Millbrook gazebo’s Friends offer update

MILLBROOK — It’s winter, and most people have on their minds things such as weather, holidays, and flu season, and are not thinking about summery items like planting gardens, hiking or gazebos. But Ashley Lempka and the Friends of the Gazebo never have its preservation far from their thoughts, and provided an update last week.

She sent a reminder that the gazebo in question, by the Elm Drive School off Maple Avenue, is more than 100 years old. She added,  “It has served hot dogs at baseball games; hosted concerts for village residents; and offered a simple, shady respite for those strolling about town.”

The structure, once white and pristine, is now in serious disrepair, with orange netting announcing its hazardous state, peeling paint and other signs of neglect painfully on view.

It is thought to have been designed by prominent architect James Edward Ware, so it has historical significance as well as a romantic and local sentiment.

The Millbrook Central School District (MCSD), the legal owner of the gazebo, has stated that it cannot fund the restoration needed to restore the site to its original glory. Help is needed from the community to bring it back from the brink of demolition and to rebuild and maintain it for the generations to come.

The Friends of the Gazebo have raised almost $18,000 toward this end, but it will take about $58,000 for the restoration. The Friends are a nonprofit organization, founded for the purpose of saving the gazebo, and they have worked diligently, holding meetings, reaching out to people and working on fundraising.

In October, Lempka, with Patrick Wing, presented at the MCSD Board meeting, outlining the history of the gazebo and its significance to the community. They also discussed the effort put into fundraising and their future plans for the gazebo.

The school has offered to put the gazebo on the budget vote as a bond act on Tuesday, May 16, and voters will then vote to approve or disapprove an expenditure for it.

Following that effort, a fundraising letter was sent out to over 300 Millbrook residents from Lempka and Robert McHugh, president of the Millbrook Historical Society. “Dollar-by-dollar, we know the spirit of Millbrook will shine through and the gazebo will once again become a living piece of our history,” said the letter. It brought in about $1,000. Plans are being made to hold a silent auction in the spring as well as other fundraising events. Those with personal photos of the gazebo may share them on Instagram and tag @friendsofthegazebo

Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Visit www.millbrookgazebo.com/donate to make a tax-deductible donation, or contribute to @friendsofthegazebo on PayPal or Venmo, or send a check to: Friends of the Gazebo c/o Millbrook Historical Society P.O. Box 135 Millbrook, NY 12545.

Latest News

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Help Wanted

PART-TIME CARE-GIVER NEEDED: possibly LIVE-IN. Bright private STUDIO on 10 acres. Queen Bed, En-Suite Bathroom, Kitchenette & Garage. SHARON 407-620-7777.

The Salisbury Association’s Land Trust seeks part-time Land Steward: Responsibilities include monitoring easements and preserves, filing monitoring reports, documenting and reporting violations or encroachments, and recruiting and supervising volunteer monitors. The Steward will also execute preserve and trail stewardship according to Management Plans and manage contractor activity. Up to 10 hours per week, compensation commensurate with experience. Further details and requirements are available on request. To apply: Send cover letter, resume, and references to info@salisburyassociation.org. The Salisbury Association is an equal opportunity employer.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

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

To save birds, plant for caterpillars

Fireweed attracts the fabulous hummingbird sphinx moth.

Photo provided by Wild Seed Project

You must figure that, as rough as the cold weather has been for us, it’s worse for wildlife. Here, by the banks of the Housatonic, flocks of dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows, tufted titmice and black-capped chickadees have taken up residence in the boxwood — presumably because of its proximity to the breakfast bar. I no longer have a bird feeder after bears destroyed two versions and simply throw chili-flavored birdseed onto the snow twice a day. The tiny creatures from the boxwood are joined by blue jays, cardinals and a solitary flicker.

These birds will soon enough be nesting, and their babies will require a nonstop diet of caterpillars. This source of soft-bodied protein makes up more than 90 percent of native bird chicks’ diets, with each clutch consuming between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars before they fledge. That means we need a lot of caterpillars if we want our bird population to survive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephanie Haboush Plunkett and the home for American illustration

Stephanie Haboush Plunkett

L. Tomaino
"The field of illustration is very close to my heart"
— Stephanie Plunkett

For more than three decades, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett has worked to elevate illustration as a serious art form. As chief curator and Rockwell Center director at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, she has helped bring national and international attention to an art form long dismissed as merely commercial.

Her commitment to illustration is deeply personal. Plunkett grew up watching her father, Joseph Haboush, an illustrator and graphic designer, work late into the night in his home studio creating art and hand-lettered logos for package designs, toys and licensed-character products for the Walt Disney Co. and other clients.

Keep ReadingShow less
Free film screening and talk on end-of-life care
‘Come See Me in the Good Light’ is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards.
Provided

Craig Davis, co-founder and board chair of East Mountain House, an end-of-life care facility in Lakeville, will sponsor a March 5 screening of the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light” at The Moviehouse in Millerton, followed by a discussion with attendees.

The film, which is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards, follows the poet Andrea Gibson and their partner Megan Falley as they are suddenly and unimaginably forced to navigate a terminal illness. The free screening invites audiences to gather not just for a film but for reflection on mortality, healing, connection and the ways communities support one another through difficult life transitions.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

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

google preferred source

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