Around 250 million years ago the Super Continent Pangaea broke apart along the Appalachian Rift from Iceland to the Canary Islands to form the North Atlantic Continents that we have in place today. From the air, some of these Continents fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and other sections are less obvious. Mount Greylock is located along the Appalachian Mountains and is a part of the Surviving Scar Tissue of the Pangaea Break and it and Morocco were once connected.

So there is some Science behind why J.K. Rowling selected certain Locations for her various Witchcraft Schools around the world. In Northern Spain there is evidence that this Scar Tissue Region was home to 400,000 year old European Hominin. Thousands of years ago, it was this Geologic Scar Tissue that provided the Best Weapons and Tools for various Native Tribes in North America. When the Vikings left Scandinavia around 500AD, they set up Settlements along some of this Scar Tissue in Ireland, Iceland, Greenland and North America. The Low Grade Uranium found in some of this Scar Tissue is thought to be the main reason that UFOs are spotted from time to time along the International Appalachian Trail (IAT). There is something Mystical about this Scar Tissue.

As it turns out, Witches and the Paranormal have been a key part of the Berkshire Story since being organized in 1761 and in MA since the Mayflower prepared for her voyage to the New World in 1620. There is a good chance that a Witch or two joined the Mayflower’s passenger list including the 17-year-old Irish Witch Isolt Sayre. Some believe it was the Witches on

board who steered the Mayflower to Plymouth Rock, MA instead of the original target destination of Virginia.

Also, while the last Witches were being hung in England, the first ones were being hung in Salem Village. Curiously, in January 2016, two things took place. First, the Salem, MA Gallows Hill Project Team finally announced that after hundreds of years of conflicting views as to where the hangings took place, using the latest scientific tools, a site near Salem’s Proctor Street has officially been determined to be the “Witch Memorial Land.” During this same month, J.K. Rowling released “A History of Magic in North America” which announced that the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would be located in MA. Coincidence?

Local Community Boosters in Adams came up with the plan of a Faerie Festival which took place on 25 June 2016. Even though this successful Festival brought in more than 2,000 Visitors, Faeries aren’t a threat the same way Witches and Wizards are to Witch Rowena Ravenclaw. And there was almost a problem as Williamstown Resident Richard Tavelli was dressed as a Wizard, but isn’t one. Then, on 28 June 2016 J.K. Rowling was cleared to

announce that the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is to be located in Adams, MA.

The reality is that the Harry Potter Franchise, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, etc. are controlled by very heavy corporate hitters such as J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore, Comcast, Universal Studios and Warner Bros. They and their Attorneys will be exploring Business Opportunities and at the same time Protecting Vigorously their Franchises, Trade Names, Trade Marks, etc.

At the same time, the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and a host of other organizations are rightly very protective of their Parks and Trails and are unlikely to allow Any Commercial Construction on their Mount Greylock Lands. But the Foothills to the East, North and West present opportunities. The most logical Site is Adams’ Greylock Glen.

Since the 1960s, these 770 Acres+ have been proposed as a Ski Resort with Tramway, an Amusement Park, Convention Center, 740 Condominiums, an MGM Grand Casino in the 1980s, etc. These Projects didn’t happen for a variety of reasons.

Witches to save the Berkshires Hogwarts reconnects to ancient sites along the International Appalachian TrailBy Ralph Brill

August 2016 www.greylockindependent.com $1.00

continued on page 2

Hogwart’s Castle, Northern Scotland © J.K. Rowling, Pottermore Ltd.

Page 2 The Greylock Independent August 2016continued from page 1Hogwarts’ Witch Rowena Ravenclaw will claim credit for providing a now Shovel Ready Site attached to Mount Greylock. The Town of Adams has prepared some Provisional Designated Developer Agreements, so the timing is perfect now for J.K. Rowling’s Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to take place before our eyes.

The reality is that The Berkshires is reinforcing its place as this country’s Seasonal Cultural Disneyland. Our neighbors in Western MA and the Albany Area are where the Advanced Technology Jobs are being created. As opposed to the $100 per person Disneyland Entrance Ticket, there is No Fee to enter The Berkshires. Most of The Berkshires’ Cultural Offerings, however, do require an Entrance Fee, so the $100 can be achieved over a 2-day visit. From North to South, we have a great mix of World Class Art Museums, Theater, Music and Film Festivals, Nature Parks, Local Food Adventures, etc. So, Ilvermorny has a good fit as it finds itself in the Town of Adams which is in need of economic development and has the potential of attracting 500,000 Visitors a year.

If each one of those Visitors leaves behind $100 that could translate into $50 Million of Economic Stimulus in a section of the Region that has been bypassed since the days when Warren Buffet owned the Berkshire Mills.

Hogwarts in Northern Scotland attracts Tours, but it is low key with Castles and Glens (https://www.youtube.com/watch?=gBB7KNm3scE). The opportunity for Ilvermorny in Adams could be more like The Shire in New Zealand. The Movie Set for The Hobbit was rebuilt on a 1,250 Acre Sheep Farm. The developed site consists of only around 10 Acres and includes The Shire, Restaurants, Gift Shops and Hotel. The Shire claims to attract 350,000 Visitors a year and is located in the Agricultural Town of Matamata which has a population of around 7,500.

Universal Studios has Harry Potter™ and Hogwarts™ Theme Parks in Orlando, FL and Hollywood, CA that attract Many Hundreds of Thousands of Visitors. It is possible that Universal might want to follow the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to The Berkshires with huge Financial and Environmental Impact Issues. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= rTCqXu-HhiU)

Is there enough Infrastructure to support what size Project in Adams? Hopefully, more front end planning will go into any Ilvermorny Project than has gone into the Proposed

Western Gateway Model Railroad Project. With No Serious Job Creation Plan Beyond Low Paid Tourism Workers, The Berkshires is our Disneyland. Gov. Charlie Baker just cut 50% of the MA Cultural Council’s Budget. That Unfriendly gesture isn’t going to help The Berkshires. Also, the Millions of Dollars in Ilvermorny Sales Income will be wired to Comcast’s headquarters in Philadelphia. Better if All Shops took in BerkShares!

By the way, the Scottish Tourism Officials have informed me that about one in five Tourists who visit Scotland, want to see the various Harry Potter Movie Locations. This will bring in New Tourists to The Berkshires. Good or Bad?[Ed. The capitalization style in this article, is the author’s.] [For the complete pdf version of this article, including images, go to greylockindependent.com.]

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I think a great story would be to contact all the owners/licensees of the radio stations in our Greylock region and ask them—what are they doing to serve the Greylock region with important civic news and information, and locally produced entertainment? And what might be possible if they collaborated? With current technology, most of these stations stream live on the Internet, which means each could carry the other’s programming in realtime, or on a podcast basis. That wasn’t fully true until a few years ago. What would happen if the same news and information were shared in Bennington on WBTN, in Williamstown on WCFM and in North Adams on WMNB-LP, or WJJW?

Here are the present options for listening to radio in our region:

In the last year, two new radio stations have gone on the air in North Adams:

-- New England Public Radio, now based in Springfield, but originally set up as Five College Radio based at and licensed to UMass-Amherst. NEPR put on the air a new 3,000-watt station from atop the Hairpin Turn in North Adams, and broadcasts news and information from National Public Radio (NPR) and other sources, at 98.9 MHz.

-- Northern Berkshire Community Television (similar to WilliNet), the non-profit that programs public-access programming on Time Warner Cable in North Adams, went on the air with WNMB-LP, at 107.1 MHz, which reaches just barely into the eastern part of Williamstown, unless you have a very sensitive FM receiver.

There are two local student-run radio stations—WJJW-FM at MCLA (91.1) has a signal that reaches pretty well throughout Williamstown, and WCFM at Williams College (91.9) also reaches into North Adams.

There is still a commercial AM station in North Adams—WMNB-AM, 1230, which barely reaches into Williamstown at night, but is strong in the daytime. The earlier WMNB-FM, a rather powerful regional FM station in North Adams, was, like WMNB-AM, owned by the Thurston family and passed into chain ownership, now just rebroadcasting the same programming as Pittsfield’s WUPE. WMNB-AM is barely staffed locally and most of what it does comes out of Pittsfield.

Up in Bennington, the only local station is WBTN-AM 1370 MHz, a nonprofit that has a signal that does reach weakly into Williamstown during the daytime, but not at all at night.

WJJW at MCLA and WCFM at Williamstown tend not to be on the air when school is out of session, and their schedules are erratic and mostly music-driven. But right now,

as I write at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday night, music is available 24/7 via Internet streaming, while WJJW 91.1 and WCFM 91.9 are not on the air. What a waste of the public airwaves!

One suggestion for WJJW 91.1 and WCFM 91.9: The trustees of Williams College and MCLA are the license holders for broadcasting on 91.9 and 91.1, respectively. Have they considered turning over those frequencies to a single nonprofit that could make different and perhaps better use of the public airwaves? Maybe an ownership change isn’t even needed—perhaps just a management agreement.

One other point of information: When the FCC granted New England Public Radio (NEPR) permission to use 98.9 for its strong station WNNI—which reaches well south of Pittsfield and into Bennington, VT, they didn’t locate a studio in their coverage area. Instead, they located an office alone, in Pittsfield, not Adams where the frequency is licensed, and not North Adams where the broadcast tower is located. Is the FCC satisfied with that arrangement? And how can they operate for the sake of “public convenience and necessity” as the FCC requires, if they don’t have any human presence or locally originated programming in the Greylock region?

I sent some of these questions to Martin Miller, CEO and General Manager of New England Public Radio, and received from him the following helpful explanation: that New England Public Radio never promised to put a studio in Berkshire County but did hire a Berkshire County reporter (Adam Frenier), have hired Berkshire Community College interns as part of an agreement with the college which provides bureau space in Pittsfield for recording interviews. Also, the FCC granted NEPR a studio waiver, with the understanding that the station provide a public service through coverage of Berkshire County. Finally, he pointed out that the three present NEPR Network News stations plus their six news and music stations pretty much cover all of Berkshire County, although they’d love better coverage in the Great Barrington area.

I replied to Martin Miller with the following:As a WFCR board-op alum (1974-1975), I’m

delighted by the new services in the Berkshires that you are providing—a big improvement. What are the chances that you could originate local programming to just the Berkshire stations anytime soon—for example, extended, Berkshire-focused news cutaways, or a weekly or even daily talk or interview service? These are the sorts of things that might be on the air if these licenses were held by a Berkshire-based NGO—if, and of course the big if, it could be sustained through local underwriting and philanthropy. If you had a

What's happening with radio in the Greylock region? Are we overserved, or underserved? Would collaboration among the operators be useful?By Bill Densmore

continued on page 4

Page 4 The Greylock Independent August 2016

collaboration agreement with WJJW at MCLA, you could use that studio to do so, and perhaps some of their journalism students, without any infrastructure cost other than a switch at the tower location that could cut back and forth between Springfield/Amherst and North Adams studios.

In Worcester, when WICN went on the air in about 1970, it had studios at both Holy Cross College and WPI –and switched between them frequently and seamlessly during the broadcast day. You must be able to do that now between Amherst and Springfield. So how about between North Adams/WJJW and the full-license station in Adams/North Adams?) Wouldn’t that be a great way to meet your local programming promise to the FCC and represent important collaboration among state public higher education institutions?

I hope someone can work on these issues. I would be happy to provide leads and information. For example, Steve Long, who I think is on the board of directors at WBTN now (at least he was a year ago), is a former top administrator at MCLA. He would be a key person to talk to regarding the possibility of collaboration. And at Williams, I would try to track down whoever the current student head of the radio station is and ask if WCFM would be willing to allow the simulcast of programming from either WMNB-LP or WBTN during times when students aren’t on the air. This would create a constant signal at 91.9, WCFM’s frequency.

Bill Densmore is Consulting Fellow / Reynolds Journalism Institute and Board Member, Journalism That Matters. c/o Densmore Associates, Williamstown, Mass.

continued from page 3

You're invited to bring ideas on Aug. 11, 2016Be Part of the Greylock Economy Working Group

The Berkshires have always been a center of creativity. Until late in the 20th century, our region contributed literary, spiritual and industrial ideas to a growing nation—and attracted thousands of prosperous city dwellers, and aspiring immigrants, to build and work in factories.

But industrial economics has not favored us. Thousands and thousands of jobs are gone, forcing generations to look elsewhere for work. Housing, mills and stores built for many more people now languish. Meanwhile, this land continues to inspire us, and to offer promise to a new generation of farmers and environmental stewards. Information technology is forging a new closeness with the nation’s business, academic and entrepreneurial heartbeats. And green, local, cultural investments are sparking new excitement. Are you ready to take on the local, sustainable, creative-economy challenge?

• What are our unique cultural, economic and environmental values and assets?

• Where are the 21st-century entrepreneurs to capitalize on them?

• How do we invite them to join us, to prosper and sustain the best of the Greylock Region—Adams, North Adams and Williamstown?

• How do we begin an affordable and shared-housing renaissance?

• What about transportation, community media, civic- and career-based education?

• How do we make sure a new economy works for all of us, including those with health and education needs?

Please join the

Thurs., Aug. 11, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.The Greylock Mill, 508 State Road, North Adams

Co-conveners include Bill Densmore and Tela Zasloff, The Greylock Independent and Sarah Gardner and Beth Goodman, Northern Berkshire Green Drinks.

Special thanks to GreylockWORKS for opening their event space.

For Pre-Registration (required) and for more information about this gathering, go to http://www.greylockcreative.org. You can also email news@greylockindependent.com

Join facilitated, circle-round, “open space” discussion around this convening question: “What’s possible if we balance idealism with practical ideas to make good things happen?” We propose an informal, unaffiliated collaboration of citizens. We’ll meet periodically and assist existing groups and initiatives—government and private, business, social, cultural, spiritual, inclusive and welcoming. We mean to foster business that matters, ventures that put employees, community and the environment on par with profits. Come help start a Greylock economic revolution.

[See greylockindependent.com site for related readings.]

Page 5 The Greylock Independent August 2016

College Reunions By Harry Montgomery

Living in Williamstown, a college town, one’s own college town, means there’s not far to go for Reunions. Nor any easy getaway. They’re almost inescapable, not least at the college that invented alumni associations and reunions. These were key survival stratagems of beleaguered Williams students, graduates, and faculty after the notorious coup of 1821. Zephaniah Swift Moore, its president, had defected with much of the faculty to Amherst to found a new college in the more populous Connecticut River Valley.

On June 11 this year, the 194th annual meeting of the Williams Society of Alumni, heralded by bagpipes and the Sheriff, was held in Chandler Gym. The College has 29,000 alumni world-wide. I was there with many of the 1,850 attending this year’s Reunion, Classes of 1941 through 2016. My earlier attendance record at Reunions was not good, since I was among those too far away or too busy to attend. I did make one while still gainfully employed, my 20th. But I earned lots of stars for attendance from my 45th onward.

I’ve had a long if sometimes tenuous Williams connection. A scholarship student-athlete, my father believed in loyalty and payback. (He fought two world wars, with his Williams years wrapped around the first.) And, with coeducation since the mid-1970s, one daughter opted for Williams, making me the middle link in a legacy chain. Looking for an interesting and affordable place to retire, I came back to Williamstown with its abundance of free culture. Now classmates know we have spare beds. Also, taking on the note-compiling job of Secretary for the Class of 1954, I’ve become a close observer of the College.

How we view any phenomenon such as Reunions, is perforce subjective, a function of our times and its culture. But we develop a point of view. There is a predictable and observable shift in attitudes and relationships over time within class cohorts. Early meetings are marked by competitiveness and mutual appraisals of comparative success, including marital. These mindsets diminish and shift by the 30th reunion (my daughter just had hers). By the 40th, reunions almost become tableaux from the “Peaceable Kingdom” painting by Edward Hicks. One-time bigots and

bullies as well as the jocks are happily sharing the shade with once shunned and scarcely known geeks and others we now might put under the rubric of LGBTs. The serendipity then is getting to really know those interesting classmates who somehow had lived in other campus silos, segregated by housing or major.

Reunions serve both graduates and their institutions. Along with Alumni Funds, they are major fund-raising tools for private colleges like Williams. Fiftieth Reunions are landmark affairs for College fund-raising, again marshalling competitive spirits, but now for the collectivity of the Class, particularly its 10-year take versus those of earlier classes. Development officers spend over a year laying the groundwork. Some arms may be twisted by class leaders and purses emptied the night before the Annual Meeting of the Alumni Association.

Viola! A bigger and better Class gift.Until recently, post-50th classes became the Old

Guard. But that was based upon old demographics and life expectancy. While never promising life-long room and board, such as the French accord to long-serving veterans in Paris’ Les Invalides, the College has always treated us post-50ths kindly. I think we’re now called the Greylocks. And October Mini-Reunions give us a second annual shot at camaraderie.

Well over 50% of my classmates remain active. But the calendar and clock are relentless. Back at the Annual Meeting, and the special 50th-plus lunch that follows, I see, up front, four happy warrior friends from the Class of 1941. This is the image I’ll keep of the 2016 Reunions.

williams.edu

Page 6 The Greylock Independent August 2016

Four candidates are running in the September 8 Primary for Ben Downing's seat in the Massachusetts State Senate. They explain why they are running

Benjamin Downing, State Senator for Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden Districts, is not running for re-election. There are three candidates running for his seat in the Democratic primary on Sept.8—Rinaldo Del Gallo, Andrea C. Harrington, and Adam G. Hinds. One candidate, Christine Canning, is running unopposed for that seat in the Republican primary. Voters will make their choice in the General Election in November. The Greylock Independent has asked each candidate to send in a brief statement explaining why they are running.

RINALDO DEL GALLOI am running a Bernie Sanders-

style progressive campaign and will fight to take the Sanders revolution local. America is the richest nation in the world, yet we have a crumbling infrastructure, sky-high state college tuition, a disappointing lack of investment in green energy, a low minimum wage, and tremendous wealth inequality. For years, I’ve fought relentlessly to bring progressive change to this district. One of my opponents just moved here two years ago. The other has been here for a decade but has been nearly invisible.

I have been here since the turn of the century, fighting for countless causes in a highly visible manner.

I have been a columnist in the local papers, helped pave the way for bans on Styrofoam and single-use plastic bags in Pittsfield, Lee, Lenox, Adams and Williamstown, passed farm animal rights legislation in Pittsfield, been the spokesperson of the Berkshire Fatherhood Coalition, and ran a free legal clinic and performed countless pro bono work. I have been involved in numerous First Amendment cases and in local zoning issues, including part of a legal effort to stop time shares from coming to a local camp.

I support small business, the backbone of the middle class, including opposing the construction of a super Wal-Mart in Pittsfield. I have proposed a campaign spending limit to my opponents, but my opponents would not agree to such a limit. In the state senate I would fight the devastating impact of corporate greed on our district and bring positive change. DelGalloforStateSenate.com 413-445-6789

ANDREA HARRINGTONI am running for State Senate

because Western Massachusetts needs a bold, progressive leader who understands the triumphs and challenges of our region. As a small business owner, parent, and attorney, I have the unique experience to make meaningful impacts in office.

I grew up in the Berkshires where my family has been for generations—as rank and file employees at Sprague Electric and GE, and as farmers, carpenters, and housekeepers. Thanks to my parents’ hard work, I have had opportunities that they did not enjoy. I graduated from Pittsfield public schools and became the first person in my family to graduate from college and then law school.

Too often it seems that the legislature ignores our region. Half of our communities do not have access to broadband internet. Recently, we came together to fight the construction of a fracked gas pipeline, and we’re still fighting for equitable access to healthcare and addressing an opioid epidemic disproportionately devastating lives in our region.

I ask for your vote so I can promote environmental sustainability and make our communities safer and

continued on page 7

Page 7 The Greylock Independent August 2016

healthier to live in. I will fight to make sure our teachers and public schools are receiving the full funding they deserve. I look forward to using my experience as a small business owner to grow our economy and encourage greater regional collaboration. And, I will advocate for the creation of drug courts to prioritize treatment over incarceration for non-violent drug offenders.

To learn more about my priorities, visit www.andreaforsenate.com.

ADAM HINDSNorthern Berkshire County is

poised for resurgence, while many challenges remain. Now is the time to build on our proud tradition and create a proactive vision that propels our region and inspires others to join.

I am currently the Executive Director of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, based in North Adams. At the Coalition we focus on confronting community challenges collectively. Whether addressing access to health, jobs or the opioid epidemic, we prioritize bringing people together to get things done.

That is the approach I will bring to ensure that burgeoning opportunity in the region—as envisioned through the “cultural corridor” from Williamstown through Adams and other towns—is realized. I will draw on my nearly ten years involved in negotiations in the Middle East for the United Nations, to forcefully advocate for our unique needs. We need a strong voice in Boston.

I am running to ensure our needs related to jobs and workforce development and education funding reform are prioritized. I am running to ensure the heroin epidemic is addressed with urgency. I am running to accelerate the transition to green energy in the county and the Commonwealth.

Former Congressman John Olver endorsed my candidacy recently and said, “I naturally want to see

another progressive champion take up the mantle of representation in Western Massachusetts. Adam Hinds is the candidate to do that. He has a demonstrated commitment to social and economic justice.”

Join me on September 8th. For more information visit AdamHinds.org or write to connect@adamhinds.org.

CHRISTINE CANNINGOver the past 30 years, I have

worked to change a law, serve on boards and commissions, and run two SDO certified companies. I’m completing my doctorate in educational policy. I’ve earned my superintendent’s license. I have numerous publications, and have been a keynote speaker around the world. I have held federal contracts and been the recipient of numerous grants. I have worked with our past senator to change a State procurement law. If elected Senator, I will use my education, experience, and expertise to grow our economy, streamline our budgets, tweak laws, and to expose taxpayer fraud and waste.

I have been awarded service above self, and once been a volunteer of the year. My goal is to be your public servant. I am known for my level of integrity, especially after taking on three school districts to fight for the health welfare and safety of children. My platforms involve educational reform, compliance, economic growth and public safety.

Some of my proposals include vertical integration plans to bring more professional, mid- level, skilled and unskilled jobs to our areas that repurpose our current infrastructures, hemp production for industries, a reward system for state workers, putting out broadband and other technological advances by seeking federal contracts to increase fiscal and cyber industries. I seek equity with our Eastern state counterparts, and will actively, if not aggressively, go after grants and other opportunities that benefit our four counties. I am known for my follow through, integrity, and commitment to people.

continued from page 6

Page 8 The Greylock Independent August 2016

THEATRE: Starlight Stage Youth Theatre is presenting my adaptation of Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” August 3-6 at the First Congregational Church of Williamstown. Don’t panic and be sure to bring your towel! Obviously, there is LOTS of other great theatre out there, but I won’t list that here because you can find all the info - plus reviews by Larry Murray, Macey Levin, and me - on BerkshireOnStage.com.

OPERA:In tragic news of operatic proportions, Hubbard Hall Opera Theater (HHOT) will cease operations after this, its ninth season, as founder and Artistic Director Alexina Jones has accepted a new position elsewhere. So I encourage you to make the trip to Cambridge, NY, to catch “Madama Butterfly” by Giacomo Puccini August 10-22 in Hubbard Hall, and the HOTT Conservatory performances of “Pizza con Funghi” by Seymour Barab August 17, 19 & 20 at 7 pm in Hubbard Hall’s Freight Depot space. Top ticket price is $35 and August 10 is a pay-what-you-will preview. But area opera fans can take heart because a new group, Berkshire Opera Festival is just starting up! They are also presenting “Madama Butterfly” August 27 & 30 and September 2 at 7:30 pm at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield.

WORDS GALORE:The Mount in Lenox has a full schedule of readings and talks with noted authors this month. And in Pittsfield the WordXWord Festival has events and workshops scheduled August 9-13 at various venues around the city.

ARTS & CRAFTS:Two of the region’s best crafts fairs are coming up! Up in Bennington, VT, the Southern Vermont Art & Craft

Festival will be held August 5-7 at Camelot Village on Route 9 as part of a whole Bennington Arts Weekend with events all over the city. And in Great Barrington the 43rd Annual Berkshire Crafts Fair runs from August 12-14 in the air-conditioned Monument Mountain Regional High School.

ANTIQUES: Head to (air conditioned!) Mt. Everett High School in Sheffield, MA, for the 68th Annual Sheffield Antiques Show August 12-14. Quality antique dealers will be offering furniture, sliver, rugs, glassware, accessories, jewelry and more.

AGRICULTURAL FAIRS: Cows! Chickens! Fried dough! Tractor pulls! The 41st Adams Agricultural Fair takes place August 5-7 at Bowe Field off Route 8 in Adams. The 76th Berkshire County 4-H Youth Fair will be held on August 20 off Holmes Road in Pittsfield. And just over the border in Hampshire County, the Cummington Fair is August 25-28 on Fairgrounds Road in Cummington, MA.

NATIVE AMERICAN POW WOW:The 11th Annual Rock, Rattle & Drum Pow Wow will be held at the Vermont Veterans’ Home in Bennington, VT, on August 13 & 14. Demonstrations of several different Native Americans dance styles including fancy, traditional, grass and jingle dress wearing traditional and contemporary regalia, surrounded by award-winning vendor exhibits of arts, crafts, music, and contemporary and traditional foods.

DOWNTOWN FUN: On Wednesday, August 10 from 5:30-9 pm North Adams will close Main, Eagle, Holden and the northern portion of Ashland Street to all but pedestrian traffic for the 20th Annual Downtown Celebration featuring more bands, games, food, and vendors than before! And on Saturday, August 13 from 9 am-4 pm, the Main Street of Arlington, VT (also known as Historic Route 7A) turns into the Norman’s Attic Craft Fair and Town Wide Tag sale. (The “Norman” in question is artist Norman Rockwell, who lived in Arlington from 1939-1953.) Listed as one of Yankee Magazine’s Top 20 Vermont Events!

GAILSEZ: WHAT TO DO IN AUGUST 2016 By Gail Burns

Gail is just in love with the production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” on the Boyd-Quinson Main Stage at Barrington Stage Company through August 13. Marvelous music, hilarious performances, and swashbuckling fun for the whole family! (Photo: Kevin Sprague)