A full century of fighting fires

A full century of fighting fires

Parker Dennis (7) was all smiles as she got suited up in genuine fire fighter gear by Ben Minniges.

Photo by Partick L. Sullivan

FALLS VILLAGE — The Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department kicked off its 100th anniversary year with an open house at the Emergency Services Center Saturday, Jan. 13.

The doors were open in the bays so visitors could get a good look at the equipment.

Younger visitors were provided with red plastic fire helmets.

Tim Downs gave a little boy the rundown on the various pieces of equipment stored in one of the fire trucks, including a chain saw, fans for clearing smoke, and a suction strainer.

Bill Beebe and Carson Lotz demonstrated the proper use of an inflatable device to lift vehicles off people trapped underneath. Beebe said rescuers usually only need a few inches of lift to get someone out.

Ben Minniges got young Parker Dennis outfitted in full firefighting regalia, and showed another visitor the air dryers used to get firefighting clothing dry in a hurry.

The fire department was founded in 1924. Asked when the ambulance service was started, there was some scurrying.

Downs said, “I got it written down in that cabinet,” and disappeared.

But Michele Hansen and Andrea Downs beat him to the answer, consulting a booklet and finding the date, which is 1956.

In the meeting room, people gathered for refreshments and conversation. Jim Hutchinson from Sharon Hospital was on hand, and state Sen. Steve Harding (R-30) dropped by around 2 p.m.

Latest News

Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less