Jumpfest success

The main event in Salisbury this past weekend was Jumpfest 2024, sponsored by the Salisbury Winter Sports Association at Satre Hill, and the community turned out. This year’s festival marked the 98th year of this unique event that draws hundreds of people and athletes from our neighboring towns and region. The weekend offered three days of outdoor activity, including nighttime events, and serves as a testament to the hardy nature of our citizenry. When the temperature drops, everyone huddled at the bottom of the jump just grins a little wider.

Of course there are fortifications against the cold: blazing bonfires on either side of the landing zone, mac & cheese, hotdogs, beer and hot toddies. As each day unfolds, the fact that it has become a major family affair is abundantly clear. Norman Rockwell would have had a field day at Jumpfest. Its ambience exudes American culture — with a Nordic twist. The Associations’ roots date to the 1920s when John Satre came to Salisbury from Norway, followed by his brothers, both jumpers and skiers in Norway, to establish the Salisbury Outing Club.

The scene at today’s Jumpfest reflects our community life across all generations. Friends and family ‘hang’ in huddled formation in the crisp cold to visit and catch up. Babies are bubble wrapped in down. Grammar school children race round in packs, indifferent to the cold and happy to sit on a carpet of snow and ice to engage in their chatter. Clusters of teenagers cruise through the crowds, cellphones at the ready, taking it all in. The athletes remain focused. The more senior generation organizes the whole affair and volunteers in myriad ways to make for a smooth Jumpfest.

It’s very easy to see a multigenerational family-scape.

The mission of SWSA is to “acquaint our nearby communities, expecially the children, with Nordic ski-jumping, cross-country and Alpine skiing, and to teach the skills necessary for their enjoyment and lifelong pursuit.”

Congratulations to the Board of Directors and all the honorary directors past and present for providing such a rich, healthy and inspiring experience for the town of Salisbury and beyond. See you next year!

To your health

Last week we reported that Region One School District and has teamed up with Community Health & Wellness Center of Greater Torrington to bring health-related services to children and adolescents at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS), North Canaan Elementary School and Sharon Center School. Termed school-based health centers, they will be funded through a two-year federal grant that will cover the cost of hiring an advanced practice registered nurse, a licensed clinical social worker and a medical assistant to serve all three Region One schools. The ser vice will launch at the end of April.

HVRHS Principal Ian Strever described the high school’s health center as a “game-changer for our students, providing them with convenient access to a certified nurse practitioner. This means that students will no longer need to leave the school premises to address medical concerns, as the nurse practitioner will be available to offer expert care right on site.”