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.
Riley Klein
FALLS VILLAGE – Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s varsity baseball team battled back to win 6-4 over O’Brien Technical High School Wednesday, April 15.
It was the home opener for HVRHS. Anthony Foley sent a pair of home runs over the fence, one in the third inning and one in the fourth, to help the Mountaineers claim the lead. Before the game, HVRHS Coach Bobby Chatfield encouraged his team to “play with an immense amount of energy.”
The weather was muggy at Ed Kirby Field in Falls Village – about 79 degrees and sunny when the umpire yelled “play ball.”
Carson Riva got the start for HVRHS. The junior pitched four innings with five strikeouts and five walks. He gave up four hits and four runs.
O’Brien went ahead early, courtesy of a solo home run by first baseman Bruno Lombardo in the first inning. HVRHS responded in the bottom of the second with a groundout by Abram Kirshner that brought in Wyatt Bayer.
O’Brien got back on top with a big third inning in which the Condors scored three runs: Bruno Lombardo hit an RBI double, Brody Lombardo brought him home with a sacrifice fly and then O’Brien scored on an error, bringing the game to 4-1.
During the bottom of the third, Foley hit a two-run home run. Then Riva got on base and was sent home by Bayer to tie it up at 4-4.
Foley put the Mountaineers ahead in the fourth inning with another two-run home run -- a deep shot to left field. The O’Brien dugout remarked, “this field is too small for him.”
Housy celebrates Foley's HR. Riley Klein
Owen Riemer took over for Riva on the mound and pitched the final three innings. He threw three strikeouts and gave up no runs to end the game 6-4.
O’Brien’s Emil Smith pitched the full game for the Condors. He struck out two batters and walked one while surrendering 11 hits. On offense, Bruno Lombardo had a big game hitting 4-for-4 with a home run and three doubles.
HVRHS collected 11 hits as a team. In addition to Foley’s home runs, Riemer hit 3-for-4. Chris Race hit 3-for-4 and Bayer, Riva and Wes Allyn each got one hit for the Mountaineers.
The result improved HVRHS’s season record to 2-2 and O’Brien fell to 0-4.
Owen Riemer pitching. Riley Klein
Aly Morrissey
Emergency crews direct traffic following a nearly nine-acre brush fire near Burr Pond in Torrington, April 14.
TORRINGTON – A brush fire broke out near Burr Pond State Park Tuesday, April 14, burning an estimated 8 to 9 acres and prompting a large, multi-agency emergency response, officials said.
The blaze was first reported shortly before 1 p.m. after a Winchester resident called 911 upon seeing a bright, arc-like flash in the sky that resembled lightning, followed by rising smoke from the wooded area.
“The park is closed, with an 8-to-9 acre brush fire being fought by DEEP and local fire departments,” said Bill Flood, a spokesperson with the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. He did not say whether there were any injuries.
The fire prompted road closures and power was turned off in parts of the surrounding area, as utility crews and emergency personnel worked to contain the blaze. Burr Mountain Road was closed to traffic, as it was serving as the primary access point for emergency vehicles.
The Winchester resident who reported the fire said he was at the Burr Pond boat launch when he noticed the flash.
“It’s just luck that I saw a flash and happened to see smoke,” he said, declining to give his name. “At first, I didn’t believe what I saw. I was doubting myself.”
He estimated the flash occurred about a mile away and said it looked like lightning but was silent.
“I just called it in and apparently it’s bigger than they thought it was going to be,” he said, adding that he did not lose power at his home.
Smoke from the fire could be smelled in areas adjacent to the park.
Officials had not yet determined the exact cause of the fire as of Tuesday afternoon.
Madi Long and Christian Murray contributed to this article.
Alec Linden
Pickleball players enjoy a game on the courts at Kent Commons Park.
KENT – Kent will welcome a new racquet sports professional this spring with the debut of a tennis and pickleball clinic program, coordinated by the town’s Parks and Recreation department.
Xavier Proulx, an established coach with an extensive resumé in racquet sports instruction, will be kicking off all-ages, all-skill level sessions in both tennis and pickleball starting Sunday, April 26 on the Kent Commons Park hard courts. The new program was formally authorized by Parks and Recreation during its April 7 meeting, where members voted unanimously for the four-week curriculum, which will run Sundays and Tuesdays through the third week of May, with rain dates scheduled for the following week if needed.
“We really wanted to jump on the opportunity while the iron is hot,” said Parks and Recreation Director Matt Frasher. He said that the townspeople have demonstrated extensive interest in pickleball, with a group of more than 90 players active in the pickleball TeamReach group, the application the department uses to coordinate and schedule events.
Frasher said tennis remains popular as well, and that the timing was right to bring in professional instruction for both sports. “We’re excited to have him here in Kent and expand on what’s being offered,” he said.
Proulx, who is originally from Montreal and currently serves as the director of tennis for the city of Norwalk, said he is also looking forward to a change of scenery. “We all have our strengths as tennis director or head pro,” he said. “For me, my strength is on the court.”
Proulx has served in several directorial roles, including 15 years as the director of racquet sports at the Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton, Connecticut. His origin and passion, though, are in live coaching, having trained players young and old, novice and experienced across the globe, from France to Spain to the Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida, where he was the head tennis professional for a star-studded clientele that included golfer Tiger Woods.
His playing career in tennis has also had its highlights, with a top 10 placement in the Canadian junior rankings when he was growing up, and even a number one ranking for the over-40 category in doubles in Florida when he was coaching in the state.
Despite the long commute from Norwalk, Proulx said he’s eager to get started, citing the quietude and natural beauty of the region as good incentive to make the hour-plus drive up Route 7 twice a week. Further, he was impressed by Kent’s embrace of pickleball, a sport which he sees great value in as a coach.
“The main reason pickleball is sweeping the country is it has, literally, a 20-minute learning curve,” Proulx said, meaning that beginners can be playing real matches their first time ever stepping foot on a court. “It’s for any level, any age,” he went on, noting that its accessibility doesn’t mean younger athletes won’t enjoy it any less. “It’s incredible,” he said in summation.
Prospective players can register at Kent’s Parks and Recreation Department’s online registration portal. For further questions or inquiries, email parksandrec@townofkent.gov.
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Alec Linden
The new market location will take place in a shared property near the Kent Welcome Center.
KENT – Farmers Market shoppers beware: when the beloved fixture of Kent’s summer programming kicks back up on May 22, it won’t be located on the familiar expanse of the Kent Land Trust Field. Instead, head straight to Main Street and park at your convenience, the Chamber of Commerce urges – and grab a coffee or check out some art while you’re at it.
“You park once, and you do everything,” said Chamber President Phil Fox as the rationale for moving the market, which has been a fair-weather fixture on the broad field south of town for four years. The new location is positioned around the Kent Welcome Center off of Railroad Street, and will take place on property spanning several businesses and town entities at the downtown location.
The main impetus for the change is connectivity between the market and the town’s commercial district, Fox explained. “That’s our goal, to bring people into town,” he said. “The idea is to make it part of the buzz that is the center of town on a Friday night.”
Other advantages of the new location include a power supply and public bathrooms, which will enable the addition of live music this summer, Fox added.
Local farmer Spencer Lord took over management duties of the Farmer’s Market this spring, and he said that the response across the community to the change has been enthusiastic. “The vendors are excited, the town is excited, the businesses downtown are excited, the customers are excited,” he said, “so it seems to be gaining momentum already.”
Lord and his fiancé Rebecca Kuczko, both 41, run Oracle Mushroom Company, a farm in South Kent that has recently expanded beyond fungi to pasture-raised poultry as part of its business model. The couple has operated a stall at the Kent market for the previous two years, and Lord said he jumped at the opportunity when the management position opened up.
“We’re very social with all the vendors that we work with at all the farmer’s markets, and we really have tried to promote them as much as possible, even way before I ever stepped into this role,” he said. “The better they do, the better we do.”
Speaking on April 17, Lord said 35 vendors had been secured to show up this season – “and we’re getting approached by new vendors probably every other day.”
Lord said that the scope of vendors will be hyperlocal, drawing from under an hour’s drive from downtown Kent. Some new vendors, like family winery Hopkins Vineyards, will add to a strong lineup of many returners, he reported.
Lord said he expects an average of 30-plus vendors active at the market per week, which he said the site can more than support. Parking, while not as straightforward as at the field, he said, will be plentiful, with Route 7, the Town Hall lots, parking around the Green available, while some businesses have also agreed to allow parking in their lots.
The Kent Land Trust, while no longer the host, will still be involved, Lord reported, running a regular stall all season at the market.
Overall, Lord said that the goal is to create a “symbiotic relationship” between the Farmer’s Market and broader community, and to take advantage of the festive Friday downtown atmosphere. On top of the music, Lord said he encourages local businesses to get in touch with him directly about further programming – “If you have an idea, let me know.”
“I think it will be really fun,” said Kent Land Trust Executive Director Connie Manes of the new location.
Alec Linden
After ordering last-minute cuts to both the municipal and education budget proposals during a special meeting on April 14, the Board of Finance voted to send both to a public hearing.
On May 1, residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on both fiscal year 2027 proposals, which together amount to a mill rate of 17.45, a 0.58 or 3.44% increase from last year. The mill rate is the amount of tax paid per $1,000 of assessed property value.
To help balance the budget, the board also voted to use $250,000 from the town’s unassigned general fund — essentially savings not set aside for a specific purpose.
The Five Year Capital Plan, which was edited extensively during Tuesday’s meeting, will also be subjected to public scrutiny at the May hearing.
Hopes were high at the meeting’s outset to flatline the mill rate from last year, but Treasurer Barbara Herbst’s announcement that that would require a nearly $900,000 reduction caused the BOF to shift its approach.
Ultimately, the Board of Education was asked to pull $30,000 from its bottom line before the May 1 hearing. Currently, it sits at $5,337,470, a 2.69% increase from fiscal year 2026. Along with $2,808,970 allocated towards Kent’s Region One contribution, total education expenditures, before the reduction, total $8,146,440.
The municipal operating budget is proposed at $5,277,965, a 5.08% increase over the current fiscal year.
The only line item changed by the BOF during Tuesday’s meeting was to the town’s contribution towards an aquatic invasive species management plan for Lake Waramaug. The funds are dedicated toward a proposed boat screening facility at the lake that would monitor for hydrilla, a particularly aggressive invasive waterweed.
Board members have previously questioned Kent’s share of the cost, noting that only a small portion of the lake lies within the town. For instance, only three houses and the storefront state park are within town lines.
Originally planned as a 20-40-40 split of a $100,000 project cost among Washington, Warren and Kent, First Selectman Eric Epstein said Tuesday that updated staffing estimates have reduced Kent’s share to $13,000, plus $3,000 in regular annual lake expenses.
BOF members were still unsatisfied with what member Casey Cogut described as a “half-baked plan” that is unfair to Kent taxpayers.
Ultimately, the Board voted to reduce the line to a total of $7,500 from the $16,000 previously allocated. Since $3,000 are dedicated towards other costs related to the lake, only $4,000 remain for the hydrilla prevention project. Washington has proposed $26,000 towards the effort, which Warren is meant to match.
There may be fallout from the decision, Epstein said: “It’s going to strain our relationship with the other two towns, I believe.”
Most of the BOF’s focus during Tuesday’s meeting was directed towards the Five Year Capital Plan.
Portions of funds for several projects that were meant to become taxable this year were pushed back over the line. The Swift House, a long-unused town-owned historic building that has had capital suspended in limbo for years, saw its funding moved back a year due to no clear plan forward for the building. A special town committee that was established in February to outline options for the building is expecting a report before the budget vote in May.
Capital intended to support the installation of amenities at Emery Park, including restrooms, was also moved out of tax position on the plan. The park is planned for a major overhaul in the coming years, but several proposals for the site, such as the rehabilitation of the town swimming pond, have seen recent delays.
The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on May 1 at Town Hall.
Ruth Epstein
Groundbreaking for the expansion and renovation of Kent Memorial Library is set for April 25, with a reception to follow at its temporary Landmark Lane location.
Work has begun on the expansion and renovation project of the Kent Memorial Library.
A ceremonial groundbreaking will take place on Saturday, April 25, at noon at the site.
Following the ceremony, a reception with refreshments will be held at the library’s temporary space at 10-12 Landmark Lane.
Register at kmlinfo@biblio.org.
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