Kearcher running for selectman

SHARON — Steeped in Sharon life and a diligent volunteer, Lynn Kearcher has announced that she will seek the nomination to become a Democratic candidate for the Board of Selectmen, hoping to fill the vacancy created by selectman Casey Flanagan who earlier announced his candidacy for the post of First Selectman. Kearcher’s announcement came on Friday, May 19.

Current First Selectman Brent Colley, having served five consecutive terms, announced on Monday, April 3, that he would not run for another term in the upcoming November election.

The Democratic Party Caucus, when the official slate of candidates is determined, is scheduled for Monday, July 24, at the Taghhannuck Grange.

Kearcher presently serves as an alternate member on both the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Inland Wetlands Commission. If she is elected to the Board of Selectmen, she indicates that she would vacate her position on the former and continue as an alternate on the latter.

Born at Sharon Hospital and schooled in Sharon, Kearcher lived near enough to Mudge Pond to develop a lasting interest in waterway protection. Her childhood activities ranged from swimming lessons to canoeing to skating. Kearcher is a graduate of Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS), and her son, Max, has also attended all grades at Sharon Center School and graduated from HVRHS.

As her family owned The Woodland restaurant in Lakeville, Kercher’s young interest explored the art of cooking that evolved into drama and art studies. She returned to settle in New York City and a career in editing and writing.

Kearcher and her artist husband Carl Chaiet purchased a home on Sharon Mountain and moved full-time to Sharon in 1990. At that point Kearcher began her commitment to volunteering, beginning with the PTO and leading to her forming the Sharon Lake Association in 1995, instrumental obtaining a grant to rid Mudge Pond of invasive plants. Her interest in the arts continued, leading her to create a scholarship for promising HVRHS students who will major in the arts.

Both Kearcher and Flanagan plan to hold joint meet and greet coffee sessions monthly at Gifford’s, inviting residents to join in conversation about local issues. The first coffee gathering is scheduled for Saturday, June 17, beginning at 8 a.m.

Latest News

Housatonic softball beats Webutuck 16-3

Haley Leonard and Khyra McClennon looked on as HVRHS pulled ahead of Webutuck, May 2.

Riley Klein

FALLS VILLAGE — The battle for the border between Housatonic Valley Regional High School and Webutuck High School Thursday, May 2, was won by HVRHS with a score of 16-3.

The New Yorkers played their Connecticut counterparts close early on and commanded the lead in the second inning. Errors plagued the Webutuck Warriors as the game went on, while the HVRHS Mountaineers stayed disciplined and finished strong.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mountaineers fall 3-0 to Wamogo

Anthony Foley caught Chase Ciccarelli in a rundown when HVRHS played Wamogo Wednesday, May 1.

Riley Klein

LITCHFIELD — Housatonic Valley Regional High School varsity baseball dropped a 3-0 decision to Wamogo Regional High School Wednesday, May 1.

The Warriors kept errors to a minimum and held the Mountaineers scoreless through seven innings. HVRHS freshman pitcher Chris Race started the game strong with no hits through the first three innings, but hiccups in the fourth gave Wamogo a lead that could not be caught.

Keep ReadingShow less
The artist called ransome

‘Migration Collage' by ransome

Alexander Wilburn

If you claim a single sobriquet as your artistic moniker, you’re already in a club with some big names, from Zendaya to Beyoncé to the mysterious Banksy. At Geary, the contemporary art gallery in Millerton founded by New Yorkers Jack Geary and Dolly Bross Geary, a new installation and painting exhibition titled “The Bitter and the Sweet” showcases the work of the artist known only as ransome — all lowercase, like the nom de plume of the late Black American social critic bell hooks.

Currently based in Rhinebeck, N.Y., ransome’s work looks farther South and farther back — to The Great Migration, when Jim Crow laws, racial segregation, and the public violence of lynching paved the way for over six million Black Americans to seek haven in northern cities, particularly New York urban areas, like Brooklyn and Baltimore. The Great Migration took place from the turn of the 20th century up through the 1970s, and ransome’s own life is a reflection of the final wave — born in North Carolina, he found a new home in his youth in New Jersey.

Keep ReadingShow less
Four Brothers ready for summer season

Hospitality, ease of living and just plain fun are rolled into one for those who are intrigued by the leisure-time Caravana experience at the family-owned Four Brothers Drive-in in Amenia. John Stefanopoulos, pictured above, highlights fun possibilities offered by Hotel Caravana.

Leila Hawken

The month-long process of unwrapping and preparing the various features at the Four Brothers Drive-In is nearing completion, and the imaginative recreational destination will be ready to open for the season on Friday, May 10.

The drive-in theater is already open, as is the Snack Shack, and the rest of the recreational features are activating one by one, soon to be offering maximum fun for the whole family.

Keep ReadingShow less