Latest News
Guests at Kent’s Chocolate Fest sample sweet treats during the annual celebration.
Lans Christensen
KENT — Calorie counting was put aside on Wednesday, Feb. 11, as the Kent Center School Scholarship Fund held its 29th annual Chocolate Fest.
When the event opened, a line was nearly out the door as participants readied to fill a plate of confectionary treats not only to satisfy a sweet tooth, but help local students offset some college costs.
For $5, patrons could fill a red paper plate from a huge assortment of mouth-watering cookies, candies, brownies, chocolate-covered pretzels and more, all donated by individuals and local businesses. For an extra fee, fest-goers could have a skewer of fresh fruit or marshmallows soaked under a fountain of sweet liquid, with the treat resulting in a sea of chocolate-covered faces.
As would be expected, the room was filled with abundant smiles as folks of all ages indulged, with several comments about the joys of chocolate being heard.
The event was the brainchild of the late Charlotte Lindsey, who served on the board of directors of the fund. She had lived in Maine for a time, had seen such a fundraiser there and proposed it be tried. It found immediate success and has become a tradition since its inception.
Tim Paradise, who moved to Kent with his family seven years ago and whose daughter Emily is in kindergarten, said, “We came last year and really enjoyed it. And my daughter loves chocolate.”
Board member Debbie Moerschell, who was busy wrapping plates in plastic bags, said her daughter was a recipient of the scholarship. “We are very grateful. It helped tremendously.”
Christina Memoli was there with her 9-year-old son Rowan. “He was excited to find my photo on the poster that showed scholarship winners,” she said. “I received one from 1995 to 1998. I absolutely support this event every year. And everyone loves chocolate.”
Well, not everyone. Nine-year-old Kaelyn Saunders is not a fan. She scouted out items, such as a lollipop and pretzel, to eat. “She’s never liked chocolate,” said her mother Marci Saunders, the school’s physical education teacher. “When she filled a plate, I told her to be sure to get something her mother would like,” she said with a smile.
Board members Carol Spelbos and Lee Sohl are the main organizers of the fest. Spelbos expressed her gratitude to the many businesses who contributed items, which included B.D. Provisions, Wilson’s, 45 on Main, Kent Kitchen, Cozzy’s, Old Oak Tavern, Bulls Bridge Inn, Marvelwood School, Kent School students, South Kent School, Swyft, IGA, KPG, Stop & Shop, JP Gifford and 109 Cheese. Nonprofits, such as the Kent Land Trust, the KCS PTA and Project Sage had booths to dispense information about their causes.
Since the fund’s establishment 65 years ago, 1,512 grants totaling more than $2 million have been awarded. Students who have attended seventh and eighth grade at the school and are seeking college degrees, are in post-graduate programs or pursuing technical or vocational school certificates are eligible to apply.
Funds are raised through an annual letter of appeal and through the redemption and recycling of beverage containers. The beverage container recycling program alone has raised nearly $232,000 over the past 32 years.
Thirty-five scholarships are awarded each year. The average grant is $2,500. Post graduate awards are generally higher.
For further information about the fund, go to KCSSF.org.
Keep ReadingShow less
Legal Notices - February 19, 2026
Feb 18, 2026
CANAAN FIRE DISTRICT
WARNING
All persons eligible to vote in meetings of the Canaan Fire District are hereby warned that the Annual Meeting of the said District will be held at the North Canaan Town Hall on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. to consider and act upon the following items:
1. To name the legal depositories for the funds of the Canaan Fire District for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027.
2. To name an auditor to inspect the accounts of the Canaan Fire District for such fiscal year.
3. To elect three members of the Executive Committee to serve for three-year terms.
4. To transact any other business proper to come before such meeting.
Dated at North Canaan, Connecticut this 20th day of February, 2026.
Anthony J. Nania
Warden
02-19-26
Notice of Decision
Town of Salisbury
Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission
Notice is hereby given that the following action was taken by the Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission of the Town of Salisbury, Connecticut on February 9, 2026:
Approved conditioned on Housatonic River Commission Approval - Application IWWC-26-5 by Jennifer A Wening to construct a new pool in the upland review area. The property is shown on Salisbury Assessor’s map 12 lot 32 and is known as 265 Housatonic River Road, Salisbury. The owner of the property is Jennifer Wening.
Any aggrieved person may appeal this decision to the Connecticut Superior Court in accordance with the provisions of Connecticut General Statutes §22a-43(a) & §8-8.
Town of Salisbury
Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission
Sally Spillane, Secretary
02-19-26
Keep ReadingShow less
Classifieds - February 19, 2026
Feb 18, 2026
Help Wanted
PART-TIME CARE-GIVER NEEDED: possibly LIVE-IN. Bright private STUDIO on 10 acres. Queen Bed, En-Suite Bathroom, Kitchenette & Garage. SHARON 407-620-7777.
The Salisbury Association’s Land Trust seeks part-time Land Steward: Responsibilities include monitoring easements and preserves, filing monitoring reports, documenting and reporting violations or encroachments, and recruiting and supervising volunteer monitors. The Steward will also execute preserve and trail stewardship according to Management Plans and manage contractor activity. Up to 10 hours per week, compensation commensurate with experience. Further details and requirements are available on request. To apply: Send cover letter, resume, and references to John Landon at info@salisburyassociation.org. The Salisbury Association is an equal opportunity employer.
Weatogue Stables in Salisbury, CT: has an opening for experienced barn help for Mondays and Tuesdays. More hours available if desired. Reliable and experienced please! All daily aspects of farm care - feeding, grooming, turnout/in, stall/barn/pasture cleaning. Possible housing available for a full-time applicant. Lovely facility, great staff and horses! Contact Bobbi at 860-307-8531. Text best for prompt reply.
Services Offered
Hector Pacay Landscaping and Construction LLC: Fully insured. Renovation, decking, painting; interior exterior, mowing lawn, garden, stone wall, patio, tree work, clean gutters, mowing fields. 845-636-3212.
PROFESSIONAL HOUSEKEEPING & HOUSE SITTING: Experienced, dependable, and respectful of your home. Excellent references. Reasonable prices. Flexible scheduling available. Residential/ commercial. Call/Text: 860-318-5385. Ana Mazo.
Pets

12 week old black and tan/blue tick coonhound: mix for sale. First set of puppy shots done at 8 weeks. Call 860-248-9947 for more info and price. Ask for Eric.
Real Estate
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
Real Estate For Sale

FOR SALE: 39 Hospital Hill Road, Sharon. 1680 sq.ft. Two family, rare side-by-side units. 4 bed; 2 full bath, 2 half. Great investment, or live in one and rent other side. $485,000. Call/text Sava, 914 -227-4127.
Keep ReadingShow less

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Pip Davies controls the puck for Kent School.
Photo by Lans Christensen
KENT — Kent School's girls hockey team defeated Millbrook School 4-3 in a Valentine's Day showdown on the ice Saturday, Feb. 14.
There was no love lost between these Founders League schools situated on opposite sides of the Connecticut/New York border. Both teams had similar win-loss records, and both were eager to add to the "win" column.
Fierce action from both teams commenced right from the opening face-off, and it looked to be an equal battle. Dakota Boyle and Ainsley Moffitt scored quickly for Kent giving them a 2-0 lead after only six minutes.

The second period started, again with fast but equal aggression from both teams. The Millbrook and Kent goalies were sharp, turning away chance after chance for the bulk of the period.
Millbrook’s Brooke Ness found the net near the end of the second period, as did Lily Kennedy and the game was tied 2-2.

Excitement grew throughout the contest and the final period started with high hopes from both teams and fans. The two sides traded goals, only adding to the drama.
The deciding moment came when Kent's Abby Roberson scored the game-winning goal, securing a tough but deserved 4-3 victory for Kent.
Kent's record advanced to 7-12-1 and Millbrook moved to 6-10-3.

Keep ReadingShow less
In remembrance:
Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
In remembrance:
Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
There are artists who make objects, and then there are artists who alter the way we move through the world. Tim Prentice belonged to the latter. The kinetic sculptor, architect and longtime Cornwall resident died in November 2025 at age 95, leaving a legacy of what he called “toys for the wind,” work that did not simply occupy space but activated it, inviting viewers to slow down, look longer and feel more deeply the invisible forces that shape daily life.
Prentice received a master’s degree from the Yale School of Art and Architecture in 1960, where he studied with German-born American artist and educator Josef Albers, taking his course once as an undergraduate and again in graduate school.In “The Air Made Visible,” a 2024 short film by the Vision & Art Project produced by the American Macular Degeneration Fund, a nonprofit organization that documents artists working with vision loss, Prentice spoke of his admiration for Albers’ discipline and his ability to strip away everything but color. He recalled thinking, “If I could do that same thing with motion, I’d have a chance of finding a new form.”
What Prentice found through decades of exploration and play was a kind of formlessness in which what remains is not absence, but motion. To stand before one of his sculptures is to witness a quiet choreography where metal breathes, shadows shift and time softens.
After Yale, Prentice co-founded the architectural firm Prentice & Chan in 1965. The firm designed affordable housing projects in New York City, work largely led by partner Lo-Yi Chan. Prentice also designed custom single-family homes and continued to develop sculptural ideas alongside his architectural practice. After leaving the firm in 1975 and eventually relocating full time to Cornwall, he undertook a range of local architectural projects while increasingly devoting himself to sculpture.
Prentice began producing larger-scale sculptural commissions in the 1970s, during a period of national expansion in public art funding tied to new building projects. His first major commission came in 1976 from AT&T, helping launch a career that would bring his kinetic installations to corporate, institutional and public spaces across the United States and abroad. While his work follows in the lineage of Alexander Calder and George Rickey, critic Grace Glueck observed that its “gently assertive character is very much his own.”
In Cornwall, Prentice established a studio devoted to designing and fabricating kinetic sculpture, where he continued working for decades. He had many assistants over the years including local artists David Bean, Ellen Moon and Richard Griggs. David Colbert worked with Prentice for many years, assisting with fabrication, installation and project development and in 2012, Prentice established Prentice Colbert Inc., helping ensure that fabrication and development of large-scale commissions could continue beyond his lifetime.
Colbert said Prentice could be imperious, but came to understand that he valued thoughtful critique over agreement. “That evolved into a free and easy give-and-take, along with some fierce arguments,” he said. “Our relationship was always developing, right through to the end.”
In the mid-1990s, Prentice was diagnosed with macular degeneration, a condition that gradually narrowed his field of vision. Rather than turning away from the visual world, he leaned further into it, focusing on movement, light and peripheral perception — on what could be felt as much as seen. The Vision & Art Project film documents this period of his life and the ways he adapted his creative process.
Even in his final years, Prentice continued experimenting. In the summer of 2025, he created a series of drawings titled “Memory Trees,” produced from recollection as his eyesight declined. The series sold out at the Rose Algrant show that August, offering a poignant example of an artist adapting and creating throughout their lifetime.
“He was interested in whimsy,” said Nora Prentice of her dad. “But he also worked seven days a week,” she said. “He’d come in for dinner and then go right back out.” His studio was known for its atmosphere of curiosity and play, with music often drifting through the workspace as sculptures moved overhead in careful, measured rhythms. His work reminds viewers how profoundly small movements shape perception, and how change itself may be the only constant.
In his poem “Among School Children,” William Butler Yeats asks, “How can we know the dancer from the dance?” Prentice offered his own answer. “I’m not making the dance,” he said. “The wind is making the dance.”
As Nora reflected, “I think that’s how he would want to be remembered: for making the wind visible.”
Keep ReadingShow less
Laurie Fendrich and Peter Plagens at home in front of one of Plagens’s paintings.
Natalia Zukerman
He taught me jazz, I taught him Mozart.
Laurie Fendrich
For more than four decades, artists Laurie Fendrich and Peter Plagens have built a life together sustained by a shared devotion to painting, writing, teaching, looking, and endless talking about art, about culture, about the world. Their story began in a critique room.
“I came to the Art Institute of Chicago as a visiting instructor doing critiques when Laurie was an MFA candidate,” Plagens recalled.
“He was doing critiques with everyone,” Fendrich said of Plagens. “We met at one of those sessions and, well, what can I say. We fell in love instantly.”
Fendrich speaks candidly about the pressures that shaped her early life choices. “We both married the first time at 21, which a good number of women of my generation did without much thought.” Her first husband was a good guy, she says, but “we weren’t suited for each other at all, even though he suited my parents perfectly.” Her decision to get a divorce was seismic. “My mother didn’t speak to me for a year.” Time softened the rupture. “One day she told me, ‘I see now why you left.’”
Fendrich had a rigorous liberal arts education at Mount Holyoke. “I studied painting and drawing, but I also got interested in political philosophy. Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli — Rousseau was my big guy — Tocqueville, everybody. And I still read them.” Plagens’s path was less formal. “I went to USC at 17,” he said, “and declared English as my major. It was a frat school, and I was in one for the first two years. Then I started doing the cartoons for the Daily Trojan, took a couple art classes, and thought, ‘Wait a minute, I like this.’”
Culturally, they diverged just as sharply. “I came from a fairly puritanical family that didn’t even go to the movies,” Fendrich said. Plagens, by contrast, grew up immersed in pop culture. “My father was an omnivorous reader,” he said, “and a jazz fan, and he shared these passions with me.” In 1966, Plagens walked into Artforum’s LA office and said, “I want to write reviews.” He was paid five dollars per piece. “Gasoline was 23 cents a gallon, so it went a long way.”
Over time, the couple slowly fused their educations. “He taught me jazz, I taught him Mozart,” Fendrich said with a laugh. “I’ve had a movie education from him; he read Jane Austen because of me.”

During their early years in LA, Plagens taught at USC, and Fendrich at Art Center College of Design. In 1985, they decided “our kind of abstraction would do better in New York,” as Fendrich put it. “So, we up and moved to Tribeca with $10,000 and a toddler.”
Both artists grounded their artistic careers in teaching and writing. “Teaching, which I loved, gave me the financial stability to be an artist,” Fendrich said, reflecting on her 27 years as a professor at Hofstra. “It meant that being an artist didn’t require I make money from every show. I didn’t start writing until 1999, but though I write for publication frequently, I make hardly any money at it.”
Artistically, they guard each other’s independence. “We have unspoken rules,” Plagens said. “You don’t comment on someone’s work while they’re in the middle of creating it.” Critique comes by invitation only. “He’s not mean, just direct,” said Fendrich. Over time, their aesthetics have subtly converged. “My work has gotten cleaner from looking at his,” she said. “He’s gotten more colorful because of me.”
The two have had several two-person exhibitions. At a recent duo show at the Texas Gallery in Houston “Laurie’s paintings flew off the wall,” Plagens recalled. “Me, well, not so much.”
Plagens’s parallel career in journalism shaped their lives in tangible ways. He worked as art critic at Newsweek from 1989 until 2003 and currently contributes reviews of museum exhibitions to The Wall Street Journal. “Being at Newsweek was one of the luckiest breaks I ever had,” he said. “They paid me to see things I would gladly pay to see.”
Their creative processes mirror their personalities. “I start with a specific idea,” Fendrich said, “and then modify things as I paint.” Plagens laughed. “I start with complete mush, just blurting it out and spending the rest of the time fixing it.”
In 2019, they made what Fendrich calls “a decision of contraction.” They left the TriBeCa loft they had lived in for three decades, sold their Catskills home with its large studio, and moved full-time to a former auto repair shop in Lakeville, now a house where each has a studio, and the ground floor retains the open feel of a loft.
What sustains them in life, art and love, decades in, are endless conversations — and arguments — about art, history, exhibitions, books and movies. That exchange, ongoing and rigorous, may just be the masterpiece of their shared life.
Keep ReadingShow less

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
loading


















