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Patrick L. Sullivan
SALISBURY — There was something for everyone at the Salisbury Fall Festival, which enjoyed two days of excellent weather Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11 and 12, before succumbing to a chilly, rainy Sunday, Oct. 13.
Ambling along Main Street Saturday, from the White Hart to the Scoville Memorial Library, a reporter began by renewing the acquaintance of Jocelyn Krodman, proprietor of PetitFelts and a regular at the Salisbury Handmade artisan shows hosted on the lawn of the White Hart.
Krodman has added ceramics to her repertoire and directed attention to smallish needle felted animal heads mounted on ceramic dishes.
They come with brief whimsical stories. A rooster head named Glen was accompanied by a brief recap of his career as an internet influencer.
Janine Walsh of Lakeville and Olivia Robson of Salisbury are J&O Flowers. The two students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School have developed their flower business as their senior “Capstone” project, and they were busy near the war memorial on the Green.
This was also the venue for a dance show by young dancers from Lakeville’s Blue Studio, and for the Joint Chiefs, who started a set around 2 p.m.
The world epicenter of jigsaw puzzles was the entrance to St. John’s Episcopal Church, where Mina Wood presided over two tables covered with puzzles.
She said her family is puzzle mad, particularly her husband Greg. “He does one or two puzzles per week!”
Moving along Main Street, the visitor could stop and chat with authors Peter Fitting and Tom Morrison, both selling their latest efforts.
A quick detour toward LaBonne’s resulted in a few moments listening to jazz guitarist Eric Loffswold, playing in the courtyard opposite J.T. Murphy’s barber shop.
The tents along Main Street housed a variety of organizations and commercial operations. An arbitrary sample: Jewelry and quilts for education of women in Guatemala; the Salisbury Forum sharing space with the Salisbury Dog Park; Peter Sadlon’s honey products; Project SAGE; and any number of opportunities to assist the Salisbury Central School eighth grade class trip to Washington, D.C.
Peter James, magician, did a couple of shows along Library Street by the Congregational Church. Inside the church was a tag and bake sale in the parish hall.
In the church proper was the annual quilt show, with some 47 entries this year. Janet Kaufman said the call for quilts was extended wider this year.
The Scoville Memorial Library lawn was a mass of (mostly) children, who were decorating pumpkins, or making their own sinister potions (“I got an eyeball!” yelled one experimental chemist), or playing the always popular “Heave the Wet Sponge” game.
The Salisbury Band Senior Hotshots played, and there were performances of Martha Graham dances.
And, of course, books for sale, at the library, at St. John’s Episcopal Church and at Johnnycake Books.
All this activity whets the appetite. Festivalgoers could get soft ice cream or a lobster roll from the food trucks or drop by the Lakeville Hose Company Ladies Auxiliary tents for a hot dog or something more adventurous, such as chili-mac.
The latter is just what it sounds like: A bowl of macaroni and cheese with chili on top. (Plus, a side of corn bread.)
It was the exact right combination for a brisk day that featured a lot of walking. This reporter ate it quite happily, his sense of wellbeing compounded by the fact he didn’t get any of it on his shirt.
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Braving the rain for Brew-Ski Fest
Oct 16, 2024
Alec Linden
SALISBURY — The Salisbury Fall Festival concluded with the Salisbury Winter Sports Association’s 15th Annual Brew-Ski Fest on Sunday, Oct. 13, and the atmosphere was festive despite intermittent downpours and frosty temperatures.
Armed with small tasting glasses that were distributed upon entry, attendants made their way around a large central tent which housed nearly 40 breweries, cideries, and canned cocktail makers pouring tastes of over two hundred examples of their craft. The imposing bulk of Satre Hill and the big jump tower loomed overhead as beer-drinkers mingled and chatted happily, undeterred by the wet conditions.
Stateline Wine and Spirits Owner Chris Battista, who has organized the event since its inception, said that in 15 years of doing the event, this is the second time it has rained. While that’s a great track record, Norbrook Farm Brewery Head Brewer Colin Coan said that the turnout shows the strength of the community: “people show up rain or shine.”
Albert Corpus of Torrington, who has poured beer at Brew-Ski for Connecticut craft beer titans Two Roads Brewing “five or six times at least,” looks forward to this fest every year for that reason. “It’s raining and everybody is still out having a good time,” he said.
Battista curates the vendors to have a local focus, but brings in larger and further afield producers because “people want to see a wide variety,” he said. Bigger brands like Guinness and White Claw shared the big tent with local offerings from beloved producers such as Great Falls Brewing Company, based in North Canaan, and Norbrook Farm Brewery, based in Colebrook.
Coan, pouring a wide selection of Norbrook’s beers, was in a celebratory mood. The previous day, Norbrook’s Beckley Furnace Brown Ale won a bronze medal in its category at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver — which was also the brewery’s sixth anniversary.
Coan expressed his enthusiasm for the event and SWSA, a sentiment shared by seemingly everyone gathered below the grassy slope of the landing hill. Great Falls Brewing Co. Founder Chris Tripler said, “It’s a great event; we’re huge supporters of SWSA”. Salisbury native Maggie Fiertz, whose father Carey is the secretary of SWSA’s board, said the event is “a fun way to bring the town together and support the local breweries.”
Willie Hallihan, who is one of SWSA’s 20 directors, emphasized his gratitude to the event’s many sponsors, organizers, and vendors for making the festival happen year after year. “It’s quite significant in our annual fundraising program,” he said, adding that the event helps fund SWSA’s junior jumping program and other winter sports-oriented after school programs in area grade schools. This year, funding is especially important due to the imminent construction of a new medium sized jump, as well as other background projects, he said.
Even for those unaffiliated with SWSA, Brew-Ski was a hit. Byron Coughlin and Steph Smith from Long Island said that ChatGPT had brought them to Salisbury and Sarte Hill when they were planning their trip. Were they happy with the AI’s choice? Absolutely: “Despite the weather, there’s a great crowd” Smith said, with Coughlin adding, “Overall, it’s a very epic location.”
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Paws and flair at yearly Pet Parade
Oct 16, 2024
Alec Linden
SALISBURY — The drizzle and chill kept the crowd smaller than usual at this year’s pet parade, which went forward despite the weather on Sunday. The hardy dogs — and their human counterparts — were well rewarded for braving the elements, since the lower numbers meant that every participating pooch went away with an award.
Meeting at the Lakeville Community Field at noon, owners wrangled their dressed-up dogs into a sort of managed chaos so the whole entourage could set off across the field, left onto Pettee Street, and then back down Main Street to complete the loop. Upon regrouping at the field, a few dogs performed tricks, after which awards, treats and toys were doled out to a chorus of clapping and woofs.
Maggie and Goldie of the Perusse family won best costumes for their getups as a police officer and a cowgirl, respectively. Lillian and Tillman Perusse complemented their pets’ looks with another cowgirl costume and a firefighter suit.
Ziggy, whose eight-pound stature was made even more menacing by a spiky coyote vest, was awarded most talented trick for her flawless performance of “both paws, down, and twirl.” Ziggy’s owner Zosia Baroody had come from Brooklyn to visit her dad and his dog, Falafel, who matched Ziggy’s accomplishment with the award for cutest trick.
Other dogs didn’t have to perform for recognition, but got it just by being themselves. Tucker, of the Brutting family, is 14 and didn’t have to lift a paw as his family pushed him in a stroller. He was awarded oldest dog for his efforts, and looked great while doing it in an L.L. Bean vest.
Some pets were just too cool to dress up. Two of the Muzaurieta family’s three Cavalier King Charles Spaniels were dutifully adorned in Winnie-the-Pooh getups. Lola, however, sported a stylish Halloween sweater — “too sophisticated for a costume,” her mom Annie explained.
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Brooke Loening
SHARON — On Monday, Sept. 30, the Sharon Land Trust (SLT) announced its acquisition of 128 acres on Dug Road, donated by Samuel Posey Jr., who has owned the property for eight years.
“Our goal is to preserve and conserve the rural heritage of the town of Sharon, and to protect both its agricultural and ecological resources for future generations,” said SLT Executive Director Carolyn Klocker said. SLT has named the parcel the Posey Family Preserve in honor of the donors.
This particular donation is an inspiring model for future land protection in the town, Klocker said. “This is huge,” Klocker said. “That the Posey family reached out to us sets an amazing example for landowners who are as invested in the Town of Sharon as we at [SLT] are.”
The land will now be a resource “for many future generations to enjoy” while continuing to contribute agricultural value to the region. “it’s critical in this day and age that we protect our agricultural lands in the Northeast,” she emphasized. Posey leased the land to farmers during his ownership of the property, and SLT will continue those same leases.
The new preserve abuts the Twin Oaks Preserve, already under SLT’s management, which then connects to the Tory Hill Preserve in Salisbury. This will promote ecological connectivity in the region, increasing mobility and habitat for local wildlife, while also preserving views of Sharon when traveling from Salisbury on Route 41.
“This stunning view of our area will now continue to be forever protected,” Klocker said.
The preserve will remain closed to the public until the completion of a trail, which Klocker said will follow a series of tumbling waterfalls on Long Pond Brook through a “beautiful” forest.
She hopes to have the trail ready “in the next year or two.”
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