Happening this Week
RUTH REICHL: SAVE ME THE PLUMS
May 10th, Friday, 5 - 7PM
Former Gourmet Magazine editor-in-chief, Top Chef judge and overall food all-star, Ruth Reichl will be reading from her newest book Save Me the Plums. The book is a warm, hilarious recounting of her path to running Gourmet Magazine. She offers delightful anecdotes such as her discovery of an issue of the magazine in a used bookstore at age eight while exploring the neighborhoods of New York with her father. A conversation and Q&A session will follow the reading. Call to reserve a copy of the book. Free.
Chatham Bookstore. 27 Main Street. Chatham NY. 518.392.3005.
While in Chatham discover our favorite things!
BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN:
BE-A-BETTER-GARDENER PLANT SALE
May 10th & 11th, Friday & Saturday, 9AM - 5PM
Every Mother’s Day weekend since 1977, the Plants and Answers Be-a-Better-Gardener Sale has served as a harbinger of spring for gardeners both in the Berkshires and beyond. This year’s sale includes more than 180 species/cultivars of native plants; more than 1,000 plants displayed by preferred conditions; an array of tropicals and vines; organic vegetable and herb plants. BBG staff and expert volunteers will be on hand to answer any design and gardening questions and, new this year, there will be a Plants-and-Answers Q&A booth staffed by the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association. Free.
Berkshire Botanical Gardens. 5 West Stockbridge Road. Stockbridge MA. 413.298.3926
While in Stockbridge discover our favorite things!
PLAYWORKS WEEKEND: STAGED READING SERIES
May 10th - 12th, Friday - Sunday, times vary
Be there from the very beginning during a weekend of staged readings of brand new plays. From Brent Askari, a riveting thriller, American Underground, tells the story of an interracial couple who is visiting with their college-aged son when a young Muslim woman arrives at their door looking for safe passage via a new Underground Railroad. Askari presents a stark vision of an unapologetic America. Citizen Scientist, written by Christina Quintana, explores the meeting of an actuary and an astronomer who are both searching for exoplanets and battling recent losses. When they discover a planet they reflect on what it means to be present here on earth. And the final piece, Grant & Twain is the story of Ulysses Grant’s attempt to reverse his financial ruin by writing a memoir. In steps his friend Mark Twain who offers to publish the book and make it the biggest-seller in American history. Unfortunately, Grant’s cancer diagnosis leads Grant to write his life’s story while in a race with death. $15 per reading, $30 for all three.
Barrington Stage Company. St. Germain Stage. 36 Linden Street. Pittsfield MA. 413.236.8888
THOREAU’S LAST LECTURE:
FALL COLOR IN THE AUTUMN OF LIFE
May 11th, Saturday, 4PM
Join David K. Leff—author, essayist, Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and former deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection—for this slide-illustrated talk he gave at the 2018 Thoreau Society Annual Gathering to rave reviews. When suffering with his final illness, Henry David Thoreau journeyed to Waterbury CT to deliver the last lecture of his life in December 1860 and the only lecture of his life in Connecticut. Thoreau talked of “Autumnal Tints,” speaking evocatively of the beauty of the trees as well as the role of fallen leaves in the life cycle. Leff will illuminate the meaning of this lecture to Thoreau’s legacy and what it says about Thoreau’s every-evolving views. Free.
Douglas Library. 108 West Main Street. Canaan CT. 860.824.7863
While in Canaan discover our favorite things!
BASILICA FARM & FLEA SPRING MARKET
May 11th & 12th, Saturday & Sunday, 10AM - 6PM
Born as an alternative to big box Black Friday in 2013, the Basilica Farm & Flea Market is a unique blend of timeless market, 21st century artisan and design fair and food festival. The 10,000 square feet of raw space is filled with everything from artisan cheese to one-of-a-kind and vintage jewelry to handmade backgammon boards. It’s the only market of this size anywhere in the region and is an incredible display of the creative talents who make this area home. $5.
Basilica Hudson. 110 South Front Street. Hudson NY.