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

Inaugural Millbrook Spirit Awards honors exceptional citizens

Inaugural Millbrook Spirit Awards honors exceptional citizens

Chris Wilson speaks at the Millbrook Spirit Awards on Saturday, Jan. 31, at Millbrook High School.

Photo by Luca Pearl Khosrova

MILLBROOK — The recently-formed Millbrook Listens Project recognized five community members for their contributions to the community’s social fabric at a first-ever awards ceremony at Millbrook High School's auditorium on Jan. 31.

Millbrook Listens is an effort led by Chris Wilson and a band of 20 volunteers with the goal of identifying projects that would enhance life in the village.

The inaugural Millbrook Spirit Awards is an effort to bring greater recognition and appreciation to the community’s greatest contributors, Wilson said in a speech before the awards ceremony.

“They have given their lives to something greater than their own,” Wilson said. “And shown us that we are more alike than different, and that we are here to serve and love each other.”

Wilson identified five virtues the award planning committee identified as centrally important — stewardship, charity, entrepreneurship, public service, and arts and culture.

One person was selected to win an award in each of those five categories. The award winners for the inaugural year were:

For stewardship, Matt Hurst;

For arts and culture, Stephen Kaye;

For business and entrepreneurship, Pam Smith;

For faith and charity, Pat Alexander;

And for public service, Kelly Tomasulo.

Project Idea submissions can be submitted through the Millbrook Library Website until Sunday, Feb. 15. All residents of the Town of Washington and Village of Millbrook will be receiving a mail-out ballot in March to vote on their top three priorities.

Millerton News
community

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.

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

A family business gives old furniture a second act

A family business gives old furniture a second act

“London Sky,” a vintage settee reimagined by Pryor and Peacock with a dramatic view of the London skyline.

Provided by Pryor and Peacock

If you’ve ever seen one of those updated episodes of Antiques Roadshow, you know a lot of old furniture doesn’t hold its value the way it used to.

Gone are the days when the Keno brothers could tell you that your great-grandmother’s old chairs could pay off your mortgage. Instead, a younger market of buyers is looking for more simply designed furniture, often in the form of factory-made pieces using more affordable materials. Think Crate & Barrel or even IKEA, versus the ornate craftsmanship of yesteryear.

Keep ReadingShow less
lifestyle
google preferred source

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