Memorial Day events scheduled in NWCT

Six new flag poles representing the branches of service were installed behind the Doughboy this year.
Mia Barnes

Six new flag poles representing the branches of service were installed behind the Doughboy this year.
Memorial Day, May 26, will be celebrated with a variety of community events in each of the six Region One towns.
In North Canaan, parade participants line up at Town Hall starting at 10 a.m. and step off at 10:30 a.m. The parade will conclude at the Doughboy statue with a ceremony to follow. Six new flag poles were installed at the Doughboy ahead of the event. Each one represents a branch of service. Following the ceremony, VFW Couch Pipa Post 8751 will unveil two new monuments: one for victims of Agent Orange and another for Purple Heart recipients.
The parade in Falls Village will begin promptly at 9:45 a.m., with the lineup beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Lee H. Kellogg School. From there, participants will proceed down to the Falls Village Town Green, where a ceremony with a guest speaker will be held. Immediately following the ceremony, community members are invited to the new cafe, “Off The Trail,” where refreshments and treats will be provided from various organizations.
The town of Sharon will offer its annual parade starting at the Shopping Center at 10 a.m. Prior to Memorial Day, on Saturday and Sunday, The Voice of Arts “Fine Arts Festival” will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Town Green.
In Salisbury, community members will gather to watch the parade that begins at 10 a.m. Kicking off at Scoville Memorial Library, the parade marches along Route 41 via Main Street and ends at the Salisbury cemetery to honor veterans.
Cornwall starts a day of memorials with a service at the North Cornwall cemetery at 9 a.m. The Seamans Memorial in West Cornwall will follow at 10 a.m. The parade marches through Cornwall Village at 11 a.m., concluding with a ceremony at the green and a carnival on Bolton Hill Road. New this year will be a military flyover and a rededication of 13 Revolutionary War veteran graves. Bill Dinneen and Warren Stevens refurbished the grave markers and will lead the ceremony on Sunday, May 25.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m., the Kent annual parade will kick off a day of activities. The parade will move from Kent Center School to Elizabeth Street, along Route 341 to the Veterans Memorial next to Swift House, and then back to Main Street where it will proceed north to the Community House. Throughout the route, wreaths will be laid to memorialize and honor those who have died in service. Proclamations and declarations, such as the Gettysburg Address will be read, “Taps” will be played, and 21 gun salute will be fired off. After the parade, the Kent Lions Club will provide ice cream at the Community House. Community members are also invited to attend the Land Trust picnic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Land Trust field located on route 7, south of town. The picnic will offer a BBQ Lunch, live music, outdoor crafts and games, wildlife discovery, and pollinator awareness activities. Weather dependent, guests are encouraged to look to the sky for a military jet flyover. In case of rain, festivities will be moved indoors to the Kent Community House, still beginning at 9:30 a.m.
WOODBURY — Nonnewaug High School claimed twin titles in the Berkshire League soccer tournament finals.
The school's girls and boys teams were named league champions after finishing the regular season with the best win/loss records. Winning the tournaments earned each team a plaque and added to the program's success in 2025.
Both of Nonnewaug's varsity teams faced off against their counterparts from Housatonic Valley Regional High School in the tournament finals in Woodbury Tuesday, Oct. 28.
The boys game was played first. Housatonic took a quick 2-0 lead with goals from Gustavo Portillo and Jackson McAvoy. Nonnewaug responded in the second half with three consecutive goals: first from Cash Medonis then two from Vincenzo Rose. The Nonnewaug boys won 3-2.

The girls game followed. Nonnewaug and Housatonic traded goals early on and the score was tied 2-2 at halftime. Nonnewaug scored twice more in the second half to win 4-2. Housatonic's goals were scored by Ava Segalla. Rosie Makarewicz scored twice for Nonnewaug and Hailey Goldman and Aubrey Doran scored once.
Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference soccer tournaments begin Oct. 31. Both Housatonic teams qualified for the Class S tournament and both Nonnewaug teams qualified for the Class M tournament.
TORRINGTON — Joan Jardine, 90, of Mill Lane, passed away at home on Oct. 23, 2025. She was the loving wife of David Jardine.
Joan was born Aug. 9, 1935, in Throop, Pennsylvania, daughter of the late Joseph and Vera (Ezepchick) Zigmont.
Joan graduated from Harding High School.
She was a working artist for much of her adult life, starting her career studying plein air impressionist oil painting at the Cape Cod School of Art. Her work evolved to include a more representational style, and eventually a large body of abstract pieces. Her award-winning work has been shown in galleries and juried art shows throughout southern New England.
She is survived by her daughter Leslie and her husband George, brothers Joseph, Victor, and their families, nephews Gregory, Christopher, and their families, daughter-in- law Huong, and the extended Jardine family. She was predeceased by her son Douglas, and brother Michael.
A memorial service will be held at All Saints of America Orthodox Church, 313 Twin Lakes Road, Salisbury, Connecticut on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 10 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the All Saints of America Orthodox Church, PO Box 45, Salisbury, CT 06068.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
The ofrenda at Race Brook Lodge.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield will celebrate the Mexican Day of the Dead: El Día de los Muertos.
Mexican Day of the Dead takes place the first weekend of November and honors los difuntos (the deceased) with ofrendas (offerings) on an altar featuring photos of loved ones who have passed on. Elements of earth, wind, fire and water are represented with food, papel picada (colorful decorative paper), candles and tequila left for the beloved deceased. The departed are believed to travel from the spirit world and briefly join the living for a night of remembrance and revelry.
Music and events programmer Alex Harvey has been producing Día de los Muertos at Race Brook for the past three years, and with the closing of the venue looming, the festival takes on a deep and personal meaning.
“The anchoring gesture of Race Brook, long before I arrived on the scene, has always been to cultivate a space that thins the veil between the worlds. Something otherworldly is hiding in the mountain’s towering shadow: the whispering spring-fed stream, the dense lineage that founder Dave Rothstein brings, the woodsmoke that rises every night of the year from the firepits. This space communes with the spirits,” said Harvey.
“And so we cradle a special ache in our hearts as the leaves turn and the beautiful dance of Race Brook’s project of cultural pollination draws to a close. Fitting, then, to return for one last activation — Día de Los Muertos — a celebration of the end of things. A remembrance of those who’ve made the transition we are all destined for, but also a time when we honor many types of loss. And while we will all mourn those who aren’t there in the flesh, we will also, with humility, come as mourners for the space itself,” Harvey continued.
The event will be a night to remember, to celebrate and to release with ritual, music, and communal remembrance. Participants are invited to bring photos, talismans and offerings for the ofrenda (offering), as well as songs, poems or toasts to share in tribute to loved ones who have passed.
Mexican American musicians Maria Puente Flores, Mateo Cano, Víctor Lizabeth, Oviedo Horta Jr. and Andrea from Pulso de Barro, an ensemble rooted in the Veracruz tradition of son jarocho, will be performing.
Translating to “Pulse of the Clay,” their name reflects a deep connection to the earth and to the living heartbeat of culture itself. Through a synthesis of Mexican, Cuban, Venezuelan and Puerto Rican traditions, Pulso de Barro merges poetry, rhythm and communal song as pathways to coexistence with nature. Their performances feature the jarana and leona (stringed instruments), quijada, cajón, maracas, and marimba (percussion), the tarima (percussive dance platform) and a call-and-response of folk and original versadas.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. in the Barn Space with a Fandango de los Muertos featuring Pulso de Barro, a Race Brook favorite. At 8 p.m., the Open Mic for the Dead invites guests to speak directly into the spirit world — through word, music or memory. The night culminates at 10:30 p.m. with a Fandango for the Dead, a participatory music and dance celebration. Bring your instruments, your voices and your dancing shoes.
Race Brook Lodge is a unique rustic getaway destination for relaxation, hiking, live music, workshops, weddings and more. Sadly, it will be closing for good later in 2026, ending a storied chapter of Berkshire music, art, culture and well-being.
Come experience an evening that honors lost loved ones and the end of a Berkshire institution. The cycle of life endures. Surely, resurrection is in the cards for Race Brook Lodge.
For Tickets and info, visit: rblodge.com