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Turning Back the Pages
Sep 25, 2024
100 years ago –
September 1924
Last Saturday night was a busy one for Lakeville Hose Co. Along about 9 o’clock in the evening a telephone message was received calling for the services of the chemical truck. The large barn on the Pratt place was burning up. The company made good time getting there but the barn was practically beyond saving when they reached the spot and all that could be done was to safeguard the other buildings as far as possible. A little after 1 a.m. the siren again called out the company. The time the Lime Rock Railroad station was the scene of the trouble. In this case the building was practically gone before help could reach the spot. The upper story of the building was occupied by John Welch and family and by prompt hustling pretty nearly all the contents of the building were carried out and saved from the blaze. The building was burned to the ground, and the wire service of the railroad company was demoralized. The railroad company will rebuild the station at once but will probably not erect so large a building. In the meantime the railroad business is being transacted from a combination passenger and baggage car.
TACONIC – Mr. Harold Stalker and family are moving today to Amenia Union, where Mr. Stalker has a good position. Their many friends here greatly regret to see them leave town.
Mr. Ames and family have moved to Lee, where he is to work on state roads.
G.W. Judd and a force of men are now busy restoring parts of the building of the A.F. Roberts Co. recently damaged by fire.
A slight frost was reported on Wednesday morning – the first thus far this season.
Lawrence G. Gunshannon was taken to Sharon Hospital on Tuesday. While holding a drill, during his work on the state road at Wassaic, the drill slipped and was driven through his right thumb, smashing all the bones of that member. Dr. W.B. Bissell had to amputate the thumb close to the hand, and he is now getting as well as can be expected.
Lost or strayed about Sept. 20th. One perfectly good equinoctial or as the old fashioned folk say, line storm. No reward.
E.L. Peabody sold through the Batson Farm Agency of N.Y.C. $20,000 camp site on one of the Spectacle Lakes near Kent, Conn. The purchaser will start operation at an early date, and expects to be ready for business for season of 1925.
50 years ago –
September 1974
Four area residents filed a multi-million dollar class action suit against the Connecticut State Police last week. They claimed their telephone conversations were recorded illegally by investigators listening for drug trafficking evidence on another person’s line. The four plaintiffs are David Beaujon of West Cornwall, Catherine Bell of Lakeville, Gary Higgins of Lime Rock and Donna Sobsui, whose present address was listed as unknown. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in New Haven by their attorney, David Rosen of New Haven. According to Mr. Rosen, it is known that there have been 60 wiretaps conducted by police in the past two months. Figuring 35 persons were overheard during each tap, he explained, there may be at least 2,000 persons who may have similar claims.
The first general killing frost of the season came to the Tri-State area Monday night and Tuesday morning, blighting unprotected vegetables and flowers. A low of 23 was recorded by Darrell Russ at the valley weather station on the Edward C. Childs property in Norfolk. The Lakeville Journal recorded 28.
Dan Rather, news correspondent for CBS television, will participate in a unique fall festival auction in Cornwall for the benefit of the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union Foundation. Rather will have a private lunch or dinner with the high bidder. In addition to Rather, a number of other personalities have agreed to lunch with high bidders at the auction. These include the two gubernatorial candidates – Ella Grasso and Robert Steele – as well as Abraham Ribicoff, Lowell Weicker, James “Buddy” Brannen, and Rev. Robert Drinan. The auction is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 13, at the Mohawk Ski Lodge in Cornwall.
Local police are on the lookout for “hot” antique weathervanes, stolen earlier this month by thieves, police suspect, using a helicopter to snatch the weathervanes from their perches. At least seven valuable antique weathervanes have been stolen in several Connecticut towns. One weathervane, a horse figurine stolen from a roof peak in Avon, is valued at $1,200 and another was a $1,000 rooster. Connecticut State Police in Canaan as well as Massachusetts and New York have been notified to be on the lookout for the stolen weathervanes, which they believe may be fenced through antique dealers.
Robert Jacquier of East Canaan is one of six New England farmers to be named a “Dairyman of the Year” for 1974. Mr. Jacquier was recently honored at the Eastern States Exposition in Springfield, Mass., when he was presented with a silver pitcher. Mr. Jacquier operates the Laurelbrook Farm in East Canaan. He owns 150 acres, of which 70 are tillable, and rents an additional 200 acres of tillable land. The farm milks some 130 cows daily, selling about 6,000 pounds of milk every other day. The milk is stored in a stainless steel 200-galllon tank.
25 years ago –
September 1999
It was not the summer Arnold Agar Jr. had planned. Then again, no one ever plans on being diagnosed with leukemia, especially at 16. It was the beginning of June and Arnie was nearing the end of his sophomore year at Mount Everett Regional High School when he suddenly became ill. After x-rays and blood tests, the shocking diagnosis was followed by chemotherapy treatments. Discussing treatments, Arnie saw, with typical teenage clarity, the real drawback. “He asked, ‘Does this mean I can’t get my driver’s license?’” his mother said with a laugh. The real relief at the moment is that he is home, except for daily five-hour visits to Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington for treatments until the end of the month. Good humor and a positive outlook are still intact, however, and will take the family far as they approach the next step in Arnie’s treatment – a stem cell transplant. Arnie’s parents are Diana and Arnold Agar Sr., who own Arnold’s Garage in Canaan, and are volunteer drivers for the North Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps. On Friday, fellow volunteers will sponsor a dinner dance to benefit the “Arnold’s Hope Fund,” established to help with the family’s mounting medical bills and associated costs.
A Falls Village automobile service station that had been closed since 1993 was recently purchased by Cornwall residents Mark and Nancy Davis, owners of Cornwall Auto Body on Route 7. “We’re completely redoing the whole place,” Mr. Davis said, noting that he had already removed the crumbling asphalt from the front. “This piece of property was overlooked for a long time. It was really run down.” The partners plan to add cedar siding to the exterior of the existing building as well as a cedar fence and shrubs to “help keep the cars from view.”
LAKEVILLE – Barbara Pogue was amused at last Sunday’s Mass at St. Mary’s Church. During Father Thom Kelly’s homily, the priest spoke about there being too much division in today’s world. Two youngsters sitting in front of Mrs. Pogue nodded in agreement, but she could tell it was a different type of division they were lamenting.
The Nature Conservancy has purchased 43 acres in a bargain sale on the wetland at Wangum Lake Brook, a crucial component of one of the most important conservation sites in Connecticut, according to an article in the conservancy’s newsletter, “From the Land.” The land lies just east of the 1,050-foot Cobble Hill and south of Barnes and Undermountain roads on both sides of the brook. The brook runs from Wangum Lake on Canaan Mountain to the southern end of Robbins Swamp, the largest inland wetland in the state. The $21,500 purchase brings the chapter’s Wangum Lake Brook Preserve to 430 acres.
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Letters to the Editor - 9/26/24
Sep 25, 2024
Celebrating new affordable homes in Salisbury
Dear friends of affordable housing,
We are happy to share the news that construction is now completed on 10 new affordable rental homes at Sarum Village in Salisbury. Our community of supporters has been essential to getting us here. We welcome the community to come celebrate with us at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony from 3-4 pm on Monday, Sept. 30th at 34 Cobble Road. Two of the new homes will be open for a tour.
Hope to see you there,
Peter Halle
President
Salisbury Housing
Committee
Gratitude toward my rescuers on Lion’s Head
On July 24 I was hiking alone on the Appalachian Trail near Lion’s Head mountain. I had just passed the peak of the mountain and was headed north when I slipped down a damp rock outcropping and fractured my ankle. I knew right away that I was in trouble, and that I would need help getting off the mountain. The part of the trail where I had fallen was very steep and rocky, and was over a mile from the trailhead. Using my mobile phone I was able to reach the emergency center at the Salisbury Fire Department. I explained that I was badly injured and would need help getting off the mountain. I was told to sit tight and wait for help to arrive. Some 45 minutes later I called the dispatcher back to inquire as to how much longer I would have to wait for help to arrive. She told me that it was taking time to put together a rescue team at the trailhead, but that they would be arriving soon. A short time later an entire team of some 15 to 20 volunteer rescuers arrived where I had fallen: a Salisbury Fire Department EMT; a retired physician; and three separate rope teams — one from Great Barrington, Massachusetts, one from Amenia, and one from Connecticut. The medical team attached a splint to my leg and ankle, and members of the three rope teams loaded me onto a specialized rescue stretcher which was balanced atop a large wheel. The teams then used ropes to pull me up and down the steepest parts of the trail, all the while team members on both sides of my stretcher steadied me while they carried me down the trail. It took the rope teams about 45 minutes to get me to the trail head where there was an ambulance waiting to take me to the Sharon Hospital.
Recuperating at home following ankle surgery at the hospital, I have had a chance to reflect on what may well be the rarest of human virtues: gratitude. My rescue from Lion’s Head mountain has made me very aware of how blessed I am to live in a community and nation where I have so very much to be thankful for. Needless to say, I want to express my sincere appreciation to the nearly 20 men and women volunteers who carried me safely from the Appalachian Trail rock ledge where I had fallen. I was a total stranger to all the rope-team members who dropped whatever they were doing that weekday afternoon and traveled to the Bunker Hill Trailhead. There is a very good chance that I will never again encounter any of the men and women who carried me to safety. But I want them all to know that I am well aware of how richly blessed I am to live in a community and a nation where there is a long tradition of helping strangers who are in distress. I can not possibly repay them for their efforts. The common bonds of trust and caring they exhibited that day are crucial to holding American society together.
Arthur C. Fort
Millerton
Putting hydrilla problem in a larger context
The recent series on hydrilla by Deb Aleksinas and the Lakeville Journal did much to educate the community on the threat this invasive plant poses to the Twin Lakes and other lakes in the community. This is timely and important coverage, and I hope to see more of it in the coming months and years.
I say years because there is no quick solution and the Twin Lakes Association, working on multiple fronts with dozens of partners, expects to be in the hydrilla fight for as long as it takes. We will need community engagement and support if the lakes are to remain healthy, biologically diverse, and open for recreation.
Allow me to put our hydrilla problem in a broader context.
Our entire watershed area is under stress from a variety of factors including climate change, migration of aquatic invasive species, development, and increasing public use. Despite these pressures, Twin Lakes remains quite healthy. For example, Twin Lakes water quality today compares favorably to historical data and is much better than many lakes in the state. But make no mistake, these lakes are vulnerable, and conditions are changing rapidly, especially as it pertains to hydrilla.
The TLA has moved aggressively. We have shown we can and will act decisively.
We have begun a comprehensive multi-year study of the Twin Lakes watershed, the first since 1986. The goal is to identify and assess sources of pollution and sedimentation entering the lakes so that we can develop sound mitigation strategies.
Highly involved Twin Lakes community members were instrumental in purchasing Mount Tom’s Hill and Miles Mountain, two environmentally critical parcels in the watershed. These parcels are on the Connecticut side of what is collectively referred to as “Cooper Hill,” and will soon be part of the Salisbury Association Land Trust and will be protected forever. These lands, along with protected abutting properties in Massachusetts, provide critical habitat for endangered species and permanently protect key parts of the Twin Lakes and Housatonic watersheds.
The issues affecting Twin Lakes are complex and interrelated. Managing them requires multiple interventions, sound scientific data, cooperation from numerous private and public entities, and support and alignment across a broad coalition of stakeholders.
The initiatives I’ve mentioned reflect a new normal, one with threats seen and unseen for years to come. The cost of addressing these threats is staggering. Annual lake management costs in 2021 were just $50,000. Lake management costs in 2025 will exceed $350,000. The TLA membership is shouldering two-thirds of these costs, the balance coming from the town of Salisbury and various grants.
The response from the Twin Lakes community, the town of Salisbury, and other stakeholders has been robust. But we need even more support from individuals and community groups to ensure long-term success.
To learn more, please go to the TLA website, www.twinlakesorg.org. Sign up for the TLA newsletter and become a member. Please help by keeping informed, committing time, and contributing financially to the stewardship of Twin Lakes.
Grant Bogle
President, TLA
Salisbury
Thanking White Hart for community support
I want to say thank you to John Ciliberto, Dan Winkley and Emma Osborne of the White Hart Inn in Salisbury. I went to the Tenth Anniversary Celebration the Inn offered on September 2, 2024. I am a regular Provisions in-the-morning person. I meet people in the library to talk, to knit and to snack or eat lunch. I love how the White Hart is building and maintaining a community for locals and guests in their spaces. And then they offered, as a celebration, food that was delicious — pulled pork, brisket, bread, red cabbage salad and drinks. Wow!
Thank you, John, Dan and Emma! And thank you all the staff and workers who know our names and who make us all feel welcome. I will keep appreciating your lovely decor and spaces, good hot drinks and breakfast sliders.
Kitty Kiefer
Salisbury
Sharon Center School ‘Trunk Or Treat’ appeal
Hello, my class and I are hosting a Trunk Or Treat on Friday, Oct. 25, at Sharon Center School, we need a lot of candy. We are also looking for community members/groups who want to decorate their trunks for this event. If you are willing to help us prepare for the Trunk Or Treat event, you could email Jpace@sharoncenterschool.org or drop off the candy to the office at Sharon Center School between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You!
Jill Pace
Dallas Speranzo
Sharon Center School Class of 2025
Sharon
Some questions for Jahana Hayes
Pamela Jarvis in her letter to the editor July 25 “Beware Project 2025” made a valid request to have questions answered by George Logan. Though he had nothing to do with Project 2025 and most likely never read the 900 page document that was issued and has publicly stated the only special interest he cares about are the people in the Fifth District, those who seek public office should be willing to answer voters’ questions.
The same should be true for Congresswoman Jahana Hayes who was quoted in the newspaper saying about Vice President Harris “But now I am all in. The policies of the Biden/ Harris administration were so good.”
So here are some questions for Congresswoman Hayes:
1)Do you support price controls as a way to control inflation?.
2)Do you support open borders?
3)Would you support Medicare for all and the elimination of the private health insurance industry?
4)Do you support a mandatory gun buy back program?
5)Do you support a ban on fracking?
6)Do you support extending the 2017 tax cuts that will be expiring Dec. 31, 2025?
The best way to have these and other questions discussed and answered would be to a have a series of debates between George Logan and Jahana Hayes throughout the Fifth District. That way voters would be able to make an informed decision on who they want to vote for to represent us in Washington. My hope is both candidates would agree to do this.
John Morris
Litchfield
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Local artists fill Sharon’s green
Sep 25, 2024
Festival goers check out what’s on offer.
Alec Linden
SHARON – The sun shone throughout the weekend on The Voice of Art’s (TVOA) Fine Art Festival, held both Saturday and Sunday on the Sharon town Green.
TVOA Founding Director Hannah Jung kept an eye on the skies. She said that each past fall iteration of the festival has at least faced a warning of severe weather. Last year, she says, a storm forced at least 20 artists to pack up their stalls and leave.
No such threat existed this weekend with clear skies and temperatures in the mid-70s. The atmosphere was happy and relaxed as fairgoers bustled from tent to tent.
Jung said that Sharon has been by far the easiest venue to work with for the festival, previously run under the name “Litchfield Art Festival” in towns such as Litchfield and North Canaan.
Artists of many disciplines displayed their work, spanning painting, photography, jewelry, knitwear, woodworking and even psychedelic treehouses.
Sally Strasser produces woven items such as bags and pillows under the name Taleo Handmade that at first glance appear to be made from a kind of fine denim. A closer inspection, and an explanation from her husband Rolland who ran the booth this weekend, revealed that the pieces are woven from cotton that Strasser sources herself from traditional textile communities in Laos and Vietnam, which she then weaves together at her workshop in Bradford.
Woodworker Eric Kalwarczyk builds psychedelic birdhouses, inspired by sources as diverse as artist Roger Dean, Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, and surrealist painting.
There were also artists showcasing their work at a fair for the first time. Jung said that the festival format allows artists to learn from each other how to best market their art. Jewelers and craftsmakers, who are excellent marketers, pass on their wisdom to other types of artists such as painters, who Jung says often aren’t as well versed in marketing.
Jung, who founded the 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit TVOA in 2017, intends the festival and future TVOA efforts to help artists both aspiring and established to sell their work.
She compared the plight of profiting off art to that of other business types. “It’s nonsense,” she said: “When you have a business, you need to be confident that you’re going to make a profit.”
In the case of artists, though? “No one really expects to profit,” she said. “It’s very sad.”
Jung means for the Fine Art Festival to raise awareness and funds so that TVOA can address this issue for the region’s artists, and she has big plans — “not just a brick and mortar gallery,” she said.
Jung envisions a thriving community center complete with an outdoor art park, land to hold future festivals on-site, sculpture and flower gardens, a farm-to-table restaurant, a diversity of workshops in many arts disciplines, and constant community programming.
Northwest Connecticut is primed for such a facility, with abounding natural beauty and deep community interest in the arts — it’s just lacking infrastructure for artists to train, network, and develop their work. With TVOA, Jung hopes to fill this gap and more. She imagines constant growth in the organization’s future.
“That’s my dream.”
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