Click HERE to download and print registration form.
Note on travel from Sheldon Field:
Roundtrip bus transportation for LIR’s Summer Programs begins and ends at Sheldon Field, located conveniently at Bridge Street (Route 9) and Old Ferry Road in Northampton. Its convenience includes free all-day parking.
EXPLORE the GEOLOGY of the CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY Ancient Pangea to the Present|
Date: Wednesday, June 13 (June 14 rain date)
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Place: Bus to/from Sheldon Field
Cost: $48 (including presenter’s fee, hand-outs, travel and driver’s gratuity)
Presenter: Richard Little, Prof. Emeritus, Greenfield Community College, Owner and Tour Leader, Earth View, LLC
Contact: Robert Barker, 268-9209 or (preferably)
You will travel to Deerfield, following roads along the floor of prehistoric Lake Hitchcock and on to the beach. At Greenfield, walk a woodland trail to a basalt cliff, recording the outpouring of lava during the breakup of ancient Pangea.
Lunch at Greenfield Community College, where you can enjoy your own picnic lunch or purchase lunch at the scenic cafeteria. Take a guided tour of the new “Geo Path” on campus, which preserves significant specimens of the region’s geology.
Then travel eastward by bus, passing through younger Mesozoic geologic strata. Below the French King Bridge, at the confluence of the Millers River and Connecticut River, examine the rock exposures, which reveal some history of the rise and fall of the ancient Appalachian Mountains.
Note on activity levels: There will be several easy walks with little or no elevation gain, and two half-hour walks on woodsy trails with minor elevation gain. The trails may be rocky and uneven, so bring hiking poles or canes if you use them. Alternatively, you may stay with the bus.
Space is limited to 36 participants; sign-up will be on a first come, first served basis.
A DAY at HANCOCK SHAKER VILLAGE
Date: Monday, June 18
Time: 8:30am to 5:30 pm
Place: Bus to/from Sheldon Field
Cost: $50 (including museum admission, travel and driver’s gratuity)
Contact: Karen Tatro, 584-7746 or
The Hancock Shaker Village, near Pittsfield, was home to members of a dwindling religious sect until 1960. Since then, it has become an extraordinary attraction for visitors and scholars, alike. The Shakers (as they were nicknamed) were noted for their quiet celibate lifestyle, their hard work and quality handcrafts. Their handcrafts are especially appreciated today for their simplicity of design, efficiency of use and workmanship.
Twenty of the original buildings at Hancock have been restored. Several others have been moved to the site from former Shaker communities elsewhere. The most notable building of all is the round barn, a perfect synthesis of form and function crafted from beautifully laid stone and timbers.
You can bring your own lunch or eat at the restaurant on the Village grounds.
THE ROYAL FAMILY of BROADWAY A Musical World Premiere
This musical is a world premiere. The cost reflects a group discount for tickets; our schedule includes time for a brown-bag picnic or lunch at one of several restaurants in downtown Pittsfield, and for a talk-back (post-performance discussion). Be among the first to see it!
Date: Friday, June 29
Time: 10 am to 6 pm (time for travel, lunch, 2 pm matinee and discussion)
Place: Bus to/from Sheldon Field
Cost: $85 (including admission, travel and driver’s gratuity)
Contact: Kay Klausewitz, 781-248-5446 or
Barrington Stage Company is a professional award-winning regional theater located in Pittsfield, MA. Since its founding in 1995, it is noted for presenting top-notch musicals, masterful classics and thought-provoking new work (such as the one our LIR theater party will see).
The Royal Family of Broadway is a masterful love letter to the Great White Way, set in the 1920’s and loosely based on the legendary Barrymores. It centers around the Cavendish family of actors: an aging imperious grande dame, a Broadway star looking for love, a self-centered boozy leading man who has fled to Hollywood, and a promising ingénue – each having to make pivotal choices in their lives.
LYRA MUSIC FESTIVAL CONCERT Sonatas for Cello and Piano
Date: Thursday, July 12
Time: 7:30 pm
Place: Sage Hall, Smith College, Northampton, MA
Cost: $10 (Your name will be listed at the door as a pre-paid reserved ticket-holder.)
Contact: Mary Franks, 548-9487 or
Lyra Music is pleased to present Nicholas Tzavaras in concert with Rieko Aizawa, in a thrilling program of Sonatas for Cello and Cello/Piano, including:
Beethoven’s Cello Sonata in G Minor (Opus 5 No. 2);
Debussy’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor; and
Britten’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major.
Lyra Music Festival is a classical music event celebrating its 9th annual season this year. It features a unique blend of world class concerts and masterclasses in the beautiful and acoustically rich concert spaces of Sage Hall at Smith College. Lyra Music brings internationally recognized musicians to the concert stage each summer; Mr. Tzavaras will be the first of its Guest Artists in July. Find out more at lyramusic.org.
Parking is available on Green Street or parking lots nearby.
CLARK MUSEUM TRIP
Date: Monday, August 6
Time: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
Place: Bus to/from Sheldon Field
Cost: $51 (including museum admission, travel and gratuity for driver)
Contact: Marybeth Bridegam, or 253-9562
The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute – commonly known as the Clark Museum – in Williamstown, MA is one of the finest small art mus
eums in the country. Its collection features over 6,000 European and American paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs and decorative arts, dating from the fourteenth to early twentieth century. It is best known for works by John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, Degas, Monet, and other Impressionists.
Its newly renovated building by Pritzker Prize-winning architect, Tadao Ando, and 140-acre campus in the Berkshires add to its attractions. We will especially look forward to the special exhibit at the time of our visit, Women Artists in Paris: 1850-1900.
You are welcome to take your lunch from home or order a box lunch in advance from the museum café. (Further details – menu choices and payment info – will be emailed to registrants.)
VISIT STORM KING SCULPTURE PARK Artists on Climate Change
Date: Wednesday, August 15
Time: 8:00 am to 3:30 pm
Place: Bus to/from Sheldon Field
Cost: $62 (including admission, travel and driver’s gratuity)
Contact: Honore David, 538-4972,
Storm King Art Center has been widely celebrated for over 50 years as one of the world’s leading sculpture parks. Located an hour north of New York City in the lower Hudson Valley, its 500 acres of rolling hills, woodlands, and fields of native grasses and wildflowers provide the setting for its renowned permanent collection as well as temporary exhibits.
This summer, the Center presents Indicators: Artists on Climate Change, an exhibition exploring the impact of the changing climate in ways that incorporate scientific, cultural and aesthetic perspectives. Art works are by over a dozen artists, including David Brooks (Permanent Field Observations), Jenny Kendler (Birds Watching), and Gabriela Salazar (regarding post-hurricane Puerto Rican coffee growing).