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B y L a u r a M a r s
Nature Witch of the Berkshires
Stepping into The Mossy Cauldron feels like Dorothy stepping into Oz: a mossy fairyland with good witch and owner Jessica Rosario dressing the part! You’ ll find her handcrafted candles that she started selling at the Great Barrington Farmers Market 11 years ago, along with sprays, soaps, and tinctures— which she has more time to conjure now that she’ s not lugging around her cauldron! This herbalist also makes custom botanical skincare, potions that take four to six weeks for the herbs, roots, and flowers to marinate.“ There is something magical about creating something intentionally by hand, using the gifts of the Earth to nurture and care for ourselves,” says Rosario. Feel the magic at the Cauldron’ s grand opening on October 24 with Tarot readings, basket-making demos, and sign-up sheets for workshops on Botanical Perfumery and Hand-Dipped Candles. Or walk in today to get spellbound. The Mossy Cauldron, 35 Railroad St., Great Barrington, is open Thursdays to Saturdays, 11 a. m. to 5 p. m.; Sundays 11 a. m. to 4 p. m. themossycauldron. com.( Photo courtesy of Jessica Rosario)
What Healing Art Looks Like
A STRIKING WOVEN PANEL is the first thing you notice as you enter the exhibit Making Meaning: Growth and Artistic Development in the Activities Program at the Austen Riggs Center at the historic Corner House at 48 Main St. in Stockbridge. A collection of creative works— thoughtprovoking paintings, colorful pottery, and lovely plants from the Riggs garden— as well as storyboards about the history of the Activities Program, draw you into the room of works by 41 patients and staff from the open, voluntary residential psychiatric treatment program. There are also works by pupils of the Austen Riggs Nursery School, which serves children from the community as well as families of staff members. Making Meaning is shown in the space that once was the home of the Norman Rockwell Museum. Austen Riggs purchased the building in 2017 and uses it for administrative offices, a conference room, and the Corner House Community Exhibition Space, which is open to the public Thursdays to Saturdays through October, 10 a. m. to 4 p. m.
Your Baseball Museum
Located between chocolates and classic footwear, the Baseball in the Berkshires Museum is somewhat of an oddity at the Lee Premium Outlets, with nothing to buy and no discounted merchandise. The exhibition, however, The Fascinating Story of Baseball in the Berkshires, is priceless.“ Welcome to your museum,” says museum director Larry Moore to all who enter. This retired phys ed teacher traveled the county with the collection for 12 years before permanently settling down at Lee Premium Outlets this summer. Displays range from the late 1700s to the present day, with stories about local heroes and Berkshire connections that would impress even those who don’ t love the game— like Babe Ruth coming to the Berkshires to help a young fan impress his friends! There’ s authentic clothing and equipment for kids to try, reading stations, and fun facts. This Yankee fan learned that early games in Massachusetts were played on a baseball square, not a diamond! For details about the museum and the man behind it, see Berkshire Magazine’ s“ Play Ball!”( Spring 2023) and Berkshire 25 honoring Moore( Fall 2025), both found at berkshiremag. com. Lee Premium Outlets, Suite B-55, Lee, Fridays to Sundays, 11 a. m. to 5 p. m. Free admission. baseballintheberkshires. org
Entangle 2, Chalice Mitchell, oil on linen, 2025.( Courtesy of Austen Riggs)
6 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Fall 2026