Veden unveils 34th installment in Falls Village video series

Falls Village fire fighters in June.
Provided

Falls Village fire fighters in June.
Eric Veden has released the 34th edition of his ongoing video chronicle of Falls Village.
The video starts out with Susan Osborn, whose family has been in town for six generations, hailing from locations as diverse as Switzerland and Goshen.
Her memories take the viewer back in time, with dairy farms, charcoal making and old-fashioned, double-sided toasters.
Osborn says she went to Oliver Wolcott Technical High School to train as a hairdresser and embarked on that career, only to discover she was allergic to the chemicals.
Next up is Tim Metzger, who discusses his career as a set dresser in the movie business.
Speaking from his workshop, Metzger discusses the different, highly specialized jobs involved in film production and describes the process as “a logistical conundrum.”
“You may be prepping for three months of shooting.”
His credits include “Law & Order,” “Crocodile Dundee II,” and “The Joker.”

David and Joan Parks ran successful chauffeuring and gardening businesses in (mostly) Fairfield County and included customers such as Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Rodney Dangerfield and Martha Stewart.
It was a busy 30 or so years.
“If Paul Newman calls on Christmas Eve and says ‘I’ve got a friend coming in tomorrow,’ I’m there,” says David Parks.
Rebecca Bloomfield was interviewed at the Center on Main where she is the Creative Administrator. She is also a photographer, works for a cooking school, and teaches yoga at Be Well Community Yoga in North Canaan.
She recalls her first yoga class at age 13. She and a friend went along to a class with Rebecca’s mother.
“We just kind of giggled our way through it,” she remembers. But in her 20s she rediscovered yoga and grew to love it for the community and spiritual aspects, as well as the physical benefits.
The video wraps up with video snapshots of two recent events: The Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department’s 100th anniversary celebration on June 22 at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, and a late August musical talent show appearance at the David M. Hunt Library by Vance Cannon and friends.
HVRHS’s Victoria Brooks navigates traffic on her way to the hoop. She scored a game-high 17 points against Nonnewaug Tuesday, Dec. 16.
FALLS VILLAGE — Berkshire League basketball returned to Housatonic Valley Regional High School Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Nonnewaug High School’s girls varsity team beat Housatonic 52-42 in the first game of the regular season.
The atmosphere was intense in Ed Tyburski Gym with frequent fouls, traps and steals on the court. Fans of both sides heightened the energy for the return of varsity basketball.
HVRHS started with a lead in the first quarter. The score balanced out by halftime and then Nonnewaug caught fire with 20 points in the third quarter. Despite a strong effort by HVRHS in the last quarter, the Chiefs held on to win.
Housatonic’s Victoria Brooks scored a game-high 17 points and Olivia Brooks scored 14. Carmela Egan scored 8 points with 14 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists. Maddy Johnson had 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 points, and Aubrey Funk scored 1 point.
Nonnewaug was led by Gemma Hedrei with 13 points. Chloe Whipple and Jayda Gladding each scored 11 points. Sarah Nichols scored 9, Bryce Gilbert scored 5, Gia Savarese scored 2 and Jazlyn Delprincipe scored 1.
CORNWALL — At the Dec. 9 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the commission had a pre-application discussion with Karl Saliter, owner of Karl on Wheels, who plans to operate his moving business at 26 Kent Road South, which is an existing retail space.
Saliter said he will use the existing retail section of the building as a mixed retail space and office, and the rear of the building for temporary storage during moving operations.
There will be no external “personal” storage proposed for the property.
The commission decided that Saliter should go ahead with a site plan application under the regulations for “retail stores and trades.”
P&Z also set a public hearing on a proposed text amendment on dimensional requirements for properties in the West Cornwall General Business (GB) zone. It will be held Jan. 13, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Cornwall Library.
FALLS VILLAGE — The Board of Selectmen at its Dec. 17 meeting heard concerns about the condition of Sand Road.
First Selectman David Barger reported a resident came before the board to talk about the road that is often used as feeder between Salisbury and Canaan.
“The person said there is not proper maintenance of that road and it is often the scene of accidents,” Barger said in a phone interview. “There is a problem with the canopy of trees that hang over it, making it hard to keep clear, but there is also the problem of speeding, which is terrible.”
As a former state trooper, he said he is familiar with the problem of drivers going too fast on that road, describing one case in which he had to charge someone for traveling way above the speed limit.
Barger said the town cannot reconfigure the roadway at this time, but officials and road crew members will keep an extra eye on it as a short-term solution.
In other business, Barger said the selectmen plan to call a town meeting sometime next month. Residents will be asked to take the remaining funds, which total $48,200, from the non-recurring capital fund to allow for Allied Engineering to perform engineering studies on the proposed salt shed. Money for construction has already been secured through a STEAP grant, which the town received in the amount of $625,000.
“We’re looking at critical infrastructure projects and this is one component,” he said.
At that town meeting, there will also be a vote to take $2,000 from the town’s discretionary fund to pay Cardinal Engineering for work on repair of the Cobble Road bridge.