This fall, we ask you to stop and observe the humble milkweed plant. A native species often seen along roadsides and hedgerows - it may be a weed - but it holds abundant soft threads of interior light. It sustains what is poetic and necessary in the Berkshires as a food source for both agricultural pollinators and monarch butterflies before their long migration. Milkweed in turn produces its own wings: in November, its seedpods burst with hundreds of silky parachutes that deploy with the late fall breezes. This ubiquitous pod has many purposes, and exemplifies brilliant craft.

FESTIVE is a celebration of what is simple and good and a recognition that beauty with utility are the foundations of a content and limitless life. The Laurentian team involvement seeks to redefine consumption - "to make complete" - beyond the exchange of material goods, to include experiences, new friendships and lasting community.

Partnering with Greylock WORKS, the Laurentia Project is designing much of the event materials, including a community supper on the eve of FESTIVE and programming the vendor engagement workshop schedule. Set in an expansive, light-filled mill, the festival marketplace offers music performances, food crafters, local farmers, and the region’s best artisans and textile curators. Visit greylockworks.com/FESTIVE for more info, or join us at 508 State Rd, North Adams, MA 01247 on Nov. 18!