MILLERTON — Between the live music and line dancing with a local instructor, Hope Rising Farm in Millerton offered the community free rein of the dance floor as they joined in a Hoedown Fundraiser on Sunday, Aug. 1, to benefit the farm and its equine partners and participants. The farm said it raised about $2,800 in four hours; by Aug. 15 it was more than halfway to its fundraising goal at $3,800.
Established at 19 Morse Hill Road, the therapeutic riding center that provides lessons to the developmentally challenged set a goal of raising $7,000 to purchase a HayGain hay steamer and an equicizer.
Hope Rising Farm Founder and Executive Director Jackie Wikane said the hay steamer takes the dust out of the hay to make it easier and more palatable for the horses to digest, especially the animals with allergies and the senior horses.
To date, Wikane said Hope Rising Farm has 10 horses, eight of which are senior horses over the age of 18.
As for the equicizer, Wikane described it as a mechanical horse that provides riders with the sensation of riding a horse to help them become familiar with the motions of riding a real horse.
In total, the HayGain hay steamer costs $2,999 while the equicizer costs around $4,000.
“We wanted it for a couple of years now,” Wikane said, “and because the farm is so new, we were able to set our sights on a specific something to fundraise for because there’s so much capital stuff to take care of, but we thought it would be nice to tell the community we needed something. We really wanted a physical item that we wanted people to know this is what their money is going for.”
Wikane said a woman who donated some hay to the farm, Gloria Tatsapaugh, came up with the idea for the hoedown and said it’d be a great way to raise some money.
Running from 3 to 7 p.m. at the farm, tickets were $20 per person for those ages 12 and up and free for those under the age of 12.
Fender Benders Band provided live music while Tatsapaugh offered line dancing lessons. A weekly line dancing instructor at Amenia Town Hall, Tatsapaugh brought some students from her Thursday night classes to the event.
Hot dogs and hamburgers were sold as well as Sno Cones, and along with the music and dancing, attendees took part in a silent auction and a 50-50 raffle. The farm also had a large slide for children to enjoy.
Wikane said between 250 and 300 people attended.
Come October, Hope Rising Farm will host a two-day horse show that, in addition to engaging the community will help raise money for the two pieces of equipment.
At this time, the equestrian event has been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 2, through Sunday, Oct. 3, with a rain date of Oct. 9 and 10.
Apart from its fundraising events, Wikane said that Hope Rising Farm has restarted its riding lessons and that it’s happy “to be back and to serve the community and the population of adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” adding, “we’re always looking for volunteers and participants.”
For more information about upcoming events, volunteer and program opportunities, contact Hope Rising Farm at 845-797-8365 or at hrf2019inc@gmail.com. There’s also a Facebook page, “Hope Rising Farm Therapeutic Riding Center, Inc.,” and the farm is on Instagram, at “@hoperisingfarminc.”
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.
