This year’s show will feature both Steam Engines and Fordson Tractors.

Steam engines have been around forever, literally back to the first century AD. Of course they’ve come a long way since then and are getting more efficient all the time.

Many different people have contributed to the development of the Steam Engine. The first commercially successful steam engines were built way back in 1712, by Thomas Newcomen, primarily used to pump water from mines. More famous are the steam engines developed by James Watt (1763-1775). Watt’s contribution was so important that the SI unit of power is named after him –everyone is familiar with the watt, right? Many, many inventors made important contributions to get us where we are today and the show always has an impressive variety of engines to view and a lot of interesting collectors to chat with.

The Fordson Tractor was the first light weight, mass produced tractor in the world. It was developed by Henry Ford and his son, Edsel and produced by Henry Ford and Son from 1917 until 1920 when the company merged with Ford Motor Co. In 1917, this 4 cylinder 20 hp engine tractor sold for $750! By 1923, over 70% of all US tractors were Fordsons. Today many people forget all about the early Ford’s with the tractor market overshadowed by John Deere and Kuboto.

This is a fascinating show for all you mechanically minded folks out there, but it is also a fun filled family day with a tractor parade, a kiddie tractor pull, a petting zoo, flea market and more!

If this is something that catches your interest, the airport is actually supporting the Engine Show by not charging any landing fees for the weekend. But whether you come by air or auto, if you need a place to stay, look no farther than the Back Road Inns of Central Massachusetts.

Many still think you have to travel to Costa Rica or other places in Central and South American to experience a Canopy Tour. Not true–they are available right here in Massachusetts at the Berkshire East Ski Resort.

Berkshire East has three different options from which to choose. A base area tour at $30 pp, a Mountain Top Tour at $85 pp and a Valley Jumping Tour at $110 pp

The Base Tour is a great introduction for those that are not sure they will like it. Mountain Top Tours are for those a little more adventurous. With 7 zip lines varying in length from 250′ to 800′ and a couple of short hikes in between, this tour captures the thrill of zipping and the beauty of New England all in one package. The Valley Jumping Tours are for the brave at heart. After warming up on a series of smaller lines X1 takes you 2300′ across the valley and X2, which is even longer at 2600′ brings you back.

Children must be eight years old and weigh at least 70 lbs to participate. Adults have a maximum weight restriction of 275 lbs for the Mountain Top tour and 260 lbs for the Valley Jumping Tour.

If this sounds intriguing and you want to try it, The Inn at Clamber Hill is definitely within reach. You can “zip” right over to Berkshire East for any of their regularly scheduled tours. Just be sure to reserve ahead of time as it is becoming extremely popular. We discovered it last fall when two of our overnight guests spent the day zipping before coming here for a relaxing dinner and overnight. They were very enthusiastic about their entire weekend.

And if the Mountain Top Tour is a bit of a stretch budget-wise, keep your eye out for special deals. On June 18 Berkshire East is sponsoring a Zip & Sip party with Mountain Top Tours at $50 pp! You must use the code SZSMT to reserve and do it now as there are limited spaces. If you miss that, Trail Head is offering a special for their customers on June 27th. The Mountain Top Tour will be discounted to $65 pp. Of course they have a special customer code too, so go shopping at their great store in the center of Orange MA and find out what it is!

So young or old, start your summer off with a little zip! Check it out on YouTube — just search for Berkshire East!

My husband told how popular birding is and I didn’t believe him but research shows that  51.3 million Americans are into birding and that figure probably does not include people like us who feed birds in their own back yards.

When we opened the Inn at Clamber Hill in 1998, we knew almost nothing about the area’s birds so we set out to educate ourselves buying books and field guides…. Audubon’s, Peterson’s and Sibley’s among others.

Our desire was to create a bird garden.  What we discovered is that we already had a bird garden with the diversity of fields, perennial gardens, woodlands and streams on the property already attracting over 20 different species of birds including the Pileated Woodpecker, the Hairy Woodpecker, the Evening Grosbeak, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, the Indigo Bunting, the Scarlet Tanager, the Baltimore Oriole, the Red Tailed Hawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and many more commonly sighted birds such as Robins, Blue Jays, American Goldfinches, Sparrows, Juncos and more.

Blue Jay Babies at Clamber Hill

Many of our overnight guests love to watch the birds.  Some sit on the front patio or back terrace with a glass of wine and watch the birds in the early evening.  Others are more active and visit many of the special bird sanctuaries in the area.  We are close to many Mass Audubon properties.  The 332 acre Eagle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary in Holden MA, the 60 acre Cooks Canyon Wildlife Sanctuary in Barre MA, the 772 acre Lake Wampanoag Wildlife Sanctuary in Gardner MA and of course the spectacular 1500 acre Rutland Brooks Wildlife Sanctuary right here in Petersham MA.

Petersham is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts with thousands of acres of conservation land belonging to Mass Audubon, Harvard Forest, Trustees of Reservation and others.

Clamber Hill serves as a resource center with both Field Guides and Trail Maps made available to our overnight guests.  We sell books such as “Birding Western Massachusetts” by Robert Tougias and try to keep up with local happenings too.

In fact this weekend, Petersham’s own Jim Baird is leading a Nature & History Tour of the Lewis-Corrine Babbitt Wildlife Sancutary at 9 am on Sunday June 13th.  It starts from his house at 18 Gay Dr.  If you are interested you need to register with the Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary in Princeton MA.  The cost is $9 for Audubon Members and $13 for the general public.

The Petersham Branch Alliance will hold its annual plant and bake sale to benefit the Petersham Memorial Library and the Petersham Animal Shelter.  This is an opportunity to purchase plants from some of the best Petersham gardens and get free advice from expert gardeners. This special event happens just once a year, so come take advantage of it.  There will be a wide variety of both common and unusual plants from which to choose. In addition to  the beautiful plants, delicious homemade baked goods and white elephant treasures will also be available.

An unusual Iris from the gardens of Clamber Hill

And the Petersham Memorial Library is adding a unique contribution this year.  They are hosting a Garden Symposium with three topics of interest to all garden lovers.  Peter George will present “An Introduction to Rock Gardens” at 9 am.  Jack Kittredge will present ” Backyard Orchards” at 10:30 am and at 12 noon there will be a panel discussion on “Organic Vegetable Gardening” by Kathleen Geary and friends followed by tours of the Nichewaug Community Garden.

June 5th will be a special day on the Petersham Town Common.  If  you’re coming from far away or just want to make a weekend of it and need a place to stay, there are three lovely B&B’s in Petersham.

If you’ve never been to the North Quabbin area, you don’t know what you are missing. Come discover this lovely hidden gem in the center of Massachusetts.

Collage of photos taken in the North Quabbin area

Memorial Day as Celebrated in Petersham, MA

On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, of the Grand Army of the Republic issued General Order Number 11:

“The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.”

Many different towns actually claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. However, in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—was chosen because the town always held an annual, community-wide Memorial Day observance during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

Memorial Day did not actually become a national holiday until 1971, when Congress passed the National Holiday Act and declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May.

Many people now celebrate the day and three day weekend with parties and picnics and there is considerable danger of the true meaning of the day being lost. It is therefore refreshing to find small towns across the country like Waterloo, NY and Petersham, MA holding traditional Memorial Day ceremonies to honor our fallen service men and women from all of our wars.

The poem by Moina Michael in 1915 expresses a poignant sentiment which captures the true meaning of the day:

” We cherish too, the Poppy red,
That grows in fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies,
That blood of heros never dies.”

Observing Memorial Day in Petersham, MA is a unique and moving experience.   A color guard leads the townspeople in a parade to several of the town’s small cemeteries where at each one, the dead from different wars are honored.   The parade concludes on the Town Common where a Memorial Service is held.  It is America at it’s patriotic best and not to be missed.

Mark Ellis leads the Petersham Memorial Day Parade

1794 Meeting House in New Salem is a perfect example. They have a wonderful event schedule for this summer starting with Southern Rail on Saturday June 12th.

But if you are a bluegrass fan, you’ve probably missed the best band of the season. Bearfoot played at the new Cultural Center at Eagle Hill last Saturday night and then again in Brattleboro Vermont on Sunday night. We did not get to go hear them, as we were working (of course) but since they stayed at Clamber Hill we got a sampling of their music on Sunday as they practiced and they gave us a couple of their CD’s which we’ve been listening to all week.

Bearfoot enjoys the courtyard at Clamber Hill

And it’s not just me that thinks they are great–they won the prestigious Telluride Band Contest a few years ago. As the Boston Globe says “Their fresh approach to acoustic music features twin fiddles, fast-picking mandolin and guitar, upright bass, and beautiful harmony vocals.” From their origins as camp counselors at an Alaska music camp they have become a national touring band and will be playing at The Station Inn in Nashville, TN later this month.

But enough about Bearfoot and back to cultural opportunities in Central Massachusetts. One of the best things to happen in the area lately was the completion of the Cultural Center at Eagle Hill. They bring in a combination of local, national and international talent for their state of the art 463 seat proscenium theater, their 80 seat studio theater and their 500 seat dining/function hall. If you have never been, but it on your do to list as it is a truly spectacular venue with a great schedule of events.

As the Bearfoot band members happily told me at breakfast, who would have thought that you would fill a brand new theater with over 350 people in a little town like Hardwick MA with a population of less than 3000 people. But the Cultural Center has had 20 events over this past year, and all of them have been excellent. They are already planning next year’s schedule, so if you have never heard of Hardwick or Eagle Hill check their website out. You can even become a subscriber so that you stay up to date on all the terrific national touring bands that will be coming through this cultural wasteland of central Mass.

And of course, if you need a place to stay while attending either 1794 Meeting House or The Cultural Center at Eagle Hill, Clamber Hill is close to both.

What is Brimfield?

Well to start with it’s a small town in Massachusetts, south of Warren, west of the more famous Sturbridge and east of Palmer and Monson — so yes, right, another small town in the middle of no where.

But what makes Brimfield special is that back in September 1959 the Reid family started an antique show that has become not just an annual event, but a tri-annual event with shows every year in May, July and September.

And it has grown from 67 antique dealers the first year, to over 5000 now.

Brimfield claims to be the largest outdoor antique show in the world!

All along a one mile stretch, just to the west of the town center, the farmers and land owners turn their fields into show grounds and parking lots.  The entire town is transformed for an entire week  The 5000 antique dealers from across the country are spread out over 21 fields.

As you can imagine both traffic and accommodations
are problematic for that week.

When we first opened the Inn, we were looking for furnishings (who has enough to furnish a 9600 sq ft mansion?) and discovered Brimfield.  Since then we try to go down for a day.  Sometimes we go in May, sometimes in July–I don’t think we’ve ever been to the September show as we are usually too busy here at the Inn. 

You do have to be careful. Some of the dealers sell antiques and some have items of lesser quality. Most are expecting you to haggle. Touring the show is a fun but exhausting day.  We usually can only do half in one day. Different fields open on different days. The best time to visit a given field is the day it opens but there are some fields opening each day of the week so there is always something going on. There are several websites that tell you more about the show, and one even has a map so check them out before you go.

It’s better to plan to go from either the east end or the west end, so you don’t have to drive through the middle of the show.

We also usually have guests every year that stay with us to just to attend the show. In fact we have some coming this Thursday night.

So if you’re looking for a quiet place to eat and relax at the end of the day, the Inn at Clamber Hill is only 30 miles (a beautiful back roads drive) north of Brimfield.  Just ask and we’ll send you the directions!

There are a couple of lovely ones right near Clamber Hill, Bear’s Den in New Salem, Doane’s Falls on the Athol/Royalston line, Spirit Falls and Royalston Falls both in Royalston.  All four of these are Trustees of Reservation properties and also in the book, but we were seeking to explore, so we headed off for Chapel Falls in Ashland.    Chapel Falls is lovely, and cool on a hot day.  From there we headed to Charlemont to visit Mill Brook, which drops and flows under Bissell Bridge.  The best view of this falls was actually from the road before you got to the falls.  It’s marked Private Property all around the falls so pretty as it was, this was the most disappointing stop of the day.

Mill Brook and the newly reconsructed Bissell Bridge in Charlemont, MA

Glendale Falls in Middlefield MA, well worth the drive!

The central feature is a massive rock formation, not quite but almost a cave. Easy to see how it’s called a house. This “Rock House” was formed during the last glacial retreat and was used as a winter hunting camp by Native Americans.

The property became a farm in the mid 1880’s and later someone created a pond and built a cabin on the ledge overlooking the pond. That cottage is now a trail side museum and overs spectacular views of Carter Pond.

The pond at Rock House Reservation in North Brookfield, MA

Just north of the Trailside Museum one find’s Balance Rock. It is huge and it is balanced and it is stable — I know because my husband and our three dogs climbed all over it to check it out.

Balance Rock at Rock House Reservation

Anna Ozolins displays her watercolors at Clamber Hill during the "Arts at the Inns"

Sunday saw a steady stream of visitors from around the state most of whom did not know just how special the eastern shore of the Quabbin is or how many wonderful inns are in the two towns of Petersham and Barre.

Clamber Hill, Winterwood and Colonial Hill---the Petersham, MA Inns

The participating artists were pleased, as the people who came had time to view the art in a relaxed, uncrowded setting. And the innkeepers were also pleased as most of the attendees were coming to the inns for the first time, so all in all the idea behind “Arts at the Inns” was a success.

Jenkins Inn, Hartman's Herb Farm and Stevens Farm Inn of Barre, MA