Picture Perfect: Bates Field

These photos were taken this afternoon, and it doesn't get any better than this: freshly mown paths, late summer wild flowers, and a stunning view! Whether you're walking, jogging, bird or butterfly watching, or seeking the ideal spot for a picnic, now is a great time to experience one of Notchview's finest features. Bates Field is also the site of Upland Farm (c. 1905 - 1957), one of the 24 historical site markers we installed as part of our Windsor Landmarks Project. The sign can be found on Shaw Road in front of the stone pillar entrance to the field. You can learn more about Upland Farm and Notchview in FLASHBACKS, Vol. 2.

Notchview is a property of The Trustees. Maps and more information can be picked up at the Visitor's Center. Carpe diem!

Windsor Celebrated!

We did, indeed! We're still reeling from last weekend's festivities. You can read all about it in our special write-up of the event, Celebrate Windsor. And be sure to check out our Celebrating Windsor Photo Gallery. There was standing-room-only in the East Windsor Chapel, with close to 90 names in our guest book. While folks mingled and browsed the wonderful historical photo displays, Benny Kohn kept the rhythm (& blues), playing soulful, original tunes, old-time favorites, and a very moving rendition of his late father's song, "Windsor Now & Then." Colin Harrington engaged the crowd in a spirited story-telling period prompted by reading entries from our "Favorite Windsor Memories" box; Jim Kierstead shared his abundant knowledge of the East Windsor landmark sites by leading a guided walking tour; and Dick Jacobs took home the gorgeous table handcrafted & generously donated by Scott Brockway for a benefit raffle, which brought in an amazing $465 for Friends of Windsor. The new phone books and stunning Windsor Landmarks Maps were a big hit; and the chapel was filled to brimming with summer flowers, homemade goodies, and a contagious feeling of excitement and connection. We'd like to thank all of you—volunteers and guests alike—for helping us make this day special! And, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the two-page spread in the Berkshire Eagle that ran the following day.

The Phone Book is Here!

It's true! And we'll be distributing the all-new directory at the Celebrate Windsor! festivities this Sunday, July 17, 2-5 pm at the East Windsor Chapel. Come pick up your copy and join us for an afternoon of live music, refreshments, and laid back fun. Perched on the banks of Westfield Brook, the chapel is one of Windsor's hidden gems, with its iconic bell tower and spare beauty. We'll be displaying a lovely selection of photos from the Windsor Historical Commission's archives, and offering a short guided walking tour of the East Windsor landmark sites. Plus, a whole lot more. Hope to see you!

Raffle to Benefit Friends of Windsor

This beautifully handcrafted entryway/sofa table was generously donated by Scott Brockway to benefit Friends of Windsor and add to our Celebrate Windsor! festivities on Sunday, July 17, 2-5 pm at the East Windsor Chapel. Scott, the owner of Berkshire Wood Products, made the table from locally harvested maple that has a unique wavy grain pattern (“tiger maple”) prized by fine woodworkers. It measures 30” h x 42” l x 12” d. Raffle tickets are now on sale at Sangar’s, Friendly Fred’s, and the Town Offices: $5 for one ticket, $20 for five. The drawing will be held on the day of the event. Come join us on the 17th to celebrate Windsor’s past! We’ll have fabulous music by Windsor keyboardist Benny Kohn; a fascinating historical photo display; walking tours of the East Windsor landmark sites; and refreshments. And we’ll be handing out the latest Windsor Phone Book, as well as showing off our new Windsor Landmarks Map. There will be lots to see and do, including winning yourself a beautiful, locally made table!

Windsor Jams

That's not a typo! Take out the "b" in Windsor Jambs and you get Windsor's own Piano Man, Benny Kohn, playing a jazzy blue tune featured on his newly released CD, Fingers First. Click on the arrow to listen! You can hear Benny play live during our Celebrate Windsor! festivities on Sunday, July 17, 2-5 pm at the East Windsor Chapel. Come enjoy the music, refreshments, and a walk down Windsor's memory lane with historical photo displays, walking tours of East Windsor's landmark sites, and good conversation with neighbors and friends. You'll have a chance to buy raffle tickets for Scott Brockway's beautifully handcrafted sofa table, pick up your new Windsor Phone Book, and admire our fabulous Windsor Landmarks Map. Be there or be square!

Celebrate Windsor!

Come join us at the lovely East Windsor Chapel on Sunday, July 17th from 2-5 pm to celebrate Windsor's past, and the publication of our wonderful Historic Landmarks Map! The professionally designed full-color map highlights the locations of the 24 site markers Friends of Windsor erected last year as part of our Windsor Landmarks Project. Festivities will also include great music from Windsor's own Benny "Fingers" Kohn, historical photo displays, walking tours of the East Windsor landmark sites, refreshments, and the good company of neighbors and friends. We'll also be raffling a beautiful tiger maple sofa table handcrafted and donated by Scott Brockway. And, at long last, we'll be distributing the 2016-17 Windsor Phone & Community Directory! We look forward to seeing you and sharing stories, memories, and some good laughs.

The East Windsor Chapel is located on Old Route 9, a stone's throw east of where Old Route 9 intersects with Worthington Road.

Wildflowers!

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Don't you love Windsor at this time of year, when the spring wildflowers are nearing their peak? Now it's buttercups, daisies, irises, and ragged robin—to name just a few. Whether motoring, bicycling, or walking past, who could resist stopping for a longer look? These photos were taken on a recent evening bicycle ride. From left to right, top then bottom: Hume Field, Notchview; Bates Field, Notchview;  Drew's Field, Savoy Rd; Piekos Field, Savoy Rd. (Click on each for a larger view). At one stop, we came upon a local couple enjoying a picnic surrounded by blooms. Dinner out doesn't get any better than that! Piekos Field, as always, was a highlight with its stunning views, music-box-like calls of bobolinks, and the feeling that you're at the top of the world. We've got it good here. If you'd like to share your favorite Windsor wildflower photos with us, we'd love to create a gallery. Send your jpeg files to us at fowindsor@gmail.com.

Listening to Windsor Jambs

Thank you, Internet! While researching the history of Windsor Bush recently, I stumbled across a YouTube music video titled "Windsor Jambs." This is a piece of music unlike anything I have heard before. I can't promise you'll like it, but give it a try. The piece was written in 1980 by Earle Brown, a leading composer of American avant-garde music from the 1950s until his death in 2002.  Why did Brown name a composition for a wild and remote gorge off River Road? Just a brief dip in the Google ocean turned up this: "The title, Windsor Jambs comes from a road sign I saw somewhere in Connecticut or Western Massachusetts a few years ago. I liked the sound of it as a title and it has come to express somewhat the polyphonic juxtapositions and interweaving of melodic materials that occur in the work."

While I was disappointed to learn he had never actually been to Windsor Jambs, Brown's comment reminded me that when I lived in North Adams in the 1980s, I would often pass the sign for Windsor Jambs while driving in a hurry from one place to another. Each time I would promise myself to take a detour one day and see this wonderfully-named place.

Brown was born in Lunenberg, MA in 1926 and had a lifelong connection to New England. He was a guest composer at Tanglewood in 1968, and I like to think it was during this time that Windsor Jambs worked its magic. The Earle Brown Foundation has great information on his life and work. Susan Phillips

Who Remembers This Bus?

We love this picture of Windsor's sturdy school bus with driver and smiling scholars, back in the days of Crane Community School. It's part of the Windsor Historical Commission collection, but it isn't labeled with either a date or names.

Can you help? Recognize any of these faces? Windsor's schools -- there were 9 or 10 small schoolhouses at one time, followed by consolidation at the Crane school -- will be highlighted in upcoming issues of Flashbacks, so if you have memories to share please get in touch. Meantime, check out former resident John Boyle's memories of growing up in "downtown" Windsor.

Bloodmobile Comes to Windsor

Like all other regions of the United States, the Berkshires regularly experiences blood supply shortages. Since convenience is often a deciding factor in whether or not people decide to give much-needed blood, Friendly Fred's has offered to host a drive right here in Windsor. Berkshire Medical Center's Blood Donor Center, which operates the state-of-the-art bloodmobile, is committed to keeping donated blood in the Berkshires for use in local patients and aiding in efforts to decrease the cost of blood.

Approximately 38% of the population has O-positive blood and 34% has A-positive, with the remaining six blood types more rare. Only 1% of the population is estimated to have AB-negative blood. There is no successful substitute for human blood, which makes blood donation vital to each community. To sign up, please call Jen at 413-684-3371.

Show Us Your Barn!

Who doesn't love a barn?! Whether it's a relic of the past working its way back to earth, newly-built and still smelling of fresh lumber, or something in between, barns remind us of our connections to the land in ways that are hard to express. So, this is an invitation to show us your barn and help us create a Barns of Windsor Photo Gallery. Send Friends of Windsor your favorite photo, whether your barn houses equine, beat-up equipment, or swallows and wasps. Email images in jpeg format to fowindsor@gmail.com.