SALISBURY — The inaugural Estabrook Community Leadership Award was presented to the Harney family by The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News on Oct. 6.
The Harneys earned the award for their tireless commitment to improving and serving the community. The award, named for the longstanding Lakeville Journal owners Robert and Mary Lou Estabrook, was created to recognize individuals who embody the community spirit and leadership in the same way the Estabrooks did.
“We are thrilled to present this award for the first time to the Harney family. A family that has given so much to our local community,” said James Clark, CEO and Publisher, at the Jubilee Luncheon.
Board member, Brian Ross, presented the honor to the family and Elyse Harney addressed the crowd of more than 200 people at the Town Grove lawn overlooking Lake Wononscopomuc.
Harney spoke of the dedicated volunteers and organizations that keep the community alive such as the Jane Lloyd Fund, the Housatonic Youth Service Bureau, Salisbury Winter Sports Association and local emergency responders. John Harney Sr. was a founding member of the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service, which today is one of the few all-volunteer corps left in the state.
Harney urged the audience, “From the bottom of my heart I would ask you to join this wonderful family of volunteers that made this community such a blessed oasis in this very turbulent world. Keep Salisbury a strong, caring community.”
Applause carried over the lake as leaves rustled and cascaded through the air. Guests then enjoyed Harney Tea and a buffet lunch on the Grove lawn as the Salisbury Band Senior Quickstep Hot Shots played.
Adding to the festive occasion, Sharon Playhouse’s Youthstage put on a charming rendition of “Consider Yourself” from the show “Oliver” with customized lines referencing the Harneys.
“Nobody tries to be lah-de-dah or uppity. There’s a cup of ‘Harney Tea’ for all.”
Anne Day
the Sharon Playhouse Youthstage actors perform a charming rendition of "Consider Yourself" from the show "Oliver" during The Lakeville Journal and Millerton News Jubilee Country Luncheon, Oct. 6.
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Cheers! The Revolutionary Whisky Series at Ten Mile Distillery, each named for a significant battle of the American Revolution, celebrates America at 250.
D.H. Callahan
In late 2025, in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the distillery introduced its Revolutionary Whisky Series. The collection features 57 unique expressions, each with its own combination of barrel types and aging periods, and each named for a significant battle of the American Revolution.
LeVangia sees the series not only as something collectible — a hallmark of the international craft distilling world — but also as an opportunity to educate. Most Americans learn about the Revolution in high school U.S. history classes, but LeVangia wanted to go beyond familiar stories such as Washington crossing the Delaware or the famous command to wait until soldiers could see “the whites of their eyes.” Each bottle helps tell a deeper story.
To bring those stories to life, Tenmile has gone the extra — dare they say, 11th — mile. Tom Bouldin, Ph.D., serves as the distillery’s historian. He consults on the series, helping LeVangia and Fraser connect each expression to an appropriate battle of the American Revolution. He also leads Tenmile’s lecture series. While some of Bouldin’s talks explore the history of popular music, his primary focus is the battles of the American Revolution.
With each new release, Tenmile hosts an intimate evening of history and whisky tasting. Centered on Bouldin’s meticulously researched lectures, the events often spark broader conversations about the battles, the people who fought them and what those events still mean today. It’s a style of promotion rarely seen today. Although the distillery and its grounds are stunning, these gatherings are not designed as Instagram photo opportunities. Instead, they bring together a small group of people eager to learn from the past while tasting something new.
That is what the Revolutionary Whisky Series — and Tenmile Distillery as a whole — is all about: learning from history while forging its own.
D.H. Callahan
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