The Close Encounters With Music Company will be presenting “GYPSY!” on Saturday, May 24 at 6PM. The performance will be at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, MA. The works of Bizet, Haydn, Monti, Ravel and Brahms will be featured. Yehuda Hanani is artistic director. The theater is only a 20 minute drive from Brook Farm Inn in Lenox, MA, and promises to be a great evening of musical entertainment.

You may have been reading or hearing lately about the financial difficulties of The Mount, famed estate of the author, Edith Wharton. Brook Farm Inn is within walking distance of this treasure in Lenox, Massachusetts. A tour of the mansion and gardens are a must for every visitor to the Berkshires, and many wonderful events take place there as well. So Brook Farm Inn is offering to buy admission for guests who book a stay of at least two nights, between May 9th and June 12th. We hope it will not only contribute to the fundraising efforts, but introduce visitors to this historic and literary landmark.

Here in Lenox, Massachusetts, one of the local treasures is Ventfort Hall, an 1893 Gilded Age “cottage,” built by the sister of J.P. Morgan. You can take tours, and also enjoy historic exhibits and events there. During the month of May, there are a number of events, and it’s within walking distance of the Brook Farm Inn bed and breakfast. On Saturday, May 10 there’s a Mother’s Day Celebration, and on Saturday, May 17, the New England Baroque Soloists will perform. So, a Berkshires getaway is a great idea for Mother’s Day.

Lenox Massachusetts: To follow up on yesterday’s blog comments about National Poetry Month, we’d like to quote a poem that was written about Brook Farm Inn by an appreciative guest of our bed and breakfast. It says more about the inn, and our Berkshires ambiance, than we could ever say.

BROOK FARM
There is poetry here.
Lovers of words
have pressed it into the wood floors
with their feet;
it has escaped their red, prolific tongues
and floated on the silence
hanging in the room’s air
during afternoon readings, settling
lightly into corners, stirred
and in motion again each time
a writer’s ghost swishes by,
or a young girl pauses, carefully
selecting a book from a nearby
shelf. There is
poetry here, there is no
escaping it or exorcising it
from this Inn, no matter whom
the keeper; little do they know
it went up with the beams,
was mixed and troweled
with the plaster, and flows freely
through the windows on warm summer
evenings. In winter, its heat
is in the fire
making the parlor walls glow, the books
on the shelves leaping
with the flames.

There is poetry here…that’s our theme at Brook Farm Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts. We’ve been doing readings and showcasing poems for years, so it’s a special pleasure to announce nearby Pittsfield’s Poetry Week. Events include Poetry As Art at the Ferrin Gallery and readings at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge among others. It’s all part of National Poetry Month, which happens every April, and you can read more at www.poets.org..

Lenox Massachusetts: Brook Farm Inn’s blog has been named Blog of the Week on www.iloveinns.com. This is a great website directory of bed and breakfasts, and it makes us pretty proud. We enjoy sharing information about what’s happening here in the Berkshires, and it’s nice to know that our blog is considered “creative and informative.” Thanks, iloveinns.com!

Lenox Ma: You don’t have to wait for the summer for great concerts in the Berkshires. On Saturday, May 10th, the Aston Magna Foundation http://www.astonmagna.org/astonwinter.html will have a concert featuring music of Purcell and Handel. It will be held at the St. James Church in Great Barrington. This is a really talented group of musicians, and the concert is at 6 PM, so you’ll have time for a leisurely dinner afterwards. Here’s our list of recommended restaurants http://www.brookfarm.com/dining-lenox.html. Hope to see you soon!

Lenox Massachusetts: The Berkshire International Film Festival begins May 15 and runs thru May 18 in nearby Great Barrington. Films will be shown at the Triplex Cinema and the BIFF annual Achievment in Film Award will be given to actor Kevin Bacon at the Mahaiwe Theatre on Friday May 16. The Biff will showcase the latest in independent feature, documentary, short, and family films. There will also be panel discussions and special events focusing on filmmakers and artists from both sides of the camera. Contact Kelley Vickery at kelley@biffma.com or 413 528 8030 for more information.

Lenox Massachusetts: The daffodils are blooming in the Berkshires, so we know it’s time to think about Mother’s Day. At Brook Farm Inn, we can help you pamper your mom (or someone else’s mom who just happens to be special to you, too). The Berkshire Museum is planning a weekend-long Celebration of Art and Flowers, May 9-12. They’ll have floral displays, lectures and even programs for youngsters. We have all the information, and will be glad to pass it along if you phone us at 800-285-7638.

Lenox Massachusetts: The Shakespeare and Company Theater group will presenting WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S 444th BIRTHDAY PARTY on WEDNESDAY APRIL 23rd. Food, Entertainment, Cake, Live music, and a chance to WIN A FREE TRIP TO LONDON !

The Gala Finale performance of A MIDUMMER NIGHTS DREAM. Only $10

Call 413.637..1199 x132for more information

The theater is conveniently located around the block from Brook Farm Inn.