Arnoff and Lou’s Relics celebrate 100 years in business
One corner of one room at the fully stocked Lou’s Relics.
Judith O’Hara Balfe
Arnoff building and facility, 5979 Elm Ave., Millerton. Judith O’Hara Balfe
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SHARON — Silver Lake Camp and Retreat Center, a long-running summer camp affiliated with the United Church of Christ that has operated for 68 years, will be “winding down” programming after a final summer in 2026.
The Southern New England Conference of the UCC, the branch of the denomination that has overseen the camp since the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island conferences joined in 2020, announced on its website last month that the decision was due to financial strain.
A June 2025 report by consulting firm Kaleidoscope Inc. states that the camp has run sizable deficits in the past three years: $272,676 in 2022; $129,482 in 2023; and $355,018 in 2024.
The Southern New England Conference’s statement points to declining enrollment alongside rising costs as a cause for the challenges. “In recent times, as church attendance has declined, so has the number of families sending their children to overnight Christian camps,” it reads. “Ten years ago, there were 950 summer campers; in 2024, there were 250. Simultaneously, costs – in particular insurance for such a sprawling, waterfront site – have skyrocketed.”
Keeping the camp open for one more summer will be costly, the announcement said, but it will allow for what Southern New England Conference Board Chair Persephone Hall called a “tender transition.”
The Kaleidoscope report did not recommend an all-out closure, but rather that the camp pivot towards conferences and retreats and operate at a deficit in the interim to try and close the financial gaps.
The directors and UCC officials, though, felt that the shift in focus would not fit within the facility’s mission and opted to end operations, instead directing funding and energy towards other youth ministry programming.
For Silver Lake’s final summer hosting campers, Tim Hughes, who has held many roles at the camp over the past five decades including co-directing alongside his wife Anne from 2003 to 2015, will return to take over leadership. The current director, Rev. David Camphouse, will leave the post this month.
As for what’s next for the lakefront property off Low Road, the Southern New England Conference indicated that it would review purchase offers, prioritizing those from entities with a connection to the camp.
Rev. Chris Davies, Executive Minister for Programs and Initiatives for the Conference, said in the November announcement: “We don’t yet know what the future will hold, but we are committed to exploring faithful possibilities aligned with our missional impact and theological commitments.”
After the closure announcement, concerned alumni and affiliates of the camp formed an independent nonprofit called Friends of Silver Lake. According to its website, the mission of the organization is “uniting the dispersed community that values Silver Lake, and working toward a vision of future ministry in line with its historic mission.”
On Sunday, Dec. 7, more than 50 former campers joined a virtual meeting hosted by the nonprofit on Zoom. In a recap post on the organization’s Facebook page Sunday night, Co-Chair Brian Lapis is quoted: “Tonight’s gathering shows how profoundly Silver Lake has shaped the lives of those who have experienced it and how important outdoor ministry is to faith formation, personal growth, leadership development, and just making better humans. These ‘thin places’ between us and the holy that are experienced in outdoor ministry are for real!”
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Arthur John Heck
Dec 10, 2025
MILLERTON — Arthur John Heck, 89, a lifelong area resident died Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at Sharon Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Sharon, Connecticut. Mr. Heck worked in the maintenance department and drove a school bus at Webutuck Central School District in Amenia for over thirty-years, prior to his retirement on Jan. 31, 1998.
Born Sept. 3, 1936, in the Bronx, New York, he was the only son of the late Arthur K. and Dorothy (Deusenberry) Heck. Art graduated in 1954 with the last class at Millerton High School in Millerton. He served our country in the United States Naval Reserves from 1955 to 1962 when he received his honorable discharge as a “SR”/Seaman Recruit. On April 10, 1999, in Millerton, he married Donna Duncan. Mrs. Heck survives at home in Millerton.In his spare time, he was an avid train enthusiast and collector. In his younger years he was a parishioner of the North East Baptist Church. He will be dearly missed by his loving family and many friends.
In addition to his wife of nearly twenty-seven years, he is also survived by two sons,John Heck and his wife Cindy of Millerton and Wayne Heck and his wife Debbie of Hudson, New York; two step-daughters, Tammy Nadeau of Winsted, Connecticut, and Rebecca Korot of Torrington, Connecticut; six grandchildren and three great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
A private graveside service and burial with standard United States Naval Honors will take place on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Irondale Cemetery in Millerton. Pastor William Mayhew will officiate. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Art’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
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The COVID-19 pandemic was supposed to spell the end of the cruise line industry. These massive ships, crammed with sick passengers, were labeled “petri dishes” by the media, infectious disease experts, and politicians. Six years later, the sector is alive and growing.
AAA projects that a record-breaking 21.7 million Americans are planning to hop aboard an ocean cruise in the coming year. If so, that would mark the fourth year in a row the cruise industry has experienced record passenger volume. This year, more than 20 million passengers flooded the gates to new King Kong-sized vessels, offering fixed-price packages and promising a wide variety of cruise options for every age and pocketbook.
If you break down the demand demographically, Baby Boomers still make up the majority of cruise-goers, followed by Millennials. Most adults travel with a companion. Nearly 50% of U.S. cruise passengers are cruising as a couple.
About 65% of adult passengers are 55 or older. However, 27% are from younger generations (35 to 54 years old), and 7% are aged 18 to 34. The trend also includes multi-generational groupings who choose to take cruise vacations together. One quarter of Baby Boomers who like cruises do so with their adult children, and roughly 29% of Gen Z members cruise with their parents.
A survey identifying trends shaping the modern cruise experience found that Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly enthusiastic about opting for a cruise vacation. Key among the changes in attitude was the affordability of shorter itineraries, which allow younger generations to vacation more frequently. They much prefer a 2-to-4-day sailing to the more traditional 5-to-7-day voyage.
The Caribbean remains the most popular destination, attracting 72% of American cruise passengers. As a result, Florida ports are the busiest in the world due to this vacation demand. The new mega-vessels ply the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Northern European waterways. Smaller vessels are more common in Northern Europe for expedition cruises and in the Mediterranean for luxury trips.
More than half of the 4,500 people surveyed had already cruised, and nearly 30% planned to do so again over the next two years. Of those planning another cruise, 36% were born between 1981 and 1996. The average age of a cruise guest is now 46 years old, and 36% of all cruisers are now under 40.
Cruise lines have quickly adjusted to these preferences and begun marketing 3- to 5-night cruises. Another popular consumer preference is the chance to visit a private island. Cruise lines are investing big bucks to create this type of destination or upgrade existing ones. Cruise operators know that the main draw for vacationers is convenience and value, especially today.
As such, cruise companies bundle lodging, meals, and entertainment. The price often equates to a lower per-night cost than on a land-based vacation. Celebrity-level chefs and Broadway-level shows have replaced the rubber chickens and crew member chorus offerings of yesteryears.
Modern-day ships are increasingly resembling ocean-going resorts, complete with floating buffets and satisfied customers—couples like the built-in date-night dining and entertainment options. Families appreciate the kid clubs, water parks, and multi-room lodgings. An expanding list of destinations, such as a cruise to Antarctica or the Arctic, excites and attracts younger adventure seekers.
More than 90% of U.S. cruise passengers rate their experience as good or very good, according to AAA, and 91% have taken multiple cruises. With those kinds of repeat rates, cruise lines expect growth to continue well beyond the next few years. Wall Street likes what it sees and has rewarded these companies with higher stock prices. Rather than rest on their laurels, cruise companies worldwide are expanding their fleets, building destination islands, and upgrading their offerings hand over fist.
Bill Schmick is a founding partner of Onota Partners, Inc., in the Berkshires.Bill’s forecasts and opinions are purely his own and do not necessarily represent the views of Onota Partners, Inc. (OPI).None of his commentary is or should be considered investment advice.Direct your inquiries to Bill at 1-413-347-2401, email him at billiams1948@gmail.com, or visit his website at www.schmicksretiredinvestor.com. Investments in securities are not insured, protected or guaranteed and may result in loss of income and/or principal.
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