Berkshire Daily: Harvest Festival, Lyracle Debut & Town Meeting

Local events

Fall celebrations are in the spotlight: Berkshire Botanical Garden’s annual Harvest Festival welcomes the season, while Orchard Day at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead offers a chance to try a new hard cider made exclusively from the property’s heirloom apples.

Chamber ensemble Lyracle makes its Berkshire County debut on Oct. 3. In “Commonplace,” mezzo-soprano Ashley Mulcahy and viola da gambist James Perretta explore music preserved in personal notebooks alongside recipes, poems and other everyday writings.

Food and storytelling also meet in events featuring Luca Calvani at Talbott & Arding and a Berkshire International Film Festival screening of “Fork in the Road.” Calvani’s “A Tuscan Table” celebrates seasonal cooking and gathering together; the film examines the challenges and resilience of small-scale farmers.

• BERKSHIRE FOOD EVENTS: Annual Harvest Festival at Berkshire Botanical Garden · The Berkshire Edge
• BERKSHIRE FOOD EVENTS: Orchard Day at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead · The Berkshire Edge
• PREVIEW: Chamber ensemble Lyracle to make Berkshire County debut Oct. 3 · The Berkshire Edge
• BERKSHIRE FOOD EVENTS: Luca Calvani at Talbott & Arding · The Berkshire Edge
• BERKSHIRE FOOD EVENTS: Berkshire International Film Festival presents a screening of ‘Fork in the Road’ · The Berkshire Edge

Notable local news

Great Barrington’s Special Town Meeting is scheduled for Oct. 19. Voters will consider $20.7 million for wastewater plant upgrades and $500,000 to stabilize the former Cook’s Garage building. A dispute about a potential funding source for a new SBAS ambulance remains unresolved.

A letter in The Berkshire Eagle reports that the North Adams City Council unanimously voted to expand its existing Tree Commission into a Sustainability and Tree Commission, giving the body a broader environmental focus.

Another community letter celebrates the collaborative waste-reduction effort at Lee’s Founders Weekend on Sept. 18 and 19. The writer credits the effort with keeping downtown litter-free, reducing waste and helping attendees understand proper disposal.

• Great Barrington Special Town Meeting scheduled for Great Barrington on Oct. 19 · The Berkshire Edge
• Letter: In reimagining tree commission, North Adams aims for more sustainability · The Berkshire Eagle
• Letter: Collective action again minimizes waste at Lee’s Founders Weekend · The Berkshire Eagle

Relocation tip from the team

Moving to or from the Berkshires? Build a checklist around your everyday routines: commuting, school transportation, healthcare, errands and property maintenance. Before choosing a home, ask about the services available at that specific address, and keep utility transfers and essential records on your moving checklist.