To experience ‘Real Gardens,’ take a July 8 tour of Amenia

AMENIA — After three years of pandemic pause, the Amenia Garden Club is back in floral action with its much-anticipated annual tour of local garden showplaces. This year’s theme is “Real Gardens of Amenia.” The event has been a community favorite for more than 25 years.

The event will be held on Saturday, July 8, rain or shine. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

New to the tour this year is the Wassaic garden created by Nancy Link in the heart of the village between Old Route 22 and a steep hill. Veteran garden tour participant Maxine Paetro is ready to show off her cottage garden in bloom at Broccoli Hall. Garden Club Board member Andy Durbridge is welcoming visitors to his small orchard, display of perennials and grasses, seasonal containers, and more.

Garden Club President Ken Monteiro and Leo Blackman will be showing their Neverest garden, where they have intentionally and artfully replaced established invasives with native plantings. Visitors will notice how they are doing it with visible success.

Teeniepaw Cottage and its garden, tended by Emily Fuller, features native plants and lots of pollinator flowers that bloom all summer and attract bees and other beneficial winged beings.

Always a favorite stop on the tour, Garden Club board member Paul Arcario will welcome guests to Jade Hill, a renowned garden on a steep slope that offers water features and even a pagoda.

In addition to the annual garden tour, the Garden Club’s volunteers are responsible for a variety of community projects, including the restoration and maintenance of Borden Park in Wassaic.

Tickets for the Garden Tour are $20 and may be purchased through the Amenia Garden Club website at www.ameniagardens.org

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete.It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
North East town records brought into the digital age

Chris Virtuoso reorganized parcel records in the North East Town Hall basement by parcel number during the process of scanning and digitizing the documents.

Photo by Grace DeMarco

MILLERTON — Within the walls of the two-story Victorian housing the North East Town Hall lies a room-full of town records dating back to the late 19th century. Stored in labeled cardboard boxes and protected by dehumidifiers, the records are in the process of being dated, organized, and scanned into categorized online programs.

As the Town Hall works to relocate to 5603 Route 22 at the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, the consolidation and digitalization of records, as well as the disposal of those unneeded, is a time-sensitive project. Marcy Wheatley, the Deputy Town Clerk, emphasized their current heavy focus on organizing and scanning. “Now, when we move, we can get rid of a lot,” Wheatley stated.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millbrook Fire Department Carnival returns

The Thorne Building on Franklin Avenue in the village of Millbrook.

Archive photo

MILLBROOK — Summer fun is just around the corner, thanks to the fire department and the return of the Fire Department Carnival scheduled to open on Wednesday, July 9, and continue through Saturday, July 12, on the Thorne Building grounds on Franklin Avenue.

Opening night activities will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9. The Carnival will open each night at 7 p.m., remaining open until 11 p.m.

Keep ReadingShow less