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Life-sized Candy Land experience comes to Center on Main
Patrick L. Sullivan
Aug 12, 2026
Children stepped inside an iconic board game in Falls Village Thursday, Aug. 6.
Patrick L. Sullivan
FALLS VILLAGE — More than 30 children immersed themselves in the world of Candy Land at The Center on Main Thursday, Aug. 6, to become moving pawns in a life-sized version of the classic board game.
A collaboration between The Center on Main and David M. Hunt Library, the life-sized Candy Land took place in the main room of the Center, which was decked out with balloons and colorful props, some repurposed from previous Falls Village Children’s Theater productions.
Dozens of large, colored rectangles affixed to the floor formed a winding path through the room. Players stood on their assigned colors and followed directions, with the first one to reach the end declared the winner.
Five children played at a time, with Anna Pattison from the library, Britta Sallick from the Center and volunteer Madison Oflynn facilitating. Each round lasted around ten minutes, keeping a steady stream of activity throughout the game.
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Library construction site gets a facelift
Alec Linden
Aug 12, 2026
Local photographer Cedric Gairard’s earthy images now adorn the chain link fence outside the Kent Memorial Library construction site, where a major renovation is underway.
Alec Linden
KENT — A chain link construction fence outside the Kent Memorial Library has been transformed into an open-air gallery of local agrarian scenes, thanks to a collaboration between the library and Kent-based professional photographer Cedric Gairard.
Since work began on the $7 million renovation of the historic Main Street building in April this past spring, the site has been closed off and vacant. Library operations, including the popular weekend book sale on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, have moved into a temporary satellite location on Kent Green at 10-12 Landmark Lane.
Library Director Sarah Marshall said that Gairard approached the library himself with the idea, positing that he open up his photo archives for the library to spruce up the sidewalk next to the construction site.
“It was kind of like choosing between your children, they were all so lovely and wonderful,” Marshall said of the photographs, which depict working landscapes and earthy snapshots of life in Litchfield and Dutchess Counties.
Marshall said that library staff also chose about eight additional images that they plan on cycling into the fence display.
Marshall said that Gairard donated the photos, and the vinyl printing was covered by local donors. She also said it enabled the library to print signs directing people to the temporary Kent Green location alongside regular hours and the weekend book sale times.
“It was just sort of a win-win for everybody,” she said.
Gairard is the founder of FieldWork Press, which publishes a print newspaper that highlights the interaction of work and landscape in the region. He also consults for clients as a digital designer and brand storyteller. The library has scheduled an artist’s reception for the photographer on Friday, Aug. 28 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. that is open to the public.
In terms of the library renovation, Marshall reported that progress has been smooth, and that she has been impressed with the project’s architecture firm—Chester, Connecticut’s Wyeth Architects—as well as the construction team, which is Torrington’s Millennium Builders.
She said the projection is for “substantial completion” by May 2027, meaning the library could begin moving back into the building then, but she noted that the move-in process could take some time given the scale of the renovation.
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Warren and Kent celebrate building inspector’s retirement
Alec Linden
Aug 12, 2026
Longtime Kent and Warren building inspector Joseph Manley celebrates his retirement during an Aug. 6 party.
Alec Linden
WARREN – A celebration of Joseph Manley’s long career as a building inspector in Warren and Kent brought together friends and colleagues for a retirement party in Warren on Thursday evening, Aug. 6.
Manley, who retired earlier this summer after eight years in the role for Kent and more than 20 years in Warren, was recognized by former colleagues and associates for his steady presence in the role.
“He was a pillar,” said Warren First Selectman Gregory LaCava as he served beer, wine, mixed drinks and more from behind the bar of the former Rooster Tail Inn, now a private residence. “It was an area I knew I didn’t have to worry about.”
Partygoers packed the space, which once housed a restaurant, and mingled happily as they sampled hors d’oeuvres and sipped their drinks. As a Kent homeowner and a former municipal colleague of Manley’s in Bridgeport, Donna Culbert said she had a unique perspective.
From both sides, she said, she respected his flexibility and responsiveness in a role which is all about working with homeowners rather than against them. “You were never going to get a hard ‘no’ out of him,” she said, adding, “he’s really talented at looking at all the different perspectives coming at him.”
Approximately 45 minues into the festivities, LaCava took the floor to thank Manley for his decades of dedicated service to the town.
LaCava gestured to Manley, who stood at the back of the room on crutches due to a recent accident. “Joe has had a less than easy transition to retirement,” he said—“Apparently a second career in the long jump is not in his future.”
What is in his future, symbolized by a gift of a suitcase, is some time spent afar and abroad, according to LaCava. “We hear you really desperately want to travel!” he said.
Injured or not, LaCava congratulated Manley for “making it to the other side.”
“Not the other other side!” a partygoer shouted, followed by peals of laughter from the crowd.
Kent First Selectman Eric Epstein also gave a speech, noting that he hadn’t worked with Manley long, but that his value showed clearly. “I was like a deer in headlights,” Epstein said of when Manley told him of his retirement just a month into Epstein’s tenure as Kent’s chief elected official.
Nonetheless, Epstein said that Manley had made the transition easy, and that in their seven months as colleagues, the building inspector had clearly demonstrated his sensitivity in what can be a difficult role.
“A building inspector’s job isn’t always easy,” Epstein said. “It requires attention to detail, fairness, patience, and sometimes having difficult conversations. Joe handled those responsibilities with professionalism and respect, earning the trust of contractors, homeowners, co-workers, and community members alike.”
Following the speeches, the crowd raised a glass and let out a hip-hip-hooray.
“I’m overwhelmed,” said Manley.
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Family Fun Night at The Town Grove
Patrick L. Sullivan
Aug 12, 2026
Reagan O’Reillytakes on a 40-yard water slide.
Patrick L. Sullivan
LAKEVILLE — Free ice cream, a 40-yard water slide and a looming summer storm made for an eventful Family Fun Night at the Grove on Thursday, Aug. 6.
As dusk began to settle and people wrapped up their activities on Lake Wononscopomuc, an ice cream truck rolled in and parked near the Senior Center.
Recreation Director Lisa McAuliffe made the rounds, handing out tickets for free ice cream.
“This is my favorite part of the job,” she said after handing a fistful of tickets to a clamoring crowd of kids.
Kids line up at Doda’s Ice Cream Truck during Family Fun Night at the Town Grove on Thursday, Aug. 6. Patrick L. Sullivan
A water slide was set up on the gentle hill on the lake side of the Senior Center. Reagan O’Reilly asked if she could take a turn and, after getting the go-ahead, launched herself expertly on to the slippery surface, making it all the way to the end — a distance of about 40 yards.
The only potential spoiler was the weather. Large, dark clouds advanced slowly from the south and west as McAuliffe consulted the weather app on her phone.
“See all this activity?” she asked, pointing at the screen. “See this blue dot in the middle of it? We’re the blue dot.”
As if on cue, a few sprinkles began to fall. But that was about it, and Family Fun Night came to a successful conclusion.
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Annual cricket match raises record $7,570 for SVAS
Patrick L. Sullivan
Aug 12, 2026
LAKEVILLE — With funds finally tallied, organizers of the annual charity cricket match at Community Field announced the game raised $7,570 for the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service on Saturday, June 27, more than twice the amount raised last year.
Club captain David Shillingford attributed the increase largely to support from sponsors, including local companies like B. Metcalf Paving, Elyse Harney Real Estate, Grasslands Dessert Cafe, Fern and Lakeville Books and Stationery, as well as national or global companies with local ties, like goodapple, Integrum, Capstone and Gooding Christie’s.
Ben Gore, a co-organizer of the match, said that while no players needed the services of SVAS this year, the event offered an opportunity to support the organization’s work within the community.
“We are hugely grateful for the generosity of our sponsors and the amazing work of SVAS’s all-volunteer team throughout the year,” Gore said. “We look forward to doing it all again in June 2027 with even more sponsors.”
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Readers enjoy farm-fresh bites at Scoville Memorial Library
Patrick L. Sullivan
Aug 12, 2026
Tomatoes, honey and preserves from Salmon Kill Farm are paired with bread during a library reading Aug. 8.
Patrick L. Sullivan
SALISBURY —Sungold tomatoes, fresh bread, honey and preserves proved tough competition for story time at the Scoville Memorial Library on Saturday, Aug. 8.
Bridget Lawrence-Meigs, farm manager at Fairfield Farm at The Hotchkiss School, arrived with tomatoes, honey and preserves from Salmon Kill Farm. She was joined by Jude Alexis and Anita van de Ven of Black Crust Bakery, and Children’s Services Coordinator Lyla DeRisi and a handful of youngsters who seemed more interested in sampling the goodies than in reading a story.
Three kinds of bread were paired with the tomatoes, honey and preserves, along with a little maple syrup that snuck into the mix, making for some innovative combinations.
Lawrence-Meigs said the tomatoes were grown in the greenhouse at Fairfield Farm. She cautioned they had not been individually washed, which didn’t seem to bother anyone.
Once the snacks were finished, the youngsters settled in for a reading as DeRisi read Janie Bynum’s “Otis,” about a pig who eschews the mud and prefers to stay clean.
The fastidious Otis has some trouble finding friends among the mud enthusiasts of his acquaintance, but it works out in the end.
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