July’s Fun-tunities in the Berkshires
Yahoo! It’s summertime! I feel like a kid again! If I don’t post everything on the calendar, no doubt we’ll miss out on some terrific fun-tunities! For the first time in decades, my family will use the first week of July as a vacation week. Truly! Our agenda is loaded, so here goes….
On Saturday June 30th, son Robert will wear his Cub Scout uniform as we head uptown to historic Wahconah Park for an inter-collegiate baseball game between the Pittsfield Dukes and the Newport Gulls at 7 p.m. It doesn’t stop there—our scout pack has been invited to pitch our tents on the field after the game and overnight.
“Hey Mom! We’ll be on “sacred ground”—remember the greats who have played here?”
Boy! I sure do—Jim Thorpe (1922), Lou Gehrig ( 1924) and Casey Stengle (1925)… not to mention our own pre-Red Sox player Ted Williams (1936), Pittsfield’s Mark Belanger (1965) and of course a personal favorite and a fellow Daltonian, Jeff Reardon (1970s).
“And Robert, don’t forget the big discovery in Pittsfield that took the sports world completely by surprise—an original document located in the archives of the Berkshire Athenaeum prohibiting the playing of baseball.”
“Bye Law, for the Preservation of the Windows in the New Meeting House…No person shall be permitted to play Base ball, Bat ball, Foot ball, Rats Fiver or any other forme or games with Balls within the Distance of Eighty yards from said Meeting House – and every such Person who shall play at any of the said games, shall forfeit five shillings... Monday the 5th day of September 1791”
That pre-dated (1839) Cooperstown, NY!
On July 4th, thanks to my husband’s invitation from the city as the official military representative for the parade review, we’ll have ringside seats in the bandstand at Park Square watching Pittsfield’s Your Hometown Parade. It’s two hours of marching bands, colorful floats, gigantic character balloons and this year’s Grand Marshall—NASA astronaut and Pittsfield native, Stephanie Wilson. It begins at 10 a.m.
Also on July 4th, I think it is important to remember the humble beginnings of America—at 3 p.m. at Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, (and other locations in the Berkshires), we’ll plan to attend a memorable reading of The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. And, speaking of this incredible theater company, we’ll plan an evening there beginning with a picnic, followed by their hilarious Bankside Festival—Elizabethan merriment and tomfoolery—concluding with Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I think Robert will quickly learn how Shakespeare’s fertile imagination plays wonderful tricks within an enchanted forest.
The Norman Rockwell Museum’s summer programs featuring art workshops for kids look wonderful too. But the one I’ll take my family to is on July 7th in the afternoon—Baseball: America’s Favorite Pastime. There kids can meet an All-Star pitcher, join in a musical program for baseball lovers, plus watch a vintage baseball game similar to the way it was played in 1886—as Robert’s voice echoes, “Way cool Mom!”
Tuesday, July 10, Tanglewood features the Boston Pops playing music from Carousel. Since family from Virginia will be in town we’ll treat them to a Berkshires tradition—a picnic on the lawn followed by pure enjoyment listening to vocals and music under a night sky. There’s nothing like it!
The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, has captured my curiosity for Friday, July 13 when the American Boychoir performs at 7 p.m. Although Robert has enjoyed singing in our church’s choral choir, it’ll be an enlightening experience to watch boys in grades 5-8 from around the country sing in this cultural setting. Hmm, I better reserve our tickets PDQ!
MASS MoCA, North Adams is also on our calendar for mid-July (July 16 & 17) when the Kidspace gallery, with the help of musicians from Bang on a Can, will conduct classes where children explore methods for creating their own musical instrument with found objects. Concerts for kids are set for July 21 at 11a.m. Be sure to check the age appeal for your family.
If that’s not enough for us, on July 28th we’ll join the 75th Anniversary celebration at Jacob’s Pillow, Becket—we will be participating in their annual Community Day, a free event where dance steps are learned by all ages—no experience necessary! I’d also like to watch Mimulus from Brazil – wild, imaginative dance combining samba, tango, ballroom and contemporary movement! No doubt, Harry and Robert will enjoy that too!