In case it wasn’t obvious, I am a caffeine addict (since I’ve given up on everything else). And lately, I’ve also become a salt junkie. Not just any kind of salt, however, but pink Himalayan salt. Sounds fancy, right? Well, it is. And we’re not talking little, boring white grains of supposed sea salt. Think giant 70-pound gleaming rocks of 250 million-year-old salt that has made its way through a historical and cultural web to my back stoop; Great Barrington.

HimalaSalt, founded by dynamo and natural foods extraordinaire Melissa Kushi (or the Salt Lady as my kids refer to her), is a foodie’s wet dream. The store/warehouse is a treasure trove of gorgeous, pink salt blocks and rare and pungent peppers from India, Brazil and beyond. To say that the store is unique would be an understatement. Just stepping foot into HimalaSalt is an experience; maybe it’s the neutralizing effect of the salt on any bad energy (or grumpy writer) that finds its way into the space.

Most of the product line, excluding the pepper and some cooking accoutrement, is comprised of the pink salt that is mined from deep within the Himalayas. HimalaSalt has made use of this extraordinary mineral by transforming it into more than just a food additive. Thick pink cups (particularly good for serving sorbet and margaritas), hefty 4”x 8” sushi platters and polished massage stones are just a few of the products indigenous to HimalaSalt. Not to mention detoxifying bath salts infused with lavender and other oils and herbs and giant salt “urns,” and attractive gift packages containing salt and pepper combinations for novice and discerning cooks.
 

I know what you’re thinking; you saw the word “mined” and are wondering if this is an ethical product. Well, rest assured, HimalaSalt not only sources the salt from non-blasting, fair trade miners (Kushi is also founder of Sustainable Sourcing LLC), but the company also takes pains to compensate for its carbon footprint by using only post-consumer boxes and other enviro-friendly packaging in its shipping.

And, better yet, you won’t have to request a single box if you go to HimalaSalt this Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a major blowout sale. In addition to the amazing, attractive product Kushi will be providing cooking demonstrations on her famed salt plates (i.e. free food and great kitchen ideas). HimalaSalt is located behind the old Searles school. For more information visit www.himalasalt.com. Also, check out the cooking demos on YouTube.

 
 

Generally I’m not one to go for the “heard it through the grapevine” approach to stories, but since it’s a small community and jobs may be on the line, I was hard pressed (actually, begged) not to use any names for this one. Actually, people have lost their jobs already, or been demoted or absorbed as a result of this latest news from Kolburne School.

The Caldwell House, which is a satellite residential home for students at the school, will be closing tomorrow. Employees at the house, which is located in Sheffield (set away from the road a stone ’s throw away from the covered bridge), found out roughly two weeks ago that it would be closing. While the school has managed to “absorb” these seven employees, many have been demoted or had to take a pay cut as a result of the closing.

I’m not sure what exactly will happen to the six students who were living at the house but it is clear that Kolburne School, like most residential schools, is being hit hard by the economy. Enrollment has dropped significantly from roughly 120 students down to 80 (or less) and the school is still in the middle of labor union negotiations as it seems they want to downsize employee contracts, which are reportedly already slim to begin with.

In addition to its main campus in Southfield, Kolburne has three residential campuses in Lee, Great Barrington and Sheffield. Actually, make that two since the Sheffield campus will be closing tomorrow. It may be on the market within the month.

It is hard to say where the school will go from here. Rumors have been flying that it is on the brink of financial collapse and much of what’s happening seems to be pointing in that direction, although no official news has come from the school itself. Thus far the news of closings and contracts and scandal has been a strong whispering current in the community at large.

More to follow…

I don't know if you've noticed, but Berkshire County is living up to its designation as a cultural Mecca, although I sometimes cringe when I hear the term. Perhaps due to overuse. And while most of our minds are hibernating in a frozen coma, there are still those tireless cultural gurus and volunteers who continue to amaze us with their ingenuity and generosity.

The latest news, which will be made official at a press conference on Monday morning, addresses heritage. In June, cultural organizations all over the county will join forces in to celebrate and highlight African-American culture in the area. The monthlong event is being co-chaired by none other than Shirley Edgerton, the tireless director of Youth Alive! (and a Berkshire County Hero).

Both Berkshire County mayors are expected to attend the announcement on Monday at 1 p.m. at Pittsfield's Second Congregational Church. Don Quinn Kelley is co-chairing the event with Edgerton. The region is part of the recently designated Upper Housatonic African-American Heritage Trail. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts professor Frances Jones-Sneed is following up her first book on the upper Housatonic with the African-American Heritage Project in the Northern Berkshires.

The African-American Festival (not sure if this is the official title) is being modeled after the Berkshire Festival of Women in the Arts, which was held in March 2009. The festival, which was spear-headed by Eugenie Sills (founder and publisher of The Women's Times), included film screenings, exhibitions, performances and talks all geared toward examining the role of women in the arts as well as highlighting the work of Berkshire women artists, teachers and performers.

Stay tuned for details on the African-American festival coming to a neighborhood, theater, gallery or Main Street near you….
 

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.

As a journalist I meet some pretty interesting people. Sometimes interesting is a euphemism for scary, sometimes it’s not a euphemism at all. I've discovered that this place is absolutely crawling with diversity and dynamic people, especially business owners. Just under two years ago, I sat down with Gabriele Senza in what was, at the time, the newly opened Berkshire Art Kitchen. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before in the Berkshires; part French salon, part funky retail, part gallery.

I was hooked. And so, too, were a lot of other artists and writers and musicians and collagists…you get the idea. The Berkshire Art Kitchen was something new and different and unique. And it was clear that Gabrielle, herself an artist (think amazing art books and gorgeous golden landscapes on canvas), knew how to bring people of all niches together for a cultivated good time.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, sort of. Gabrielle is closing up shop at the BAK in order to get back to her art roots, so to speak, and because the "kitchen" couldn't cook up enough bread to be financially sustainable. But all is not lost, not yet. Even while she is working out the details of her new studio/living space, Gabrielle is hosting one last bash at the BAK this weekend.

For starters on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., she is having a moving sale. And this isn’t just any moving sale. It is a criminally low-priced sale of art (original) and other items (i.e. furniture, office and art supplies, clothes, etc.). And if you want to get your grubby hands on something before the throng, there is a preview party on Friday night from 5 to 7 complete with complimentary chocolate and prosecco (tix are $25).

Oh, and the concert …did I mention the concert?  Because it's not enough that Gabrielle is an artist and an activists and social networking genius, she’s a cellist. At 8 on Saturday night (after the big sale and the preview party and all the hauling), she will be performing the last concert at BAK with her band 8 Foot River.

If you’ve never been to the BAK or met Gabrielle, this is your last chance, so go. I know that two years doesn’t seem like a long time, especially in a town where folks have been doing business for 80 years, but in those two years I think that BAK has had quite an impact.
I wish Gabrielle (and her son Matteo) well on her new journey. I still look forward to seeing her in town and at arty, nerdy, you-name-it events. The yellow house won’t be the same without her.

For more information on BAK’s final weekend visit www.berkshireartkitchen.com.
 

As an observant traveler, I see A LOT. I notice trees that have fallen, water levels that have risen and cows that are no longer in fields. That’s what happens when you spend a lot of time in one place, especially the place of your birth. So, when the scenery changes dramatically, I am the first to make deductions. For instance, the morning after Thanksgiving, while still battling a slight pie coma, I headed north to go for a hike and get some fresh air.

That’s when I saw them; an entire flock of pink, plastic flamingos jutting out against the gray November landscape, impossible to miss. Of course, I laughed, out loud, assuming that their presence was some kind of revolt by the owner of the Route 7 Grill in response to having a cow on his front lawn. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone has responded to a neighbor’s complaint with even more absurd yard toys.

So, I went about my day, giggling and admiring the pink debacle lining our main road.

A few days later the flamingos were gone. I was saddened to think that the local police had removed the impressive flock. But just a few yards up the road, there they were!  All bunched up in front the tire place. I was relieved. So they hadn’t been removed, just moved.

My curiosity was piqued.

And as fate would have it, I received an email that night which unveiled the mystery of the pink flamingos.

The flock, which is roughly 125 birds strong, began its migration in 2005 as a fundraiser for the Community Health Program. That “flocking” as it is known, raised $8,000 for CHP so they thought they’d try it again this year, according to program and community events coordinator Kate Feuer.

“The CHP Health Center just moved into its brand new, state of the art space, and so we thought it would be a great way to gain a little publicity,” she said. “We are also trying to raise money for our programs…the money we raise is going to support general operating funds here at CHP.”

The “flocking” is pretty simple. Feuer and other volunteers “flock” in the middle of the night; usually it’s a business that gets flocked. The “flockee” has to make a donation in order to send the flamingos on their way. Once that happens, they can also choose who will be the next lucky “flockee.” Apparently the flocking will continue until the ground is too hard to secure the birds. Then, the hope is that the snow will continue to support their ingenious philanthropy.

And, as always in the Berkshires, it’s all for a good cause. I was one of the “original kids” of CHP (back then it was known as the Children’s Health Program), and I’m convinced that my health and the health of my siblings (not to mention my mother’s peace of mind) hinged on their availability and kindness to our young family. Now in its 35th year, the program reaches at least 5,000 people every year, in an area long recognized by the federal government as a “Medically Underserved Population Area.”

So, if you see a bright flock of flamingos in your travels don’t shake your head and tsk. They have a purpose.

And who wouldn’t smile broadly at such a sight in the dead of a New England winter.

For more information on CHP programs and services visit www.communityhealthprograms.org.