Community Day draws a crowd to village center to ‘Fall in Love with Millbrook’

MILLBROOK — Under clear skies and a warm pre-autumn sun, Community Day drew just about everyone to Franklin Avenue to enjoy being there and participating in activities on Saturday, Sept. 21.

There was something for everyone to do from stem to stern along Franklin Avenue between the Thorne Building and all the way down to the Farmers’ Market on Church Street.

The theme was “Fall in Love with Millbrook.” Judging from the smiles, greetings and general aura of enjoyment, it seemed to be achieving the desired feeling. Love was in the air.

The lawn of the Thorne Building offered music by Laura Evans and displays by local organizations. Michelle Del Valle volunteered as one of the representatives of the Rotary Club, having also served as one of the planners of the event. The Rotary display demonstrated its Shelter Box program for disaster and conflict relief around the world. Shelter boxes are family-sized tents that provide instant shelter for displaced victims of catastrophe or war. Along with the tents, Rotary supplies additional equipment and supplies to sustain victims.

The Millbrook Library was buzzing with a popular giveaway of free books sponsored by the Millbrook Teachers’ Association, a bounce house, a bubble bus later in the day, axe-throwing, ukelele strumming and more.

Ace, an agreeable rescue Siberian Husky was present, brought by Tonya Pulver of Pine Plains as an added feature, as she served as one of the teachers’ association volunteers for the event.

Two by Two Animal Haven enticed youngsters with a petting zoo on the library lawn, a popular draw as youngsters petted a tortoise and a hare that shared an enclosure. Meatball, an attractive chicken, had an enclosure to herself, and there was also a goat among the visiting creatures.

Louie Jean Siegel of Stanfordville, who is nearly 3, particularly enjoyed her visit with Meatball, the chicken.

The Bounce House at the library welcomed a steady stream of youngsters who came, bounced for a while, and then went on to explore other activities. There was a pie contest and face painting and a scavenger hunt.

Merchants offered bargains to grown-ups who ambled up and down Franklin Avenue.

Down the hill, the Reardon Briggs Hardware store hosted the Millbrook Historical Society and antique farm machinery, including a chance for youngsters to try their hands at hand-cranking devices to strip kernels from ears of corn and then to grind those kernels into chicken feed.

Key to that activity was Jonathan Boice, Historical Society secretary, who had set up his grinding equipment dating to the nineteenth century, much to the delight of the children who could not wait to try it out.

“History is my life; I love it,” said Boice, reflecting that he is the seventh generation of farmers in the area and appreciating his work with the local historical society.

Also on display was a Farmall tractor dating back to about 1950 in polished condition.

Delighting in this year’s weather, historical society president Robert McHugh, a resident of Millbrook for 22 years, recalled that the previous year, it had rained and been windy on the Community Day.