LENOX, Mass.  If you're meeting on the East Coast, Cranwell's the place to go.

That's according to Meetings East Magazine, a leading conference planners publication, which gave Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club its Best of the East Award, the fourth time the resort has been honored with this distinction.
 
Readers of Meetings East vote annually for their favorite meeting properties on the East Coast based on the following criteria: quality of the meeting space; guest rooms; guest services and amenities; food and beverage service; high-tech services and equipment; recreational facilities and activities; the efficiency and helpfulness of staff; and overall value and experience.
 
Cranwell has long been a favorite destination for a wide variety of meetings and events for up 200 guests; it recently hosted the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Governors Association and is also used for such social events as proms and weddings.

We can attest to the to lovely atmosphere and dining at the resort, having attended our share of (but not enough) weddings, meetings and dinners in its beautifully appointed dining rooms.

The resort features 15,000 square feet of event space including a spacious ballroom with panoramic hilltop views and a board room in an historic Gilded Age mansion. The property offers complimentary wireless Internet access throughout the resort.

For more information, call 800-272-6935 or visit www.cranwell.com.

FLORIDA, Mass. — The old Wigwam Cabins on the Western Summit have been purchased by Nancy Fitzpatrick, adding to her collection of historic properties that include the 1773 Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge.

Fitzpatrick, as LMNO Properties LLC, purchased the cabins, guest house and gift shop from the Berkshire Natural Resources Council on Aug. 13 for $275,000. The deal includes a right of first refusal for the nature conservation group should Fitzpatrick ever decide to sell it.

The council took ownership of the buildings last year, when it purchased 37 acres for $470,000 with plans to add it to some 730 acres along the Hoosac Range to conserve the land and restore a three-mile long trail.

The buildings and just under 4 acres were put on the market for $350,000 this spring.

"I'd been eyeballing the cabins longingly for years. I hated the thought that they might disappear," said Fitzpatrick in a news release announcing the purchase. "This style of roadside architecture, from the early days of automobile travel, is underappreciated and endangered. I can't wait to get going on this project."

The site has been a tourist destination with three-state views since the early part of the last century. It will be managed by the Porches Inn in North Adams, another historic property developed out of old houses on River Street by Fitzpatrick and and Williams College alum Jack Wadsworth.

Fitzpatrick is renovating the vintage cabins and will operate them seasonally beginning in spring 2011. She's interested in American road tripping and the hotels and motels that were built during the development of the Interstate Highway System.

Guests at the cabins will have easy access to the trail system being undertaken by the Berkshire Natural Resource Council that will ultimately connect the Florida and Savoy Mountain state forests and include a major hiking trail, the envisioned 100-mile Mahican-Mohawk Trail for Northern Berkshire County. This trail will start at the Wigwam site, ending at Spruce Hill, in the Savoy Mountain State Forest. The anticipated completion date for the trail is in June 2011.

"The Wigwam will capture the imagination and spirit of adventure of its guests, by recalling the nostalgia of bygone days of motor-touring on Route 2," said Bruce Finn, general manager of the Porches and Red Lion inns, in the press release. "The Wigwam Cabins will give travelers access to the Hoosac Range Trail, and — ultimately — the Mahican-Mohawk Trail. It is also a short, five-mile drive to the center of North Adams, Mass MoCA, and The Porches Inn through scenic winding mountain roads, and just a bit longer to Williamstown. Guests will enjoy breathtaking views from their rustic cabin settings, with easy access to all there is to do in the area."

Guests of the Wigwam will have full use of all guest amenities at the Porches, including the hotel's year-round pool, hot tub and exercise facilities. The property will be renovated with each cabin or guestroom offering a private bath and shower. The cabins will feature comfortable furnishings, wood stoves, refrigerators and coffee-making facilities.

One of the key problems for businesses and residents in the Berkshires is getting from here to there, and Gov. Deval Patrick is keen on reviving commuter rail in the region to help us out. While it could be many years before passenger trains return to the Western Gateway, plans are already under way to exend the rail line from New Haven, Conn., through Vermont.

The Northeast Corridor had 14 million riders last year, making up more than half Amtrak's total ridershiop. More than 3 million took the high-speed Acela along the Boston-New York-Washington route.

Patrick's been instrumental in getting the regional rail plan in motion. Recently, the federal government provided some $160 million in stimulus funding (the president has put aside $8 billion to revive rail)  to Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont. The governor said more funding will have to come in stages.

"All the New England governors and New York submitted a plan to Washington," said the governor, in response to a transportation question from David Rooney, president of the Berkshire Economic Development Corp., at Monday's tourism roundtable. "You have to apply for the funding in chapters; we won the first grant, which is to refurbish the rail bed coming up from New Haven to Vermont through Springfield and Greenfield."

The state's take was $73 million to be used fix the detiorated tracks to Springfield, Chicopee, Amherst and Greenfield. Construction in the Pioneer Valley  is expected to start this season and Patrick said a private rail operator has indicated interest.

He's also pushing for high-speed service along the east/west line. Amtrak service "kind of sort of" comes through Pittsfield now, said Patrick, depending on the schedule.

The train trip to Boston can take more than five hours (it's faster to drive) and its erratic schedule can leave passengers waiting an hour or more at the Intermodal Center in Pittsfield, as we, and Patrick, have found from experience.

"This community used to have pretty good rail service connecting different cities and connecting major cities to Berkshire County from outside of Massachusetts and I want to see that restored," said the governor, adding "that's going to have to be part of a long-term agenda."

His championing of rail (and the expansion of the Pittsfield Airport) drew a round of applause and not a few cheers. Still, we don't expect to be sitting by the depot at Western Gateway Heritage State Park anytime soon. But with 21st century broadband heading our way, maybe our dreams of 19th century transportation will come true.

Sen. Benjamin B. Downing sent us reminder in his latest e-letter today: The state's reinstituted a sales tax holiday for Aug. 14-15. The governor signed the legislation on Thursday giving Bay State consumers a break on most items costing less than $2,500.

The holiday, first enacted in 2005 and observed in some form by more than a dozen states, was canceled last year in light of the state's fiscal distress. Each tax holiday weekend costs the state about $15 million in revenue, and would have been more last year with the sales tax jumping from 5 percent to 6.25 percent.

The holiday is part of an economic development measure designed to help small business; getting consumers shopping will help stimulate the state's economy, say supporters.

Here's what Sen. Downing sent us. (To get the senator's Press Pass, sign up on his website.)

Networking events, workshops and seminars for the month of August are listed below. Got an upcoming business event? Send it to info@iberkshires.com

The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will host Chamber Nite at Berkshire Money Management's new home, located at 392 Merrill Road, Pittsfield, on Wednesday, Aug. 11. Networking will be from 5 to 7 p.m.

The event is open to Berkshire Chamber members and their employees. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar will be available. Attendees are encouraged to bring business cards for networking and the door-prize drawing; guests will have at least three chances to win. To register, call 413 499-4000, ext. 26, e-mail choyt@berkshirechamber.com or go to www.berkshirechamber.com.

The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will hold its next Business After Hours Event on Thursday, Aug. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at  Les Trois EmmeVineyard and Winery, 8 Knight Road, New Marlborough. RSVP to visitor@rnetworx.com.

The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will hold "NET”working: Building Your Business through Social Media," presented by Christina Barrett, director of Marketing and Public Relations at Berkshire Community College, on Thursday, Aug. 19. Attendees will learn how social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and MySpace can complement your business’ marketing plan.

The workshop will be held at the Beacon Cinema, 57 Main St. from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. This workshop is  free to members of the Berkshire Chamber and $10 for nonmembers. To register, visit www.berkshirechamber.com, e-mail choyt@berkshirechamber.com, or call 413-499-4000, ext. 26.

The Southern Berkshire Chamber also is planning a Chamber Night at Catamount Adventure Park, on Thursday, Aug. 26 from 4 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 apiece; the event is open to chamber members and their employees. For more information and tickets, e-mail sbcc@rnetworx.com.

Berkshire Creative will be holding a Sparkette, (mini-networking event) for young professionals in the creative economy, on Tuesday, Aug. 10 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event will be upstairs at Jae's Spice, 297 North St., Pittsfield. The event is free; there will be a free hors d'oevres and a cash bar. RSVP here.

Berkshire Young Professionals, a program of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, will host a Networking Social at Moe’s Tavern, located at 10 Railroad St. in Lee, on Thursday, Aug. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. All young professionals living and/or working in Berkshire County are invited. The cost is $5 per person or free for BYP Cardholders.

Attendees can look forward to door prizes, giveaways and a cash bar. Make sure to bring along plenty of business cards for networking.  For more information, check out berkshirechamber.com/byp or facebook.com/moestavern. To register, call 413-499-4000, ext. 26, e-mail byp@berkshirechamber.com or go to www.berkshirechamber.com/byp.