Thanking those who give their all

Thanking those who give their all

Debbie Hanlon, left, and Barbara Prindle, right, sign up Sharon Selectman Lynn Kearcher, center, as a member of the Taghhannuck Grange #100 at Friday’s Volunteer Recognition and Recruitment Event at the Hotchkiss Library.

Ruth Epstein

SHARON — Volunteerism is alive and well in Sharon. This was apparent Friday, April 4, at the Volunteer Recognition and Recruitment Event held at Hotchkiss Library.

Library Executive Director Gretchen Hachmeister explained that she and Karen DePauw, executive director of the Sharon Historical Society, and Eileen Fielding, executive director of Sharon Audubon, spoke last year about holding such an event for National Volunteer Month, which is April, but the timing wasn’t right. So they decided to make it happen this year.

Eighteen groups were represented at booths throughout the building, proving that activism and civic involvement is crucial to the successful operation of a town. The volunteers in attendance showed passion and enthusiasm for their causes, which helped recruit others to join them.

“We all need help, even more now,” said Hachmeister. She was pleased with the turnout, which included new residents, as well as those who’ve been in Sharon for a long time. There were also some from out of town.

DePauw said so many organizations rely on the extraordinary contributions made by volunteers. “This event had a two-fold purpose: to bring them all together in one space and to recruit and make connections.”

Among those in attendance were Donna DiMartino and Marlene Woodman of the Sharon Community Foundation. “Our goal is to keep Sharon residents in their homes by helping with some financial assistance,” said DiMartino. “Many have been in town for years and are trying to hang on. We’re trying to help them.”

Barbara Prindle and Debbie Hanlon were there representing Taghhannuck Grange #100. Hanlon compiled a history of the organization, which explains the local chapter received a charter in 1889 with 12 members. The hall on Dunbar Road, an example of Greek Revival architecture, was originally built as a Methodist church in 1839. The Morey brothers operated a store there for a time starting in 1894. In 1928 the Grange purchased the property for $400.

The Sharon Fire Department’s ambulance squad was established in 1948 when the Grange gave the department a LaSalle ambulance. In 1968 the Grange completed an addition to the hall for the fire department to use as a substation, which is still in operation today.

Blake Myers was at the event representing 2-year-old nonprofit Tri Corner F.E.E.D., which works to increase food access and support local farms. She spoke excitedly about the market opening in Millerton in June where shoppers will find everything they need.

Other volunteer organizations spreading information about their missions were: Project SAGE, Sharon Ambulance and Fire Department, Sharon Daycare, Sharon Playhouse, Sharon Housing Trust, Sharon Energy & Environment Commission, Democratic Town Committee, Republican Town Committee, Sharon Housing Authority, Equus Effect, Sharon Woman’s Club and the Voice of Art.

Latest News

Father Joseph Kurnath

LAKEVILLE — Father Joseph G. M. Kurnath, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, passed away peacefully, at the age of 71, on Sunday, June 29, 2025.

Father Joe was born on May 21, 1954, in Waterbury, Connecticut. He attended kindergarten through high school in Bristol.

Keep ReadingShow less
Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less