CATA GALA + PERFORMANCE
Stockbridge. First stop on the walk: Alice’ s Restaurant, of name and fame. The original spot is now owned by Joe and Theresa Sonsini, who run the adjacent Main Street Cafe and have hosted a free buffet breakfast for the walkers since the fundraiser began. Alice Brock’ s original store, located behind Main Street Cafe, was renamed Theresa’ s Stockbridge Cafe.“ It’ s not really an operating business,” says Theresa,“ but we have a lot of the original furnishings on display, and it’ s a kick for people to wander through and see them after a hearty breakfast preparing them for the six-mile hike.” So, what kind of folks participate? According to Pollard, there are three main groups.“ The first is HD families and their friends and relatives who have a personal stake in the fundraising efforts,” he says. They make up about a third of the walkers.“ Then there’ s the Blunderites,” he continues, explaining that it’ s what Arlo Guthrie fans are called, a reference to Guthrie’ s song The Pause of Mr. Claus, in which he describes his followers as belonging to the“ Great Blunder Movement.” Blunderites make up another third of the walkers. The
final third is composed of Berkshire locals who have supported the cause over the years or have heard about it and are on their first walk.
Get yourself“ arrested” for littering
From Alice’ s Restaurant, it’ s a hop, skip and a jump to Town Hall, where on a cold Thanksgiving Day in 1965, 18-year old Arlo and his buddy Rick stood in front of Judge James Hannon, who was legally blind and had little appreciation for the " 27 8x10, colored glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one " that Stockbridge Police Chief William J. Obanhein, forever immortalized as“ Officer Obie,” had meticulously put together as evidence. Obie was known for having a sense of humor about the whole incident, a spirit of fun that extends to the present day Police Chief Darrell Fennelly and seems to be part of the job description. All the police chiefs, beginning with Obie, have participated in the fundraising efforts.“ Chief Rick Wilcox
was the one who unscrewed the original jail door from its hinges and presented it to the Guthrie Center as a souvenir when the walk first started,” says Pollard. These days, you can get your picture taken in front of the jail doors for instant street cred.“ The chief brings an awesome spirit to the event,” adds Pollard.“ He parks his squad car right outside Town Hall and hands out doughnuts. If you’ d like, you can also get‘ arrested’ like Arlo did, get your photo taken in the back of the police car, and even have your fingerprints taken. For some reason, it’ s become very popular to have your photo taken being put into the back of the squad car, the chief’ s hand pressing your head down like you see on TV.” Stop number three along the trail is the Stockbridge town dump which was— and still remains— closed on Thanksgiving Day, even in its present incarnation as the upgraded Stockbridge Transfer Station. More than“ just a half mile from the railroad tracks”( it’ s technically a mile), it may be the only waste and recycling center in the United States that’ s also a tourist attraction. Here, during the walk, you’ re likely to
COMMUNITY ACCESS TO THE ARTS PRESENTS
CATA GALA + PERFORMANCE
Join CATA for a dazzling performance by artists with disabilities!
GALA EVENING May 10, 2025 at 5 pm
MATINEE PERFORMANCE May 11, 2025 at 1 pm
Presented at Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA
TICKETS & DETAILS AT CATAarts. org / gala2025
Community Access to the Arts( CATA) nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities.
44 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE May / June 2025