There are not many rehearsals left for the Berlin High School Drama Club as it prepares for the District-wide production of The Wizard Of Oz. Twenty-four Munchkins from Berlin Elementary School will sing and dance across the stage at Berlin High School on Friday and Saturday, March 15 and 16, at 7 pm. The Munchkins will be wearing special shoes created for them by Allison Kirby.
Middle School students hold roles as Munchkins, Guards and Ozians while the leads and supporting cast are from Berlin High School. The cast is anchored by Clarice Derosia as Dorothy, Nick Edwards as the Lion, Connor Brown as the Scarecrow and Cody Seel as the Tinman. AnneMarie Guerdan lights up the stage with her explosive performance as the Wicked Witch while Lacie D’Alessio has a soothing effect in her role as Glinda.
Reserved seats are not necessary but can be ordered by calling Maureen Seel at 658-3325. Tickets cost $6 for adults, $4 for students and a family max ticket costs $25. Families are encouraged to bring their child’s car or booster seat to make the show more kid friendly.
Turn In Your Sports Uniform
BCS Athletic Director Art Schmich announced that all sports uniforms should be turned in by this Friday, March 1, to him or to the student’s coach.
The Berkshire Glass Works At The SHS
Authors Julie L. Sloan and William J. Patriquin will give an illustrated talk, “The Berkshire Glass Works,” at the Stephentown Historical Society meeting on Monday, March 4, at 7:30 pm. The meeting will be at the Stephentown Heritage Center on Garfield Road, Stephentown. It is free and open to the public. The building is handicapped accessible. For directions or information, phone 518-733-0010.
The purity of the sand found in northern Berkshire County provided The Berkshire Glass Company with an excellent resource for over fifty years of glass making in Berkshire Village, a section of Lanesborough, MA. From its first cylinders of glass blown in 1853, the company’s work grew by leaps and bounds until it was producing 3,000 square feet of glass by 1855. Berkshire Glass Company made regular window glass and colored glass for stained glass windows. The company’s business suffered during the Civil War, but it came out of the strife stronger than ever.
Patriquin and Sloan are experts in the field of stained glass, lifelong residents of Berkshire County and authors of the book The Berkshire Glass Works. They will have copies of that book for sale at $22. William Patriquin, a former biomedical technician, navy diver and chief petty officer has worked as a professional stained glass restorer since 1997. Julie L. Sloan is a conservator and stained glass consultant with an M.S. in Historic Preservation from Columbia University. She is the author of “Conservation of Stained Glass in America” among many other publications on stained glass and its restoration. Their talk will cover a wide range of topics, from manufacturing to architectural art of the times and social history of the community.
They will bring samples of some of the glass produced by the Berkshire Glass Company. Any examples of glass produced in Rensselaer County’s own Glass Lake factory would be welcomed.
New Hours At The Berlin Community Food Closet
Effective March 1, the Berlin Community Food Closet (BCFC) will operate during new hours. The BCFC will be open from 11 am until 12 pm on the first Friday and the last Monday of each month. People in need of food assistance other times throughout the month should phone BCFC Coordinator Trisha Gerstel at 658-3769 to make arrangements for a pick up.
Housed at the Berlin Seventh Day Baptist Church’s Maxson Fellowship Hall on North Main Street, the BCFC provides in-need individuals and families with complete meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner for three days. More information about the Food Closet is available on the Church’s website at http://www.berlinsdb.org/.
Berkshire Musician Tor Krautter To Perform At The New Lebanon Library
Berkshire musician and songwriter Tor Krautter will perform at the New Lebanon Library on Thursday, March 7, at 6:30 pm. With the use of a looping unit, Rev Tor creates infectious guitar grooves and performs a large repertoire of well crafted original tunes and classic rock/folk covers.
Krautter (aka Rev Tor) is best known as front man for the popular Rev Tor Band. Since the early 90s he has been a powerful presence on the east coast club and festival circuit, performing in venues from Maine to Florida. Rev Tor has worked with members of The Grateful Dead, Phish, The Allman Brothers and New Riders Of The Purple Sage and has performed at concerts with The Jerry Garcia Band, Los Lobos and Leon Russell and has toured regularly with Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten.
This event is free and open to the public, although donations for the performer are welcome.
For further information, please call the Library at 518-794-8844. The Library is located at 550 State Route 20, ¼ mile north of the yellow blinking light at the intersection of Routes 20/22.
15th Annual Corned Beef And Cabbage Dinner
The Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department will hold an all you can eat corned beef, cabbage and more dinner on Saturday, March 9, in the Stephentown Fire Hall, 35 Grange Hall Road in Stephentown. The doors will open at 4 pm and close at 7 pm.
Take-out dinners will be available.
Adult and take-out dinners cost $10, $6 for children aged 6 to 10 and free for youth aged 5 and under. No advance registration is required.
Grafton Fire Dept. And Ladies Auxiliary Corned Beef Dinner
The Grafton Fire Department and Ladies Auxiliary are sponsoring a corned beef dinner on Saturday, March 16, at the Grafton VFW/Fire Hall on South Road in Grafton. The dinner starts at 4 pm and lasts until sold out. The cost is $11 per plate, $6 per plate for kids 12 and under.
Darrow To Host Winter One-Act Plays And Art Gallery Reception
On Friday, March 1, at 7:30 pm and Saturday, March 2, at 3:30 pm the Darrow Theater Workshop will present its traditional winter production of one-act plays. Both performances will take place in the Darrow School Theater and are free and open to the public.
According to Will McGreal, Darrow’s Director of Performing Arts, this year’s one-acts include seven individual plays – three directed by students – expressing a range of comedic and dramatic themes. The themes include a melodramatic work about swimming the English Channel, the chance meeting of two Holocaust survivors, two best friends coming to terms over preparing food for a party, a flip-flop of celebrity and fan club personalities, a sweet turn in a relationship at a bookstore, a strange mix of opinions about the future and a surreal look at time travel. This season’s production will include a few musical numbers to liven the evening’s entertainment.
“Student directors will use the skills they honed in last year’s Scene Study class to direct three of this year’s plays,” said McGreal, who produced the plays along with faculty member Andrew Barnett, Music Program Director. “They are in charge of everything from script analysis, to set design, to rehearsals. The Directors’ efforts are complemented by other student positions, such as the artistic designer, lighting designer, costume crew manager and production manager.”
Local Darrow students participating in the production include Julia Reynolds ’14 of Richmond, MA, Maia Beckwith ’15 of Stephentown, NY, Dan Cavanaugh ’14 of Slingerlands, NY, Oakley Frost ’15 of Dalton, MA, Nat Gable ’13 of Castleton, NY, Maria Laureyns ’14 of Pittsfield, MA, Noa Naftali ’13 of New Lebanon, NY, and Ben Warren ’13 and Zac Warren ’14 of Lee, MA.
In conjunction with the plays, Darrow’s Joline Arts Center will host a free reception and exhibition of student artwork, by students in classes that include digital photography, drawing, painting, 3d design, and furniture design. The reception and exhibition will be open on Friday, March 1, from 6:30 to 7:25 pm. The Joline Arts Center’s galleries will also be open following Saturday’s performance, beginning at 4:30 pm.
For more information, please call 518-794-6000.
Grafton VFD And Ladies Auxiliary March Breakfast
The Grafton Volunteer Fire Department along with the Grafton Ladies Auxiliary will be holding an All You Can Eat Buffet Breakfast on Saturday, March 30, from 8 to 11 am at the Grafton VFW – Fire Hall on South Road (County Route 85).
Belgian waffles, pancakes, French toast, eggs (made to order), sausage gravy & biscuits, bacon, sausage, home fries, toast, orange juice, coffee and milk are on the menu. The cost is $9 per adult, $4 for kids 12 and under and free for kids five and under.
We look forward to serving you.
March Events At The New Lebanon Library
The New Lebanon Library will present the following March events. All of these events are free, open to the public and will take place at the Library, which is located at 550 State Route 20.
• March 1 – Linda Worster in Concert – 6 pm. This is an evening of exceptional acoustic music that explores the joy of inner discovery.
• March 3 – New Lebanon Book Group – 11 am. The book to be discussed is Lamb in Love by Carrie Brown. Newcomers are welcome.
• March 6, 13, 20, 27 (event is on Wednesdays) – Tales for Tots Story Hour – 10:30 am. Story hour includes crafts, songs and movement activities.
• March 6, 13, 20, 27 (event is on Wednesdays) – Hug-A-Bye Babies – noon. There will be age appropriate stories, songs and movement activities for our youngest patrons and their caregivers.
• March 7 – Tor Krautter in concert – 6:30 pm. He will play acoustic folk and rock.
• March 8 – Family Movie Night – 6:30 pm. Come enjoy a free screening of a current film suitable for the whole family. Please call for title.
• March 14 – Positive Images of Women in Norman Rockwell’s Work – 7 pm. This is a Women’s History Month presentation by Tom Daly, Curator of Education at the Norman Rockwell Museum.
• March 15 – The Limbshakers in Concert – 6:30 pm. This is an evening of jazz and swing standards.
• March 21 – Family Craft Night – 6:30 pm. This is an activity for ages five and up, although younger siblings are welcome. All materials will be provided.
• March 22 – Divinitress in Concert – 7 pm. This is an acoustic folk/rock duo.
• March 23 – Paws to Read – 9 am. Therapy dogs come to the Library, and children read to their furry friends. And, of course, the dogs listen! Please call 518-794-8844 to register.
• March 28 – Community Film Night – 6:30 pm. There will be a showing of a current documentary film with a discussion to follow. Call for title.
• March 29 – David Grover in Concert – 7 pm. Spend an evening of acoustic music with the incomparable David Grover.
For further information on any of these events, please contact Jeannie Bogino at 518-794-8844.