Culinary Historian To Speak at Ventfort Hall

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LENOX, Mass. — Culinary historian Becky Libourel Diamond returns to Ventfort Hall to talk about her newest book, "The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook."
 
The Talk will be held on Nov. 8 at 3:30 p.m.
 
A tea featuring some of the treats from her new cookbook will follow her talk.
 
According to a press release:
 
"The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook" bridges the past and present, bringing back sugar plums and other confections not typically found in modern cookbooks, while revisiting some beloved favorites. Although most Americans have heard of sugar plums thanks to the famous holiday poem A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore, many have likely never have had the pleasure of tasting one of these luxuries, or even know what they really are (hint: they are not sugar-dusted plums). This is because sugar plums are one of the Gilded Age era holiday sweets that got eclipsed as America moved into the twentieth century.
 
Becky Libourel Diamond is a food writer, librarian, and research historian. She is also the author of "The Gilded Age Cookbook," "The Thousand Dollar Dinner" and "Mrs. Goodfellow: The Story of America's First Cooking School." She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Rider University and a Master of Library Service (MLS) degree from Rutgers University. She has worked as a Business Librarian at Rutgers – New Brunswick since 2020. She lives in Yardley, Penn.
 
Tickets are $45. Ticket pricing includes access to the mansion throughout the day of this event from 10 am to 4 pm. Reservations are strongly encouraged as seats are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations visit https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call (413) 637-3206. Please note that all tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker St. in Lenox.
 
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated by the Massachusetts Cultural Council as an important partner of the Lenox Cultural District, one of the five such Berkshire County districts, Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion & Museum was built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan, the sister of legendary financier J. Pierpont Morgan.
 
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Pittsfield Celebrates Arbor Day at Taconic

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Mayor Peter Marchetti presented the framed original cover art for the day's program. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Generations of Taconic students will pass the tree planted on Arbor Day 2026 as they enter school. 

Pittsfield's decades-long annual celebration was held at a city school for the first time. Different vocational trades at Taconic High School worked together to plant the Amelanchier, or flowering serviceberry, mark it with a plaque, record the ceremony, create artwork for the program's cover, and feed guests. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath said the students' participation reflects the spirit of Arbor Day perfectly: learning by doing, serving the community, and helping Pittsfield grow greener for generations to come.

"It's not unknown that trees help shade our homes, help clean our air and water, they support wildlife, and make our neighborhoods and public spaces more beautiful and resilient," he said. 

"And Arbor Day is our chance annually to honor that gift and to remember that when we plant something today, we are investing in the future of our green world."

The holiday was established 154 years ago by J. Sterling Morton and was first observed in Nebraska with the planting of more than a million trees.

CTE environmental science and technology teacher Morgan Lindemayer-Finck detailed the many skilled students who worked on the event: the sign commemorating this Arbor Day was made by the carpentry and advanced manufacturing program, specifically students Ronan MacDonald and Patrick Winn; the multimedia production program recorded the event, and the culinary department provided refreshments. 

The program's cover art was created by students Brigitte Quintana-Tenorio and Austin Sayers. The framed original was presented to Mayor Peter Marchetti. 

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