Cynthia Tripp

Stanford plans a library

Mark Williams, president of the Stanford Free Library Association, briefed us on the status of a decade old process by which the Town of Stanford hopes to gain a new library building.

He explained that the library is run by the Association (and not the town), an independently chartered entity. The association has been working on a new building for about a decade. The library association purchased land next to The Grange in the center of Stanfordville in 2008. They have consulted with a firm of architects, Butler, Rowland and Mays, who specialize in building libraries. The library board worked with them to develop a plan that balances the needs of our growing library with a workable budget.

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Animal Adoption: Go Local

Animal lovers are understandably horrified when pets are abandoned. Many people with barns readily accept a stray cat or dog, have it neutered and let it help contain the rodent population or lie in the sun. Unfortunately, every autumn some summer renters leave animals along the roads or in the woods. What is being done to help?

Capturing a lost animal and taking it to your local vet should be the first idea. Many animals now have microchips, said Paul Schwartz, of the Center for Veterinary Care. “Most vets can quickly run a scan and confidentially find out the owners’ information. You’d be surprised how many strays live near where they are found.” Schwartz also arranges over 100 adoptions each year, placing the right animal with the right owner.

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After a brief introduction by library president, Mark Williams, about the new building campaign, John Sayles, film maker, writer and twenty-year Stanford resident, read from his 1000 page historical tome, “A Moment in the Sun.” He then answered questions from the audience which provided an insight on his writing and film-making.

Spanning five years from 1895-1900, Sayles’s novel covers what he believes were important turning points in the way Americans see themselves in the world. In just a few months, American became an imperial power, later formulated into the policy of Manifest Destiny after the Philippine-American War. At the same time, the post-Civil War’s so-called “Moment in the Sun” of racial freedom ended, and racism became part of the culture, This led to an ironic situation where black men fighting with the 25th Infantry regiment in the Philippines, lost their right to vote back home when North Carolina disenfranchised blacks. Sayles’s title, A Moment in the Sun is taken coined from a quote by W.E.B. Du Bois.

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If you have been looking forward to bloodcurdling screams while on a frightening walk through Frankenstein’s Fortress, this year you will have to grab your broom and find another venue. For the first time in its 15-year existence, the haunted house is closed for the season.

Run under the auspices of the Town of Stanford Recreation Department, the haunted house has been the largest single money-making event for the Recreation Department, contributing $8,280 in 2011. Frankenstein’s Fortress is also a great community and family tradition. Over the years hundreds of Stanford and Pine Plains children have acted as skeletons, ghouls and other terrifying characters that Peter Wing has invented.

267 Peter Wing impressario and creator of the fortress

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Peter Woytuk: Kent, Shanghai and Broadway, NYC

Large bronze cast sculptures by Peter Woytuk ranging from kiwis and elephants to apples and ravens have been placed in the green spaces on Broadway as part of the Broadway Mall Association’s program in cooperation with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, to bring art into public spaces. Covering five miles on the Upper West Side from Columbus Circle to 168th Street, Woytuk’s show of approximately twenty-two pieces is the largest outdoor display ever for BMA. 192

Due its popularity, the show that began last October has been extended to July 28. William Morrison, the eponymous owner of The Morrison Gallery in Kent, CT, who represents Woytuk, said he is “like brothers with Peter” and was enthusiastic about new interest in his work which has been well known in Litchfield County for years.

Arts

Summer Benefit for the Wassaic Project

A large crowd turned out at Maxton Mills for the Summer Benefit of the Wassaic Project for their performing arts summer festival. The festival on August 3-5, will include bands, nine dance companies and fifteen film makers.

Benefit attendees previewed the project’s summer show, “Return to Rattlesnake Mountain,” comprised of works by 80 artists over 50 of whom were previous “artists in residence.” Each year the Wassaic Project funds eight artists who come to live and work in studios in Luther Barn, a converted livestock barn. The Project also provides studio space for three local artists.

Arts

Saturday night at the Millbrook Vineyard, Marlene Weber Garnot, owner of a famed local spa, was the MC and event chair for the tenth annual Taste of Millbrook, the fundraiser for the Millbrook Educational Foundation. Held under a large balloon-decked tent, a festive atmosphere prevailed with food stations including Mexican delicacies from the restaurant Coyote Flacko, and waiters distributing glasses of Millbrook Vineyard wines while the Millbrook School Band played and sang. Dr. Diana Jackson Schnoor, chairman of the MEF, was enthusiastic about the support.

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Chamber Music Thrives at Music Mountain

Music Mountain Festival is the oldest outdoor music festival in the United States. The 83rd season kicks off on June 17, 2012, with Misha Dichter and the St. Petersburg String Quartet. The concerts are performed in Falls Village, Connecticut, at Gordon Hall at the top of Music Mountain Road. There are ample rustic picnic facilities and free parking.

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Half Moon Yoga Barn, a Reprise

Even in the midst of change, Nancy Causey, co-owner with Terry Reagan of the recently closed Half Moon Yoga Barn on Route 44, continues to radiate enthusiasm. Causey, with her melodious voice, serene personality and gifted teaching methods, has developed a large group of yoga enthusiasts and yoga teachers in Millbrook over the twelve years she has taught yoga. Since June 1, she, and many of the yoga teachers that worked at Half Moon are now teaching at Lori Decker’s Pulse Cycling on the corner of Franklin Avenue and Church Street in downtown Millbrook. In addition, this summer Causey is also teaching Thursday evening and Friday morning at Caitilin’s Open Air Studio.

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MECEC

On Friday evening, Joe Nott and the Chott Bank welcomed patrons of the Millbrook Early Childhood Education Center’s (MECEC) silent auction with live blues music in the courtyard of the Lyall Memorial Federated Church. In the hall, decorated with children’s artwork ranging from finger paintings to renditions of the Mona Lisa, guests could choose from a huge selection of tempting items to bid for, arranged on tables. It is purely through fundraisers and donations that MECEC can offer scholarships to children without the means to attend this special pre-K institution.

The art show ends another year of exploring of the outside world through structured play. Informal summer classes for about 25 children, aged 2.9 months to 5 years, will meet from 8:30 to12:30, Monday through Thursday, until mid-August. The emphasis will be on enjoying the summer through outdoor play, and, as school head Laurie Fay noted, keeping brains active and occupied.

Arts

Cynthia Tripp

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