Eric Veden unveils newest local video

Eric Veden’s latest video about Falls Village starts with an interview with First Selectman Dave Barger, who talks about growing up in Esopus, New York, which was “not unlike Falls Village.”

Barger comes from a long line of police officers, so when he was out of college, he was busy applying to various law enforcement agencies in New York.

He also applied to the Connecticut State Police, and they called first.

In an eventful few days in 1977, Barger graduated from the state police academy, got married, had a one-day honeymoon and reported to Troop B in North Canaan to begin his career.

His sergeant was Peter G. Lawson, who also served as First Selectman and on various town boards. (He died in 2012.)

“He took me under his wing.”

Lawson was ready to retire, and told Barger he thought it would be a good thing if Falls Village had another trooper living in town.

It just so happened that Faye Lawson was starting her career in real estate.

So with one thing and another, the Bargers got a plot on Amy Road.

“And you’re sitting in it,” Barger says to Veden.

Ronna Welsh, a chef who splits her time between Falls Village and Brooklyn, takes a group through a cooking class at the Congregational Church.

She tells the group that rather than starting with a theme or a specific menu, they are going to try a different approach.

“What do I do with what I have?”

Toni Siegel recalls her 19 years at CBS News in New York, where she worked with Walter Cronkite.

She was ready to switch to a teaching career when the phone rang with the news that Bill Play, the CBS News chief, was responding to legal and social pressure to provide more opportunities for women in the new business.

“So I became the first woman in the Director’s Guild.”

Shamu Sadeh and Janna Siller of Adamah Farm (which supplied many of the ingredients used by Welsh in the cooking class) take a group through the composting process, starting with food waste.

And Episode 31 concludes with Frank Hadsell, who figures he has spent 67 of his 70 years in Falls Village.

He recalls playing sports at every chance with the older children, who looked out for him.

“We policed ourselves.”

In those days the Lee H. Kellogg School did not have a gym.

So in basketball season, the boys practiced outside in the parking lot, in winter, with hats and gloves.

“We played all our games on the road.”

The video is available for borrowing or for sale at the David M. Hunt Library. Veden also has a YouTube channel called “Eric Veden.”

Latest News

Paul Winter to celebrate the winter solstice at Saint James Place

The Paul Winter Consort will perform at St. James Cathedral in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Saturday, Dec. 21.

Photo by Matthew Muise

Seven-time Grammy winning saxophonist Paul Winter, with the Paul Winter Consort, will return to celebrate the Winter Solstice on Saturday, Dec. 21, with sold out shows at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Saint James Place, 352 Main St., Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

A uniquely intimate solstice celebration, in contrast to the large-scale productions done for many years in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York, it promises to deliver everything audiences have come to love and expect.

Keep ReadingShow less
Developers withdraw application to expand Wake Robin Inn

Wake Robin Inn is located on Sharon Road in Lakeville.

Photo by John Coston

LAKEVILLE — Aradev LLC has withdrawn its application to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a special permit to redevelop the Wake Robin Inn.

In a letter submitted to P&Z Chair Michael Klemens on the afternoon of Tuesday, Dec. 17, law outfit Mackey, Butts & Whalen LLP announced its client’s withdrawal.

Keep ReadingShow less
North Canaan antique mall fills resale niche

The 403 Group is located at 403 Ashley Falls Road, where the old This N’ That for Habitat used to be.

Photo by Robin Roraback

NORTH CANAAN — The 403 Group Antique Market is “A hidden secret, a little off the beaten path, but worth the drive,” said Carey Field, who has a booth called “Wild Turkey” there.

“It’s a really fun group of dealers,” Field said. “A really eclectic group of antiques and the prices are reasonable.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Shooting the breeze with Christopher Little

Martin Tandler

Little with his dog, Ruby.

"What I really feel lucky about is having had the chance to meet and photograph so many people who had a real impact on our lives,” said Christopher Little whose new memoir, “Shooting the Breeze: Memories of a Photojournalist” was just released. The book is as eclectic and colorful as the man himself and offers an intimate look into Little’s globe-trotting career spent behind the lens, capturing some of the most iconic figures, events, and human stories of the past half-century.

In 2021, the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas acquired Little’s photographic archive.

Keep ReadingShow less