Editorial

Editorial: Tis the Season

Chanukah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa, whichever we celebrate, it is the season of feasting, lights, and giving. It follows, therefore, that it is also the season for giving thanks. 

We are thankful for friends and family, and we also might be grateful for Stockbridge. There are so many all around us that we appreciate — our fire department, police force, workers in Town Offices, highway, and utilities. We may not always know them by name, but we are always grateful that they keep the streets safe, the water running clear, the beaches accessible, the taxes collected, the grants applied for, the library doors open, the schools in session, and the school buses arriving safely. 

Doff a hat, crack a smile, drop off a holiday card — say thank you. 

How about all the folks who find the time to volunteer and populate our committees, commissions, and boards? They give their time and effort, so we have a beautiful, well-run village. Join Stockbridge Updates in saying thank you to each and every one you encounter.

Speaking of giving, the Stockbridge Affordable Housing Trust just received a very special gift. Kate and Hans Morris intend to give thirty-four wooded acres — literally a million-dollar holiday gift. (Read about it in the Notes from the Affordable Housing Trust below).

A reader let SU know we were selected as a “magical Christmas town.” Indeed! To everyone — Happy Holidays. Let’s pave the village with smiles and gratitude this season. 

by Carole Owens , Executive Editor

News

SU FYI

Magic

Country Living magazine named Stockbridge “one of the most magical Christmas towns.”

CPC

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) distributes funds to 189 of the 351 municipalities in Massachusetts each year. Stockbridge is one of the 189.

Passed in September 2000, CPA enables communities to levy a property tax surcharge of up to 3.0 percent on real property for the purpose of creating a local community preservation fund and qualifying for state matching funds.

The Commonwealth matches the amount at a rate of between 21% – 100%. This year the Stockbridge match will be 55% or $123, 890 of a $223,631 local surcharge collected for a total of $347,521. That money will be distributed to applicants in the areas of affordable housing, open space, and recreational programs. The total distributed from the Commonwealth to the 189 municipalities this year will be 49,821,416.

In January 2024, applications will be accepted by the Community Preservation Committees in each of the 189 communities. The Committees read, consider, and vote to award the funds in February. The awards are approved by a vote of the Town Meetings.

In Stockbridge, these funds have repaired the chime tower, stabilized our monuments, helped our nonprofits, had funds available for the purchase of Fenn Farm (although it was not needed), and built, repaired, and maintained affordable housing.

Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives

Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives (SLMA) from Talya Leodari, Ph.D., Curator, Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives

The Museum and Archives held a public reception celebrating its reopening on Friday, November 17. In addition to the installation of a state-of-the-art HVAC system, the curatorial staff has rearranged and updated the space: aisles are wider to provide better access, the displays are spread out, and there is a new section devoted to the repatriation of documents and the continuing importance of their homelands to the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. This section represents a collaboration between the curator of the SLMA and the Cultural Affairs Department of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community.

Some old friends, like Jonathan Edwards’ desk, are on permanent display; and the curatorial staff have plans to change the exhibits and rotate the smaller items. Not only does this keep the museum experience fresh for visitors, but it allows the M&A to protect and maintain the collections by giving items a “break” from being on display and exposed to light and air. If there is an item that is not on display that you particularly would like to see, please reach out: the staff will be happy to arrange a time for you to come in and bring the item out of storage for you. 

The SLMA’s new hours are:
Tuesday: 1:00-8:00PM
Wednesday: 1:00-5:00PM
Thursday: 1:00-5:00PM
Friday: 1:00-5:00PM
Saturday: 9:00AM-2:00PM

Homecoming: The Long and Winding Road 

The journey began in the late nineteenth century. Remains of two people were discovered near a river wash-out. The location suggested they could be remains of Native Americans. 

1932 the remains went into the collection of the Berkshire Museum.

1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, ordered the return of Native American cultural objects, including human remains.

1995 the University of Massachusetts examined the bones and found they likely belonged to an adult and an adolescent.

2023 the remains are returned to the Stockbridge-Munsee band of the Mohican nation.

What will be their final resting place? Perhaps Stockbridge. In the Indian Burial Ground or elsewhere in the village? It is possible the end of the long and winding road, the final resting place, will be Stockbridge.

Berkshire Health Systems Honored with 2023 Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare Award

Darlene Rodowicz, President and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) received the fourth annual award. It recognizes Women Leaders in Massachusetts Demonstrating Impact, Inspiration, and Innovation across Healthcare Industry. Rodowicz, a life-long resident of Berkshire County, dedicated her career to advancing the health and wellbeing of the community she loves. 

Rodowicz joined BHS in 1984 and has served on the system’s Executive Leadership Team since 2005. Over the decades, BHS has grown into an integrated system of more than 4,000 employees serving rural Berkshire County, and Darlene has played a crucial role in this evolution through her various leadership positions, including ensuring the financial strength of the organization during her 15 years as Chief Financial Officer. 

News

Events

Berkshire Botanical Garden — Friday December 8, 5pm — 7pm — party at Center House. Toast the season and buy a wreath. Registration required. $75/members, $100 non-members. Holiday Marketplace — 10am — 4 pm, December 9 and 10. 

Berkshire Potters Collective (BPC) presents its first annual Holiday Pottery Sale at Berkshire Art Center on December 1st and 2nd. An opening reception of the sale will take place on Friday, December 1st, from 5pm to 7pm at the Berkshire Art Center, Citizens’ Hall, 13 Willard Hill Road in Stockbridge, MA. The sale will continue at Citizens’ Hall on Saturday, December 2nd, from 10am to 4pm.

Support local ceramic artists — Paula Bass, Stephanie Buchinski, Hunter Cady, Anne Ferril, Meryl Freeman, Raff Gardner, Kerry Hamilton, Katie Luscomb, Moira O’Grady, Deborah Skydell and Mariana Vasquez-Crede. 

For purchases made during the event, 70% of sales will support the artists and 30% of sales will support Berkshire Art Center. Raffle tickets will be sold throughout the sale for special ceramic works donated by the participating artists.

For more information, visit www.berkshireartcenter.org/bpc or BerkshirePottersCollective@gmail.com.

Berkshire Botanical Garden Holiday Marketplace and the Gallery of Wreaths Preview Party. 

The festivities begin Friday evening, Dec. 8, with the Holiday Wreath Preview Party from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Center House. The party includes early wreath-buying opportunities, live music, hors d’oeuvres, libations, and merriment. This is a pre-registered event. 

The Marketplace runs Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 9-10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will feature artisan craft vendors, live music, holiday blooming plants and garlands, and succulent arrangements. Marketplace admission is free.

From the Chamber of Commerce: STOCKBRIDGE MAIN STREET AT CHRISTMAS

The 34th annual Norman Rockwell Holiday Celebration will be December 1 — 3, 2023

The town becomes a magical New England village decorated with holiday wreaths and festive lights for the season. There is no shortage of holiday activities for the entire family to enjoy. Live Performances, Historic Property Tours, Holiday Markets, Winterlights, Rockwell Holidays at the Museum, Unique Shops, Restaurants and Santa show off the New England town.

On December 1 and 3, Friday and Saturday, the Olga Dunn Dance Company returns for the second year with “The Nutcracker Seedling” at the Stockbridge Library. (These performances are sold out)

On Saturday, December 2, the self-guided, house tour features this year features Merwin House with special treats, Ventfort Hall Museum of the Gilded Age with holiday music, Devonfield Inn, and The Mount, Edith Wharton Home. (This Tour is sold out)

On Saturday evening December 2, at the First Congregational Church, celebrate the magic of the season with a classical lite musical program and group sing-along featuring The Berkshire Bach Players with Roberta Cooper, Cello; Eugene Drucker, Viola & Violin; Laura Hamilton, Violin and Mariken Palmboom, Harpsichord & Organ.

On Sunday, December 3, the town reenacts Norman Rockwell’s famous holiday scene Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas. The original painting hangs in the Norman Rockwell Museum located just a few miles outside of town. What happens on Main Street isn’t an exact reenactment of the painting as there were only 16 cars in the painting and the street, which is closed to traffic, features over 50 vintage automobiles (weather permitting). Near the center of the block a Christmas tree fills the oversized window of what was once Rockwell’s second-floor studio. Roger the Jester, the Victorian Carolers and Monument Mountain Regional High School perform on one end of the street while, horse drawn rides, a Makers Market, Children’s crafts and visits with Santa take place on the other end. The street is lined with quaint shops, restaurants and pop-up cafes. 

The 34th annual Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas weekend takes place December 1-3, 2023. For more information and tickets visit StockbridgeChamber.org. Advance orders are recommended as tickets to all events are limited and NO tickets will be sold on site of events.

Companion events:

Winterlights at Naumkeag — Friday, Saturday & Sunday This holiday season the beautiful garden property sparkle with thousands of shimmering, artfully designed holiday lights. Bring the whole family for a magical, fun, outdoor experience — with food, refreshments, and more. This year Winterlights will be exclusive on December 1, 2 & 3 for Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas patrons. Tickets are purchased directly through the Trustees. Rockwell Holidays at Norman Rockwell Museum — See Rockwell’s original panorama painting of Main Street Stockbridge at Christmas, plus special exhibitions, and weekend activities to complete your Rockwellian experience in Stockbridge, 9 Glendale Rd/Rte 183, Stockbridge, MA (413) 298-4100. Tickets are purchased directly through the museum.

Saturday and Sunday, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm, Norman Rockwell’s Life and Holiday Art Guided Tours Tour and talk with a Museum docent; 30 min.

Saturday and Sunday, 11:00am, 2:00pm, Kids & Families Programs — A World of Celebrations! Art-making and storytelling, inspired by Between Worlds: The Art and Design of Leo Lionni.

Winter Family Fun Day and Nutcracker Collection Display — Saturday, 10:00am-3:00pm presented by the Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives held at the library, 46 Main Street, Stockbridge, (413) 298-5501 . Free Admission. All day long they will have a craft table available where children can decorate a snowflake, indoor winter games and a scavenger hunt, and an outdoor StoryWalk© and decorated gardens that you can walk through. At 10:45 a.m. there will be a winter-themed storytime with the youth librarian.

Winter Wonderland Walkway — Saturday & Sunday All are invited to take a stroll through the Winter Wonderland Walkway of 16 lit and decorated trees at the Stockbridge Library free of charge, 46 Main Street, Stockbridge

The Women’s Service League of the First Congregational Church Holly Fair — Saturday, 10:00am-1:00pm, 4 Main Street, (413) 298-3137, Featuring hand-made crafts and decorations, Christmas wreaths and greenery, baked goods, Grandma’s Attic, Santa Claus, and more. All proceeds to charity. Free Admission.

The Mount will present the fourth year of NightWood, — Saturday & Sunday, Timed entries start at 5:00pm, 2 Plunkett St, Lenox, MA (413) 551-5111. Tickets are purchased directly through the Mount. An innovative sound and light experience that immerses visitors in a fantastical winter landscape. Inspired by The Mount’s unique setting, NightWood combines scenic elements, theatrical lighting, and a dramatic score to create eight unique scenes that evoke wonder and awaken the imagination.

The 50-voice Stockbridge Festival Chorus is presenting its annual Christmas concert on Saturday, December 9, 3 pm at The First Congregational Church of Stockbridge located at 4 Main Street. The main selection is Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, accompanied by Teresa Mango on harp. Other anthems of the season include compositions by John Rutter, Philip Stopford and Peter Warlock, accompanied by Bob Logan on piano and Ed Lawrence on organ. SFC is conducted by Tracy Wilson. Admission is a donation at the door; $20 for adults, $10 for members of local community choruses and free for individuals 18 and under. The church is fully handicap accessible and a section in the sanctuary will be reserved for mask-wearing audience members. For more information, call 413-298-3137.

News

From the Desk of Town Administrator, Michael Canales 

Thursday November 30: Palmer Paving is finalizing its paving work today on Main Street in Stockbridge. The Highway Department and Police Department will be preparing Main Street for the upcoming Winter on Main Street festival this weekend. Following the festival, the horse trough will be relocated to commence the restoration of this historic item, with the expectation of its return next spring. Highway Superintendent Hugh Page, in collaboration with Palmer Paving, has diligently coordinated efforts to ensure the timely completion of the work for Winter on Main Street. When coupled with the Winter Lights at Naumkeag, the town is fully prepared for this year’s holiday season.

News

Notes from the Stockbridge Cultural Council (SCC)

Judith Wilkinson. Chair, SCC announces 2024 grants:

SCC awarded 32 grants ranging from $250 to $1,000 to support cultural programs in Stockbridge and the surrounding area. The Council received 54 applications, an increase of almost 50% over the number of applications it received last year. The applications represented a range of projects including music, dance, theater, and the humanities. The Council awarded a total of $14,250, a twenty percent increase in the amount awarded last year. Funding was provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Town of Stockbridge.

This year, in appreciation and recognition of the $10,000 contributed by the Town of Stockbridge, the Stockbridge Cultural Council once again focused its attention and funds on Stockbridge-based applicants and events. The Council is grateful for this significant Town support. 

Grants were approved for the following Stockbridge-based applicants and projects:

Berkshire Garden Center, Inc./Rooted in Place
Berkshire Pulse, Inc./Spirits of Chesterwood
Chesterwood/Tableaux Vivant Workshop and Performance
IS 183, Inc./Community Visual Arts Programming & Resources
Rachel Nicholson/Science Heroes Interactive Program
Olga Dunn Dance Company, Inc./Nutcracker Seedling and More
Neil Silverblatt/Voices of Poetry — In Stockbridge
Stockbridge Housing Authority/Resident Services Coordinator Media Arts Classes
Stockbridge Library Association/Stockbridge Ice Festival
The Laurel Hill Association of Stockbridge/Laurel Hill Day
The Norman Rockwell Museum, Inc./Mohican Interpretive Panel
Town of Stockbridge/COA Lecture and Arts Series
Natalie Tyler/Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood
Terry Wise/Mohican Artist Exhibit at Stockbridge Library
In addition, the Stockbridge Cultural Council provided funding for the following projects that it believes benefit the Stockbridge and Berkshires cultural community:
Beehive Media LLC/Bearing Witness: Stories of Resilience
Berkshire Bach Society, Inc./Messiah Sing
Berkshire Children’s Chorus, Inc./The Sounds of Music
Berkshire Music School, Inc./Willie was Different: A Musical Enrichment Program
Berkshire South Regional Community Center/Berkshire Ukulele Band and Berkshire Sings!
Berkshire Theatre Group, Inc./BTG PLAYS! School Residency Program
Center for Peace Through Culture/Legacies
Edith Wharton Restoration, Inc./Nightwood
Flying Cloud Institute, Inc./S.M.Art Lab: Where Science Meets Art
Great Barrington Public Theater, Inc./Berkshire Voices 2024 Reading Series
Greenagers, Inc./Climate Action — Environmental Education
Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School/Cows
Rebel Town Productions/Rebel Town (The Boston Tea Party Musical)
Shakespeare & Company, Inc./2024 Fall Festival of Shakespeare
The Stockbridge Sinfonia, Inc./The Stockbridge Sinfonia: Intergenerational Community Orchestra of the Berkshires
Triplex Cinema, Inc/Triplex Saturday Morning Kids’ Series
Triplex Cinema, Inc/Spring Teen Film Festival
WAM Theatre, Inc./WAM Theatre’s 2024 Community Engagement Program

The Council grants funds from the Town of Stockbridge and regrants funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to individuals and organizations for projects in the arts, science, and humanities. Decisions about which projects to support are made at the community level by a board of municipally appointed volunteers. The current members of the Stockbridge Cultural Council are Judith Wilkinson (Chair), Janet Egelhofer (Treasurer), Joan Burkhard, Barbara Cooperman, Anne Ferril, Maureen O’Hanlon, John Perkel, Isabel Rose, and Chelly Sterman. If you have questions or ideas for the Council, please email them to jwilkinson@stockbridge-ma.gov.

News

Notes from the Stockbridge Affordable Housing Trust, November 27, Hybrid

Mark Mills, AHT member, announced the offer made by Kate and Hans Morris of 34 wooded acres on Glendale Middle Road. The land has 80 feet of frontage. Hans Morris attended with his attorney, Nick Arienti, and expressed his desire that the land be used to build affordable housing.

Although the village reached the Commonwealth’s required 10% affordable housing long ago, still it is hoped that a developer would be allowed to benefit from the favorable zoning granted builders of affordable housing under Chapter 40B. That would mean, for example, that although the land is zoned one acre, 1/2 acre lots or even 1/4 acre lots could be approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).

AHT member Patrick White thanked Hans and Kate and called it “an incredible opportunity.” Prior to this gift, AHT only had a single grant from the Community Preservation Committee although it does have possibilities for income from the Residential Inclusionary Bylaw recently passed by the Select Board. The RIB asks builders of luxury housing to either build a percent of affordable housing or contribute to AHT so they can use the money to build affordable housing. 

The Housing Production Plan, soon to be completed by AHT and their consultant, will most likely determine Stockbridge’s pressing need is for “work force” housing more than affordable housing.

News

Notes from the Public Meeting, General Electric’s (GE) reports on the Transportation Plan for PCB waste material excavated from the Housatonic River, November 28, in-person

Andrew Sifler, Project Manager, GE, reported. There was difficulty with the audio and with the charts displaying the trucks routes. That was particularly disappointing because the truck routes were of primary importance to the over two hundred who attended. Further, it appeared that many decisions — for example the use of hydraulics to move PCBs through pipes versus trucks or trains, were not finalized.

Sifler did confirm this was a 13-year process with thousands of sixteen-ton trucks sometimes as many as 40 per day traveling Routes 183, 102, 20 and 7. It was disconcerting when streets recognized by locals as Walker Street, Lenox, Main Street, Lee, and Main Street, Stockbridge were called by Route names. It was unclear if they did not know Route 102 was Main Street Stockbridge or Route 20 was Main Street Lee or Route 183 was Walker Street Lenox or if they were obfuscating. Also disconcerting was the tendency to refer to two-lane, tree-lined roads as “state highways.”

Frist to comment was Charles Kenny, Chair of both the Stockbridge Board of Health and Tri-Town Board of Health who said, “I am very disappointed with this presentation.”

Kenny was concerned that GE and the EPA are not minimizing the public’s contact with PCB toxic waste. He preferred waste be transported to off-site facilities via rail rather than in trucks along public roads.

100,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment and soil removed will be disposed of off-site “at an existing TSCA-approved disposal facility or RCRA hazardous waste landfill or a landfill permitted by the receiving state to accept PCB remediation wastes, depending on the contaminant levels and waste classifications.” That is only 10% and many asked, “why not more?”

Kenny and others felt strongly that rail was the preferred mode of transport and that material excavated from the river, riverbank, and floodplain should be placed adjacent to appropriately located rail staging areas and not trucked all over.

Lee Select Board Chair Robert Jones read a letter from Parker F. Rodriguez, attorney, Housatonic Railroad Company, that stated flatly statistics used by GE to support an argument that trucks were cheaper and more flexible than train transport was disingenuous. 

There were three Stockbridge residents who spoke: Kenny, Patrick White, and Denny Alsop. Alsop presented a petition with over 2000 signatures opposing truck transport.

Comments continued an hour beyond the scheduled end of meeting (8:30pm). None were supportive of the GE plan for transporting the PCB material through village streets by truck.

However, GE stated clearly, there was a court-ordered agreement to remediate the situation for which GE was responsible and GE was going to follow it. GE did not mention the parts of the agreement left open to negotiate — for example truck vs train transport.

Perspective

Affordable Housing Trust Crafts Plan to Meet Housing Needs

By Mark Mills and Jan Ackerman

What are Stockbridge’s housing needs? What are the best ways to meet those housing needs? Where could additional needed housing be developed? How can we create new housing without altering the character of the town? These are some of the questions being addressed by the Stockbridge Affordable Housing Trust (AHT). 

The Trust was established by a vote of the 2021 Town Meeting. The AHT is focused on preserving existing affordable housing and increasing housing opportunities for low-income residents, working families and seniors looking to downsize from large homes into more manageable properties. A key step toward these goals is to develop a Housing Production Plan (HPP) which will be submitted to the town and the state of Massachusetts. Creating a HPP provides an excellent roadmap for developing new housing. 

After conducting a housing survey of town residents and a community workshop on housing over this past summer, the Trust is now writing the HPP with guidance from Community Housing Specialist Karen Sunnarborg. Here are some of the proposals that may be included in the Production plan:

• Secure grants for income qualified homeowners to make critical repairs such as roofing, boilers, siding and windows 
• Identify one or two properties to develop housing for purchase or rent aimed at low and/or middle income residents.
• Explore the possibilities for Accessory Dwelling Units and Tiny Homes
• Support maintenance needs at Pine Woods and Heaton Court
• Study possible expansion of Heaton Court

Many challenges lie ahead including locating appropriate sites for housing, working with developers, builders and non-profits on housing projects, installing infrastructure such as water and sewer, raising the required financing, working with other town boards and committees to get the necessary approvals and seeking more community input on creating affordable housing. 

The AHT continues discussing the HPP at our meetings which are listed on the calendar of the town web site. The meetings are open to the public and available by Zoom. All those who attend have an opportunity to comment on whatever issues we are discussing. We welcome your ideas. 

Editor’s note: Mills and Ackerman are members of the Stockbridge Affordable Housing Trust Committee

Perspective

The Responsible Citizen Dilemma — Part Two

News agencies’ business model is built upon selling advertising. To sell enough advertising, they need your attention for as many minutes or hours per day as they can get. Unfortunately, news agencies understand how the brain works; therefore, they exist to peddle FEAR because fear keeps us paralyzed and controlled. It keeps the viewer in survival, or fight or flight. If that’s where you want to live, that’s your choice. But if not, then, wouldn’t it be better to turn off the negative stimuli? To put it bluntly, the news and social media industries use weapons-grade limbic hijacking to keep us coming back for more.

Choosing the intention to have our thoughts, words, and deeds align with producing joy and happiness is not “fake positivity.” It is an active choice to live with a conscious intention to create the life of our dreams.

To truly get to the place where you do not react negatively to the news, you will need to become familiar with some of your signature actions and behaviors; you will make the unconscious, conscious, and the invisible, visible. You need to become familiar with your beliefs. Beliefs are a driving factor in our subconscious programming and conditioning that produce our reality.

When you become conscious of the thoughts, actions, and emotions you no longer want, you begin the process of unlearning them and replacing them with what you do want. This is the process of ascension or self-mastery.

The responsible citizen dilemma forces us to strike a delicate balance between staying informed and cultivating happiness. ‘Fake positivity’ is not the answer; rather, it’s about aligning our thoughts, words, and actions with the emotions of joy and happiness. The journey toward self-mastery and conscious living is ongoing, but it’s a journey worth taking. 

By disconnecting from the fear-driven narratives of the news and embracing a conscious intention to elevate our own lives, we become catalysts for positive change in the world. So, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on your choices, to consider the impact of your thoughts, and to join the ranks of those who are shaping a brighter, more harmonious future. The power to become the best version of yourself is within your grasp. Your journey begins now.

For me, it’s been a journey to lose my subconscious fear of rejection, my use of perfection to mask my insecurities, my mighty mouse syndrome to save the day, my self-judgment, and probably a lot more but who’s counting? I have made progress, but it is an ongoing process.

By the way, I do not watch the TV news. I do not even know how to use the remote! I do selectively read some news reports to stay informed, and then return to my purpose — to contribute to raising the consciousness of the planet by choosing joy and happiness.

Editor’s note: Murko will teach a course in regulating stress and unlearning negative patterns, January 5 — 7 2024. The course title is “Change Your Mind – Tools for creating the results you desire.” Contact Kripalu for more information and to register. 

by Carole Murko

The Last Word

Reader to Reader

Carole,

Your editorial is spot on!

The clean-up [of the PCBs in the Housatonic River] will create a terrible mess and risk many more lives from the disruption. It looks like they are crafting inconvenient ways to clean up that make it look better to just leave the poison where it is! How about another option, GE?

Thanks for the Ed., Ed.

Ramelle Pulitzer

Hi Carole,

First, I wanted to introduce ourselves. My husband, Mickey, and I have lived in Stockbridge for the past 2 years. We have 6 children, ages 1 to 21. We’ve been in the Berkshires for 11 years, and we moved up from North Egremont (and currently live in the house formerly owned by former selectman Chris Irsfeld). 

Thank you for your Stockbridge Updates!

I have a little submission, if you publish this type of thing: our 15-year-old daughter, Leah, will be in the upcoming performances of A Christmas Carol, put on by the Berkshire Theatre Group at the Unicorn Theatre starting December 7. Her role is that of “the Vocalist,” and she’s the understudy for several female roles. Anyway, I just wanted to share that since I think she might be the only cast member from Stockbridge!

Thanks again, Elisa Kammeyer

To the editor:

I would like to thank Kate and Hans Morris for their generous donation of land to help us invest in housing solutions.

Morris envisioned, “a very beautiful addition to the community and an end result where the units are affordable, for example, to employees of the town, schoolteachers and others who want to and deserve to live in the community.”

The Morris family brings even more to the table than you might realize. They’ve actually done this before, having built affordable housing in cities like St. Louis and New York City for example. There are so many skills we all can bring to bear when we work together with a common cause. Keep it up Stockbridge!

This is a great example of how we can move the needle with a shared vision, by rolling up our sleeves, figuring out what needs to be done, doing the hard work to get it done, and together making progress. This is a great community with great people who step up and step forward.

Patrick White