Turning Back the Pages

100 years ago – June 1924

George Parsons of Salisbury has fireworks on sale.

Mr. and Mrs. E.E. Stalker motored to Great Barrington Sunday and took dinner with their daughter, Mrs. F.E. Andrus, and with the Andrus family motored to Queechy lake.

D.C. Dakin of Millerton has installed a new milking machine at F.H. Reed’s.

The stone sign post is now in place at the junction of the roads near the park. The work of dressing the stone and placing it in position was done by John H. Garrity and his men and they certainly have done a nice piece of work. The sides of the tower bear metal plates with arrows showing directions and the top is surmounted by an electric lantern of antique pattern. The new tower is not only a great ornament to that particular section, but is proving a great convenience to passing automobilists. The committee having the work of installing the new sign post have a right to feel proud of the successful culmination of their efforts.

Interlaken Inn will open July 1st under the management of its new proprietors Mr. and Mrs. John C. Percy of Brooklyn who recently purchased the property. Some extensive improvements are being made in preparation for the opening.

Summer heat has been with us, but it is thought the Democratic Convention in New York has nothing to do with the increase in heat.

State Policeman Ringrose suffered a spill while rounding the curve at Dufour’s Garage last Saturday. The street had been wet down to keep down the dust and Officer Ringrose’s motorcycle skidded and threw him. He received a few bruises but not any of a serious nature.

The many friends here of Arthur Baldwin of Canaan were sorry to learn of his recent accident in a baseball game, when his jaw was fractured in three places.

50 years ago – June 1974

Northwest Connecticut was shocked by the death Sunday of high school teacher Andrew A. Casale, 62, of Lime Rock. Mr. Casale accidentally drowned while fishing the Housatonic River in the Amesville section of Salisbury. Connecticut State Police recovered his body just before 7 p.m. Sunday after dragging the Housatonic for several hours just below the Hartford Electric Light Company power plant in Falls Village.

For the Class of ‘74 it was a commencement that had everything: pomp and ceremony, laughter and nostalgia, seriousness, sentiment – and streakers. One hundred forty-six seniors received their diplomas under threatening skies last Thursday night at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. The commencement address of Dr. Elbert Gross was interrupted briefly when three young males, wearing only motorcycle and football helmets, suddenly appeared, running along the Warren Turnpike Road 100 yards behind the audience. Though partially concealed by a row of parked cars, the streakers were highly successful, bringing the crowd to its feet amid shrieks, laughter and applause.

Area dairymen, now caught in a major struggle with higher production costs and low milk prices, say the outcome will determine for many whether or not they continue working their farms. “It’s a lot tougher than it looks from the outside,” said Lakeville dairy farmer Henry Belter. “Milk prices are low,” Amenia dairyman Ray McEnroe III commented, “and grain prices are high. Unless something is done about it, a lot of farmers are going to be in a lot of trouble.”

Canaan town officials will learn tomorrow (Friday) if the State Bonding Commission approves an additional $256,000 for the town’s housing for the elderly project. If granted, the money will allow the town to construct an additional 16 units, bringing the total number of apartments to 40. Housing Authority Chairman Arthur Baldwin said Tuesday night that there is “almost no doubt” that the town will receive the money. Sen. Lewis Rome last week announced that he has urged the Bonding Commission to grant the money.

The graduation exercises at North Canaan Elementary School were delayed by 20 minutes last Wednesday when a tree fell across power lines on Clayton Road leaving the school without power. After the power was restored it took principal William Wyshner and his assistants several minutes to re-regulate the school public address system and fire alarm. Finally, the 50 graduates were assembled and marched down the aisle while 500 parents and friends looked on.

Sen. Lewis Rome (R-8th), Senate Majority Leader, has notified Canaan town officials that he will try to arrange for the former Eddy Playing Field on East Main Street to be returned to the town without charge. The town has requested that it be allowed to repurchase the property for recreational purposes.

25 years ago – June 1999

FALLS VILLAGE – The last remaining dairy farm in town was singled out for praise Friday, as Dennis Jasmine and his family received the Dairy Farm of Distinction Award from agriculture Commissioner Shirley Ferris. Out of the three winners, the Jasmine farm earned the highest score.

LIME ROCK – Bethesda Softworks of Rockville, Md., is proud to announce the development of Skip Barber Racing, the consummate computer racing simulation based on the techniques of the well-known racing and driving school. Combining the excitement of Formula Dodge race cars with an in-depth simulation that includes a thorough driving tutorial section, Skip Barber Racing is set to offer race car fans a fun and educational experience.

The Scoville Memorial Library, the Salisbury Association and the town of Salisbury invite one and all to a community party in honor of Virginia (Ginny) Moskowitz, town historian and library genealogist. Mrs. Moskowitz is retiring from these positions after 12 years of service to the town. As a busy community volunteer over the years, Mrs. Moskowitz chaired Salisbury’s 250th anniversary observance in 1991 and served as a member of St. John’s Church vestry, among other activities. The party will be Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. on the lawn in front of Scoville Memorial Library, rain or shine. The Salisbury Band and the Morris Dancers will perform and there will be refreshments.

After nearly two decades of splitting her time between Lee H. Kellogg School in Falls Village and Cornwall Consolidated School, physical education teacher Jo Loi has accepted a full-time position in Cornwall. Ms. Loi said she started in 1970 teaching just two days a week in Cornwall. After several years her time there increased to three days and when she wasn’t in Cornwall, she was in Falls Village, where she spent 17 years. Ms. Loi said she will miss Kellogg, adding she hopes the school will be able to find someone to replace her.

A new emergency services radio tower is nearing completion on Canaan Mountain. On Tuesday, a crane was brought to the site to allow the last 135 feet of the structure to be erected. Plans to build the 195-foot tower brought some opposition from local residents. They said it would be an eyesore on the mountain, which has become primarily a preservation area. But Litchfield County Dispatch officials said the tower is vital to solving problems with emergency communications in Canaan and surrounding towns.

Laidlaw Bus Company employees Sheldon Sinclair, Denise Richardson, Melodie Markey and Kate DeVries were at Lee H. Kellogg School last Friday to thank students for their help in raising funds for the Children’s Miracle Network of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Mr. Sinclair, Ms. Markey and Mrs. DeVries are Kellogg School bus drivers, while Mrs. Richardson is a dispatcher. The youngsters were given ice cream as a reward for collecting $406 by selling bear placards. In all, the local branch of the bus company, which was a corporate sponsor of the cause, raised $1,200.

Items were taken from The Lakeville Journal archives at Salisbury’s Scoville Memorial Library, keeping the original wording intact as possible.