Parade of Lights sets village aglow

MILLERTON — Just as residents were recovering from their Thanksgiving feasts, the village of Millerton coaxed them out of their cozy homes to ring in the holiday season with a few festivities — including the Millerton Fire Company’s annual Parade of Lights — on Friday, Nov. 26

In the weeks before the Parade of Lights, Townscape of Millerton and North East helped the village get dressed up for the holiday season by hanging holiday lights throughout the village.

While Millerton’s business district was illuminated with strings of lights, garlands and other holiday decor a week before the parade, Townscape and local leaders saved lighting Millerton’s Christmas tree for last. The tree, stationed at the entrance to the village by the stoplight at the intersection of Main Street and Route 22, was lit before the parade took off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday night.

Kicking off the Black Friday festivities in Millerton, The Moviehouse hosted a free community screening of the Christmas movie favorite “Elf” at 11 a.m. With doors opening at 10:30 a.m., each moviegoer was allotted one free small popcorn to snack on as they watched the story of Buddy the Elf play out on the big screen.

After the movie, Black Friday shoppers were encouraged to browse the village shops throughout the day, whether they were looking to gather holiday gift ideas for later or buy something that day for a bargain price.

In the early afternoon, Mother Nature treated everyone to a taste of the winter wonderland to come by turning the day’s cold autumn rain into a light snowfall, which later turned into an excited flurry of fat wet flakes as the night drew near.

Under the falling snowflakes, residents lined the sidewalks from Salisbury Bank & Trust at one end of Main Street all the way down to Route 22 at the other, in anticipation of the parade. It was scheduled to begin from Arnoff Moving & Storage on Route 22 and end at the Millerton firehouse at 24 Century Blvd. There was no party this year afterward due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bundled up against the cold and checking the streets for signs of the parade’s arrival, spectators’ ears perked up with the ricochet of sirens that lit up the night. Young children stood on guard along the sidewalks, waiting to notify family and other community members of the spectacle heading their way and rejoicing when the floats appeared in the distance.

Embracing the holiday season in earnest, parade participants pulled out all the stops to decorate their vehicles and floats for a festive drive through town. A lineup of brightly illuminated fire engines from several local fire companies led the way while sounding their sirens. They were followed by a number of others eager to spread some holiday cheer from inside their cars and atop their parade floats; there were cars decked with strings of holiday lights; and even holiday characters like Santa Claus and the Grinch were spotted.

Community members appeared happy to return to their warm homes after the parade, heartened by the village’s return to its festive holiday traditions and ready to enjoy the rest of the season’s celebrations.

Under the flurry of fast-falling snowflakes, the Millerton Fire Company moved ahead with its annual Parade of Lights, leading a lineup of brightly illuminated parade vehicles and floats from Arnoff Moving & Storage on Route 22 up Main Street to the Millerton firehouse on Century Boulevard. Photo courtesy of Townscape of Millerton and North East

From left, clockwise, Stephanie Hawver, Jordan Hawver, Cheyenne Poucher and Landon Poucher celebrated the holiday season with hot chocolate and the Millerton Fire Company’s annual Parade of Lights on Friday night, Nov. 26. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

Under the flurry of fast-falling snowflakes, the Millerton Fire Company moved ahead with its annual Parade of Lights, leading a lineup of brightly illuminated parade vehicles and floats from Arnoff Moving & Storage on Route 22 up Main Street to the Millerton firehouse on Century Boulevard. Photo courtesy of Townscape of Millerton and North East

Latest News

Fallen trees injure man, destroy fences at dog shelter

Two uprooted locust trees still lie in the yard in front of Animal Farm Foundation’s original kennels where they fell on a fence during a storm on Thursday, June 19.

Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Fallen trees, uprooted and splintered during a thunderstorm, injured a man, destroyed fences and damaged a dog kennel at the Animal Farm Foundation facilities in Bangall.

Isaias Nunez was cleaning along a road on the property with Marco Ortiz, another employee of the dog shelter, when the storm rolled in on the afternoon of Thursday, June 19.

Keep ReadingShow less
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit millertonnews.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less