The Falls Village General Store?

There are delicious rumors that some folks would like to turn 107 Main Street (the old Town Hall, which was most recently Clifton Jaeger's studio), into a marketplace featuring local foods and produce--Hautboy milk, Cockerline Beef, Isabella Freedman sauerkraut and pickles, Rustling Wind beets and blue cheese, Chubby Bunny lettuce and tomatoes, Dean's corn etc. They envision a year-round indoor farmer's market plus a whole lot more: old-fashioned handmade ice cream, books by local authors, a gallery area with local crafts and artworks. Maybe they would sell some antiques, too, and flowering plants, and penny candy for kids to buy after school, and toys so you don't have to schlep to Great Barrington or Torrington for birthday gifts. Of course, they wonder if the community would and could support such a venture.

The prospect of having the lights shining on winter's nights in the plate glass windows of 107 Main Street is exciting. But that can only happen if they can create a place where we really want to shop, which meets not only our everyday needs but also supports our neighbors' home businesses, grows our local economy and fosters a sense of community.

What would you like a Falls Village General Store to be? What would you like to see sold there? What gap in your life could it fill? Leave your comments here on the blog. Let's give these prospective entrepreneurs some insider information so they can have a fair chance to succeed. And then someday you'll be able to say, "I bought that at the Falls Village General Store."

Broadway Babies

The Falls Village Children's Theater "Little Kids Camp" will put on a free show Friday, July 27, at 1 PM on the great stage at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. Called "Take the Other Road," the original musical was written more than 30 years ago by high school students in New York; Noelle LaMuniere rediscovered this children's theater gem and offered it to director Lanny Mitchell. The cast features Ciara McElory as "Jesse," Hazel Law as the "Fairy Godmother," David Sanchez as "Peter Pan," Grace Cohn as "Tinker Bell," David Frishkoff as the "Little Boy," Madison Snyder as "Winky the Pooh," Julie Wynn Horowitz as the "Witch," Elijah Stone as the "White Rabbit," Jameson Kelly as the "Cheshire Cat," and Thalissa Thompson as the "Butterfly." You'll be amazed at how much this group of 5 to 9 year olds has accomplished in just two weeks of camp.

Noelle wrote in to explain a bit more about this show
"Take the Other Road," a musical, was written by high school students at the United Nations International School in 1975. Using well known characters from children's literature we follow a young girl named Jesse as she learns about herself and choices that can be both exhilarating and a bit worrying. At its core, the musical is a sweet story about the journey we all go through on the path to self acceptance.

"Shalom," Falls Villagers

For at least one day this summer, Falls Village will have a "public" swimming pool. The Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center on Johnson Road is hosting a free Falls Village Community Day on Sunday, July 22, from 2 to 6 PM. Children and adults are invited to swim in the camp's pool or lake, take out one of its boats, listen to a live concert by The Joint Chiefs, go for a ride on the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department's antique truck, which will act as a shuttle for tours of Camp Freedman's organic farm on Route 126. At 5 PM, the camp will serve a Kosher barbecue supper.

This open house was the brainchild of Adam Berman [above], the center's smart, energetic and open-minded director, and Shamu Sadeh, who runs the farm and its youth environmental leadership program called ADAMAH (which is Hebrew for "earth"). Now that the camp hosts programs and retreats year round, the staff and Falls Villagers are getting to know one another and becoming friends. You'll often see Shamu's wife, Jamie, and son, Yonah [below], at the Hunt Library's story hours, and many of the younger employees and interns hang out with their laptops on weekends at Toymakers Cafe.
Although I am Jewish, I had never been to Isabella Freedman until last fall when I attended both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services, and I was blown away by their progressive, inclusive and joyful spirit. While Judaism is fundamental to Isabella Freedman's mission, it shares with the non-Jewish residents of Falls Village a commitment to sustainable agriculture, environmentalism and community service. Shalom!

Thy Neighbor's Tree

We all have tree envy. We all have favorite old sycamores, maples and oaks that make us swoon as we do our daily rounds. Even when they belong to our neighbors, we think of these great old trees as part of the public domain, living landmarks that are essential to the character of our town.

We lost one such hallowed tree on the Tuesday after Memorial Day when the sugar maple in Susan Pinsky and Marc Rosen's front yard on Route 63 across from the South Canaan Meeting House tragically crashed to the ground. It was 5 feet wide at the base and seven feet at shoulder height, and it was at least 200 years old. The couple, who have owned their circa 1750 house since 1986, were devastated by their loss. And so, too, were many Falls Villagers.

Last week, Susan and Marc planted a new tree, which they got from Windy Hill Farm. It's not as big, of course, as its predecessor but it's an impressive specimen, and they have created a slide show of its installation to share. After all, their tree is really our tree, too.

"HONK!" If You Love Children's Theater

Watching other people's children perform on stage in an amateur production is not everyone's idea of a rollicking Saturday night out. But if you're the sentimental sort who loves musical theater and watching kids' finding themselves through song and dance, then make sure to catch Honk! at HVRHS on Saturday night, July 14, at 7 PM. (Admission is free.) In this inaugural production from the fledgling Falls Village Children's Theater Summer Camp, director Lanny Mitchell manages to take 16 children of varying abilities and brings out the best in them as individuals and as a troupe. I bet you'll be proud of these kids, kvelling as if they were your own.ABOVE: The dress rehearsal for Honk! at HVRHS, 3 PM, July 13.

In Memoriam: Wren Smith

Wren Smith, a resident of Amesville and a beloved regular at Toymakers Cafe, died this weekend after a long and valiant battle with cancer. Ann Bidou remembers and mourns one of her favorite customers:

"Wren Smith was one of the first people to become a regular at the cafe when we opened five years ago, and Greg and I will sorely miss her. The one thing I keep hearing over and over from people who know (knew...it's hard to use the past tense) Wren is that "she had this presence." She was strong and gracious at the same time, truly the ultimate combination for a human female. She walked in the cafe during one of our first days open, ordered food, and right away the encouraging words began: "Oh, this is great. I'm so glad you two have opened up this place. It really makes it easier. You do such a great job. The food is always wonderful. Thank you so much." There were days when hearing those words from Wren kept us going. There were days when Wren, in fact, was one of the few people who even walked in the door.

Wren, who lived on Sugar Hill, had been battling cancer for about five years already when we met her. So I knew from the start that she might have special food needs. But I noticed something curious. She always ordered exactly what she wanted, exactly the way she wanted it. No apologies, no "sorry" in her desires. I know the gift many cancer patients receive from their illness is to cut loose and live life on their terms, and when it came to food, Wren enjoyed herself to the fullest. Sweet potato waffles were a frequent favorite. I began to worry a little, though, when she continued to order hot chocolate this year well into the summer temperatures. I worried about what feeling cold might mean.

We were very blessed to have her daughter Caroline work for us as our first real employee. Caroline was, and is, great. She is loved by many, as she should be with her tremendous combo of looks, charm and smarts.

Wren effortlessly attracted all the help she needed to get through her tribulations. I always think of Jeremy Dakin, by her side, and deeply caring in all the times they were in the cafe together. Jeremy once told me he felt helping Wren through her cancer was "a privilege." I have thought often about where you have to be inside yourself to make that remark with sincerity. But when I think of Wren, I see how easy it would be for Jeremy, or anybody, to say that. Greg and I feel it was a privilege to help feed her and her family during her long struggle. A strong and gracious lady has passed from Falls Village, never to return...and for that, it is appropriate to be sad."
--Ann Bidou

Another Opening, Another Show

The team that brought you Cinderella--director Lanny Mitchell and producer Denise Cohn--will present the Falls Village Children's Theater Summer Camp's first musical at Housatonic Valley Regional High School on Saturday July 14 at 7 PM. I watched rehearsals [photo above] for Honk! yesterday and was bowled over by the catchy, upbeat score and the quality of the singing--Lanny has found some youngsters who can really belt out a number. An award winning import from Britain, Honk! is an updated version of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling," and it is laced with eggsellent puns. For the inaugural session of the three-week camp, 16 students ages 10-16 have not only been rehearsing lines and dance numbers but also creating costumes, scenery and props. The cast includes homegrown talent (Jeremy and Lydia Downs, Luis Wingard and Emma Cohn) as well as youngsters from Amenia, Canaan, Cornwall, Gaylordsville, Millbrook and Sharon. Admission is free (but donations to the not-for-profit camp will be welcomed.)

Great Expectations

"Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords: but, like all other pleasures immoderately enjoyed, the excesses of hope must be expiated by pain; and expectations improperly indulged must end in disappointment."
--Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)

"Falls Village pool delayed another season" read the headline on page B2 of last week's Lakeville Journal. The story left many questions unanswered such as: how much is it going to cost to finish the pool [photo above] and does the town have enough money set aside to do so? It also made me wonder: When did volunteer labor and donated materials becomes part of the pool's financial equation? I don't remember that ever being mentioned at the Town Meeting in December 2005 when we voted to expand the pool from four lanes to six, which raised the overall price-tag. I posed these questions in an email on Tuesday to First Selectman Pat Mechare and her thorough response follows.


The estimated cost of completing the pool and having it fully operational based on the information that we currently have is about $180,000. There are a few things that have not been included in that price such as finish grading and planting of the grass inside and for certain, yet, undetermined areas outside the fence. The work to finish the parking area so that it is a relatively level and smooth area hasn’t been included either. We believe that the Town Crew can accomplish these two items as a cost saving measure for the Town. If that becomes impossible then there will be costs in addition to what I’ve quoted above. We hope there will not be other unanticipated costs, but that is always a possibility. There are set contracted costs, but we have been very careful to update the costs of those items which remain to be completed that are not part of any contract. We believe our costs estimates for those things are more than reasonably accurate.

At the moment we have about $90,000 in the “pool” account. If you recall, at the Town Meeting in May, it was approved to transfer up to $40,000 of unexpended funds from Series 4001 of the 2006-2007 budget to the pool account. Since the fiscal year just concluded Linda is not sure how much money in Series 4001 is available to transfer, so we await that figure. There will be something to transfer, but we’re not sure at the moment how much that will be. Additionally, there will be available in the 2007-2008 approved budget, $25,000 to use toward expenses incurred to complete the pool project.

The cost for the materials for the frame and siding and the crew to erect the frame of the pool house if these items were not donated, excluding the cost of the crane which we have included in our estimates, would be at least $40,000 and perhaps more.

The pool house per se will not have to be build. The frame with the siding will be erected by FV Sawmill. The volunteers would be gathered to finish any work on the exterior and interior of the building not included in the framing and siding of the building. There is no schedule for work as of yet because we are still waiting for the wood to be cut to the specifications.

Volunteers are not being asked to build the pool or do any well drilling, excavation, septic, mechanical, electrical or concrete work etc. Those things have been contracted and for the area around the pool itself have almost been completed. As you are aware the pool is in the ground. Any plumbing, electrical, concrete, hooking to the water and sewer etc. that needs to be finished inside the building will be done by professionals. Somewhere in the middle of the process FV Sawmill saw an opportunity to assist the Town and reduce its cost by donating the wood for the frame and siding of the building and erecting it for the Town. There is some finish work that will need to be completed including installation of windows and doors and items such as mirrors, soap dispensers, shelves, fire extinguishers etc. that will need to be attached to the walls. The thought was that those less complex tasks could be handled by volunteers and save the town considerable money. At the Town Meeting the project was discussed in general terms mostly regarding the size of the pool etc. Specifics regarding design of the pool house and all the other things that have to be done were discussed at most, in general and not specific terms. As the project has evolved the Pool Committee has worked diligently to keep costs down and this is one way of doing that. It has always been my understanding that this project would be done over a number of years so that the Town would not have to either bond the cost or take enormous amounts out of the general fund. The trade-off for such a concept is that the project will take time to complete.

Essential work is not being put off until the spring. It is the hope of the Committee that the pool house itself and most of the interior and finish work and essential hook-ups can be completed before the snow flies. Obviously, we need to keep in mind that we have to have the materials available to do this! With a bit of luck we’re hoping to install the fence as well. What will be likely left for the spring is the finish work on the walls and floor of the pool, the finishing of the grading around the pool and the planting of the grass and dealing with the parking area and doing whatever the State requires of us before the pool can be used. The pool, at least in my memory has never opened up on Memorial Day, but instead the weekend after school is finished for the “year”. We are hopeful that we can meet that deadline.

Strawberry Fields Forever? (Dream On...)

[Michael Ryan Cody and his grandmother Barbara Bozzi at Ellsworth Hill Orchard & Berry Farm in Sharon on June 28]

There aren't that many days left to enjoy fresh strawberries, which are, of course, so much sweeter than what you can buy in the supermarket--a deep ruby red inside and out. The generous pick-your-own shares for Chubby Bunny CSA members were not enough to satisfy my seasonal craving, so I have made three excursions to pick at Ellsworth Farm (which, by the way, will have a corn maze this fall designed by Allen Cockerline.) The strawberries at Ellsworth have been amazingly delicious. And picking your own berries is a reminder of how strenuous farming can be and how we too often take our food for granted. I also discovered that Jason Young at Sweet William's Bakery makes the quintessential shortcake biscuit ($1.25) that is the perfect pairing with the berries and fresh whipped cream. If you want shortcake, call Jason at 824-8180 ahead of time to reserve.