Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

One unifying moment Remembering the fallen, welcoming summertime

The Tri-state area has over the years been home to reliably annual gatherings that have happened here every Memorial Day. The day’s observances were planned thoughtfully and respectfully by groups of veterans and citizens in each town who care deeply about the sacrifices made by their neighbors who gave their all in the service of their country. 

The onset of COVID-19 last year changed everything, as we all know. There were ceremonies and parades that had traditionally been part of Memorial Day but had to be put on hold. This day is seen as the opening of summertime as well as a time to honor the fallen. And the summer of 2020 was unlike any other in memory.  

The ceremonies in each area town are extraordinary, as well as moving and profound communal experiences for all who attend. And each town’s Memorial Day commemorations are unique to that place, with emphasis on whatever it is that holds the most meaning for that town’s citizens. Here’s hoping new residents will take part this year and see a side of their town they haven’t yet.

What the activities of the day all have in common is the building of community spirit while honoring the fallen. All those who participate share a part of something larger than themselves. They all play a role in honoring those from their communities who gave their lives in the service of their country, while gathering to connect with one another. Being able to do that this year can only be seen as a gift none of us will ever again take for granted.

In each town, large crowds have historically come out for the parades. In towns where they are done separately, not as many come together for the cemetery commemorations, but this year that could be different. We should all be grateful to assemble to remember and honor the sacrifices made by veterans to ensure the freedoms of those they left behind at home. 

Many of those who are reading this will attend the Memorial Day events in their towns, and will feel the effects for days and weeks to come. Let’s agree to continue to hold onto that sense of community as our towns move forward and face problems that will be better solved if we realize we are all moving together toward the same goals, as we feel so strongly and poignantly on Memorial Day. 

Latest News

Storm-damaged White Hart presses on with NASCAR Pit-Stop Party

The hauler of two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes, of ThorSport Racing, rolls past The White Hart on Thursday, July 9, as spectators cheer along the route.

Madi Long

SALISBURY — Days after the July 4 storm left the White Hart Inn and much of Salisbury without power, electricity was restored 24 hours before the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Hauler Parade on Thursday, July 9, giving staff just enough time to salvage the inn’s planned pit-stop party.

Staff, community members and clean-up crews worked around the clock to clear storm debris from the White Hart lawn, allowing the inn to deliver on its promise of prime parade viewing.

Keep ReadingShow less

Legal Notices - July 9, 2026

Legal Notices - July 9, 2026

Legal Notice

BOND RESOLUTION DATED JUNE 15, 2026 OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE WEBUTUCK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT AUTHORIZING NOT TO EXCEED $429,327 AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS AND/OR INSTALLMENT PURCHASE CONTRACTS TO FINANCE THE ACQUISITION OF A SCHOOL BUSES AND VEHICLES AT AN AGGREGATE ESTIMATED MAXIMUM COST OF$429,327, LEVY OF TAX IN ANNUAL INSTALLMENTS IN PAYMENT THEREOF TAKING INTO ACCOUNT STATE-AID, THE EXPENDITURE OF SUCH SUM FOR SUCH PURPOSE, AND DETERMINING OTHER MATTERS IN CONNECTION THERE-WITH.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tenmile Distillery is making history the old-fashioned way

Cheers! The Revolutionary Whisky Series at Ten Mile Distillery, each named for a significant battle of the American Revolution, celebrates America at 250.

D.H. Callahan

In December 2024, the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau officially established the Standard of Identity for American Single Malt Whisky. It was the first new classification in more than half a century, creating new possibilities for American distillers. One of the distilleries taking advantage of this new landscape is Wassaic’s Tenmile Distillery. It is well positioned to make history because Tenmile has always honored traditional whiskey-making practices.

Single malts are often associated with Scotch whisky. Perhaps that’s why, years before the new standard was adopted, Tenmile hired Shane Fraser, a Scottish master distiller with 30 years of experience at some of Scotland’s most prestigious distilleries. Fraser began designing the distillery from the ground up. Alongside owner and general manager Joel LeVangia, he emphasized time-honored traditions, favoring hands-on craftsmanship over the increasingly automated methods used by larger producers. When it comes to making the best whisky possible, Tenmile believes in learning from the past. That philosophy extends beyond the distilling process.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

The magic of Belinda Sinclair

The magic of Belinda Sinclair

Belinda Sinclair

Dean Chamberlain
Sinclair’s show explores the ways women have been practicing forms of magic for centuries, and there is plenty of history to tell.

Belinda Sinclair is the kind of magician who impresses people who don’t like magic. Her tricks are mind-boggling. Her stories are captivating. And if she picks you to write your name on a card, get ready to be wowed. Repeat attendees of her shows, of which there are many, take almost as much delight in watching new jaws drop as they do in seeing an illusion reach its astonishing conclusion.

Since the summer of 2025, Sinclair has been baffling local audiences at the Hughes Memorial Library in West Cornwall, but her magical run comes to a close at the end of August.

Keep ReadingShow less

“Nixon in China” comes to Tanglewood

“Nixon in China” comes to Tanglewood

Renée Fleming, Andris Nelsons and Thomas Hampson.

Hilary Scott

On Friday, July 17 at 8 p.m. in the Koussevitzky Music Shed at Tanglewood, two of the greatest American voices of their generation, soprano Renée Fleming and baritone Thomas Hampson, join Music Director Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a performance of excerpts from John Adams’ groundbreaking opera “Nixon in China.” The piece, performed earlier this year in Boston and at Carnegie Hall in New York City, is a highlight of a program that also includes “Meditations on Grace” (2024) by BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon, and the melodic and technically demanding Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber.

Fleming is internationally celebrated for her vocal and dramatic artistry, as well as for her advocacy for the powerful impact of the creative arts in health. Hampson has long been recognized as one of the most innovative musicians of our time and has received countless international honors for his singular artistry and cultural leadership. Both performed in “Nixon in China” earlier this year at the Paris Opera under the baton of Kent Nagano.

Keep ReadingShow less
Local playwright revisits Revolutionary moment in “Rebel Town”

The cast and crew of “Rebeltown: The Musical.”

Jack Sheedy

John Alan Segalla was working in Boston a few years ago, giving historic tours at the site of the Boston Tea Party. Now, as America celebrates 250 years as a nation, the Canaan native is about to debut a new version of his original musical, “Rebel Town,” inspired largely by the Boston Tea Party, the protest that helped launch the American Revolution.

“It wasn’t until I got to Boston and learned the Tea Party story that I fell in love with this moment in history, and I saw the story as wildly compelling and very important, and really a story that was very misunderstood, mistaught in schools,” Segalla said at a recent rehearsal in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, ahead of the show’s July 10 opening.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.