Renovations underway at HVRHS
Facilities manager Jeff Lloyd showed off the renovations taking place at HVRHS's auditorium Friday, July 19.
Photo by Patrick Sullivan
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A Fourth of July parade makes its way through downtown Falls Village.
Patrick L. Sullivan
Timolat began the reading and was soon interrupted by a blast from a cannon operated by Dusty Blass of D. Blass Excavation, followed by a shout “Happy Birthday!”
After a brief pause, with smoke lingering in the background, he continued.
The reading followed a parade, led by violinist Rachell Gall and guitarist Jim Stey, who played a colonial-era tune.
The parade also featured fire trucks – including one carrying Dave and Carmela Barger portraying George and Martha Washington – vintage vehicles, members of the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department, and members of the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society, who were also dressed in period costume.
Also in costume was Selectman Judy Jacobs portraying Betsy Ross.
Vintage vehicles joined the parade in Falls Village. Patrick L. Sullivan
State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) led the Pledge of Allegiance, and students from Lee H. Kellogg School gave the crowd a preview of the time capsule they prepared.
The time capsule contains letters written by students, a copy of the latest town report, cards from local businesses, a brochure from the historical society, and pennies. Krista Barger, a paraeducator at the school, said that the students thought it important to include the now-discontinued pennies.
The time capsule will be buried in front of the historical society building on Railroad Street. Organizers are still deciding when it will be opened, though Barger said they are leaning toward 50 years from now, when the students who created it will be in their early 60s.
Falls Village celebrates Fourth with cannon fire, time capsule Patrick L. Sullivan
A bird’s eye view of an uprooted tree that fell on the Scoville Library lawn in Salisbury Saturday, July 4. Clean-up crews were out on Sunday, July 5 and throughout the week.
Nathan Miller
No tornado, but strongest warning came too late for Northwest Corner
On Saturday evening, the weather took an abrupt turn just after 7 p.m. as hurricane-force winds whipped through the region, with Salisbury and Falls Village in the direct line of the storm before it moved southeast toward Harwinton and Torrington.
The storms forced last-minute cancellations of fireworks and laser light shows in the area and created hazardous travel conditions with hail, heavy rain and strong winds. Emergency crews responded throughout the evening to blocked roads and downed wires.
Residents referred to the scene as “apocalyptic.”
While many believed a tornado was responsible for the extreme damage, meteorologists said there was no evidence to support those claims. Samantha Lankowicz, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Albany, said the most likely cause of the damage was strong winds.
“We looked over the radar and we didn’t see anything that would suggest there was a tornado – there were no strong signs of rotation,” Lankowicz said, adding that their radar did pick up strong, straight-line winds up to 60 and 70 miles per hour.
Although thunderstorms were predicted, most residents were not notified about the severity until shortly before the storm struck.
Meteorologist Jack Drake, who covers western Connecticut, said the storm was warned as “severe” about 30 minutes before it reached Salisbury, but it was not upgraded to a “considerable damage” warning until after it had already passed through Falls Village. He attributed the delay in part to limited radar coverage in Litchfield County, making it more difficult to assess the storm’s intensity.
Drake described the storm as a “classic discrete supercell” and one of the strongest to hit the region in recent years, estimating wind gusts may have exceeded 80 mph. He said highly localized summer storms remain difficult to forecast.
Nathan Miller
An aerial view of the damage in downtown Salisbury, where a tree was uprooted in front of the Scoville Library.
Towns declare local states of emergency
The Town of Canaan (Falls Village) declared a local State of Emergency Sunday morning as a result of the storm damage. First Selectman David Barger said the move could help relieve the financial burden of the storm if state or federal funds become available.
On Sunday afternoon, Salisbury, Cornwall, Goshen, Harwinton and Torrington followed suit, each declaring a local State of Emergency.
“We want to be able to utilize all of our resources,” Barger said, adding that town crews have been called in for overtime hours to support the clean-up.
He said he received calls from North Canaan and Kent town officials who offered their support.
“They stand ready to help us,” he said. “The towns in Region One have really been drawn together.”
Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand also expressed his gratitude for the community support.
“It’s incredible how many have offered help and expressed concern,” he said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
No injuries reported
As of early Sunday afternoon, state police at Troop B in North Canaan had not received reports of any injuries from the storms.
Sharon Hospital lost power for a short period of time Saturday night but the emergency generators kicked on and services were not interrupted, hospital supervisor Elizabeth Barrows said.
While Barrows could not confirm whether the storm resulted in any injuries, she said the hospital saw a number of visits from patients who were unable to use their portable oxygen concentrators as a result of power loss.
Utility crews make repairs in Salisbury. Madi Long
Thousands left without power for days
More than 70,000 Eversource customers in Connecticut were without power Sunday morning after the storm. That number dropped to just under 15,000 by Monday evening, July 6.
However, progress was slow in the Northwest Corner. In Salisbury, 93% of customers remained without power as of 1 p.m. Sunday, with 2,792 of 3,006 customers affected. By Monday morning, 80% of Salisbury customers were still without power. By Monday night, 42% of customers were still out, or 1,272 people.
Falls Village was also heavily affected, with more than 50% of customers without power on Sunday. The number dropped significantly to 7% Monday morning.
Just under 20% of Sharon residents were impacted, with 415 customers without power as of Monday morning.
Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement that repairs in certain areas could take days due to the scale of the damage.
“The utilities have called down additional crews from Canada to help restore power in Connecticut as soon as possible,” he said.
Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand said he has been contacting Eversource regularly since the storm.
In addition to the power outages, downed wires remained an issue as of Monday night, creating single-lane roads in and out of Salisbury. Rand said between 30 and 35 poles snapped.
“We’re really beholden to Eversource and I’m reaching out all the time.”
LaBonne’s notified customers it was open in Salisbury on Monday, July 6.Aly Morrissey
Local businesses impacted by storm
Businesses in Salisbury and Falls Village were forced to close their doors due to widespread power outages. In Lakeville and Salisbury, establishments like Sweet Williams Coffee Shop & Bakery, Salisbury General Store, Provisions at The White Hart Inn, Roaring Oaks Florist, and The Woodland Restaurant had to close Sunday and Monday.
The Salisbury/Sharon Transfer Station also closed Monday.
Rob LaBonne, owner of LaBonne’s Market, took to social media Sunday morning after the storm to tell customers the market was closed with power lines down in the parking lot and a loss of electricity and internet.
“The town is absolutely devastated,” LaBonne wrote on Facebook. “Trees and powerlines are slashed in half. The whole town is without power.”
He said electricians arrived late Saturday night to help the market owner empty refrigerator cases and restore power through a generator. The grocery store remained closed on Sunday but reopened Monday with power and internet to allow for credit card transactions. The parking lot remained limited with orange cones marking the downed wires.
Some businesses, including the transfer station, started to reopen Tuesday as power was restored.
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Guests at the Let’s Eat Cake view the entries before the bidding starts.
Ruth Epstein
Despite the sweltering temperature, the tent on the lawn was filled with guests eager to bid on the extraordinary array of cakes that were on the auction block. Most of the entries displayed a deep sense of artistry and creativity, resulting in compliments and looks of amazement as visitors strolled around the tables to geta preview.
“My mother was a professional baker,” said Joe Baxer of Kent, as he marveled at one of the intricately designed confections. “She’d be thrilled to see these.”
Susan Bang of Sharon attended the event for the first time and said, “Everyone told me this was amazing, and they were right.”
Bidding was brisk as the three auctioneers, Christopher Robinson, Brian Ross and Danny Tieger, moved the action along.
One cake that attracted a great deal of attention was a joint entry by First Selectman Casey Flanagan and selectmen Lynn Kearcher and John Brett. Dubbed, “the Better Mousetrap,” the rich chocolate ganache cake with raspberry cream layers was topped with a whimsical mousetrap cheeseboard and tiny chocolate mice. It was meant to pay tribute to Sharon’s industrial past.
The Mousetrap Cake was entered into the Sharon Historical Society’s Let’s Eat Cake auction by three Sharon selectmen.Ruth Epstein
Its description read, “In 1857, Sharon resident Judson Bostwick perfected the mousetrap, earning the town the title of Mousetrap Capital of the World. His spring-loaded basswood trap helped protect farm communities across America by controlling rodents that spoiled feed and spread disease.” The cake garnered $1,000.
Another favorite that also went for $1,000 was the “Bee’s Knees” baked by Lucy Savo. A three-layer chocolate cake, it was decorated with white chocolate honeycomb and edible bees and flowers.
Going for $1,300 was the “Young Marrieds” by Matthew Marden, who explained “it got its unusual name when it became very popular at dinner parties given by young married couples in Hingham, Mass., in the 1970s. It was a two-layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and covered in crushed walnuts.
Christopher Robinson, president of the Sharon Historical Society board of directors, seeks a bid at Friday’s Let’s Eat Cake event.Ruth Epstein
“Let Them Eat Flowers” by Domanie Guerrera was a white cake with Italian meringue frosting, organic roasted strawberries and edible organic flowers. The description noted, “In this hectic world we live in, it’s not only important to stop and smell the flowers but maybe go one step further and EAT them!” It sold for $700.
“The Classic Birthday Cake” by Sarah Collins secured the highest bid at $2,500. According to Collins, this triple-layer yellow cake with vanilla buttercream used to be sold at the now-closed Wayland Bakery in Providence. “One bite will take you right back to childhood,” wrote Collins on the description. “It comes with a piping bag and extra icing so you can write your own custom message on top.”
For the first time, the auction had a raffle, and three cakes were given free to the winners.
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