In awe of autumn’s amazement at Salisbury Fall Festival

Pumpkin painting was a hit among youngsters at the Salisbury Fall Festival Oct. 11 to 13.
Patrick L. Sullivan

Pumpkin painting was a hit among youngsters at the Salisbury Fall Festival Oct. 11 to 13.
SALISBURY — There was something for everyone at the Salisbury Fall Festival, which enjoyed two days of excellent weather Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11 and 12, before succumbing to a chilly, rainy Sunday, Oct. 13.
Ambling along Main Street Saturday, from the White Hart to the Scoville Memorial Library, a reporter began by renewing the acquaintance of Jocelyn Krodman, proprietor of PetitFelts and a regular at the Salisbury Handmade artisan shows hosted on the lawn of the White Hart.
Krodman has added ceramics to her repertoire and directed attention to smallish needle felted animal heads mounted on ceramic dishes.
They come with brief whimsical stories. A rooster head named Glen was accompanied by a brief recap of his career as an internet influencer.
Jayme Walsh of Lakeville and Olivia Robson of Salisbury are J&O Flowers. The two students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School have developed their flower business as their senior “Capstone” project, and they were busy near the war memorial on the Green.
This was also the venue for a dance show by young dancers from Lakeville’s Blue Studio, and for the Joint Chiefs, who started a set around 2 p.m.
The world epicenter of jigsaw puzzles was the entrance to St. John’s Episcopal Church, where Mina Wood presided over two tables covered with puzzles.
She said her family is puzzle mad, particularly her husband Greg. “He does one or two puzzles per week!”
Moving along Main Street, the visitor could stop and chat with authors Peter Fitting and Tom Morrison, both selling their latest efforts.
A quick detour toward LaBonne’s resulted in a few moments listening to jazz guitarist Eric Loffswold, playing in the courtyard opposite J.T. Murphy’s barber shop.
The tents along Main Street housed a variety of organizations and commercial operations. An arbitrary sample: Jewelry and quilts for education of women in Guatemala; the Salisbury Forum sharing space with the Salisbury Dog Park; Peter Sadlon’s honey products; Project SAGE; and any number of opportunities to assist the Salisbury Central School eighth grade class trip to Washington, D.C.
Peter James, magician, did a couple of shows along Library Street by the Congregational Church. Inside the church was a tag and bake sale in the parish hall.
In the church proper was the annual quilt show, with some 47 entries this year. Janet Kaufman said the call for quilts was extended wider this year.
The Scoville Memorial Library lawn was a mass of (mostly) children, who were decorating pumpkins, or making their own sinister potions (“I got an eyeball!” yelled one experimental chemist), or playing the always popular “Heave the Wet Sponge” game.
The Salisbury Band Senior Hotshots played, and there were performances of Martha Graham dances.
And, of course, books for sale, at the library, at St. John’s Episcopal Church and at Johnnycake Books.
All this activity whets the appetite. Festivalgoers could get soft ice cream or a lobster roll from the food trucks or drop by the Lakeville Hose Company Ladies Auxiliary tents for a hot dog or something more adventurous, such as chili-mac.
The latter is just what it sounds like: A bowl of macaroni and cheese with chili on top. (Plus, a side of corn bread.)
It was the exact right combination for a brisk day that featured a lot of walking. This reporter ate it quite happily, his sense of wellbeing compounded by the fact he didn’t get any of it on his shirt.
The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

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Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.