MOTT Awards Matching Destination Development Grant to Ventfort Hall

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LENOX, Mass. — Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion & Museum has received a matching Destination Development grant from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) for $48,000.
 
These funds will be used for the restoration of the salon including the parquet floor with the Greek Key inlaid border, as well as restoring Sarah Morgan's 1895 Rosewood Steinway piano, and plaster restoration materials and training so our staff and volunteers can do the work in-house.
 
"In order to increase Ventfort Hall's program and event space to accommodate our expanding audience, we need to restore the floor of the Salon, a focal point of the main floor of the mansion, to return it to its historic beauty and enable us to use it for public programs," Executive Director for Ventfort Hall, Wendy Healey, said. "The Salon floor has deteriorated to the point that it can be safely open to the public on only a limited basis. Once restored to its original distinctive parquet design and reinforced, the Salon, together with the adjoining Library, will accommodate 150 to 200 people, becoming our largest event space."
 
The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) is the state agency dedicated to promoting Massachusetts as a leisure-travel destination. The Destination Development Capital (DDC) Grant Program supports projects that strengthen regional economies and improve the visitor experience across the state.

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Boston Red Sox's Wally Visits Morris Elementary School

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
LENOX, Mass. — Students at Morris Elementary School, sporting red, navy and green, along with plenty of baseball memorabilia, welcomed Big League Brian Dwyer and his iconic buddy, Boston Red Sox Wally the Green Monster, as he shared his love of reading with the community's future leaders.
 
"Reading opens up so many doors in so many different situations and areas in life. We have so many Boston Red Sox fans, and then bringing Wally here just reinforces the love that Wally has for reading," Principal Holly Soules said. "Kids want to be like Wally, so it's really fun to see the connection between the kids.
 
Wally's visits to the western part of the state are "rare," making his appearance at Morris Elementary especially timely following the school's recent library revamp, which prominently features one of the school's mantras: "Readers are leaders."
 
The event gave students a unique opportunity to interact with a character they may have only seen from afar at Fenway Park or on television.
 
"It was my favorite assembly of all time because I got to do stuff with Wally," fourth grader Tanner Wood said. "I like seeing him because I've never gotten that close to seeing Wally, and I got to like high five him and stuff." 
 
For the last decade, Big League Brian and Wally have encouraged students to read more while showing them ways to make reading fun and engaging through the "Wally's Making Books Come Alive" program. Schools can book a visit with Wally here. 
 
Using special bookmarks and a few silly antics from the goofy monster, Wally teaches students different strategies to make reading easier and more enjoyable for young learners, including reading aloud, acting out scenes, visualizing the story and using their imaginations to become more engaged readers.
 
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