Bella Santarella (or Josh Williams, depending on the day and time) lives in a magical gingerbread house and spends a lot of time hosting events in the Berkshires, adding magic and elegance everywhere she goes.

 

Josh grew up in upstate NY, and moved to the Berkshires during the pandemic with his husband Shaun. They had been living in NYC and looking for houses in the region, and stumbled upon Santarella, Tyringham’s historic “gingerbread house.” Josh immediately saw what a gem the property was, and the couple are now restoring it and booking some of the spaces on AirBnB. 

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“It captivated us with this whimsical fairytale beauty…we had to live there!” Josh said. He left his career as a middle school performing arts teacher and “now we do hospitality” along with ongoing renovations to the property. 

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“The Berkshires is a magical place. I love all the little towns that have their own personal character, and I love that this is just a little haven of the arts,” Josh said. 

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The house is really what drew them here, but the community has drawn them further into Berkshire life. You can see Bella hosting drag trivia, brunches, and other events all over the county; the Majesty of the Berkshires Pride Pageant on June 2 will be her first official appearance at an event in North County, kicking off Pride Month in the Berkshires.  

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“As drag queens we are leaders of our community, and we bring people together,” Bella said. “This year’s theme for Berkshire Pride is ‘Every Day is Pride.’ This pageant is so important–we need queer entertainers in new spaces. It’s important to celebrate these individuals all year long.” 

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Founder and Executive Director Yina Moore is passionate about this, too. “As a microcosm of the Berkshires, the town of Adams does not have a diverse population, but I found the people of Adams are open-minded and welcoming to new members from different backgrounds such as myself,” she said. “I believe that the Adams Theater should play a key role in bringing in the queer community, among other historically underrepresented communities, facilitate conversations and education about drag performances, and be a leader in developing a more diverse social fabric locally.”

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Growing up, I was a creative kid in a small town where I felt I had to hide who I was,” Bella said. “Here, it’s amazing to see that everyone is so open, and wants to celebrate and honor the creativity that goes into drag.”