The Sweet Smell of Success

Whenever I am invited to someone's house outside the Falls Village city limits, I head to Sweet William's Bakery for cookies to bring as a gift. (I don't bring them to people in Falls Village too often anymore after I arrived at a dinner party and three other guests had also brought Sweet William's cookies.) Without fail, baker Jason Young's desserts (especially the transcendent ginger cookies) are savored and devoured, and I feel proud to bring a gift with the "Made in Falls Village" label. One hopes that the success of Jason's business will inspire other entrepreneurs to set up shop in town. When Jason opened last winter, he never anticipated that the retail part of his business would be so successful and he has been overwhelmed by how loyal Falls Villagers have been. But it's easy as pie to support Sweet William's because Jason's personality and products are sweet as can be.

O Canada!

One of the many traditions at the Lee H. Kellogg School is the 8th grade class trip to Quebec. Another tradition is that the students and their parents start raising the money for the trip when the kids are in the 6th grade! There are more bake sales and lasagna dinners than you can count. This weekend, the 8th grade is having a giant tag sale fundraiser at Fife's at the junction of Routes 7 & 63. Since this is the biggest 8th grade class in recent years with 22 students, it will also be the largest tag sale. You can shop from 10 AM to 3 PM on Saturday September 1 and Sunday September 2.

Required Reading

Your library needs you.
The David M. Hunt Library is so merrily and masterfully run by the ebullient Cookie Kubarek and Erica Joncyk [below] that it is easy to forget that the library operates on a shoestring. The upcoming Silent Auction & Cocktail Party on September 8 and Evening of Words & Music on September 29 are responsible for generating more than 10% of the library's annual budget. Everyone who uses and loves the library needs to support these two fundraisers. You can reserve your tickets by calling 824-7424. Zoe Fedorjaczenko and Sharon Hamilton have been working all summer to make the Silent Auction not only a worthy event but also a fun one. Erica will, as always, tend the open bar and mix the library's signature cocktail, Greenman Grog (rum, lime juice and fresh mint.) The hors d'oeuvres are coming from the Country Bistro in Salisbury, which is run by library board member Jacqueline Heriteau. Seventh and eighth graders from the Kellogg School are the volunteer waitstaff. More than 100 items will be for sale and they are a mixture of the practical, unusual, sensual and whimsical. There are gift certificates for Sand Road Animal Hospital and the Pine Cone Hill Home Store in Lenox, MA; a private ceramics workshop for four with Kellogg art teacher Chris Hanley; and a 2008 season pass for two to the Berkshire Theatre Festival [right] in Stockbridge, MA. You can bid on a spa-style pedicure from Skintastic in Lakeville or a day on a pontoon boat on the Twin Lakes from O'Hara's Landing. A new feature this year will be a live auction conducted by the inimitable Betsy Howie, who will offer up lots such as a weekend in a Greenwich Village apartment donated by Mary and Richard Lanier or a private tour of Bunny Williams's garden followed by a luncheon for ten in her conservatory [left] and an autographed copy of her best-selling book, An Affair With a House. All of these items will be in the catalogue available for perusal at Toymaker's Cafe, the library and Town Hall by August 31. To make the auction as profitable as possible, Sharon and Zoe found sponsors to underwrite the evening (John Harney Associates, Century Aggregates, Salisbury Bank & Trust, Torrington Savings Bank, John Bates Contracting) so all the money raised will help the Hunt. Whether your purchases are gifts for family or gifts for yourself, every penny you spend at the Silent Auction will be a gift to your library.

"Those Magic Changes"

There's something about being in a play--memorizing lines and dance steps, pretending to be somebody else, collaborating as a team, performing before an audience of both relatives and strangers --that makes it a life-changing experience whether you're the star or in the chorus. When the final curtain comes down on the Falls Village Children's Theater Summer Camp's one-night-only production of "Grease," none of the 27 kids in the cast [below] will be the same people they were three weeks ago when rehearsals started. If you want to witness some magic changes (and see some of the most charismatic young thespians in the northwest corner) get thee to Housatonic Valley Regional High School where Grease (directed and choreographed by Lanny Mitchell) goes on at 7 PM on Saturday, August 18. (Admission is free, but donations to the not-for-profit Falls Village Children's Theater Company are enthusiastically accepted.)

The Sun Sets on 107 Main Street

A tenant has been found finally for 107 Main Street and, alas, it will probably not make much difference to the life of the town. First Selectwoman Pat Mechare announced at tonight's Board of Selectmen meeting that she has made a deal with Salisbury resident Michael Klemens to rent the space to use as an office for his environmental consulting business. He's said to be an herpetologist--an expert on reptiles and amphibians--so maybe there's a Kellogg field trip in his future. Ms. Mechare also noted that Mr. Klemens has a partner who may open "a small antiques shop" in the front of the space, but she was vague on the details. This week, she hopes to sign the two-year, $1,500 a month lease (which includes water and electricity!) so Mr. Klemens can take possession of the premises on August 20.

Magic Mountain

There was something dreamy and otherworldly about Music Mountain's Family Festival on Saturday. It was a carnival of culture for children and adults, which attracted hundreds of families. The organizers made sure there was something for everyone: mesmerizing mimes, a rock band, chamber music, cotton candy and a damn good cheeseburger grilled to perfection by the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department and served up with a smile by First Selectwoman Pat Mechare. Music Mountain president Nicholas Gordon deserves thanks for his vision, generosity and determination to keep 78-year-old Music Mountain a vital cultural force for our community. Now that Music Mountain has air conditioning and heating, it's more appealing than ever. It's our town's Tanglewood and a New England treasure.

Give Me an Aisle Seat Any Night of the Week

Faithful readers of this blog might assume that the only plays that interest me are produced by the Falls Village Children's Theater at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. But, in fact, I love all types of theater and never turn down an opportunity to see a play or musical. I've been up to Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield twice this season and saw a searing, exceptionally well-choreographed production of West Side Story and a clever, emotionally charged new musical called Calvin Berger which was the Cyrano de Bergerac story set in a contemporary American high school. I've been to Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge three times and was blown away by the eternal power and truth in their production of A Glass Menagerie. I also saw revivals of Love! Valour! Compassion! and Morning's at Seven, and though these are not great plays, they were incredibly well acted and directed, which made the trip to Stockbridge worthwhile. Last night, Josh Stone and I went to see The Pajama Game presented by TriArts at the Sharon Playhouse. The musical is as all-American as they come and kind of sexy for a 1950s show. It always takes me a little while to adjust to theTriArts formula--a cast that mixes Equity professionals and enthusiastic local amateurs. But with a stunning set, a fine band, and first-rate costumes, The Pajama Game's cast was able to shine. (The patchwork pajama curtain that Josh is standing in front of was a tour de force.) Sure, there were a few moments that made me and Josh cringe, but that's par for the course (and, truthfully, part of the fun.) The Pajama Game is thoroughly enjoyable, another summer's night of wonderful theater close to home.

Think Globally, Eat Locally

The best thing you can do for your health, the environment and your community is to to eat as much locally raised food as possible. And while organic fruits, vegetables and meat are the best, it is better to eat a conventionally grown local tomato than an organically grown tomato from a mega farm in California or Mexico, according to former Cornwall resident and best-selling author Michael Pollan and author Barbara Kingsolver. So when I have finished all my produce from Chubby Bunny I head to Dean's Farmstand on Route 63, where George Dean was born and where he has been growing tomatoes, cukes and corn for 30 years. Mr. Dean trades with other Connecticut farmers, which is how he gets the wonderful blueberries and peaches he usually has for most of August. As the last and oldest farm stand in Falls Village, Dean's deserves our patronage, gratitude and respect.

A Dream Deferred

Alas, the Falls Village General Store will not be setting up shop at 107 Main Street (at least not this year.) One of the dreamers behind that plan informed me yesterday that their group was told the town has found another tenant for the space. Who's moving in? What will fill those empty shelves? Only the First Selectman can answer that question . . .