Resident Cheryl Morse addressed the Amenia Town Board during the public comment section of its regular meeting on Thursday, Feb. 28, with two rumors she had heard which the board did not address.“I’ve had several phone calls from people wondering about an investigation that either might be being conducted or is already closed about a personnel file that was missing here at Town Hall,” she said.According to Morse the file in question belonged to Bookkeeper to the Supervisor Sherry Johnson.“I find it a little worrisome that a personnel file was missing, particularly because I understand that Dutchess County Civil Services has been looking at her employment payroll issues,” Morse said.The issue Morse referred to was $5,000 Johnson was paid for extra hours worked in 2012.The payment became an issue as Flood called it a “merit raise,” yet the increase to Johnson’s salary bumped her position into a competitive bracket instead of it being appointed, as she was.The only action taken in that situation was a letter sent to the board from the New York State Comptroller’s Office, which explained why the awarded funds were questionable.Johnson was not required to refund the $5,000.Morse was suspicious of the lost file happening after the merit raise incident.“It seems kind of weird and convenient that it would disappear at this time,” she said.Morse also questioned the board about a rumor regarding the town water.“I’ve also had some reports from people who are questioning an issue about giving the town water department over to Dutchess County to administer. I’d like to know a little bit about that, if it’s being considered,” she said.Morse ended her public comment with a plea to the board to address the rumors.“I’d like to see those issues addressed so we have a clear understanding of what’s going on. So that there’s not rumor, innuendo, untruths and gossip being spread around. So, if you could let us know something about that, it would be nice to know. Thank you,” she said.The board did not comment on Morse’s statements. Flood asked the audience if there were any more comments before moving on with regular business.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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