FFA Open House

FALLS VILLAGE — A crowd of some 800 people turned out Wednesday and Thursday, May 18 and 19, for the Agricultural Science and Technology Open House at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. On Thursday morning, seniors Arielle Betti of Cornwall and Alyssa Haddon of Falls Village were working with a very patient cow named Georgia, a 3-year-old Holstein from Laurel Brook Farm in East Canaan.Georgia needed steady nerves for the onslaught of small, amateur fingers grasping her nether milking-type regions.Arielle said Georgia is an even-tempered animal and looks forward to the trip to the high school.“She was waiting at the gate for me.”Georgia was feeling a little playful as well. When Arielle was stroking her nose, Georgia craned forward, as if wishing to nuzzle, and then burped.“Aaaagh,” said Arielle. “Ewww,” said Alyssa.The girls took turns showing groups of elementary school kids how to grasp the cow.Elsewhere, agricultural education teacher Mark Burdick enthralled a group of youngsters from Sharon Center School with the high school robotics teams Who’sCTEKS robot. Junior Keila Zipkin of North Canaan guided another group of children through the plant rooms and into the trailer for a hayride piloted by Dalton Jacquier of East Canaan.New Housatonic Valley Regional High School Assistant Principal Ian Strever, at his first such event, said he was surprised and pleased at the turnout. “It’s amazing to me, to get so many parents and people from the community here.”Agricultural education teacher Karen Davenport pegged the Wednesday night crowd at 800, and added that there were 115 judges for the almost 200 demonstrations and exhibits.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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