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

Lime Rock Park dedicates tree to neighbor and friend Lisa Keller

Lime Rock Park dedicates tree to neighbor and friend Lisa Keller

Family, friends and community members gathered to honor Lisa Keller and dedicate a flowering dogwood at the entrance to Lime Rock Park on Friday Oct. 9.

Provided

LIME ROCK — A tree dedication ceremony was held at Lime Rock Park on Friday Oct. 9, honoring the late Lisa Keller, a Lime Rock resident known for her work to foster relationships between the racetrack and its neighbors.

The flowering Dogwood named as “The Lisa Keller Welcome tree at Lime Rock Park” was planted by the entrance to the park to greet visitors, employees, and community members.

Keller served as a volunteer on the Lime Rock Citizens Council Steering Committee for over five years, helping to facilitate conversations between neighbors and Lime Rock Park as the venue continued to expand its operations. She played an instrumental role in securing approval of the stipulation agreement that allows activities to take place at Lime Rock Park.

Keller lived in the historic Lime Rock “Casino,” a home that sits directly across from Lime Rock Park, where she hosted community gatherings and worked to find common ground between the Park and its neighbors.

Beyond her work at Lime Rock Park, she was known for her baking, particularly her cookies. She regularly sent packages to her sons and their military friends while they were deployedaround the world.

During the holidays, she would bring over 80 packages of cookies to the Lakeville Post office to be mailed to lucky recipients. When she was no longer able to make cookies during her final year, she compiled a recipe book to share with those who enjoyed her treats. Keller passed away in July 2025 after a year-long battle with cancer.

Lime Rock Park CEO, Dicky Riegel, welcomed attendees to the ceremony, and reflected on the impact Keller had on the park and everyone she met. He talked about what makes the Northwest Corner special beyond just it’s natural beauty.

“Some might say that it’s the natural environment that truly defines the Northwest Corner, but I would argue that, among that landscape are the amazing people that truly define our community.”

Madi Long
Audience Development Editor

Madison ("Madi") Long is audience development editor for The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News. A native of North Canaan and graduate of Housatonic Valley Regional High School, she returned to the region after earning a bachelor's degree in Screen Studies with a minor in Culture and Media from The New School in New York City. Madi combines a passion for storytelling with experience in film, photography and digital media, having worked on numerous film and television productions while also earning recognition for her own short films. She is dedicated to helping the newspapers connect with readers across digital platforms while expanding their reach throughout the community.

community

Latest News

The art of getting into art school

The art of getting into art school

Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day returns to Poughkeepsie.

Provided

For a young artist considering college, the question isn’t simply whether the work is good enough. It’s which work to show, which school might be the right fit and even whether a creative life can lead to a sustainable career.

On Friday, Oct. 16, hundreds of aspiring artists will have the opportunity to explore those questions at Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day, presented by The Art Effect at the MJN Convention Center in Poughkeepsie.

Keep ReadingShow less
education

A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.

L. Tomaino
I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.
— Justine Valla

Husband and wife Victor and Justine Valla share a lavender and pink studio, Atelier Valla, across the driveway from their pink house, nestled into a hillside in Salisbury. The colors, said Justine, “were inspired by Monet’s house at Giverny.”

Creating art has been a lifelong pursuit for both.

Keep ReadingShow less
our community

David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

Filmmaker David Ruchman

Bleacher and Everard Photography

In a region known for its vibrant but geographically scattered arts community, discovering something new can require a little effort. The same might be said for finding a new place for an extraordinary meal. While the Northwest Corner, Berkshires and Hudson Valley have no shortage of creative talent, opportunities to experience it — whether on a stage, in a gallery or on a plate — aren’t always just around the corner.

In David Ruchman’s short film “Acquired Taste,” that challenge becomes the premise for an unlikely friendship between Nick, an aspiring young food critic living in an area with limited dining options, and a gruff New York City master chef.

Keep ReadingShow less
film
google preferred source

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

Follow the Clay Way for ceramic delights

Follow the Clay Way for ceramic delights

Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.

Provided

As the leaves across Litchfield and Dutchess counties rush to make it to the ground, your last chance to peep autumn is fast approaching. On Oct.17 and 18, the 10th annual Clay Way offers peepers a route to follow lined with unique art that rivals the area’s natural beauty.

The two-day event is a ceramics-focused open studio tour through northwestern Connecticut, with a few studios peppered in just over the border in Dutchess County. Featuring nine open studios and 25 participating artists, the tour promises a wide variety of work, from decorative objects to grand vessels and a whole world in between.

Keep ReadingShow less
open-studio

A new home for the unexpected at Kent Fine Art

A new home for the unexpected at Kent Fine Art

CAMERON (1922-1995) is on view at Kent Fine Art in Pine Plains through Nov. 14.

Provided

Where can one find the work of an artist associated with occult rituals, surrealist visions and the underground California art scene? In a beautifully renovated former carriage house in Pine Plains, of course.

Unexpected discoveries are, after all, part of what Doug Walla has spent his career making possible. The longtime New York City art dealer and founder of Kent Fine Art, has brought the work of Marjorie Cameron Parsons Kimmel, known simply as Cameron, to his new gallery space. The exhibition, on view through Nov. 14, introduces visitors to an artist whose life and work moved between mysticism, poetry, film and the avant-garde.

Keep ReadingShow less
exhibit

A new home for Stateline Auctions

A new home for Stateline Auctions
D.H. Callahan

If you’ve driven through North Canaan in the last month, you may have noticed that the big storefront windows at the intersection of Main and Railroad Streets, usually packed with antiques and art, are empty. Stateline Auctions has moved.

Stateline was started by Tommy Matteo and Bruce Kolbacher in 2011. Matteo had already been in the auction world for 15 years and had worked with Kalbacher, an antiques store owner, before they set up shop in North Canaan.

Keep ReadingShow less
business
google preferred source

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