LAKEVILLE — The swimming and diving season ended for the Berkshire League schools last weekend with league championships in diving on March 4 at Shepaug and in swimming on March 5 at the pool at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville. The Housatonic Valley Regional High School team, which has one of the smallest teams in the seven-school league, came in last (Shepaug won), but the meet reflected a significant improvement over the beginning of the season.“Everyone bettered their times at this meet. Some kids took 10 or 15 seconds off their times,” said Jacquie Rice, coach of the Housatonic swim team, with Rhonda Rinninsland. “Swimming isn’t about winning. It’s about improving your times.”Eight of the Housatonic team’s original 20 swimmers made the cut for the Berkshire League championships, which require swimmers to meet a specific time limit to qualify for an event. The competing schools were Housatonic, Shepaug, Gilbert, Wamogo, Northwestern, Lewis Mills and Litchfield.All of the swimmers participated in the 200-yard medley relay and the 200-yard freestyle relay. Boys team Captain Travis Derr participated in the 500-yard freestyle race and the 200-yard freestyle race; Connor Riley participated in the 50-yard freestyle race; Regan Carroll swam in the 200-yard individual medley race and the 100-yard breast stroke race. Girls team captain Megan Fisher swam the 100-yard backstroke race; Bailey Phelps swam in the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard backstroke race; and Eleni Hellmers, Nataly Lake-Ginouves and Molly Lovejoy participated in the relays. Bailey took fourth place in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke, Regan placed seventh in the 200-yard individual medley, and Travis placed eighth and ninth in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle races. Team spirit was high at the meet, as is normally the case. Students from the area schools decorated banners that they posted on the walls around the pool deck.Four boys from Northwestern Regional 7 (which has about 40 swimmers) shaved their heads and bodies, not only for a show of spirit but also because it makes them feel faster. Some of the swimmers also wear lightweight layers of extra clothing while warming up. “It’s like the rings on a baseball bat,” one swimmer said. “When you remove them, you feel like you’re faster and stronger.”Swimmers from Wamogo did a variation on the shaved head: They left a strip of hair on top, mohawk-style.Even the team coaches got into the swim of things. Coach Todd Dyer from Shepaug not only wore his team’s brightly colored T-shirt, which features a sheep and a hog (“Sheep, hog. Shepaug,” he explained), he also sported a summery straw hat.But the swimmers didn’t need clothing or accessories to complete their looks: Many of them drew slogans right on their skin.
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Matteo works as the ever-enthusiastic auctioneer, and he puts on a real show. In just a few hours, he presents and sells hundreds of items, from antique furniture and rugs to art and decorative items, even taxidermy, jewelry and other odds and ends you probably wouldn’t expect. Community is part of the show, with Matteo joking around with regulars. Attendees congratulate each other on their purchases, and even educate each other about the items as matteo keeps the momentum going. If items aren’t moving, Matteo will remind the room that he’s got alimony to pay, and it’s up to everybody in the room to help him raise the funds.
For the past 15 years, this has all happened in that highly visible building at the main intersection in North Canaan. Now, Mattea, Kolbacher and their Stateline Auctions crew have moved off the beaten path. For some frugal bidders, this might seem like a good thing. After all, the fewer people who know about the auction, the fewer people they have to bid against when their lots come up.
Hundreds of items at Stateline Auctions, including a candy-apple-red Crosley pickup truck.D.H. Callahan
Unfortunately for those who consistently show up, the competition these days is less in the room and more online. Stateline has been running simultaneous auctions through the real-time auction website and app LiveAuctioneers.com, where the entire event is streamed live. Throughout the eight-hour event, the online viewership rarely, if ever, dips below 600 individual users. This technological development creates more potential buyers for Stateline and also allows busy bidders to keep an eye on their lots while out and about.
The new space, still in North Canaan, just barely south of the Massachusetts border, is a sizable warehouse packed to the ceiling with precious finds. It’s bigger, brighter and has ample parking.
The auction on Oct. 11 featured all kinds of lots, including three cars. A candy-apple-red Crosley pickup truck grabbed every eye in the room and even more attention online. Amid all the enthusiasm, it was heartwarming to witness the entire audience erupt in applause as young bidder Molly Seitz burst into tears after winning the truck. The beautiful vintage vehicle had belonged to her grandfather, who had given her driving lessons in it before he died.
Between resellers, collectors and the casually curious, the performance that is a Sunday at Stateline Auctions is a delightful way to breathe new life into old items. There’s rarely a set date for the next auction, but it generally takes about six weeks before they’re ready with their next round of goods. This time, Matteo predicts a sale after Thanksgiving, but if you want to be safe, follow their auction on liveauctioneers.com.
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The town crew delivered a relic of Lakeville’s iron industry to the Salisbury Association on Oct. 7. Therelic was previously on display at Bicentennial Park.
The Salisbury Association’s Lou Bucceri said the town crew transported the heavy relic to outside the front door of the Academy Building on Main Street.
“And I got to teach the town crew a little history,” Bucceri said.
An iron kettle already on display at the building now sits atop the salamander.
The relic bears little resemblance to the amphibian that shares its name. Bucceri said determining how the metallurgical term originated will require further research.
He plans to add a sign explaining the salamander’s significance.
Patrick L. Sullivan
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