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Dave Read

Bullard Woods, Lenox, MA

Bullard Woods, Lenox, MA

Sept. 28, 2013 article by

While the Apple Squeeze was underway in the commercial district, we visited the coolest cultural venue in Lenox, the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio, and then took a late afternoon hike through Bullard Woods, which abuts Stockbridge Bowl. It was the sort of early fall day in the Berkshires that attracted old money types in the first place, including the parents of George L. K. Morris, whose ancestor was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Video of Black bears in Bullard Woods

We encountered 4 black bears near the main trail that leads down to Stockbridge Bowl, including 3 cubs that scooted up a tree after hearing the rustle of hikers. The Flip video camera is fun and handy, but we’re considering an upgrade that would enable a closer look at these beautiful animals.

Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio

While Lenox is linked to the Gilded Age, often by errant amateurs who don’t get the joke Mark Twain made when he coined the term, what George L.K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen created was decidedly un-Gilded. It is the first Modern structure to be built in New England, tucked into the hillside below the his parent’s old-world style mansion, Brookhurst.

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Fall hike in Bullard Woods from Lenox to Stockbridge Bowl

Bullard Woods, open to the public and owned by the Stockbridge Bowl Association is accessible from Lenox, MA located near Tanglewood at the conjunction of Hawthorne Rd and Hawthorne St. It is an ideal place for an early fall hike affording views of ancient trees, black bears, and afternoon sun reflecting on Stockbridge Bowl.

Berkshires fall foliage

Berkshires fall foliage events

Article by

Fall foliage in the Berkshires
Fall foliage in the Berkshires
The best time to visit New England in the fall is when there are special events and cultural activities scheduled in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. With climate change and local weather conditions making it impossible to predict with much precision when leaf colors will be at their peak, the fall foliage season in towns popular with tourists and visitors, including Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, West Stockbridge, Williamstown, North Adams, Hancock, and Pittsfield features a variety of Autumn celebrations and events.

Bullard Woods

Bullard Woods Stockbridge BowlWe had an encounter with four black bears during a hike in Bullard Woods near Tanglewood on Sept. 28 and got some video that shows them scampering up a tree. Bullard Woods, just a couple miles from the center of Lenox, is an ideal place to hike during October when the fall foliage around the shore of Stockbridge Bowl reaches the peak of colorful brilliance. Video and photos: Bullard Woods hike

Bartholomew’s Cobble

Bartholomew's CobbleBartholomew’s Cobble is a great place to visit any time of year; if you are planning a fall hike in the Berkshires, this property of the Trustees of Reservations, located just south of Sheffield, offers a wonderful variety things to see and discover along 5 miles of trails on 60 acres that contain the greatest concentration of biodiversity in the country. Video and photos: Bartholomew’s Cobble hike.

September 2013 Berkshires Fall Foliage events

  • Jazz concert – The Parker/Byrd Trio – Fri., Sept. 6, 2013, 8PM – Pittsfield, MA
  • North Adams – Berkshire Food Festival — September 15, 2013 – 12-4pm
  • Lee – Founders’ Weekend — Friday, Sept. 20, 2013
  • Pittsfield – HSV Trail Races – Sept. 21, 2013
  • Lenox – Tub Parade — Noon – Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013
  • Lee – Founders’ Weekend — Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013
  • Lee – Founders’ Weekend — Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013
  • Lenox – Apple Squeeze — All day – Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013
  • Lenox – Apple Squeeze — All day – Saturday, Sept. 29, 2013
  • Pittsfield – Country Fair at Hancock Shaker Village – Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013
  • Pittsfield – Country Fair at Hancock Shaker Village – Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013
  • Lenox – Brock Trot — 7AM registration – Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013
  • Adams – Annual Fall Run to Charlemont — 11AM – Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013

October 2013 Berkshires Fall Foliages events

Bicycle rides, walks, and hiking in the Berkshires

Besides the organized and/or scheduled events listed below, those interested in hiking on their own may find the following post useful for maps and camping information for the Berkshires section of the Appalachian Trail.

Fall theatre in the Berkshires

  • The Beauty Queen of Leenane runs through Sept. 15, 2013 at Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox.
  • Accomplice – Sept. 21 – Nov. 10, 2013 -at Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox.
  • Barrington Stage Co. presents Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah , World Premier by Mark St. Germain, through Sep 29, 2013.
  • Berkshire Theatre Festival schedules Mary and Edith: Musings by Women a Century Apart for a fall run at the Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge – Oct. 4 – 20, 2013.

WordFest 2013 at The Mount

The Mount, in Lenox, has scheduled a series of free readings on Thursdays: September 5, 12, and 19; then Friday September 20 – Literary Death Match!, Saturday, September 21 reading by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mark Strand.

Monty Alexander Trio at Tanglewood

Monty Alexander Trio at Tanglewood

August 25, 2004 performance; by

Monty Alexander Trio in concert Aug. 25, 2013 at Tanglewood's Ozawa Hall Monty Alexander peered out from the Ozawa Hall stage at Tanglewood, saw the auditorium half full, and proceeded to deliver a concert of upbeat and optimistic music to an enthusiastic audience that occupied way less than half the hall. Such is the nature of the Jamaican-born pianist, whose reputation apparently carries insufficient weight in the Tanglewood market, despite a fifty year career, more than 60 albums as a leader, and performance credits with legends of jazz including Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Benny Golson, and Oscar Peterson.

The concert began with a piece that quoted I Got Rhythm, begun by drummer Dennis Mackrel (Obed Calvaire was listed in the program) and bassist Hassan Shakur before Alexander made his entrance. A few minutes later, his composition Look Up seemed to be running alongside the A Train, and the next tune, Just Wait, was written in response to a successful bout with cancer.

Mr. Alexander evinced an easy rapport with the audience, even if he did seem to value his early experience with Sinatra more highly than today’s jazz fan would. And he was as generous with his sidemen as any leader could be. He stood aside while Shakur took a long ambling solo that somehow encountered The Pink Panther along the way. Other familiar tunes heard tonight were Come Fly With Me, Day O, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, and Sweet Georgia Brown.

The BSO was bolder than usual during the 2013 Tanglewood season with its “Popular Artist” programming. Tonight’s program had all the requisite merit on the artistic side, but as with a few earlier events, the marketing effort wasn’t up to par. That is unfortunate because, just as a full house can raise the level of excitement, a nearly empty one can be an un unhappy distraction.

Beethoven’s Ninth closes BSO’s 2013 Tanglewood season

Beethoven’s Ninth closes BSO’s 2013 Tanglewood season

August 25, 2013 performance; by

Maestro Bernard Haitink leads Beethoven's Ninth at Tanglewood.There is an appealing symmetry in the scheduling of Beethoven’s Ninth at Tanglewood; it is the composition chosen 76 years ago by founding maestro Serge Koussevitsky to open the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer sojourn in the Berkshires and now it is almost always* played on the closing program. (*Former music director James Levine opened the 2006 Tanglewood season with Beethoven’s Ninth.)

For today’s concert, with BSO Conductor Emeritus Bernard Haitink leading the BSO, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and soprano Erin Wall, mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford, tenor Joseph Kaiser, and bass-baritone John Relyea, a capacity audience filled the Koussevitsky Music Shed and seven or eight thousand more convened on the Lawn, all on a day when the weather was the sort that makes even the most sullen among us see the sunny side of things.

The performance of Maestro Haitink seemed flawless, as if he were at the pre-emeritus peak of his long career. He commanded the 200+ musicians arrayed before him with an economy of action that nonetheless elicited a banquet of beautiful music. He showed that fury can be conveyed without frenzy.

Today’s performance thwarted my most determined attempt at entering a thought-less state, so that I might simply go with what flows from the stage. The first idea that trotted along was that a setting such as this, the bucolic Berkshires on a splendid summer afternoon, must’ve been put before us so that we could access a tangible, visual analog to these sounds that are rustling our souls. And that was enough to make me quit jotting mental notes. For the balance of today’s 71 minute celebration, I was delighted merely to be marked present. The ovations that followed were joyous and prolonged and included the musicians’ foot stomping salute to Maestro Haitnik.

What to do in the Berkshires

What to do in the Berkshires?

What is there to do in the Berkshires, besides what’s on the schedule at Tanglewood, Jacob’s Pillow, Clark Art, MASS MoCA, Barrington Stage, Shakespeare & Co., Williamstown and Berkshire Theatre Festivals, etc.? Well, there is far more than can reasonably be posted all at once, so we’re going to begin listing events individually right here and updating the post from time to time as warranted.

Jazz concert – The Parker/Byrd Trio – Fri., Sept. 6, 2013, 8PM – Pittsfield, MA

Participating in the First Fridays Artswalk, Pittsfield Sept. 6, 2013, BerkshiresJazz.org presents The Parker/Byrd Trio. The performers include pianist Warren Byrd, drummer Tom Parker, and Dan Broad on bass. The jazz concert will be held at Baba Louie’s Backroom, 34 Depot Street, Pittsfield. Parker/Byrd Trio tickets at BerkshiresJazz.org,; the restaurant of course also makes dinner available separately.

Berkshire Music School – Family Fun Fest Sept. 7, 2013

Berkshire Music School is holding a Family Fun Fest Sat. Sept. 17 from 2 – 4pm, on the lawn of the school, 30 Wendell Ave. in Pittsfield and phone is 413-442-1411. Activities include musical games and an Instrument Petting Zoo!. Get more details: Berkshire Music School.

Bike rides in the Berkshires – September & October

The Berkshire Bike Path Council has announced a couple of upcoming events that are of interest to anybody who want to ride their bicycle in the Berkshires. Their mission is the establishment of a multi-use recreational path of approximately 75 miles that will span Berkshire county from Vermont to Connecticut.

  • Sept 19-22 – Berkshire to Boston Cycling Tour starting at Hancock Shaker Village
  • Oct 6 – Stockbridge Community Ride starting at Stockbridge Town Hall

Fall foliage events

We have just updated our guide to Fall Foliage events in the Berkshires, and will be adding listings as we learn of them.

Yo Yo Ma’s Goat Rodeo Show at Tanglewood

August 15, 2013 performance by

Yo Yo Ma's Goat Rodeo Show at Tanglewood; Hilary Scott photoIf Tanglewood were simply Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, its Tanglewood Music Center and eight or nine weeks of classical music performed by the BSO and their various guest soloists and conductors, we Berkshires locals would have plenty to be grateful for. But it is so much more, for so many reasons, not least of which is that Yo Yo Ma claims it as a sort of home for his seemingly boundless musical explorations. Incidentally, he also has an actual home in the Berkshires. (Goat Rodeo Show at Tanglewood photo: Hilary Scott).

His latest musical trip led to the Goat Rodeo Sessions, the 2011 album he recorded with bsssist Edgar Meyer, fiddler Stuart Duncan, and mandolinist Chris Thile, which won Grammys for Best Folk and Best Engineered non-classical. Both the album and tonight’s show featured singer Aoife O’Donovan, of Crooked Still and Sometymes Why. She reprised No One But You, Here and Heaven, from the album and added a stunning rendition of Bob Dylan’s Farewell, Angelina.

Everybody but Mr. Ma took turns on other instruments; Meyer played piano on Franz and the Eagle, and No One But You; Thile, whose singing blended nicely with Ms. O’Donovan’s, also played fiddle and guitar; Duncan also played banjo. Except that Ma seemed to indicate that Meyer is musical director, the impression from the audience is that these are four musicians equally expert in their own domains and equally excited to be making music with peers, just for the fun of it.

Hotels in the Berkshires

Berkshires hotelsFind hotels near Tanglewood with user reviews, check amenities, nearby attractions, availability and then book your room reservations at these lodging establishments through our partner, International Hotel Solutions (IHS), the leading provider of secure online hotel reservations.

2019 Tanglewood schedule

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has released the schedule for the 2019 season at Tanglewood, which will be remembered for the opening of the Tanglewood Learning Institute, the four buildings overlooking Seiji Ozawa Hall on the Leonard Bernstein camopus.

Music director Andris Nelsons will be present for the month of July, conducting 13 programs, including the world premiere of a new work by Kevin Puts, The Brightness of Light, based on letters of Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz on July 20, and a concert performance of Wagner’s complete Die Walküre on july 27 and 28.