A duo of historians explored the history of the land surrounding The Fountains senior community at an illustrated talk on Wednesday, March 12. Lucy Johnson, left, teamed up with Margaret Cornell, for a year-long research project into the rich history of the land and its stone chapel.
MILLBROOK — Two resident historians who are members of the community at The Fountains teamed up to delve into the history of the 200 acres which comprise the senior residential campus. They presented their findings at a community forum on Wednesday, March 12.
Unveiling their findings were Lucy Johnson and Margaret Cornell, both of whose careers had been steeped in history. Johnson had been a professor of anthropology at Vassar College after having earned her doctorate in anthropology at Columbia University.
Cornell was a professional archivist, having earned her master’s degree in archival management from Simmons College.
Both having become residents at The Fountains about a year ago, they soon connected over a shared interest in exploring the history of their surroundings, and particularly of the old stone chapel. Cornell’s husband had been an ordained Methodist minister, drawing her to want to know more about the chapel.
Johnson began her report with the earliest history of the acreage on what was Prospect Hill, once the home of monks when it was named Priory Farm. It eventually became an elementary school named Hope Farm, a home for orphaned youngsters and then a K-12 school named Greer School after its founder, Episcopal Bishop David Greer.
At one point, 95 children were housed at Hope Farm which had been founded in 1907 by Episcopal clergyman Thomas Hazzard who determined the farm needed a chapel. In 1913, $12,500 was donated, sufficient to construct a chapel on the grounds, Johnson said.
Seating 300 in its Sanctuary, the chapel was built with local boulders, shaped with hand tools by Italian stone masons. The completed chapel was dedicated in 1915. The chapel bell, cast in 1896, weighs 3,000 pounds.
The chapel was refurbished in 1970. Eleanor Roosevelt spoke at the Greer School’s 1955 graduation exercises. 1932 had marked the first high school graduation class. The final Greer School yearbook honored the class of 1958.
Margaret Cornell had once been a student at Greer School.
The chapel was refurbished in 1970, Cornell noted. Seeing the chapel today, Cornell said that she feels a sense of awe that much of the chapel remains intact, although it is dusty and the plaster is crumbling.
Audience comments suggested that the chapel deserves more publicity and perhaps the cooperation of the Millbrook Historical Society to guide the chapel toward being listed as a national historic site worthy of preservation and protection.
“It is a unique part of The Fountains,” Cornell said.
Graham Corrigan
Voters will decide June 16 whether to approve a revised Pine Plains Central School District budget after the district's original spending plan fell short of the supermajority needed for passage last month.
The Board of Education reviewed the modified proposal during its June 9 meeting ahead of Tuesday's vote. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Stissing Mountain Jr./Sr. High School.
The revised budget totals $40,488,222 and includes an additional $290,569 in reductions, bringing spending below the state tax-cap threshold and lowering the approval requirement from 60% to a simple majority.
The cuts would eliminate three positions: a head bus driver, a typist and a nurse.
The district's original budget received 52% voter approval in May, short of the 60% supermajority required because it exceeded the state's allowable tax levy limit.
If voters reject the revised budget, the district would be required to adopt a contingency budget with an additional $945,789 in reductions. District officials have said those cuts would significantly affect extracurricular activities, athletics and field-trip transportation, and would cancel the annual Ashokan trip.
A contingency budget would also require additional staffing reductions. Board members said they remain hopeful the revised proposal will pass and opted to wait until after the vote to determine what further cuts might be necessary.
Nathan Miller
Pawling Road Crews work to clear debris from fallen trees from North Quaker Hill Road in Pawling, New York, after heavy winds felled trees across the area. Six roads are currently closed, causing delays as utility company crews attempt to restore electricity service to customers in Pawling and Dover after a day without power.
This story has been updated.
Heavy winds and severe storm conditions caused widespread power outages Thursday, June 11.Over 600 customers in Dutchess County were still without power in the towns of Pawling and Dover through Saturday.
NYSEG Communications Manager Mike Baggerman said the lasting outage was caused by fallen trees that downed poles and blocked multiple roads, slowing repair efforts. Power was restored by 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 13.
Baggerman said municipal road crews had to clear the roadways so NYSEG crews could re-install poles and restore service.
Severe winds downed trees along Quaker Hill Road, North Quaker Hill Road, Old Quaker Hill Road, Reservoir Road, Hurds Corner Road and Tracy Road in the Town of Pawling, according to the town’s Highway Department.
Baggerman reminded customers to stay away from downed power lines and to alert NYSEG and local authorities when downed trees or lines are spotted. Reports of downed trees, downed power lines and power outages can be sent to NYSEG online at www.nyseg.com/outages or by calling 800-572-1131.
Graham Corrigan
Ivan Howe, 13, performs as Peter Pan at the Sharon Playhouse in Sharon, Connecticut. Howe began his acting career on stage at the Playhouse in “Oliver!” in 2023 and has since performed on stage and even taken a supporting role in the Netflix miniseries “Eric” starring British actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
MILLBROOK — Ivan Howe’s acting career might be growing faster than he is.
In 2023, the Indian Mountain School student and Millbrook native landed his first title role in Sharon Playhouse’s production of “Oliver!” Three years later, he’s about to start high school having shared the screen with Marvel superheroes.
In addition to multiple performances on stage, the 13-year-old rising freshman has already logged a credit on a Netflix show — a 2024 miniseries starring Benedict Cumberbatch called “Eric.”
It didn’t happen by design — Howe’s parents are educators, and his older siblings had other interests. It was a trip to the Playhouse that originally sparked the idea of acting. “I wanted to be an actor because my best friend acted in plays,” Howe said. “I thought that was the coolest thing ever.”
Ivan’s parents Jeni and Jonathan were supportive of the idea. Jonathan had acted in college, and Sharon Playhouse provided a great place to learn. A role in “Elf Jr.” was Ivan’s first role, and “Oliver!” happened soon after. “The Sharon Playhouse is where I found my feet as an actor,” Howe said. “I did my first show there, and I’ve met so many friends and mentors there.”
Ivan’s optimistic perspective may have landed him big roles, but onscreen, he’s become known for something quite different. With dark curly hair and a quiet, commanding presence, he’s often been cast as the brooding, troubled character.
That’s especially true in “Eric,” the 2024 Netflix series that introduced Howe to a much larger audience. He plays Edgar, the son of troubled parents who disappears mysteriously in the streets of New York City. “Edgar wasn’t necessarily a bright and cheerful character,” Howe said, “and I really like characters like that. It would be fun to be in a comedy, but I like the characters who have more depth.”
The series was filmed in Budapest and co-stars Gabby Hoffman and Benedict Cumberbatch, who Ivan idolized from his role as Dr. Strange in the Marvel movies. “I’m obsessed with all things Marvel,” he says, and relished the opportunity to talk shop with one of its tentpole characters. Cumberbatch is a professed fan of the original comic books, too, and by the end of shooting “Eric,” the two actors were sharing meals at a local Hungarian restaurant near the set.
“It was amazing to see all these professional actors, like Gabby and Benedict, in their environment,” he said. “It was a big inspiration for me.”
The cameras represented a big change for Howe, whose previous acting experience had mostly been onstage. The scale of a major Netflix production required him to adapt quickly.
“I was the only kid on set,” Howe said. “It taught me that it’s really a professional workplace, and I learned how to tune out everything except for the scene.”
Easier said than done — especially compared to the live energy of a stage. “In theater, you just have to go with it…but with screen, you have the chance to adjust things.”
After the success of “Eric,” Howe returned to the stage. He played two lead roles: Josh Baskin in “Big” at Sheldrake’s Stagedoor Manor, then returned to the Sharon Playhouse stage as Peter Pan. He’ll be performing in “The Saviors” at the Atlantic Theater Company before starting high school in the fall. In between rehearsals, Howe likes to volunteer at the Trevor Zoo.
As for advice for other aspiring actors — Howe said that feeling uncomfortable is a sign you’re headed in the right direction.
“The hardest part of acting, to me, can be feeling self-conscious,” he said. “Sometimes I can feel myself not acting to the fullest because of thatbarrier. But when I finally do, it’s so much easier. Fight your way into whatever you want to do.”
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Nathan Miller
Caroline Farr-Killmer has been leading the effort to rebuild Millerton’s fire-ravaged Water Department building since last February.
MILLERTON — Village officials expect a rebuild of the fire-ravaged Water Department building to begin soon, with the aim of completing it before the end of summer.
Fire project manager Caroline Farr-Killmer has been managing the effort to demolish and rebuild the village’s Public Works Department building since a fire destroyed it and all the equipment inside last winter. She said that Dutchess County Department of Health approval is the last hurdle for a new Water Department building before construction can start.
Millerton Mayor Jenn Najdek said she expects construction to start as soon as the designs get approval from the health department.
Officials described the new Water Department building as an urgent need. Farr-Killmer explained the village’s water system has been operating with just one operational well, causing concerns about potential water shortages at that wellhead and its longevity. The village cannot operate the second well until it is enclosed in a structure, Farr-Killmer said.
Najdek doesn’t expect Millerton’s upcoming 175th anniversary celebration to impact the construction. She said health department approval should be arriving within the week, and the 400-square-foot building likely wouldn’t take long to construct. She clarified that there is no clear timeline at this moment, but expects to get work started as soon as approvals come in.
Millerton’s Water and Highway building caught fire last February, destroying the structure and all of the village’s road maintenance and police equipment. Since then, property restoration firm BELFOR has been working to clear and prep the site for a brand new set of buildings.
Farr-Killmer explained the Water Department building, which will house one of Millerton’s municipal wells, must now be a separate structure from the Highway Department building due to environmental and health regulations. Municipal wells require up to a 200-foot buffer from other structures to prevent drinking water contamination.
Nathan Miller
Kanchisar Jiradhanaiphat, left, and John Schildbach plan to open Muanjai Tea on Main Street in Millerton in early July.
MILLERTON — The opening of a proposed Thai tea shop on Main Street has been delayed while owners await approval from the Dutchess County Department of Health.
John Schildbach, who plans to open the shop with his wife, Kanchisar Jiradhanaiphat, in the former Candy-O’s space, said plans to include seating have complicated the approval process because of the building’s existing septic system.
Candy-O’s, a candy shop which relocated farther down Main Street earlier this year, did not provide seating for customers, allowing it to operate with a smaller septic system under Department of Health regulations.
Schildbach, who wants to add 20 seats, said an engineer has signed off on plans for the tea shop and sent a recommendation to the Department of Health. Despite that recommendation, the shop had to push back the original June 6 opening date.
“We haven’t even started buildout,” Schildbach said. “If I can get everything moving, it’ll probably be early July now.”
Schildbach said interior renovations to the shop couldn’t begin until the business had received permits from the health department. A series of scheduling conflicts meant the engineer couldn’t get to the shop until the first week of June, but Schildbach said he was staying patient.
“You’re always waiting on the people who are in charge,” Schildbach said.
Schildbach said he hopes to receive approval for 20 seats in the shop, but expects the health department to reduce indoor seating slightly.
If that happens, Schildbach said it will only hamper the space’s indoor capacity until Millerton’s municipal wastewater system is installed, which is expected to be complete in 2028. He expects to receive approval for 12 to 14 seats inside the café for the time being.
Department of Health approvals are the last hurdle holding things back, Schildbach said. Once that approval has been obtained, Schildbach said village building officials are prepared to issue permits for the interior renovations and he is ready to get to work.
The shop is targeting an early July opening date, with a goal of opening before Millerton’s 175th celebration set for July 11 to 19.
Graham Corrigan
Jennifer Burgen, right, and Michael Burgen now own Babette’s Kitchen on Franklin Avenue in Millbrook. The duo have worked at the shop since 2024.
MILLBROOK — A local eatery that has operated on Millbrook’s Franklin Avenue for more than 20 years is changing ownership.
The new owners at Babette’s Kitchen are two longtime employees. Jennifer Burgen, who has worked at Babette’s for the last three years, and Michael Burgen, who joined the kitchen in December 2024, took over earlier this month. Michael had previously been a general manager at Fern in Lakeville.
The couple has long dreamed of running their own restaurant, so when Babette’s co-founders Buffy Arbogast and Beth Daidone expressed a desire to find new owners, the Burgens jumped at the chance.
“We’re excited to continue the legacy that Beth and Buffy started,” said Jennifer Burgen. “We like to say that they kept it in the family.”
For 22 years, Babette’s Kitchen has been a Millbrook staple for coffee, breakfast, lunch and catering. With an emphasis on local produce and a menu sourced from nearby farms, Babette’s has gained regional acclaim for its inventive menu and extensive pastry offerings. Their buttermilk biscuits, frittatas, and seasonal rotations have made the 20-seat café a weekend favorite for locals and weekenders alike.
Like Babette’s founders, the Burgens graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, a culinary school based in Hyde Park. When Babette’s founder Arbogast attended in 2004, she was at the forefront of a gastronomic migration.
The Burgens are part of the second wave, and are committed to keeping Babette’s core menu intact. “We’re not doing any changes for the first couple of years, but in the long term, we’d love to bring some family recipes out,” Burgen said. “My grandmother was a great cook, and Mike’s grandmother was an amazing baker.”
Michael Burgen was raised in the Buffalo area, and he’s looking forward to bringing some of the flavors of Western New York to Babette’s. “There’s a great little food scene up there,” Michael Burgen said. “But a lot of the items are very regional. You don’t really see them in other parts of the state. It’ll be fun to see people experience that.” That will eventually include Buffalo wings during football season, and Beef on Weck, a Buffalo classic that features thinly sliced roast beef on a kummelweck roll with horseradish and caraway seeds.
In the meantime, however, the Burgens are running the kitchen Beth and Buffy have perfected over two decades with little change.
“They’ve built such a great place,” says Michael Burgen, “and it has such a loyal following.” Michael has spent much of the last 18 months learning the ins and outs at Beth’s elbow: her flavors, her systems, and her kitchen space. “Every kitchen is different,” he said. “So her showing me her ways of operating with the equipment was a big part of the production. It takes a lot of the guesswork out.”
For their part, the now-previous owners of Babette’s feel like they’ve found the right team to continue their legacy. In a message posted earlier this week, Arbogast said the Burgens “are the perfect pair to keep Babette’s true to its roots, but to move it forward with fresh bright ideas.”
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