Berkshire Botanical Garden's Harvest Festival Returns

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STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. —Berkshire Botanical Garden will hold its annual Harvest Festival, Oct. 11 and 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 
Every October, the Garden's 24-acre grounds undergo a transformation celebrating community, the natural world and the region's agricultural heritage. This year, the Garden will present an array of family-friendly activities, live music, a scarecrow design contest, a clothing and accessories sale, and a wide selection of regional artisan food and crafts vendors.
 
Children's activities include pony rides, a haunted house, a hay maze and hay jump, face painting, hayrides, a petting zoo, square dancing, and more. A full lineup of live entertainment for all ages will take place on the Main Stage, featuring the Wanda Houston Band, the O-Tones, the Sunday Strummers Ukulele Ensemble, and Katherine Winston.
 
The event is also a prime shopping opportunity with 50 craft vendors, a plant sale and the "Accessorize" pop-up shop, offering gently used clothing, jewelry, hats, scarves, and housewares.
 
New in 2025 is the Scarecrow Walk and Design Contest. Businesses, non-profit organizations and community groups are invited to design scarecrows for display in the Garden's Daylily Walk. Entries will be judged by Harvest Festival attendees, with fabulous prizes for the first and second place winners.
 
Buy tickets in advance and save. Advance tickets are $12 for adults; children under 12 are free. Same-day tickets will be available at the gate (Adults $15, children under 12 free). There is no charge for parking in the Garden's adjacent fields. Pets (with the exception of registered service dogs) are not permitted. ATMs will be available on-site.
 
Harvest Festival's lead sponsor is Blue Q. Other event sponsors are Berkshire Bank, Bartlett Tree Experts, and Element Lenox Berkshires. The Festival's in-kind sponsors include Berkshire Green Septic, Lime Rock Park, Meadow Farm Equipment, Naumkeag, The Red Lion Inn, Robin's Candy Shop, Sandisfield Orchard, and Six Flags New England.
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Great Barrington Unveils 9/11 Memorial Featuring World Trade Center Steel

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — A piece of history will now stand in front of the Great Barrington Fire Department, serving as a lasting reminder of the courage, sacrifice, and heroism of those who rushed in, stepped forward, and answered the call on Sept. 11, 2001.
 
Hundreds of community members gathered outside the Fire Department for the unveiling of a 9/11 memorial featuring a steel I-beam salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center.
 
The monument marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, and its effect reached far and wide beyond New York, said Deputy Fire Chief James Mead.
 
"There are moments in our lives that become markers of time. Moments when we remember not only what happened, but where we were, who was beside us, and how the world somehow felt different afterwards," Town Manager Liz Hartsgrove said. 
 
"For those of us who experienced September 11, 2001 — it is one of those moments for us to share."
 
The acquisition of the beam was a multi-year effort initiated by the late Andy Moro, former commander of American Legion Post 298 in Housatonic, and was carried on by the Legion's second vice commander, John Morris. 
 
Morris said he was able to obtain the warped steel I-beam through connections he made during his time as a New York City firefighter.
 
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