There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow

There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow

The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye

And it looks like it’s climbing clear up to the sky

Oh! what a beautiful mornin’

Oh! what a beautiful day

—Rodgers​ & Hammerstein

 

 

This time of year, every year, is a source of wonder, wonder at the number and kinds of activities available for us all to partake in and enjoy. Our print calendar (p. B4) is but a sampler—art shows, concerts, festivals, car shows, road races, live theater, bike races, house and garden tours, book readings, farmers’ markets, there really is something for everyone around here.

Last weekend, for example, Wanda Houston and The HBH Band—Kris Jensen, Scott Heth, Jay Bradley, and Rich Syracuse—delivered their unique jazz take on traditional and contemporary standards. At Music Mountain in Falls Village, for nearly two hours, they effortlessly moved from Cole Porter to Hank Williams to Roberta Flack and The Beatles and blew the room away.

And Wanda of course is simply wandaful.

Earlier that day, across the border in Millerton, the town had its afternoon Summer Stroll around Main Street, complete with a marching brass band, wine tastings, lemonade and face painting for the kids and sales at various businesses along the way. This was followed by a free concert at Eddie Collins Park, where the Steve Dunn Band did the musical honors. Food trucks, a petting zoo, games for kids, and beautiful weather made this an excellent family outing.

But in addition to all the wonderfully satisfying small-town fun we have to enjoy, some seriously important developments are taking place now, sometimes below the surface, an impressive assortment of investments in our future from both the private and public sectors.

Here’s just a few that have been covered in these pages: Lime Rock’s ambitious plans to take the park to a new level; West Cornwall’s plans to undertake a major sewer project; the hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in the expansion of Camp Isola Bella; the investment in broadband here by Comcast, Frontier and the federal government; the funding of a $5.4 million federally qualified health care center in North Canaan; and the opening of the Norfolk Music Shed after a $10 million dollar renovation; Millbrook’s plans to redo significant stretches of sidewalk have been approved by the Dutchess County Department of Planning & Development; the Stissing Center in Pine Plains has undergone one renovation and will close again for a second multimillion dollar renovation; Pine Plains is now likely to get a major solar project; the Webutuck High School auditorium renovation is complete; Amenia is planning a major water project; and Millerton/North East is about to embark on a multimillion dollar sewer project.

It’s gratifying to think that our communities will robust enough going forward to be able to support the activities we hold dear for a long time to come.

Latest News

Father Joseph Kurnath

LAKEVILLE — Father Joseph G. M. Kurnath, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, passed away peacefully, at the age of 71, on Sunday, June 29, 2025.

Father Joe was born on May 21, 1954, in Waterbury, Connecticut. He attended kindergarten through high school in Bristol.

Keep ReadingShow less
Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less