Letters to the Editor May 19

 Day of Caring a success

On Saturday, April 30, about 75 volunteers came together to help “care” for the Girl Scout Camp Maria Pratt. United Way Day of Caring has been an annual event in Northwest Connecticut since 1986.

This year, we have decided to hold two Day of Caring events, the first one designed to help clean up the Camp Maria Pratt for both the Girl Scouts summer camp program and Camp MOE.

On behalf of the United Way Board of Directors, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers and businesses who donated their time or their materials to make our first Day of Caring a big success.

 We had all ages of volunteers at the camp on Saturday ranging from teenagers to seniors. There was enough work for everyone and everyone walked away a little tired and a lot satisfied knowing they made a difference in the lives of some young campers.

A special thank you to the businesses that provided food for our volunteers: Big Y, Price Chopper, LaMonica’s, Alfredo’s, Carbone’s, Pipe Tomato, Mt. Claire, Dunkin Donuts and Super Stop & Shop.

Stephanie R. Barksdale

Executive Director

United Way of Northwest Connecticut

Torrington

 

 

 May is Military Appreciation Month

Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation Month (NMAM). For more than 230 years men and women have taken an oath to defend the Constitution and guarantee our freedom. When they take that oath, not only are they making a commitment and perhaps the ultimate sacrifice, but their families are making a commitment and sacrifice.

The very special days of appreciation and thanks in the month of May are: Loyalty Day, May 1; Military Spouse Appreciation Day, May 6; VE Day, May 8; Armed Forces Day, May 21; and Memorial Day, May 30. Although some of these have passed, we can still take a moment and say thanks or show our gratitude.

The American Legion Auxiliary Post 178 encourages you to fly the flag; send care packages to a soldier through USOCARES or through your local VFW post or American Legion post; shake the hand of someone in uniform; hire a veteran; visit a veteran; ask your elected officials at all levels to recognize the military; correspond with the troops.

Marie Barnum

Salisbury

Latest News

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).

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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.

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