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Renovations underway at HVRHS
Jul 24, 2024
Facilities manager Jeff Lloyd showed off the renovations taking place at HVRHS's auditorium Friday, July 19.
Photo by Patrick Sullivan
FALLS VILLAGE — The auditorium looked much smaller without anything in it. Multipurpose Room 133 was covered with plastic sheeting. The cafeteria was stripped down to the bones, and workers were on the scaffolding at the front of the building.
That was the scene at Housatonic Valley Regional High School Friday, July 19, when Facilities Manager Jeff Lloyd took a reporter around to see the ongoing renovations and capital improvements.
A Jan. 8 referendum vote on a $5.64 million capital improvement and renovation project at HVRHS passed by 579-206 vote.
The improvements and renovations are extensive. Included are cafeteria and auditorium renovations, including new seats in the auditorium, new furniture in the cafeteria, and new sound equipment in both venues.
The tennis courts located north of the HVRHS campus are being resurfaced with a new “coaches’ alley” included. A 300 kilowatt generator is being installed in the southern end of the school, which Lloyd said “can run everything” in the event of a power failure. All masonry is being inspected and, where necessary, repaired. There is a new fire alarm system, new bathrooms, and the cupola on the roof is receiving some long-overdue attention.
In the hallway outside Room 133 and heading down into the math and science classrooms, the entire wiring and duct system was exposed.
Lloyd asked an unseen worker overhead how it was going.
“We’re bobbing and weaving, just like we always do” said the voice.
Clambering up the scaffold stairs in the cafeteria, a visitor beheld a small army of workers dealing with the ceiling.
Lloyd said with a building as old as HVRHS, there are always surprises, which almost always require some adjustments to the original plan.
Most of the project will be complete for the first day of school Tuesday, Aug. 27, but the auditorium will not be ready. Lloyd said the new seats won’t arrive until the last week of August.
Lloyd was interrupted constantly during the tour, for quick huddles with contractors, to discuss the plantings in the front of the school, and to help sort out a delivery.
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Railroad Days celebrates 60th year
Jul 24, 2024
Each July since 1964, Railroad Days has pulled into North Canaan to promote all the town has to offer.
Year 60 of the summertime tradition brought two weeks of activities for locals and visitors to enjoy. From railroad tours to carnival games, North Canaan Events Committee put forth a calendar full to the brim with fun.
The Canaan Country Club Car Show opened the festivities on July 7. Vintage vehicles shined in the afternoon and then attendees cooled off with trivia at Great Falls Brewing Co.
Throughout the two weeks, downtown businesses put on special promotions for the occasion. NBT Bank gave out free popcorn and Olde School Deli’s Railroad Burger was a hit with a free bag of chips.
The Railroad Days Vendor Market was held at Lawrence Field on Saturday, July 13. A total of 67 merchandisers signed up to market their products.
Before the COVID-19 shutdown, this Railroad Days market was known as the ‘Craft Fair.’ With the name change, the market expanded from crafts to all types of marketed goods.
Customers discovered handmade jewelry, refurbished home decor, antique products, art pieces, thrift clothing, baked goods and farm stand goods to purchase. Throughout the shopping experience, visitors could stop by the food trucks to enjoy some fresh lemonade and snacks from the Blazin’ Poppers and Food 4 Friends.
Vendors from across the region attended and the selection drew big crowds. The broadened category of products contributed to NCEC’s main priority to indulge in “family-friendly activities,” as committee chair Jenn Crane described them.
Volunteer Alicia Whiting explained that she was drawn to the Railroad Days events to “help support the community and local businesses.” All volunteers worked tirelessly to make the wide variety of events possible.
The annual Bed Race was held outside North Canaan Elementary School July 13. A tradition of Railroad Days from decades past, the race was reinstated last year and now features any homemade, four-wheeled, man-powered racing machine.
The carts are pushed by four runners with a fifth teammate sitting on the vehicle. The course begins on Pease Street, turns into the drop-off circle at the school’s entrance, then turns back down Pease Street to cross the finish line.
Perotti Plumbing’s team completed the lap in 31.02 seconds and won for the second straight year. The fan-favorite “Royal Flush” cart, fit with a pipe wrench for a fender and a toilet for a seat, held up well through the sharp turn back onto Pease. Firefighters operated the only competing vehicle and finished the course in 37.41 seconds.
The team at Freund’s Farm hosted Sip & Clip on July 17 and 18. Guests were invited to the farm to create flower arrangements from homegrown blooms.
Flowers were pre-cut before the rain on day one of the event, so the visitors could choose from them while keeping dry in the greenhouse. Rachel Freund informed everyone about the types of flowers available, their Latin names, and how they work best in each arrangement.
From there, it was time to choose a vase and create a masterpiece of your own. With snacks, drinks, and other materials needed for the arrangements offered to the customers.
Canaan Carnival took over Lawrence Field beginning Thursday, July 18. Games of chance, thrilling rides and fried delicacies enamored the crowds.
The grand finale of the 60th anniversary of Railroad Days on July 20 came to a close with a bang.
It was a jam-packed day full of memorable events, starting with the 2nd annual Triumph field fly-in, the boot drive fundraiser, and the carnival.
The firefighter’s parade marched down Main Street as the evening approached. Departments from across the region joined in the bright occasion.
The day continued as crowds filled the town with cheer and communal enthusiasm, awaiting the arrival of the drone and fireworks shows.
LED-lit drones created spectacular displays in the sky such as a smiley face, fire truck, American flag, railroad crossing sign, and a symbol of unity for the community.
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This is not a game
Jul 24, 2024
Our nation is teetering on collapse and with that, the balance of life across the whole planet is in jeopardy. The consequence of these next few months to come means that even the environment and possible sustainable human life is at risk. Wars will quickly boil up as the weakening of America’s position globally will allow factions, terrorists, and enemies to see a clear path for mayhem and destruction. And many of them will gain access to atomic weapons according to the UN.
The isolationist policies of the Heritage Foundation, which even President Reagan rejected (or avoided), when coupled with the MAGA desire for retribution and fascist policies subverting the rule of law as the nation once accepted them are on open display now. Leading the way are the corrupt Supreme Court members who defied the most common tenet of our Constitution that no one is above the law. Anything done by the President is now lawful by definition, unpunishable, sanctioned by Scotus. And with their ruling, “dictator on day one” is entirely possible.
The television, online pundits, radio presenters are treating these threats or promises (depending on which side broadcasters are on) like entertainment. There are smiles even when a news reader talks about Project 2025’s frightening claims and desires. In private they may be as frightened as you or me, but on air everyone seems to be terribly keen with sparkling eyes, earnest in their endeavor to share thoughts and worries to entertain.
The truth is, we’re at war. A war to save the America we grew up in, a war to preserve the very facts and laws of the Constitution. It is not funny or amusing at all. Not for a moment, every day relentlessly eating away at our stamina to prevail, to oppose fascism, to preserve the country.
Some people may want to take a position on abortion and concentrate on that. The fascists want you to be mono-focused, so you’re missing the totalitarian state that’s coming, easily assuaged if they claim it will never happen nationally (only statewide).
Some people may want to take a position on inflation and tax breaks and concentrate on that. The fascists want you to be mono-focused, you’re missing the totalitarian state that’s coming, easily assuaged if they claim tax breaks are good for the economy and will lower inflation.
Some people may want to take a position on the environment and concentrate on that. The fascists want you to be mono-focused, once again you’re missing the totalitarian state that’s coming, easily assuaged if they claim they will build more renewable energy windmills and solar farms, all the while they claim your very financial well-being needs the US to drill for more oil.
Some people may want to take a position on corruption of those judges and the Supreme Court and concentrate on that. But again the fascists want you to be mono-focused, so you’ll miss the totalitarian state that’s coming, easily assuaged if they claim the MAGA factions love the real law and want to enforce the law against criminals and rioters (never mind they’ll get to define who’s a criminal without due process). Next will be a promise to double the police forces to “protect” you and yours.
Look, if anyone who is reading this doesn’t understand the risk to every part of your life is on the line with these proto-fascists, read their Project 2025, see that the people who generated those rules are part of the MAGA elite and have already written the GOP Platform. Be a Missouri person, believe it when you see it. So, get off your behind and read what they have written, what they have promised. Know what is coming unless fight back now and try to you win the war.
Here are the Project 2025’s “pillars”:
“Pillar I… puts in one place a consensus view of how major federal agencies must be governed and where disagreement exists brackets out these differences for the next President to choose a path.” “Brackets out” means edit, change, subvert.
“Pillar II is a personnel database that allows candidates to build their own professional profiles and our coalition members to review and voice their recommendations.” Translation? Profiles must meet Project 2025’s designs.
“Pillar III is the Presidential Administration Academy, an online educational system taught by experts from our coalition. For the newcomer, this will explain how the government functions and how to function in government.” They’re running an indoctrination program already to tell people how to behave in their new government.
“Pillar IV—the Playbook—we are forming agency teams and drafting transition plans to move out upon the President’s utterance of “so help me God.” And 920 pages follows telling the reader exactly what is in store in the dictatorship.
When your enemy says he wants to take over, you should listen and fight. This is now war for true Americans, whether you want it or not.
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Former Canaan resident trades the woods of the Northwest Corner for the grasslands of East Africa.
Jul 24, 2024
Daniel Peppe leads teams of researchers engaging in paleobotany to determine what the grasslands of Africa looked like millions of years ago.
Photo provided
Dr. Daniel Peppe, a North Canaan Elementary School and Hotchkiss alum, is a professor of Geosciences at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
When he is not teaching both intro and graduate level courses, he can be found conducting research across the globe. In short, his work focuses on the evolutionary processes of plants and animals in response to climate change. Having conducted fieldwork in the U.S. Midwest, Australia and Abu Dhabi, Peppe has settled for Eastern Africa.
While in graduate school at Yale University, Peppe lived in the forests of Uganda with his wife, who at the time was researching chimpanzee behavior. It was there that he was put in contact with a geologist in Kenya who was looking for an extra set of hands at a fossil site.
Over the past 20 years, he has continued his work in East Africa, collaborating with both local and international geologists. Each trip lasts about a month and involves moving from site to site.
“The work I do is like building a puzzle, I have all these pieces that need to be put together,” Peppe said.
To build the puzzle of what the landscape looked like in Africa 15-20 million years ago, his team uses paleobotany and ecological methods. The “pieces of the puzzle” range from climate patterns to plant and animal communities. Once put together they provide the team with a reconstructed version of the ancient ecosystem. From there, Peppe can estimate how the ecosystem impacted the natural life that once inhabited it.
A recent focus of Peppe’s work has been on C4 plants, which refer to warm-season grasses.
With his team, he set out to answer the question “when did C4 plants evolve in Kenya and why?”
Unbeknownst to him, the data he would later find would completely shift the timeline of African geology. Peppe’s team found that these plants, which are imperative to interpreting the evolution of mammals, including humans, could be dated back 10 million years earlier than previously documented.
This finding then led to their second breakthrough. It was previously claimed that traits and characteristics of apes had developed through their reliance on dense forest as habitat.
However, coupled with the earlier dating of warm-season grasses, Peppe’s team was able to connect apes’ evolution to both types of vegetation.
Peppe’s passion for nature started long before his academic career. Growing up in the Northwest Corner “really had an impact,” he reflected. As a kid he worked his way from Cub Scout to Eagle Scout. His Eagle Scout project was making trail signs for the North Canaan Greenway.
Despite far flung adventures, Peppe still reveres the Northwest Corner. “I think a lot of people overthink where we live,” Peppe said. “It is full of interesting geology.”
When at Yale, his class went on a field trip to the Falls Village Falls, a place that he associated with childhood memories, not coursework, like fishing in the Blackberry River and hiking Mt. Riga.
“I love what I do,” Peppe said. “I get to be outdoors, working with people, discovering new things.”
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