Every community needs a place to gather; a place to meet neighbors; a place that is truly accessible for all residents. For Sheffield and its surrounding area, that place is Dewey Hall.
Dewey Hall has served as a convening venue for residents of the Sheffield community for generations now—dating back to its construction in 1887. Named after prominent town resident and pastor Orville Dewey, the Hall’s original host was the Sheffield Friendly Union Library Association, co-founded by Dewey himself, whose primary goal was “to increase good and kindly feelings and to promote intelligence and cheerfulness.”
Over a century later, Dewey Hall is still fostering those “good and kindly feelings” for Greater Sheffield residents, now with a diversity of offerings that reflects the varied interests of the community itself. Ongoing opportunities in the space include a children’s dance class, a buddhist healing practice, freestyle movement exercises, music jams with Berkshire Strings Jams, Sheffield Contra Dance, and the Hall’s own “Dewey Drop-In” series with a different theme each Wednesday of every month. The organization has also introduced unique annual events in recent years, such as the recent sourdough baking competition, ice cream social, dahlia festival, and Deck the Hall—an immersive holiday experience.
The building hasn’t always been used this actively since its construction in 1887. The current range of offerings is a testament to the efforts made by Dewey Hall’s staff and board in recent years. When Manager Maggie McRae joined the team in 2019, the space wasn’t very accessible to the community, largely because there weren’t many events on the calendar. “I found it incredibly rewarding to kind of start throwing ideas out into the space—watching people enjoy those events specifically or be inspired to use the hall for their own events to gather people together,” McRae offered. “I think there is something enormously valuable about a space where community can gather and have conversations.”
McRae’s sentiments were echoed by Sheffield resident and Dewey Hall board member, Wenonah Webster. “I think our community is really searching for that wholesomeness of a gathering space for activities where people can sit down and talk to each other,” she added.
In addition to the multitude of events already offered at the Hall, the venue is also available for the community to rent at affordable rates. “We have this extraordinary space and beautiful piece of architecture that is really a blank canvas for whatever the community wants to take part in or use the space for,” said Webster. For the past couple of years, Wenonah has even hosted her daughter’s birthday parties at Dewey Hall, avoiding chaos in her home.
In true community fashion, Dewey Hall is also an enthusiastic BerkShares business member, which means your contribution to them is sure to be circulated to locally-based businesses. You can pay in BerkShares when you attend a Dewey Drop-In session, rent out the venue for your own event, or make a donation to the Hall to help keep the space open and accessible for the community.
So head on down to Dewey Hall for their next event and experience some of those good and kindly feelings—and don’t forget your BerkShares!
Warmly,
David Fix, Program Administrator for BerkShares, Inc.
