Little Rascals summer program seeks new activity director

SHARON — Since it began in the 1970s providing summer employment for local youth and summer activities for local youngsters, the Little Rascals program is gearing up for what is hoped to be a successful 2024 summer season under a new director and staff.

The search for a new Little Rascals director is underway, according to Sharon Parks and Recreation Director Matt Andrulis Mette, who paused work for an interview on Wednesday, March 27, held at the Town Beach at Mudge Pond on a drizzly gray morning.

The affordable program offers families who live or work in Sharon a viable option for supervised programming serving children aged 5-12, and it begins immediately following the end of the school year. And, for older teens and college-age staff, Little Rascals offers employment and resume-enhancing experience.

From 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday participants take part in a long day of activities, the program offers swim lessons, arts and crafts, sporting activities, theme days and more, depending on the talents presented by the Director and staff. (Half-day rates are also offered)

Appealing to young families living in Sharon, the program has always welcomed families who work in town, such as at Sharon Hospital where it has been a valuable resource for hospital employees.

In recent years, however, enrollment numbers have declined.

“Now there are fewer kids in town and fewer people on the hospital staff,” Andrulis Mette said.

In the early years, the program was self-funded, the income from fees being sufficient to maintain operations, Andrulis Mette said. But as of four years ago, the town began contributing funds to support the programs, including bus transportation.

And then, two summers ago, Andrulis Mette recalled, when income dropped during the pandemic, the town contributed funds to support the salaries of the director and assistant director. In past years, those two leadership positions were often filled by former staff members who returned as adults, Andrulis Mette said.

Looking to the future, Andrulis Mette is studying a model where the program might become nonprofit and offer year-round programming.

“Forming a nonprofit would not happen in time for this summer, however,” Andrulis Mette said. “I’ve had ten people ask about the program for this year, hoping it will be offered.”

Speaking for the Parks and Recreation Department, Andrulis Mette said, “We think the town needs to fund it.”

Andrulis Mette estimated at least 17 kids must be enrolled for the program to financially survive. He said that few kids are there for the beginning of summer, generally waiting until after July 4 to join the program. After that, Little Rascals breaks even, but the program does not make up the loss experienced in the early few weeks.

“It’s low-key; it’s why people want it. It’s a small-town version of a Town Beach,” Andrulis Mette said. “We recognize the challenges of attracting and keeping young families and the need for affordable housing.”

“You need amenities like Little Rascals if you want people to join the community,” Andrulis Mette said.

The details of the program for 2024 have yet to be determined and will be designed by the new director and assistant director once hired.

“While I am responsible, I have not been involved on a daily basis,” Andrulis Mette said, adding that former longtime Director Liz Cash has offered to help with transition.

By May 1, Andrulis Mette hopes to have found the new director so that May can be devoted to rounding up young staff members.

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).

Keep ReadingShow less
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.

Keep ReadingShow less