As predicted, June was a busy month at the Sandisfield Arts Center.

Despite our full schedule of planned activities, we managed to squeeze in one unplanned event.

On June 14, friends, family, and community members gathered to celebrate Sandisfield firefighters who completed their Connecticut Firefighter I training through the Litchfield County Regional Fire School. The occasion also included presentation of the Sandisfield Fire Department's Lifesaving Award to firefighters and public safety partners whose quick actions during a sudden cardiac arrest saved a life.

You may not realize that the Arts Center is also available to rent for private functions. Weddings, birthday parties, and even a Bar Mitzvah have been – or soon will be – held in this beautiful community space. And for Town events, like the firefighters’ graduation, there is no cost.

Our regular programming drew rapt audiences, and it would be impossible to pick a favorite. As this goes to press, I'm looking forward to Sunday's cello and duo piano concert. Wendy Sutter has been acclaimed by The Wall Street Journal as "one of the great leading cellists of the classical stage." Having performed on five continents, she has earned praise from critics at The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The San Francisco Chronicle. It was a rare opportunity to hear one of the foremost and most versatile soloists of her generation in such an intimate setting.

Duo pianists Paul Posnak and Anita Castiglione are returning favorites whose performances are always warmly received by SArC audiences.

If you missed the two-hour gallery opening of To Please the Palette, you still have until August 9 to see this fascinating exhibition. Throughout the opening, there was a steady stream of visitors – young and old – who delighted in Susan Crofut's watercolor paintings and Adrienne Miesmer's imaginative, beautiful, and masterfully crafted pottery. Many visitors left with new treasures, while others placed the coveted red dots beside the pieces they hoped to take home.

July promises another wonderful month at the Arts Center. The popular Intro to Drawing class continues, and Open Mic Night returns on Friday, July 17.

The following morning at 10:00 a.m., Ellen Meeropol and Gail Gelburd will read from their newest books. Meeropol's Sometimes an Island is "a gorgeous and immersive story of family and circumstance, tragedy, and the hard work that leads to triumph" (Booklist, starred review).

Local artist and writer Gail Gelburd draws on the remarkable life of Otis resident Sue Moody in The Liberation of Sue Moody, telling the story of a journalist who forged her own path through personal and professional struggles, including surviving the Nazi occupation of France.

The month concludes with Chris Brubeck's Triple Play, an energetic blend of jazz, folk, and blues. As The Seattle Times wrote, "Triple Play is what jazz always was and always should be about: good times, unbridled joy, and the sweet release of the blues." This year’s performance is supported in part by grants from the Sandisfield and Otis Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Mass. Cultural Council, a state agency.

Triple Play is always a highlight of the season. At press time, only about 20 tickets remained.