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

Slalom race benefits from Saturday’s rain

Slalom race benefits from Saturday’s rain
McKenzie Todd traversed the course in West Cornwall during the New England Slalom Series event on  May 21. 
Photo by Lans Christensen

CORNWALL — On Sunday, May 21, the New England Slalom Series came to West Cornwall for the Covered Bridge Slalom. The series consists of ten races, held throughout New England and New York. Competitors paddle all manner of downriver kayaks and canoes,  both open and closed, and recreational or race worthy.

Paddlers of all ages competed in three different classes.  K1 and C1 can be difficult to identify without the simple clues that give away the name. Though the boats look identical, C1 (closed canoe) paddlers knelt in the boat and used a single bladed paddle, while K1 paddlers sat in the boat and used a double bladed paddle.

The slalom course started at the covered bridge and progressed down the river for about 300 yards with 22 gates. Some gates were crossed going upriver while most were done downriver.

River difficulty and condition were different for all of the ten race series. Amy Hunt, an OC1 competitor, said the .8 inch of rain Saturday afternoon and evening made a difference.

“The course was set yesterday when the water was low. It’s about 6 inches deeper now, and a tiny bit more challenging.”

Nonetheless, all paddlers, in every class, navigated the course as best they could and with true enjoyment.

Clarke Outdoors, a long-time fixture on the Housatonic, was the race registrar. A well-known paddling association, HACKS (Housatonic Area Canoe and Kayak Squad) helped by manning the on-course stations.

Results for all competitors and classes can be found online at www.nessrace.com

Latest News

Ashley Falls man charged with murder after body found at home

Cole Bushnell, 41, of Ashley Falls is arraigned on one count of murder at Southern Berkshire District Court June 2. He is being held without bail.

Madi Long

SHEFFIELD – An Ashley Falls, Massachusetts, man is being held without bail after prosecutors alleged he killed a Connecticut man whose body was later discovered on his property.

Cole Bushnell, 41, was arraigned Tuesday morning in Southern Berkshire District Court on one count of murder, according to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office.

Keep ReadingShow less
Book lovers flock to opening day of Kent library sale

Business is brisk at the opening day of the Kent Memorial Library's used book sale May 22

Ruth Epstein

KENT – The Kent Memorial Library’s popular used book sale drew eager shoppers on opening day Friday, May 22despite being held in a new location this year.

With the library’s North Main Street building undergoing a major renovation, the sale has temporarily moved to the library’s quarters on Landmark Lane in the Kent Shopping Center, thanks to property owner John Casey.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eric Sloane’s vision of early America preserved in Kent museum

Andrew Rowand, curator and site administrator at the Eric Sloane Museum, gives a talk at recent 'People and Places of Kent' event.

Ruth Epstein

KENT – Visitors to the latest “People and Places in Kent” program got a behind-the-scenes look at one of the town’s most notable attractions when Eric Sloane Museum curator and site administrator Andrew Rowand spoke about the museum’s history, collections and namesake.

The presentation, sponsored by the Kent Senior Center and Kent Historical Society, explored the legacy of Eric Sloane, the artist, author and collector whose passion for preserving early American tools and traditions led to the creation of Connecticut’s first state-funded museum. Located on Route 7 north of the village, the museum has welcomed visitors since 1969 and is now designated a National Historic Landmark.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

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

Early morning Kent crash sends car into ditch, disrupts traffic on Rt. 341

A blue SUV remains in a ditch after an early-morning crash along Segar Mountain Road in Kent May 27.

Ruth Epstein

KENT – A driver escaped with minor injuries after an SUV crashed into a utility pole and water line before rolling into a ditch along Segar Mountain Road early Wednesday morning, May 27, disrupting traffic for much of the day and affecting water service to a nearby residence.

The single-vehicle crash occurred around 4:30 a.m. near 36 Segar Mountain Road, just under half a mile east of the intersection with South Kent Road. State police said the blue SUV struck the pole, went over a guardrail and came to stop in a roadside ditch.

Keep ReadingShow less

Pauline King Garfield

Pauline King Garfield

EAST CANAAN — Pauline K. (King) Garfield, 94 of 77 South Canaan Rd. formerly of East Canaan, died Sunday May 24, 2026, at Geer Village.She was the wife of the late Duane Garfield who passed August 14, 2017. Pauline was born April 3, 1932 in North Canaan, CT in the former Geer Hospital. She was the daughter of the late Charles and Rose (Van Vlack) King.

Pauline spent her career at Becton Dickinson in Canaan, after being a stay-at-home mother for many years.She was employed at Becton Dickinson for 23 years. She enjoyed bus trips with her late husband Duane to the Casinos, spending time with her family watching the grandchildren grow up. Recently she made a comment to care givers that was “wait until I see that husband of mine for leaving me here, I am going to read him the riot act.” Over the years she enjoyed many crafts, but her favorite was crocheting gifts for everyone.

Keep ReadingShow less
A blessing for pets — and a lifeline for their health
Lazarus, a Eurasian eagle owl, poses with Dr. Laura, his longtime handler. The rescue raptor — known as the event’s “wow factor” for his striking presence and six-foot wingspan — will appear as the Raptor Ambassador at Rhinebeck’s Blessing of the Animals.
provided

For many pet owners, animals are family. On Saturday, May 30, that bond will be celebrated in a uniquely practical and heartfelt way when the Blessing of the Animals returns to Third Lutheran Evangelical Church in Rhinebeck alongside a free rabies vaccination clinic hosted by Hudson Valley Animal Rescue & Sanctuary.

The event, scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., is free for Dutchess County residents and open to dogs, cats and domestic ferrets three months and older. While the clinic itself provides an important public health service, organizers say the day has become about much more than vaccinations.

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.