I haven’t done the math on this, to be honest, but I’d be willing to wager that there are more miles of hiking trails in the Tristate region than there are paved roads.
There are trails everywhere, running through woods and fields and alongside rivers and creeks. They go uphill and downhill. Some are easy, some are hard. Some have views that extend for miles, others don’t.
This is mecca for hikers, but a great many of the recreational pedestrians who come through this region (and again, I haven’t done the math) are just passing through on one of America’s greatest interstates: the Appalachian Trail, which has its terminuses in Georgia and Maine and which passes right through many of our local towns.
Perhaps you’ve seen the hikers as they trudge along roadways or stop at post offices and libraries to catch up with family and friends back home. You might have sat near them at a café while they wolf down entire pints of ice cream. If the café was indoors, perhaps you moved away to a distant table, your senses assaulted by the scent of many days on the trail without any bathroom facilities of any kind. One of our Lakeville Journal summer interns once wrote that Appalachian Trail hikers smell like the 18th century.
It’s an annual tradition at The Lakeville Journal that we send our summer interns out in search of hikers, preferably those who are trekking the full expanse of the trail. Every hiker has an interesting story to tell, and provides a great interview opportunity for a young writer. All our interns enjoy this assignment; one went on to do a documentary about AT hikers for a high school project and more than one has decided to hike the trail him or herself. You can read in this issue the story of our 2021 intern Sadie Leite, who writes about hiking the trail last month with her sister, Petra (see story on the next page).
We generally shorthand the length of the trail and say it’s 2,100 miles but its actual length changes every year or two, as repairs are made and sections are rerouted.
For 2022, the trail is officially 2,194.3 miles long, thanks in part to trail work done by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) on sections in New York and Connecticut. Much of the AT runs through privately owned land; this new work by AMC members shifted the trail over onto National Park Service lands.
You can get details about the AMC (which maintains sections of the trail between Maine and Washington, D.C.) and find out how to volunteer for future work details at www.outdoors.org. The website also has useful information on, for example, where there are overnight shelters along the trail. You can learn about the Appalachian Trail parent organization (the Appalachian Trail Conservancy) at www.appalachiantrail.org.
But if you’re looking for serious up-to-the-minute data (and if you want to register as an AT hiker), then you should go to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s registration pages at www.atcamp.org. There you can find explanations of why you should bother to register, and tips on when and where to begin your journey.
As a journalist, I particularly like the page that shows how many hikers have registered and started walking. If you’ve lived in the Tristate region for long enough, you start to see the hikers as an indicator of the seasons. Sometimes the lilacs bloom late or early; sometimes the first hikers appear earlier or later.
In 2020, shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were only 42 hikers who started out on April 1, and the numbers dwindled from there. In 2021, the majority of hikers doing the traditional south-to-north journey started out on April 1. There were 56 hikers on that date.
In 2022, there were 65 hikers who registered to start on April 1, but the following day (April 2) there were 66 hikers. On April 3, an additional 63 hikers headed north and the numbers have remained steadily high since then.
The first hikers began to appear in our towns in mid May. If you see a hiker on the road, give him or her a wave but don’t be surprised not to get a response. Often, to help them survive the many hours and days of walk, walk, walk the hikers go into a sort of fugue state. They’re most likely to be most friendly if you see them seated and relaxing with a lot of high-calorie food outside a grocery store.
If you want to help a hiker along the way, think about leaving some food or cold drinks in a cooler with a sign that says Trail Magic. Or if you see a hiker or two who are depleted and hoping for a ride, pull your car to the side of the road and let them clamber in if you have space for all their gear. But keep in mind that you might want to roll down all the windows first.
Graham Corrigan
Webutuck Pre-K students enjoy quiet reading time together at Webutuck Elementary School.
AMENIA — Webutuck Elementary School has extended registration for its free Pre-K and kindergarten programs, opening enrollment until all remaining spots are filled as demand for early childhood education continues to rise.
The program is open to children who will be 3 or 4 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2026.
“We’re seeing the need for this in the community,” said Webutuck Elementary principal Amanda Coppola.
Affordable childcare is a pressing concern for Dutchess County. The number of county-wide early learning centers has dipped sharply, including the closure of North East Community Center’s Early Learning Program in December 2025.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has made universal childcare a priority, earmarking $4.5 billion for a statewide program. A pilot program of $60 million for Dutchess, Monroe and Broome Counties was announced in January.
But that money isn’t available until 2027. Webutuck Elementary is one of the local schools trying to bridge the gap — this is the first year the school is including 3-year-olds in their Pre-K programming.
Previously, only 4-year-olds were eligible to participate. “It’s a start into socialization,” Coppola said. “We encourage a lot of outdoor activities, and the kids learn how to deal with different personalities.”
Pre-K also allows teachers to identify children who may struggle with the transition to school and provide support they might not otherwise receive.
To participate in the Pre-K 3 program, parents can call the school’s main office and set up a screening appointment. They’ll be asked to provide proof of residency and documents verifying their child’s age. To sign up, parents can call the school at 845-373-4100, ext. 1111. An orientation for registered students is scheduled for May 8.
Leila Hawken
Emma Berley has recently launched her mostly on-line endeavor called Underdog’s Revival Candle in her Amenia home.
AMENIA — A local artist is repurposing discarded glassware as vessels for handcrafted candles, blending sustainability with creative expression through her small business, Underdog’s Revival Candle.
Underdog’s Revival Candle is the home-based workshop of Emma Berley, an artist who has expanded her practice into candle-making using natural ingredients and repurposed vessels.
“I became obsessed with making candles,” Berley said during a studio tour on Wednesday, April 22. She began the learning process in 2020, she recalled, before moving with her family to Amenia in 2023.
What sets the candle company apart is devotion to artistic expression that also sees possibilities in items that have been devalued or discarded, returning them to usefulness in the form of candles.
“The first step is to collect the glassware,” Berley explained, citing likely sources such as thrift shops, yard sales and auction sites.
“There are tons of vessels out there in the world,” Berley said, adding that intriguing containers can also be created using a glass cutter on wine and beer bottles. She also repurposes vintage china, pressed glass and cut glass — items no longer widely used in modern homes.
Beyond the containers, candle colors and fragrances are natural. Berley said that she avoids synthetic fragrances, often handcrafting her own using lavender, citrus and vanilla beans, having learned early on that commercial vanilla extract cannot be used in wax because of its flammable alcohol content.
Berley grows many of the herbs used for her candles in her home garden.
“I want local people to come and pick up the candles,” Berley said, offering a 20% discount for customers who order online and choose pickup.
“I want to get the marketing and business side going,” Berley said. “I could sit and make candles, but how do I market them?”
Plans for the future may include teaching the art, especially around holidays, she said.
“Making candles is not that simple,” Berley said. “You have to know what wick goes with what container,” she added as something learned from experience. Also, she has learned that wax with added fragrance does not reheat well.
“Sometimes, I just need to discard rather than re-melt,” she said.
Berley’s workshop studio is located at 4942 Route 22, next to the former location of Tent. Berley resides on site, along with her husband, Joe, and their daughter Raina.
To learn more about Underdog’s Revival Candle and see the offerings, visit www.underdogcandles.store or on Instagram @underdogsrevivalcandles.
Leila Hawken
In observance of Arbor Day on Friday, April 24, third grade students at Alden Place School took turns shoveling soil around a newly planted sweetgum tree, helping give it a strong start.
MILLBROOK — Nothing says Arbor Day like planting a tree.
The third grade class at Alden Place School gathered on school grounds Friday, April 24, for a ceremony that included a proclamation reading and the planting of a young sweetgum tree.
“I am an arborist and this is my favorite day,” Dennis Gendron of Twin Brooks Farm told the students. His farm had donated and prepared the spot where the 8-year-old tree would grow. He pointed out that the young tree was about the same age as the students. Then he pointed out a 25-year-old Sweetgum tree providing ample shade for the school’s entrance. The youngsters marveled at the size difference.
To mark the occasion, Village Trustee Julia Bucklin read an official proclamation issued by Mayor Peter Doro. The 45 students then lined up each to take a turn at shoveling one spadeful of soil onto the roots.
“This is a great opportunity for our students to learn about the role that trees play in our community,” said Alden Place’s Principal Andrew Cedermark, noting that trees provide animal habitat, clean fresh air and beauty within view of the classroom windows.
A similar Arbor Day observance and tree planting was held a short time later at Elm Drive Elementary School.
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Leila Hawken
The cast took a well-earned bow following their performance at the annual Fountains Radio Play presentation of “The Speakeasy’s Secret” on Friday, April 24.
MILLBROOK — A capacity audience filled seats at The Fountains assisted living facility on Friday, April 24, for another production by the Radio Workshop.
Now a regular feature of The Fountains’ entertainment lineup, the Radio Workshop — a resident-led group that produces live, old-time-style radio plays — returned with an original mystery, continuing a tradition that began in 2024.
“Each year the group grows in numbers,” said Marge Wardrop, playwright, project director, play narrator and The Fountains resident who leads the Radio Workshop venture.
This year’s production,“The Speakeasy’s Secret,” moved between 1929 and 2026, with a brief stop in 1949, all kept straight by Wardrop’s narration. A third of the stage held the 1929 action, while the remaining two-thirds represented present day life at The Fountains. A piano situated between the two eras and played by Judy Handman and Arline Wood provided musical interlude before and during the performance.
Additional fun spots were provided by familiar old-time radio commercials presented by the cast and giggled over by the audience.
Live sound effects were in the hands of Shelia Attlesey and Pat Carr, while Wayne Chadwell managed the audio equipment.
The 11-scene story begins in 1929, when speakeasies operated in secret under Prohibition and backroom bookmaking was common. At Harry’s Place, business is faltering and a raid appears imminent. Harry, along with two associates and his wife Velma, decides to hide $100,000 in a location in upstate New York before authorities close in. Think Millbrook.
Harry is eventually imprisoned for 20 years, but the cash is said to have made it to Millbrook undetected and hidden somewhere. Harry’s granddaughter, Mabel, in 2026, is determined to find it, so she moves into The Fountains, along with her disagreeable, alienating personality.
Mabel’s behavior raises the suspicions of The Fountains residents, many of whom are into detective work.
The single clue that Mabel carries with her from her grandfather, Harry, is: “You’ll find the money if you change your ways.”
As residents reach out in friendship, Mabel gradually softens and shares the clue, having been assured that they just want to help her and don’t want a share of the cash.
Friendship wins out. Mabel changes her ways and her rough demeanor, and in short order, the cash is found in The Fountains’ chapel basement. That building did exist in 1929.
Mabel is so changed that she decides, along with her new friends, that money is no longer important and donates the funds to the chapel renovation fund. Mabel announces that she will move permanently to The Fountains.
The final scene takes care of the loose end of Harry’s release from prison in 1949, as his wife and cohorts are there to pick him up. They show interest in driving to Millbrook to reconnect with the money stash, but Harry reports that he has gone straight, no longer interested in the money, having turned over a new leaf thanks to the excellence of a prison program.
This final scene was clearly critical to seeing that the stash remained in place until 2026 for Mabel to find.
Judging from the hearty audience approval, The Fountains Radio Workshop will likely be encouraged to create more radio adventures for residents and visitors.
Millerton News
AMENIA — The Amenia Fire Company will be sponsoring a Steak Bake on Saturday, May 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the firehouse.
The meal includes mashed potatoes, corn, salad, dinner roll and a dessert.
Diners may pre-order a meal by calling Shawn Howard at 845-418-8633.
The meal is eat-in or take-out. Tickets are $25 each and are available from any fire company member.
The firehouse is located at 36 Mechanic St. in Amenia.
Leila Hawken
Daisy Hamilton, left, and her sister, Alta, center, keep their mother, Ash, company while she provides sewing services at a Repair Café at the Millbrook Library on Saturday, April 25. The Millbrook Library was a hub of activity during the Millbrook Community Yard Sale on Saturday. Originally expected to be held outside on the library’s lawn, the Repair Café was moved indoors due to rain sprinkles and chill wind.
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