Joyce Carol Oates to read at Bard College

Joyce Carol Oates is known for her profound storytelling and literary achievements.
Provided


Joyce Carol Oates is known for her profound storytelling and literary achievements.
Joyce Carol Oates, one of America’s most celebrated writers, will give a reading at Bard College on Monday, Oct. 21, at 4 p.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Innocents. Known for her profound storytelling and literary achievements, Oates has been honored with numerous awards, including the National Humanities Medal and the National Book Award. She has written some of the most enduring fiction of our time, including the national best sellers “We Were the Mulvaneys,” “Blonde,” and the New York Times best seller “The Falls.”
This event, part of Bradford Morrow’s course on contemporary fiction, is free and open to the public. Attendees can also look forward to her upcoming work, “Revenants: The Ghost Issue,” co-edited with Morrow, featuring works by Margaret Atwood, Carmen Maria Machado, and others. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a literary icon.
For more information, visit: www.bard.edu/news/events/a-reading-by-joyce-carol-oates
Aly Morrissey
There’s no place like home...for a landing. The hot air balloon was originally scheduled to land on Salmon Kill Road, but the winds had other plans.
SALISBURY — Residents at Lion’s Head Condominiums in Salisbury received an unexpected visit Saturday, July 25, when a hot air balloon made a surprise landing on the lawn of the apartment complex. At dusk, the unplanned touchdown drew curious onlookers as the balloon — which was supposed to have landed on Salmon Kill Road near Housatonic Childcare Center — settled safely.
Resident Anne Richardson said she and her partner were gardening when they saw the balloon in the air. Wondering where it intended to land, Richardson said she was surprised when it kept hovering and coming closer.
“It came out of the blue and was like something from the Wizard of Oz,” Richardson joked. Her partner, H.L. Aller snapped photos while others enjoyed the spectacle.
Lion’s Head Condominiums is a private 28-acre residential community located on Canaan Road in Salisbury.

Allison Gollenberg
CORNWALL — Cornwall will end the fiscal year with a roughly $70,000 surplus after approving a series of year-end budget transfers to cover unexpected expenses, including higher student transportation and legal costs for the Board of Education.
The Board of Selectmen approved the transfers at its July 21 meeting. First Selectman Gordon Ridgway said the town remains on solid financial footing despite budget pressures across several departments.
“We are in good shape ending this year, I believe there’s still about $70,000 in surplus after this to go back to the general fund,” Ridgway said. “So we ended up in the black, as we have to. But as you can see, there are cost pressures across the town budget.”
Ridgway said a long, harsh winter placed additional strain on highway equipment, contributing to higher maintenance costs. At the same time, he said, the town saved roughly $80,000 because the highway department was not fully staffed.
“Next year is going to be a challenge,” Ridgway said. “We can increase the budget somewhat, but we will not have that until we have completed the complement of highway workers. So we will not have that cushion of having a reserve at the highway department. But anyway, one year at a time.”
The transfers were approved by the Board of Finance on July 16, Ridgway said.
“Our goal is to try to hit this sweet spot where we don’t have extra money in the budget-- so that we don’t overtax-- but we have enough to do everything,” Ridgway said. “Especially dealing with some of the unforeseen things that can pop up, like utility rate increases or legal fees or transportation costs or bad weather. So, I think we’re in a very good spot.”
In other business, the board awarded a $114,265 paving contract to LB Corporation, the lowest of four bids submitted for the work by about $14,000. The bid covers paving two new pickleball courts on Foote Field and repaving of Hall Road, Great Hollow Road and Town Street South.
Before closing the meeting, Ridgway also highlighted several August community events, including a book talk and signing by author, artist, and Yale professor Adam Van Doren, the Cornwall Historical Society auction, and the Rose Algrant Art Show.
Patrick L. Sullivan
The Hunt Library could receive automatic doors thanks to a $10,000 grant from the American Library Association.
FALLS VILLAGE — Patrons of the David M. Hunt Library gathered Saturday, July 25, to help decide how a $10,000 grant from the American Library Association should be spent, with automatic entrance doors emerging as a leading proposal.
The grant is part of an ALA program, “Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities,” that offers grants to small and rural libraries to increase the accessibility of facilities, services, and programs to better serve people with disabilities.
The grant requires recipients to hold at least one community conversation before the funds are used. During the discussion, Library Director Meg Sher proposed installing automatic door-opening buttons at the library’s main entrance. She said the entrance’s two separate doors, with a small vestibule between them, can be difficult for patrons using wheelchairs, walkers or canes to navigate.
“I’ve watched people struggle with the doors for 13 years,” Sher said.
Her proposal would add one automatic door-opening button outside the entrance and another inside the vestibule, allowing patrons to open each door without assistance.
Sher said the improvements would benefit not only people with mobility challenges, but also parents pushing strollers and delivery drivers bringing boxes of books into the library.
Ellery “Woods” Sinclair, a library patron who uses a wheelchair, asked whether there was enough demand to justify the project.
“I think so,” Sher replied. “The median age in town is getting older, and I see more patrons who need assistance.”
Other ideas discussed during the meeting included purchasing shopping baskets to make it easier for patrons to carry books while browsing, and adding display shelving to better showcase library materials.
Sher emphasized that installing an elevator is not under consideration.
“We’re not talking about an elevator,” she said, noting that such a project would cost far more than the grant and would require a substantial fundraising campaign.
No decisions were made during the meeting. Sher said her next step is to seek cost estimates for the proposed automatic doors by consulting Salisbury Comptroller Joe Cleaveland about a similar project completed at the Grove building in Lakeville.

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Allison Gollenberg
Residents perform to the commands of Rachel Gall, who helped organize a Colonial-era dance party in Cornwall July 25. A contra group met in Cornwall for about 15 years up until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CORNWALL — Foote Field was transformed into a Colonial-era dance hall on July 25, as residents gathered for a picnic and an afternoon of dancing as part of the town’s America 250 celebration.
Rachel Gall, known as the Falls Village Fiddler, led the group through several dances set to period music. People of all ages joined in on the fun, with some members of the band even donning Revolutionary-era garb.
Gall said First Selectman Gordon Ridgway suggested the idea for the dance. She drew on her experience as a fiddler, caller and contra dancer to bring the event to life.
Contra dancing is a type of traditional American folk dance in which a caller, in this case Gall, leads participants through a series of moves known as figures. These sorts of dances have a long history, Gall said, but experienced a strong revival in the 1960s. That’s when her collaborator, Tom Scott, became involved with a dancing group in nearby Sheffield, Massachusetts, which he said has been dancing “right on through from colonial times.”

Scott said there was a contra group that met in Cornwall for about 15 years up until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gall and Scott said they’d love to bring the activity back to the area.
“We’re having a problem getting new dancers,” Scott said. “The older ones are getting older, dropping out. And the new generation coming up doesn’t seem to be as excited about going out and dancing. Which is too bad. It’s a lot of fun.”
Scott added that he met his wife at a contra dancing event. Gall said connection is the whole point of the activity.
“It’s a very social dance,” she said. “I always say that all of you grandparents and ancestors did this and that’s why you’re here – because somebody went up to dance with somebody else.”
Lakeville Journal
This Week
Some of the best places in our community aren’t the ones you’ll find on a map —they’re the quiet trails, family-owned businesses, scenic overlooks, and local favorites that residents know and love. This week, we want to celebrate the hidden gems that make our corner of the world unique.
What’s your favorite hidden gem in our community, and why should others check it out?
Send your responses to social@lakevillejournal.com by Monday, Aug. 3 at 10 a.m. or comment on Facebook or Instagram.
We’ll publish a selection in next week’s paper.
Last Week’s Question
What is one local issue or topic you wish you knew more about?
“Would love to know the status of the improvement plan for Century Boulevard in Millerton — including parking and landscaping. AND, what is the status of getting sewer system along Main Street.”
— Lori Coats, Millerton

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