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One-woman show brings Mumbet’s fight for freedom to Scoville Library
Natalia Zukerman
Mar 25, 2026
One-woman show brings Mumbet’s fight for freedom to Scoville Library
One-woman show brings Mumbet’s fight for freedom to Scoville Library
On March 29, writer, producer and director Tammy Denease will embody the life and story of Elizabeth Freeman, widely known as Mumbet, in two performances at the Scoville Library in Salisbury. Presented by Scoville Library and the Salisbury Association Historical Society, the performance is part of Salisbury READS, a community-wide engagement with literature and civic dialogue.
Mumbet was the first enslaved woman in Massachusetts to sue successfully for her freedom in 1781. Her victory helped lay the legal groundwork for the abolition of slavery in the state just two years later. In bringing Mumbet’s story to life, Denease does more than reenact history.
“I have been performing Mumbet for over 15 years now,” she said. What continues to resonate is “her self-awareness and self-worth even though she was enslaved. Her legacy of self-care and the ability to take care of others. That has not changed over time.”
Denease’s one-woman performance, “One Minute a Free Woman,” is part of her “Hidden Women” series, which centers figures too often pushed to the margins of historical memory. Drawing upon her own lineage and storytelling traditions passed down from her great-grandmother, a formerly enslaved woman, Denease creates work that bridges personal inheritance and collective history. Her background as a museum educator and interpretive guide shapes this approach.
“Being an interpretive educator helps me put the humanity back into history that has been removed when telling the stories,” she said.
The 2 p.m. program welcomes school-age audiences and families, while a 4 p.m. performance invites adults into a deeper and more intense exploration of Mumbet’s life.
“The format of the show will only change in the way I deliver the story,” Denease explained. “It will be more intense and in detail for the adults, less intense for the kids. However, it will not be watered down.”
For young people, Denease hopes the performance ignites curiosity and critical thought. “I hope school-age audiences’ imaginations are activated to want to know more and to never stop asking questions.” Adults, she said, are invited into a deeper investigation. “I hope for my adult audience that they will question what they were taught and see history through a different lens.”
That spirit of inquiry lies at the heart of Salisbury READS. “Literature and live performances go hand in hand,” Denease said. “Reading activates the imagination; living history helps that activated mind to make historical connections and keep the humanity and dignity in place where it was never given or taken away.”
Ultimately, the performance asks audiences to treat history not as distant fact but as shared responsibility. “I hope the audience will continue to question why knowing accurate and complete history is so important,” Denease said. “To understand that not knowing the whole story hurts everyone.”
To register for the event, visit scovillelibrary.org
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Buddy and Holly: poetry and song at Troutbeck
Natalia Zukerman
Mar 25, 2026
Buddy Wakefield and Holly Miranda
Photos by Sara Boulter and provided
On Saturday, March 28, Troutbeck in Amenia will host “An Acoustic Evening with Buddy Wakefield and Holly Miranda,” bringing together two artists who carefully employ language — to tell stories, to shape songs and to search for truth.
The two artists met last August at the memorial service for their dear friend, poet Andrea Gibson.
“We kept bumping into each other in those really funny, awkward, weird moments that can happen at a funeral,” said Miranda. “We knew we really liked each other and wanted to spend some more time together.”
That connection continued over the winter when Miranda enrolled in one of Wakefield’s online poetry courses.
“I just thought maybe I should do something totally out of my comfort zone to kick-start some creative flow,” she explained. The class introduced her to a structured prompt and feedback process which, in the end, sparked new material. “I’m not a poet,” said Miranda. “And I’m definitely not a student,” she continued, laughing, making reference to herself as a high school dropout. “So, this was a new process for me. And I really liked it.”
Born in Detroit, Miranda burst onto the Brooklyn music scene in the late ’90s and has since collaborated with a wide constellation of artists from Lou Reed to Karen O, Leslie Gore and Tegan and Sara. In 2021, she co-founded Eye Knee Records with Elissa Young and Ambrosia Parsley to support independent artists. She is currently part of a team developing a 250-capacity music venue in Woodstock, Calliope, named for the Greek muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry.
“There’s a lot of small-town bureaucracy we’re still wading through,” said Miranda, estimating it’ll be another 18 months or so before the venue opens its doors.
Wakefield, a three-time Individual World Poetry Slam champion now based in Portugal, said this event came together after an invitation from Troutbeck’s director of culture and commerce, Sascha Lewis.
“Everything he’s invited me to in the past has been awesome, so I knew this would be too. And then, of course, there’s Holly.”
The performance will take place in the ballroom, the perfect setting to foster intimacy and a close connection to the audience. Wakefield, whose performances blend theater, poetry, humor and personal narrative, said he adjusts each set to fit the space he’s in.
“I definitely adapt in a choose your own adventure way,” he said.
Over more than two decades of relentless touring — from grand urban stages to unexpected corners of the world — Wakefield has helped expand spoken word beyond readings into emotionally dynamic live performance.
It’s fitting as well that this pairing unfolds at a place steeped in creative history. The evening, which begins at 5 p.m., will be a continuation of that tradition: art not as spectacle, but as exchange.
In a time when so much competes for our dwindling attention, this performance will offer something rare: the chance to sit quietly in a beautiful room while two singular artists remind us how powerful unamplified truth can be.
Guests are invited to stay for dinner. Reservations are encouraged. Tickets at troutbeck.com
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“Revolution Song”
Lakeville Journal
Mar 25, 2026
Provided
Historian Russell Shorto joins local educators Peter Vermilyea and Rhonan Mokriski for a conversation about Shorto’s “Revolution Song” on March 27 at the Salisbury Forum, marking Salisbury’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. Register at salisburyforum.org
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Dutchess County Sheriff’s Report
Millerton News
Mar 25, 2026
The Millerton Village offices on Route 22.
Archive photo
Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Harlem Valley area activity report March 13 to March 18.
March 13 — Deputies responded to 7 John St. in Millerton to investigate a domestic dispute occurring at that location.Matter resolved without further police intervention.
March 14 — Deputies responded to Ingersoll Chevrolet in the Town of Pawling for a report of a stolen vehicle at that location.Management reported a Gray 2018 Camaro was taken from the lot overnight.Investigation on-going
March 16 — Deputies responded to Route 3192 in the Town of Dover for a report of a suspicious person on the property. Investigation resulted in the arrest of Courtney D. Chappell, age 44, who was charged with burglary in the third degree as well as petit larceny. Chappell was issued an appearance ticket returnable to the Town of Dover court at a later date.
March 18 — Deputies responded to Irving Farm Coffee in the Village of Millerton for a reported female causing a disturbance. The female was gone upon patrol arrival.Investigation on-going.
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.
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Pine Plains median home price jumps to nearly $550,000
Christine Bates
Mar 25, 2026
Built in 1880, this historic home at 80 North Main St., featuring original details, recently sold “as is” for $520,000 as part of an estate sale.
Christine Bates
PINE PLAINS — The 12-month trailing median sale price for a single-family home in the Town of Pine Plains climbed to $548,250 for the period ending Jan. 31, 2026.
That figure marks a 55% increase from the $353,750 median recorded for the 12 months ending Jan. 31, 2025, and a 58% jump from $347,500 for the comparable period ending Jan. 31, 2024.
The annual number of home sales, measured on a 12-month rolling basis, remained within Pine Plains’ three-year range of 12 to 18 sales per year. A total of 18 single-family homes sold in the 12 months ending Jan. 31, 2026, compared with 14 sales in the period ending Jan. 31, 2025, and 18 sales in the 12 months ending one year prior.
The market’s busiest stretch in recent years was during the pandemic-era boom. In June 2021, Pine Plains recorded 40 home sales on a 12-month rolling basis.
Inventory remains limited. As of March 21, there were 10 single-family homes on the market. Of those, four were listed for more than $1 million.
There were also six parcels of land listed on the MLS, along with four rental listings ranging from $2,610 to $6,500 per month.
January transfers
30 North Main St. – 4 bedroom/2.5 bath house built in 1880 on .73 acres sold to 30 North Main PP LLC for $520,000
34 Myrtle Ave. – 5 bedroom/2.5 bath home built in 1900 on .25 acres sold to Travis Angelo for $270,000
Lake Shore Drive (Parcel # 080203) - .24 vacant acres on Stissing Lake sold to Friends of Stissing Landmarks for $5,000
* Town of Pine Plains real estate transfers recorded between Jan. 1, 2026 and Jan. 31, 2026, provided by Dutchess County Office of Real Property. Transfers without consideration are not included. Current market listings from First Key MLS and market statistics from Infosparks. Note that recorded transfers frequently lag sales by a number of days and include properties sold privately. Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Salesperson with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in CT and NY.
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Webutuck High School Diversity Club marks Women’s History Month
Leila Hawken
Mar 25, 2026
Women’s History Month was celebrated by the Diversity Club at Webutuck High School on Friday, March 20. Club members and featured speakers at the event were, left to right, Nicole Charriez, co-advisor of the Diversity Club, Betsy Strauss, Anabel Cordova, Marcus Burton, Emely Cordova, Dawn Marie Klingner, Lyla Kern, Brooklyn Talarico, Danielle Mollica-Whiteley, Jaimielee Confesor, and Raquel Singleton.
Provided
In observance of Women’s History Month, members of the Diversity Club at Webutuck High School presented a program honoring the contributions of women throughout history and those making a difference today.
The 11-member club gathered Friday, March 20, for the program, which featured speakers from the community sharing personal histories and highlighting women prominent in local history. Common themes throughout the presentation were volunteerism, purposeful living and selflessness.
Joining the students were Brooklyn Talarico, a candidate for the 105th Assembly District; Danielle Mollica-Whiteley, executive director of Angels of Light; Amenia Town Clerk and Court Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner; social worker and Webutuck staff member Raquel Singleton; and Amenia Historical Society representative Betsy Strauss.
Each speaker shared stories of women who looked beyond themselves and found purpose in helping others through public service, nonprofit work, volunteerism, government and education.
The Diversity Club was formed in 2023, according to 10th-grade student Lyla Kern, who said its mission is to celebrate diversity and highlight the range of cultural experiences that make up the student body.
“It’s amazing to highlight what modern women have gone through and to demonstrate for younger generations the importance of these women to the human experience,” said Elisa Silverio, co-adviser for the Diversity Club.
Club adviser Nicole Charriez said the Women’s History Month program had been in the works for two months. She added that past Diversity Club events have focused on Native Americans, African Americans and Hispanic Americans.
Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in California in 1978. The idea spread across the country, and in 1980 President Jimmy Carter issued a proclamation establishing the week of March 8 as Women’s History Week. Congress expanded the observance in 1987, designating the entire month of March as Women’s History Month.
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