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The Berkshire hills will be alive with the sound of bebop, big band, blues, gospel, and more when the annual Williamstown Jazz Festival kicks off April 12. The eleven-day event is packed with a variety of concerts, jam sessions, films, educational programs, dance parties, and other programs to suit all tastes. Among the highlights will be a concert by the Ravi Coltrane Quartet. Yes, Coltrane (pictured) is the son of legendary saxophonist John Coltrane and pianist Alice Coltrane. Pre-destined to a musical career, Ravi also plays saxophone. The Coltrane Quartet will perform on Saturday, April 21

A sampling of other festival programs include:

• Trio Del Sol with Freddie Bryant, guitar; Misha Piatigorsky, piano; and Gilad, percussion. Wednesday, April 18.
  
• Gospel Concert: Williams College Gospel Choir featuring guest composer Walter Robinson. Friday, April 20.
  
• Soul-Jazz-Blues Dance Party with Hipmotism, Friday, April 20.

Williamstown Jazz Festival
April 12 to 22
Various venues. Some programs are free; some require admission.

Photo: Williamstown Jazz Festival

Here's an interesting email from Lydia:

Hello Arthur,
I am a Massachusetts native currently living in Colorado. I'll be returning home to visit my elderly mom for about six weeks in the summer. I am trying to find out how I could possibly housesit for someone on the South Shore or Cape and Islands, preferably near the ocean. Any ideas on how to do this? I am a mature teacher and will be in Massachusetts between June 19 and July 25.
Thanks, Lydia

So, Lydia, let me get this straight: You're looking for a rent-free house on Cape Cod for six weeks during the prime summer season? Oh, and preferably near the ocean. It sounds like a crazy concept. But, it may not be so crazy after all.

There is a growing trend for homeowners to temporarily exchange houses and fulfill each other's vacation accommodations needs. Web sites such as Home Base Holidays and Home Xchange Vacation act as brokers to help match up traveling homeowners. If you have a house to swap, that could be one option. If you don’t have a home to offer in return, there are Web sites that list homeowners seeking housesitters and housesitters seeking houses to sit. One such site is SabbaticalHomes.com. It specializes in helping academics exchange homes, find housesitters, and make other arrangements while they plan to be away from their homes. Since the Boston area is home to many colleges, there are listings from professors who will be traveling during the summer break. As a teacher, I believe the service would be free for you to post a house-wanted listing. (The site requests that users make contributions to SabbaticalHomes.com when they successfully arrange an exchange or transaction.) No matter what site or resource you use, however, it's unlikely that many Cape Cod homeowners (especially ones near the ocean) would plan summer vacations away from their house. They already live in one of the world's most desirable summer vacation destinations. But, I'd imagine the middle of the winter would be a great time to score a Cape housesitting gig. On SabbaticalHomes.com, I did notice a few homeowners in and around Boston seeking housesitters during the summer. If you're flexible with your location, perhaps you could explore those listings. Good luck!

Photo: ©Arthur Levine, 2007.

There are a gaggle of water slides poking out of the CoCo Key indoor water park under construction at the Sheraton Ferncroft in Danvers. The slides will be filled with balmy, 84-degree water and screaming riders when the park opens in a couple of months. Because the slides begin and end inside the climate-controlled building, and because they are enclosed, riders will be able to scream in delight, rather than from the cold, year-round--even in the middle of a February nor'easter. Today, however, the temperature in the unfinished park was chilly as representatives from the CoCo Key Water Resort led media reps and invited guests on a hardhat tour of the facility.

There wasn't much to see in the building yet. There were bright tropical colors, befitting the park's Key West theme, on the walls. The stairs that guests will climb to board the water slides were in place (pictured on the right).

And a trough that will become a lazy river has been dug (pictured on the right).

Otherwise, the indoor water park was mostly empty. When it's finished, CoCo Key will offer an interactive water play center with a dumping bucket, an activity pool with water basketball and a "lilly pad" walk, a Dip-in Theatre with movies playing above a shallow pool, and an indoor-to-outdoor whirlpool spa (all together now: "ahhhhhhhh!"), along with the water slides and lazy river. The water park will be open to registered guests of the Sheraton Ferncroft. Day passes for the general public will not be available, although the park will have party rooms available for birthdays and private functions. CoCo the Parrot, the park's snorkel-masked mascot, (who was on hand at the hardhat tour today--pictured on the right) will help liven up the parties. CoCo Key Water Resort will be New England's first major indoor water park resort.

CoCo Key Water Resort at the Sheraton Ferncroft
Scheduled to open late May 2007
Danvers
(978) 777-2500

Photos: ©Arthur Levine, 2007

Last week, a guest on an NPR program discussed a potential upside to global warming: Places in the world that are currently inhospitable, if not downright uninhabitable, may become booming metropolises. Places like Siberia. Don't laugh. If events play out according to doomsday scenarios, people may move away from endangered coastlines to more temperate areas--such as the warmed-up interior of Russia. To get a sense of the changes that are already taking place in the remote region, visit Young Artists for Global Awareness: The Children of Zhigansk, Siberia, an exhibit at the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset.

The exhibit includes original paintings by fifth- through tenth-grade students from the small community of Zhigansk, located along the Lena River. There is a local connection. Dr. Max Holmes, an earth system scientist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, befriended and mentored a 13-year-old student from the Siberian village while the two were aboard a research expedition along the Lena River. The budding scientist got her friends and other students throughout the Arctic involved in the scientific sampling. The paintings, which were a gift from the students to Dr. Holmes, show their interpretation of global warming's impact in Siberia. The exhibit also includes photographs, maps, video excerpts, and textiles crafted by the people of Zhigansk.

There may be another prescient connection between the South Shore exhibit and its Russian origins. If we don't wean ourselves of humungous SUVs and make other environmental changes, Cohasset may one day be under water. And people on the South Shore may head for Siberia's higher ground.

Young Artists For Global Awareness: The Children of Zhigansk, Siberia
South Shore Art Center, Cohasset
Through April 8
781-383-2787

Photo: South Shore Art Center

Norm Nathan was a beloved radio personality whose career spanned over fifty years. Holding court on Boston stations such as WHDH, WRKO, and WBZ, he had legions of fans throughout Massachusetts and beyond. Norm died over ten years ago, but his legacy lives on in the CD, Sounds in the Night, A Norm Nathan Retrospective. The CD contains hilarious bits and characters culled from his years on the air, including Lefty Sprocket, Arnold the Storyteller, and a wicked funny interview of comedian Steven Wright.

I knew Norm as both a colleague and a friend. In the last few years of his life, I helped promote, book, and produce a live presentation about radio's early years that featured Norm. One of the world's funniest guys, as well as a great listener and conversationalist, I was lucky to have had a private audience with Norm as we gallivanted around the state and throughout New England traveling to the performances. I don't think I ever laughed so much in my life--which is fitting since Norm often said that he wanted to leave the world a sillier place. The CD was produced by my friend, Jordan Rich, who took over Norm's weekend show on WBZ radio (and is himself an exceptionally funny, talented, and all-around nice guy), and is available from his company, Chart Productions. All proceeds from the sale of the CD benefit the Norm Nathan Jazz Scholarship at Berklee College of Music. It's a great cause and a great time capsule of Norm treasures. If you order your own copy, I'm sure Norm would have thanked you just so darn much.

Photo: Arthur Levine, 2006.

While the Mayflower II, located in Plymouth, transports visitors to the famous 17th-century sailing ship, the reproduction itself is celebrating a milestone and establishing its own place in history. Built in 1957 as a gift to the U.S. by Great Britain, the Mayflower II will be celebrating its 50th anniversary when it opens for the season on March 25. Plimoth Plantation, which operates the Mayflower II, will be commemorating the anniversary with a series of special events and activities.

The ship faithfully recreates the original vessel and allows guests to climb aboard and explore it. Costumed Pilgrims stay in character to recount the fateful voyage, while exhibits depict the ship's history. In celebration of the anniversary of the Mayflower II, Plimoth Plantation will be showing The History Channel’s film: Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower. The museum helped develop the film, which was shot on location in Plymouth. For a schedule of other Mayflower II anniversary events, including book signings and online journal entries from the ship's log, visit Plimoth Plantation's Web site.

Mayflower II
Open March 25 through November 26, 7 days a week.
On the Plymouth waterfront.
Adults $8, Children (6 to 12) $6, Seniors $7
(508) 746-1622

Photo: Plimoth Plantation

Karin writes:
We are a family with 3 young boys (ages 5, 3, and 1) and want to start the summer right with a Memorial Day weekend camping trip. We want to meet friends in the Berkshires. Do you have any suggestions for a site that has no RVs and plenty of privacy? The two husbands love to fish, so near a lake would be great.

Thanks for writing Karin. Although the "summer" season runs from roughly Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, it's probably not going to feel much like summer in the Berkshires in May--especially during the night outside in a tent. As long as you come prepared for a variety of weather (and be sure to check the weather reports for Western Massachusetts before you pack for your trip), you should be OK.

I'm not much of a camper, so I can't personally recommend a campground. However, the Mohawk Trail State Forest appears to fit the bill. Following Route 2 in the northern part of the state to the New York border, the Mohawk Trail is one of the loveliest areas in the Berkshires. The campground does not offer hookups, so that would probably discourage recreational vehicles. Among its 6000 acres, the state forest offers rivers and streams for fishing. And it's described as "rustic" and "a real wilderness setting," so it probably features plenty of privacy. (Although with three young boys, I don't know how much privacy you're going to get anyway!) The state's Department of Conservation and Recreation has listings of other campgrounds for you to peruse. You could also check the private facilities of the Massachusetts Association of Campground Owners. Wherever you end up, have a great vacation--and don't forget to bring some hot chocolate and extra blankets for your sleeping bags.

Do you have some questions or tidbits to share about places to go or things to do in Massachusetts? Send 'em along to my mailbag by filling out the info in the "Ask Arthur Here" box on the right.

Photo: Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation

It may only be March 5, but if you're thinking of planning a summer vacation on Cape Cod, you're lagging behind other Type-A folks who already have their seagulls--er, ducks--in order. According to the travel Web site, WeNeedaVacation.com, over 30% of the Cape's vacationers have made their summer 2007 reservations. The site, which tracks travel and tourism trends, issued a report that gives some insight about the coming season.

For example, the site's research indicates that average rental prices for vacation homes will increase only slightly over 2006--good news for vacationers. Of course, with prices averaging $2300 for a Cape Cod vacation home rental, "good news" is in the pocketbook of the beholder. If you're considering a Nantucket vacation, the average price for a home rental is a whale-sized $4458. When do you typically take your Cape vacation? WeNeedaVacation.com says that the high season has typically been August. With schools and colleges starting earlier however, families have been shifting their vacations to July, and the site indicates that the trend is even more pronounced this season. If you haven't made any plans, and you're a chronic procrastinator, don't fret; more folks are waiting until the last minute to book their vacations and eventually make their way to the summer hot spot.

Photo: Cape Cod National Seashore