
Mason Sobol rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown against John F. Kennedy High School Thursday, Sept. 19.
Photo by Riley Klein
Mason Sobol rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown against John F. Kennedy High School Thursday, Sept. 19.
WATERBURY — Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic football lost 20-17 in a heartbreaker to John F. Kennedy High School Thursday, Sept. 19.
JFK scored all of its points in the second half and came back from a 17-6 margin in the fourth quarter. QB Jayden Lopez connected with TE Damian Elliot for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 2:29 remaining in the game to take the lead.
Penalties and injuries in the second half slowed GNH's momentum offensively. The Yellowjackets had a scoring chance on the final drive of the game with a deep pass on fourth down to Owen Riemer. Considerable contact by the JFK corner went uncalled by the referee, giving JFK the ball to kneel and end the game.
Hundreds were in attendance at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury for the Thursday night game. It was about 77 degrees at kick off as the sun began to set.
Both teams set out looking for their first win of the season. GNH lost to Ansonia in week one while JFK lost to Waterbury Career Academy.
GNH started with possession and scored on the opening drive. Mason Sobol rushed it in for a six-yard touchdown to give GNH a 7-0 start.
GNH added to its lead in the second quarter with a 22-yard field goal by Esten Ryan. The Yellowjackets went into half time with a 10-0 lead.
On the second half kickoff, JFK scored its first touchdown with an 89-yard return to bring the score to 10-6.
Owen Riemer scored a punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter.Photo by Riley Klein
GNH's Owen Riemer responded later in the third quarter with a punt return for a touchdown, giving the Yellowjackets a 17-6 going into the final quarter.
Sobol was sidelined with a knee injury in the second half and Riemer was in and out due to leg cramps. Costly penalties plagued GNH down the stretch, which stalled drives and ultimately gave the ball back to JFK.
RB Julius Caban rushed in a touchdown for JFK with 9:21 to go. A punt by GNH on the next drive put JFK at midfield with time ticking away.
GNH's defense held strong and forced a third down situation. TE Damian Elliot broke away from his defender on a go-route and caught a prayer from QB Jayden Lopez at the five-yard line, stumbling into the endzone for the go-ahead score.
With two minutes to go, GNH lined up near midfield for the final drive of the game. A sack, a recovered fumble and an incomplete pass set up 4th and 11 for the Yellowjackets.
Coach Scott Salius sent the receivers deep and QB Ty Devita went long for Riemer. Tight, physical coverage by JFK's Brendell Kelly prevented Riemer from securing the catch. JFK took over on downs and knelt for the win.
As a team, JFK compiled 201 rushing yards and 53 passing yards. The Eagles moved to a 1-1 record this season.
GNH was led offensively by Mason Sobol who rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Esten Ryan ended with 11 receiving yards, a field goal and two extra points. Owen Riemer scored on a punt return for a touchdown.
GNH returns to Winsted Friday, Sept. 27 to host Torrington High School at 7 p.m.
Wes Allyn, no. 6, place holds for kicker Esten Ryan.Photo by Riley Klein
Fans of fine art filed into the Sharon Historical Society’s gallery on Saturday, March 15, for the opening reception of student works from the Northlight Art Center in Amenia, New York.
Northlight was founded in Sharon by Pieter Lefferts in 2010 and later moved to Amenia. This is the 14th year of the annual student exhibit.
“It’s an invitation for people who may never have thought that they might be included in an art exhibit,” said Lefferts about the show that includes 34 works created by a dozen artists. Lefferts added that visitors will see a range of abilities and individual expression.
“I like to draw out innate expression,” Lefferts said. Lefferts said there were 34 pieces as he had hung them all the day before.
Several works on display were inspired by local subjects. For example, Kathleen Kulig’s “Grand Dame of the Orchard” depicts an actual old apple tree found at a friend’s home.
“I’ve actually picked apples from that tree,” Kulig said.
Kathleen Kulig with her “Grand Dame of the Orchard” painting.Leila Hawken
Artist Cathleen Halloran’s acrylic on paper painting titled “Eleven Eleven” is a loving remembrance of her dog, Maddie, whose death was imminent as Halloran created the painting, an expression of her subject’s magnificent spirit.
Variety is evident in artists’ ages, mediums, experience and subject matter.
“It’s always a pleasure to see how the artists grow every year, a fascinating variety,” said Historical Society President Chris Robinson as he dished out the wine and other beverages in the reception area.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the historical society, although not all works are for sale. The exhibit will be open until Friday, May 9, during historical society hours. For additional information, go to www.sharonhist.org.
Coinciding with the gallery show, the Sharon Historical Society’s current exhibit is worth a visit. Titled “Family Collections,” the exhibit shows collective Sharon memories found in the artifacts left by ancestors, remembered now in part by what they left behind. Each is a clue to the town’s historic past, spanning two centuries.
Tess Marks as Little Sally and Jackson Olson as Officer Lockstock in the Housatonic Musical Theatre Society production of "Urinetown."
Last week’s Housatonic Musical Theatre Society production of “Urinetown” featured strong performances and superb choreography.
The remodeled auditorium at Housatonic Valley Regional High School made a big difference as well. New seats were a welcome addition, and the increased technical capability meant that the show was flawless from a production point of view.
The difference was so noticeable that director Christiane Olson thanked the taxpayers of Region One for supporting the recent school improvements project in brief remarks before the start of the matinee performance Saturday, March 15.
Katelin Lopes and Andy Delgado were powerful as the star-crossed lovers Hope Cladwell and Bobby Strong.
Jackson Olson got a lot of laughs with his deadpan take on Officer Lockstock, often in tandem with Tess Marks’ wide-eyed Little Sally.
The entire cast hit all the right buttons, not the easiest thing to do with a show that contains multiple layers of satire.
The orchestra, led by Tom Krupa, was rock solid.
And Amber Cameron’s choreography was seamless. The cast looked like they’d been dancing together all their lives.
Race Brook Lodge
Tucked away on Under Mountain Road in Sheffield, Massachusetts, The Stagecoach Tavern dates back to the mid-18th century and offers fine dining in an enchanted setting. It also serves as the portal into the Race Brook Lodge, which harbors unique spaces for entertainment, lodging and wellness.
Intimate outdoor gathering areas are illuminated by strings of lights. A cluster of mid-century bungalows can be rented by guests who come to spend the weekend and attend concerts and retreats, which typically take place in the barns farther back in the woods.
This magical vision springs from the mind of David Rothstein, who purchased the property in pieces between 1990 and 2000, a continuation of his idea to create a place where like-minded people can congregate to enjoy cultural happenings in an idyllic setting.
Before acquiring the Race Brook Lodge, Rothstein, now 90, managed The Music Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts, the premier outdoor music venue in the Berkshires during the 1970s, which he purchased with his former wife, Nancy Fitzpatrick, whose family owned the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge.
In its heyday from 1970 to 1979, The Music Inn featured a who’s who of iconic performers of the era like Ike & Tina Turner, B.B. King, James Taylor, Muddy Waters, The Byrds, Ravi Shankar, Joan Baez, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, The Eagles, Lou Reed, Bonnie Raitt, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Jimmy Cliff, Toots & The Maytals and The Allman Brothers.
“Music Inn was the last outpost of the counterculture, which had evolved as a result of the groundbreaking evolution of jazz as the first integrated music genre that ultimately paved the way for Rock ‘n Roll,” Rothstein said.
Race Brook barn at nightLety Marcos
This history goes even deeper. Prior to the Music Inn, the buildings were known as the Berkshire Music Barn, and featured performers like Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Thelonious Monk and the Modern Jazz Quartet. The property also featured The Lenox School of Jazz, The Lenox Arts Center, Toad Hall Moviehouse, and The Great Riot Alley Memorial.
As a student of modernist architect Louis Khan, Rothstein absorbed Khan’s ideas of “open frame” or a space without barriers. It’s a concept he used at the Music Inn that carries on at Race Brook.
Race Brook’s music programmer, Alex Harvey recalls how he came to do a retreat with Qi Gong master Thomas Drodge and noticed a Louis Khan poster on the wall. He spent a morning and afternoon talking with Rothstein about art, performance and community in a way he’d been dreaming about for a long time.
“When I saw the poster, I asked David about it. He told me that he was one of Khan’s assistants, and he actually drafted some of the buildings I’d studied. So, before I knew he had the Music Inn, he was a superstar to me,” Harvey said.
Harvey also met the current proprietor Casey Fitzpatrick — David and Nancy’s son — and the two hit it off, realizing they shared a common interest in global music. Armed with a deep Rolodex, thanks to his many years as a performer and ethnomusicologist, Harvey soon began programming shows at Race Brook.
When booking, Harvey looks for artists who can offer something beyond the typical performance.
“We had Alash, who are one of the more renowned Tuvan throat singing ensembles,” Harvey said. “With their energy, they change the weather of the room. It’s a participatory feeling. I loved reading the reactions online; was it a concert or a ritual? That’s what we’re interested in.”
“We have Beausoleil coming up on April 5. When they start playing, you feel transported to a hooch house in Eunice, Louisiana. They create a sense of place, and that’s what really excites me,” he added.
Sunder Ashni singing at Dia de los Muertos.Lety Marcos
There are regularly scheduled programs, like Jazz brunches every Sunday, and at times Race Brook Lodge is open to other groups who book shows like the recent “Almost Spring Weekender” a DJ’d house party produced by Edo Moore.
Ideally, Harvey books fully immersive weekends with music, workshops, and enjoyment of the spaces, whether hiking nearby trails or inside the barns.
“One of my favorites is the Dia de los Muertos weekend which has an open mic to the dead,” Harvey said. “It’s art as a form of medicine and healing. It’s kind of like Brooklyn Academy of Music meets Esselin.”
For elevated musical and wellness experiences in an idyllic Berkshire setting, Race Brook Lodge offers something for everyone. See their site for information on all that they offer: rblodge.com