Millbrook honors fallen heroes, despite pandemic

Millbrook honors fallen heroes, despite pandemic
From left, Air Force 105 Air Wing Division Former Tech Jeff Moseman; Naval Reserve  member Marc Boissey, who serves in a mobile combat unit known as the Seabees; Jonathan Ialongo, an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan; and Washington town Supervisor Gary Ciferri, also a Vietnam veteran.
Photo by Judith O’Hara Balfe

MILLBROOK — On a day over-cast and cool,  a small group of people gathered at the Village Green to pay tribute to those who gave their lives in the line of duty. Around noon, cars followed the five Millbrook firetrucks, beeping their horns as they passed. It was not like other Memorial Day celebrations, COVID-19 had changed that, with Governor Andrew Cuomo barring gatherings of more than 10. 

The flag flew at half-mast; there was no large crowd. In a short address, Washington town Supervisor Gary Ciferri mentioned the victims of the pandemic as well as those of veterans lost. 

“This is normally a pretty big deal, but the main thought of Memorial Day remains and doesn’t diminish the service of those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said before the service. “As a combat vet [of Vietnam] who came back unscathed, this is a special time to remember those who didn’t. We can’t forget those behind the occasion.”

Mark Boissey, who is in the U.S. Naval Reserves and is currently seeking a commission as an officer in the Navy, related that he was away last year, and missed the Millbrook tributes. 

“Memorial Day is so important, especially to those who have served,” he said. “It was heartbreaking to think that it wouldn’t be observed. In spite of the pandemic, we wanted some observance of the day.” 

He discussed it with close friend Jonathan Ialongo, an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and together they reached out to the community.

“This will be different, much smaller, and we want to maintain the social distancing and all, but we still need to honor and do whatever we can to pay tribute to those who sacrificed so much for us,” Ialongo agreed.

Latest News

From students to owners at New Milford’s award-winning dance studio
Elizabeth Frabizzio and Zoe Czerenda, once both students at FineLine, are now co-owners.
Provided

For Elizabeth Frabizzio and Zoe Czerenda, the studios at FineLine Theatre Arts in New Milford, Connecticut hold a lifetime of memories. Both women grew up there, first as students, then as young teachers. Last September, they became the studio’s new owners.

The studio was founded in 2006 by Broadway veterans Elizabeth Parkinson and Scott Wise. Parkinson, a former principal with the Joffrey Ballet, and Wise, a Tony Award winner for “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway,” built the school on professional-level training paired with a strong sense of community. As they prepared to step back from running the school, they didn’t look far for successors. In September 2025, they handed the studio keys to two dancers who had come up through its ranks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lenore Mallett builds community at the Colonial

Lenore Mallett at The Colonial Theatre.

Rebecca Bloomfield

On any given day in Salisbury or Lakeville, you might spot Lenore Mallett picking up dinner at LaBonne’s supermarket or chatting with neighbors. What many may not realize is that this same neighbor helping people find plumbers, foster dogs — even future spouses — is also helping revive the historic Colonial Theatre in North Canaan and quietly shaping community life across the Litchfield Hills.

Mallett is one of the driving forces behind the restoration and reopening of the more than 100-year-old Colonial Theatre, which she and members of the Fiorillo family purchased, renovated and reopened in 2023 as a community cultural hub serving North Canaan and the surrounding region.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Mozarts you don’t know at the Mahaiwe

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Provided

For centuries, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has overshadowed nearly everyone in classical music, including the talented musicians in his own family: his father Leopold, his sister Maria Anna Mozart and his son Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart who were all prolific composers and musicians in their own right.

On March 15, Great Barrington’s Mahaiwe Theater will explore the legacy of Mozart with its “Meet the Mozarts” concert. It’s mostly Amadeus — a quartet will perform the maestro’s “Piano Trio in B-flat, KV 502” and “Quartet in G minor, KV 478” — but the evening will feature works from both the elder and younger Mozarts.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

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

Before the Oscars: watch it or skip it
Photo courtesy Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection/UCLA Library

With awards season upon us, it’s that familiar time of year when one might realize they have seen little to no buzzworthy films this past year. Perhaps you were too busy shoveling your driveway this February to catch “K-Pop Demon Hunter.” Or maybe, after realizing there are 469 known feature films featuring Frankenstein’s monster, you thought it untoward to see the latest iteration of “Frankenstein” by Guillermo del Toro before viewing the previous 468 installments.

Whatever the case may be, if you need some last-minute conversational guidance for your upcoming Oscar party, I am here to get you up to speed on some of the 2026 Academy Award nominees that are worth seeing — and worth skipping.

Keep ReadingShow less
Berkshire Waldorf School updates “Little Women”

Students at Berkshire Waldorf High School rehearse for the performances of “Little Women” March 13-15 at The Unicorn Theater in Stockbridge.

Mike Cobb

The Berkshire Waldorf High School presents “Little Women” by Kate Hamill, adapted from the novel by Louisa May Alcott, at The Unicorn Theater in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Director Kendell Shaffer has taught screenwriting for the Writers Guild Foundation High School Screenwriting Workshops. About the choice of play, Shaffer said,

Keep ReadingShow less

Robin Wall Kimmerer at Cary Institute

Robin Wall Kimmerer at Cary Institute
Provided

On Friday, March 13, The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook will host a reception and lecture with Robin Wall Kimmerer, bestselling author of “Braiding Sweetgrass.” A plant ecologist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Kimmerer blends Indigenous knowledge and Western science to explore how plants and ecosystems can teach us about reciprocity, resilience and our relationship to the natural world. The in-person event is sold out. To register for the online event, visit caryinstitute.org

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.