Community turns out for parade and equipment display at HVRHS
Falls Village Fire Department’s 100th

Fire departments from across Connecticut participated in the show on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan
Falls Village Fire Department’s 100th

Fire departments from across Connecticut participated in the show on Saturday, Sept. 21.
FALLS VILLAGE — The Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department held a fire apparatus parade and show Saturday, Sept. 21 as part of its ongoing 100th anniversary celebration.
Fire departments from all over the state participated. A reporter, wandering around the Housatonic Valley Regional High School grounds, which was the destination of the parade, noted trucks from nearby (Salisbury, North Canaan), near-ish (Riverton, Northville, and Brick Mountain in New Hartford) and from a considerable distance (Old Saybrook, Wolcott).
The 30 or so pieces of apparatus at the high school represented about half of the total from the parade, First Selectman Dave Barger noted.
There were several vintage pieces on display, including “Old Number One,” an 1854 fire suppression machine purchased by Colchester in 1954 from the William C. Hunneman Fire Engine Company in Boston.
Old Number One cost $850 — including postage — as it was mailed from Boston.
Colchester received good value on the investment. Old Number One remained in service until 1924, when it was replaced by a newfangled gasoline-powered truck.
A little closer to home — and the present day — young Hudson Riva of North Canaan sat with a solemn expression in the driver’s seat of the Falls Village antique truck which was very similar to a 1924 REO truck from the Sharon fire department, parked on the opposite side of a tent containing historic firefighting artifacts.
This exhibit included scrapbooks. Within one of the scrapbooks was a photograph of a man Kent Allyn identified as his father at the wheel of a white ambulance with the Falls Village name attached.
Allyn said the photo dates from some time in the 1950s.
The backstory: Allyn’s brother was hit by a car, and it took some 90 minutes for an ambulance to get from Sharon to Falls Village.
Deeming this situation unacceptable, Falls Village purchased a hearse, painted it white, and thus had its own ambulance.
“Remember, we didn’t have EMTs then” said Allyn. “It was ‘load and go.’”
There were food trucks, a raffle, a merch table with sweatshirts and potholders, and music from the Tailgate Band.
And at the end of the evening, fireworks.
WOODBURY — Nonnewaug High School claimed twin titles in the Berkshire League soccer tournament finals.
The school's girls and boys teams were named league champions after finishing the regular season with the best win/loss records. Winning the tournaments earned each team a plaque and added to the program's success in 2025.
Both of Nonnewaug's varsity teams faced off against their counterparts from Housatonic Valley Regional High School in the tournament finals in Woodbury Tuesday, Oct. 28.
The boys game was played first. Housatonic took a quick 2-0 lead with goals from Gustavo Portillo and Jackson McAvoy. Nonnewaug responded in the second half with three consecutive goals: first from Cash Medonis then two from Vincenzo Rose. The Nonnewaug boys won 3-2.

The girls game followed. Nonnewaug and Housatonic traded goals early on and the score was tied 2-2 at halftime. Nonnewaug scored twice more in the second half to win 4-2. Housatonic's goals were scored by Ava Segalla. Rosie Makarewicz scored twice for Nonnewaug and Hailey Goldman and Aubrey Doran scored once.
Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference soccer tournaments begin Oct. 31. Both Housatonic teams qualified for the Class S tournament and both Nonnewaug teams qualified for the Class M tournament.
TORRINGTON — Joan Jardine, 90, of Mill Lane, passed away at home on Oct. 23, 2025. She was the loving wife of David Jardine.
Joan was born Aug. 9, 1935, in Throop, Pennsylvania, daughter of the late Joseph and Vera (Ezepchick) Zigmont.
Joan graduated from Harding High School.
She was a working artist for much of her adult life, starting her career studying plein air impressionist oil painting at the Cape Cod School of Art. Her work evolved to include a more representational style, and eventually a large body of abstract pieces. Her award-winning work has been shown in galleries and juried art shows throughout southern New England.
She is survived by her daughter Leslie and her husband George, brothers Joseph, Victor, and their families, nephews Gregory, Christopher, and their families, daughter-in- law Huong, and the extended Jardine family. She was predeceased by her son Douglas, and brother Michael.
A memorial service will be held at All Saints of America Orthodox Church, 313 Twin Lakes Road, Salisbury, Connecticut on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 10 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the All Saints of America Orthodox Church, PO Box 45, Salisbury, CT 06068.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
Canyon de Chelly (1904) – Seven Navajo riders on horseback
At a time when questions of representation, cultural legacy and historical narratives are at the forefront of public conversation, the Norfolk Library’s upcoming screening of the award-winning documentary “Coming to Light” offers a timely opportunity for reflection.
The event will be held on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 5:30 p.m., and will include a post-screening discussion with the film’s director, Lakeville resident Anne Makepeace.
“Coming to Light” offers a deeply researched, visually rich portrait of photographer Edward S. Curtis, whose early 20th century mission to record Native American life resulted in tens of thousands of images, sound recordings and texts.
But the film goes beyond biography, critically examining Curtis’ romanticized vision of Native American life and engaging with the descendants and communities whose lives and traditions the photo archives continue to affect.
Between 1896 and 1930, Curtis photographed over 80 tribes from Arizona to Alaska in an effort to capture Native American cultures he feared were disappearing.
“Curtis saw cultural genocide going on, and he feared these cultures would disappear,” Makepeace said. “He wanted to show these people are still here and these traditions are still happening.”

In the late 1990s, when Makepeace was developing her film on Curtis — about a century after he had started his photographic work — she wanted to see how present-day Native Americans felt about his photographs. She found that while academics had long derided Curtis’ work as extractive, colonialist, and often staged, most Native Americans she spoke with were overwhelmingly appreciative of his work. In fact, some of Curtis’ photographs ultimately helped certain tribes revive specific ceremonies.
“Coming to Light” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was shortlisted for an Academy Award in 2000, and was later aired on PBS’ “American Masters” in 2001. As the documentary nears its 25th anniversary, Makepeace reflected on the significance of the film and its lasting impact.
“The film shows the beauty and resilience of these cultures and the diversity of each of the varied tribes that were documented,” she said.
At a time when cultural preservation, national identity and documentary ethics are more important than ever, Makepeace said she believes the film’s message remains especially relevant in 2025.
For further details on the screening and to reserve a seat, visit: norfolklibrary.org/events/documentary-film-coming-to-light/
To see more of Makepeace’s work, visit: makepeaceproductions.com/index.html
This article has been edited to correct the date range of Edward S. Curtis’s photographic work.