N. Kent Road swimming hole closed until further notice

Trooper Donahoe on patrol at the North Kent Road entrance on Saturday afternoon, Aug. 23.
Alec Linden

Trooper Donahoe on patrol at the North Kent Road entrance on Saturday afternoon, Aug. 23.
KENT — Hopeful river-goers were disappointed last weekend to arrive at North Kent Road, an access point to a popular summertime hangout on the Housatonic River, and find both sides of the dual entrance barricaded with a state trooper vehicle on guard.
Kent’s Resident Trooper Vicki Donahoe, sitting in the vehicle on Saturday afternoon, said that the town decided to close the location to vehicles after litter was left behind the previous weekend, which saw several hundred visitors flock to the swimming hole.
“It wasn’t horrific,” she said, but on Monday morning there were a number of trash bags that had been left by the trailhead on the bottom of the road, and more loose litter down the trail and on the beach. The action follows weeks of public outcry from residents disturbed by late night parties and garbage buildup at the site.
Trooper Donahoe had been stationed at the road’s entrance since 10:30 a.m. and had turned many vehicles away. She resumed the position on Sunday and is set to spend all of Labor Day weekend watching the roadway. Donahoe said she is confident that the measures will keep recreators from making it down to the river: “I think it’s going to work.”
Kent First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer announced the closure on Aug. 20 in an email to the town, warning that anyone who attempts to move the barriers and utilize the roadway will be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Lindenmayer’s statement frames the decision as a “safety, security, sanitary, and ecological response,” and that the town is seeking a permanent solution. Lindenmayer is able to close the road because it is town owned, though a long-term plan for the site will involve several other interest groups, such as Eversource Energy, the state Department of Energy and the Environment, the Kent Land Trust and the Housatonic Valley Association.
In a conversation before the closure, HVA Watershed Conservation Director Mike Jastremski said any future plan for the swimming hole must see the river as a public resource, not just as a problem that needs a solution.
“I think it’s incumbent upon us, and when I say us, I mean the whole constellation of stakeholders around river access to accommodate that desire in a way that is best for site neighbors, for river towns, for visitors and for hitting those three legs of the stool, which are safety, equitability and sustainability.”
At an Aug. 4 Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Jastremski suggested the installation of a dumpster and port-a-potty at the site as a means of dealing with the most immediate issues. In an Aug. 21 comment, Lindenmayer stated that since the town does not manage the shoreline of the river, “there is no way we are going to assume the financial responsibilities of manpower and equipment it would take to manage having a dumpster and/or port-a-potty on site.”
Lindenmayer said that he plans on leaving the road closed until the weather cools and people focus their leisure time elsewhere: “hopefully by mid-to-late September.”
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