The Rogovoy Report 8.14.23

From around the corner to around the globe...

Aug 13, 2023

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REQUIRED READING

In Return to Tradition, More Young People in Search of Mates Are Now Singing ‘Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match’

(The Atlantic) - Something about the historical tradition of engaging the services of matchmakers to help find a partner appears to be meshing well with contemporary society. In a time when dating apps give users an incredible amount of control over their romantic life, for some people, letting someone else take the wheel seems more and more appealing.

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Online distractions abound, but reading offers its own reward (WSJ)

Walter Benjamin on the Radio: Was he the Ira Glass of his day? (The Nation)

How to make a four-day workweek sustainable (The Atlantic)

In major global cities, learning to live with rats (NYRB)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Illustrator and puppeteer Tony Sarg, who created the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon, is the subject of an ongoing exhibit at Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. He went on to design many balloons from Macy's, including those pictured. (Courtesy NRM)

Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade Fame Gets Due at Rockwell Museum

(ATU) STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. - Don’t be alarmed by the 30-foot sea monster outside of the Norman Rockwell Museum — it’s the new, inflatable staff member greeting visitors coming to explore the museum’s latest exhibit, “Tony Sarg: Genius at Play.” The museum is showcasing the largest exhibition of Tony Sarg, an illustrator, puppet master, pioneer in animated films and the designer of the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon, on display through Nov. 5. “Tony Sarg: Genius at Play” is named as such because humor was a central tenet to Sarg’s work, a lifelong collector of toys who eschewed a military career in Germany to pursue art first in Britain then in America.

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PREVIEW: Composer Carlos Simon’s ‘Four Black American Dances’ -- commissioned by BSO -- to be performed at Tanglewood on Friday (WAMC)

REVIEW: ‘Faith Healer’ a profound theater experience at Barrington Stage Company (WAMC)

PREVIEW: Barrington Stage bringing back ‘Happiest Man on Earth’ (ATU)

PREVIEW: Roomful of Teeth, Pamela Z and The Living Earth Show residency culminates in work-in-progress performance at MASS MoCA on Thursday (Berkshire Eagle)

PREVIEW: Second Annual Bousquet Jazz Festival features Benny Kohn Trio, the Lucky Five, Claire Daly Quartet, and Dominique Eade (B Edge)

REVIEW: At Berkshire Art Museum in North Adams, ‘FEMALE’ falls short in moving past stereotypical motifs associated with female artists (B Eagle)

REVIEW: At Bard, a festival argues for the music of Vaughan Williams (NYT)

REVIEW: ‘Frisky’ intergenerational group of Indigenous performers, videomakers and sculptors on exhibit at Bard College (NYT)

PREVIEW: Mahaiwe adds Samantha Bee, Matt Kearney, dance company BODYTRAFFIC and 'Odyssey' to fall lineup (B Eagle)

On Robbie Robertson and the legacy of The Band, by Seth Rogovoy (EIB)

Williamstown Merchants Decry Drop in Tourism, Revenue

(iBerkshires) WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - As early as March, town officials were expressing concern that a drop in offerings from the Williamstown Theatre Festival would impact summer tourism revenue. Last weekend, when the curtain dropped on a curtailed WTF season, it was clear those concerns were valid. Ashwan Malhotra, owner of the Maple Terrace hotel on Main Street, said, "There's no reason to stay in Williamstown. They will stay in South County, and they might come up to go to the Clark or go to MASS MoCA, because those are day trips. That's what their feedback is, if there's no theater in Williamstown."

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Downtown North Adams gets new hotel with mountain views, a pool, and affordable nightly rates (Travel + Leisure)

Tourists hotel complex in North Adams presents preliminary plans for $17M expansion (iBerkshires)

Former North Adams school finding new life as up-market housing (iBerkshires)

‘Long-troubled’ Housatonic Water Works wants to more than double its rates while dealing with ongoing issues concerning safety and color of water (Berkshire Edge)

MassDEP wants action from Housatonic Water Works concerning noncompliance with state drinking water regulations (B Edge)

Lovingly renovated historic house on one of Great Barrington’s loveliest streets [ed. I used to live across the street from the house] restored by Habitat for Humanity, now for sale (B Edge)

Ken Green of Museum Facsimiles in Pittsfield knows the ins and outs of custom framing — he's been doing it for 30 years (B Eagle)

1Berkshire awards 52 facade improvement grants throughout Berkshires (B Edge)

New director of Berkshire Music School plans new programs, outreach (WAMC)

Berkshire County COVID-19 cases are on the rise (Berkshire Eagle)

Can we catch a break from frequent rainy days? There’s some hope on the horizon (B Eagle)

Former FTX executive and Lenox restaurateur Ryan Salame linked to campaign-finance probe of New York GOP race (WSJ)

F.B.I. searches Maryland home of Berkshire native, Lenox restaurateur, and top FTX executive Ryan Salame (NYT)

NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY

New Historical Markers Project Seeks to Reanimate History of the Borscht Belt

(Chronogram) - Comprising over 500 resorts spread across Sullivan, Greene, Orange, and Ulster counties, the Borscht Belt was a cultural phenomenon—a safe vacation destination for Jewish families away from the rampant antisemitism of the first half of the 20th century. Though the Borscht Belt’s comedy, culinary, and cultural legacy endures, most of the buildings and campuses that were its backdrop have fallen into ruin. The newly launched Borscht Belt Historical Markers Project aims to save these sites from oblivion by commemorating them with historical plaques that both honor the past and educate the present public, creating a literal roadmap through history.

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Albany airport to get major overhaul (WAMC)

Two new COVID variants, hospitalizations on rise in the Northeast (ATU)

Columbia County purchases Hudson strip mall for office space, insuring lower Warren Street remains blighted by DOA architectural atrocity and killing plans to redevelop lot for housing; Galvan walks away with $1.8M profit (GoR)

Hudson mayor eyes former school property for housing project, setting up potential clash with HDC’s plan for ‘Hudson Hub’ [Full disclosure: I am a board member of HDC] (HV360)

Hudson gets third schools superintendent in three years (ATU)

Late philanthropist Joan Davidson championed Hudson causes amongst her better-known efforts in NYC (GoR) and Joan Kaplan Davidson, philanthropist who championed New York (and Hudson), dies at 96 (NYT)

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