Letters to the Editor - July 23, 2026

Thanks for celebrating 250th with us

Gathering with family and friends, music and hot dogs, sun and swimming; each year the Fourth of July at the Grove celebrates our community as well as the Nation’s founding. On behalf of the Salisbury Association I would like to thank all those who made the festivities for the country’s250th birthday so special:Stacey Dodge and her team at the Grove, the Salisbury Band and their spirited renditions of old and new favorites, the Salisbury Central School eight graders who stepped up at the last minute to sell hot dogs, the boat owners who paraded on Lake Wononscopomuc with flags flying and Lou Bucceri (aka Hemon Allen) for his rousing delivery of the Declaration of Independence.

While the Salisbury Association had to postpone its evening entertainment, the DJ and laser light show have been rescheduled to the first weekend in August.Watch our website and social media for details.We are grateful to all the emergency crews that worked so hard to restore power and communications to town and the Academy Building.

Cynthia Walsh

President

The Salisbury Association

Community happens through recreation

Dear Falls Village,

There is a saying here that I have come to love.

“You don’t find Falls Village. Falls Village finds you.”

The more time I spend here, the more I think it’s true. Some families have lived here for generations. Others arrived only recently. Some came from the next town over. Others came from across the world. Different stories. Different histories. Different reasons for staying. Yet somehow, this little corner of Connecticut has gathered us together.

Now the question becomes:

“What kind of community do we choose to build together?”

As the new Chair of the Falls Village Recreation Commission, I wanted to introduce myself, not simply as a committee member, but as another person who has fallen in love with this extraordinary place.

One of the things that has always inspired me about small towns is that they only truly work when people choose to participate. Not because they have to, but because they care. I’ve watched neighbours clear fallen trees before anyone asks. I’ve watched roads reopen after storms because people simply arrive with chainsaws and get to work. It’s as if everyone knows their part. I believe that’s community.

I think recreation can work the same way. Our Town Farm, our pool, our trails and gathering spaces aren’t simply facilities. They’re places where community happens. Places where children learn to swim, friends meet on summer afternoons, families gather, visitors discover Falls Village for the first time and neighbours become friends.

And I believe these spaces can become even more.

I’d love to see the Town Farm become something that belongs to us throughout the entire year, not only during pool season. Imagine winter walks, cross-country skiing, community events beneath the new pavilion, seasonal gatherings, opportunities to learn, celebrate and simply spend time together. This is not because bigger is better. Or that we want to become something we’re not. It is because a place that’s loved should be lived in.

None of this happens because one person has good ideas. It happens because many people decide they want to be part of creating something together. That’s why one of my biggest hopes isn’t simply improving our facilities, it’s growing our community around them.

We’re looking for people who have ideas. People who enjoy organising. People who like planting flowers and building things. People to host events. Writers, photographers, historians. People who can teach us to cook and tell us about nature. People who share our love of sports and the outdoors. Or simply people willing to lend a hand every now and then.

If joining the Recreation Commission isn’t for you, that’s perfectly okay. Come to a meeting. Share a suggestion. Visit the pool. Use the Town Farm. Tell us what you’d love to see.

This belongs to all of us.

Over the coming months we’ll also begin sharing regular updates—celebrating projects, introducing members of our Recreation Commission, highlighting local businesses and organisations, and telling the stories that make Falls Village what it is.

Because a community isn’t built only through meetings. It’s built through knowing one another. Through recognising one another. Through creating opportunities for people to connect.

Nature teaches us that healthy ecosystems rely on diversity and that everything has its place. Communities are much the same. Whether your family arrived generations ago or whether Falls Village found you only recently, each of us has something valuable to contribute.

I feel incredibly honoured to help steward this next chapter.

I hope you’ll help write it with us.

Catherine Wales

Chairperson

Falls Village Recreation Commission