Appalachian Trail stamps include scene from Kent

Lisa Hoage, postmistress of the Salisbury Post Office, shows a postcard set depicting the newly offered Appalachian Trail stamps including the one for Connecticut.
Ruth Epstein
Lisa Hoage, postmistress of the Salisbury Post Office, shows a postcard set depicting the newly offered Appalachian Trail stamps including the one for Connecticut.
KENT — The whole country now knows what residents of states along the Appalachian Trail have always known. The nearly 2,200-mile route that stretches from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Katahdin, Maine, is said to offer peace, beauty and a respite from the stresses of modern-day life.
On Feb. 28, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a pane of 15 forever stamps depicting images taken along the trail in each of the 14 states it traverses, plus one general scene, to commemorate its 100th anniversary.
The idea for the pathway was conceived in 1925 and built by private citizens. It was completed in 1937 and today is managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers. According to its website, it is considered the world’s longest hiking-only trail, crossing through scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild and culturally resonant land along the Appalachian Mountains.
The site chosen for the Connecticut stamp is the Ned Anderson bridge over Ten Mile River. The river forms the border between Kent and Sherman, with the northern end of the span located in Kent.
Nestell K. “Ned” Anderson was a dairy farmer living in Sherman. While walking in the woods in 1929, he met Judge Arthur Perkins, who was active in the movement to build the Appalachian Trail. Perkins introduced him to Myron Avery, who was instrumental in the trail movement. Avery and Perkins gave Anderson the responsibility for creating the 70-mile route of the AT in Connecticut. He personally mapped and built much of the state’s trail, and for a time he was the sole maintainer. Anderson also organized the Housatonic Trail Club in 1932 to help maintain the trail.
The pane of 15 stamps, each depicting a scene from the 14 states in which the Appalachian Trail crosses. Connecticut’s is on the lower right.Ruth Epstein
Through trail hikers are an integral part of the culture in the Northwest Corner. Residents love to regale listeners about their experiences of meeting with, and sometimes befriending, those who come walking through the towns during spring and summer as they head to their destination.
Hikers also enjoy the amenities found in many of the towns. There is a shower at the Welcoming Center in Kent. Salisbury boasts two hostels that cater to hikers. Trail angels are known to set up meals at certain entry points to provide nourishment and conversation for those passing through.
For 45 years Richard Bramley, owner of the Cornwall Package Store, has been offering a free beer — or non-alcoholic beverage — to those who take a break from their hike while passing his shop on Route 7 in Cornwall Bridge.
“Anybody who does that hike deserves a free beer,” Bramley said. He also keeps a log, asking visitors to make a comment, which he enjoys reading even years after they’ve been by.
Post office personnel are very familiar with hikers who send packages of essentials ahead which are there for pick-up when they arrive. Salisbury Postmaster Lisa Hoage talked about the dozens of hikers she sees during the hiking season.
Since the stamps debuted, Hoage said there has been a lot of interest from those wishing to purchase them. She showed the many letters of request from around the country. There is also a special pictorial postmark for hand canceling in both black and green, for which she gets daily requests. There are also cards and magnets with the image available. Someone arrived on Feb. 28, saying he was traveling from North Adams, Massachusetts, to Kent to get each town’s postmark. They will be available until June 29.
Steve Barlow of Torrington has hiked parts of the Connecticut AT. During a recent excursion, he was enjoying the view looking down the Housatonic Valley from a high point in Sharon when he noticed a bird floating in the wind currents.
Barlow recalled, “At first, I thought it was a crow and then decided it was a hawk as it got closer. Then I finally realized it was a bald eagle. He glided right toward me before veering off into the trees to my right. That was pretty cool. The trail has such spectacular views.”
Post offices are offering pictorial postmarks noting the Appalachian Trail.This is from Salisbury Post Office.Ruth Epstein
Mariano Garay and Ellie Burck took a snack break from working at Clotsfoot Valley Farm.
CORNWALL — Warm air and clear skies greeted the people of Cornwall Village on the morning of Saturday, June 21. The welcome weather prompted citizens to hit the road, mostly by bike or by foot, for the first full day of summer.
Area food producers set up shop on the Village Green for the weekly farmer’s market, which opened at 10 a.m.
A couple of early birds scored first pick of strawberries from Ridgway Farm Stand. Mariano Garay and Ellie Burck, of New York City, were first in line.
Gordon Ridgway, farmer and first selectman, hands strawberries to the Hall family. Riley Klein
The pair walked over to the market during a break from working as farmhands at Clotsfoot Valley Farm helping Tommy Eucalitto make cheese. They were pleased with the “delicious, juicy and sweet” fruit and, having been up since 4 a.m. on the farm, said they would be back when Cornwall Bridge Coffee’s stand was up and running.
Gordon Ridgway, first selectman of Cornwall and owner of Ridgway Farm, handed out strawberry samples to the Hall family. The Halls moved to Sharon within the last year and were visiting the Cornwall Village farmer’s market for the first time.
Emily Hall said, “So far it’s nice. Everyone is so friendly, we love that.”
John Zeiser brews a batch of Cornwall Bridge Coffee.Riley Klein
John Zeiser of Cornwall Bridge Coffee was brewing locally roasted beans by 10 a.m. His coffee is also served at Cornwall Market, which is conveniently located across the street from his roasting facility.
“Delivery involves me putting coffee in a tote bag and carrying it over,” he said. “I think they appreciate the convenience. If they ever run out, they just text me.”
This season will be Zeiser’s first full summer as a weekly vendor at the Village market.
Nick “The Knife” Jacobs inspects a recently sharpened blade at the West Cornwall farmer’s market June 21.
WEST CORNWALL — As the sun climbed higher, Cornwall began to bustle with growing energy. The lawn of the Wish House was filled Saturday with an assortment of area artisans.
Nick “The Knife” Jacobs was on hand, as he has been for about 20 years, to sharpen knives and tools for anyone in need.
Tools include, “clippers, loppers, snippers, shears and sides. Everything except saws,” Jacobs said. “When I’m done, they’re pretty much razor sharp.”
Jacobs offers his service weekly at the West Cornwall farmer’s market and he also makes house calls 860-672-6075.
Jiwon Lee of Pebbles Bakery presents an assortment of locally made baked goods. Riley Klein
Jiwon Lee of Pebbles Bakery was serving up handmade baked goods and fermented vegetables. “I’m the local French, Korean baker,” she said. Lee uses “principally local, organic and seasonal ingredients.”
Made in Cornwall, her products “cater to the local taste,” she explained, and are “made with health in mind, low sugar, low flour.”
Mother Tree Remedies by Treasa Pattison had herbal goods “made with plants grown and foraged here in Cornwall,” she said. Options included natural pain relievers with medicinal plants for arthritis, sore muscles, skin and lips. She also had organic bug spray, magnesium spray for leg cramps and a selection of teas.
Treasa Pattison of Mother Tree Remedies offers herbal products.Riley Klein
Author Steven Gleason, of Kent, was selling and signing copies of his latest book, “The Seasons of the Flynns.”
He described the novel about a 1960s family that moves to the suburbs. The wife, an aspiring actress, ends up living “not such a calm life” with complications and a husband prone to “temptations,” political and otherwise.
Author Steven Gleason was signing copies of his new book “The Seasons of the Flynns” June 21.Riley Klein
It was Gleason’s first time at the West Cornwall market and he said it was a positive experience. Bianka Griggs, owner of the Wish House, which hosts the market, was reportedly a big help, contributing a tent and table for his booth.
A stand was set up selling jams to raise money for the Chapel of All Saints, which meets at Trinity Retreat in West Cornwall. The preserves, jarred at Cream Hill Farm, were unique varieties including blueberry mojito jam, pineapple cranberry jam and apple pie jam.
Nick Moran and Carol Leven perform jazz on the Wish House Lawn as shoppers browse the wares at the West Cornwall farmer’s market vendors.Riley Klein
Nick Moran and Carol Leven played live music on the lawn. The jazz duo lives in Sharon and performs at the farmer’s market once a month, usually on the first Saturday.
Leven was on vocals and percussion while Moran played guitar. They opened their set with a smooth rendition of “Pennies from Heaven.”
Cornwall’s 10th annual Books and Blooms garden tours were in full swing Saturday with four private gardens open to the public. One of the four was the Trapp garden on River Road. It overlooks the Housatonic River in West Cornwall with multi-leveled terraces creating secluded coves that invoke a Tuscan charm atop the rocky, Cornwall landscape. Guests were greeted by tranquil scenes as they wandered along leafy, veiled paths that connected each level.
Riley Klein
The House of Representatives in session on February 24, 2025, at the state Capitol in Hartford.
Over six dozen Connecticut laws, including the state’s next budget and bond package, will wholly or partially take effect on July 1.
Here’s a look at some of the dozens of laws that will be implemented next month.
New biennial budget
Now with Gov. Ned Lamont’s signature, Connecticut’s next biennial state budget will take effect at the beginning of the state’s next fiscal year, which is July 1.
The budget prioritizes children, would boost funds for nonprofit social service agencies two years from now, and would increase taxes on corporations. It also dramatically scales back a pledged boost to health care providers who treat the poor and relies on accounting maneuvers to comply with the state’s constitutional spending cap.
$9.7B bond package
A $9.7B bond package to finance school construction, transportation upgrades and other capital projects for the next two fiscal years will take effect on July 1.
The borrowing plan would expand non-education aid for cities and towns, increase affordable housing and combat homelessness, bolster security at places of worship and support construction and renovation of child care facilities.
It recommends new capital investments in higher education — including $5 million to advance the planned renovation of Gampel Pavilion at the University of Connecticut — and a new $60 million program to help K-12 school districts fund small-scale renovation projects.
Education requirements in public schools
Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, Connecticut public schools will be required to add two units to their social studies curriculum: Asian American and Pacific Islander history and civics and media literacy.
The AAPI studies provision, part of a bill that lawmakers passed in 2022, requires schools to teach the history of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the state, region and country, including the contributions of AAPI individuals and communities to the United States’ arts, sciences, government, economy and civil rights advancements.
A separate law that passed in 2023 requires the civics and media literacy lessons. Civics is defined in the bill as “the study of the rights and obligations of citizens” and media literacy will cover the role of all forms of media in society and how to use, evaluate and analyze the media that a person consumes or creates.
Absentee ballot drop box recordings
As of July 1, municipalities are required to have implemented video recording technology, complete with date and time evidence, at each of their absentee ballot drop boxes. They will be required to start recording the boxes on the first day absentee ballots are issued for an election or primary and continue recording until the town clerk retrieves the last ballots.
The law also requires that the recordings be made available to the public as soon as possible — and no later than five days after the town clerk’s last ballot retrieval — and that they keep the recordings for at least a year.
Legislators approved that requirement in the wake of an absentee ballot abuse scandal in Bridgeport, where a court ordered a re-do of the city’s 2023 Democratic primary after a video surfaced of Democratic Town Committee vice chairwoman Wanda Geter-Pataky appearing to place multiple absentee ballots into a Bridgeport absentee ballot drop box.
Five people, including Geter-Pataky and three Bridgeport council members, have been charged with election-related crimes as part of a sprawling investigation into that primary.
Limits on library e-book contracts
This year, lawmakers gave full passage to a bill designed to address the high costs libraries incur when buying electronic and audiobooks by banning them from entering into contracts with e-book publishers that contain terms that some lawmakers call restrictive.
E-book contracts for libraries often come with terms that mean the library has to re-purchase the book after it’s been borrowed 26 times or every couple of years, whichever comes first. The law prohibits libraries from contracting with publishers that place simultaneous restrictions on the loan period of an e-book and the number of times people can borrow it.
Though the law takes effect on July 1, it will only be implemented if one or more states with a total or combined population of 7 million enact similar laws, and mandates that the state librarian check quarterly whether any other states have passed a similar law.