Monterey, Mass. – May 5 – Due to these unprecedented circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bidwell House Museum has made the difficult decision to not open for guided tours of the house in 2020. The staff and Trustees 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, the Museum has 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 programs are wonderful community events that draw 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 Bidwell House Museum will 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. If the situation allows, the Museum may consider tours by appointment later in the year. In the meantime, the staff is working remotely on new programming and lectures that can be experienced online. One new initiative is the weekly email newsletter Bidwell Lore that comes out on Tuesday afternoons and tells the many stories of the Bidwell family. Those stories can also be viewed on the Museum’s blog. The Museum is also expanding their outdoor offerings, with new self-guided interpretive tours of the Bidwell gardens and grounds that will open later this month. Finally, the Museum’s 4 miles of hiking trails remain open every day, free of charge. We only ask that you please observe social distancing on the trails.
To stay up to date on all that is happening at the Museum, head to our website and sign up for our email newsletter via the form at the bottom of the home page, bidwellhousemuseum.org.