Lisa Herman and the Millerton 175th Committee brought together local business owners and residents to brainstorm ideas for next summer’s milestone celebration. The meeting was held at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex on Sept. 30.
MILLERTON — As Millerton approaches the 175th anniversary of its founding, planning for the milestone celebration is underway. A business forum was held on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex, inviting local businesses to brainstorm events and ideas and put their stamp on the historic occasion.
The celebration will take place from July 11 through 19, 2026, honoring the past while looking toward the future. Branding for the anniversary, created by committee member Eric Rewilak, highlights the village’s locomotive origins with a train featured prominently in the logo.
Committee member Caroline Farr-Killmer said she was pleased with both the turnout and the creativity in the discussion. “It was nice to see local, friendly faces eager to participate in our 175th anniversary,” she said. “Our committee is working very hard, and I believe this celebration will highlight all the wonderful things the Village of Millerton has to offer from 175 years ago until now!”
Farr-Killmer is planning a 5K race to take place on one of the weekends next July. She also supports marketing efforts for the committee, including creating and managing social media with brand new Facebook and Instagram pages.
Community outreach to promote the 175th celebration is also underway, with the committee attending events throughout the spring and summer, like the Millerton News Street Fair and Webutuck Community Day. They held competitions like sack races that harken back to traditional community days.
The business forum was largely led by Lisa Herman, who brought organization and focus to the meeting. She noted that the committee plans to collaborate with local businesses wherever possible — for example, producing t-shirts and other “swag” through the T-Shirt Farm on Main Street.
The Historical Society hopes to bring its walking tour to life, potentially incorporating historic photographs of commercial buildings in each window, using the village’s rich history as a way to promote local businesses.
The anniversary will culminate with a fair in Eddie Collins Park, and planning is underway to include rides, carnival games, tournaments, live animals and a big brass band, giving a very retro feel. A bathing suit contest was even suggested — a vintage bathing suit contest, that is, to match the theme.
And while many aspects of the celebration will honor the village’s rich history, the committee is also considering a drone display in place of traditional fireworks. The futuristic performance could even depict a train rolling across the night sky, adding a modern twist to the festivities.
The spirit of collaboration was evident throughout the meeting, which drew residents from across the village and town, from the fire department to Oblong Books. The committee is still seeking sponsors, offering a wide variety of naming and donation opportunities, led by Kathy Fenn and Claire Goodman.
For more information or to get involved, email 175th@villageofmillerton-ny.gov. A complete schedule will be posted to the 175th website at villageofmillerton-ny.gov/175th in the months ahead.
Built in 1820, 1168 Bangall Amenia Road sold for $875,000 on July 31 with the transfer recorded in August. It has a Millbrook post office and is located in the Webutuck school district.
STANFORD — The Town of Stanford with nine transfers in two months reached a median price in August of $573,000 for single family homes, still below Stanford’s all-time median high in August 2024 of $640,000.
At the beginning of October there is a large inventory of single-family homes listed for sale with only six of the 18 homes listed for below the median price of $573,000 and seven above $1 million.
July transfers
79 Ernest Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 6.87 acres in 2 parcels sold to Matthew C. Marinetti for $1,225,000.
29 Drake Road — 3 bedroom/3.5 bath home on 2 acres sold to Harper Montgomery for $850,000.
6042 Route 82 — 4 bedroom/2 bath home on 1.09 acres sold to Spencer Thompson for $795,000.
125 Tick Tock Way — 3 bedroom/2.5 bath ranch on 1.9 acres sold to Fleur Touchard for $475,000.
August transfers
102 Prospect Hill Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 6.35 acres sold to Karl Creighton Pfister for $565,000.
252 Ernest Road — 2 bedroom/1 bath cottage on .85 acres sold to Meg Bumie for $465,000.
1196 Bangall Amenia Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 2.16 acres sold to Roderick Alleyne for $875,000.
Hunns Lake Road (#759929) — 59.1 acres of residential land sold to Argos Farm LLC for $3,325,000.
* Town of Stanford recorded real estate transfers from July 1 to August 31 provided by Dutchess County Real Property Office monthly transfer reports. Details on each property from Dutchess Parcel Access - properties with an # indicate location on Dutchess Parcel Access. Market data from One Key MLS and Infosparks .Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Harlem Valley area activity reportSept. 18 to Sept. 30.
Sept. 23 — Deputies responded to 1542 State Route 292 in the Town of Pawling for the report of a suspicious vehicle at that location. Investigation resulted in the arrest of Sebastian Quiroga, age 26, for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree. Quiroga to appear in the Town of Pawling court at a later date.
Sept. 30 — Deputies responded to Woodside Street in the Town of Pine Plains for a past-occurred verbal domestic dispute between a stepfather and stepson.Matter resolved without further police intervention.
PLEASE NOTE:All subjects arrested and charged are alleged to have committed the crime and are presumed innocent until proven guilty and are to appear in local courts later.
If you have any information relative to the aforementioned criminal cases, or any other suspected criminal activity please contact the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 845-605-CLUE (2583) or Emaildcsotips@gmail.com.All information will be kept confidential.
Hunt club members and friends gathered near Pugsley Hill at the historic Wethersfield Estate and Gardens in Amenia for the opening meet of the 2025-2026 Millbrook Hunt Club season on Saturday, Oct. 4. Foxhunters took off from Wethersfield’s hilltop gardens just after 8 a.m. for a hunting jaunt around Amenia’s countryside.
Joining in the fun at the dedication of the new pollinator pathway garden at The Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4, local expert gardener Maryanne Snow Pitts provides information about a planting to Lorraine Mirabella of Poughkeepsie.
MILLBROOK — Participating in a patchwork of libraries that have planted pollinator pathway gardens to attract insects and birds to their native plantings was one of the accomplishments being celebrated at the dedication of a new pollinator garden at the Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4.
“A lot of work went into it,” said Emma Sweeney, past President of the Millbrook Garden Club, who started the local library’s initiative two years ago.
The Pollinator Pathway program is a national effort to plant native plants that native insects depend upon for sustenance and preferred plants for their own seasonal reproduction.
Jana Hogan of Ridgefield, Connecticut, Executive Director of the Pollinator Pathway program, was on hand to present a plaque to the library for its successful participation.
“A garden is not just a garden,” said garden designer Andy Durbridge of Wassaic, designer of the library’s garden. “It may serve as a model for other gardens along the line.”
Speaking to the 50 visitors at the dedication, Durbridge said that the library’s garden has a mission, that it is a working garden, planned to serve insects and birds over their seasons. The earliest plants support pollinators, while the full range of plants continues to serve the needs of those they attract, offering habitat, shelter and food.
A pollinator garden is akin to a prairie, rather than a formalized European garden, Durbridge noted.
The garden project was supported by the library’s Friends group using funds raised during the Holiday Silent Auction and ongoing book sale. A grant from the Millbrook Garden Club also provided support.
