HARLEM VALLEY — After a year of cataclysmic developments in 2020 that included a global pandemic, which forced citizens around the world to adjust their lives to fit a new normal, 2021 was a testament to the ways in which communities can rally together to create meaningful change and help one another navigate life in the wake of major upheaval.
As is tradition for The Millerton News, in our first edition of the New Year we like to reflect on the major stories reported on in the year before throughout the Harlem Valley. Some of the headlines that grabbed the most attention follow below.
2021
Despite the impact COVID-19 made on the state, counties and many municipalities, Harlem Valley communities were determined to move forward on critical projects.
In our area, there was a consensus that infrastructure projects had to be addressed as a priority. The North East, Pine Plains and Amenia Town Boards all focused their attention on improving broadband. All pursued federal grants to get faster and more secure internet service.
They also all pursued ways to install central wastewater systems — key to improve economic development. The Millerton and Millbrook Village Boards are also looking into wastewater systems.
Housing was another major issue; the Amenia Housing Board and the Tri-Town Coalition, an affordable housing group representing Amenia, North East/Millerton and Pine Plains, actively worked to create affordable housing in northeastern Dutchess County.
There will be new housing in Pine Plains, if its Planning Board approves the Durst Organization’s revamped proposal for a 237-lot conservation subdivision. The board has been reviewing Durst's Hudson Valley Project since the spring. The project was proposed more than a decade ago, originally as the Carvel Property Project.
The Pine Plains Planning Board heard complaints this year, too, from neighbors of the Willow Roots food pantry about traffic on North Main Street during Saturday distribution days. After a long and contentious back and forth, Willow Roots moved its distribution center to 7730 South Main St. and had a ribbon-cutting ceremony in March.
Find Part II of The Year in Review here.
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
Top row, left to right, Caroline Kinsolving, Christopher McLinden, Dana Domenick, Reid Sinclair and Director Hunter Foster. Bottom row, left to right, Will Nash Broyles, Dick Terhune, Sandy York and Ricky Oliver in Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap.”
Opening on Sept. 26, Agatha Christie’s legendary whodunit “The Mousetrap” brings suspense and intrigue to the Sharon Playhouse stage, as the theater wraps up its 2025 Mainstage Season with a bold new take on the world’s longest-running play.
Running from Sept. 26 to Oct. 5, “The Mousetrap” marks another milestone for the award-winning regional theater, bringing together an ensemble of exceptional local talent under the direction of Broadway’s Hunter Foster, who also directed last season’s production of “Rock of Ages." With a career that spans stage and screen, Foster brings a fresh and suspense-filled staging to Christie’s classic.
The Playhouse’s casting includes Dana Domenick of Falls Village who leads the cast as Mollie Ralston, the newlywed innkeeper with a secret. Reid Sinclair of Norfolk plays Giles, her husband and partner in hospitality — and maybe in something more sinister. Will Nash Broyles from Lakeville plays the eccentric and enigmatic Christopher Wren, and Sandy York of Sharon will play the role of the imperious Mrs. Boyle. Dick Terhune (Litchfield), Caroline Kinsolving (Salisbury), Ricky Oliver (Pawling), and Christopher McLinden (also Lakeville) round out the cast as the play’s increasingly suspicious guests — and one very determined detective.
As always, Sharon Playhouse has gathered a top-tier creative team to match its cast. The Swader brothers (Christopher and Justin) return with their signature scenic designs, while Kathleen DeAngelis’s costumes and Bobbie Zlotnik’s wigs promise to anchor us firmly in postwar England, even as the plot spirals into timeless psychological suspense. Lighting by Wheeler Moon and sound design by Graham Stone will help turn the cozy theater into a stage crackling with tension.
If you’ve never seen “The Mousetrap,” here’s what you need to know: it’s the murder mystery that truly defined the genre. Premiering in London’s West End in 1952 and still running strong over 30,000 performances later, Christie’s ingenious puzzle unfolds in a snowbound manor house where everyone has something to hide, and no one is safe from suspicion. Its final twist is famously kept secret by audiences — a tradition of theatrical discretion that only deepens the sense of shared experience.
“The enduring success of ‘The Mousetrap’ lies in its suspense, yes, but also in its structure,” said the Playhouse’s Artistic Director Carl Andress. “It’s a masterclass in storytelling. And with Hunter Foster leading this incredible cast of local artists, we know our audiences are in for an evening of mystery, laughter, and yes, plenty of gasps.”
Tickets are available now at SharonPlayhouse.org.
