250TH CELEBRATION JULY 27-29

In typical small-town fashion, Sandisfield will host a weekend-long celebration featuring an old-fashioned country fair complete with pie-eating contest, three-legged race, craft demonstrations and a host of vendors, refreshments and entertainers.  All are welcome to join in the fun starting Friday evening, July 27 and running through Sunday afternoon, July 29.  Most activities take place at Carr Field on Route 57 in Sandisfield (Look for the big red barn at 47 Sandisfield Road).

Sandisfield is Berkshire County’s largest and most rural town with a vital history that has just been documented in a 528 page book called “Sandisfield Then & Now: 1762-2012.”   Copies of the book and other 250^th commemorative keepsakes will be available during the celebration weekend.

Festivities kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday evening, July 27 at the Sandisfield Arts Center with “Rascals and Others,” a community theatrical production that dramatizes the “real story” of Sandisfield.  Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 14 and under.  Following the performance, Sandisfiield’s own Lewis family, owners of Berkshire Fireworks, will put on a fitting display at Carr Field.

On Saturday, July 28 at 9 a.m., local and regional dignitaries, school children, soprano, Jean Atwater-Williams, and the American Legion will lead the community in commemorative speeches, the pledge of allegiance, the singing of the Star Spangled Banner, and the raising of the flags.  Sandisfield resident, Reverend Donald Peet, will give the invocation. 

Following the fair on Saturday, Sandisfield’s Fire Department will host a BBQ at the American Legion Pavilion followed by a dance featuring Connecticut rockabilly band, Harm’s Way.

On Sunday, the fair continues with the addition of Yankee Street Rods’ Classic Car Show. Some of the many events planned during the weekend include an open house at local farms, walking tour of the New Boston Cemetery, and a Clam River ramble led by the Berkshire Natural Resources Council.  A complete schedule of activities is located online at www.sandisfield.info.

SANDISFIELD HISTORY BOOK COMPLETED

Sandisfield Then & Now: 1762-2012, a hefty history of the Town of Sandisfield, is now available, just in time for the town’s 250^th birthday celebration in July.

The author of the book, Ron Bernard, spent over two years working day and night to complete the project for this anniversary year.  In true Sandisfield fashion, much of the community was involved in the making of this impressive tome.   Over 100 “founding sponsors” supported the project with donations while a committee of residents and contributing authors met monthly to discuss content, fundraisers, and marketing.  Two dozen residents and second homeowners volunteered their time to proofread and hundreds of residents met personally with the author to share stories and photographs. 

A brief review of the Table of Contents shows nearly 200 pages devoted to general history with chapters on everything from dance halls, stagecoaches, and taverns to subjects unique to Sandisfield such as the Suicide Hill ski run, famous residents, and the Baptist Church turned orthodox Synagogue (now the Sandisfield Arts Center).  Another 300 pages cover each section of town and the historic houses within, as told through the people who lived there throughout the centuries.  Maps, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia can be found among the hundreds of historic photographs.  Images from more recent times are laid out for comparison, aptly illustrating the “then and now” concept.

The book was edited by local historian, Bernard Drew, and designed by local artist, Tina Sotis.  Copies are available for $40 while supplies last.  Visit www.sandisfieldthenandnow.org or call (413) 269-0012 to order.