon similar information for a story, that information may be pieced together by the reporter to formulate a story based on calls to sources that may have more in-sight beyond the initial discus-sion the person had with the edi-tor. This is reporting the news.

Today, we do not live in a vacuum.

The case in question was last week’s front-page story regarding Jason “Jay” Macioge’s report that he is selling some parts of his four restaurant holdings in Lenox. I had some prior knowledge but not which ones are on the block.

Reporter Bera B. Dunau caught wind of the story and its poten-tial. He pieced together the story based upon someone overhearing a discussion by Mr. Macioge. I was in Florida and thus, I was not

the source for the story.Mr. Macioge is a businessman

and as such in his own mind would probably like to make the announcement that a “deal” has been formulized. The fact that the information was on the street, but none of the four restaurants identified or a sale price an-nounced leaves a void in the story.

What the front-page story says is that one entrepreneur is cash-ing in and that in the small his-toric village of Lenox, of 20 res-taurants listed on the Lenox Chamber of Commerce site, four are on the block or 25 percent are possibly up for sale.

This is news on every level – so-cial, economic, community bet-terment, real estate, marketing, etc.

While the timing of the an-nouncement may upset Mr. Ma-cioge, he did not indicate that the publication of the news would af-fect any potential sale.

Thus, on the social end of life, Betty’s, Fin, Frankie’s and Bistro Zinc may in fact have an up-swing in business as we enter the spring season with the front-page publicity.

In one sense, this story in and of itself may have helped estab-lished The Berkshire Beacon as a weekly newspaper designed to publish the news. And for the re-cord, that is why we are in the news-gathering business.

View From the TowerGeorge C. Jordan III

The Lenox Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) over the years has been a board that has ruled for the most part by law rather than by social or com-munity pressure or the de-mand of some developer.

I certainly have not agreed with some of their decisions and when they have over-stepped or made fragrant de-cisions, I have sought court redress.

Over the years, I chal-lenged their approval for a condo development at Vent-fort Hall, expansion of Can-yon Ranch, issues with Bob George’s development and George Hashim’s proposal, in addition to joining others opposed to certain development.

Attorney John Costello, a Harvard University-educated lawyer, was a main discon-tent on issues of zoning dur-ing the 1980s and ‘90s, and was his own representative against Attorney Phillip Hell-er, who represented many of

the developers during that period.

Now comes a call for an administrative hearing on a proposed project with refer-ence to action taken by the ZBA regarding the Kemble Inn.

In my letter to the ZBA, I called for a hearing whereby the board in the case of park-ing overstepped it legal au-thority. My letter reads:

“REF: The Frederick, LLC, 2 Kemble Street (Map 7, Par-cel 22-3)

Review of Decision grant-

ed March 14, 2011re: Amplified music and

parking.The minutes of that deci-

sion meeting reflect that this will also be continued to No-vember, no date given.

I wish to be notified of the next session on this above caption matter since I was opposed to outdoor music and parking by visitors by this facility at Ventfort Hall.

In the event, you may deny me the opportunity to voice an opinion on the ZBA’s de-cision ref: music that can be taken up at another juncture if it becomes loud and ob-noxious for the neighbors.

Meanwhile the issue of parking at Ventfort Hall now becomes a matter of use, which is not allowed, and subject to the building in-spector and review by the ZBA.

Nowhere in my memory was Ventfort Hall allowed to become a parking lot for off-premise activities.”

ZBA oversteps on parking issue

Kemble Inn


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STOCKBRIDGE – Residents can expect to see an increase when they receive their next tax bill in the coming weeks.

With the anticipated tax, based on the current budget, the rate for all properties in Stockbridge would be $7.63 per thousand.

This is an increase of 15 cents over the previous tax rate of $7.48 last year.

The average assessment in Stockbridge from the latest round of assessments is around $444,000. At that value, the aver-age homeowner in the town would see an increase of $66 a year on their bill.

John Miller, Chair of the Board of Assessors, also recommended that the town continue to use a single flat rate for property tax in the town.

The Stockbridge Board of Se-lectmen unanimously approved this suggestion.

Each resident will now be get-ting a new tax bill with the final numbers. Residents were sent a preliminary bill in the fall.

This new bill, according to Mr. Miller, will show a credit for the amount that each resident paid from the preliminary bill last fall.

Over 90 percent of residents have responded to the first bill and paid in full, a very high rate according to Stockbridge Tax Collector Nancy Socha.

The new bill, which will be sent out in the next week or two, will also include a flyer explaining the rate changes and all the ex-emptions that residents can apply for.

Each exemption has a period of three months from the date the bills are sent to residents for tax-payers to apply.

Tax increase for Stockbridge


NORTH ADAMS – Starting tonight, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) Gallery 51 will become a showcase for art that is striking, colorful and strange.

“Strange Soup,” an exhibition of artwork by North Adams-based artists Wayne Hopkins and Cathy Wysocki, is coming to the gallery, kicking off with a free, public opening reception tonight from 5-7 p.m.

Gallery 51 Manager Ven Voisey called Ms. Wysocki’s work, a combination of mixed-media paintings on plywood and mixed-media sculpture with paper ma-che, “simultaneously captivating and repulsive.”

Ms. Wysocki describes her own work as depicting “a society forming and devolving simulta-neously. … Seeing the suffering and injustice in our entangled world ignites and motivates this work – searching for the compas-sion and kindness within us all, no matter how deeply buried.”

Mr. Hopkins’ paintings are also rooted in a conflicted environment.

“Often resembling a combina-tion of war zone, protest and out-door urban habitat, Hopkins’

worlds are an uneasy balance or reserve, structure and horror,” Mr. Voisey said.

Like Ms. Wysocki, Mr. Hop-kins is also inspired by the state of the world.

“This work is influenced by my feelings about corporate hegemo-ny, war, deceit, self-interest and violations of basic human rights,” Mr. Hopkins said. “Walls, fences and barriers frame, trap and re-

strict not only the expressionless figures depicted in these paint-ings, but the viewer as well; by placing the viewer on one side of the barrier, an involuntary partic-ipation occurs, and whether we like it or not, we’re all part of the bigger picture.

The exhibition will remain on display at the gallery through April. Gallery 51 is open daily from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.


NORTH ADAMS – Award-winning author Elizabeth Kol-bert will give a talk titled “Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change” as the annual Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) Eliza-beth and Lawrence Vadnais Envi-ronmental Issues Lecture on Wednesday night.

The free, public lecture will take place at 7 p.m. on April 4 in MCLA’s Murdock Hall (room 218).

Ms. Kolbert’s lecture is based on her non-fiction book of the same name, which was honored

as one of the “Notable Books of the Year” in 2006 by The New York Times Book Review.

The San Diego Union Tribune said, “If you have time this year for just one book on science, na-ture or the environment, Field Notes should be it.”

Her book grew from a three-part series in The New Yorker after Ms. Kolbert traveled from Alaska to Greenland to visit top scien-tists and explore the debate over global warming.

In the book, she explains the science and the studies, draws parallels to lost ancient civiliza-tions, unpacks the politics and presents the personal tales of those who are being affected most

– the people who make their homes near the poles.

Ms. Kolbert has been writing for The New Yorker since 1999 and her stories have also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Vogue and Mother Jones.

Her 2005 global warming se-ries “The Climate of Man” in The New Yorker won the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s magazine award.

In September 2010, Ms. Kol-bert received the Heinz Award, which recognizes individuals who are addressing global change caused by human impact and natural processes on the environment.

Author to speak on climate change at MCLA


Homeowners in Stockbridge will soon see a small increase in their property tax bills.

“Strange” artwork to be on display in North Adams

“Strange Soup” is an exhibition of artwork by North Adams-based artists Wayne Hopkins and Cathy Wysocki


Susan M. Wicker GuerreroBeacon Staff Writer

NEW LEBANON – A group of people with diverse back-grounds and of different ages participated in an interactive writing workshop recently at the New Lebanon Library.

Vivian Dorsel, a writer who is a Pittsfield native and Richmond resident, conducted the two-and-a-half-hour workshop titled “Write Your Story.”

She is also publisher and editor of the literary magazine upstreet.

Seated around a long table in the library’s back room was an art teacher who is also a farmer and landscaper, an electrical engineer, a business writer, a furniture maker and poetry reader, a song-writer, a retired plumber, a cou-ple of retired teachers and a boy “almost” 13 years old, among others.

A total of 11 people from all different walks of life followed instructions to do several differ-ent on-the-spot writing exercises.

Writing is a discovery process and “we write to discover what we say,” Ms. Dorsel said. It is also process- rather than product-oriented.

“Personal experience writing is what this workshop is about,” she told the attentive participants.

Ms. Dorsel wore her dark, straight hair in a pageboy style. Glasses rested at the tip of her nose when she read to the group.

She wore brown pants, a black top and a beaded necklace in varying shades of brown.

Workshop participants did plenty of writing.

The first timed exercise, which lasted about 10 minutes, was to write something beginning with the words “I remember” and it was followed by a second timed exercise starting with the words “I don’t remember.”

Participants then read aloud what they wrote. Several wrote about scenes from their childhoods.

Despite the different profes-

Group with diverse backgrounds attends interactive personal writing workshop

sions represented in the group, most participants wrote descrip-tively, with enthusiasm and often even with poignancy.

Ms. Dorsel encouraged the group to read Natalie Goldberg’s books Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind to get plenty of pointers on the craft of writing.

She also mentioned Fearless Confessions by Sue William Silverman.

Ms. Dorsel is the former man-aging editor of The Berkshire Re-view. She founded upstreet in 2005. The nationally-distributed magazine is independently owned

and published.In 2008, upstreet received the

Bronze Medal in the anthologies category from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.

Ms. Dorsel earned a master of fine arts degree in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

She has taught writing work-shops in The Berkshires to partic-ipants of all ages, from students to senior citizens.

“That was fun,” one partici-pant said on the way out of the workshop. “I haven’t done any-thing like that for a long, long time.”

Advice from upstreet


LENOX – The blues of a cou-ple hundred people got kicked to Ireland and back at the Berkshire Lyric Theatre’s annual end-of-winter concert.

More than 100 voices from three choruses filled the air with music from the Emerald Isle.

More than 60 members of the Berkshire Lyric Chorus partici-pated as well as performers from The Berkshire Singers and The Blafield Children’s Chorus.

Family, food, fundraising and fun added up to be a perfect com-bination at the festivities.

End of Winter Annual Event

Jack Brown, Artistic Director of Berkshire Lyric, noted in the event’s program that the event was Berkshire Lyric’s “annual end

of winter combination of con-cert, fundraiser, family party, si-lent auction, food fest, celebra-tion of our youth and exploration of a particular musical culture.” This year it was Ireland.

Prior to the lively, at times foot-stomping, concert of Irish music, visitors jammed the inside of the Founders’ Theatre lobby on the Shakespeare and Company campus.

They perused and then bid on more than 100 silent auction items donated by businesses and individuals throughout Berkshire County.

Huge Variety of Donated Items in Silent Auction

They ranged in variety from a five-foot giraffe valued at $100 from Matrushka Toys and Gifts (with a starting bid of $45) to a gift certificate valued at $677 for

Photo Credit / SuSAn m. WiCKer

Debbie Kelson of Washington, parent organizer of the Blafield Children’s Chorus, announces the time the silent auc-tion will begin.

Photo Credit / SuSAn m. WiCKer

Writer and upstreet publisher Vivian Dorsel conducts a “Write Your Story” workshop at New Lebanon, NY Library.

Getting ready to break the blues?

Annual end-of-winter concert seen as massive success by planners


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Chin Bo Jok martial arts studio in Pittsfield.

The opening bid for that cer-tificate was $275. The package included a uniform, one private lesson and three months of a pro-gram of one’s choice.

Debbie Kelson, a parent orga-nizer from Washington, said she and a team of about 22 volun-teers representing the Blafield Children’s Chorus plan for the annual fundraiser a year in advance.

They were responsible for ob-taining many of the silent auc-tion items and have a steering committee of eight people, Mrs. Kelson said.

“Parents and adults from all the choruses got donations,” she said.

Rene Champaux of Pittsfield did the catering for the event and several parents also contributed food items, Mrs. Kelson said.

Smorgasbord of Food Items Available

An immense variety of appetiz-ers ranging from liver pate, cheese, dips and deviled eggs to strawberries with whipped cream and bite-sized cupcakes, brown-ies and cookies drew raves from the concert-goers.

“I absolutely love the music they make,” Mrs. Kelson said of the children’s chorus. She also noted that it is wonderful to see parents, grandparents, other rela-tives, and friends of the child per-formers coming together to sup-port them.

“This is our one fundraiser for the year,” she said.

Berkshire Lyric Chorus Opens Musical Program

The musical segment of the program began with the Berk-shire Lyric Chorus. More than 60 men and women came out onto the stage inside the Founders’ Theatre. Most wore green tops and black pants and skirts.

Mr. Brown told the audience to visualize the sun on the beauti-ful lush green of the Emerald Isle. During the first selection, “River-song,” chorus members sang “Let your heart be light, let the sound of the river take you away.”

Men in the chorus sang “Tis the Last Rose of Summer” and everyone sang the mellow “How Are Things in Glocca Morra.”

John Demler, a baritone solo-ist, charmed the audience with a lively rendition of “Clancey Low-ered the Boom.”

Mary Alice Wieland, 14, whose

voice was as clear as a bell, sang, “I Know My Love” and Jake Schwarz expertly played the mandolin.

Children Wear Green Tams with Pom Poms

The audience loved it when members of The Blafield Chil-dren’s Chorus came out onto the stage wearing white tops with sparkly green bow ties and green tams with pom poms on top.

The pint-sized musicians did an excellent job of singing such Irish favorites as “Molly Malone” (otherwise known as “Cockles and Mussels”), “Harrigan,” “Too-ra-Loo-ra-Loo-Ral” and the Irish bar song of the 1960s, “The Unicorn.”

Mr. Demler joined the chil-dren for a unique presentation of “Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy’s Chowder.”

Youthful Entertainers

The youthful members of The Berkshire Singers, with their ac-companist, Joe Rose, also kept toes tapping in the audience. They demonstrated a lot of exu-berance and enthusiasm.

Even after the concert ended, members of The Berkshire Sing-ers continued to entertain in the lobby as last minute bids went in for the silent auction items.

A couple members of the cho-rus even started dancing, much to the delight of the informal audience.

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Community Calendar with the fact that the HDC cur-rently has ultimate authority over signs in the historic district. Thus, in order for the planning board’s proposal to go forward, the HDC will have to give up this jurisdiction.

“You have to make a determi-nation at a public hearing that signs are going to be something that you don’t regulate,” said Chairman Kellogg, explaining how this could be accomplished.

Chairman Kellogg went on to say that such a relinquishment could be made contingent on the signs still meeting the guidelines that the HDC sets, which would allow the planning board’s cur-rent plans for reforming the sign bylaws to go forward.

The HDC members present did not appear hostile to the plan-ning board’s proposal. Indeed, HDC Chairman Jason Berger seemed cautiously favorable to it.

“From my perspective it seems to be a good plan,” said Chair-man Berger.

Chairman Berger also noted that, in his memory, no signs had ever been rejected by the HDC for design purposes and that con-cerns with the process were about the amount of time it took.

Chairman Kellogg said that he and the planning board weren’t pressuring the HDC to support the plan, but that, should the HDC vote to not pursue the planning board’s proposal for the new bylaw, the planning board would discontinue working on reforming the sign bylaws for the time being, and they would not put a new sign bylaw in front of town meeting for a vote.

“If you guys feel that’s not ap-propriate (the new sign bylaws) to do that, so be it, vote that way, and we’ll go back to (the) select-men and say we’re not doing a sign bylaw,” said Chairman Kellogg.

Chairman Kellogg did say that, should this happen, there might still be a chance that the planning board would present a reform to sandwich board regulations with-in the HDC at town meeting, but he didn’t seem particularly en-thused about this option.

The HDC will be meeting on Tuesday, April 3, at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the proposed changes to the sign bylaw, and whether or not they will support them.

The planning board will meet again on April 17 and, if the HDC agrees to the direction that the new sign bylaw is going in, the HDC will be joining them.

SIGNS from page 5

FRIDAy, MARCh 30th

2ND ANNUAL SLICE OF LIFE PIZZA COMPETITIONPittsfield, 6-11p.m.The 2nd Annual Slice of Life Piz-za Competition to benefit MO-MENTS House, join us on Fri-day at the Crowne Plaza Berkshires for some friendly piz-za tasting competition. Who has the best pizza in Berkshire Coun-ty? Come and sample pizza from all over the county and vote on YOUR favorite.

SHABBAT OF FREEDOMPittsfield, 5:30 p.m.Shabbat of Freedom service at Temple Anshe Amunim, 26 Broad Street, recognizing the im-portance of the striving for civil rights, conducted jointly by Rab-bi Josh Breindel and the Rev. Natalie Shiras of the Church on the Hill, Lenox.

ZARA SPOOK AND THE OTHER LURESGreat Barrington, 8 p.m.Shows will be every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 and will be available at Crystal Es-sence on Railroad St. in Great Barrington. Mixed Company is located at 37 Rosseter St. 413.528.2320.

GREAT BARRINGTON LIBRARIES ARE CELE-BRATING 100 YEARSGreat Barrington, 5-7 p.m.The Great Barrington Libraries are celebrating 100 years of read-ing with a party at the Mason Li-brary on Main Street Friday, to which the public is invited. The cornerstone of the Beaux-Arts building was laid in April 1912; the library opened its doors to the public in August of 1913. The event will be held in the Ma-son's reading room on Main Street.

SAtuRDAy, MARCh 31St

MUSIC AT FIRST CONGREGATIONAL Lee, 7:30 p.m.Musical Performance: Steeple Jam/Rock the Steeple Acoustic, Rock, Vocals including Micah Stone, Evan Rude & The Mo-tors, Jimmy Walker, Katherine

Winston, Symphony 3, Grahm Sturz and The Shambles. Pro-ceeds to benefit the Youth Group Mission Trip to Appalachia and painting of the church. The First Congregational Church of Lee, 25 Park Place

CULTIVATING ALL THE RIGHT MOVES: BODY MECHANICS FOR GARDENERSStockbridge, 1 - 3 p.m.Prepare to garden comfortably, safely, and efficiently this spring. Learn a simple, effective and en-ergizing stretching routine that will help prevent garden-related injuries, muscle strains, aches, and pains from Carrie Whitelaw, registered horticultural therapist. Explore proper movement tech-niques for bending, lifting, dig-ging, and raking. Assess a variety of gardening situations for reduc-ing stress and strain on your joints by choosing the right ergo-nomic tools and implementing energy conservation. Berkshire Botanical Garden, intersection of Routes 102 and 183

SLAVIC EASTER EGG WORKSHOPSLenox, 10 a.m.-noon and noon-2 p.m.Celebrate spring and the Easter season with a unique opportuni-ty to learn a time-honored East-ern European craft. Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Muse-um, 104 Walker Street, will offer two Slavic Easter egg decorating demonstrations and instructional workshops on Saturday, This Eastern European tradition of creating intricate and beautifully decorated eggs has been passed down for generations.

EASTER EGG HUNTWilliamstown, 10 a.m.Sweet Brook of Williamstown Rehabilitation and Nursing Cen-ter will be hosting its second an-nual Easter Egg Hunt for chil-dren. In case of severe rain, the event will be postponed to April 1 at 2 p.m. One hunt will be for pre-school children, up to 5 years of age and children 3 and under may be assisted by one adult. The other hunt will be for chil-dren 6-10 years of age.

TRUE-BLUE AMERICAN JAZZ MASTERPittsfield, 8 p.m.Jazz legend, Ahmad Jamal, will be celebrating the release of his

newest CD, Blue Moon, at The Colonial Theatre, Tickets range from $15-$50. Tickets may be purchased in person at The Colo-nial Theatre ticket office on 111 South St. or by calling 413-997-4444 or online at www.Berk-shireTheatreGroup.org.

SunDAy, ApRIL 1St

ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNTAdams, 1 p.m.This free, family event will be held in Wacky World, behind the C.T. Plunkett School. If the weather is poor the hunt will be held in the C.T. Plunkett gymna-sium. The hunt will be divided into 3 age groups: Pre-K: 1 p.m.; K-2nd: 1:30 p.m.; 3rd - 5th: 2 p.m. There will be activities in-side the school’s cafeteria, such as face painting, coloring sheets, bunny bean bag toss and several other games with prizes. Don’t forget to bring your own bag for the eggs! Contact the Youth Cen-ter for more information: 413-743-3550, [email protected]

BABY CHICKS AT BERK-SHIRE MUSEUMPittsfield, 1-2 p.m.Bring your little ones to see our little ones! This spring, Berkshire Museum is teaming up with Hancock Shaker Village to cele-brate spring! Hancock Shaker Village has loaned Berkshire Mu-seum 40 chicken eggs, resting in an incubator, that are set to hatch on Sunday, April 1, in time for the Museum’s 109th birthday celebration. Visitors to Berkshire Museum on Sunday, will get a chance to enjoy the fuzzy little chicks

HOOSAC VALLEY BOYS LACROSSE BOTTLE DRIVECheshire, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.The Hoosac Valley Boys La-crosse team is having a bottle drive on Sunday, at the Adams Redemption Center. Donations may be dropped off at the center. If you would like to donate prior to the drive, please contact 743-1657 to schedule a pick up. Please support Northern Berk-shire Lacrosse when a player visits.

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Some people are addicted to drugs, football or shopping. As for me, it’s books.

No matter where I have lived, the nearest used bookstore has been the first place to look for when setting down even tempo-rary roots.

Thanks to my industrious hus-band, who is well aware of my used book addiction, we have two walls of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in the living room.

He built them from scratch and I love them because they en-able me to see all my “friends” in one glance.

The living room, of course, is a favorite place for me whether it’s by a crackling fire in the winter or near cool air-conditioning in the summer.

Wherever my books are, I am happy to be there, too.

Book Sales Are a natural Draw

Since returning to The Berk-shires after living away for several decades, I have attended almost all of the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum used book sales.

To me, they are highlights of the months in which they are held, including the most recent one.

I usually walk in with my heart thumping loudly in my chest, ea-

gerly anticipating all the treasures that are sure to be found. Just like a three-year-old going to a birth-day party, that same feeling of ex-citement creeps into my very being.

Guess what? The Friends’ sales never disap-

point. It has not been unheard of for me to blow a good portion of the grocery money on bags of awesome used books.

Just so I don’t come across as a totally selfish book fiend, I also buy books for friends. Many of the found treasures are given as gifts.

Supposing a friend loves crafts and I see a book on making cre-ations from materials in nature. It’s a sure buy.

Same goes for someone who loves poetry, or photography, or cooking. Oh, yes, there’s an entire section of just cookbooks as there is for interior decorating.

A Good Investment

Of course, I signed up to be a Friend of the Berkshire Athenae-um, too. It’s the best $10 invest-ment an individual can make.

That way, I can go to the Thursday night showing of books and get some of the best, ahead of the rest of the sale days.

If you love books (and who hates them? Come on. Who could hate books?), be sure to stop by the sale being planned for July. You will love it!

In love with books

In a reporters thoughts:

Rae A. EastmanBeacon Staff Writer

Jan Wong, Toronto correspon-dent for The Globe and Mail (as well as occasional reporter for The New York Times and Wall Street Journal), was a student at Beijing University in the 1970s and later lived in Beijing with her husband on and off for 30 years or so.

In 1973, at the height of the Cultural Revolution, Jan, a com-mitted Maoist, thoughtlessly re-ported a request by a fellow stu-dent for a means to get to the United States (a punishable crime). At the time she had no idea how serious such a report would be.

Others did recognize its seri-ousness, including her husband, though they did not condemn her.

In this account, she tells of her return to that city in 2003 to find Lin – whom she barely knew at the time – to address the wrong she had done, and if possible make amends. Her husband came with her, along with their two very reluctant teenage sons.

She tells them she needs their support this time, though usually she was an intrepid and daring traveler. She had even carried a box cutter and some other sharp implements onto international flights to test the airlines’ security.

Now, she has just four weeks for her quest.

Before reporting on her search, the author briefly recounts Bei-jing’s long and very interesting history, along with telling the reader about the incredibly rapid growth of the communist party and how it maintained the Cul-tural Revolution for 30 years, al-most without the the full coun-try’s knowledge.

She begins her search quietly, starting with acquaintances at the university – “one of the most beautiful campuses in China.” The lovely pathway along which she and her now husband used to walk is now an eight-lane expressway.

They found such changes throughout the city, and the au-thor makes it clear how swiftly

the Central Government moved to modernize the city, rendering it unrecognizable almost without the people’s knowledge, noting the deliberate lack of communi-cation concerning such changes.

The changes in the areas she used to know well were so exten-sive that in formerly picturesque sections where she tried to meet people at certain addresses, she found such a sameness to the buildings, she had to tell them by color.

When she asked for records at the university, she was told, “No records were kept for the 1970s.” No records had been kept for 28 years! Did that mean, she won-dered, that no record had been kept of the people massacred at Tiananmen Square?

One after another of the leads in the search for Lin ends in failure.

Following one lead back at the university, Jan attends a fantastic luncheon that includes five spice beef, braised bamboo, wine-poached duck, prawns with peas, sea bass with Chinese water spin-ach, sweet and sour pork with fresh peaches, steamed Mandarin fish and more. At the meal was the person to whom Jan had re-ported Lin, who didn’t recall the incident at all.

She follows the academic trail, all the while reporting on the as-tonishing changes in Beijing. IKEA, for example, which opened in 1999, became a million-dollar business overnight, not surpris-ing, considering the thousands of houses that had sprung up with-out doors, plumbing, flooring, baths, etc. Beijing had shifted from “Stalinist dowdy to blond-wood modern.”

Finally, she has a lead to Yan Loyi (between languages, there is some confusion as to the spelling of her name). Jan learns that Lin has been away but has returned. Now what is needed is a phone number. Meanwhile she meets Scarlet, an old schoolmate who told her Lin went thru a serious criticism session after she was the subject of several denunciations.

“Did she cry?” Jan asked.“No, she just stood there,”

Scarlet replied.She did not receive her diplo-

ma and was sent to Manchuria for farming duty.

China in the 21st century, as represented by Scarlett and her husband, has an enormous mid-dle and upper class who ignore the Cultural Revolution and the Communist government in the interests of getting wealthy and then wealthier. But she cannot provide a lead to Yin.

Jan considers a private detec-tive; there are only two weeks left. Meanwhile everyone in Bei-jing is feeling the effects of the ever present smog – a million tons of Gobi desert dust descend on the city annually. Several sandstorms shut down the Beiging airport for days at a time.

“You can go for two or three weeks without seeing a blue sky,” says a friend.

With eleven days left, another friend has found Yin, and finally she is at the other end of a phone, and they agree to meet.

Yin is astonished that Jan blames herself; telling her that her denouncement did not affect her, as she had been accused of 25 or 30 crimes. She could have and probably was denounced by any number of people.

The narrative zips right along with vivid descriptions of all as-pects of contemporary life in Bei-jing along the way. The author has a reporter’s eye for detail and a wry sense of humor.

This is a very readable account of present-day Beijing. The au-thor blends her narrative with de-scriptive material in a page-turn-ing fashion hard to find in historical or contemporary re-porting on today’s China.

A Comrade Lost and Found: A Beijing Story

By Jan WongAvailable in bookstores

and on AmazonHoughton Mifflin Harcourt

$25 (hardcover)

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A great look into a distant culture


Girl-2-GirlOur not so dis-

tant dreamsJanel harrisonBeacon Staff

Let’s stir the pot a little and venture on a trip into our forever mystical dreams.

What are they made of, girls? All fluff and fog; familiar faces and images and some unfamiliar; flying through skies for recreation and sometimes to escape the mad people or creatures that chase us. And then there’s always sex; I’ll just leave that to your imaginations.

In this realm, people, destina-tions and things seem so real only to awaken and find ourselves in question, happy, saddened, dis-traught, frightened, angry, con-tent or weeping, wanting some-thing or someone.

Dreams affect us in many ways. Sometimes they can predict the future, sometimes they’re sym-bolic of our lives both past and present, and often they are what’s hidden in our inner subcon-scious, projecting our deepest de-sires or as stated in some dream interpretation books, another’s desires.

Yes, that’s right. I read that if you dream of someone, chances are they fell asleep thinking of you, and then of course there’s al-ways the dream walker: a person who it is said can intentionally come into your dreams.

So here’s what I think – espe-cially if you’re in question – write them down!

I like to keep a journal by my bed just for that sort of thing and actually wrote a book based on the semblance of a dream.

As women we tend to dream often. In our dreams sometimes we see the people we miss, faces from our past, loved ones who have gone, old friends and lost loves. It’s our chance to revisit them and fantasize of days spent.

Some days are beautiful and free upon rolling hills and trees that shoot up to the sky, where misty peaks await us and a glow-ing sun warms our souls, while others are disturbingly haunting but do shed some bit of resem-blance and enable us to analyze and say, “Wow I’m really nuts.”

And you know it’s true.I see open flowery meadows

with a blanket of blue sky and goose-feather clouds riding high.

Then perhaps by chance we find ourselves in some darkened courtyard with vast stone pave-ment before us, a majestic church looms in the forefront and we wonder, “Where am I? I’ve never been here before.”

The sky is a sullen grey and not a bird flies overhead, nothing of pleasure, only this mysterious, unearthing feeling that some-thing’s coming. As we stand in si-lence waiting he walks toward us, then passes with barely a turn of his head; a quick glance by pe-ripheral vision he knows well who we are, and we know him, but where did he come from? And who is he to invade our dream?

We might find ourselves envel-oped in emotions we didn’t know we still had, or wish to have, and yet in our dreams they are as real as life.

What do you dream of? Do you dream of these things that are more real than you know? Re-member too dreams are not al-ways what they seem, after all our minds like to play tricks on us and sometimes when our brains are tired, dreams can be com-pletely incoherent, disjointed and we may not even remember, but do they still convey some hidden meaning?

According to Dr. Sigmund Freud, “Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.”

According to Cinderella, “A dream is a wish your heart makes.”

For me I say, do try to be aware and take note, have fun especially if you’re a lucid dreamer and can control your dreams.

Fly, have great sex, eat delicioso sweets, visit different lands, pick flowers, dance and see the ones you love. And one day what you do dream upon by chance or fate could become your reality. Sweet dreams to all!

-Ciao Bella


21 Jump Street took the modest enthusiasm I had going into it and blew it sky high in a two-fist-ed, double-barreled blaze of glory.

If that kind of over-the-top en-dorsement appeals to you, then you need to buy a ticket and see 21 Jump Street immediately. If it doesn’t, you should definitely still give this movie a chance.

21 Jump Street is nominally based on the 1980s TV show of the same name. I say nominally because although I’ve never seen an episode, I’ve read that many of them revolved around things like morality and making good choic-es. By contrast, the new movie is pure teenage wish fulfillment, as carried out by two police officers in their mid-20s.

The officers in question are Schmidt, played by Jonah Hill, and Jenko, played by Channing Tatum.

Schmidt and Jenko went to high school together but, occu-pying opposite ends of the social hierarchy, they didn’t get along.

Meeting again in the police academy however, each realize that the other has what they need to succeed: Schmidt excels aca-demically but is a physical wreck, while Jenko isn’t the brightest bulb in the bunch, he is the equivalent of a human freight train. United by a drive to be-come cops – and a low level of maturity – they help one another to graduate, becoming best friends in the process.

Unfortunately for Schmidt and Jenko, their first bust goes awry and they are transferred to the Jump Street division. There they are sent undercover into a high school as students, tasked with discovering the source of a dan-gerous new designer drug before it goes viral.

Reliving high school, however, doesn’t quite go as expected, and soon Schmidt and Jenko are caught in a steadily building chain reaction of lies and may-hem that threatens to destroy both their careers and their friendship.

21 Jump Street is a funny, stu-pid movie in the best of ways. That being said, it is a funny stu-pid movie that was made by some very savvy people – Michael Ba-call, the screenwriter of Scott Pil-grim vs. the World, penned the screenplay.

One of the running jokes of 21 Jump Street revolves around the changing nature of cool and how activities that were once consid-ered marginal can become fash-ionable; it’s handled with a subtle intelligence and contemporary sensibility that’s quite impressive. The humor of 21 Jump Street is also unapologetically outrageous, but the filmmakers are smart enough let the craziness slowly build until the end, when things start to really go over the top, the audience is 100-percent along for the ride.

Of course, this couldn’t have been accomplished without a top-notch cast.

Hill first cut his teeth in come-dies like this one, and he brings one of his best performances to the role of Schmidt. But it’s Ta-tum, previously known for play-ing stone-faced action heroes, who’s the breakout star here.

Tatum, it turns out, is an excel-lent comedian with a great sense of timing who’s capable of play-ing both the straight man and the funny man. He also happens to be a talented physical comedian as well and honestly, it would be a real shame if we didn’t see more comedic roles from him in the future.

Other standouts are Ice Cube, who plays 21 Jump Street’s abu-sive police captain pitch-perfect, Ellie Kemper, who is both very funny and very hot as a school teacher with a major crush on Jenko, and Dave Franco, who nails the role of sensitive hipster drug dealer Eric Molson perfectly.

21 Jump Street also has a cameo that absolutely steals the show. I’m not going to say anything more, but I would honestly watch the entire movie for just that one scene.

21 Jump Street is an over-the-top ode to teenage male wish ful-fillment and over the course of the movie, Schmidt and Jenko live out a number of outrageous fantasies. Yet, while it certainly pushes boundaries, 21 Jump Street never crosses the border into be-ing vile.

This is a key part of the movie’s success, as while 21 Jump Street is certainly transgressive, you never really feel dirty watching it. De-spite being immature, you never get the sense that Schmidt and Jenko don’t care about or are tak-ing advantage of the students they’re undercover with, which gives the movie an odd kind of heart.

21 Jump Street is honestly too funny to be ignored, so do your-self a favor, swallow your inhibi-tions and buy a ticket. Chances are, you’ll be saying what I said and heard echoed one second lat-er from across the aisle, as the credits rolled: “That was great!”

21 Jump Street, staring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, has been a box office success.

21 Jump Street isfunny and stupid but in a good way


philip S. KampeWine and Beyond

Spring is here, even though it feels like a typical Berkshire sum-mer, and Easter is around the cor-ner. Easter is a joyous time for many of us who have given up chocolate, alcohol and other de-sires for 40 days and 40 nights. It is time to celebrate and rejoice because we can go back to our old habits, once again, on Easter Sunday.

Traditionally, we eat a large meal that consists of either baked ham with a sweet glaze or leg of lamb as the main course.

Easter Sunday is a day to feast. At a feast, we must have wine.

That is essential.

So, what wines pair best with Easter meals?

I posed this question to a host of wine professionals from around the world.

My friend Gino Colangelo writes from Verona, Italy: “I would recommend Sagrantino, of course (the name comes from Sacramental wine)….Rig, tannic red that stands up to gamey meat and balances sweetness.”

Jim Nejaime from Nejaime’s on Lenox Road and Route 7 suggests that a lovely, aromatic, dry and elegant Chateau Desclans Rose de Provence ($17) pairs perfectly with a glazed ham. A second rec-ommendation is Riesling from Domaine Trimbach; the 2010 dry Riesling would match beauti-fully with it’s soaring aromatics and crisp finish.

Jim says that “lamb cries out for a hearty red with structure, and complexity to balance the fat and slight gaminess of this great cut.” He recommends either the King of Tuscan reds, Brunello di Montalcino, or the “Baby Brunel-lo” from the younger Brunello

vines, a Rosso di Montalcino, specifically Mastrojanni 2009 at $20 a bottle.

Scott Reiner of the Wine Acad-emy believes leg of lamb works perfectly with three affordable possibilities: Dashe Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley ($25), Ed-munds St. John Whylie Fe-noughty Syrah ($29) and Hirsch Bohan-Dillon Pinot Noir ($34).

A French wine PR friend, Pa-mela Wittmann, believes that ham with a sweet glaze needs a crisp and not too acidic white wine such as Viognier from Dia-mAndes ($19), and leg of lamb needs a red with oomph and ele-gance like a DiamAndes Gran Reserva 2007 ($34)

Brian Pilliod from T. Edward Wines suggests: “For ham and sweet glaze you need a white wine that has enough body and miner-ality to measure up to the sweet and salty. Rimaine Bouchard’s 1er Cru Chablis “Vau De Vay” is a wonderful choice as is Do Fer-reiro’s Ceppas Vellas Albarino. Both are muscular enough to hold up to a meat dish but have enough high acidity to cleanse the palate. For leg of lamb, you have to go with a Cote de Nuits.”

Peter Seidman of Weygandt be-lieves that “classic ham with sweet glaze needs a big, fruit-driven red (think high alcohol zins or merlot or shiraz/syrah). My preference is a rich, fresh, mineral-driven with residual sugar white, like a Ries-ling, Gruner Veltliner or Gewurtztraminer works. I also like Roses, Sancerres and Gre-nache/Carignan-based Rhone wines.

Lamb is simple; if the lamb is prepared classically with rose-mary and garlic, I would choose a Pinot Bourgogne if you are the Old World type or an Oregon/California pinot if you favor the New World.”

Lillian Lai from the House of Burgundy knows wine. She sug-gests that ham with a sweet glaze looks for acidity and fruit. A Dr. Riesling Spatlese Wurzgarten ($35) is fresh with enough bal-ance of salt and acidity to harmo-nize the flavors. Shannon Ridge Petite Sirah ($16) is fruit-forward

with enough acidity that pairs well with glazed ham.

Leg of lamb needs fruit and tannic structure to stand up to the robust flavor. Left Coast Cel-lar’s 2005 “Cali’s Cuvee” Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley ($16) is a sustainable wine with complex layers of fruit with spice and earthiness.

A second choice is Kavaklidere Selection Red ($17) from Turkey. The Turks eat a lot of lamb, and this is their wine of choice and readily available.

Serve D. Berna Valedorras Godello 2010 ($24) or the stun-ning Cabaliero do Val Albarino 2010 ($24) with ham.

Leg of lamb is a big deal in Spain, so a multitude of Spanish wines go well with lamb, but, none better than a fine Tempra-nillo-based Rioja Reserva or Gran Reserva like La Rioja Alta’s Vina Ardanza or Ribero del Duero’s Condada de Haza.”

John Proto from Winebow said: “I would start off with Rose and make my way from there. Roses, as you know are very food friendly and helps set the stage for what follows. … With ham that has a glaze, I would go with a dry Riesling. … With lamb I would head towards the Rhone, the spiciness and complexity of the wines balance the flavorful meat and tend not to be heavy, big yes, but not heavy. … As a side note, if someone doesn’t care for red wine, then a Fino sherry might prove an interesting alter-native, dry, cleansing, with a little nuttiness on the palate…and oh, yes, always a little seltzer on the table.

I am sure these points of view and selections will help you to de-cide on what wines to select for your Easter meal. With so many opinions, it will be hard to make a poor wine choice.

A quick reminder:Tonight, March 29, Alta Res-

taurant and Wine Bar, at 34 Church St. in Lenox, is hosting a wine dinner featuring Enore Ceola and five wines from Italy paired with five courses for $55 excluding tax and gratuity.

Contact Aurelien Telle at (413) 637-0003 to make reservations.

Wine and Beyond

Picking that great Easter wine

Anna W. ShippeeBeacon Staff Writer

Saying “Good morning” can be a challenge sometimes. But with this cheese danish on your plate it will be a whole lot easier.

This idea came about because I was going through cupboards and realized that I had some left-over puff pastry and a can of al-mond paste.

So I thought, why not put them both to good use?

I kind of came up with this rec-ipe on my own out of basic bak-ing knowledge but I really think you could really play with this recipe to make what you would like.

I chose almond because it it truly my favorite.

Here is the recipe for almond cheese danishes:

Ingredients:1/2 can of almond paste1 sheet of puff pastry1 eight-ounce package of cream

cheese, softened (or I use the 1/3 less fat stuff )

1 egg1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/3 cup of sugar1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest

Directions:Take the sheet of puff pastry

and cut into nine squares. Then whip together the cream cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest.

Place a thin layer of almond paste on each of the squares of puff pastry and then spoon the cream cheese mixture over the al-mond paste.

Once you have done this, fold two corners to overlap the cream cheese mixture.

Then bake the danishes in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

These danishes can really be made with anything. The almond paste can easily be replaced by lemon curd or raspberry jam or anything that floats your boat.

You could also make a quick ic-ing with some milk, vanilla and powdered sugar to add some-thing extra to these danishes, and then sprinkle them with slivered almonds.

The wonderful thing about a danish is that there are so many possibilities.

These danishes are very deli-cious and helped to coax my fi-ance out of bed one morning.

I would suggest making these for a special breakfast, a brunch or even as something quick to grab on the way out of the door to work. I hope you enjoy this recipe and let me know how your danishes worked out.

A great homemade breakfast treat


An almond cheese danish is a great for a special breakfast or brunch.


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Breathtaking Views in the Beautiful Berkshires

Special Events:Weddings • Banquets • Stag Party • Jake and Jill • Benefi ts • Private Party

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Tournaments:Charity tournaments • Member tournaments • MGA (Massachusetts Golf Association)

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and move on to a head job.Like everything else, it all deals

with the bottom line. Five golf courses in western Massachusetts have recently been sold and/or foreclosed on by creditors.

Turning a profit running a golf course is not an easy task. Blue-collar courses are more difficult because they must keep their fees reasonable and try to keep every-one happy.

The game needs fixing, and ev-eryone has ideas. We all know that we have ideas that we haven’t even thought of yet. Here are some of mine:

*Encourage junior golf, they are the future of the game. Let the kids hit range balls until their hands bleed, then have them re-trieve the balls.

*Enforce pace of play at all courses. It should not take five or six hours to play 18 holes (maybe 19, but not 18).

*Members should support their clubs. Buy from the pro shop and clubhouse.

*Clubs should encourage fami-ly events. Get the kids involved.

*Pray for good weather on

weekends. If a course loses a cou-ple of weekends to rain, they can never recover that revenue.

*Respect the grounds and other players. Rake bunkers, replace divots, pick up broken tees and repair ball marks on greens. Leave the course in better shape than you found it. Oak Ridge Golf Club had a sign that said “do not fix your ball mark, fix three oth-ers.” That seemed to work.

*Here is one thing that I would like all players to try this year. Af-ter you hit a shot from the fair-way or complete playing a hole, keep your club (or clubs) in your hands and get in the cart and move on. When you get to the next hole or next shot then re-place them into your bag. When someone behind you is waiting to play, the last thing they want to do is wait for you to wipe off your club and put the head cover back, etc. Try it.

*If your score on a hole reaches double par, do everyone a favor and put it in your pocket and work the flag for the other play-ers. Why torture yourself and others?

Think of the other players on the golf course and you will enjoy

the game a lot more, because, re-member, they will be thinking about you.

Check the tape:

*I’m still waiting for Dick Vi-tale to tell me about a coach who can’t “flat-out coach.”

*Jay Bilas loves to use this one: “He is not a great shooter, but he can make shots.” I’m confused. He talks like a lawyer – oh that’s right, he is one.

*I guess coaches have to be sen-sitive and not upset their fragile stars, but I would love to hear this from a coach after a one-point loss: “We got beat because we missed 14 foul shots.” Case closed.

*Best quote ever by a coach: Adolph Rupp, Kentucky coach-ing legend, came out with this gem, “I can’t believe this. All the money we pay these boys, and they still can’t get my defense right.”

An early 4-0 lead helped the Williams lacrosse (1-4) claim their first win of the season, de-feating Washington & Lee (5-6) 8-4. The Eph offense was led by senior Sam Hargrove and sopho-more Evan Dedominicis.

The Generals won 56 percent of the face-offs, but Williams outshot Washington and Lee 41-34, and picked up 42 ground balls to W&L's 27. Williams' freshman goalie Sean Dougherty recorded nine saves and Washing-ton and Lee's Warren Barrenis made 14.

Williams quickly recovered af-ter losing the opening face-off, with Hargrove, assisted by fellow senior Michael Acierno, scoring just 40 seconds into the game. The Ephs kept up the pressure, with Dedominicis scoring eight minutes later off of a pass from Tucker Dayton.

Freshman Andy Grabowski notched his third career goal a few minutes later to bring the score to 3-0. Colton Growney finished the quarter on a high-note, scoring the Ephs' fourth goal with 43 seconds remaining.

David Lee carried Williams' momentum into the second quarter, beating Washington and Lee's Jared Mitchell on the face-off. A slashing penalty by General Joe LaSala gave the Ephs a brief man-up advantage, but they were unable to capitalize on the oppor-tunity. The Generals got on the board when Mac Means scored an unassisted goal at 12:02.

Williams responded quickly, with Hargrove and Steven Kiesel scoring two more goals before the quarter was up.

The Generals tried to turn the tide in the third quarter, scoring two man-up goals to Williams' lone goal. The score stayed locked at 7-3, with both teams unable to find the net until Dedominicis scored with 19 seconds remaining.

Washington and Lee's Means had the final say, though, scoring the Generals' fourth goal with nine seconds left to play.

The Ephs next to travel to Maine where they will face NES-CAC foe Bates on March 31st and Bowdoin on April 1st.

Williams hangs on to early lead

GOLF from page 16

March 29, 2012

SportsThe Berkshire Beacon

Dick L. SyriacBerkshire Sports Guy

Golfers in Berkshire County are very fortunate. Local linksters have multiple options as to where they can “stick it in the ground,” depending on their intentions and recreational budget.

Yes, I said budget. For the past 30 years or so if a player was a member at a golf or country club, the invoice would show up in the mail and the check would be cut and mailed back that day. That was one bill that you did not want to be tardy with.

Clubs did not recruit members, they just told their existing ones to “get up the cash.” Yes, there would be some attrition, but the waiting list would take care of previous members who have “played through.”

It wasn’t too long ago when de-sirable golf venues in the county had lengthy waiting periods.

When the Rooney family pur-chased Green Mountain Race Track in the late ‘70s, Track Presi-dent Pat Rooney wanted to join Taconic Golf Club in William-stown. He was told he would be placed on a waiting list.

He said, “I own the Pittsburgh Steelers.” Taconic said, “Play your golf in Pittsburgh!”

I can recall when Wahconah Country Club had a three- to four-year period before your number would come up and Taconic, at one period, stopped taking applications because the list was too immense.

In Boston they say the only way to find a parking spot is to buy a parked car.

There was a period in “The Village Beautiful” when the only way to garner a locker at Taconic was to marry an existing member.

The first question asked of a lady at the Purple Pub was no longer “Does your dad own a package store?” but “Excuse me, are you a member at Taconic?”

Let’s fast forward to 2009. The

newspapers are filled with golf membership drives, discounted prices, special offers. Annual tournaments that usually had 10 divisions were now struggling to keep the events alive. The players were just not around or they had other things to do with their spare time and recreational dollar.

I recall 10-12 years ago being at a members meeting at an area country club. A female member expressed her concern that there were too many junior members using the practice green on week-ends and she wanted restrictions put on the kids. Her request was granted. That same club has been running ads for new members for the past few years.

Lack of golfers is a growing concern for all courses.

If a club usually operates on a half-million dollar budget and the revenue stops coming in, that budget will have to be reduced. The members notice that the course is not in its usual pristine condition and start expressing their concerns.

The club tells them they need more money and start bringing in new members at a reduced fee or start bringing in more outside greens fees and now you have people playing your course for less money than you paid and they are drinking beers out of the trunk of their cars and not sup-porting the club. (They also might be beating you in club events and next year they will move on to another course and do the same thing.)

Loyal members always sup-ported the local club profession-al. It appears that you now find these people knocking down the door at Dick’s if they can save a few bucks on a sleeve of balls.

Some area clubs don’t even em-ploy golf professionals anymore. These same clubs used to have a head pro and a couple of assis-tants who would learn their trade

Berkshire Sports Guy

It is finally time to hit the links

The Williams College softball team improved to 5-7 on the season by rolling to victories over MIT (9-2) and Oberlin College (3-2) Monday.

In the win over MIT, the Ephs put a four-spot up in the top of the first and never looked back. Ali Hart got things going by reaching on an error. Theresa Le-gan followed with a single and advanced to second when Hart stole third.

Ally Ensor lined a two-run sin-gle and took second on the throw home. Lindsey Precht followed with an RBI-single. Ali Graeb-ner walked and eventually scored on a passed ball combined with an error on the MIT pitcher.

Williams added two in the third when Merrilee Weston sin-gled home a run and came around to score on an error.

Williams finished with 13 hits, led by Weston who was three for four with an RBI and a run scored.

Hart hit three for five with two runs scored and three stolen bas-es. Ensor was two for three with three RBI and two runs scored. Precht was two for four with an RBI and run scored.

Emma Harrington earned the win, going the first four innings and allowing two hits and two runs, only one earned. She did not walk a batter and struck out

four. Kaitlin Dinet finished up with three hitless and scoreless in-nings of relief.

The Ephs then posted a come-from-behind win over Oberlin, scoring three times in the bottom of the fifth en route to the 3-2 win. Emalie Rott got the start in the circle for Williams, tossing the first 3 1/3 innings and allow-ing six hits, two runs, one earned, while walking two.

Megan Casey earned the win in relief, hurling the final 3 2/3 in-nings and allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out three.

While Casey was shutting Oberlin down, her teammates rallied at the dish. Amanda Cor-renti started the fifth with a single and was sacrificed to second by Rott.

After the second out, which ad-vanced Correnti to third, Hart walked and took second on a wild pitch.

Another wild pitch scored Cor-renti. Legan then singled home Hart to tie the game at two. En-sor and Graebner then produced back-to-back singles, with the lat-ter scoring Legan with what proved to be the winning run.

Williams softball sweeps doubleheader

Senior Allison Hart slides hard into home to get the run for the Ephs.

see GOLF page 15

march 29th issue

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