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

Jumping competition brings top equestrians to Amenia

Jumping competition brings top equestrians to Amenia

U.S.-based show jumper Kent Farrington took home a portion of $125,000 in prize money after securing a win in the Silo Ridge Masters Grand Prix on Sunday, Oct. 5.

Nathan Miller

AMENIA — The Silo Ridge Masters Grand Prix drew the world’s top equestrians to the show jumping ring at Keane Stud on Sunday, Oct. 5.

The Grand Prix is the capstone event in the first weekend of the revamped competition. Success in the event depended on an ability to clear 4-foot-11-inch fences accurately and without fault.

Surrounding the competition were spectators on a grassy hill on the south side of the ring, and a row of tents selling clothing, home decor and equestrian gear.

Millbrook business owner Lily Al-Nemri also attended the event. The owner of Tyte Medispa and Tyte Gallery on Franklin Avenue came to scope out Vendor Village to see if it might be a good fit for community engagement in the future. “I’m having fun, the weather is lovely and I’m happy to be in the community with neighbors close to Millbrook,” said Al-Nemri.

And the “Kid Zone” was packed with pumpkins for decorating, a bouncy house and shaded areas providing a welcome respite from the midday sun. Face-painting, stilt-walkers and a magic show added to the fun.

Hannah Alley-Keller, who lives with her husband and baby in Dutchess County, grew up around horses in Virginia. She came for the competition but also the family-friendly atmosphere. “We’re here with some friends and are enjoying the social aspect and seeing the horses,” she said.

Inside the ring, Chicago-born Kent Farrington took home the first place trophy after a flawless run around the jump-off, where the top three riders from the Grand Prix go head-to-head to determine their placement.

Lucy Raciti of Millbrook, left, Wyatt Hamm of Rhinebeck, center, and Elliott Raciti of Millbrook, right, paint pumpkins in the Kids Zone at the Silo Ridge Masters show jumping competition in Amenia on Sunday, Oct. 5.Aly Morrissey

Animal Farm Foundation in Amenia and Perfect Pets Rescue in the Hudson Valley also had adorable dogs for adoption and are expected to be back next weekend.

The Silo Ridge Masters is just the first weekend in a revamped show jumping competition now known as the Highlands Horse Show.

The second and final weekend of show jumping competition began on Wednesday, Oct. 8, bringing with it an even higher and more prestigious level of competition that is expected to bring dozens more of the world’s top equestrians to Keane Stud in Amenia.

Third Eye Blind and opener Dinosaur Jr. will be performing at Keane Stud on Friday, Oct. 10, and Leann Rimes and Brothers Osborne will take the stage the following night on Saturday, Oct. 11. Also slated for the second weekend is a car meet on Sunday, Oct. 12.

Aly Morrissey
equestrians

Latest News

The Millerton News - September 3, 2026

The Millerton News - September 3, 2026

Download directly

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
google preferred source

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

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

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
google preferred source

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