Temporary Tourist

When I came into the entryway of the church, I was greeted by Chris and Trish, who welcomed me most warmly. I wandered about, snapping a few pictures. Chris then asked if I had ever been in the church; I replied I had not. We set off for a tour.
Entering what must have been the nave of the church, I saw tables with candles in heavy glass holders that were exactly like what my parents used to use in the backyard when I was growing up in the ’70s. Awesomely retro. The well-lit stage sat before us, sporting several mics as well as a Baldwin piano. The semicircular space was probably once the apse.
We made our way up to the second floor, where I discovered an unexpected surprise. The center currently has works by Robert Alan Hyde on view. The sculptures are created out of brass, steel and copper with the use of an oxygen and acetylene torch, according to the pamphlet on the exhibit I picked up. Originally from Utah, Hyde became a Berkshirite upon moving to Washington in 2006.
The sculptures are breathtakingly gorgeous, and all by themselves make the trip to Barrington well worth it. I was struck by a piece of a Native American in full regalia titled “Fancy Dancer.” There was also a carousel horse as well as a full-sized chair, among several other pieces.
The church was built in 1829 as a chapel for St. James Church. It was expanded in 1866 and renamed Trinity Church. An amazing feature is the massive round stained-glass window that Chris told me was original to the building.
The church was deconsecrated in 1964, when it was purchased by Ray and Alice Brock, who turned it into their home. It was from there on Thanksgiving Day 1965 that an 18-year-old Arlo Guthrie took some trash to the Great Barrington dump, which was closed. He and his friend traveled around, looking for a place to dispose of it, and finally found a hill in Stockbridge to throw it down. And the rest, they say, is history, forever documented in Guthrie’s famous song, “Alice’s Restaurant.”
Chris, who told me her last name was Borek upon my inquiry, told me that Guthrie purchased the property in 1991, creating an interfaith church. “Everyone’s welcome,” she said. “We do what we can to bring our community together.” I was concerned that I was receiving special treatment, as Chris knew who I was and the purpose of my visit, but she quickly dispelled my reluctance to “interview” her.
At this time of year, she said, they give anywhere from five to 20 tours of the space each day. Tours are not scheduled; as people wander in, whoever is available takes the visitors through, providing whatever information the visitors are looking for. She did point out that with the exception of George Laye, director of the center, the rest of the staff is made up of volunteers.
When asked why she chooses to volunteer there, Chris said, “I love the people who come here. We’re all really different, but we all have this centered goal of bringing the community together. We’ve become a family, like any church community, I guess.” The center does not have any actual services; instead, it focuses on community events like free lunches every Wednesday for anyone who shows up and free yoga classes on Tuesday mornings.
The Thursday Hootenanny, she said, is held “just as a fun thing,” but also as an “audition ground” for young performers. George, she said, tries out youngsters in the very accepting and nurturing venue, and then chooses some to open for the national acts that perform in the Troubadour Series. The series, in which concerts are offered on the weekends in the summer, is used as a fundraising tool, she said.
This summer, they are also hosting the Greta Garbage puppet shows (muchmore.com), generally on Tuesdays and Thursdays with an occasional Saturday thrown in. The shows blend a little “storytelling, a little magic, ballooning and song,” all with a reduce, reuse, recycle theme, according to the flier.
Before heading back downstairs, Chris told me that the Hootenanny, although primarily an outlet for musicians, could showcase any type of talent. “We’ve had people who read poetry, belly dancers, harp players,” she said. I was anxious to discover what talents would be displayed this particular night.
But there was still time to while away before the show started. I wandered back into the lobby to take a closer look at a guitar on display. Trish, one of the other volunteers, offered without me asking that the guitar was being signed by each of the Troubadour performers over the summer. George was hanging out in the lobby with us, so I asked him what the plan was for the instrument at the end of the summer. “We’ll probably auction it, probably in October, after Arlo gets back,” he said.
And then it was finally time for the show to start. The crowd was small; maybe a dozen of us, including the five performers, who all signed up using just their first names. First up was Kurt, husband to volunteer Trish as well as the sound man for the weekly Hootenannies. Kurt fulfilled my expectation of what the night would entail — he played the banjo, and exceedingly well. Next up was Steve, who started his four-number set with what sounded to me like a country three-beat waltz on the piano, titled “A Song for Two.” After another piano piece, which he had written, he played a guitar duet with Branch, while also playing the harmonica. Outstanding.
Before Branch took his own turn in the spotlight, George said one of the kids in the audience had requested “Alice’s Restaurant” — did anybody know it? Branch in fact could play it, but no one really knew the words except for the chorus. Kurt came striding forward to the stage, saying over the music, “And then you just keep going, telling a long boring story about some stuff that happened …” After a laugh, we all sang the chorus together.
Azim played acoustic guitar next, covering some classic tunes, and finally it was Tommy’s turn. Tommy played guitar and harmonica, starting his set “with the first song I ever learned to play on harmonica” — “Old Susannah.” Again, we all sang along. After Tommy’s four tunes, I received a great surprise, obviously a well-loved tradition on Thursday nights — all the performers took the stage together in a finale, leading us in a rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” Kurt introduced the song: “Woody wrote this as a response to ‘America the Beautiful,’ which had only the happy parts. We’ll sing the first and last verse, which probably never made it into the textbooks.” It was a superb way to end a really fun evening.
Or at least I thought my experience there had ended. Making my way to the car, I met Azim returning to the center with a large bag in his hand. “Would you like a loaf of bread to take home?” he asked. I chose a baguette, partly surprised and partly not at the offer. It just seemed appropriate for the evening.
Driving home in the dark, with the mist of the fog swirling over the road’s surface, I sang along to my favorite CD, thinking that Chris and Trish had really summed up the Guthrie Center for me. “There’s just a good vibe to the place,” said Chris.
“That’s why we keep coming back. We come each week from Poughkeepsie,” Trish added.
If Trish and Kurt can drive an hour and a half to get there, maybe I can find my way back down to the Guthrie Center again. I do have some poems I’d love to try out …

Thursday Hootenanny night is held year-round, with sign-ups starting at 7 and performances at 8. Cost is free for performers, $3 for members and $5 for nonmembers. The Troubadour Series runs through Aug. 31. Upcoming shows include The Highwaymen the weekend of Aug. 22-24 (visit guthriecenter.org for a complete list of upcoming shows). Greta Garbage shows are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. through Aug. 28. Cost is $4. The center is located at 4 Van Deusenville Road. Info: 413-528-1955.