John Richard Dildine


FALLS VILLAGE — John was born on Dec. 15, 1934, in Evanston, Illinois, and died on June 3, 2024. John graduated from high school in Silver Spring, Maryland, with a focus on audio, radio and music. He curated and hosted a popular Folk Music radio program recorded at WAMC and broadcast by NPR. He was the first president of The Folklore Society of Greater Washington in the early 1960s. He provided audio support during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on Aug. 28, 1963.
John, his wife, Ginny, and their three children (son Wesley, daughters Debbie and Connie) performed as The Dildine Family Folk Songs and Marionettes for ten years at folk festivals, schools and folk venues.
John was a self-employed sound recording engineer for documentary films and television. He was also a voice recording artist. The John Dildine and Ginny Dildine Papers now reside at the Library of Congress-Folklife Division.
John loved travel, painting, pottery, and family. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Ginny, his son, Wesley (Chelsea), daughters Debbie (Joel) and Connie (Lars); and two granddaughters, Leah (Matt) and Shannon, and four great grandchildren.
Millerton News
Molly Merrihew has been appointed executive director of Shakespeare & Company.
Shakespeare & Company based in Lenox, Massachusetts, has appointed Molly Merrihew as its new executive director following a national search, as the company approaches its 50th anniversary.
Merrihew, most recently managing director of WAM Theatre, returns to Shakespeare & Company after previously spending eight years there in marketing and public relations. She will partner with artistic director Allyn Burrows to oversee the organization’s programs and operations.
During six years in leadership at WAM, Merrihew helped guide expanded programming and community engagement initiatives. She steps into the new role as Shakespeare & Company reports financial stability, including paying off its mortgage and posting two consecutive strong box office seasons.
Merrihew holds degrees from Boston University and SUNY Potsdam, as well as a graduate certificate from Cornell University.
The public will have opportunities to meet Merrihew in the coming weeks, including the company’s annual Community Day on May 23. More information is available at shakespeare.org
Leila Hawken
Dylan Vasquez, Millbrook High School's valedictorian for the class of 2026.
Confident leadership skills, diligence in academics, and strong communication abilities have combined to help Dylan Vasquez earn his designation as Valedictorian of the Millbrook High School’s Class of 2026.
Dylan’s time in the Millbrook School District began with his Kindergarten class and continued through his senior year.
“It’s fun how many people I’ve known for now 13 years,” Dylan said, noting that many of his graduating classmates have been with him since the beginning. He also attributed much of his success to his teachers.
His school activities have centered on clubs, sports and cheerleading. Dylan has served as President of both the Student Council and the Environmental Club, the latter aligned with his career interest. He has also served as President of Students Against Destructive Decisions and has been inducted into the National Honor Society.
Dylan participated in the Model U.N. program for his first two high school years and in cross-country track for all four years as well as Winter and Spring Track and Field. His first two years included a stint in Winter Cheerleading.
He has a career interest in urban architectural design and climate policy. He said he is considering Bard College’s architecture program.
Dylan’s sister, Isabella Vasquez, is in her sophomore year at Millbrook High School. An older brother, Julian, 23, also graduated from Millbrook and now resides in Millerton.
Millbrook High School Principal Eric Seipp shared his impressions of Dylan’s high school years.
“Dylan exemplifies what it means to be a student leader at Millbrook High School. His ability to balance academic excellence, leadership across multiple organizations and elite athletic performance is truly remarkable,” Seipp said.

Since her first day when she entered Kindergarten within the Millbrook school district, Lydia Kascsak has forged successes along her educational path, now having earned the honor of being named Salutatorian of the Class of 2026 at Millbrook High School.
Participation in sports and activities both in school and in the community served to round out Lydia’s academic strengths.
“It’s a great school and community,” Lydia said.
“I put a lot of work into my sports,” Lydia recalled, noting her time on varsity teams including Volleyball and Basketball, serving as captain of the basketball team for the past two years. Active in Student Government, Lydia served as vice-president of the Student Council as well as past Treasurer.
A point of pride for the school, Lydia noted that during her freshman year in 2022 the Basketball team won the State Championship.
“It’s a big deal,” she emphasized.
“I do a little bit everywhere,” Lydia said of her community service, including summers as a Teller at the Bank of Millbrook, describing her fondness for interacting with community members. She has also valued her volunteer service for the local nonprofit Angels of Light.
“I would tell them to keep up with things,” was Lydia’s advice to younger students. “Even the little things matter; put in extra effort and accept help. You might need extra help, so don’t be embarrassed. All knowledge builds on earlier steps.”
In the fall, Lydia plans to enroll at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, with an intended major in Bio-medical Engineering.
Millbrook High School Principal Eric Seipp shared his impressions of Lydia’s exemplary student years.
“Lydia represents the very best of Millbrook High School,” Seipp said. “She is an exceptional student, athlete, and leader who consistently demonstrates integrity, work ethic, and a genuine commitment to others.”
Millerton News
Young pianists ages 10 to 18 from the United States, Thailand, South Korea, China, Canada and Azerbaijan gathered on the The Hotchkiss School campus for the inaugural International Piano Competition.
Competitors performed May 15-17 before an international jury — Gloria Chien, Olga Kern, Leonel Morales, Álvaro Teixeira Lopes, Fabio Witkowski and Gisele Witkowski — and audiences in the school’s Katherine M. Elfers Hall at the Esther Eastman Music Center.
At the awards ceremony Sunday, May 17, finalists received certificates and the top three winners in each category performed solo. The competition awarded $25,000 in cash prizes and concert opportunities.
First-place winners were:
• Category A (ages 10-12): Sylvie Chiu
• Category B (ages 13-16): Brendan Li
• Category C (ages 17-18): Jamil Sadizadeh

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Sally Haver
The Equus Effect, a Sharon-based equine-assisted learning and equestrian facility that helps participants build emotional resilience through work with horses, will welcome the public to an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 24, at its stables at 37 Drum Road.
Families are invited to bring a picnic lunch and blanket for the afternoon gathering, where The Equus Effect will provide demonstrations, cookies and the chance to meet four of its resident horses — Dutch, Lance, Babe and Blaze — while showcasing the unique ways people can connect and learn through interaction with these animals.
The organization was founded to support veterans and first responders experiencing PTSD, helping them process trauma and better manage the emotional effects associated with working in high-stress environments. Horses, because they are powerful yet gentle and offer honest, nonjudgmental feedback, are uniquely suited to foster trust and connection, providing what organizers describe as “calm in the storm” for people navigating adrenaline-fueled responses to external and internal stressors.
The Equus Effect’s offerings have since expanded beyond its flagship emotional fitness program. The organization also offers a four-day workshop based on the Enneagram, a personality framework that identifies core motivators, fears and behaviors that shape how people view the world. The workshop is designed to help participants develop tools for greater self-awareness and personal growth.
A third program helps participants build both ground and mounted equestrian skills. The Equus Effect works with groups of children ages 8 and older to develop focus and leadership skills, adults interested in personal and professional growth, and business teams seeking to improve communication and performance. A fourth program, the Facilitator Training Program, takes place over six months and is designed to teach experienced horse people how to work with others.
More information is available at theequuseffect.org.
Millerton News
The upstairs community space at Random Harvest Market in Craryville is hosting a series of Soup Night fundraisers to support the market following the recent fatal crash and road detour at the nearby Route 23 intersection. Featuring food, music and community gathering, the next event is May 24. More information at randomharvestmarket.com
Patrick L. Sullivan
Author Tom Schachtman
Tom Shachtman read from his new book, “A Jericho’s Cobble Miscellany,” at the Scoville Memorial Library on Sunday, May 17.
Shachtman and Harriet Shelane read excerpts from the points of view of an 18th-century settler in the wilds of New England, a contemporary high school senior who cannot wait to get herself out of town, a Native American sachem and an upright piano.
The book tells the story of a fictional New England village that Shachtman said he imagines as being about 20 miles east of Great Barrington.
It is a tale told through several genres: fiction, newspaper stories, oral histories, poetry, plays and emails.
Shachtman said he was inspired by Edgar Lee Masters’ “Spoon River Anthology,” in which small-town Americans’ stories are told in free-verse form by the deceased.
“I thought it was a wonderful idea, but I didn’t want everybody to be dead.”
Shachtman said there are more than 100 distinct voices in the book and that he began with 50 to 100 pages of notes on all sorts of topics.
“It’s not one story. It’s many stories. That’s why it took five years.”
Shachtman was asked how closely Salisbury resembles Jericho’s Cobble.
“Of course there are similarities. I’ve lived here for 30 years.”
He said certain stories in the book, such as an arson attack at the Town Hall and the transformation of the local weekly newspaper from a for-profit to a nonprofit, have obvious local precedents.
“But these are not unique to us,” he added.
About that upright piano: Shachtman paused before reading that particular excerpt and looked at the audience.
“Not all the speakers are living or dead. Some are inanimate objects.”
He then read “An Upright’s Lament.”
“I haven’t been seriously caressed in a long time,” the passage begins.
The piano, a 1903 Hamilton, goes on to say it has been relegated to “the seldom-used back dining room of the Grey Griffon Inn with its fading wallpaper.”
“In my heyday, when many people still knew how to play a piano, I was the focus of attention in the pub, where late of an evening, after enough alcohol had been downed, there would always be someone opening me up and striking my keys, to general enjoyment.”
But times have changed, and the piano is not optimistic.
“I fear the coming winter’s continuously roaring fires in the inn’s many fireplaces: Their dry heat will wick away the last bit of moisture from my woods, leaving me fit only for the garbage heap and the lumber pile.”

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