Shout
This, that, and the other things
Out
B y A n a s t a s i a S t a n m e y e r, L a u r a M a r s & S c o t t E d w a r d A n d e r s o n
TAKE A SEAT AT ALICE’ S TABLE
It may look like simple kitchen table, but it holds so many memories. During an interview a few years back at her home in Provincetown, Alice Brock sat contently at that table, where she spent long stretches of time watching hummingbirds flutter around two feeders outside the bay windows. She put her hands on the table during the conversation with editor-in-chief Anastasia Stanmeyer.“ This is the only thing I brought with me from the Berkshires,” Alice said.“ It has two leafs. We used to all sit around this table in the church whenever we got together. This is where Arlo wrote‘ Alice’ s Restaurant Massacree,’ or at least some of it.” She smiled to herself. That table remained a physical link to that creative moment and many other memorable times for Alice. Last November 21, just before Thanksgiving, Alice left us, and left behind this table. The executors of her estate knew of its significance and decided it should be not be tucked away. The oak table was transported from the Cape back to the Berkshires and its final destination, the Lenox Library. The November 1 installation was part of a weekend celebration of life at the Appletree Inn, a private gathering of her close friends. Down the road at The Bookstore, 28 giclée prints of Alice’ s artwork are on exhibition.( See“ The Art of It” on page 112.)
Alice was a former resident of Lenox and once owned the Appletree Inn, then called Alice’ s at Avaloch. She was also an avid reader.“ I think it’ s a great honor for the table to be in the library,” says Amy LaFave, local history librarian at Lenox Library.“ I grew up listening to ' Alice’ s Restaurant ' every Thanksgiving, and I had a good high school chum who could recite all 20 minutes of it. It’ s a piece of not only local history, but American history. To tuck it in a dusty corner of a museum doesn’ t seem appropriate.”
Next time you go to the library, stop into the Legacy Room, a bright, sunny space where the local author collection is located, including Alice’ s My Life as a Restaurant. There, you’ ll find the six-footlong oak table( with both leafs in place). The photo above of Alice with Arlo Guthrie and friends at this table is displayed in the room, and a plaque reads,“ In Memory of Alice May Brock, 1941 – 2024. Alice was a force of nature. For more than 60 years this table was her stage and platform. At it she philosophized, told stories, read thousands of books( and wrote her own), ran restaurants, made art, gave money to those in need, and, of course, served dozens of delicious Thanksgiving dinners. This table bore witness to it all, and then some. Grab a book and have a seat.”
( From the archives: Read“ Breaking Bread with Alice” online from the Holiday 2022 issue of Berkshire Magazine, at berkshiremag. com.)
A n a s t a s i a S t a n m e y e r
HOW TO CROCHET A CORAL REEF
Williams College Museum of Art in Williamstown is now under construction, and it’ s also keeping busy by participating in the Berkshire Satellite Reef, part of the worldwide Crochet Coral Reef by artists Christine and Margaret Wertheim and the Institute for Figuring. The communal art project is in the process of creating a life-size coral reef made entirely out of crochet! All ages and skill levels are invited. Sessions are as follows: Dec. 1, 4 to 5:30 p. m.; Jan. 3, 2 to 3:30 p. m.; Feb. 1, 3 to 4:30 p. m.;, and Mar. 1, 3 to 4:30 p. m.. Participants get a free crochet kit and instruction at the Coral Crochet Workshop at Williams College. Crocheted corals are due in April for the exhibition that opens on April 18 at the’ 62 Center for Theatre and Dance on campus.( wcma. org)
LAUREN AMBROSE JOINS JANE CURTIN IN SELECTED SHORTS
The popular radio show and podcast Selected Shorts returns to the Mahaiwe on February 13 for“ Lovers & Strangers,” an evening of romance and intrigue. Berkshire’ s own Lauren Ambrose joins actor Jane Curtin and others to perform funny, mysterious, and poignant short stories about love, competing desires, and unexpected encounters. Selected Shorts began 40 years ago with a simple premise: Take great stories by well-known and emerging writers and have them performed by terrific actors of stage and screen.( From the archives, read“ 10 Minutes with Jane Curtin” online at berkshiremag. com from the Holiday 2024 issue of Berkshire Magazine.)
HILLTOWN HOT PIES FINALLY OPENS!
After six years perfecting his craft in the woods of Becket and popups around South County, Rafi Bildner brings Hilltown Hot Pies to life in the former John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant space on Hillsdale Road( Rte. 23) in South Egremont. This much-anticipated spot blends rustic charm with world-class pizza, made with care and cooked to perfection. Reservations are now available on Resy. The lively bar and pizza counter are always open for walk-ins— offering front-row seats to the pizza magic in action. Call 413-528-3469 or checkout their Facebook and Instagram pages(@ hilltownhotpies) for updates.
6 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Holiday 2025