Love letters from Goshen

The marquee at Goshen Players for “A Goodnight Kiss.”
Cinzi Lavin
The marquee at Goshen Players for “A Goodnight Kiss.”
"A Goodnight Kiss,” premiering June 6 at Goshen Players Playhouse, is a dramatization of real Civil War-era love letters. Written by award-winning playwright Cinzi Lavin and directed by regional theater veteran Kathleen Kelly — both Litchfield County residents — it serves to reminds us that while wars are waged by nations, it is the people who live through them, their lives forever changed.
At the center of “A Goodnight Kiss” is the relationship between Sarah Jane “Jennie” Wadhams, a college student in New Britain, and Sergeant Major Frederick Lucas, a young soldier stationed in Alexandria. Lavin discovered the story of the letters by the couple in a 2002 book by Ernest B. Barker called “Fred and Jennie: A Civil War Story.” Lavin, who holds a certificate in applied history from the University of London and has performed at the White House, read all 90 letters the couple exchanged between 1863 and 1867. “It was like falling into another time,” she recalled. “You hear the dialect, the moral concerns, the humor. Jennie once said someone ‘must think she’s some pumpkins.’ I had to keep that.”
Cinzi LavinAnna Zuckerman-Vdovenko
While staying true to the historical narrative, Lavin and Kelly took pains to adapt with sensitivity, editing outdated language, softening harsh racial terms, and trimming some of the religious fervor of the original texts for modern ears. “We didn’t want to rewrite history,” said Lavin, “but we did need to present some things so that it translated.”
The result is a story of two young people navigating distance, war, and the slowness of the mail. It’s also about community, duty, and the Connecticut town of Goshen itself where Fred and Jennie lived, wrote, and now lay interned. It’s fitting, then, that the Goshen Players opened their doors to this production.
“They’ve been wonderful,” said Kelly. “It’s a story from Goshen, and now it’s being told in Goshen. I think audiences will really appreciate that. It’ll be so interesting to see their reactions as ancestors.”
Kelly’s direction brings a collaborative, actor-driven energy to the stage. “I always say the only good playwright is a dead one,” she laughed. “But Cinzi? Thank God she’s not. She’s a dream.” Lavin, in turn, credits her theatrical background for that flexibility. “Both of our background as actors really helped us connect and then the cast came in with ideas and heart and it became something so much bigger.”
Kathleen KellyProvided
Starring David Macharelli and Olivia Wadsworth as Fred and Jennie, with a supporting cast including Robert Kwalick as Narrator, John Fabiani as Jennie’s father, Joel Osborne as Fred’s fellow solider, Harmony Tanguay and Roni Gelrmino as a gossiping villagers, the play layers historical narration with humor, heartbreak, and a surprising amount of warmth. “There’s a lot of humanity here,” Kelly said. “And a little gossip. The Goshen women definitely bring that.”
Adding texture is a curated selection of Stephen Foster songs arranged by Lavin which the U.S. Library of Congress included in its national “Song of America” archive. And for history buffs, Sunday’s 3 p.m. performance will include a talkback with historians Peter Vermilyea, Carolyn Ivanoff, Kevin Johnson, and Natalie Belanger, whose insights will ground the drama in even deeper context.
“Theater is the one place, even more than television and film, where you can really deal with difficult topics,” said Kelly. “You go into a theater, and you are changed.”
“A Goodnight Kiss” will be performed at Goshen Players Playhouse, 2 North St., Goshen, June 6 to 8. For tickets and more info, visit: goshenplayer.booktix.com
One of the entries in this year’s Community Day Scarecrow Contest, Ichabod Hiccup, at left, seems to be particularly enjoying the solo performance of Wil Greenstreet, whose strolling pop-up saxophone performances delighted visitors to the village on Saturday, Sept. 20. For more photos, turn to Page A8.
A popular feature of the Millbrook Library lawn area was a carpet of children’s books being given away for free. Appealing to little Julien Gulbrandsen, 3, of Pleasant Valley was the story of a pancake, being read by her mother Lauren Gulbrandsen. It is likely that the little book went home with them.Photo by Leila Hawken
Family fun and community were the order of the long-planned Community Day, on Saturday, Sept. 20, as village turned out to welcome visitors from throughout the region for a day of activities, contests, parades, displays, sales and the joy of being together.Photo by Leila Hawken
MILLERTON — As federal immigration enforcement continues to make national headlines, communities throughout the region are organizing to support immigrants, hoping to mitigate the effects of polarizing tactics. Millerton is home to one such group, which is finding its footing after a failed effort to gain legislative backing from village officials.
Established this spring, the Millerton group has been meeting privately to coordinate support for vulnerable residents. Some have referred to it as the “Millerton Neighbors Network,” though at least one source said the name has not been made official.
Citing concerns about drawing attention, several members declined to speak on the record. Aimee Davis, a North East resident and longtime Millerton massage therapist, agreed to comment. As part of her work with the group, Davis received “Know Your Rights” and rapid-response training from the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, a New York-based organization providing support, resources and advocacy for immigrants throughout Columbia County.
“I can now be a point of contact for businesses or residents who want to know what to do if ICE shows up and they’re nervous about it,” Davis said.
Pushing for local policy
Some founding members were responsible for putting Immigrations and Customs Enforcement on the agenda at two public Village meetings, on May 21 and July 29. They urged the Millerton Village Board to draft a local law limiting police cooperation with ICE and protecting the constitutional rights of immigrants.
Attendance at the July meeting tripled and a divided community of supporters and critics attended to voice their opinions. Ultimately, the Board declined to move forward, citing concerns about losing funding for critical infrastructure projects and pointing to an already robust police policy.
This decision led the advocacy group to question whether the existing policy leaves room for additional protections or clarifications regarding immigrant rights.
Police policies and ICE
The News obtained a full copy of the 93-page Millerton Police Policy, which covers topics like patrol areas, decision-making, chains of command, use of force and use of non-lethal weapons, to name a few. The policy does not explicitly mention immigrants or immigration status.
The closest it comes to the advocacy group’s requests — requiring judicial warrants for ICE collaboration and not proactively sharing immigration data — is a section on racial profiling added in March 2023 and effective May 1, 2023.
“Racial profiling is a practice that offends fundamental principles of our Constitution … The Village of Millerton Police Department has an expressed prohibition against racial and ethnic profiling and is forbidden by all standards set forth by the municipality,” the policy states on page 68.
Redacted arrest records and incident reports from Jan. 1 to July 26, 2025, obtained by The News show that the department collects standard personal information, such as date of birth and address, but does not record immigration status in a way that could be shared with ICE. However, in two separate incidents, under sections labeled “Suspect” and “Missing/Arrested Person,” police captured ethnicity, which was listed as either “Hispanic” or “Not Hispanic.”
In a conversation with The Millerton News in August, Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik said he would not ask to see a judicial warrant before aiding in an arrest spearheaded by ICE.
“It’s their arrest, so to speak, and we would only be there as a supporting and assisting agency. We’re not there to second-guess their policies and procedures.”
He added that federal law supersedes state and local law, and “if ICE calls us for assistance and we are on duty — we are mandated to go.”
While Millerton Police show no sign of updating their policy, other agencies have. Beau Duffy, Executive Director of Public Information for the New York State Police, said they do have a policy on immigration matters.
“The New York State Police do not make referrals to federal authorities, nor do we detain a person or inquire about immigration status based on suspicion of civil immigration violations. Our members would only detain, arrest or make a referral to federal authorities if there was probable cause to believe a person has committed a criminal violation,” Duffy wrote in an email to The News.
The Hudson Police Department and Columbia County Sheriff’s Department have extensive policies, drafted in partnership with the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, that address ICE head-on. The Hudson Police Department policy states that it prioritizes the health, safety and well-being of all community members.
“The Hudson Police Department has long determined that it will give full priority to public safety and justice concerns in preference to rigid enforcement of immigration regulations.” The policy states the department will not engage in certain activities solely to enforce federal immigration laws and will honor limited ICE requests with a judicial warrant, while “protecting the due process rights of persons as to whom federal immigration enforcement requests have been made.”
ICE spotted in Millerton
Some residents disagree with officials’ claims that a “problem does not exist” in Millerton. Speaking anonymously after the July 29 meeting, one witness reported seeing ICE vehicles outside a North Center Street home twice between June and early August. She described black SUVs with tinted windows and officers in black uniforms and duty belts, noting the outfits differed from local police uniforms.
“The officers did take two people from that house and put them into their vehicle. Whether they were released later, I don’t know,” she said.
While anecdotal, such incidents mirror a nationwide spike in enforcement activity. Community members are using training and rapid-response planning to ensure neighbors know their rights and that ICE operates within legal bounds.
Regional and national political debate
The Millerton discussion exists within larger regional and national contexts. As of Sept. 16, Connecticut has banned the use of masks “or other covering that obscures the face” by ICE agents while inside a courthouse. The same policy also prohibits arrests inside the public areas of a courthouse without a judicial warrant.
Connecticut Sen. Stephen Harding, a Republican, has criticized these policies, arguing they put undocumented immigrants — even those accused of crimes — before public safety. He described the state as a “sanctuary” for undocumented residents, saying Democrats have limited cooperation with ICE, even in violent cases.
He called the policy “Unbelievable and out of touch,” adding that “Republicans continue to fight to uphold our immigration laws while demanding safer streets and respect for the taxpayers’ money.”
Looking ahead: Local support networks
The Millerton group follows in the footsteps of similar organizations across the country, including nearby Vecinos Seguros 2 -— which translates to “Safe Neighbors” — in northwest Connecticut. Run by Jill Drew of Sharon, Connecticut, the organization provides training, develops local rapid-response teams, tracks nearby ICE activity and offers support ranging from legal to financial.
“Groups like mine don’t even have a website, and we try to stay under the radar,” Drew said. “At the same time, we want people to know we’re out here so families know there are safe neighbors.”
Last week, Vecinos Seguros 2 held a free public training at the White Hart in Salisbury, Connecticut, focusing on how to respond to ICE operations. The training was led by Berkshire Allies, the community wing of the Berkshire Alliance to Support the Immigrant Community — or BASIC. They shared tips on how to prepare for an ICE interaction, how to spot ICE, how to approach interactions carefully and how to film interactions legally for evidence — not for social media.
These types of local trainings connect like-minded residents, allowing them to feel proactive while potentially improving community safety.
“In this area, it’s hard to get the word out — most folks only hear about things through social media or a poster at the market,” said Aimee Davis of the Millerton group. “Everyone deserves protection, documented or undocumented, if they’re participating positively in the community. Advocating for people’s safety feels so important.”