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Doris May Benedict
NORFOLK — Doris May Benedict, 84, a longtime resident of Norfolk, passed away on Friday, June 13, 2024, at Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury.
Born on Nov. 11, 1939, in East Canaan, Connecticut, she was the daughter of the late Kenneth M. and Edna (Reid) Ford. Mrs. Benedict was a graduate of Housatonic Valley Regional High School class of 1957. On Jan. 24, 1957, in Ancramdale, New York, she married Orson N. Benedict who survives at home.
Mrs. Benedict dedicated her life to raising her family and church. She was a longtime member, former choir member and Sunday School Teacher, of the North Canaan Congregational Church in East Canaan. Mrs. Benedict was a genealogist and member of the Berkshire Family History Society and Connecticut Society of Genealogy. She was also a member of the Eastern Star and loved to tend to her garden.
In addition to her loving husband, Mrs. Benedict is survived by four daughters, Melissa Sweeney, Virginia Halsted, Frances Benedict and Sally LaChance. She is also survived by seven grandchildren, Patrick and Kelly Sweeney, Michael, Benjamin Lannen, Molly Seitz, and Michelle and Christopher Benedict and eight great-grandchildren. Besides her parents, she was predeceased by a son, Orson N. Benedict, Jr.; a granddaughter, Gabrielle Noel LaChance; a brother, George Ford and two sisters Cathy Musselman and Judith Ford.Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at the North Canaan Congregational Church, 172 Lower Road, East Canaan, CT. Burial will follow at Hillside Cemetery in East Canaan, CT. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home, 118 Main Street, Canaan, CT 06018.
Four distinctive Cornwall gardens will be open for self-guided tours Saturday, June 22.
On Friday, June 21 and Saturday, June 22, the ninth annual Books & Blooms event will take place, benefiting the Cornwall Library. This two-day garden-related event has become a cherished highlight, offering an enriching experience for garden enthusiasts and art lovers alike.
Friday evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a presentation by Ann Temkin, the distinguished Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Temkin will explore the deep connection between Claude Monet’s passion for gardening and his renowned paintings of water lilies. Her talk will reveal how Monet’s extensive gardens at Giverny were not just a source of inspiration but a vital part of his artistic process. Despite the current acclaim of the water lilies series, they were initially met with significant criticism in the early 20th century. Temkin will discuss the transformation in public perception that eventually led to their recognition as pioneering works of 20th century art.
Ms. Temkin, who was born in Torrington and weekends in Cornwall, is the first woman to hold the premier curatorial position at MoMA. This insightful lecture will be held at the United Church of Christ, 8 Bolton Hill Road in Cornwall Village, and will be followed by a cocktail reception.
The event continues Saturday with self-guided tours of four distinctive Cornwall gardens, beginning at 10 a.m. Each garden offers a unique and enchanting experience, including an unfussy, low-maintenance perennial garden with specimen trees, a garden featuring a waterfall and millpond, a dramatic hillside garden with a plunging ravine, and a charming cottage garden with extensive plantings.
Tickets are priced at $40 for the Friday talk, $30 for the Saturday garden tours, or $65 for both events. Registration and ticket purchases can be made through cornwalllibrary.org/events. Tickets and maps for the garden tours will be available for pickup at the Cornwall Library (30 Pine Street, Cornwall) on Friday, June 21, between noon and 6 p.m., or on Saturday, June 22, from 10 a.m. on.
‘Old Glory’ finds new home for Flag Day
North Canaan Elementary School students applaud as the flag reaches the peak of a new 35-foot flagpole.
NORTH CANAAN — Students of North Canaan Elementary School gathered at Sam Eddy Field Wednesday, June 12, to witness the stars and stripes hoisted high on a newly installed flagpole.
Celebrated two days early due to school ending, the Flag Day ceremony took place on a pristine spring morning. Patriotism was palpable as the students sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Grand Old Flag” beneath a clear blue sky.
“Red symbolizes valor and bravery. White: purity and innocence. And blue: vigilance, perseverance, and justice,” NCES Principal Alicia Roy said as the student body looked on.
Scouts from Troop 22 presented a 5-foot by 8-foot flag (donated by scout Luca Bascetta) to be raised in traditional fashion.
Scout Master Walter Deane and the scouts from Troop 22 raise the flag at the Robert D. Pierce memorial.Riley Klein
As the flag slowly climbed the 35-foot pole, “Taps” played on bugle courtesy of the scouts. Hands covered hearts for the Pledge of Allegiance once the flag reached its pinnacle.
The new multi-tiered, metal pole was placed atop the base of the Robert D. Pierce Memorial. John and Lisa Jacquier of Jacquier Welding & Steel donated the pole and complete the installation free of charge.
“It’s for the town,” John said. “Just a little something to give back.”
At the site of the memorial once stood a cedar flagpole. The cedar pole fell some 20 years ago and the memorial for Pierce, a renowned civil servant in North Canaan who died in 1948, had been left without a flag for two decades.
First Selectman Brian Ohler presented the Jacquiers with a special recognition plaque to thank them for the donation.
“North Canaan is such a patriotic town. We love our flag, we love our country, and we have some amazing friends in this town,” Ohler said.
Scouts carried out the flag ceremony in traditional fashion.Riley Klein
Joy at The Playhouse
The Sharon Playhouse honors Bobbie Olsen at its annual Spotlight Gala.
The Annual Sharon Playhouse Spotlight Gala cast their theater light upon a worthy honoree this year: Bobbie Olsen, Bobbie Olsen, former president of The Playhouse board and namesake of a well-known location, The Bobbie Olsen Theatre, where residents pack the seats each summer to see the mainstage production plays and musicals. Held on Saturday, June 1, the dinner, cocktail, and musical review at the Olsen Theatre was a celebration of all she has contributed to keeping live theater active and alive in Sharon, even in the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Bobbie Olsen is an incredible supporter of not just this theater, but this community,” said Sharon Playhouse Artistic Director Carl Andress. “She supports the Sharon Playhouse in her leadership, and in the beauty of her person-hood. We’re just so grateful that she’s been in our lives and that she continues to be such a good friend to the theater, Sharon Playhouse, and the theater in general.”
Tricia DeSario, Molly Model, and Michelle Lemon performed at the Sharon Playhouse Spotlight Gala live show.Justin Boccitto
The musical tribute opened — and true theater fans will know what follows — none other than a “Company,” the title song from Stephen Sondheim’s 1970 musical that begins with the chant of “Bobby, Bobby, Bobby, Bobby!” With lyrics adapted/parodied by Michael Kevin Baldwin’s husband a Playhouse performer Will Nash Broyles, The Bobbie Olsen tribute medley was sung by “Bobbie’s Angels” a group of six made up of Ricky Oliver, Michael Siktberg, Jeff Raab, Tricia DeSario, Molly Model, and Michelle Lemon. The Angels also performed Broyles-penned versions of songs from “Kiss Me Kate” and “Rent.”
“We wanted to honor Bobbie by recreating numbers or creating new numbers from titles that had been on the main stage when she was president of the board,” Andress said.
The evening also included stand-out performances from talents like Danny Drewes, who will return to the mainstage this summer after last year’s “Something Rotten!” to star in “Rock of Ages” and “The Prom,” as well as Julia Murney (“Wicked” on Broadway and the U.S. national tour), a powerhouse vocalist who will take the director’s chair for “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” and two-time Tony Award and four-time Drama Desk Award nominee Kate Baldwin who will also star in “The Prom.”
As Andress described the upcoming summer at The Playhouse “It’s a season of joy.”
The Playhouse’s creative team, Carl Andress, Michael Kevin Baldwin, and Rod Christensen paid tribute to gala honoree Bobbie Olsen.Justin Boccitto