Page 14 - BusinessWest September 19, 2022

Betsy Andrus says events like Berkshire Busk! exposed the public to many different local artisans and performers.
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14 SEPTEMBER 19, 2022
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT BusinessWest
busy as the summer, but it will still be very busy.”
Coming up at the end of September is the Festival Latino, which is
always very popular among tourists and locals. It features Latin Ameri- can folkloric dance and music performances, language and cultural activities, artisans, and Latin cuisine vendors.
Meanwhile, the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce is intro- ducing its new video series. Great Barrington has a full menu of dining options, said Andrus, and if people want to see what the town has to offer, they can visit the “Chefs of the Berkshires” series and purchase one video for $10 or $60 for the entire series of 13 restaurants, a sav- ings of more than 50%.
“It’s a way to show people that this is what’s going on in this area; some of it highlights the location, too,” Andrus said. “This whole series is to get people more acquainted with the area. And if they live here, we want to show them there is more than just the restaurant they’re used to going to — we want them to branch out.”
She noted that 50% of revenues generated by the program are given back to the restaurants to help them meet the considerable challenges of these times, including workforce issues, rising prices, and other lingering effects of COVID. “And I want to be able to hand them a big check.”
Another video series the chamber has introduced is “Tour the Berk- shires,” a tour package that introduces people to recreation in the Berkshires. Visitors are able to book a weekend of activities if they live in the area or if they’re from out of town and need lodging.
“They’ll go through a whole weekend schedule: there’s yoga and stretching classes, Reiki, dinner at the breweries, renting bikes for a self-guided 20 mile ride, and hiking,” Andrus explained. “There’s a ton of stuff to do here. It’s a whole weekend of activities and food.”
Bottom Line
Andrus told BusinessWest that Great Barrington has long been a destination — for people from this state, neighboring New York, and even beyond. Visitors have been drawn to the different kinds of attrac- tions and came knowing they could find old favorites as well as some- thing new.
And that remains true today. Different venues, such as the Ches- terwood museum, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, St. James Place, and Barrington Public Theater all have their own schedules, and they’ll keep producing plays, musicals, and events through the end of the fall season.
It’s taken a while, and COVID has changed the landscape in some ways, but Great Barrington has its groove back. u
Kailey Houle can be reached at [email protected]