AMENIA — With the smell of barbecue rising through the air, people boasting belt buckles, boots and cowboy hats enjoyed music, food and the spectacle of the second annual Hudson Valley Rodeo on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Keane Farm in Amenia.
Hosted by the Amenia Wassaic Community Organization, a philanthropic foundation created by Silo Ridge that funds programs like the local Little Leagues and summer camps, the Hudson Valley Rodeo was an all-day festival that celebratesd equestrian sports. Funds raised from the charity event go right back to the organization to serve the community.
The festivities started at noon, with family-friendly events to welcome the public. Children dressed in cowboy boots and hats were taught how to toss lassos and raced stick horses. Meanwhile, their parents enjoyed cold beer, a variety of hot food from concession stands and live music from Jennie Angel and Jessica Lynn.
After everyone had arrived and settled in, spectators began to find their seats around the ring. At 3 p.m., the main event began, starting with a “mutton bustin’” competition, where children clung on to sheep for as long as they could, as the animals dashed, jumped and bucked.
After the children competed, the adults stepped in. Riders from New York and from across the country showed off their skills in events like bronco bustin’, barrel racing, calf roping and bull riding. During each buck and turn of the competition, hooves sent dust flying into the air, which was met with shouts, applause and “yeehaws” from the surrounding crowd.
“Last year was our first,” said Chair of the Dutchess County Legislature Gregg Pulver (R-19), who addressed the crowd from inside the ring before the rodeo began. “But we expect to be here for the next 10, 20, 30 years.”
At around 6:30 p.m., the concert field opened and people began to filter toward the stage, setting up lawn chairs as they talked about the highlights of the rodeo. The culmination and finale of the event was an 8:30 p.m. outdoor concert by award-winning country-pop artist Brett Young.
Patrick L. Sullivan
Lake Wononscopomuc
LAKEVILLE – Stickers for the Town Grove’s 2026 season will go on sale Memorial Day weekend at the Town Grove Boathouse and will be available for purchase seven days a week.
Proof of residency is required. Registration forms must be completed, and Grove staff will affix all stickers to vehicles.
This year’s fees cost residents $85 for the first sticker and $55 for additional stickers. Senior citizen (65+) stickers cost $55.00, and non-resident season stickers cost $420.
Daily admission is $15 per person, with children under one year admitted for free. Additional fees apply for boat mooring, dock space and rentals.
The boat launch remains closed to outside boats to prevent the spread of hydrilla. The town has added additional boats with trolling motors for rent.
For a complete list of fees, services, and rules visit salisburyct.us/town-grove/.
Christine Bates
The renovated home at 62 Railroad Street sold for $600,000 in February.
FALLS VILLAGE –The 12-month trailing median price for a single-family home in Falls Village was $625,000 for the period ending March 31, 2026, down 4% from the $650,000 median recorded for the 12 months ending March 31, 2025, and a 12% decrease from $710,500 for the comparable period ending March 31, 2024.
The median price for the period ending March 31 was significantly lower than the historic 12 month high reached in February 2023 of $794,500.
Single-family homes in Falls Village on a 12-month rolling basis remained below the historic range of 10 to 15 homes sold annually. Eight single-family homes were sold in the 12 months ending March 31, 2026, compared with 15 in the period ending March 31, 2025, and 13 sales for the 12 months ending March 31, 2024.
Inventory also remained limited as of April 30. Six single homes were listed for sale in Canaan/Falls Village, with only two priced below the current median of $625,000 and three above $1 million. Five parcels of vacant land were also on the market. Rentals are also limited with two homes listed for rent and only one of those on a yearly basis.
Transfers November 2025 through March 2026
91 Main Street – 4 bedroom/2 bath home built in 1840 on .37 acres sold by Sally Wilburn to Juliet and John Hubbard for $665,000 transferred on November 24, 2025
Undermountain Road – 37.2 acres of landsold by Carol Flaton to Ellery Sinclair for $200,000 transferred on December 11, 2025
36 Kellogg Road – 4 bedroom/2 bath ranch on 1.85acres sold by 36 Kellogg House LLC to William David Hopkins IV and Claudia Jean Bliss for $599,000 transferred on December 30, 2025
62 Railroad Street – 3 bedroom/2.5 bath home on .28 acres sold by LBC Capital LLC to Mary Allison Anne Letourneau and Kimberly Elizabeth Cooper for $600,000 transferred on February 5, 2026
88 Railroad Street- 4 bedroom/ 1.5 bath single family home on 3.49 acres sold by Joey Leggett to Katherine Summers Berzine for $778,000 transferred on February 18, 2026
72 Johnson Road – 3 bedroom/ 1.5 bath raised ranch on .83 acres sold by Charles and Carrie Ann Olsen to Michael and Chelsea Hill for $340,000 transferred on March 02, 2026
63 Page Road – 3 bedroom/1.5 bath ranch on .77 acres sold by Elizabeth Worrall to Jeanne Xanthos for $183,345 transferred on March 9, 2026
166 Undermountain Road – 6.1 acres of land sold by Christopher Lancto and Kathleen Devaney to Vance and Carolyn Cannon for $310,000 transferred on March 30, 2026
* Town of Canaan/Falls Village real estate transfers recorded as sold between November 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, provided by Cott Systems Record Hub. Property details from town assessor tax cards. Transfers without consideration are not included. Current market listings from Smart MLS and market statistics from Infosparks. Note that recorded transfers frequently lag sales by a number of days and also include private off market sales. Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Salesperson with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in CT and NY.
Lakeville Journal
The following information was provided by the Connecticut State Police at Troop B. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Motorcycle accident
On the afternoon of April 24, Robert Pitocco, 78, of Windsor, Connecticut was traveling south on Salmon Kill Road in Salisbury when he ran off the road, striking the post of a barbed wire fence. He was transported to Hartford Hospital with suspected injuries and his vehicle, a BMW R 1250 RT motorcycle, was towed from the scene. Pitocco was issued a written warning for failure to maintain lane.
Route 44 fender bender
On the morning of April 25, Harold White Jr., 68, of Colebrook was approaching the construction diversion traffic light on Route 44 in Norfolk in a Ford F350. While attempting to stop, he rear-ended the vehicle in from of him, a Ford Mustang driven by Thomas Ohea, 21, of Schenectady, New York. There were no injuries reported in the incident and both vehicles were able to be driven from the scene. White was issued a written warning for following too close.
North Canaan man arrested on 10 charges
On April 26, Troop B was notified that Javier Otero, 29, of North Canaan was in the custody of the Walcott Police Department. Otero had two separate warrants out for his arrest, one from an incident on April 21 and another on March 9. He was processed at Troop B for ten charges: third degree assault on a pregnant person; first degree criminal trespass; second degree criminal mischief; interfering with an officer; criminal violation of a protective order; criminal violation of a protective order with threats; operating a motor vehicle without a license; engaging police in pursuit; second degree harassment; and an additional charge for violation of a protective order. Otero was unable to post the total bonds, which amounted to $175,000, and was transported to Whalley Correctional Facility in New Haven. He was scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on April 27.
Trespass arrest at post office
On the morning of April 29, police responded to the Sharon Post Office on the report of an active disturbance. After investigating, troopers arrested William Cowie, 81, of Sharon for third degree criminal trespass. Cowie was processed at Troop B and subsequently released on a $500 non-surety bond. He is scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on May 13.
Asleep at the wheel accident
On the morning of April 29, John Schneider, 64, of South Windsor, Connecticut fell asleep at the wheel while driving west on Route 4 in Sharon, veering off the road and striking a mailbox. He continued driving to work and called Troop B to announce the incident. Schneider was issued a written warning for failure to maintain proper lane.
North Canaan larceny arrest
On March 24, troopers responded to a North Elm Street address in North Canaan on the report of an unwanted party. After investigating, troopers arrested Ronald Andrews, 50, of Ashley Falls, Massachusettsfor larceny with two stated victims: Stateline Pizza and Canaan Liquors. Andreas was released on a $2,500 non-surety bond and was scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on May 7.
Asleep at the wheel accident
Around noon on May 1, Seth Shirkey, 29, of Stanfordville, New York fell asleep at the wheel while driving on Route 44 in Salisbury near the intersection with Dunham Drive. The vehicle, a company Toyota Sequoia, veered off the roadway and struck a mailbox, a stone wall and a utility pole. The vehicle was disabled in the accident and had to be towed from the scene, but Shirkey was uninjured. He was issued a written warning for failure to maintain lane.
Possible motorcycle accident under investigation
On May 2 at approximately 9 p.m., troopers responded to a report of a possible motorcycle accident at the intersection of Route 7 and Ashley Falls Road in North Canaan. Troopers ascertained that the vehicle had lost control while approaching the intersection from Ashley Falls Road and eventually came to a rest on the grass median between the two roads. There were no reported injuries, and the driver left the scene. The accident remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper O’Neil #907 at the North Canaan Barracks 860-626-1820.
The Lakeville Journal will publish the outcome of police charges. Send mail to P.O. Box 1688, Lakeville, CT 06039, Attn: Police Blotter, or send to editor@lakevillejournal.com
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Lakeville Journal
SHARON — Robert Edward Leibrock, age 69, of Sharon, CT passed away on May 1, 2026. He was the loving father of Robert W. Leibrock, Holly Leibrock, Heather Emberlin, & Cole Leibrock.
Bob was born August 12, 1956, the son of the late William and Virginia (Mead) Leibrock. He graduated from Greenwich High School and spent his career as an arborist with the Town of Greenwich. He also ran his own business, B&B Tree, and was continually involved in a variety of real estate endeavors. Family was central to Bob’s life, and when his children were young, he made time to coach their sports teams and be a constant presence in their lives.
After moving from Greenwich to Sharon in 1999, Bob proudly established Cobblestone Farm, a family farm with cows, horses, goats, chickens, pigs, and various other
animals. Known to his grandchildren as “Pa”, he found great joy in sharing farm life with them, including endless tractor rides.
Bob maintained a lifelong connection to northern Maine, where he began traveling as a child to the family’s hunting cabin, Camp Leibrock. Over the years, it became a place of comfort, tradition, and enduring friendships. He spent countless days there hunting, fishing, and enjoying time with family, and took pride in refurbishing an old dairy farm. Bob also loved introducing friends from Glenville to the area, sharing with them a place that meant so much to him.
He is survived by his sons Robert (Lorinn) and Cole (Carly), and daughters Holly (George) and Heather (Jason); nine grandchildren: Mackenzie and Hadley Casey; Weston Leibrock; Ella and Faye Emberlin; Emmerson, Beckett, Thatcher, and Kinley Leibrock; his brother Doug; nephew Martin; and son-in-law Ethan Casey. He is also survived by his former wife, Shirley Hoffkins, with whom he shared many years raising their four children. He was predeceased by his brothers William and Martin and his sister Linda.
Calling hours will be held at the Kenny Funeral Home in Sharon, CT on May 11, 2026 from 4pm-6pm. A graveside service and burial will be held at Greenwood Union Cemetery at 215 North Street, Rye, NY 10580 on May 12, 2026 at 11am. A celebration of life will immediately follow the burial ceremony at George Seafood & Steakhouse, 2 S. Water St., Greenwich, CT 06830. Memorial contributions may be made to The Corner Food Pantry, 80 Sharon Rd North East, Lakeville, CT 06039.
Debra A. Aleksinas
Poverty in the Northwest Corner doesn’t define an entire town. Instead, it exists in quieter pockets — apartments above storefronts, income-restricted housing and older homes where seniors and working residents struggle to keep pace with rising costs. This series examines where financial hardship exists in Region One towns, what is driving it and how communities are responding.
SHARON — In a region often associated with affluence, hunger relief organizations say pockets of poverty are deepening, with as many as four in 10 households struggling to cover basic needs, according to regional estimates.
A weeklong fundraising campaign beginning May 11 will ask diners at local restaurants to help address that gap by funding the purchase of fresh food from local farms for distribution to area pantries.
Supported by more than a dozen restaurants and cafes across the tri-corner region, the Nourish Neighbors campaign raises funds to support that effort — connecting restaurants, farms and hunger relief efforts.
“We expect to have about 15 restaurants participate, from Champêtre in Pine Plains all the way to the Falls Village Inn,” said Chris Armero, an organizer of the campaign. “Not many people know that four out of 10 of our neighbors have trouble paying their bills.”
The effort is led by Tri Corner F.E.E.D. (Food Equity, Education and Distribution), the Sharon-based nonprofit behind Nourish Neighbors, founded in 2023 by former Q Farms owners Linda and James Quella. The organization is advancing a model to expand access to fresh, locally grown food while supporting farmers and small businesses — a concept organizers say is increasingly needed in the tri-corner region, where many households are struggling to meet basic needs.
Tri Corner F.E.E.D. operates a local storefront at 56 South Center St. in Millerton, where food is priced on a sliding scale. It offers farm-fresh meats, seasonal vegetables, prepared foods, coffee and baked goods.
“We really want to reduce barriers for people to be able to afford nutritious, local food,” said Blake Myers, director of food programs at the Tri Corner F.E.E.D. Market.
About 75 people shop there weekly, she said, with roughly 50 relying on it as a primary grocery source.
Demand rising at local food pantries
Local food pantries — including The Corner Pantry in Lakeville, North East Community Center (NECC) in Millerton and St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Amenia — have reported sustained increases in demand since the pandemic, even as emergency supports have receded and funding sources have tightened.
That pressure has exposed a broader challenge across the region: not only how to meet immediate need, but how to provide consistent access to nutritious food in a way that is sustainable for both households and the local agricultural economy.
Tri Corner F.E.E.D.’s approach centers on strengthening those connections, said Linda Quella, who previously farmed land in Sharon and sold her produce primarily via farm stands and farmers markets.
She said the experience underscored how difficult it is for farmers to earn a living through local sales alone.
“We were going to farmers markets three times a week,” Quella said. “People don’t realize how much you have to sell to earn a living as a farmer.”
She added, “Everybody that was buying our food was very well off.”
That realization led to conversations with hunger relief organizations, including the NECC in Millerton and its food programs director, Jordan Schmidt.
With food pantries held twice a month, Quella saw an opportunity to host a pop-up market with the organization.
“We could tell it was a need,” Quella said. “It became clear this would be welcome in this community.”
Quella also researched a study from United Way that collected data from households that struggle to cover basic costs. Her efforts helped inform Tri Corner F.E.E.D.’s sliding scale model.
“Through that study, we found that farmers can’t afford to discount products. They need full price for their product,” Quella said. “And that consumers needed nutrient-rich food but didn’t have access to it.”
Quella describes Millerton as a food desert, noting the closure of the town’s only food market there several years ago.
Program pays
farmers upfront
Tri Corner F.E.E.D. also purchases produce and other goods through its Food Sovereignty Fund, which was established to buy directly from farmers and distribute those goods to local food pantries — ensuring access to fresh food while providing farmers with a stable, guaranteed market.
Farmers are paid in advance for their harvests, offering financial stability and encouraging participation in food distribution programs. The fund also connects farms with local food pantries, schools and community centers — to deliver fresh produce to underserved populations.
Participating farms include, in addition to Adamah Farm, Rock Steady Farm, Sky High Farm and the Ten Mile Farm Foundation, among others across Connecticut and New York.
Surplus crops
benefit communities
At Adamah, a nonprofit CSA (Community Supported Agriculture program), connected to the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, the model allows members to buy a share of a farm’s harvest upfront in exchange for regular distributions of fresh produce throughout the growing season — helping redirect surplus crops into the community.
“In 2025, we sold a few items a week through Tri Corner, including cherry tomatoes, zucchini and herbs,” said Janna Siller, farm director and advocacy coordinator at Adamah.
Siller said the region produces abundant food, yet many residents rely on distant grocery stores due to cost barriers or limited access.
“Tri Corner is helping bridge that gap,” she said.
Adamah also raises funds to donate produce to local pantries, sometimes delivering close to 1,000 pounds of food in a single day.
Restaurant patrons
pay it forward
That same model extends to the upcoming Nourish Neighbors campaign.
“When you visit a participating restaurant or business, you have the opportunity to pay it forward,” Myers said, adding that proceeds go to Tri Corner’s Food Sovereignty Fund.
Supported local pantries include The Corner Pantry in Lakeville, North East Community Center in Millerton and St. Thomas in Amenia.
“This is especially urgent as demand for their services has risen just as federal and state support has come under pressure,” Armero said.
Even as the program expands, Quella said, the scale of need continues to outpace available resources. Rising living costs strain both households and farms, leaving programs like Tri Corner F.E.E.D. to shoulder a growing share of the region’s food access needs.
Alec Linden
SHARON – Voters at a town meeting Friday, May 8, will decide whether to approve a town budget that includes a flat Sharon Center School spending plan that has drawn weeks of pushback from parents and residents.
Officials are anticipating a larger than average turnout, which has led them to change the venue from town hall to Sharon Center School to accommodate a larger crowd.
The Board of Finance voted Tuesday, April 28, to keep education spending flat and declined to redirect about $41,000 in out-of-town tuition back to the school, a request made by a group of parents at a heated public hearing on April 24.
The issue has exposed a divide between parents pushing to shift that revenue into the education budget and officials who argue that the town’s past accounting issues, financial constraints and state funding rules make the matter more complex than it appears.
Freddy Deknatel and Emily McGoldrick, parents of two children in Sharon Daycare, said they plan to vote against the proposed budget. “The Board of Finance seems to have been quite inflexible,” Deknatel said, reflecting on its decision not to move tuition revenues into the school budget. “Knowing many parents who either have kids in the school or whose kids would be starting in kindergarten this coming fall, we feel that we’ll vote against the budget because it’s the only step left.”
The current proposal follows a last-minute $70,000 reduction in early April that drew strong public response.
The controversial $4,165,513 budget proposal for Sharon Center School – unchanged from the current year – is now heading to a vote. It continues a years-long trend of near-zero increases and reductions, and is roughly $178,000 lower than the school’s 2020-2021 budget of $4,343,314.
The education budget, said BOF member John Hecht, has been kept flat with a 0% increase, due in part to an accounting error that was made several years ago.
“Things that should have been capitalized were expensed,” he said, referring to costs that should have been paid for through long-term capital planning by the town but were instead included in the school’s annual budget.
Hecht said the issue has been compounded by the state’s Minimum Budget Requirement, or MBR, which generally prevents municipalities from spending less on education than they did the previous year.
“We’ve been trying over the years to get that back under control,” Hecht said.
He and other members of the BOF cited the issue as a key reason for maintaining a flat budget.
The main focus of the hour-long discussion, however, focused on whether to move about $41,000 in tuition paid by families outside the district into the school’s budget. The funds currently go into the town’s Undesignated Fund.
The proposal was inspired by a flood of public support for additional school funding during a public hearing Friday, April 24. While many residents urged the board to transfer the tuition revenue to the school, the board ultimately decided to keep it in the municipal budget.
“I say we wait for the vote and see what happens,” said Hecht.
Board members said they are motivated to work with the BOE on future plans for tuition revenues, which are substantially higher this year due to more out-of-town students, as well as other areas of cooperation in preparation for subsequent budget cycles.
BOE Chair Philip O’Reilly, who was present at the meeting, later said he was “taken aback” by the decision after he believed the BOF would work with school officials to find a way to return the funds.
While he is confident that the currently proposed flat budget is sufficient to fully fund the school and its programs, O’Reilly said the tuition issue offered the two boards – which have historically had fraught relations – a step toward compromise.
“The Board of Education and the Board of Finance must find a better way to be able to work together and solve our issues,” he said.
O’Reilly urged parents to trust his experience and dedication to the school. He served as principal of SCS from 2001 to 2005 and has more than four decades in education. He also put his six children through Region One, three of whom graduated from SCS.
“I want us to be the most successful early kindergarten to eighth-grade school in Region One, and I will do everything I can to accomplish that mission,” he said.
SCS Principal Carol Tomkalski similarly urged parents to trust the school’s staff and leadership: “We are always going to do everything we can here to ensure our program is not compromised.”
BOF member Carol Flaton, who phoned into Tuesday’s meeting, posited that the school has always managed to cover costs with leftover unspent funds. “A budget is a budget,” she said, “It’s not an actual.”
Hecht reported that the school had roughly $200,000 remaining from last year’s budget. This year, the BOE calculated that it expects to have approximately $120,000 unspent for 2026-2027, though this number is a projection that is subject to the actual expenditures throughout the year.
Flaton argued that adding the $41,000 in tuition revenue to the BOE budget would simply be adding to what she described as “cushion.”
Region One Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley, who was present at Tuesday’s meeting, said that unspent funds are not guaranteed, especially since most of the time they’re due staffing changes, which can be highly unpredictable.
Speaking several days after the meeting, she expressed the term “cushion” misrepresents the reality of school budgeting. “That is just patently false,” she said. “We have to budget based on the actual people we have in front of us.”
“We don’t go into each budget season thinking how much cushion we can sneak in,” she added.
She said that she hopes the various town organizations continue to negotiate how to work together for future budget cycles. Members of the BOE and BOF also expressed similar sentiments, and promised to develop a collaborative approach moving forward.
Going into the vote, some parents and residents say they remain uncertain.
A flyer distributed by a group calling itself “Concerned Parents of Sharon” is urging residents to vote against the proposed budget, arguing that a flat spending plan would effectively reduce resources for the school as costs rise.
Karen Rios, president of the SCS Parent-Teacher Organization, said after Tuesday’s meeting that she remains troubled by the budget debate.
“Our goal is to make sure that Sharon not only thrives in the present but also has new generations of children who grow up and say, ‘I’m proud to be from Sharon.’”
VOTE DETAILS
When: Friday, May 8
Time: 6 p.m.
Where: Sharon Center School, 80 Hilltop Road
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