Extra-Special Delivery

I love to go to the post office.

This has not always been so. When I lived in New York City, going to the post office was as enjoyable as having root canal. The lines were always long and the clerks were cranky and frequently mean, sending you to the back of the line if you filled out the Registered Mail form incorrectly or had not wrapped your package securely. That never happens in Falls Village, because Postmaster Lois McKee is too kind. If a package is not well wrapped, she pulls out some of her own tape and remedies the situation pronto. If you can't fill out a form properly, she walks you through it step by step. If you want to see all the different stamps because you're persnickety, she is glad to oblige. And if you want a Falls Village postmark on a special card or letter, she is happy to hand stamp it for you. (Otherwise, she once explained to me, all our local mail is trucked to Hartford where it gets postmarked and then it's driven back to us the next day. Doesn't the Post Office know there's an energy crisis?)

Lois is retiring this week, and she will be sorely missed. Just like the letters she sorted and weighed for us over the years, Lois was First Class.

A New Lease on Life?

Last night I drove to the package store to get a six pack and noticed a new sign outside the Falls Village Inn. It seems that Elyse Harney Real Estate is now offering the restaurant for rent. But it may be a long time before the beer flows again on Railroad Street because they are asking $4,500 a month triple net (but I'm told it's negotiable.)

Everyone Loves A Parade

Today, Falls Village was at its best. Like a Norman Rockwell painting come to life, the town came together to observe Memorial Day as a unified community of diverse talents and shared interests. Dressed in their crisp dress uniforms, the Volunteer Fire Department and Ladies Auxiliary brought great dignity to what may be the world's shortest parade. The handsome antique fire trucks were a reminder of the department's distinguished history and how important it is for all of us to support their fundraising efforts as they modernize their equipment and facilities. The Kellogg School band in bright red T-shirts never looked or sounded better. First Selectwoman Pat Mechare made sure the ceremony on the Town Green focused on the memory of veterans from Falls Village while also honoring living residents--specifically Alice Sorenson (Volunteer of the Year) and Hazel McGuire (Community Service Award)--who make outstanding contributions to the commonweal. For the second year in a row, Joshua Stone led the Village Voices, the community chorus, in a heartwarming and unique rendition of "America, The Beautiful." After the official observance, which concluded with Brandon Carlson playing taps, everyone walked up Main Street for refreshments donated by local businesses and served up by the new Falls Village Community and Cultural Center's great friends, Bob and Loek Neimeth. There were cookies from Sweet William's, blondies from Mountainside, fresh fruit from Camp Isabella Freedman, coffee from Toymaker's Cafe and wraps from the Country Bistro in Salisbury. Town Clerk Mary Palmer recruited Peter Felske to roam the crowd selling FVCT bumper stickers to benefit the Falls Village Children's Theater and he did a brisk business. Before everyone was allowed to tour the historic former church, there was a moving speech by the venerable Bishop Wismar who has lived in Falls Village for more than 80 years and is as enthusiastic as anyone about breathing life back into Main Street and the role that the FVCT is playing in keeping the town a vibrant, family-friendly place. Jillian Cannon, who played Dorothy in the FVCT's inaugural production of "The Wizard of Oz" last year, sang "Somewhere, Over the Rainbow,' accompanied by her father, Vance, which brought tears to more than a few eyes. And then the cast of this year's FVCT production, "Cinderella," reprised the show's finale, "It's Possible!" which is quickly becoming the unofficial Falls Village anthem.
PS: Several people report having trouble leaving comments on the blog. It's really easy. Click on "Comments," then where it says "Choose an Identity," seclect "Other" and write in your name (or pseudonym) and then write a comment. If you are still stumped. email me: Dan.Shaw@att.net

A New Day Dawns on Main Street

Get your first look inside the future home of the Falls Village Community and Cultural Center after the Memorial Day Parade, which begin at 9:45 am sharp. The FVCCC and the FVCT will give tours of the building and host a reception with refreshments generously donated by Camp Isabella Freedman, the Country Bistro, Mountainside Cafe, Sweet William's Bakery and Toymaker's Cafe.

Hop Over to Chubby Bunny Farm

Falls Village is blessed to have its very own sustainable farm: Chubby Bunny. It's a CSA (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture.) You buy a share for the entire season (which lasts almost till Thanksgiving) and once a week head over to Undermountain Road to pick up the week's harvest. On Saturday, farmers Dan and Tracy Hayhurst and their daughter, Bea, are hosting an open house with live music from 1 PM to 3 PM at the farm (on the corner of Cobble Road) to introduce themselves to prospective members and welcome back their regulars from the last two summers. It's a great way to kick off the Memorial Day weekend.

Happy Anniversary, Toymakers

Can it really be five years since I had that first, seminal cappuccino at Toymakers Cafe? It was Memorial Day weekend, and I hardly knew anyone in Falls Village, and I sat on the front porch, deliriously happy that I could finally get a cup of coffee on Main Street. I hoped this cafe might succeed and become my hangout where I'd get to know my neighbors. Back then, I had no idea that owners Annie and Greg Bidou were not ordinary entrepreneurs but miracle workers, who would create a public living room for their adopted hometown, a place of warmth and welcome where lives would become intertwined and enriched.
Many of the people I know in Falls Village I first met at Toymakers, where the two communal tables encourage strangers to talk to each other. Annie and Greg, however, don't leave things up to chance, and more than a few times one of them would say to me, "I was just telling so-and-so about you. They are sitting on the sofa. Why don't you say, Hello?" I think that was how I met Joshua Stone, who was playing freestyle on the old piano one afternoon and had the joint jumping. When he finished, Annie suggested we discuss writing because Josh was working on a novel when he wasn't busy composing music. I don't remember when I first met the playwright Lonnie Carter, but I do remember that we bonded over our dislike for WAMC's Dr. Alan Chartock, and I loved that Lonnie could do impersonations of the radio station's "personalities" such as North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley. Lonnie has earned a place of honor at Toymaker's with his own sandwich. The "Lonwich" is a BLT with cheese and mayo on a toasted everything bagel. (You can get it with egg, too, for extra protein.) Like its namesake, the Lonwich is awesome.

I don't remember ever not knowing Gloria Parker, who used to hold court at Toymaker's before she left for Mexico. Gloria loved nothing more than making introductions. It was her on-again-off-again-on-again husband, actor Howard Platt, who introduced me to Peter Felske, who designed and built the bookshelves of my dreams. I am pretty sure it was Gloria who first introduced me to Mary Palmer, Brenda Neilsen, Tino Galluzzo, Bob Blair, Clifton Jaeger, Larry Riley, Lara Mittaud, Mary and Richard Lanier and Betty and Martin Deeg.

Three years ago, when I was still a weekender, I would come have breakfast most Saturday and Sunday mornings and ask everyone's opinion about whether I should move to Falls Village full-time. After awhile, people started to roll their eyes when I spoke. I clearly remember Betsy Howie telling me that I couldn't filibuster anymore. "You have been talking about this for a year already," she said. "Make up your mind!"

And so I did.

I don't know if I would have moved here without Toymaker's as my social safety net. Falls Village might have been too scary, too lonely, too quiet. I always feel reassured on Thursday mornings when the cafe reopens for its four-day week. Annie once told me that their goal in starting the cafe was more spiritual than financial. They wanted to create a community gathering place (which would also serve expertly made lattes, hearty soups, savory sandwiches and the world's best sweet potato waffle.) They had moved to Falls Village because they wanted to live someplace where people really connected with each other and they wanted to create a cafe that would foster and nurture connections. They have succeeded beyond their wildest expectations

Congratulations, Annie and Greg.

Happy Anniversary. Many happy returns.

Buy a Bumper Sticker

Tell the world you are proud to live in FVCT and help support the FVCT by purchasing an oval bumper sticker. They are being sold at the Town Hall and D.M. Hunt Library and they cost just $5, which will help support the Falls Village Children's Theater Company's educational programs.

Stopping Traffic

I never cease to be awed by how Falls Villagers are willing to do grunt work for their favorite causes. (I lived in Manhattan for twenty years where many people's idea of charity is writing a check, eating canapes and drinking Champagne. You were never greeted by friendly volunteers at fundraisers but by supercilious young PR girls with Walkie -Talkies and just-blown-out hair who would look you up and down as if they were judges on "Project Runway.") Thus, I am still not accustomed to sights such as my friend Mary Elling cheerfully directing traffic in front of Bunny Williams' house on Sunday morning. Mary is on the board of Women's Support Services and she was doing her part by telling the Range Rovers and Audis where to park for the charity garden tour. Mary and her husband, George, moved to FV from Kent a few years ago and they are indispensable and indefatigable. Mary is on the Board of Education and helps with all the fundraisers at the Hunt Library. George is on the Board of Finance, the Library Board and the building committee for the Falls Village Community and Cultural Center. George is expert at directing traffic, too. He was working the parking lot at Trade Secrets on Saturday. Next time you see either of them, Honk and say "Thanks."

Note to Self: Check the Battery

This morning at Trade Secrets, I pulled out my digital camera to take a photo at 7:15 AM of volunteers Karin Gerstel of Lime Rock Station and Peter Felske of Amesville. I was planning to document all the Falls Village faces at the benefit plant and antiques sale for Women's Support Services (as well as celebrities like Martha Stewart who was buying plants as if her life depended on it.) Alas, I had forgotten to recharge my battery and thus you won't see pictures of Brian Munson supporting his wife, Deb, by working as a vendors assistant and carting urns and ferns to the "pick-up" area. You won't see Sievert McCabe helping out his mother, Nancy, nor see Bunny Williams greeting shoppers under the tent for Treillage, her garden antiques shop in New York. You won't see Tino Galluzzo (who has become a de-facto resident of Falls Village because he spends so much time at Toymaker's) directing traffic. You won't see Dawn Estern or Nancy Hodgkins gamely shopping in the rain. You won't see Naomi Blumenthal, who helped start Trade Secrets when she worked as Bunny's gardener, telling Tom Scott of Falls Village Flower Farm that he has the biggest and healthiest plants. And you won't see Eric Ruquist, Bunny's extraordinarily gifted chief gardener, but that's because he wasn't there: Bunny made him stay home this year because they are expecting hundreds of people tomorrow for a Charity Garden Tour, which also benefits Women's Support Services. If you have never seen the wonderland that Eric and Bunny create together, buy a ticket (which also gets you into two other beyond-belief gardens) and treat yourself to an unforgettable experience and support WSS at the same time.

Spread the Word . . .

[ABOVE: Roberta and Tom Scott of the Falls Village Flower Farm on Kellogg Road preparing for Trade Secrets on May 19]

Falls Village prides itself on being a humble, low-key town, but there are days when I wish the community had a bigger collective ego. For instance, why aren't there road signs when you drive into town that announce "Falls Village: Home of Music Mountain, the Oldest Continuing Summer Chamber Music Festival in the U.S.A."? Shouldn't there be signs that proclaim "Falls Village: Birthplace of Trade Secrets," the phenomenally successful plant and garden antiques sale that benefits Women's Support Services, which helps victims of domestic violence in the Northwest Corner and nearby New York and Massachusetts?

Trade Secrets was born at Bunny Williams' house on Point of Rocks Road in May 2001. After two years, it grew too large and moved to the Wake Robin Inn in Lakeville. Last year, bigger than ever, it moved to Lion Rock Farm, the home of Elaine LaRoche, on the Sharon/Salisbury border. It will be held there again this Saturday. The Falls Village spirit is encoded in the event's DNA and one of this year's co-chairs is Deb Munson who lives on Canaan Mountain. (Bunny is the honorary chairman.) Roberta and Tom Scott of the Falls Village Flower Farm will have a booth for the sixth year in a row with their extensive assortment of lush perennials. Nancy McCabe of Dublin Road will have a booth, too (she usually brings wonderful topiaries and pottery that she buys in Sante Fe during the winter) and so will Cyd and John Emmons of Music Mountain Road, who run an antiques business called Gardenalia

One of the things I've always loved about Trade Secrets is that it's one of those events where full-time residents and weekenders come together as a community for an undeniably worthy cause. Though it is no longer held here, it will always have the Falls Village imprimatur because it is literally our town's baby.

Somewhere, Over the Rainbow . . .

When it is finally finished, Falls Village will have one of the most beautiful and user-friendly public swimming pools in the region, but when will that day come? I took a walk over to the pool on Mother's Day, and was encouraged because progress had been made since I "trespassed" in the fall. (Last time I entered from Route 126, but this time I used the Route 63 entrance.) It appears that much of the plumbing for the pool house has been done and the concrete decking is nearly complete, but, alas, it still looks like a construction site. Pictured below is the walk-in shallow end that should be popular with toddlers and their parents someday . . . . I asked the First Selectman, Pat Mechare, about the project's status and she answered promptly in an email. Here is her exact response:
"The pool, for sure, is a work in progress. “Things” are finally beginning to move along. We hope that the majority of the concrete work will be done within the week. The final (we hope) pool house plans have been in the hands of the building inspector for several weeks. The donor of the wood for the pool house, I think, is hoping to make contact this week with the building inspector to obtain the permit. Then he will cut the frame and siding. Since everything is donated I’m not sure how long the cutting of the material will take. Volunteers, we anticipate, will be completing the finish work. As soon as the concrete decking around the pool, the surge tank pad and the tank itself is ready to go, the pool people will come back and drain the pool to complete the work on the walls and floor. After that the pool will have to be filled again and the water treated to the State standards. Fencing will have to be placed and there will have to be some landscaping work inside the fencing completed and some sort of parking area, at least, preliminarily done. As you can determine there are many larger and little things that need to be finished. The pool committee is meeting tomorrow and I hope after that meeting there will be a better sense of exactly where we are. At the pace we seem to be moving and since so much of this last phase will be completed by volunteer effort I think it would be difficult to assume that we’ll be opened by July, but we’ll see what the committee thinks tomorrow."

B - I - N - G -O !

For Elijah Stone (above) Bingo for Education at the Kellogg School on Friday night was both a photo op in an already well-documented life and an excuse to stay up past his bedtime. For seventh grader Jacob Horowitz (left), it appeared to be very serious business. For the community, it was a chance to get together, eat popcorn and cookies, and raise money for scholarships for college bound kids.

Yours, Mine and Ours!

Today, the Falls Village Children's Theater finally took title to the old Emerson Building at 103 Main Street (the one-time Methodist Church that opened in 1901). The purchase was made possible by donations from the Town of Canaan, foundations, businesses and more than 80 individuals. It will now be known as the Falls Village Community and Cultural Center. Once it has been renovated, it will be used not only for FVCT classes and rehearsals but also for meetings and events organized by other groups such as the Falls Village Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Department, the Ladies Auxiliary, the David M. Hunt Library, the Girl Scouts and the Historical Society. You can have your first look inside the historic shingled building and view its stained glass windows on Memorial Day after the annual parade. FVCT will host a reception (relieving the Fire Department of that duty) with snacks and, of course, entertainment. Everyone should feel welcome and at home, because now the building really belongs to all of us.

Curious about Clifton?

Who in town isn't?

Everybody, it seems, wants to know more about Clifton Jaeger, the enigmatic and charismatic muralist, who has been working out of the old Town Hall for the past three years. I got to indulge my curiosity and interview him for the latest issue of New England Home Magazine (When you get to the magazine's website, type "Clifton" into the Search box and you will find the article that begins on page 92.) I discovered that there's a method to his madness, and an intellectual exuberance that is contagious. Falls Village is lucky to have his awesome artistic energy swirling around downtown.

Our Mr. Deeds

I went to hear our freshman Congressman Chris Murphy speak in the gymnasium of the Cornwall Consolidated School on Saturday afternoon. I ran into my friend Noelle LaMuniere (aka Julia McElroy/Cinderella's mother), who said she was discouraged by all the depressing news out of Washington and thought that hearing Murphy might give her a sense of hope. Well, Chris Murphy offered up not only heartfelt hope that the world situation can improve but also faith that Congress can be an agent for progressive change.

Murphy is the least cynical of politicians. There is no calculation in his presentation. He radiates authenticity. "If I am anything, I am unconditionally and unapologetically optimistic," he told the audience of more than 100 constituents. He came to Cornwall to report back on his first 120 days in office and his visit to Iraq and Afghanistan. He spoke eloquently about meeting our troops and how impressed he was by their commitment but came back believing that they are in an impossible situation in Iraq. He had higher hopes for military operations in Afghanistan. After that trip, he and five other congressmen had a one-hour meeting in the Oval Office with the President. He denounced the president without being disrespectful. He said he was impressed only by the President's myopia and absolute certainty that he is right. "He is incapable of sitting and listening," Murphy said. "He has a refusal to accept accountability. More deeply, he continues to misunderstand the central fight. He misses the complexities of the Shiites and Sunnis, which complicates all our relationships in that region."

Unlike the president, Murphy is a good listener. He came to Cornwall because he is very serious about being our representative--an advocate in Washington for our concerns. He wants us to set his agenda. He was proud to announce that he is now the chairman of the Land Preservation Caucus, because he knows that the environment is important to us. He is idealistic, realistic and without guile. He is passionate, articulate and humble. He'd probably make a good next door neighbor or brother-in-law. He'll make a good, effective congressman, but more likely he'll make a great one.

Falls Village Cuisine Comes to Salisbury

It's hard not to be smitten by Jacqueline Heriteau Hubbard, the gutsy cookbook and gardening writer who lives on Belden Street and serves tirelessly on the board of the D.M. Hunt Library. She has just opened the Country Bistro in Salisbury with her daughter, Holly Hunter Stonehill. Located behind the Salisbury Post Office and next to Johnnycake Books where Holly's Place (no relationship) used to be, the restaurant was off to a busy start on Unofficial Day #2. (The official opening is Saturday May 5.) All the tables were taken at 1 PM and mother and daughter were filling lots of to-go phone orders. They have brightened up the space, set reasonable prices and filled the display case up front with irresistible baked goods, including donuts and croissants. The coffee service is "tray chic"--your oversize cup arrives on an individual tray with its own creamer and sugar bowl. Soup-and-sandwich combinations are served on the same little platters. I hope Jacqui doesn't spend all her time in the kitchen as she does when she gives her legendary cocktail parties for the Hunt Library. As good as her cooking is, it's her inimitable hospitality and quirky charm that will make the Country Bistro a distinctive destination.
Hours: 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM Telephone: 860.435.9420