A Revival on Railroad Street?

Mary Elling reports she ran into Stefan and Claudia Wessel at Mountainside today, and they told her that they have a tenant for their Falls Village Inn. They told her it's a restaurateur from Maine named Eric Krause. He supposedly has restaurant experience, will live upstairs with his family and serve comfort food like meatloaf. I've left messages at the inn and at Elyse Harney Real Estate trying to get more details but no one has called me back yet. Has anyone else spoken to Stefan and Claudia? If you know anything, please share....

Competing Interests

If you were planning to attend the October meetings of both the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education you are out of luck. They have both rescheduled their meetings for next Tuesday night, October 9. The BOE meeting begins at 7 PM and the BOS meeting at 7:30 PM (and the Board of Finance at 6:30 PM.) Does anyone else feel that one of these meetings should be moved (again) so that residents who are interested can attend both?

Huh?

There's going to be alot of confusion on Election Day this year. There will not only be new voting machines on November 6, but there will be three candidates running for two seats on the Board of Education but you can only vote for one (Democratic candidate Beckie Lynne Seney, Republican candidate Ross W. Grannan, or Petitioning Candidate and current board president Andrea L. Downs.) Basically, it's going to be like the Miss America contest with the first runner up being a winner, too. To keep this race from being a mere popularity contest, Town Clerk Mary Palmer has organized a meet-the-candidates forum at Town Hall on Tuesday, October 2, at 4 PM, where you can ask them questions about their vision for the Kellogg School. The two candidates vying to represent Falls Village on the Region 1 Board of Education are also expected: Republican Margaret R. Ruotolo and Democrat Gale A. Toensing. And the Registrars of Voters will be there from 3 to 5 PM to show you how the new voting machines are supposed to work.

Kudos for Kellogg

I was reading Terry Cowgill's Blog this morning and came across this comment from one of his readers about our town's unique public school.

"Also, I thought I should say that Lee Kellogg School impressed the dickens out of me this morning when their eighth grade visited Beckley Furnace. 22 kids, all well-prepared, all armed with notebooks (which they used), and they all seemed to have attention spans about 300% of the typical 8th grade attention span. Whatever they are doing in Falls Village is working. Other towns should take note."
Comment by Geoff Brown — September 27, 2007

North of the Border

I went to the new Staples in Great Barrington at sunset last night. I felt giddy. I felt guilty. I like the idea of being able to combine a trip to Guido's
or The Triplex with a pit stop at Staples (open 'till 9 PM during the week) for printer ink, notebooks and copy paper, but I don't like that once you step into Staples you could be almost anywhere in the world. With the bright lights and powerful air conditioning, I felt like I was somewhere in Florida. This miasma in Massachusetts hits too close to home. I fear that Great Barrington, which used to be a small country village, may be on its way to becoming a generic, traffic-choked exurb. If Applebee's or Starbucks comes to town, then there will be genuine cause for alarm and despair. Let's hope the "tipping point" is a long way off.

A Word to the Wise . . .

Two years ago, Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt spoke at the 8th annual Evening of Words & Music, and he packed the house, raising several thousand dollars for the D.M. Hunt LIbrary. Laura Munson, who cares deeply about the library (following in the footsteps of her benevolent parents) vowed that she would find the next celebrity to read at the annual September event. It's taken her two years to find one with a free Saturday night in September. Enthusiastic and indefatigable, Laura has been writing letters and making phone calls to well-known actors and actresses who live in the northwest corner, and this summer she was able to get a firm commitment from Edward Herrmann, who lives in Salisbury. Mr. Herrmann, as she always calls him, is an actor with a conscience and he will be reading selections from the the Nobel Prize winning playwright and polemicist George Bernard Shaw. Laura is thrilled that Mr. Herrmann (who will be appearing in the hit TV show "Gray's Anatomy" this fall) will be bringing a serious literary presence to the evening. She is also jazzed by two musicians who will be making their Words & Music debuts: June-Elizabeth May Conti, a 12-year-old violin prodigy from Sharon, who is a champion fiddler and has already performed at Carnegie Hall. and singer Antwan Johnson of Falls Village, who won last year's Northwest Idol Competition at the Warner Theater in Torrington with his rendition of the Temptations' "My Girl." Of course, the Joint Chiefs will perform, too. The folk and bluegrass trio are loyal supporters of the library and have played at Words & Music for ten years in a row. Tickets ($18) are available at the Hunt Library, Mountainside Cafe, Town Hall and Toymakers Cafe.

Table d'hote

There are still a few tickets left for tonight's Calendar Dinner to benefit the Fire and Ambulance Departments. Each table represents a different month and is decorated by a different organization, individual or business in town. This morning, the Senior Center looked incredibly festive. Here's a preview of tables (from top to bottom) by the Falls Village Day Care Center, the Falls Village Children's Theater, Sand Road Animal Hospital, and Toymaker's Cafe, which has the most humorous table with a race-car theme and a centerpiece that includes a six-pack of Budweiser. All the centerpieces are prizes for one lucky guest at each table.

A New Town Tradition

The Falls Village Children's Theater Company is sponsoring the community's first Scarecrow Contest. You can enter as an individual, a business, a team, a not-for-profit organization, a family (and you don't have to live in Falls Village to participate.) You do have to show up at the Falls Village Community and Cultural Center (103 Main Street) on Saturday September 29 between 9 AM and noon to pick up the wooden cross bar and a bag of hay that must be used in the scarecrow's construction. The entry fee is $10. You have four weeks to make your scarecrow, and must bring it back to the Falls Village Community and Cultural Center on Saturday October 27, between 9 AM and noon. You will be assigned a spot on Main Street from Route 7 to the Town Green, and then the whole town will judge the scarecrows from noon to 3:30 and vote for the best in the following categories: Scariest, Funniest, Most Theatrical, Best Look Alike, Most Falls Village. There will be prizes in each category. The FVCT hopes you will leave your scarecrow on display through Halloween to give the town a festive (and frightful) look, though you can take it home if you like. If you cannot pick up your scarecrow fixings on Sept. 29, you can still participate by calling Vance Cannon at 824-0799 to arrange to pick up your hay and crossbar at a mutally convenient time.

Dive In

In mid July, at the height of Music Mountain's
concert season, the entire water supply was cut off. The main water pipe, deep in the ground since 1930, had burst. It was a logistical and financial disaster for the not-for-profit cultural insitution. When Christine Gevert, director of the Crescendo Baroque Orchestra, heard of the water crisis she offered the perfect musical solution: a benefit performance of Haydn’s “Water Music.” The concert will take place in Music Mountain’s Gordon Hall on Sunday, September 16, at 3 p.m. with Crescendo playing the complete Water score just as it was first performed in 1717 for King George I as he and his entourage sailed the River Thames, the musicians following on their own barge. The “Water Music” opens with a French overture and includes minuets, bourrees and hornpipes divided into three suites. The Crescendo Baroque Orchestra performs on period instruments of the 17th and 18th century using originals or modern replicas. Modern instruments have been altered to increase the volume and range. Tickets are $50 ($25 tax deductible) and available online at www.musicmountain.org or (860) 824-7126.

A New Life for a Landmark

New England is full of historic church buildings, but 103 Main Street has a quirky, unexpected grace and grandeur, which seems a perfect reflection of Falls Village itself. Last winter, the Falls Village Children's Theater (FVCT) rallied residents to raise $150,000 to purchase the one-time Methodist Episcopal Church (later Emerson's Booksellers), because they wanted to save this architectural gem. Alas, the elegant shingled structure is showing its age, and the 106-year-old building will require extensive renovations before it can reopen as the Falls Village Community and Cultural Center (FVCCC), which will become a venue for art exhibitions, lectures, dances, concerts, classes, meetings and parties. The first priority is a new roof to preserve the historic interior, which includes original woodwork, chandeliers and stunning stained glass windows. (The roof is estimated to cost $50,000.) The FVCT has been awarded a $20,000 matching grant from the Berkshire Taconic Foundation, which means it must raise $20,000 from the community before it receives the grant. If you have never been inside 103 Main Street, it may be difficult to imagine just how awesome the building is. If you would like a tour, please email me or call me at 860.824.5582 and I'll show you the haunting interior. You'll see that this magical building has unlimited potential not only as a community and cultural center but also as a catalyst for a Main Street revival. (The interior pictures here were taken by Lakeville's John Gruen.) If you would like to help the FVCCC gets its matching grant as soon as possible, you can send tax deductible donations to the "FVCT Fund" at 25 Deer Road, Falls Village, CT 06031. FVCT is a 501 (c)(3) not for profit corporation. For more information, call 860.824.4303

Green Acres

While the grownups drinks Greenman Grog at Saturday night's Silent Auction Cocktail Party to benefit the D.M. Hunt Library, six local teenagers dressed in Greenman T-shirts will be passing scrumptious hors d'oeuvres by Jackie Heriteau of the Country Bistro in Salisbury. One of the special things about Falls Village is that children learn from a young age the importance of contributing to their community. I can't imagine there are many American towns where teenagers are willing to give up a Saturday night to volunteer for their local library. In other places, it would be nerdy. In Falls Village, it's cool. The volunteer waiters are [above from left to right]: Mark Rosenbloom, Amanda Lindquist, Hannah Lovejoy and Molly Lovejoy. Missing from the photo are Dominic Sanchez & Jacob Horowitz

Snap, Crackle, Pop?

At last night's meeting of the Canaan (Falls Village) Board of Education, chairperson Andrea Downs announced that a long range planning committee was being formed to study ways to make sure the Lee H. Kellogg School stays viable. After all, a school with only 101 students in kindergarten through 8th grade is a bit of a luxury, but Falls Village would lose its soul if it lost its school. Because Kellogg's future is an issue that effects everyone in town--impacting property values, taxes, social life and community character--the Board of Education is inviting interested citizens (with our without school-age children) to apply to join this working committee, which will include teachers, parents and members of the Board of Education. If you want to have a say in the future of Kellogg (and thus the future of the town) contact Andrea Downs or Principal Maria Bulson.

An observation about last night's meeting: All of the decision makers at the table were women: four members of the board of education (the fifth member who is also female was absent), the principal, and the superintendent of Region 1. Is it sexist of me to wonder whether a male perspective is needed?

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 . . .

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.