Fall brought two additions to the growing southern Berkshires café and bar scene with the opening of the lounge-like natural wine purveyor Half Rats in late August, followed by beloved North Canaan specialty roastery ilse coffee installing its second location on Railroad Street in mid-November.
Head up to Great Barrington this holiday season to caffeinate, then ingurgitate (in moderation) – just don’t forget to hydrate.
The bright interior of ilse is simple and elegant.Alec Linden
(47 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts). Hours: Thursday - Monday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday open at 9 a.m.
Stylized lowercase, this sleek coffee brand does away with pretense and lets the brew speak for itself. Sourced ethically and with a focus on partnerships between producers, consumers and the roastery itself, a black coffee at ilse is served on a tidy tray in a clear glass mug, alongside a ceramic cup for the drinker to transfer the elixir into at their leisure. The whole set up feels emblematic of the transparency and collaboration at the core of the roastery’s ethos.
Situated in the airy space formerly occupied by Marjoram + Roux, the new coffeehouse builds on the concept inaugurated by ilse’s first public location in a converted auto body shop in North Canaan. Rebecca Grossman, who co-founded and co-owns the business with her fiancée, Lucas Smith, is local to the area, leading the couple to move roasting operations north from Stamford when they decided to expand from the wholesale production they had focused on the previous four years.
ilse’s sleek coffee packaging and merch lineup is eye-catching beneath the register.Alec Linden
With the new shop, the brand moves even further into the food-and-beverage service game, aiming to build out a full breakfast and lunch menu as it ramps up operations on Railroad Street. Currently, the bites on offer are primarily provided by Canaan-based baker Pastries By Hanna, with the addition of one item produced in-house: a fluffy scone stuffed with cream and jam – Smith’s mother’s recipe; she’s English. In the coming months, the open kitchen that takes up about half of the café’s interior will roar to life as the team develops the culinary program.
Stylistically, the space follows the minimal, elegant example set by the North Canaan location, but lower ceilings, tighter quarters and a communal table that abuts the bustle of the above-mentioned open kitchen make for a decidedly cozier atmosphere. Tuck yourself into a window seat and sip a cup of steaming, ethically-sourced coffee while gazing down at the brick-lined streets beneath the hulking ridgeline of East Mountain, and you’ll find it easy to remember why you love the Berkshires.
The comfortable lounge area, where games and wine-related literature are available for those who have exhausted their conversation quotas.Alec Linden
(343 Main Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts). Hours: Wednesday and Sunday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday – Saturday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Natural wine and resurrected Victorian slang are unlikely partners in Abby Pendergist’s new downtown venture that happily marries modern tastes with classic appeal.
“Half Rats” references 19th-century parlance meaning slightly tipsy, or buzzed, which is exactly what guests are invited to become – responsibly, of course – as they swill Pendergist’s rotating ensemble of natural wines from around the world. The snobbery that sometimes hangs over wine-forward enterprises is nowhere to be found here, perhaps booted out by the semi-deranged rodents who decorate the menus, clearly half rats themselves. Instead, the vibe is decidedly relaxed, inviting drinkers to approach the wines with an open and playful attitude.
The space, designed and decorated by Pendergist with help from her boyfriend, Nick Speidel, indicates a well-practiced eye is behind the madness. Located within the tall brick walls of the 1924 Whalen & Kastner Garage, Pendergist has tastefully decked out the room with quirky paintings, a hemlock sapling adorned with string lights, rat-themed T-shirts and the taxidermized head of an antelope wearing an evergreen garland as a necklace. Memorabilia is all around – Pendergist has a background in selling antique clothes, including at a former brick and mortar on Railroad Street.
Paintings and palm fronds are just two of many types of idiosyncratic decor that fills the room at Half Rats.Alec Linden
Amid the mayhem, there is a carefully-wrought logic to the space. Guests freely move from seats at the pounded steel bar to a comfortable lounge, where games and wine literature await, or simply peruse the walls as one might in a gallery. A massive communal table dominating the center of the room is highly modular in its function, hosting large parties of wine drinkers or pumpkin carving contests alike. Several window tables and high-tops offer couples seeking a quieter drink the opportunity to do so with some privacy.
Like everything else, the menu is eclectic and changeable. A core selection of Pendergist’s favorite bottles remain while others rotate, though no bottle is safe from being swapped out. In addition to the main lineup, special bottles are also on offer until they run out. On a recent Thursday, a chilled and unchilled red, both Austrian, graced the specials menu, joined by another red, this one Georgian, as well as a Portuguese orange and a white gleaned from the faraway lands of Maine.
A short, rotating list of craft beers, alongside cheaper standards ($4-$5), are also available, as well as non-alcoholic options such as Mexican coke and espresso. Simple but enticing bar snacks — including olives, a goat cheese plate and “Spanish skewers” of anchovy, olives and pepper — are also available for those who like a snack with their Syrah.
For those who want to bring the experience home, small souvenirs and knickknacks, including Christmas cards, are available for sale at the bar. A Syrah, and snack and a sticker it is, then.
Bryan Monge Orellana and Janneth Maribel Panjon Guallpa of Amenia are the parents of Ethan Nicolas Monge Panjon, Sharon Hospital’s first baby of 2026.
Later that morning, twins were born to Belinde and Erick Garcia of New Milford. Gabriella Garcia arrived at 8:17 a.m., weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces and measuring 19 inches. One minute later, at 8:18 a.m., Isabella Garcia was born weighing 5 pounds, 8 ounces and measuring 18.5 inches.
Belinde and Erick Garcia, of New Milford, are the parents of twins Gabriella and Isabella, who were the second and third babies born in Sharon Hospital in 2026. Their older siblings, Matthew, 6, and Melanie, 3, are pictured. Photo provided
Area ambulance squad members and several first selectmen attend a Jan. 5 meeting hosted by Nuvance/Northwell to discuss emergency service providers.
“We haven’t missed a beat; we’re still taking calls,” said Andrea Downs, president of the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department and an employee of NDP, speaking at the meeting, which was attended by ambulance squad members, first selectmen and representatives of Sharon Hospital.
Sharon Hospital announced Dec. 11 that it would not renew its annual agreement with NDP, ending a 28-year relationship and initially stating that service would cease Jan. 1. Hospital President and CEO Christina McCulloch said the decision was based on compliance concerns tied to the hospital’s role as sponsor.
“Being a sponsor is a big deal,” McCulloch said. “Our concerns were big enough that we couldn’t sign. It was a difficult decision.”
She said the hospital had discussed the issues with NDP representatives and cited unmet state requirements.
Without a sponsoring hospital, NDP could not operate in Connecticut. That issue was resolved when NDP finalized an agreement with Stamford Hospital, allowing it to continue providing services in the Northwest Corner.
At the same time, Sharon Hospital is establishing a hospital-based paramedic service through Nuvance/Northwell, owner of the hospital. Under the current model, the service consists of a single paramedic, who begins the day at New Milford Hospital before traveling to Sharon, prompting concerns from some volunteer ambulance crews about response times while that paramedic is in transit.
Addressing those concerns, hospital officials said while the new paramedic service covers a wide area, so too does NDP, which is based out of Rhinebeck. Some volunteer ambulance crews also said their concerns relate to the transition to two providers, with Sharon Hospital’s service still being built out and not yet fully stationed in Sharon.
Falls Village First Selectman David Barger asked whether more than one paramedic service could operate in the region.
“There could be more than one,” McCulloch said.
Matt Cassavechia, director of emergency services for Sharon Hospital, said Litchfield County Dispatch, which handles all ambulance and fire dispatching for the region, will call whichever paramedic service is available at the time of an emergency.
He acknowledged that the current arrangement could be improved and said the hospital hopes to expand on-site paramedic coverage in Sharon. Doing so would require state approval through a need-for-service application, which Cassavechia said would benefit from letters of support from the community and area first selectmen.
Several volunteer ambulance representatives expressed concern about how changes could affect basic life support services and volunteer operations. Cassavechia said the hospital does not intend to replace volunteer squads.
“We’re not snapping up patients,” he said. “That’s not what we do. We are deliberate and purposeful. We have zero intent of putting volunteers out of business.”
Questions were also raised about possible delays in transferring patients from Sharon Hospital to other facilities. McCulloch said the hospital has been experiencing high emergency room and inpatient volumes but has not seen unusual wait times.
Michelle Hansen of the Falls Village ambulance squad cited a recent case involving a cancer patient who needed to be transported to Yale New Haven Hospital and was reportedly told by Nuvance that there would be an upfront cost of $2,000. NDP ultimately completed the transport.
“That is certainly not our practice,” said Thomas Horkan, Sharon Hospital’s EMS coordinator. “As soon as we were made aware, we took corrective action. It was human error. I listened to the tape. It was unfortunate.”
State Rep. Maria Horn, D-64, attended the meeting to assess how the changes might affect patient care and costs. Cassavechia said billing practices vary among ambulance providers and that clearer rules of engagement would need to be established with local squads.
After the discussion, Sharon First Selectman Casey Flanagan said the outcome appeared reassuring.
“It seems we’re going to have bonus coverage,” he said. “So, I’m OK with this.”
Nuvance/Northwell employees host a Jan. 5 meeting on emergency service providers. From left: Matt Cassavechia, Sharon Hospital director of emergency services; Christina McCulloch, Sharon Hospital president and CEO; Thomas Horkan, Sharon Hospital EMS coordinator; and Dr. Ron Santos, Sharon Hospital emergency room director.By Ruth Epstein
