"Historically, the Berkshires have been the vacation spot of Boston and New York intelligentsia — the Yo-Yo Mas, the Ruth Reichls, the people who would sooner torch their bona fides than step foot in the Hamptons. But recently, this swath of Massachusetts has given rise to a formidable food movement — a place where the milk remains cream on top, where the animals graze on hillsides, where little shoots grow up to be farmers’ market peas." - The New York Times Our Program All activities at Hancock Shaker Village unless Noted 1843 W Housatonic St, Pittsfield, MA 01201 Thursday, July 19 6 pm Arrival, Cocktails and welcome SEEDS Restaurant Come together on a property dating back to 1790, looking out over a lush pastoral field and Shaker architecture, cocktail in hand. Welcome to Emerging Tastes. 7 pm Berkshire Best A tasting featuring the local harvest, cheese, charcuterie, beer, and other spirits followed by a moonlight walk and exploration of Hancock Shaker Village’s hidden places and practices Return on your own to your hotel Friday, July 20 Breakfast at your hotel Travel on your own to Hancock Shaker Village Meet at main entrance to gain early to the Museum Grounds 9:30 am Morning Meeting I Shaker Meeting Hall Join us for morning meeting, meditation and discussion. We will take time to find out more about each other and our time together. We will also learn about the Shaker utopian vision, what it means to them and for us to create an intentional community. 11:00 Walking tour of the village Enjoy a guided tour of Hancock Shaker Village, its 20 historical buildings, six gardens, extraordinary collection of designed objects, and its unique 1826 round stone barn. 12:00 pm A Picnic on the Village Grounds 1:00 Taste, Place, and Context Leander Hall Learn more about the extraordinary region that is the Berkshires, called an “epicenter of great food” by The New York Times. We’ll look back at how the Berkshires gave form to the first agricultural fair and later the first Community Supported Agriculture program and ahead to the delicious signs of tomorrow and discussing new edibles that are emerging from the landscape as our climate changes, with Brian Alberg, Lesley Herzberg, Jennifer Trainer Thompson, Arlin Wasserman, and others. 1:45 Farm Tour Walking tour of the Shaker farm led by village farmer Billy Mangiardi, learning about its sustainable farming and livestock practices. 2:30 Break Friday, July 20 (Continued) Afternoon Workshop 3 pm Silo Songs: Shaker Hymns and Grammy Awards The Silo 4 pm Shaker Design and the Modern Kitchen Brick Dwelling 5 pm End-of-day comments Depart Hancock Shaker Village on Your Own for Evening Activity 5:30 Monument Mountain Ascent Meet at the Monument Mountain Parking Area 545 Stockbridge Rd, Great Barrington, MA 01230 Pre climb warm up with PilatesforEveryBody One of the best hikes in a region renowned for them, this climb follows in the path of William Cullen Bryant, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville, who was inspired to write Moby Dick after a memorable picnic here. 7:30 pm Open Fire BBQ Dinner Briarcliff Motel (across from Monument Mountain) 506 Stockbridge Rd, Great Barrington, MA 01230 Dinner Supported by Heirloom Fire and Marty’s Local Food, libations, and fermentations at the Briarcliff across from Monument Mountain. Dinner by Heirloom FIre, which works with some of the most talented and gifted farmers on the East Coast. An important part of telling the story of a region is grasping that moment in time and preserving the season's harvest. Sourcing from the surrounding fields and pastures of The Berkshires and Hudson Valley, Heirloom Fire highlights the abundant resources. You're in for a treat – the fragrant scents of earthy smoke, on a summer night, outdoors over an open fire. Take off your shoes, bring your fiddle. Berkshire living at its best. Saturday, July 21 All activities at Hancock Shaker Village Breakfast at your hotel Travel on your own to Hancock Shaker Village 9:15 am Coffee and Muffins 9:30 Morning Meeting and Meditation in the Shaker Tradition The Stone Barn 10:00 Goat yoga Outside near the Barn Please wear comfortable clothing. Bring your own towel or mats; goats will be provided. 11:00 am Emerging flavors Believers’ Room What does the future hold? What foods and flavors are coming forth from the land even as our climate changes? Kyra Kirstof and Arlin Wasserman will help us understand emerging flavors, how climate is changing agriculture in the Berkshires, and how we can regain balance with nature with new and delicious flavors. Then join in a foraging walk on the lands that surround Hancock Village proper - learn more about the emerging and traditional edibles and medicinals that now grow in the Berkshires. 12:15 pm Break 12:30 Lunch Outdoors Afternoon Workshops Believers Room or Outside depending on weather 2 pm Green, Pu’erh, Health and Ceremony with Jia Li of Tea Tell Truth 3 pm Sound Healing with Canyon Ranch 4:30 Final group meeting and time together Shaker Meeting House Closing Circle: final moments and words 5:30 Group pictures Saturday, July 21 Continued 6 pm Farm dinner with Chris Jennings Round Stone Barn When a really smart historian is funny, lively, and a natural story teller, magic can happen, especially when he talks about a generation of dreamers who took it upon themselves to confront the messiness and injustice of a rapidly changing world. In Paradise Now, Chris Jennings offers a spellbinding account of American utopianism and the bold eccentric visions for the future put forward by five of history’s most influential utopian movements, including the Shakers. Praised by The New York Times as “uncommonly smart and beautifully written,” “absorbing” (Kirkus), and “engaging and witty” (San Francisco Chronicle), Paradise Now offers an infectious yet clear-eyed account of those who “lived on the cusp of an incandescent future,” gently nudging us to ask what sort of future we want to build for ourselves. (And a treat: every guest receives a copy of his book.) 8:00 Barn concert Listen, and dance, into the night with singer songwriter Heather Maloney, Johnny Irion, and The Autumn Defense. Longtime Wilco multi-instrumentalists John Stirratt and Pat Sansone have been playing together in their spare time as the American indie rock band The Autumn Defense ever since the idea struck them 18 years ago in New Orleans at the end of Wilco’s Mermaid Avenue sessions with Billy Bragg. And if you missed Johnny Irion on Mountain Stage, now's your chance. “In short: warming, gorgeous, delightful” -Rolling Stone Maloney’s voice is distinctive, clear, and pure, and this indie folk singer-songwriter from Northampton (MA) uses it to tell down-to-earth tales in polished folk songs exploring themes of spirituality, transformation, and impermanence. “Her sound will knock-you-to-your-knees” -Glide Magazine 10:00 pm Return to hotel on your own …Farewell and safe travels home .