LENOX — Let the good times roll. That’s the upbeat message from the town’s business leaders following a blockbuster summer for the hospitality industry.
To keep area residents and visitors entertained during the transition to October’s leaf-peeping season, the Lenox Apple Squeeze, a four-decade tradition, is returning this month for the first time since the COVID-19 plague forced its cancellation in 2020 and 2021.
Organized by Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jennifer Nacht, several other downtown attractions also are planned, leading up to the return of the Squeeze. So far, 75 vendors have signed up for the festival.
The street fair was created in 1980 by antiques dealer Charles Flint, developer Bob Romeo and the Chamber of Commerce. Originally, it was held on Columbus Day weekend, but later moved to late September.
The idea was “to give the town back to the people in a very festive way” after the summer tourism crunch, Flint has said. He came up with the Apple Squeeze name because it coincides with the peak of the fall harvest.
This year, it will be a one-day, Main Street sidewalk festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, with musical entertainment along Church Street and additional vendors in the Campfire lot at 80 Church St. The rain date is Sept. 25.
A new element: The Apple Tree Inn off Route 183 (West Street) will host a free bonfire after-party from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the lawn, offering a food truck and music , Nacht said.
The goal is to draw up to 5,000 people to downtown, she said, for food, merchandise and musical entertainment provided by Berkshire Busk, the organization based in Great Barrington that connects street musicians with performance opportunities. The Lenox PTO will offer its carnival for kids in Lilac Park, including a hayride.
Here are other events planned in downtown Lenox:
• The fall edition of the seasonal Lenox Art Walk will be this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Described as a “family-friendly, welcoming town event,” the collaboration among the Chamber, the Lenox Cultural District and Gordon Fine Arts features 50 artists and artisans displaying their creations in tents along the Main Street sidewalk and Lilac Park.
Food vendors will be on hand, and area musicians provided by Berkshire Busk will perform at locations along Church Street, including the dining terrace across from the Alta restaurant, at Campfire (80 Church St., formerly Cafe Lucia) and Ophelia’s at the Whitlock, 16 Church St. (formerly the Church Street Inn and Village Inn).
• The Lenox Jazz Stroll begins Sept. 15 at the Lenox Library with a free 6 p.m. screening of George Schuller’s documentary, “The Modern Jazz Quartet: From Residency to Legacy.” Formed in 1952, the group helped develop The Music Inn’s School of Jazz on the grounds adjoining Wheatleigh. The film features Percy Heath, John Lewis, Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Jim Hall, Herb Pomeroy, Gunther Schuller, Stephanie Barber and others offering remembrances and anecdotes. George Schuller will present a Q&A session after the screening.
The Jazz Stroll continues Sept. 16 with a performance by the Ted Rosenthal Trio at the Gateways Inn from 6 to 9 p.m. Events on Sept. 17 include a lineup of musicians in Lilac Park, Gateways and Campfire from noon to 9 p.m. and a concluding show by the Wanda Houston Band at Firefly from 8 to 11 p.m.
The Jazz Stroll is curated by Andy Wrba of the Lenox Jazz Collective. He works with Mill Town Capital, a co-sponsor. “The caliber of musicians he gets is just phenomenal,” said Nacht.
Additional details and schedules: https://www.lenoxjazzstroll.com/2022-jazz-stroll
