How Quarantine is affecting The Bidwell House

Hello Friends,

This spring has been unlike anything any of us have ever experienced. If you had told me in December that I would be spending most of the spring confined to my home due to a pandemic I would have thought you were crazy. But, that is our reality for now and likely for many months. It is due to these unprecedented circumstances that the Bidwell House Museum has made the difficult decision to not open for guided tours of the house  in 2020. As much as we love interacting with all of our visitors each year, the Board of Trustees and I feel that leading groups through the confined spaces of the house, even later this summer, may not be safe or comfortable for our visitors.

In addition we have also decided to cancel the opening concert with Diane Taraz that was scheduled for May 24th and the Bidwell Country Fair that was to take place on July 12. Both of these programs are wonderful community events that draws hundreds of people, young and old, to the Museum each year. These are two of our hallmark events each season and the decision to cancel them was not made lightly.

The Board of Trustees and I continue to monitor the situation in Berkshire County and around the world, and we will make a decision at a later date about other events and programs scheduled for August and September. In the meantime, we are working behind the scenes on some new programming and lectures that can be experienced remotely. We are also expanding our outside experiences, with new self-guided interpretive tours of the Bidwell gardens and grounds. Once I have more details about these programs I will share them here, on our website and on our Facebook page.

These are challenging times, and we thank our many members and friends who have already renewed their annual memberships. I appreciate your vote of confidence. If you are able, I hope you will become a new member or renew your membership this year, and help sustain the Bidwell House Museum for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

Don’t forget, our 4 miles of hiking trails are open every day, free of charge, we only ask that you please observe social distancing on the trails. The gardens will begin flowering in a few weeks. Enjoy!

I hope that you and yours are healthy and safe

Heather Kowalski
Executive Director