MILLERTON — American Legion Post 178 hosted a chicken barbecue on Saturday, May 7, to benefit John Curtin, a Wingdale marine who was wounded in Afghanistan. More than 250 chicken dinners were sold, and additional donations were collected.Community members, veterans and friends and family of the wounded soldier came out in full support. “The community realizes it’s a responsibility to support the men and women that have been injured serving the country. Even in a bad economy, tonight has been non-stop and we are very thankful for all of their support,” said Legion member Bob Jenks.Despite the serious subject matter, the atmosphere remained positive as everyone enjoyed their meals and watched the Kentucky Derby.Previous benefits for Curtin, which have included a spaghetti dinner and a dodgeball game, have been equally positive, reflecting Curtin’s upbeat nature and strength. “He has always been one of those kids that everyone knows and everyone loves,” said his cousin, Katelyn Mayr. “He’s the strongest person I know … He is still very positive [and] his personality was as if nothing had ever happened.” She went on to say that Curtin has never dwelled on his situation and is ready to live his life, but is currently being patient as he completes his occupational therapy and physical therapy.Curtin, a Dover High School alum, graduated from basic training in January 2010 and was deployed to Afghanistan in January 2011. Three weeks after his arrival in the Middle East, he was involved in a land mine accident that resulted in the loss of both of his legs, among other injuries. He is currently recovering in Washington, D.C., at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.The benefits in his honor are raising money to help his family remain by his side in Washington, D.C., throughout his recovery. Once he is released from the hospital, the funds will help cover any injury-related expenses he incurs that are not covered by the government.Members of the Legion said they were proud to offer their support and their service. “The Legion’s sole purpose is to service vets, and today’s most crucial need is with the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, so we will do anything we can to help them,” said legion member Don Barnum. “If tomorrow there is another wounded vet, we will do another fundraiser. That’s just what we do. [Curtin] is a veteran, so we help.”The Legion organized the chicken barbecue, collecting food donations from local grocery stores and businesses.More information about Curtin, including frequent updates about his recovery, can be found on a website created in his honor, www.marinejohngcurtin.com. Donations can also be made from that Web page. To learn about an upcoming trip to the medical center where Curtin is recovering, contact American Legion Post 178 at 518-789-4755.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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