MILLERTON — From delivering top-notch service to its diners on a weekly basis to creating a program to keep the community fed during a global health pandemic, the Oakhurst Diner has been going the extra mile to support the community it serves throughout its many years in business. Located at 19 Main St. in Millerton, the diner celebrated 10 years in business on Monday, May 18, prompting employees to reflect on their time spent at the classic diner and in the close-knit community to consider how the business has carved a name for itself in the village over the last decade.
Though the Oakhurst Diner officially opened for business in 2010, the diner and its classic Silk City dining car structure came into the village around the 1960s. Formerly known as the Millerton Diner, the restaurant changed hands several times over the years before Paul Harney and Justin Panzer bought it in May of 2010. Paying homage to the village’s former Oakhurst Inn, the owners changed their restaurant’s namesake to the Oakhurst Diner and kept it stocked it with local products, such as tea from Harney & Sons Fine Tea and meat from Herondale Farm in Ancramdale.
Between the classic diner dishes and the more exotic cuisine, there’s always something delicious to eat at the Oakhurst Diner. Dropping by the diner for breakfast, lunch or dinner, diners are guaranteed to find a diverse crowd of customers seated at its booths and atop the stools in front of its counter. Appealing to locals and visitors from all walks of life, the diner has received acclaim in recent years from The New York Times for its “midcentury nostalgia” and from The Berkshire Edge for its “culinary adventures.”
Having joined the diner during its initial year of business, Sienna Finkle, a waitress at the Oakhurst Diner, was 15 years old when she started working there as a busser. After working on and off at the diner for the past decade, she spoke highly about her experience there.
“I just feel like people love coming here,” Finkle said. “It’s really great that we’ve been able to give back to the community.”
When the coronavirus pandemic first struck in March, the Oakhurst Diner promptly adapted to the changing business economy by reducing its employee count and offering curbside and takeout service to the local community. In April, when many businesses were shut down due to the pandemic, the diner launched a program geared toward supplying area residents in need with free meals. With generous donations from the local community, the program took off and the diner was able to keep operating and ensure its beloved community would have food to look forward to during the pandemic.
Today, the diner’s hours of operation run from Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., takeout only. As of now, the diner hasn’t yet opened its dining room to the public, but is instead continuing to provide curbside and takeout service until further notice. Residents can place an order by calling 518-592-1313. They may also go online to the diner’s new website at www.oakhurst-diner.com.
“Under the current circumstances, I’m just really grateful to the customers for coming back and allowing us just to be here even under different circumstances,” said Oakhurst Diner manager Claire Caramanica. “I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Waterlily (8”x12”) made by Marilyn Hock
It takes a lot of courage to share your art for the first time and Marilyn Hock is taking that leap with her debut exhibition at Sharon Town Hall on Sept. 12. A realist painter with a deep love for wildlife, florals, and landscapes, Hock has spent the past few years immersed in watercolor, teaching herself, failing forward, and returning again and again to the page. This 18-piece collection is a testament to courage, practice and a genuine love for the craft.
“I always start with the eyes,” said Hock of her animal portraits. “That’s where the soul lives.” This attentiveness runs through her work, each piece rendered with care, clarity, and a respect for the subtle variations of color and light in the natural world.
After painting in oils earlier in life, Hock returned to art when she retired from working as a paralegal with a goal: to learn watercolor. It wasn’t easy.
“Oils and watercolor are opposites,” she explained. “With oils, you build your darks first. In watercolor, if you do that, you’re in trouble.” She studied online, finding instructors whose approach clicked, and adapted to the delicacy of the medium.
“When I’m working, everything else falls away,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in life. While I’m painting, time disappears.”
Her studio, formerly a home office, is now her sanctuary and the pieces in this exhibition are the result of three years of that devoted studio work. While this is her first full public show, Hock previously tested the waters at a small fundraiser at Noble Horizons, where one of her pieces sold. That experience — and the consistent encouragement from her family, especially her husband — pushed her to pursue a full exhibition. With gentle encouragement from her husband and family, Hock reached out to the Town Hall’s curator, Zelina Blagden. “My husband kept saying, ‘You’re as good as all those other people out there, why not show your work?’” And so, here it is.
All paintings in the show are for sale, though Hock admits a few are priced high — not because of their size or complexity — but because she’s not quite ready to let them go. “There are a couple I’ve priced high because I’m not sure I want to part with them. But we’ll see,” she laughed. “It would be nice to support the habit a little bit.”
As for aspiring artists or anyone hesitating to begin something creative, Hock’s advice is simple: “Go for it. If it fails, toss it in the basket and start over.”
The exhibit will be on view at Sharon Town Hall through Oct. 31 with an opening reception on Sept. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Carissa Unite, general manager of Oblong Books in Millerton.
Carissa Unite of Millerton, began working at Oblong Books 16 years ago as a high schooler. She recently celebrated her eight-year anniversary as the general manager.
Unite’s journey at Oblong began even before she applied for her first position.An avid reader from a young age, she was a frequent customer at the store. During those years, Unite bonded with a former employee who encouraged her to apply for a position after connecting over their shared love of reading.
As a teenager, Unite enjoyed reading Ellen Hopkins, John Green and Ann Brashares. With the busyness of adulthood, she now favors the convenience of audio books. In the past year, however, she has made it a point to read more physical books.
With a preference for contemporary fiction, she raved about “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The story, set in the 1980s, follows two women who become astronauts at a time when women were not widely accepted in the field. A beautiful love story emerges between the two characters. Unite described the writing as sensational and commended Reid’s ability to tackle complex themes without them being muddied.
Unite has developed a deep appreciated for classic literature. Her two favorites are “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. She was amazed by the philosophical nature of both words and the way their dialogue challenged her perspective.
In an effort to read beyond her preferred genre, she recommends the following:
“Some Desperate Glory,” by Emily Tesh, “Midnight Rooms,” by Donyae Coles and “Clear” by Carys Davies.
For Unite, the beauty of reading lies in its power to develop perspective, empathy, and compassion. Through books, readers learn that everyone is fighting different battles and no two stories are the same. She encourages people to choose kindness because you never know what someone else is facing.
Above all, reading brings Unite peace. If offers transcendence to another world, a pause from outside noise, and for Unite, it is where she feels most at home.
For anyone hesitant to being reading, Unite suggests: just do it! Read 10 pages a day and find the book that speaks to you. Any Oblong staff member would be happy to offer recommendations.
Oblong is located at 26 Main St., in Millerton and 6422 Montgomery St. in Rhinebeck.
Photographer Sarah Blodgett displayed her prints on canvas at the Souterrain Gallery of The Wish House during the Open Studio Tour in Cornwall.
The weather was perfect on Saturday, Aug. 30, for the 19th annual Artists’ Studio Tour in Cornwall, held each Labor Day weekend.
Organizer David Colbert said, “It has become quite a tradition.”
Colbert’s studio was one of 10 on this year’s tour.His large geometric works line a sculpture walk near the studio, which those on the tour were welcome to enjoy.
Another stop was at Tim Prentice’s barn and studio. Prentice is famous for his kinetic sculptures, which were on display in the barn and surrounding fields.Now in his 90s, Prentice held court in his nearby studio.With his eyesight failing due to macular degeneration, he has turned to drawing.
Prentice recently completed “a series of trees before the leaves come out and obscure the structure.I do them from memory.” Drawings on display in his barn were being snapped up by tourgoers, with profits going to help fight macular degeneration.
At the Souterrain Gallery of the Wish House, first-time tour participant and basket maker Tina Puckett sat outside demonstrating her art. Inside the gallery, her unique baskets were on display. “I think the studio tour is great for the public and for us,” she said.
Also, at Souterrain, another first-timer, photographer Sarah Blodgett, showed her work. Photographs printed on canvas were vibrant with colors.She said she works on these in the winter when she can’t be outside doing wildlife photography which, is “near and dear to my heart.”There were samples of that as well.
Other artists on the tour included shoemaker Lauren Brinker, photographer Stephan Sagmiller, potter Sanah Peterson, painters Magaly Ohika, Emily Waters, and Debby Jones, photographer Nick Jacobs, and poet/artist Sally Van Doren.
The tour is a unique opportunity to chat with artists, view and purchase their work, and see their studios.
For more information go to: https://cornwallct.org/event/cornwall-open-studio-2025/
