Community spirit in high gear at ‘Touch a Truck’

Community spirit in high gear at ‘Touch a Truck’

Talek Dobrusin, age three and a half, was delighted to learn that the 1947 tractor at Touch a Truck still runs.

Patrick L. Sullivan

LIME ROCK — The Lakeville Hose Company held its “Touch a Truck” fundraiser at Lime Rock Park Saturday, June 29.

Race cars whizzed by as people wandered around the vehicles from fire and ambulance squads, and local businesses such as Perotti Tree and Century Aggregates. And sometimes just someone’s tractor. Skyler Ohmen of Salisbury had his 1947 John Deere tractor ready to go.

He was asked if it runs. By way of an answer, he fiddled with knobs and levers and then turned the key.

It ran, much to the delight of Talek Dobrusin, age three and a half, who was perched in the driver’s seat under the watchful eye of his grandfather Alec Dobrusin.

Stacey Dodge sat inside the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service’s vehicle, showing a group of interested young people exactly what all the straps are for.

And Ethan Borkowski of Torrington was on hand with state troopers Nate Day and Josh Wedge.

Borkowski, age 15, is a member of the Troop B cadet program. He said he comes to community events to “interact with the public.”

Day said the Troop B cadet program currently has four cadets and could certainly use more. Cadets learn how to conduct DUI stops and building searches, attend leadership and team building exercises, and undergo physical training.

The program accepts boys and girls, ages 13 to 20.

While the troopers and the cadet chatted with a reporter, several family groups approached and got pens, stickers, and a couple of youngsters even got to sit in the police car and play with the siren a little.

And in case of lagging interest among the younger set, there was also a bouncy house.

Latest News

Join us for


 

  

Keep ReadingShow less
Summer Nights of Canaan

Wednesday, July 16

Cobbler n’ Cream
5 to 7 p.m.
Freund’s Farm Market & Bakery | 324 Norfolk Rd.

Canaan Carnival
6 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park

Keep ReadingShow less
When the guide gets it wrong

Rosa setigera is a native climbing rose whose simple flowers allow bees to easily collect pollen.

Dee Salomon

After moving to West Cornwall in 2012, we were given a thoughtful housewarming gift: the 1997 edition of “Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs.” We were told the encyclopedic volume was the definitive gardener’s reference guide — a fact I already knew, having purchased one several months earlier at the recommendation of a gardener I admire.

At the time, we were in the thick of winter invasive removal, and I enjoyed reading and dreaming about the trees and shrubs I could plant to fill in the bare spots where the bittersweet, barberry, multiflora rose and other invasive plants had been.Years later, I purchased the 2011 edition, updated and inclusive of plants for warm climates.

Keep ReadingShow less
A few highlights from Upstate Art Weekend 2025

Foxtrot Farm & Flowers’ historic barn space during UAW’s 2024 exhibition entitled “Unruly Edges.”

Brian Gersten

Art lovers, mark your calendars. The sixth edition of Upstate Art Weekend (UAW) returns July 17 to 21, with an exciting lineup of exhibitions and events celebrating the cultural vibrancy of the region. Spanning eight counties and over 130 venues, UAW invites residents and visitors alike to explore the Hudson Valley’s thriving creative communities.

Here’s a preview of four must-see exhibitions in the area:

Keep ReadingShow less