Fire companies operated handtubs at the Firefighter’s Muster in Kent Aug. 9, and competed to see which team could spray the farthest. Above, Tiger No. 1 from Newmarket, Massachusetts, operates the hose.
KENT — On Saturday, Aug. 9, Kent welcomed a unique, totally fascinating first-time event.
Held on the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association grounds, the Firefighter’s Muster brought together first responders from all of New England.
Neighboring fire companies participated, and the true highlight of the muster was the collection of historic fire engines known as handtubs.
These were beautifully restored not just for appearance, but more importantly for their purpose.
Eight handtubs, all part of the New England States Veteran Fireman’s League, came from Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire. They were filled with water and then pumped by able hands.
Handtubs involve hand pumping water from a tub to spray water out of a hose.Lans Christensen
Lengthy fire hoses were attached and a contest to find the handtub that could spray the farthest took place. All willing pumpers were welcome to participate — not only members of the handtub’s company.
The Rescue handtub from Bath, Maine, had a large group of enthusiastic spectators join in the work and the spray reached over 150 feet.
A spectator commented, “I can’t believe it...150 years old and still working”.
Musters take place with modest frequency throughout New England. The debut in Kent was well-received and likely won’t be the last.
Aradev LLC’s plans to redevelop Wake Robin Inn include four 2,000-square-foot cabins, an event space, a sit-down restaurant and fast-casual counter, a spa, library, lounge, gym and seasonal pool. If approved, guest room numbers would increase from 38 to 57.
LAKEVILLE — The public hearing for the redevelopment of Wake Robin Inn is over. Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission now has two months to make a decision.
The hearing closed on Tuesday, Sept. 9, after its seventh session.
Michael Klemens, chair of P&Z, had warned at the opening of the proceedings that “this might be a long night” due to a last-minute influx of material from experts hired by Wells Hill Road residents William and Angela Cruger to oppose the project, but this turned out not to be the case.
These 11th hour submissions set a sour tone to the start of the meeting, with commissioner Robert Riva stating that it was “not very professional to pull this stunt on this Commission.” Riva said he had diligently reviewed the already substantial documentation provided by both the applicant and the opposing experts, and was surprised to find a “dump” of additional information submitted just hours before the meeting’s start time at 6 p.m.
Tensions were quickly eased, however, when William Cruger offered his concise summation of his platform’s opposition to the expansion, which is the second iteration of the project after an earlier version was withdrawn late last year.
“It’s important for you all to hear from me that there was never any disrespect intended to the Commission, the commissioners, and to the process,” Cruger said. He defended the last-minute submissions as an effort on the part of the experts to be thorough in their analysis: “Our intention… has been and remains to do our best to get whatever we think will be helpful in your deliberations into the record.”
The Crugers formally entered the hearing process as intervenors for the first application from Aradev LLC, the applicant, in the fall of 2024, meaning they and their hired consultants had full party status in the hearing proceedings. During this cycle, however, they chose not to petition for intervenor status, yet during this round of hearings their role has been similar. Klemens described them as having “almost intervenor status — not quite.”
William Cruger summarized the consultant’s findings for Aradev’s revised application, noting they found it to be “virtually identical in scale to the previous proposal.”
“Our position is that the proposed expansion would absolutely negatively impact the usefulness, enjoyment and value of the surrounding properties,” he said.
Aradev’s attorney Joshua Mackey countered by saying that the special permit conditions would elevate the currently non-conforming hotel in the zone, describing it as a “community asset that is improved, regulated, and safeguarded for generations to come.” He characterized Aradev as “the next steward of this storied property.”
After Mackey and Aradev co-founder Steven Cohen concluded their remarks, Klemens closed the hearing with no public comment, which he had stated would be the case at last week’s hearing session on Thursday, Sept. 4. Klemens said that P&Z will begin deliberating the proposal in early October after the commissioners have had the chance to review the information in the record.
A total of 45 letters, including the Crugers’ experts’ testimony, were submitted since the Sept. 4 meeting alone, alongside hundreds of pages of application materials and additional testimony.
As the Commission deliberates and reviews, all of this information is available for public viewing on the “Meeting Documents” subpage under P&Z’s section on the town website, www.salisburyct.us.
The Commission must issue a decision on the application by Nov. 13, the end of the statutorily defined deliberation window.
Following the memorable benefit reading last season of Charles Busch’s Tony-nominated Broadway hit, “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife,” the Sharon Playhouse will present a one-night-only staged reading of his riotous comic melodrama “Die Mommie Die!” on Friday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m.
The production —a deliciously over-the-top homage to classic Hollywood mid-century thrillers — continues the Playhouse’s artistic partnership with Busch, who reprises his iconic role of the glamorous yet troubled songstress Angela Arden.
The playwright and performer is no stranger to the Playhouse and, luckily, he’s supported by a truly stellar powerhouse cast of top-notch comic actors — some returning to the Playhouse stage, and some making their debut. The cast includes Richard Kind; two-time Tony Award nominee Kristine Nielsen, who was part of the original New York cast; Tony Award winner Celia Keenan-Bolger; Andrew Keenan-Bolger; and Claybourne Elder.
The production also marks a fortuitous alignment of talent and history. It is directed by Sharon Playhouse Artistic Director Carl Andress, who performed in the play’s Los Angeles premiere in 1999.
“I have a long and happy history with this particular show,” Andress said. “At the Sharon Playhouse, we’re thrilled to offer unforgettable, one-of-a-kind live experiences. With Charles Busch and this phenomenal cast, ‘Die Mommie Die!’ will surely light up the Olsen Stage with laughter, wit and glamour.”
The original music is by Lewis Flinn, whose score for the 2007 Off-Broadway production is being adapted specially for this event.
The play is a classic Charles Busch concoction that, like all his work, lovingly and intelligently spoofs some of the greatest talents and tropes of stage and screen. The original production was praised by critics as his “funniest, most accomplished and, without question, raunchiest work.”
In 2003, Busch won the Best Performance award at the Sundance Film Festival for the film version of “Die Mommie Die!” His indelible contributions to American theater have been recognized with countless awards and he was recently inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
The event promises to be an unforgettable night of laughter, glamour and theatrical fun, with all proceeds going to benefit Sharon Playhouse’s productions and educational programs. The funds will help ensure that the Playhouse continues to thrive as a cultural destination for audiences and artists alike.
For tickets, visit: sharonplayhouse.org. Running time: 90 minutes.
Richard Feiner and Annette Stover have worked and taught in the arts, communications, and philanthropy in West Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, and New York. Passionate supporters of the arts, they live in Salisbury and Greenwich Village.
Poet, children’s book author, short story writer, essayist, and most recently, author of two books of creative non-fiction about the Holocaust, Gwen Strauss is what might be called a polymath of literary genres.
“The Nine” (St. Martin’s Press, 2021) tells the story of nine women who, near the end of World War II, escaped a death march from Ravensbrück — a political concentration camp for women — and managed to make it to the Western Front. It’s a riveting read and a New York Times bestseller.
Now comes “Milena and Margarete” (St. Martin’s Press, published this past August). Yet again, Strauss melds meticulous historical research with a profound and moving story of perseverance in the face of horror, this time focusing on the true story of two women prisoners who met at Ravensbrück and fell passionately in love.
Strauss says of her path to becoming a writer that it was “both foolish and brave in equal measure,” and adds that her life has “a nomadic trajectory.” The first part is fully accurate; the second, an understatement. Born in Haiti, she moved to Florida with her mother after her parents divorced when she was 10.
Her nomadism took off right after high school, when she spent a year with her boyfriend on a small wooden sailboat that had a motor but no shower or head. The trip took them to Central America, where they encountered a dangerous, secret war. During that year on the sea, Strauss dove deep into reading — and the writing bug bit her hard.
After Strauss returned home (and yes, broke up with the boyfriend), her nomadic impulse didn’t end. She spent a year in Kyoto studying Japanese women poets of the 11th century, earned a master’s degree in education, and then taught second grade for a year.
Her winding life was only getting started. In 1989, Strauss moved to Paris, where she wrote freelance articles for magazines, short stories and poetry. She also met her husband (they later divorced). Together, they refurbished a barge and spent the next five years as part of the bargee community, traveling the riverways of Europe.
During this time, Strauss gave birth to twins; a third child was born in 2000, after the couple had moved to Savannah, Georgia. In 2005, Strauss moved to the south of France with her three children. In 2007, she ceased wandering when she was appointed director of the Dora Maar House (now the Dora Maar Cultural Center), an international residency and cultural center in Ménerbes, France.
It turns out Strauss has roots in our area. After her parents’ divorce, she spent several summers and holidays with her sisters and step-siblings at the 375-acre former dairy farm in Amenia owned by her father, Julian Strauss. Today, she regularly returns to visit her father and stepmother, as well as her sister Tilly Strauss (town clerk of Northeast), who lives with her family on the farm.
Strauss’s peregrine past helps explain why her narratives so acutely express empathy for the dead souls whose lives were uprooted from their homes not by choice — as was the case with her — but by the cruelties of history.
As part of the White House Speaker series sponsored by Oblong Books, Gwen Strauss will be in conversation with Laurie Fendrich at The White Hart Inn on Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be reserved at the following website:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-white-hart-speaker-series-gwen-strauss-milena-and-margarete-tickets-1538087253379
Laurie Fendrich is a painter and writer living in Lakeville. She is a 2016 Guggenheim Fellow and is represented by Louis Stern Fine Arts in Los Angeles.
