Students of Hotchkiss and Salisbury Schools hosted a Farm to Feast fundraiser for Lakeville’s Corner Food Pantry on Sunday, Sept. 22. The event began with a walk from the Hotchkiss campus to the farm where students and community guests enjoyed fresh grilled corn on the cob and other seasonal goodies, tie dying t-shirts, cotton candy, a dunk booth and a slew of games, including tug of war and badminton.
Latest News
Backgammon group adds ‘Pizza and Play’ at White Hart
Ruth Epstein
Nov 04, 2026
Playing backgammon at the Saturday session at Le Gamin in Sharon are front, Jennifer Dowley and Harding Bancroft. Behind them are Michael Lonergan and David Dabill.
Ruth Epstein
Like pickleball enthusiasts who just can’t get enough of the game, those who love backgammon are eager to play as often as possible.
With interest growing, Backgammon of Northwest Connecticut has added a third location for its weekly gatherings.
Besides offering instruction and play at the Hotchkiss Library at 2 p.m. Wednesdays and competitive play at Le Gamin Cafe at 9 a.m. Saturdays, the group now gathers in the White Hart Inn’s library in Salisbury at 5 p.m. Wednesdays, where players can purchase pizza made in the outdoor oven.
What began as a handful of players has grown to a mailing list of 70 people, most of whom live within 30 miles of Sharon. They come from Cornwall, Litchfield, Torrington and Kent, with some traveling regularly from New York and Boston.
Several members teach the game at the Hotchkiss Library at no charge. Beginners and intermediate players are welcome. There are no membership requirements or dues.
On Saturday mornings, players are paired with others of similar proficiency. On Wednesdays at the Hotchkiss Library, the emphasis is on teaching, using a lesson plan composed of 14 components.
“Backgammon combines the strategy of chess, the luck of poker and the randomness of dice to create a unique experience for both the novice and the seasoned player,” said group founder Roger Lourie. “The use of the doubling cube takes the players to a whole new dimension of competitiveness. The use of the cube marks a player’s graduation from social play to competition; from novice to the first steps of expertise.”
Lourie, who introduces players to one another, said competitive play is also about enjoying one another’s company. He aims to match players of similar skill.
Ed Corey, director of membership services for the U.S. Backgammon Federation, provides informal instruction. Advanced beginners and intermediate players also play backgammon chouettes, a format in which a team strategizes together to defeat a single player known as “the box.”
During most sessions, players can purchase food to enjoy while they play.
The new location at the White Hart gives players another opportunity to gather with the four-year-old group.
David Dabill of Falls Village, the organizer of the “Pizza and Play” sessions, said, “This is a way for people to connect on an individual basis. Winters are long here and the White Hart is a community center for many activities. Long winters and dark days give us a chance to connect, dine and compete.”
Keep ReadingShow less
Salisbury students bring spooky stories to The Moviehouse screen
Patrick L. Sullivan
Nov 04, 2026
Salisbury Central School students celebrated the screening of two films they created through the SOAR after-school program at The Moviehouse in Millerton Sunday, Oct. 25.
Patrick L. Sullivan
MILLERTON — SOAR, the after-school enrichment program at Salisbury Central School, presented two films made by SCS students at The Moviehouse in Millerton Sunday, Oct. 25.
Jeremy Boviard, the manager of the theater, and Tom Cloutier, the assistant manager, were the advisors to the students.
Boviard said the film classes took about seven weeks. Itwas the fourth year he has worked with SOAR on student films.
The students decided on all the important aspectsof production such as scripts and treatments, which takes to use, costumes and special effects, and casting.
“This is all student-led,” he emphasized.
The title of the first film, “Blood on the Mirror,” elicited a couple of nervous chuckles from the audience.
“Should I be nervous?” one woman asked a youngster, who replied with a vehement “Nah!”
In brief, a new student named Kyle comes to school, and suddenly kids start to die in horrible ways.
This involved special effects, most prominently dummies.
The entire film is played, very well, for laughs.
The second film, “The Last Episode,” is structured as a reality/found footage show that goes awry.
A TV crew is investigating why a school has been closed for two weeks with no explanation. Finding an open door, the team explores the school, noting that it appears everyone left in a hurry without taking their belongings.
Then, in the background, a strange figure appears briefly, and disappears into the empty teachers’ lounge.
The intrepid reporter follows, the door slams shut, and all sorts of supernatural weirdness ensues.
Keep ReadingShow less
Falls Village selectmen approve senior center upgrades
Patrick L. Sullivan
Nov 04, 2026
FALLS VILLAGE — The Board of Selectmen approved three grant-funded projects totaling $47,700 at a special meeting Thursday, Oct. 22, including painting and new flooring at the Peter G. Lawson Senior Center and electrical work at the transfer station.
Value Restorations will paint the senior center for $32,500, using funds from a state Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant.
Laigle Flooring will install new flooring at the center for $9,940, paid for through a federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant.
At the transfer station, Sharon Electric will wire a new trash compactor for $5,260, also funded through a STEAP grant.
The selectmen also appointed Susan Kelsey as an alternate on the Board of Assessment Appeals.
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Sharon seeks volunteer to fill zoning appeals vacancy
Patrick Stachniak
Nov 04, 2026
Sharon Town Hall
File photo
SHARON — The resignation of Zoning Board of Appeals member Theodore Coulombe was announced at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting last month.
The Selectmen are now actively searching for a new volunteer to serve out the rest of his term, which ends in 2027.
Coulombe, a local artist and gallery owner, did not respond to a request for comment on his resignation, but still serves as an alternate for the Historic District Commission.
According to First Selectman Casey Flanagan, finding volunteers to serve on any board can be difficult due to the time commitment and fears over potential conflicts with their small town neighbors.
“[But] we rely heavily on volunteers in this town,” said Flanagan. “We’re looking for people who are interested in volunteering and giving their time to the town. People who have a good head on their shoulders, who can work well with others, and have an interest in helping.”
Interested applicants must write a brief letter of intent explaining why they’d be a good fit and submit it to 1stselectman@sharonct.gov. The Board of Selectmen will review the letters and appoint the best candidate.
Keep ReadingShow less
Chili supper returns to Sharon
Lakeville Journal
Nov 04, 2026
Leila Hawken
The Sharon Woman’s Club revived its traditional chili supper at the Sharon firehouse Saturday, Oct. 24, bringing neighbors together for the first time since the pandemic interrupted the event six years ago.
Club volunteers hosted the supper, with eighth-grade students from Sharon Center School providing table service. Guests shared a meal and took part in a raffle, with proceeds benefiting a variety of local nonprofit organizations.
The club has served the Sharon community since 1910.
Keep ReadingShow less
Freund family strengthens protections on 199 acres of farmland
Ruth Epstein
Nov 04, 2026
Matthew and Theresa Freund have signed an agreement adding another layer of farmland preservation protection to this 199-acre parcel in East Canaan.
Provided
NORTH CANAAN — Ensuring the legacy left to them by their parents, Benjamin and Matthew Freund, along with Matthew’s wife, Theresa, have signed an agreement for continued and strengthened farmland preservation.
The move adds an additional layer of protection on 199 acres in East Canaan that stretches between Elm Knoll and Freund’s farms along both sides of Route 44.
The Freunds purchased the acreage in 1986 upon which they placed a Department of Agriculture easement to maintain its agricultural use. But they have seen examples on other properties that have skirted such easements to allow for the construction of large estates and other amenities.
“These easements are not sufficient to prevent large homes on these sites,” said Ben Freund. “To honor our original intent of the easement, we donated the land to what is called Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value, or OPAV, to Connecticut Farmland Trust.”
While the fields were already protected from development, this additional agreement helps keep them affordable and available to farmers for generations to come, as well as imposing certain restrictions.
The agreement stipulates that whoever buys the property in the future must make half of his or her income from agricultural production. It further designates where and what size house can be placed on the parcel.
Ben Freund has been working for a few years to accomplish the agreement. “This serves as a legacy to my parents.” Esther and Eugene Freund farmed for decades and were strong advocates for farmland preservation. The two sons came back after college to work the farm with their father and continued after his retirement.
“I hope this sets an example for how some easements can be protected,” he said.
Theirs is the first of 45 farms in Connecticut that have easements which can seek further protection. “Besides preserving agricultural opportunities, this sets an example to others across the state to emulate.”
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
loading
