The Dutchess County Transportation Council hosted a listening session at the NorthEast-Millerton Library on Oct. 22, giving northeast Dutchess County residents an opportunity to express the challenges they face in getting transportation.
MILLERTON — Transportation challenges in northeast Dutchess County took center stage last week during a listening session held by the Dutchess County Transportation Council at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex.
The event, held Oct. 22, was part of the Council’s effort to update its Coordinated Public Transit–Human Services Transportation Plan, which aims to “improve mobility for older adults, people with disabilities, low-income individuals and others who struggle to access reliable transportation.”
Data included in the 2021 version of the plan reveals the Town of North East and Village of Millerton have higher-than-average percentages of older adults, a group especially affected by limited transportation options.
“As people age, their need for services and transportation increases,” the plan states. “Given that we expect an increase in our older population, we can expect to see a concurrent increase in the demand for services that allow people to age in place and remain socially engaged.”
And yet, options remain limited in the northeastern part of the county.
In their presentation, the DCTC outlined the early stages of the six-month data collection and community feedback process. They acknowledged the region’s unique challenges — its distance from Poughkeepsie, smaller population and proximity to the Connecticut border.
In attendance was Martha Shultz, site manager for the Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s Friendship Center in Millerton. Shultz said she joined the meeting as an advocate for the members who regularly take advantage of the Friendship Center’s meals, activities and sense of community — many of whom face daily struggles getting to medical appointments, grocery stores and social activities.
Shultz said she also encouraged several of her center’s participants to join the session so that county officials could hear directly from those most affected. “It’s one thing for me to say something, but to hear it from the people who really need it is different,” she said.
“I often get calls from people who are looking for information about transportation,” Shultz added. “I usually refer them to the North East Community Center. They do the best they can, but they’re just one resource — that’s all we have out here.”
The NECC transportation program offers free rides to seniors, families and individuals from Amenia, Dover, Millerton, Pine Plains, Millbrook and Stanford. Transportation is available to those in need of medical attention, medication, groceries and laundry. Drivers also go to Sharon Hospital across the border in Connecticut. But advance notice is recommended, and priority rides go to those with disabilities and seniors with medical appointments.
Shultz said she appreciated that DCTC staff seemed receptive to feedback, including the need for better communication tools for seniors who may not use technology. She said, “It was worthwhile to go and have our voices heard.”
The DCTC will continue holding listening sessions around the county as it develops its updated transportation plan, expected to be released next year.
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.”
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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Millerton News
CANAAN — Anita L. (King) Gochey, 85, of 77 South Canaan Rd. died June 5, 2026, at Geer Village. She was the wife of the late Lester Gochey. Anita was born July 16, 1940,in Winsted, daughter of the late Ivan and Irene (Dulude) King.
Anita was well known throughout the Northwest Corner. She worked for many local businesses and organizations. Anita worked at the Rexall Drug Store, C.A. Lindell and Sons, Bob’s Clothing, Brooks Pharmacy, and the Housatonic Valley Regional High School in the cafeteria.She used her skills in calligraphy to complete the record books for the North Canaan Congregational Church.Anita’s daughter remembers her as being very creative with cardboard, and a loving mom.
Anita is survived by her son Raymond Gochey and his fiancee’ Chris Filkins of Hinsdale, Massachusetts; and her daughter Michele O’Brien of Sharon. She is also survived by her sister Denise Warner of Torrington and her brother Arthur King of Danbury. Her three grandchildren, Kyle Gochey of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Cody O’Brien of Georgia, and Sabrina O’Brien of Falls Village. Anita was predeceased by her brother, Martin King.
A Celebration of Anita’s life will be held on Saturday June 20, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. in the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home 118 Main St. Canaan, CT 06018.
Nathan Miller
Carol Kneeland, left, Cyndhia Valle, center, and Irene Banning knit together on North East Community Center’s back porch during the first “Community Porch Party” on Wednesday, June 3.
MILLERTON — A new pilot program at the North East Community Center aims to bring in community members for chill hangs at the nonprofit’s office on South Center Street this summer.
The weekly “Community Porch Party” is an evolution of senior administrative assistant Ash Baldwin’s “Craft Collective,” which invited community members to enjoy a group crafting session where participants were encouraged to bring individual projects, swap tips and be together. The gathering on Wednesday, June 3, and the preceding “Craft Collective” meetings are part of a broader effort to provide accessible, community-building programming.
The pilot program is set to run every Wednesday through the end of July.
NECC board chair and interim Executive Director Irene Banning joined Baldwin along with Millerton resident Carol Kneeland and Pine Plains resident Cyndhia Valle at the program’s opening night. Kneeland brought enough knitting needles and yarn to go around, and taught Valle how to get started making a knitted square.
“She’s a total pro of 40 minutes,” Kneeland said, knitting needles in hand.
Banning said the community center is working to return to a former status as a community hub. She remembered the COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point for the organization, when it shifted to providing crisis management programs such as its food pantry and housing assistance.
While those programs are still important to NECC’s mission, Banning said, community building is equally so.
She recalled needing an outlet for social interaction when her son moved away from her home, prompting her to find a knitting group based out of Pine Plains.
“One day I just picked up my knitting and I decided to go,” Banning said. “It’s been a fabulous thing.”
The “Community Porch Party” is less focused on the crafting, and instead on just providing an opportunity for people to enjoy a nice yard and a chat with fellow community members. Baldwin and Banning assembled sweet treats and snacks for people to eat, and crafters are encouraged to bring a project but it’s not required.
The effort stems from a recognition that social interaction can be difficult to come by in northeast Dutchess County.
“It’s so hostile out there, and you always have to be careful about what you say or what you don’t say,” Banning said. “Just to have a place where that doesn’t matter is really nice.”
NECC’s “Community Porch Party” is set for Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 5:30 through July 29.
Graham Corrigan
PINE PLAINS — Community Day returns to Pine Plains on June 13, reviving a tradition last celebrated in 2023 during the town’s bicentennial celebration.
The event’s return has been spearheaded by an ad hoc group of residents led by Lenora Champagne, Jeanne Valentine-Chase, Lisa Agnelli, Joan Taylor, Helene Marsh and others.
Champagne and Valentine-Chase, who are on the town’s Beautification Committee, said they recruited volunteers to help organize it, realizing that Community Day is a big undertaking. “It was clearly a bigger project than what that committee could take on,” said Champagne. “So we turned to people who’d been involved in previous Community Days.”
The community was up to the task. Some of the entertainment will be familiar: live music will fill the air, local businesses and nonprofits will set up booths along Main Street, and the Graham-Brush House will host fiddlers and reenactments.
New additions to Community Day abound, too: a 31-vendor market will set up shop by the Catholic church on Poplar and Church Street. The market will host makers offering sourdough bread, artisanal jewelry, and everything in between. The Pines, a historic Victorian inn on Maple Street, will open its doors for tours as well.
This year’s Community Day is also offering an eye-popping amount of complimentary experiences, for kids and adults alike. First there’s a free breakfast hosted by Pine Plains Fire Company. Free raffle tickets are on offer, with the chance to win prizes like gift certificates to local businesses like Chaseholm Farm and Factory Lane Automotive — or fruit trees donated by Full Circus Farm. There’s a free scavenger hunt to work up an appetite, and free lunch from local restaurants to sate it — all chased down with a postprandial stroll through the free corn maze.
“There ought to be something of interest for everyone,” Champagne said. “We’re really curious to see what people enjoy.”
Town Councilwoman Jeanine Sisco is the group’s liaison to the town. She’ll also be the one “collecting garbage and schlepping benches.”
“We did Community Day for years,” Sisco said. “But sometimes people just didn’t step up. We’re hoping this will be the start of doing it every year.”
The goal, Sisco says, is to bring people in to town. All the people: generational locals and weekenders alike. “We want to bring all those folks into a united venue to get to know what’s going on in town, and revitalize the spirit of community.”
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