Anna Gillette, an HVRHS student and member of the school’s travel club, accepted a sponsorship for the club’s annual Wine Dinner and Auction fundraiser from Rob Cooper, owner of Associated Lightning Rod Company in Millerton.
SALISBURY — The menu is planned, tickets are selling and students are ready to don their aprons – all in preparation for the sixth annual Wine Dinner and Auction, hosted by the White Hart Inn in Salisbury.
The event is on Friday, Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m. and raises money for the Housatonic Valley Regional High School International Travel Club’s 2025 trips to Italy/Germany and to Thailand.
The evening accommodates 120 guests under a tent on the Green and includes a cocktail hour with a sparkling wine, a four-course dinner with three wines and both a live and a silent auction. Actor and local resident Sam Waterston will attend and speak to show his support for the program.
“We are so grateful to the White Hart for their continued support and generosity,” said Laura Bushey, a board member for Northwest Corner: Students Without Borders, the fundraising branch of the travel club. “They donate a large portion of the food and wine as well as allow us to use their beautiful lawn.”
Students work during the evening as waitstaff, greeters, decorators, cleanup crew and fundraisers. They have also spent the summer finding sponsors and items for the auction. Local businesses, artisans and organizations have donated fine art, gift baskets, gift certificates, tickets to tri-state events, golf packages and more. Items of special note include a one-week stay at a house in France, spring break at a timeshare in Myrtle Beach, S.C., two nights in Atlantic City and orchestra seats to a Broadway show of the winning bidder’s choice.
“The money received by each student correlates directly to the time commitment they have made,” said Bushey. “This system incentivizes each student and avoids everyone benefiting from the work of only a few individuals. Since the students become extremely invested in their trips, they are very grateful for the special opportunity.”
John Lizzi, HVRHS social studies teacher and club advisor, expressed thanks to the Region One community and the 21st Century Fund for the continued support of students.
“Without Region One’s help, these tours would not be possible,” he said. “Regrettably, the cost of international travel has never been higher, and the support we receive goes directly to support families who, without financial assistance, would not be able to afford these trips.
“The past two years we’ve averaged $50,000 at the dinner,” he added. “That remains our goal this year.”
Global citizens
Donations help pay for cultural experiences and excursions, airfare, hotel accommodations and the opportunity to earn high school and college credit.
“International travel provides students authentic learning experiences not possible in the classroom that are truly life-changing,” said Lizzi. “Students return from these trips as more mature, refined and empathetic global citizens.”
Bushey, a parent of three HVRHS graduates, echoed this sentiment.
“My daughter, Catherine, was able to travel to Japan in April of 2022,” she said. “The trip has definitely given her the ‘travel bug’ as well as a far less U.S.-centric approach in general. After seeing the growth that a travel experience like this can generate, I became very passionate about helping facilitate future trips. The hope is that students have a profoundly exciting learning experience that broadens their horizons and encourages continued travel throughout their lives.”
HVRHS sophomore Jonas Johnson also has the travel bug after touring Iceland with the club this past July.
“As someone who is into nature, I thought it was great that we got to go to a different environment and see the differences from home,” he said. “We saw famous waterfalls, thermal pools, geysers, humpback whales and volcanic environments, which were all so special.”
Johnson plans to journey to Thailand next year and said he is most excited to volunteer at an elephant sanctuary. The anticipated itinerary will be the first service-learning trip with school-tour operators EF Tours.
Said Lizzi, “All of the trips we take include fantastic learning experiences for our students, but the Thailand trip promises to be the most hands-on and student-centered yet.
“As we get closer to the 2025 departure date, we will learn more about the specifics of the project,” he explained. “Past examples from Thailand service-learning tours include helping to build a local school, planting trees, constructing dams to help with seasonal flooding, building mushroom houses outside local schools to create income for resources, and maintaining elephant habitats that help with general sanctuary upkeep.”
Tickets to the Wine Dinner and Auction are $100 each. To buy tickets, become a sponsor or donate an item for the auction, visit winedinnerandauction.com, email nwcstudentswithoutborders@gmail.com or call/text Lia at (860) 248-0269.
Aradev LLC’s plans to redevelop Wake Robin Inn include four 2,000-square-foot cabins, an event space, a sit-down restaurant and fast-casual counter, a spa, library, lounge, gym and seasonal pool. If approved, guest room numbers would increase from 38 to 57.
LAKEVILLE — The public hearing for the redevelopment of Wake Robin Inn is over. Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission now has two months to make a decision.
The hearing closed on Tuesday, Sept. 9, after its seventh session.
Michael Klemens, chair of P&Z, had warned at the opening of the proceedings that “this might be a long night” due to a last-minute influx of material from experts hired by Wells Hill Road residents William and Angela Cruger to oppose the project, but this turned out not to be the case.
These 11th hour submissions set a sour tone to the start of the meeting, with commissioner Robert Riva stating that it was “not very professional to pull this stunt on this Commission.” Riva said he had diligently reviewed the already substantial documentation provided by both the applicant and the opposing experts, and was surprised to find a “dump” of additional information submitted just hours before the meeting’s start time at 6 p.m.
Tensions were quickly eased, however, when William Cruger offered his concise summation of his platform’s opposition to the expansion, which is the second iteration of the project after an earlier version was withdrawn late last year.
“It’s important for you all to hear from me that there was never any disrespect intended to the Commission, the commissioners, and to the process,” Cruger said. He defended the last-minute submissions as an effort on the part of the experts to be thorough in their analysis: “Our intention… has been and remains to do our best to get whatever we think will be helpful in your deliberations into the record.”
The Crugers formally entered the hearing process as intervenors for the first application from Aradev LLC, the applicant, in the fall of 2024, meaning they and their hired consultants had full party status in the hearing proceedings. During this cycle, however, they chose not to petition for intervenor status, yet during this round of hearings their role has been similar. Klemens described them as having “almost intervenor status — not quite.”
William Cruger summarized the consultant’s findings for Aradev’s revised application, noting they found it to be “virtually identical in scale to the previous proposal.”
“Our position is that the proposed expansion would absolutely negatively impact the usefulness, enjoyment and value of the surrounding properties,” he said.
Aradev’s attorney Joshua Mackey countered by saying that the special permit conditions would elevate the currently non-conforming hotel in the zone, describing it as a “community asset that is improved, regulated, and safeguarded for generations to come.” He characterized Aradev as “the next steward of this storied property.”
After Mackey and Aradev co-founder Steven Cohen concluded their remarks, Klemens closed the hearing with no public comment, which he had stated would be the case at last week’s hearing session on Thursday, Sept. 4. Klemens said that P&Z will begin deliberating the proposal in early October after the commissioners have had the chance to review the information in the record.
A total of 45 letters, including the Crugers’ experts’ testimony, were submitted since the Sept. 4 meeting alone, alongside hundreds of pages of application materials and additional testimony.
As the Commission deliberates and reviews, all of this information is available for public viewing on the “Meeting Documents” subpage under P&Z’s section on the town website, www.salisburyct.us.
The Commission must issue a decision on the application by Nov. 13, the end of the statutorily defined deliberation window.
The Weavery is Stanton Home’s oldest activity space, featuring a collection of vintage and modern floor looms. It offers opportunities for building dexterity, creative expression, and social connection through fiber arts.
Stanton Home is holding its annual Harvest Roast fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 13 in Great Barrington, an evening of farm-to-table dining, live swing music, and community connection.
For nearly 40 years, Stanton Home has supported adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential programs, therapeutic services and skill-building activities.
“Here in the Berkshires, adults with diverse abilities often face barriers like limited housing, tricky transportation, and fewer opportunities for meaningful work,” said Executive Director Peter Stanton. “Stanton Home flips that script. Our mission is to partner with adults to pursue healthy, self-determined lives.”
The Harvest Roast features locally grilled meats, roasted vegetables from Stanton’s own gardens, warm apple crisp with SoCo Creamery ice cream, and beverages —all set to the swing and gypsy jazz rhythms of the Lucky 5 Band.
“The Harvest Roast is a celebration of what makes our community strong, inclusive, and vibrant,” Stanton said. “Every ticket and sponsored table supports programs that make a lasting difference.”
Guests will begin in the gardens with a signature cocktail before gathering at long farm tables for a shared meal and celebration.
“Though this night matters, the work is year-round,” Stanton added. “People can help by shopping locally at the farm store or buying handmade weavery goods, pitching in with time or skills, gardening, lending a hand at events or by partnering with Stanton’s programs like composting or sourcing local goods. Folks can also speak up for inclusion in their workplace or community circle. Even the smallest action helps keep the mission alive.”
Tickets are $125 per person. Proceeds support Stanton Home’s inclusive programs. Reserve at donorbox.org/events/771775/steps/choose_tickets or call 413-441-0761.
Following the memorable benefit reading last season of Charles Busch’s Tony-nominated Broadway hit, “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife,” the Sharon Playhouse will present a one-night-only staged reading of his riotous comic melodrama “Die Mommie Die!” on Friday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m.
The production —a deliciously over-the-top homage to classic Hollywood mid-century thrillers — continues the Playhouse’s artistic partnership with Busch, who reprises his iconic role of the glamorous yet troubled songstress Angela Arden.
The playwright and performer is no stranger to the Playhouse and, luckily, he’s supported by a truly stellar powerhouse cast of top-notch comic actors — some returning to the Playhouse stage, and some making their debut. The cast includes Richard Kind; two-time Tony Award nominee Kristine Nielsen, who was part of the original New York cast; Tony Award winner Celia Keenan-Bolger; Andrew Keenan-Bolger; and Claybourne Elder.
The production also marks a fortuitous alignment of talent and history. It is directed by Sharon Playhouse Artistic Director Carl Andress, who performed in the play’s Los Angeles premiere in 1999.
“I have a long and happy history with this particular show,” Andress said. “At the Sharon Playhouse, we’re thrilled to offer unforgettable, one-of-a-kind live experiences. With Charles Busch and this phenomenal cast, ‘Die Mommie Die!’ will surely light up the Olsen Stage with laughter, wit and glamour.”
The original music is by Lewis Flinn, whose score for the 2007 Off-Broadway production is being adapted specially for this event.
The play is a classic Charles Busch concoction that, like all his work, lovingly and intelligently spoofs some of the greatest talents and tropes of stage and screen. The original production was praised by critics as his “funniest, most accomplished and, without question, raunchiest work.”
In 2003, Busch won the Best Performance award at the Sundance Film Festival for the film version of “Die Mommie Die!” His indelible contributions to American theater have been recognized with countless awards and he was recently inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
The event promises to be an unforgettable night of laughter, glamour and theatrical fun, with all proceeds going to benefit Sharon Playhouse’s productions and educational programs. The funds will help ensure that the Playhouse continues to thrive as a cultural destination for audiences and artists alike.
For tickets, visit: sharonplayhouse.org. Running time: 90 minutes.
Richard Feiner and Annette Stover have worked and taught in the arts, communications, and philanthropy in West Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, and New York. Passionate supporters of the arts, they live in Salisbury and Greenwich Village.
