Right around the corner from Brook Farm Inn, in Lenox Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Co. will have the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence  on July 4th at 3 PM.This is always an inspiring and powerful event…you can hear the words echo through the centuries, and they are still true.  Admission is free, but you need a ticket, so reserve asap.

A favorite of summer visitors to Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts has always been the author lecture series at The Mount, home and gardens of Edith Wharton. Lectures take place on Mondays at 4 PM, starting July 7th, and they’re followed by tea and book-signing. We’re also glad to announce  Wharton on Wednesdays at 5 PM in July and August, which consists of live readings from her works.  Also a wonderful new idea is called Some Enchanted Evenings — wine & hors d’oeuvres on the Mount’s terrace, 5 - 8 PM Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  A great prelude to any summer evening in the Berkshires!

 The Selectmen in the town of Lenox have proclaimed 

This Sunday,  The Clark will open its new Stone Hill center.  The famous art museum in Williamstown, Massachusetts has a spectacular collection, and is set on 140 acres of beautiful Berkshires scenery.  The new center was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect, Tadao Ando.  In his honor, the community open house on Sunday will offer a barbecue, picnic, and Japanese drumming.  The Clark has always been a favorite destination for Brook Farm Inn visitors, and it’s an easy ride from Lenox.

The Barrington Stage Company, which is located in a beautiful theater in Pittsfield, is welcoming back The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  Originally created and developed by BSC in 2004 the Tony Award winning play is returning home.  It is an absolute delight and a must see.  We saw it last week.  The cast is incredibly talented and 4 members of the audience got to compete in the spelling bee.  They may select you. 

Performances are every day accept Monday.  There are even some 2PM matinees.  Check their schedule on http://barringtonstageco.org or call 4134995446.  Avoid the weekend crowds and come mid week.  The Berkshire Theater Festival is also performing on weekdays.  More on them in a future blog.

Book your room at Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts and enjoy great theater only minutes away.

“I just wanted to let you know how much I (and my friends and co-workers) LOVE the Blueberry Morning Glory!!  I took it to work and after my department devored it, I put it in the breakroom (a great place to empty a dish) and I had 5 requests for the receipe–I am sure there would have been more request but it was gone too fast!
 
I am serving it tomorrow morning for Father’s Day, I switched the blueberries for cherries–my family happen to be cherry fanatics! 
 
It was so easy and seems so complicated!!  It is wonderful to have access to recipes that make you look like a star!!! ”

This quote is from an email we were delighted to receive. Blueberry Morning Glory is one of our favorite recipes; it’s been published in some cookbooks, such as New England Bed & Breakfast Cookbook , Great Country Inns Cookbook,and also online.  We’re always glad when guests enjoy our breakfast entrees, and are happy to share the recipes. Looking forward to welcoming you to our inn in Lenox Massachusetts. Click on About Us on our website, and you’ll see a link there for Fabulous Food and for Recipes.

Our newest promotion gives you free golf.  When you book a minimum 2-night stay between June 14th and September 1st, that fills our holes, we’ll give you 2 gift certificates for 9 holes at Greenock Country Club.  Click  “Availability “on the menu to the left, and if your reservation fills the blanks  between two other reservations, you qualify!  (Tee times are subject to availability, cart fees are extra. Valid only for new reservations made between June 14th and Sept. 1st.)

Greenock is a nine hole course that is one of the most scenic in the Berkshires.  It was originally designed in 1895 and redesigned by Donald Ross in 1927.  In our opinion it is the best maintained course in the county.  Located in Lee Massachusetts, just 4 miles from Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts.

Ventfort Hall, in Lenox Massachusetts, is one of the Berkshires’ gems.  It’s a mansion and Gilded Age Museum.  Guests can enjoy, in addition to tours and exhibits, lectures and picnics on the porch, and special events.  This weekend we recommend the play, “They Called Me Lizzy…from Slavery to the White House.” See it Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14. It’s the true life story of ELizabeth Keckly and her rise from slavery to entrepreneurial freedom, then scandal and decline.  She was dressmaker & confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln.  You can walk to Ventfort Hall from Brook Farm Inn!

“Art insiders, the inn crowd, and even the outsider art in-crowd (you following this?) gathered on Saturday night at the fabulous barn at Stonover Farm for an opening of paintings by Curtis Ripley, pottery by Luna Garcia, and still-life photography by Dede Reed.  This is a quotation from Rural Intelligence, a great new website that covers events and attractions in the Berkshires, plus Columbia, Dutchess, and Litchfield Counties. We met Marilyn Bethany, co-editor, at the Stonover event, and you can see our photo –that is Linda and Phil, owners of Brook Farm Inn, Lenox MA — in Marilyn’s article. Here’s a link, so take a look!  http://www.ruralintelligence.com/index.php/parties_section/parties_articles_parties/

The new, must-see exhibit at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts is “Raw Nerve: The Political Art of Steve Brodner.”  Guests of Brook Farm Inn in Lenox Massachusetts have already seen it and say it’s great.  It will run through October 26th.

An award-winning draftsman, commentator, and humorist, Steve Brodner has created illustrations, cartoons, and reportage for nearly every major American periodical, including Esquire, The New York Times, New York, Mother Jones, The Nation, National Lampoon, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, and The Village Voice.

Don’t miss it!  You can also catch the Saturday Evening Post magazine covers, that are always a treat.