Memorial Day traditionally marks the beginning of a new season even if summer officially is a few weeks off. Our streets become parade routes festooned with flags and marching bands. The busy lives we live don’t always allow for time to stand on the roadside and patiently watch for the first sign of a fire truck coming down Main Street, or pause on the sidewalk to wait for the advancing sounds of a marching band.

We see young and old pass in procession. And we applaud and cheer. There is palpable excitement when the sirens wind up. We look around and nod with our neighbors. A wave and a hello leads to conversation, often small talk but the totality of this Memorial Day moment is the connective tissue we depend on as a community. We take time out to visit.

Families and neighbors and friends come together. Children race around the lawn. Dogs pull on their leashes. Mothers and fathers push strollers. An older generation totes folding chairs and settles in before the speeches start.

By the time the ceremonies conclude, and we exchange friendly parting words with our neighbors and friends, we have once again been reminded of the solemn nature of what we all just witnessed. Americans have been recognizing our fallen soldiers since the years following the Civil War. In 1868, a group of Union veterans calling themselves the Grand Army of the Republic established Decoration Day, a time to place flowers on the graves of war dead. May 30 was chosen as a ideal day for the observance because flowers would likely be in bloom all across America.

This year our reporters witnessed Memorial Day celebrations in towns throughout the Northwest Corner. (Please see our coverage here.)

While Memorial Day has become synonymous with the advent of a welcome season of summer vacation from schools, graduations and time to enjoy the outdoors and plan a family vacation, as a nation we also bookend this time with a day to soberly reflect and remember those who went before — who gave their lives in service to our country. We especially appreciate the words of Jonathan Ialongo, a Millbrook native who served two tours in Afghanistan, who delivered heartfelt remarks on Monday, May 27. “Many people always wonder how you honor those who make the ultimate sacrifice,” he said. “And I always say, be somebody worth that sacrifice.”

Latest News

HVRHS bus routes

Bus routes are subject to change. Check www.region1schools.org for updates.


Keep ReadingShow less
Region One elementary school bus routes

Bus routes are subject to change. Check www.region1schools.org for updates.


Keep ReadingShow less
Clyde Perham Weed
Clyde Perham Weed
Clyde Perham Weed

CORNWALL — Clyde Perham Weed, 74, passed away peacefully at his home in West Cornwall, Connecticut on Sunday, August 17.

Clyde was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to Jeanne and Herbert Weed. He was the grandson and namesake of Clyde E. Weed, Chairman of the board of Anaconda Copper.

Keep ReadingShow less
Backgammon series begins at Hotchkiss Library of Sharon
Backgammon lessons kicked off Wednesday, Aug. 13, at The Hotchkiss Library. Instructor Roger Lourie works with Pam Jarvis of Sharon, while his wife, Claude, assists at a second board with Janet Kaufman of Salisbury.
Leila Hawken

In light of rising local interest in the centuries-old game of Backgammon, Wednesday afternoon backgammon instruction and play sessions are being offered at The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon. The first such session was held on Wednesday, Aug. 13, attracting two enthusiastic participants, both of whom resolved to return for the weekly sessions.

Expert player and instructor Roger Lourie of Sharon, along with his equally expert wife, Claude, led the session, jumping right into the action of playing the game. Claude chose to pair with Janet Kaufman of Salisbury, a moderately experienced player looking to improve her skills, while Lourie teamed himself with Pam Jarvis of Sharon, who was new to the game.

Keep ReadingShow less