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

Morning rituals in May

May Day/May Day; no, not our international distress call, but rather my anxious unknowing thoughts as I sit concealed on a mountainside May day pre-dawn morning wondering what dawn will conjure up on this new day. A heart-pounding adrenalin rush or a tranquil wilderness encounter.

The first hint of dawn reveals a fog enshrouded valley; fog which will slowly dissipate as the sun peeks over the eastern horizon to loosen its shafts of gold. My auditory and visual senses pique awaiting the deep throated gobble from an awakening mature tom turkey announcing his new day. The duel begins between Tom and I. Tom usually wins and that’s OK with me.

This and other similar May morning rituals go on through the month until noon or on the rare occasions when mostly luck enables me to take two toms on alternate days as New York DEC law dictates. On a late waning May pre-dawn Memorial Day morning I will be waiting on a wooded overgrown and lush understoried hillside overlooking a soon-to-be visible majestic expanse of valley connecting New York and Connecticut. My senses and thoughts are fine-tuned to a kaleidoscope of the past, present and future as I await the early morning Millerton American Legion honor guard rifle volleys honoring those veterans resting in the cemetery below.

A somber day for me. I will remain in place for a couple more hours with my thoughts before returning home, putting away my gear and heading to our main town cemetery to give my own departing respectful salute while gazing upon scores of proud American flags gently unfurling and honoring those gallant men and women resting beneath. I offer a prolonged salute while silently exclaiming “forever may they fly, forever may they fly.” God bless you patriotic readers and your families. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend festivities and celebrations.

Please take a moment to say a little prayer for those who have fallen to preserve our freedoms. They cry out in unison “REMEMBER ME, I am the one who made this freedom-loving day possible for you, REMEMBER ME.”

 

Town of North East resident Larry Conklin is a Vietnam veteran and a member of both the Millerton American Legion Post 178 and the VFW Post 6851 in North Canaan, Conn.

Larry Conklin
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Millerton News and The News does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

The Millerton News - November 5, 2026

The Millerton News - November 5, 2026

Download directly

A Halloween scream with David Arquette

A Halloween scream with David Arquette

David Arquette, left, talks with moderator Victor Dandridge during “Behind the Scream” at the Warner Theatre in Torrington on Oct. 31.

D.H. Callahan

This December marks the 30th anniversary of Wes Craven’s “Scream,” one of the most influential movies in horror history. On Saturday, Oct. 31, David Arquette, one of the film’s stars, came to the Warner Theatre in Torrington for a Halloween screening and conversation billed as “Behind the Scream.”

“Scream” was met with critical praise when it premiered in 1996, with many noting its satirical, self-aware look at the horror genre without the usual trappings of camp or kitsch. Featuring a cast of mid-1990s A-listers including Drew Barrymoore, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Liev Schreiber, Neve Campbell and “Friends” star Courteney Cox, the movie was destined to be part of the cinematic zeitgeist.

Keep ReadingShow less
film

After 30 years, Dave Jones is shifting into lower gear

After 30 years, Dave Jones is shifting into lower gear


Now, 30 years later and in his late 60s, Jones is at the point in his life where he’s ‘figuring out how to land the plane.’

My husband and I first met Dave Jones in 2019, after we’d just moved into our house in Lakeville, a former auto repair garage with 14-foot-high ceilings that had been renovated into a residence. One day, when we woke up to a dead car battery, we called Lakeville Automotive, the nearest repair shop. Jones answered the phone a bit gruffly but then surprised us by showing up in half an hour to jump-start our car. We invited him inside for coffee, and looking around, he said with a grin that for 10 years, back in the day, he’d stored his Mazda Miata right in our living room.

Keep ReadingShow less
our community
google preferred source

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

A different kind of neighborhood bar

A different kind of neighborhood bar

Ryan Andrade brings his passion for inventive cocktails and neighborhood hospitality to Le Bar in Sharon.

D.H. Callahan

When Ryan Andrade moved back to the Tri-Corner region during the pandemic, he wasn’t looking to create a new kind of neighborhood bar. But by the time he connected with Robert Arbor of Le Gamin in Sharon, his vision was clear. In May, they brought that vision to life at a revitalized Le Bar.

Andrade grew up around Millerton, attending the Webutuck High School before heading to Western New England University, where he studied psychology. He’d been slinging coffee since high school but didn’t catch the cocktail bug until managing a cafe at the SoHo Grand Hotel, which, thanks to an international clientele accustomed to different time zones, had a morning bar service. It was there that Andrade discovered the seemingly infinite possibilities of the cocktail world. While there was only so much one could do with coffee, learning about the potential for cocktails, with their shelves and cabinets of curious ingredients, had Andrade feeling like a kid in a candy shop. It wasn’t long before he was seeking out mentors to teach him the industry secrets required of an innovative mixologist.

Keep ReadingShow less
business

Gretchen M. Studio opens in Salisbury

Gretchen M. Studio opens in Salisbury

Grethen Mol at her new studio in Salisbury.

Natalia Zukerman

The keys are hanging from the lock when Gretchen Mol comes to greet me at her new studio on Academy Street in Salisbury. The door is open, and so, it turns out, is she. Mol has the easy familiarity of someone you’ve known for years. And in a sense, you have.

The actress, known for her roles in “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Notorious Bettie Page” and, most recently, “Tulsa King,” is opening Gretchen M. Studio, a creative space and showroom for her small-batch clothing line, with an open house Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7.

Keep ReadingShow less
business

Harvesting experimental sounds at Hungry Reaper Farm

Harvesting experimental sounds at Hungry Reaper Farm

Hungry Reaper Farm founders and managers Will O’Meara and Jill Verzino

D.H. Callahan

On Saturday afternoon, Nov. 7, the farmers at Hungry Reaper Farm in Morris, Connecticut, will host the first concert at their new outdoor venue, The Three Hickeries, smack in the middle of a beautiful field on their farm.

Farm co-founders and co-managers Will O’Meara and Jill Verzino have always been interested in independent means of production. On the farm, that means growing organic produce on a small scale with a big impact. Their crops feed folks from Bridgeport, where Verzino runs a farmers market on Saturdays, all the way over to Millerton, where their vegetables can be found at Tri Corner FEED Market, the community-minded grocery store offering locally sourced food on a sliding scale.

Keep ReadingShow less
concerts
google preferred source

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