Plans to revitalize Norfolk’s Infinity Hall unveiled
Infinity Hall, built in 1883.
Jennifer Almquist
Nearly 200 people gathered at Infinity Hall to discuss possibilities for its future use.Jennifer Almquist
Latest News
Local equine therapy facility celebrates horse’s 35th birthday
Nathan Miller
May 20, 2026
Jacqueline Wikane, right, executive director of Hope Rising Farm and equine therapist, leads Atticus the appaloosa pony out of the barn on Saturday, May 16.
Photo By Nathan Miller
AMENIA — Local equine therapy facility Hope Rising Farm celebrated a special birthday on Saturday, May 16.
People from across Dutchess County and neighboring Connecticut celebrated Atticus the appaloosa pony’s 35th birthday with a party featuring a bouncy castle, a mechanical bull, a petting zoo and live music in the evening.
Jacqueline Wikane, owner and executive director of Hope Rising Farm, said she adopted Atticus about 20 years ago from a former rider. Under her care, he works as a therapy horse in Wikane’s therapeutic riding program at the farm.
The program serves adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “We teach them all about horses,” Wikane said, adding that interacting with and riding horses has a calming effect on the nervous system.
“It relaxes your blood pressure,” Wikane said. “It makes you calm.”
Although the horse has reached an advanced age, Atticus participates in the therapy program and even takes people for rides. Wikane said the activity is good for therapy clients and the horse. The aging horse needs regular exercise, and slow trail rides are stimulating without being too taxing, she said.
Atticus’s old age requires special care, too. The horse has lost most of his teeth, so Wikane and her volunteers have to feed him a soft mash and fine hay for his meals so he doesn’t have to chew as much. A steamer softens and moistens the hay in the winter, Wikane said, to ensure Atticus gets enough water.
“We do a lot for him,” Wikane said, adding that horses often live into their 40s naturally.
For his birthday, Atticus got a soft cake made of oats, carrots and other treats — all mashed to his liking.
Hope Rising Farm provides semi-private lessons starting at $65 for one hour and private lessons for $85 per hour. More information is available online at www.hoperisingfarm.org
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Let’s hear it…
Millerton News
May 20, 2026
One of the things that sets a community newspaper apart is that its readers are participants in the communities it covers. The people who pick up this paper, read us online, or engage with us on social media are the same people making decisions at town hall, running the organizations that support our communities, and living with the consequences of the issues we report on.
“Let’s Hear It …” is a new weekly feature in which we pose a question to our readers and publish a selection of responses. Questions may touch on issues we’re covering, invite readers to share their experiences and expertise, or simply be worth thinking about together. We’ll share each week’s question in print, online, and across our social media channels. Selected responses will appear in this section next week. Send responses to publisher@lakevillejournal.com.
So, let’s hear it …
What is one change you’d make to your town center to make it more welcoming?
Include your name and town in your response.
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Cause and effect of tariffs
Peter Riva
May 20, 2026
The problem with tariffs is that it weakens the political hold on the population, setting up an adversarial relationship as prices rise. Tariffs, in other words price control – for that is in effect what tariffs do – are a governmental restriction to free trade for the population. Even if the goal was to balance import/export trade balance, the real effect is that the government is telling the population that the price of goods is politically controlled by the government. In America this is seen as loss of freedom, loss of getting what you want at a price you could previously afford, and, more than anything, a loss of your individual sovereignty.
America is made of people who demand control over their own lives – even if it’s illusory at times. Americans, spoiled as many foreign cultures seem to think, cannot fathom not being able to do as they damn well please, buy what they darn well want to, and especially want to feel in control of their own happiness.
When you suddenly have to pay 50% more for gasoline or diesel, as an American you do not blame yourself for needing the fuel, you blame “them” for raising the price without your consent. You go to your local gas station and get angry at that supplier. Yesterday I watched a man filling his diesel truck, cursing at the state of affairs as he slammed the nozzle back into the pump. I asked him who he was angry at for the ridiculous diesel price. “We were promised no damn wars, and this is what I get.” The key part of that response is “…what I get.” Personal pronoun. It’s being done to him, taking away his control over his own destiny.
Compare the situation here to China. The same top-down control of prices is put into place but the difference is the Chinese people do not have a feeling of entitlement to happiness, they know their happiness, their personal sovereignty, is controlled by the state. As China moves slowly to a market-oriented economy, or seen another way state-led capitalism, there will come a time when people expect to be able to control their own happiness rather than have it bestowed at the state’s whim. For now, however, that same top-down control in Russia is the very reason there has not been a popular uprising of any effect since the people in Russia are completely devoid of that individualistic desire to be in sole control – or even think they can be in sole control – of their happiness.
Think of tariffs and top-down price control as a stretched rubber band. It can only stretch so far. Pressure is building in America and unlike a true top-down socialist or communist government full control, American political control over tariffs or perhaps the adverse effect of imposed tariffs at an American consumer level, could suddenly cause the rubber band to snap, causing chaos. That could cause a ripple effect across all markets, across the globe, and political upheaval. This pressure, this stress, is always the risk of top-down control of a population’s desires. Unlike socialist countries’ populations, Americans’ desires, American’s happiness quotients, are always tied to the individual, not the state. If the state gets this wrong – and so far they really have -- a repeat rebellion is assured in one form or another.
Peter Riva, a former resident of Amenia Union, New York, now lives in Gila, New Mexico.
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Poppy Day, spelling, Warriors mascot, teachers
Millerton News
May 20, 2026
The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.
May 16, 1935
Poppy Day To Be Observed In Millerton
Poppy Day is to be observed in Millerton on Saturday, May 25. when the Millerton American Legion Auxiliary will conduct its annual sale of poppies to be worn in honor of those who died in the World War. A part of the national observance of Poppy Day, activities here will be under the supervision of an Auxiliary committee comprised of Mrs. Gertrude Manning, chairman Mrs. Margaret Blanchard, Mrs Mary Silvernail, Mrs. Maxine Richardson, Mrs. Grace Tabor and Mrs. Emily Brewer. The distribution of the flowers will be carried on by a large corps of volunteer workers.
Win Elimination Spelling Contest
Ann Pulver, Frances Miller, Frances Decker, the winners of an elimination spelling contest conducted at Millerton High School Saturday morning, will compete in the Dutchess County contest to be held in the future. Pupils from the various rural schools in the Town of North East participated in addition to students of the local school.
The winner of the county contest will represent Dutchess County in the state spelling bee to be held at the New York State Fair in Syracuse next fall.
May 20, 1976
Photo caption:
DAIRY PRINCESS … The Dutchess County Dairy Princess contest was held Friday night at the Farm and Home Center in Millbrook. Marnie Briggs of Millbrook, 3rd from left, was crowned the happy winner. Posing with her are, from left, Nancy Knapp of Stormville, Lauren Lyle of Millerton, Briggs, last year’s Princess Molly Pulver of North East and last year’s alternate Katie Loughlin of Amenia. Missing in the picture are contestants Debra Akin of Pawling and Mary Buglion of Clinton Corners.
Town Board Won’t Act; Rezoning Proposal Dies
The North East Town Board took no action on a rezoning application at its Thursday, May 13, meeting, thereby denying developers the right to build a shopping center outside of the Village of Millerton. General Development of Connecticut (GDC) applied last fall to the Town Board to rezone approximately 5 acres of land on Route 44 at the New York Connecticut State line from residential to commercial. The developers sought to build a small shopping center on a 10-acre parcel. About 5 acres is already zoned highway commercial at the site.
Watering Trough
The Board approved a proposal to place an old watering trough, found by Fred Finkle, on the lawn in front of the Town Hall. Perotti said that the Village would erect the old stone trough and make it into a fountain. The 4½ foot round trough used to stand near where the diner is now on Main Street.
Cemetery Stones
Louis Peck inquired whether the highway superintendent had permission to straighten stones in the Winchell Mountain Cemetery on Oct. 5, 1975. Town Attorney Robert Trotta said that the stone-straightening was in the superintendent’s jurisdiction since he cannot mow the grass at the cemetery if the stones are down.
Briggs Crowned Dairy Princess
Marnie Briggs of Millbrook was crowned the 1976 Dutchess County Dairy Princess on Friday, May 14. The alternate princess is Mary Guglion of Clinton Corners. Dairy Maids are Lauren Lyle of Millerton, Debra Jane Akin of Pawling, and Nancy Knapp of Stormville.
Marnie is the daughter of dairy farmer Ted Briggs. She attends Millbrook High School where she is active in the student government and is a cheerleader. She is a member of the 4-H and Junior Holstein Club. Marnie plans to stay associated with the dairy industry.
May 17, 2001
Webutuck Panel Likes Warriors Mascot
WEBUTUCK - Members of the Webutuck School District’s newly formed mascot committee expressed a variety of ideas concerning the use of Native American mascots in schools.
Yet the majority of those present wanted to retain Webutuck’s current “Warriors” name, and some wished to keep the Indian head mascot as well.
Elenor Campbell, who has been working in the Webutuck School System for 12 years, said, “It’s petty to even be considering something like this.”
At MES, Teacher Ellen Terni Wants Students ‘To Stand On Their Own’
MILLERTON — Ellen Terni began teaching at a New Jersey school because she “needed a job.”
“The year I was hired, they were very hard up for math teachers, and I was a math major,” said Ms. Terni. Though Ms. Terni basically “fell into” teaching, it is clearly her calling.
Ms. Terni, who had a hunch that teaching was the career for her, said, “Those gut feelings really were right.”
Tarsia on Dean’s List
MILLERTON - Jake Tarsia has been named to the dean’s list for the spring quarter at Rochester Institute of Technology. A first-year student, Mr Tarsia is studying computer technology.
He is the son of Stacie Tarsia of Millerton and Frank Tarsia of Lakeville, Conn. Mr. Tarsia is a graduate of Webutuck High School
From YESTERYEAR: Millerton Grandly Celebrated Centennial
THE YEAR was 1951.
In Millerton, they were preparing for its 100-year celebration and now in the year 2001, Millerton is preparing for its 150-year celebration.
Julia Becker, 95, was chosen as queen of the celebration. Who will be chosen as the 2001 queen? and get to ride in a convertible down Main Street to the Sesquicentennial committee?? How about a king for the 150-year celebration?
The Centennial Committee held a talent show at the Millerton Theater. Admission was free and Charlie Johnson, a 1951 graduate of Millerton High School, stole the show as he played his own inimitable type of boogie woogie on the piano. The second place winner was Kent Pitcher, who sang a ballad. Third place winner was Laurie Berger with her song and dance routine. Other contestants were Happy Miller, Darryl Steven, Patsy Kelsey and the Smoky Mountain Boys.
Some events that took place during the first 100 years were:
· The Millerton Electric Company joined with Central Hudson in 1928 and our town is still served by Central Hudson.
· In a special election in July of 1936, the taxpayers of the village voted to purchase the Millerton Driving Park, today called Eddie Collins Field.
· The fire department’s so called “Millerton Days” started in 1939.
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Plant sale days
Leila Hawken
May 20, 2026
Photo by Leila Hawken
Gardeners turned out for the 33rd annual Master Gardener Spring Plant Sale at the Dutchess County Cooperative Extension Center in Millbrook Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16. Master Gardeners were on hand to answer questions about the vast array of plants available.
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