Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

Fall fun in North Canaan

Fall fun in North Canaan

Can Can Carl, the scarecrow made out of recyclable materials, at Lawrence Field.

Alec Linden

The North Canaan Pumpkin Fest occupied the expanse of Lawrence Field with spectacular weather on Saturday, Oct. 19.

While sporting a new name, North Canaan Events Committee Chair Jenn Crane assured that this year’s festival was a continuation of previous autumn celebrations organized by the Committee. It was the first year the event has been located at Lawrence Field, which Crane said was a welcomed change from the more restrictive sites of previous iterations.

“This is really about collaboration,” Crane said, highlighting the many partnerships that enabled the festival to go forward. The Committee joined with many local nonprofits and businesses to bring the action to Lawrence Field, including the Housatonic Valley FFA Chapter, the Scouts, Saint Martin of Tours church, The Music Lab, and the Cranford Club. Local farms also joined in, with Freund’s, Ford and Carlwood farms contributing to the festivities.

Vendor tents lined the field selling various crafts and trinkets, while activities for families included pumpkin painting, regular painting, face painting, kids karaoke and a petting zoo. The festival ran an emergency relief drive for communities in the Southeast impacted by Hurricane Helene, which was continued at town hall on Sunday.

Alpacas bask in the autumn sun at Pumpkin Fest.Alec Linden

The petting zoo was operated by the Housatonic Valley FFA and included two alpacas and several pint-sized goats in a small pen. Chris Crane, president of the chapter at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, said they’re “just trying to get outreach to the community” about opportunities with the FFA.

Other features included Heather Matthews’ “mobile classroom and book bus,” where she gives away donated children’s books. Based in Sharon, it was her first time bringing the book bus to North Canaan, and the day had been fruitful. “My goal is to give away as many books as possible,” and she had donated several hundred at the festival, Matthews said.

Another popular booth was run by national art honor society students from Mount Everett Regional School, providing face painting, painting lessons, and even caricatures for participants. Some 25-30 kids had stopped by, the students said, “and some adults too.”

Alec Linden

Latest News

At Peggy Mercury, prep meets punk in ‘Imaginary Concerts’

At Peggy Mercury, prep meets punk in ‘Imaginary Concerts’
Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
Provided

Last month, James Boehmer and Greg Fricke of Peggy Mercury launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” wearable art sold exclusively at their store in the Kent Barns section of Kent, Connecticut.

The two fashion industry veterans opened Peggy Mercury more than two years ago, and a quick visit will tell you that people are finding what they’re looking for at the beauty and lifestyle store. But what they’re looking for is never standard.

Keep ReadingShow less
fashion

“Girlbomb” at 20

“Girlbomb” at 20
Photo by Jessica YurkoMillerton author Janice Erlbaum will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her memoir “Girlbomb” at Black Rabbit Dispensary on Sept. 5.
Photo by Jessica YurkoMillerton author Janice Erlbaum will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her memoir “Girlbomb” at Black Rabbit Dispensary on Sept. 5.
With memoir...the character only knows what the character knows.
—Janice Erlbaum

In “Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir,” published in 2006, author Janice Erlbaum wrote about the years after she left her family’s Brooklyn apartment at 15, moving through shelters, group homes, squats, clubs and the streets of 1980s New York while somehow continuing to attend high school. The book has sold more than 75,000 copies, stayed in print for two decades and continues to find new readers.

Now Erlbaum, 57, lives in Millerton and on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m., she will celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Girlbomb” with a reading at Black Rabbit Dispensary. The event is open to the public and will be livestreamed on Instagram.

Keep ReadingShow less
our community

Spencertown’s 21st Festival Of Books

Spencertown’s 21st Festival Of Books
Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, author of “Daylight Come: Harry Belafonte and the World He Made” is one of thefeatured authors at the Spencertown Academy Festival of Books on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Mirissa Neff

On Saturday, Sept. 5, the Spencertown Academy Arts Center in Spencertown, New York, will host its 21st annual Book Festival.

With over 20,000 gently used books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl donated by the community, it took volunteers 45 days — and an estimated 750 hours —to set the whole thing up. Most of that time was spent sorting through the vast troves of donations and organizing them by category.

Keep ReadingShow less
community
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Paul Newman racing doc to screen in North Canaan on Sunday

Paul Newman racing doc to screen in North Canaan on Sunday
“Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman,”will be screened Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Colonial Theatre in North Canaan.
Provided

On Sunday, Sept. 6, Lime Rock Park will host a screening of the documentary “Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman” at the Colonial Theatre in North Canaan at 7 p.m.

Newman was one of the most celebrated actors of the 20th century, known for films including “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Hud” and “Cool Hand Luke.” His 1969 film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” also began a decades-long friendship with co-star Robert Redford.

Keep ReadingShow less
film

Community to take center stage at Dive Barn

Community to take center stage at Dive Barn

A scene from last year’s Dance Barn.

Steven Tayler

On Sunday, Sept. 6, PS21 in Chatham, New York, will host a celebration of community through dance at its second annual Dive Barn performance at the organization’s Dance Barn.

Dive Barn is the brainchild of dancer, teacher and choreographer Sayer Mansfield, who has dedicated her life to contemporary and experimental dance. She studied in the Department of Dance at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance. She’s performed with companies including Pilobolus, Compagnie Marie Chouinardand Mark Morris Dance Group. Her work has been featured in films including “Little Women,” “Maestro” and “Sproutland.” She has served on the faculties of Jacob’s Pillow, Phillips Academy Andover, as well as Harvard and Yale Universities.

Keep ReadingShow less
dance

A family business gives old furniture a second act

A family business gives old furniture a second act

“London Sky,” a vintage settee reimagined by Pryor and Peacock with a dramatic view of the London skyline.

Provided by Pryor and Peacock

If you’ve ever seen one of those updated episodes of Antiques Roadshow, you know a lot of old furniture doesn’t hold its value the way it used to.

Gone are the days when the Keno brothers could tell you that your great-grandmother’s old chairs could pay off your mortgage. Instead, a younger market of buyers is looking for more simply designed furniture, often in the form of factory-made pieces using more affordable materials. Think Crate & Barrel or even IKEA, versus the ornate craftsmanship of yesteryear.

Keep ReadingShow less
lifestyle
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.