SHARON — Families and eighth graders spread out in a semi circle on the lawn in front of Sharon Center School on a beautiful evening for an (almost) traditional promotions ceremony on June 16 for the 17 students in the Class of 2021.
Although it was outdoors, the usual protocols were in place, with Principal Karen Manning greeting the students and their loved ones for a day of triumph over the supreme weirdness of the past school year.
Several graduates shared their “reflections” about the year.
Andy Delgado read his poem, “Rising From the Ashes.”
Savannah Milton spoke sensitively about the mixed feelings of leaving the familiar and embarking on new journeys: “There’s only one person you can be: yourself;”and “Don’t be sad about what’s over, take joy in what’s ahead.”
The students then came up one at a time and picked up their diplomas, to the cheers of their friends and families.
Awards were presented, finishing with the highest honor: the Sharon School Cup, which was presented by John Purdy, the winner in 2017.
At ceremony’s end the grads and their families got into their cars and followed Sharon Fire Department vehicles on a parade up Main Street. Sirens, bells and cheering accompanied the procession. Many of the students stood up through sun roofs and waved to the crowds along the road.
These ceremonies are always a blend of sorrow for departing the familiar and great joy and excitement for what lies ahead; no exception here, as could be seen on the teary but laughing faces of the class of 2021.
Sharon Center School Class of 2021
Tyler James Anderson, Andy Steven Delgado, Leontine Flanagan Galvin, Neela Grace Gilbert-Alfar, Nicole Stead Haxo, Haley Autumn Hosier, Maya Marie Amber Lee, Noelle Elisah Maus, Quinlan James Maus, Daniel Jacob McDonald, Katerin Guadalupe McEnroe, Wayne Christopher McGhee, Savannah Ann Milton, Christopher Tompkins Pedersen, Olivia Marie Peterson, Charlotte Grace Smith, Keiana Nicole Wallace
2021 Awards
Sharon Scholarship Award — HVRHS: John Purdy
American Legion Award: Nicole Haxo and Charlotte Smith
Ted Christinat Science Award: Olivia Peterson
Jack “Compo” Comporesi Award: Savannah Milton and Daniel McDonald
Lucia M. Gulino Award: Keiana Wallace
Barbara Yohe Math Award: Charlotte Smith
Sharon School Cup Award: Nicole Haxo and Charlotte Smith
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.
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.
Smithfield Church
AMENIA — Fans of the smooth sounds and rhythms of Brazilian Jazz will enjoy “Rio Jazz: Intimate Brazilian Jazz,” a concert at The Smithfield Church on Saturday, Oct. 11, beginning at 3 p.m.
The concert is one of the acclaimed Bang Family Concerts, an ongoing series offering an eclectic range of performances by regional artists. The historic 19th-century church sanctuary offers perfect acoustics, thanks to its dimensions as a classic Greek square.
Assembled in 1988, Rio Jazz is led by Matt Finley, a pioneer in Brazilian jazz, who has brought together a combo of world-class performers for an hour of live music including a sampling of his own compositions. The Brazilian genre began in 1963, with the rise of the bossa nova and its growth in popularity in the U.S.
Members of the combo performing live are pianist Larry Ham, double bassist Lou Pappas, and drummer Jeff Siegel. Guitarist Jeff Ciampa from Orange County is playing for the Smithfield audience for the first time. And vocalist Denise Jordan Finley will join her husband in performing a collaborative composition.
The Smithfield Church is located at 656 Smithfield Valley Road in Amenia. A suggested donation of $20 will support future Bang Family concerts. A meet-the-artists reception will follow the concert. For more information, go to www.thesmithfieldchurch.org/concerts.
