AMENIA — The first lighting of the two evergreens outside Amenia Town Hall occurred shortly after sundown on Saturday, Dec. 17.Townspeople and members of the town government gathered outside Town Hall to sing carols and eat holiday treats before the 6,600 lights were lit during a special ceremony.The two trees were originally planted in the early 1990s in honor of Krista Proper, 8, and Melissa Proper, 6, two local girls who died in a tragic car accident on Bog Hollow Road in 1990.Several members of the Proper family attended the ceremony. The girls’ parents currently live in Florida and were unable to attend.The girls’ uncle, Steven Proper, said his nieces were greatly loved by their family and their friends. “They will always be loved and remembered,” he said.He and his brother, Ron Proper, had the honor of lighting the trees for the first time.Town Supervisor Wayne Euvrard was the one who first came up with the idea to light the two trees. He said that he was originally unaware of the history and the significance of the evergreens, but that it was “heartwarming” to see the outpouring of donations from the community and the local businesses.In all, 55 area residents and businesses made donations to purchase the lights and finance the event. Local businesses also donated their time and services, which included installing the electricity at the base of the trees and putting on the strings of lights.Fundraiser Kevin Cassone said that he believes this fundraising initiative was one of the biggest ones ever done in the town, outside of those held by the local fire company.Cassone said the donations were enough to purchase several thousand LED lights, which use only 1,000 watts of electricity as opposed to the 16,000 watts of traditional holiday light strands. He said enough LED lights were purchased to continue covering the trees as they grow over the next decades.
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The BD Canaan facility opened in 1961 with eight employees working in a 25,000-square-foot building and producing approximately 10 million syringes annually.
The anniversary celebration also included a $10,000 grant to the Community Health and Wellness Center (CHWC) in North Canaan, bringing BD’s financial support for the Federally Qualified Health Center since 2024 to $90,000.
CHWC CEO Joanne Borduas said the donation will help the organization’s health centers in Torrington, Winsted and North Canaan provide care to residents regardless of insurance status.
“We are deeply grateful for BD’s generous donation of $10,000,” Borduas said. “This contribution will go a long way in helping us to support our patients and local families as we carry out our mission of keeping our community well through providing access to quality health care regardless of insurance status.”
Several state and local lawmakers participated in the celebration, including state Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) and state Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30), who presented BD officials with an official citation from the General Assembly.
“BD has been an important part of northwestern Connecticut for 65 years, providing local jobs while manufacturing a product that supports patient care around the world,” the pair said in a joint statement.
Humble beginnings on Grace Way
The BD Canaan facility, located on Grace Way, opened in 1961 with eight employees working in a 25,000-square-foot building and producing approximately 10 million syringes annually.
Today, more than 500 employees work at the 385,000-square-foot facility, which produces more than 2 billion syringes a year.
More than 50 current BD employees at the Canaan site have worked for the company for at least 25 years, including 10 who have reached 40 years or more of service.
“The BD Syringe was invented here in Canaan as a breakthrough in patient safety and has become an essential part of care around the world, touching 80 patients every second,” said Eric Borin, worldwide president of Medication Delivery Solutions at BD.
“For 65 years, generations of employees have continued to improve how we manufacture while delivering the quality and precision clinicians count on,” Borin said. “This milestone is a testament to their dedication and the difference their work makes for patients every day.”
State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) and state Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30), who represent the Northwest Corner, at BD’s 65th anniversary celebration on Oct. 6. The company was presented with an Official Citation from the Connecticut General AssemblyProvided by BD
More than $34 million invested in North Canaan site
The history of the North Canaan operation is closely tied to the development of the disposable plastic syringe.
The BD syringe was developed at the North Canaan facility as the medical industry moved away from reusable glass syringes. The change helped reduce the risk of disease transmission between patients and eventually made the disposable syringe a standard tool in medical care.
Over the decades, syringes manufactured in North Canaan have been part of major public health efforts, including smallpox eradication, H1N1 vaccination programs and the COVID-19 response.
“Connecticut has a proud history of turning innovation into products that improve people’s lives, and BD’s Canaan facility is a powerful example,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement.
BD has invested more than $34 million in the North Canaan facility during the past five years, including three new syringe manufacturing lines and equipment upgrades designed to expand production capacity and modernize operations.
The investment comes as the company continues to emphasize domestic manufacturing and the importance of maintaining a reliable supply of medical products.
The North Canaan-made syringe has also earned recognition closer to home. It was the first product from the Northwest Corner selected for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association’s “Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut” competition.
CBIA representatives, including Chris DiPentima, the organization’s president and CEO, also attended the North Canaan festivities.
BD’s generosity, noted Borduas, “highlights the powerful impact that community-minded partners can make and we are very grateful for their support.”
Children enjoy a hayride during Salisbury’s 69th Fall Festival Saturday, Oct. 10, as beautiful weather drew crowds downtown for activities, book sales and live entertainment.
The library lawn was crowded with children decorating pumpkins and receiving temporary henna tattoos.
Inside and behind the library, book lovers browsed the Friends of the Scoville Library book sale. This year, the Friends added a tent behind the library for more display space.
Across Library Street, by the Congregational Church, magician Peter James wowed the crowd with illusions, including the “Chop-A-Lot,” which magically sliced carrots but not fingers.
Inside the church was the annual quilt show in the worship space and a massive tag sale in the community room at the rear.
A highly arbitrary sample of items for sale: a fondue pot, an air purifier, assorted fabrics, baked goods of every description and a set of wooden salad bowls.
The quilts had also provided a backdrop Friday at noon for the church’s regular monthly musical performance. Solo cellist Jakob Nordlinger played an all-Bach program, surrounded by quilts hanging over the pews and from the railings.
Moving along Main Street, the church’s hot dog tent was doing brisk business, enlivened by stalwart parishioner Barbara Wiggins in a hot dog costume.
Next door, the Lakeville Hose Company Ladies Auxiliary tent was equally busy dishing out “comfort food,” mainly variations on chili and macaroni and cheese.
Next to St. John’s Episcopal Church, Will Trowbridge of Sharon provided visitors with an ongoing blacksmithing demonstration.
Someone asked if he was using coal.
“Yes, that’s coal,” said Trowbridge. “And you see where it’s fluffy? That’s coke.”
Coke, a fuel formed as coal heats, burns hot enough to heat iron for shaping.
The visitor asked whether the coke could be used to fuel the forge.
“Oh my yes,” replied Trowbridge, lifting a red-hot piece of iron out of the fire.
At the town green at the intersection of Undermountain Road and Main Street, protesters were holding a “No Kings” demonstration.
Nearby, the musical group The Joint Chiefs was setting up.
On the White Hart lawn, Salisbury Handmade artisans offered goods ranging from woolen shawls to ceramics and leather goods.
People sat at tables on the lawn enjoying lunch and the fine weather.
As the clock approached 2 p.m., Darcy Boynton and Amber Cameron of Blue Studio Dance politely asked diners to move their tables back a bit from the White Hart porch so a dance program could begin.
Everybody was agreeable, and most stuck around for the show.
Sunday dawned chilly and wet, forcing the cancellation of the Pet Parade in Lakeville.
But the Salisbury Winter Sports Association’s Brew Ski event at Satre Hill went ahead.
Attendees sampled beers and ales, including “Roadsmary’s Baby,” described by the brewer, Two Roads of Stratford, as a “rum barrel-aged pumpkin ale.”
Ethan Gee of Salisbury shook his head when told about the pumpkin ale.
“No. Pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. That’s it.”
With the unpleasant weather, Main Street was largely deserted Sunday afternoon, but the Friends of the Scoville Library book sale was still going strong.
Lisa White of the Friends said sales were on track to beat the previous record set in 2024. The proceeds support library programming.
All weekend, everywhere one looked in Salisbury and Lakeville, there were scarecrows.
Some elaborate, some simple, some bearing messages, some just for fun. The winners of the scarecrow contest were announced on Monday.
Madi Long
Children enjoy pumpkin decorating on the lawn of the Scoville Memorial Library during the Salisbury Fall Festival Saturday, Oct. 10.
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From left, Board Chair Dan Dwyer, Publisher and CEO James Clark, Estabrook Community Leadership Award recipient Dick Hermans, his daughter Suzanna Hermans and Jubilee co-chair Joan Osofsky at the annual gala Oct. 11.
In an address to supporters, Publisher and CEO James Clark said the papers’ survival had been uncertain five years ago, before the transition to nonprofit ownership. Clark thanked attendees, board members and others in the community whose grassroots support enabled that transition.
“You demonstrated that The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News are essential community assets worth supporting. That support has allowed us to do much more than sustain two newspapers,” Clark said. “We’ve strengthened our newsroom, expanded our reporting, and invested in the people and resources needed to cover our communities more thoroughly.”
Brian Ross, the board vice chair, also addressed the gathering.
The Estabrook award, named for the publications’ former owners, Mary Lou and Robert Estabrook, recognizes outstanding work in the community. Clark praised Hermans’ “longstanding commitment to this region,” saying he “made a lasting difference” as the owner of Oblong Books and as a community activist.
Dan Dwyer, board chairman, connected that commitment to the support of those in attendance, crediting them with helping keep the newspapers going despite widespread closures across the industry.
“Newspapers across the country, thousands of them, have closed in the last 30 years. Similarly, bookstores around the country have too,” Dwyer said.
He pointed to Hermans and the Estabrooks as examples of the community commitment that helps such institutions endure.
“It’s because the Estabrooks established the pivotal role of the newspaper in this community. And Dick Hermans, through his business and his public service, has identified community service as the role that a citizen needs to play.”
For Dwyer, Hermans’ work embodied the practice of good citizenship.
“A bookshop is not just a place where you sell books.It’s where people come… it’s a place where ideas are exchanged,” Dwyer said. “If you want to talk about good old-fashioned civics… this is the guy who’s practiced it for his whole life.”Hermans’ daughter, Suzanna Hermans, and Dwyer presented him with the award. In his remarks, he reflected on his business, his work establishing the Harlem Valley Rail Trail and his upbringing in the area.
“The store has succeeded beyond my wildest dreams and the Rail Trail is more beautiful than anybody could expect from an old railroad line,” said Hermans, who was “instrumental” in its establishment.
Hermans also reflected on his own experience in journalism, starting as a college radio host for the now NPR-affiliated WJHU in Baltimore. Hermans also co-founded the New Pine Plains Herald, a non-profit community newspaper.
“Accurate information and good news about things our neighbors are doing is a key to maintaining a cohesive community,” he said. “By being here, you’re part of The Lakeville Journal/Millerton News community. It is so important that we keep our communities sane.”
Attendees gather at the Sharon Playhouse Sunday, Oct. 11, for the annual Jubilee gala, celebrating five years of nonprofit ownership of The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News.Patrick Stachniak
Virginia Gold of Project SAGE speaks at the Oct. 8 vigil.
About 60 people gathered for the vigil, which honored those killed in the past year and called for change in the attitudes and behaviors that enable abuse.
Virginia Gold, Project SAGE’s director of client services, spoke about Carrie Stetson, who was killed in Winsted in June by her estranged husband. Stetson ran the Railroad Cafe at Geer Village in North Canaan and in Winsted.
“Carrie did everything right,” Gold said. “It wasn’t enough.”
Stetson’s husband, Leon Stetson, was arrested and charged with murder, home invasion and violation of a protective order. He remains in jail, with his next court date scheduled for Oct. 27.
“No single action is enough,” Gold told the gathering. “Change doesn’t work that way.”
While organizations such as Project SAGE provide practical help to victims of relationship violence, Gold said, their broader mission is to change conventional attitudes about power and control. Events such as the vigil contribute to that work incrementally.
Lindsay Dombrovsky and Janay Gregory attend the vigil to raise awareness and show support for survivors. Madi Long
The evening began at Cannon Park, at the intersection of Main Street and Sharon Road, where participants received small packets of red sand.
Artist Kristen Pratt of the Red Sand Project explained that the participatory art project raises awareness of people who fall through the cracks, including those affected by relationship violence and human trafficking.
She led participants in pouring the bright red sand into cracks in the sidewalk.
“It illuminates something we often overlook,” Pratt said.
She reinforced the message by writing “No One Should Fall Between the Cracks” in chalk on the sidewalk.
Participants then walked to Project SAGE’s headquarters at 13A Porter St. The Lakeville nonprofit supports victims and survivors and works to end interpersonal relationship violence.
Executive Director Kristen Van Ginhoven said Project SAGE holds the vigil each October alongside similar organizations nationwide. She described the emotional demands of the work as holding “joy and grief, side by side.”
Gold thanked attendees for being “a witness to the power of community and hope.”
Project SAGE board chair Tom Connell closed with a message about the importance of their participation.
“Your presence here is the sound of hope,” he said. “It’s a reminder of what it means to show up and work for change.”
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