Sun, Dec 7th '08, The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Massachusetts

7:30PM A: $40 B: $25

With Special Guests Susan McKeown and Boo Reiners

The Klezmatics have forever transcended genres, blending klezmer with aching shtetl melodies, raucous Latin stomps, wild jazz riffs and provocative Arabic, African, American and Balkan rhythms. The Klezmatics present a contagious celebration of Hanukkah—a marriage of the group’s soulful and ebullient Jewish roots to Woody Guthrie’s poignantly mesmerizing and newly discovered lyrics. This program highlights the band’s two most recent CD releases: the multicultural folk sounds of Wonder Wheel and the ecstatically danceable, hoedown-worthy Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah. Special guests include acclaimed Celtic singer Susan McKeown and multi-instrumentalist Boo Reiners.

Combine this special show with a visit to the Berkshires….just 2 hours from Boston and less than 3 hours from New York City.   Hampton Terrace is considered the top-rated Lenox inn by Trip Advisor rankings and one the leading Berkshire bed and breakfasts.   Our off-season rates apply until mid-June 2009, and a weekend stay includes a $30 Gift Certificate to Nejaimes, the gourmet wine and food shop in Lenox.

We've had relatively well-known people stay here before.   But this was different.   As someone who worked for Dick Clark, spent 20+ years in the concert promotion business, and was affiliated with the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the National Music Foundation, it is not as if I have not met plenty of "celebrities."   I have.

And it is not that Ken Jennings wants to be a celebrity, or acts like one.   He does not, although he continues to maintain a high profile with books and television show appearances.

But I am among the millions who became addicted to the nightly drama of Ken's relentless march through six months of daily victories and $2.6 million in earnings.   Ken Jennings is someone whom I RESPECT.

And he and his wife Mindy were as nice and unassuming as the persona he projected while appearing on your television screen every night.   Winning at Jeopardy is not about guessing cases or spinning a wheel.  Over the months, you KNOW that some of the most intelligent people in the country sought out the challenge of being the one to wrestle the buzzer out of Ken's hand….    As it turns out, the person who beat him ended up losing the next night…so if an occasional mulligan were ever allowed, he'd probably still be on the show.

So when I took a reservation from a Ken Jennings for a fall foliage mid-week stay, I made a mental note that the caller had the same name as the Jeopardy winner and then I forgot about it.   But when Ken walked in the inn, and I pulled out the Ken Jennings paperwork, I knew it was him.   We know that everyone who stays at our inn is here for a reason, and that reason NEVER includes being made to feel uncomfortable…..so I never let on that I knew who he was….and if any of our guests recognized him, they did not let on to me (or hopefully not to him).

After he left, however, I did e-mail him to see if he would mail a personalized and signed copy of his book, Brainiac, to us as a gift for my mother-in-law, one of the Jeopardy faithful since before Alex Trebek.   It came today.

I do feel okay about putting him in my blog, however.   If you look at his blog, you'll find a list of the celebrities he saw during his vacation to the East Coast.   Turnabout is fair play…

If anyone reading this would like to get an autographed copy of Ken's books, read his daily blog, or hear of his upcoming appearances, I recommend his website, www.ken-jennings.com.

Saturday November 1 / 8PM
$40 Golden Circle/ $35/$25 Mahaiwe Members

It's too late to turn back now.   For at least 6 years, we have offered a $30 Gift Certificate to our local wine/gourmet food shop to every couple who stays at Hampton Terrace for 2 weekend nights (or more) from November 1 to June 20, plus September.  For starters, Nejaimes is a GREAT shop, full of the best choices in wine, beer and spirits and a trained staff that can help our guests find exactly what they want.   But more than that, Nejaimes is also 50% gourmet food….a by-product of the fact that it is a key place for people who are shopping for their lawn picnics at Tanglewood.   Huge selection of cheeses, breads, home-made sides and other things that compliment your bottle of wine.

What I mean, "it's too late to turn back now" is that this is such a popular amenity, that people come back year after year to Hampton Terrace because they feel the gift certificate is such an integral part of their stay.   We have a family heirloom bar that is open only to our guests and is stocked with glasses, openers, plates, knives, etc., and we have four public room fireplaces where our guests can settle in and enjoy their bounty.

The owners of Nejaimes told us that another local inn asked if they could start offering the gift certificates as well.   The inn said that one of their inquirers had chosen Hampton Terrace over them because of the promotion.   But that was several years ago, we know we are still the only ones doing it.

So the Romantic Weekend Package is here to stay and we welcome anyone who is looking for a Lenox bed and breakfast to give us a call and lock in your weekend.   Most of our rooms feature fireplaces and Jacuzzis and we are very proud to be currently rated #1 in the Trip Advisor rankings from over 30 Lenox inns.  

Hampton Terrace is a proud member of the Berkshire Visitors Bureau,and  the Lenox Chamber of Commerce and was recently chosen by the editors of BedandBreakfast.com as one of the top places to stay for foliage.  

As of the November 1st weekend, our rates drop 30% from the current level and include the $30 gift certificate mentioned and full breakfast buffet.