Home / VOL. VII NO. 11 06/01/2026 / Events

Now we are seven and all systems are go. Click http://www.stockbridgeupdates.com and in upper right corner, subscribe or leave us a comment. Find our complete archive from the first issue in August 2020 through April 15, 2026. Search an old article, read or reread them, and of course, take another look at all those fabulous photographs. if you would like to support Stockbridge Updates, go to VENMO @carole-owens-6 (no caps) or mail a check to P. O. Box 1072, Stockbridge, MA. 01262. If you like this issue, pass it on.

Events

  1. The Museum of the Gilded Age at Ventfort Hall is putting the puzzle back together. The Ventfort Hall estate was broken up and sold as building lots many years ago. The gatehouse and gardener’s cottage were also sold. Recently the Museum purchased the gardener’s cottage, and restored it to the estate. Ventfort is offering the house for short and long-term rental. Call for more details 413-637-3206

Watch for the Antiques Auction at Ventfort Hall, August 14. Proceeds will help defer the costs of the renovation projects t the museum. 

  1. Many of you are aware of harsh things recently said about our “Little Old Ladies.” Too often, we are giving in to short, sharp speech – racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, and ageism. Here are two much kinder descriptions from the New York Times:

April 18, 2026: My Wife Is 85. She Takes My Breath Away. “Old ladies are wonders, winking lights in the universe, stars.”

May 25, 2026: Younger Men Are Increasingly Seeking out Older Women. “It is not just a dating trend. It is a shift in power, desire, and masculinity.”

Now that’s nicer, and nice is better. 

  1. We wish Eric Hill a full and speedy recovery 
  2. We wish Lionel Delevingne a speedy recovery. He is laid up and shooting photographs out of his kitchen window. The result is still beautiful. 
  3. Our neighbor, Lee, has been named Massachusetts’ Best Managed Small Town. To Chris Brittain, Town Manager, and Lee’s fine Select Board, congratulations. The honor is well-deserved. You work together with mutual respect and a clear understanding of the proper jobs of each. Let’s wish the same for Stockbridge and all our South Berkshire towns. As an aside: I was treated to a night on the Town during Lee’s Restaurant Week. Boosting local business and local business offering Lee a night out at a good price, was a great idea. The food was great, the service was great, and the cherry on the sundae was that as we walked to the restaurant, Lee looked great. 
  4. Congratulations to Raynor Warner! Three of his sculptures have been selected for the 11th Annual Newburyport Outdoor Sculpture Show.
Love Lifts Us Up     Raynor Warner

Sign Up for 
Stockbridge Updates

Local news provided free of charge.

Name

Past Issues

Archive of all stories

Stockbridge Updates Statement of Purpose

To inform without opinion or pressure and give the people of Stockbridge the facts they need to make informed decisions.

To provide space for opinion, but since facts and opinions are different, to clearly mark opinion pieces, and clearly identify the opinion holder.

Stockbridge Updates is a periodic newsletter delivered through email.

Carole Owens, Executive Editor

Stockbridge Updates Policy with Respect to Submissions

SU welcomes your letters and other submissions on all Stockbridge subjects, history and current events, news and human interest, whatever is on your mind. As with articles and opinion pieces, letters are 400 words or less, no personal attacks, and always attach your name. SU does not include personal information and will delete telephone numbers, email addresses, post office boxes, and street addresses. Limit one submission per month.

Carole Owens, Executive Editor

Stockbridge Updates: Format

SU is attempting to present a consistent format for readers. SU begins with its Table of Contents. The SU Editorial is next and then the News. News is divided between one-time events, such as the election and events around town, and recurring reporting, such as the Notes from… section. It is called Notes from… because SU attends the town meetings, takes notes, and reports what happened. If SU has a comment or question, it is at the end of the meeting identified as Editor’s Comment or Editor’s Question. The next section is Contributors. Under contributors, you may find Stockbridge history, opinion pieces, or information from a Committee Chair or elected official. Our final section is Reader to Reader, our letter section. The issue closes with the SU Statement of Purpose and Policy for Contributors. We welcome all letter writers and contributors; deadline on the 10th for the issue posted on the 15th of the month and on the 26th for the issue posted on the first.

Your Submissions Welcome!

Submit comments, opinion pieces, and letters to the editor to carole@stockbridgeupdates.com

If you want to look at back issues, go to: our archive page

Stockbridge Updates—pass it on.

Stockbridge Updates

carole@stockbridgeupdates.com