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Discover local stories, hidden gems, and must-know events.

Spontaneous Acts of Kindness and Organized Volunteer Work Keep the Appalachian Trail Going in Litchfield County 

By Erik Ofgang 

Photos by Zandria Oliver

Jack Patton has never walked the Appalachian Trail but he’s earned himself a trail nickname thanks to his dedication to trail magic. 

“I do trail magic and my name is Jack, so I’m ‘Magic Jack,’” he says. 

Trail Magic is the name hikers give to the spontaneous acts of kindness from “trail angels” that help fuel their journeys. It might include snacks or drinks left along the trail, access to a shower, or a ride to a nearby town. These acts of generosity, along with more formal volunteer efforts, are part of life along the 52-plus miles of the trail that runs through Connecticut from Sherman to Salisbury and is a celebrated part of the 2,190-mile walking trail that runs from Georgia to Maine. 

Patton first heard about trail magic when his son hiked the length of the Appalachian Trail. Several times each summer Patton travels from his home in Oxford to the Appalachian Trail parking lot on Route 55 near the New York-Connecticut border. He sets up a grill and chairs and offers thru-hikers cold drinks and hot-off-the-grill sandwiches. He also offers a handwashing and canteen refill station. It’s his way of paying back those who helped his son along the path, he says. 

Jim Liptack, an Appalachian Trail maintenance volunteer who hiked the trail in the 1980s, says trail magic has become more elaborate over the years. 

“Way back in the day maybe somebody left you a couple of sodas in a street somewhere. Now you’ll have people who will come in with a trailer, set up a giant tarp tent, and have three grills going,” he says. 

Connecticut’s portion of the Appalachian Trail is maintained by formal volunteers such as Liptack, the overseer of trails for the Appalachian Mountain Club Connecticut chapter. While the Appalachian Trail is a national scenic trail overseen by the National Park Service, there are only a handful of park employees assigned to the massive trail. So the park service delegates much of the work done to maintain the trail, including all trail maintenance in Connecticut, to volunteers with the Appalachian Mountain Club. 

Felicia and Joel Jones became official trail maintenance volunteers after they bought a house next to the trail in Falls River in 2005. “We often perform clean-up after a storm to clear fallen trees or branches from the trail or just cut back annual growth so hikers have a clear path,” Felicia says. 

The couple thinks the trail is underutilized by locals. Of course, they’re partial to this two-mile stretch of trail that runs through Falls River and past their home. 

“It’s really a magical stretch of the trail,” Joel says. 

Once Felicia gave an injured veteran hiking the trail a ride. Another time, Joel drove a hungry and possibly dehydrated hiker to the deli. 

These acts of kindness are found throughout Connecticut. However, sometimes the good intentions of trail angels can go astray. Dave Boone, chairman of the Connecticut chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Appalachian Trail Committee, says trail angels should make sure there is a plan to get rid of the waste produced by trail magic. “[Otherwise] instead of trail magic it’s more like trail garbage,” he says. 

To avoid this, Boone says trail angels should always have a waste removal plan for their trail magic efforts. Or better yet, Boone advises trail angels to stay with their cooler of trail magic giveaways and talk with hikers. That’s what Patton does and it is those conversations that earned him his trail nickname. 

Torrington resident Patricia Martin has been named the State of Connecticut National Beat Poet Laureate 2023 – 2025 by the National Beat Poetry Foundation.

Beat Poet Laureate recommendations are submitted by individuals worldwide.  A committee of seven individuals review and vote on the choices, then submit their findings to Debbie Tosun Kilday, Founder/Owner/CEO of the National Beat Poetry Foundation, who makes the final decisions on awardees.

Tosun Kilday founded the National Beat Poetry Foundation to bring different perspectives to how people view beat poets.  “My goal is to bring people together thorough poetry, art, and music,” says Tosun Kilday.  “I want to change the negative views of beat poets into a positive image and build a new generation of beat poets.  Our words matter, and the beat laureates in my organization are trying to be better versions of themselves by doing good in this world.”

A native of Darien, Conn., Mason-Martin relocated to Woodstock, N.Y., before her move to Torrington, Conn. An author, poet/performer and freelance copywriter, she was also the creator and host of SpeakEasy, a monthly poetry/spoken word series that took place on the first Sunday of every month at the Noelke Gallery in downtown Torrington until the COVID pandemic. The author of six nonfiction books, Mason-Martin’s poetry collection, In Venice I Could Sing, is available on Amazon and the writer’s website www.patriciamartin.com.  Her most recent book, a haiku chapbook titled Is Love So Fickle, is also available on her website.

Mason-Martin’s poetry has been published in various anthologies, magazines, and other publications and she has performed her work on several radio programs as well as at numerous festivals, art galleries, museums, and libraries.

Previously, Mason-Martin has participated in a number of National Beat Poetry Foundation events, including the International Goddess Festival, and has been published in several of the organization’s anthologies.  “I am humbled and thrilled to be designated the Connecticut Beat Poet Laureate,” she says.  “It is truly a great honor.”

Pamela Brown, a writer and owner of PMB Writing & Consulting, recently published Faithful Love, a contemporary romance novel with a dose of mystery that brings readers into the lives of Candace Crestworth, a high-powered prosecutor, and Corey Matthews, a charming detective who ends up on the other side of the law. In the opinion of Candace, it’s the wrong side. But they find themselves attracted to each other and it becomes a story of love, adventure, heartbreak, and loss. Their love story comprises a suspenseful subplot involving a criminal investigation that brings the entire storyline to a riveting climax.

Pamela was inspired to write the book by her father, a detective with the Connecticut State Police. “His line of work always intrigued me, plus I pursued a law degree, so I centered the story on two interesting and unforgettable characters who work in the exciting world of these two fields,” said Brown who started the book in the 1980s and in-between writing gigs found time to rethink and rewrite most of the novel to make it fresh and contemporary. The novel includes action and emotional scenes that show the complexity of life. “In today’s world where everyone feels so much stress, this book offers an escape into a world where love can overcome anything and is the key to happiness.”  Faithful Love is available on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com

‘Torrington is SoHo in the ’60s’

By Jack Sheedy

Photos by Ryan Lavine

Gerald Incandela is bullish on Torrington. “He sees through the warts,” says Torrington Mayor Elinor Carbone, adding that he sees the struggling municipality “through a different lens, an artist’s lens.”

A world-renowned photographic artist, Incandela has exhibited in scores of galleries and is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and many more public and private spaces in the U.S. and abroad.

His oeuvre is substantial, but it’s not finished. The Washington resident has lately focused his attention on a long-term project: the revitalization of Torrington, where for a decade he has maintained a studio on Center Street. He wants the former mill town to be a destination for artists. “Torrington is SoHo in the ’60s” he says, “in the middle of the most beautiful rural setting, with countryside all around.”

In 2022, Incandela was inspired by the students of the city’s St. John Paul the Great Academy, who crafted model airplanes from recycled materials. He displayed photographs of them in downtown storefronts and displayed the planes in his spacious studio, a converted warehouse. Carbone; Victoria Mazzarelli, artistic director of The Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory; her dance students; academy students and staff; and Mark McEachern, president of the Torrington Historical Society, attended the event.

McEachern writes in an email, “Torrington is fortunate to have an artist of Incandela’s caliber and passion working to improve and beautify the downtown historic district and the downtown arts and culture district.”

Edward Goad, the academy’s principal, writes in an email, “I believe Mr. Incandela to be a friend to not only St. John Paul the Great Academy but also to the town of Torrington. He has proven that he can…turn buildings into destinations.”

Incandela says, “That’s why I became public originally, to save some industrial buildings.”

But, he acknowledges there are obstacles. “What we don’t have is curb appeal,” he says. When he sees litter near his studio, he picks it up and places it in the trash, hoping his example will spread “like an ink drop on blotting paper.”

Carbone recalls that when the city was planning its riverfront revival, she turned to Incandela. He provided a space at Center, the former Sons of Italy Hall next to his studio, where developers, Gov. Ned Lamont, and representatives from the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection gathered to discuss what was to become Pennrose’s Riverfront, 60 apartments and 1,200 square feet of retail space on Franklin Street. It became a reality in 2022.

She also recalls that he researched designs for her vision of a meditation labyrinth for the new Franklin Plaza. “He was the catalyst for so much that has happened in that area,” Carbone says.

He continues to beautify his own space, planting black locust trees, ivy, and sunflowers in the lot between his studio and Center. Nine linden trees form a square in a flagstone courtyard with hanging gardens. An urn graces an oil tank-turned-pedestal fronting Franklin Plaza.

Incandela’s next project may again involve the students at the academy. He says there is a wall in the Nutmeg Fudge Company on East Main Street that is begging for artwork. He asked owner Kristy Barto, “Why don’t you have a mural made by children here?” Barto and Incandela are working with the academy to make that happen.

“It’s just so good to see somebody like Gerald investing in downtown Torrington,” says Steve Temkin, co-founder of Torrington Downtown Partners. “He is a big part of the new blossoming art scene in Torrington.”

Scratching the Itch to Find Vintage Treasures

By Cynthia Hochswender

The Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market in New Milford must be one of the worst-kept secrets in the world. It’s not exactly advertised but certainly it has its own website, and certainly everyone in Litchfield County who loves vintage fashion and home design goods—and, of course, toys from the 1970s and old 33 RPM vinyl records—already knows about it.

Why, then, do professional designers scurry furtively from stall to stall, refusing to speak to friendly reporters from regional magazines? The answer is, perhaps, obvious. No one wants to share the good thing that they’ve found. 

Certainly, the Elephant’s Trunk is not for everyone; and, probably, the client who has a design professional will not want to drive to New Milford on a Sunday at 5 am and wait in line for the privilege of peering into truck windows with the help of a flashlight, hoping to get first dibs on that perfect something for that perfect somewhere.

Flea market shoppers and vendors (and many shoppers who used to be vendors and many vendors who used to be shoppers) are an itinerant bunch. They travel the region in search of choice goods at low prices, swapping tales about what they’ve bought and what they’ve sold.

“This market is much better than Brimfield,” they all confide, every single vendor and shopper. The consensus seems to be that Brimfield is too big and too famous now. The Brimfield May to September flea market has as many as 400 vendors on each of its 21 fields (yes, that’s a possible total of 8,400 vendors!).

The Elephant’s Trunk, which has been around since 1972, has a substantially more modest vendor tally of about 500 each Sunday. Vendors pay a modest $70 to reserve a prime space at the Elephant’s Trunk—which means, of course, that they can keep their prices low because their overhead is low. Many sellers come every week; some show up only when they happen to have a bunch of stuff to sell. A handful of the vendors clean out estates as their “day jobs.” Some of the vendors are selling stuff they’ve collected over the years at this and other flea markets. 

One vendor is a professional entomologist who often has butterfly wings leftover from her research projects; she displays (and sells) them beautifully, in frames and small bottles. 

There is a little bit of everything at the Elephant’s Trunk: books, vintage license plates, rusted household implements from the 1870s, clothing and music from the 1970s, framed drawings and small paintings, cookware, dishware, glassware. Most vendors try to carry a variety of items, to appeal to a diverse clientele. Most things are old, but there are some old-looking but newly made garden ornaments and piles of new clothes (but mostly piles of old clothes, tossed with reckless abandon on folding tables or on blankets on the ground). 

It’s best to get there early. Although the vendors remain until mid-afternoon, most of the really special items have been claimed by 7 am. —etflea.com

Transforming Bodies and Lives

By Clementina Verge

Photos by Ryan Lavine

Julie Haesche’s journey into the healing arts was prompted by struggles with psoriatic arthritis and the desire to empower others. Today, the Washington resident is a certified, award-winning yoga and meditation teacher hosting outdoor classes throughout Litchfield County.

“The physical and emotional toll of PA led me on a mission to heal myself and find balance in my life again. Regular practice of yoga and meditation provided relief for physical symptoms and opened a new world of self-discovery and self-care,” explains Haesche, who is also a reiki master, nutrition counselor, life coach, and founder of Washington Wellness.

Founded in 2022, the holistic studio on Washington’s historic Green “celebrates the incredible talent of wellness practitioners in the area,” offering services that support physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, including acupuncture, massage therapy, art and music therapy, and, of course, yoga.

“The beauty of yoga lies in its adaptability to individuals of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities,” assures Haesche, who also teaches students and faculty at The Frederick Gunn School. “Whether someone hasn’t exercised in a long time, feels “not good enough,” or has injuries or pain, yoga can be a beneficial practice for them.”

Yoga also led Haesche back to nature. 

Raised in Branford, she spent much time sailing, fishing, and water skiing, activities that inspired a deep appreciation for the environment. In 2019, along with her partner, she relocated to Litchfield County, fulfilling the dream of immersing themselves in farm culture; they care for sheep, chickens, bees, and a rescue cat, and delight in the area’s picturesque landscapes.

This natural beauty is why Haesche offers outdoor classes, along with the desire to make them accessible. 

“Someone intimidated by entering a yoga studio may feel more comfortable taking a class at a farm, in a garden, or at a vineyard,” she says. “Uniting our nature with the greater nature that surrounds us fosters a sense of belonging and interconnectedness.” 

A variety of yoga styles—yin, hatha, restorative, and kundalini—can accommodate individual needs and limitations. 

“Whether it’s practicing in a chair, a pool, or even in bed, I meet students where they’re at and incorporate movements and poses that they can comfortably engage in,” she notes. “The focus is on progress, not perfection, and every step forward is meaningful.” 

Yoga’s benefit lies in its ability to simultaneously address the mind, body, and spirit. Practicing physical postures enhances flexibility, strength, balance, and coordination. It improves posture, alleviates physical tension, and enhances breathing patterns, leading to improved lung capacity, energy control, and even a balanced metabolism. 

Its mindfulness cultivates present-moment awareness, fostering a sense of harmony and calmness. Yoga also encourages self-reflection, self-acceptance, and self-compassion, promoting a positive mindset and emotional resilience. 

Intricately connected to Ayurveda, its sister science, yoga emphasizes a holistic approach to living, encompassing diet, sleep, and daily routines. 

“Yoga is not limited to our good days; it extends to our challenging days as well,” she notes. “By uniting the mind, body, and spirit, which is actually a formal translation of yoga—union, yoga provides a comprehensive toolkit. My mission is to empower individuals to discover their innate capacity for healing and transformation, embarking upon journeys towards greater health and happiness.” —washingtonctwellness.com

Animals Help Veterans Break Down Barriers 

By Wendy Carlson

Photos by Ryan Lavine

Renee Bouffard has always had an innate sense that animals, particularly horses, have a healing effect. Back in high school when she was having a bad day, she would hang out in the barn with her horse Sparky. Just being around him lifted her spirits.

But it wasn’t until she was pursuing a degree in clinical social work in graduate school at UConn that she learned about equine-assisted therapy. The method engages clients in basic caretaking activities with a horse under the guidance of an equine specialist. For Bouffard, it was an “aha” moment, an opportunity to merge both her passions into a career.

In 2016, she launched Healing Hoofbeats of CT, Inc., and enlisted Sparky and several other horses to be therapy animals on the nonprofit’s seven-acre farm in Bethlehem. Since it was started, the organization has expanded to include a variety of programs, two additional therapists, and started Operation Warrior.

In 2020, Bouffard partnered with Nicole DeFelice, an Army combat veteran and mental health counselor, to launch the psychotherapy program for veterans with trauma-related conditions. 

DeFelice’s own transition back into civilian life involved participating in a program that included horses. “She loved how powerful the experience was, and at the time she was earning her bachelors and interning at Healing Hoofbeats so it was perfect timing,” says Bouffard.

Equine therapy is vastly different from therapeutic riding, the work is done unmounted and is largely about observing.

As Bouffard explains: “Horses are prey animals, which means that they are on high alert to the dangers around them. They must surmise situations using their instincts and respond in that moment. Once they know they are out of danger they become less stressed.”

Similarly, veterans who have experienced combat during their tours of duty, are used to being hyper vigilant. As a result when they return to civilian life they often struggle to modify that behavior, which ultimately affects their relationships. “The skills that kept them alive during their tours become detrimental to them in their civilian lives,” says Bouffard.

During the eight-week, two-hour sessions, veterans learn to let their guard down by working one-on-one with the animals in a routine of grooming, feeding, and observation.

Beyond working with veterans, Healing Hoofbeats runs a variety of other programs for children and young adults aimed towards getting them to connect to nature through the farm activities. Aside from horses, the farm has goats, chickens, barn cats, and a pig named Hazel. In 2024, the organization will launch a capital campaign to raise funding to build a new barn, an indoor meeting area and to bolster its financial aid program, which is a major component of the nonprofit’s mission. Bouffard is adamant about not turning anyone away because of financial hardship.

“The work we do is amazing,” she says. “What a client might achieve with a therapist in a chair in a year, we achieve in 16 weeks. You can see the results. “And,” she adds, “the animals love it.”

Four friends throw open the doors and turn back on the (neon) lights at the Colonial Theatre.

Seated, from left: David and Stacey Fiorillo and Lenore and Marc Mallett plan to turn North Canaan’s Colonial Theatre into a thriving center for community events and entertainment. 

By Cynthia Hochswender

Photo by Cynthia Hochswender

Children dream of becoming astronauts, firefighters, star athletes. Their parents dream of taking charge of a newspaper, a restaurant, or a movie theater. It all sounds so fun! But of course nothing worth dreaming about is easy. It all requires work, and an array of skills.

Four residents of Salisbury with diverse talents have joined forces to bring one dream to life, with their purchase of the historic Colonial Theatre in North Canaan. It does sound fun to own a theater, but they know it won’t be easy, in a world where cinema fans got in the habit of streaming movies at home during COVID. 

The new Colonial owners are brainstorming ways to help the Art Deco theater—first built in 1923 and refurbished in the early 2000s—to once again become a place where families and friends can meet for a night out. Those evenings are likely to look very different from the spectacles presented by past owners of the 140-seat theater: The Colonial in its heyday was a first-run theater with live entertainment preceding films (from black-and-white silents in the early days to full-color “talkies”). There was a ballroom upstairs, and a bowling alley in the basement, for less formal fun. Over time, as ballgowns gave way to bobby sox in America, the ballroom was converted to a roller rink. 

Today, the upstairs ballroom (large enough to hold 140 people) is an open space with floor-to-ceiling mirrors and a movie screen. Owners Marc and Lenore Mallett and David and Stacey Fiorillo are brainstorming ways that residents of area towns might use it: There could be fitness classes. There could be seasonal fairs, with perhaps vendors of high-end clothing and cosmetics. 

For the main theater (which has 140 seats), there are plans in place for Boondocks Film Society—which screens cult films at parties that include food and craft cocktails—to host an event this autumn. Marc Mallett would love to do a James Bond film series; his wife thinks it would be fun to show older popular films such as Mean Girls. 

There is likely to be a community fundraising and outreach component to all events. Marc Mallett (a former vice president of advertising sales for Walt Disney Co.) and David Fiorrillo (who works in finance for the Marvelwood School in Kent, and consults with area schools) are discussing ways to turn the theater into a learning opportunity, where students can take on aspects of running an event at the Colonial while raising money for school projects.

“Above all, we want to embrace the community, and create some stability in the ownership of the theater, which has had some ups and downs over the past few decades,” explains Stacey Fiorillo, who does genetic testing and works with her husband at his consulting business.

For now, the future is bright and wide open for the Colonial. Learn more at canaancolonial.com or @ColonialTheatre

Books and Blooms:

On June 16 & 17 The Cornwall Library held their Books & Blooms event.  Over two days they featured visits to striking local gardens, a talk by a renowned horticulturist, and the sale of new and out-of-print gardening books. The gardens vary by year and are selected for unique interests. 

Pilobolus:

Pilobolus held their most important fundraiser of the year “Pilo-BALL-Us” on June 17 at The Frederick Gunn School in Washington. An upscale cocktail reception was held with music by Perfect Manhattan followed by a one hour Pilobolus performance in the Thomas Perakos Arts and Community Center. The evening finished with a silent disco after party. On Sunday, June 18, the celebrations continued with a Family Day. An interactive Pilobolus performance was followed by summertime fun on the lawn.

FUNraiser:

On June 17, the Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens held its annual “FUNraiser” in support of the park’s ongoing programs, including Washington Depot’s summer farmers market, art exhibitions, free movies, and more. This year’s event featured the bluesy, original music of Warren resident Frank Sellman and his band Love Rockit at the Bryan Memorial Town Hall, followed by a festive reception at the park.

Haystack Book Festival in Norfolk brings together writers and thinkers who have something to talk about. Past and upcoming talks are as various as Rose Alcala and MacArthur Award winner John Keene discussing the relation between their creative writing and their work as translators; Martha Saxton and poet and biographer Judith Thurman on the challenges and possibilities of writing women’s lives; and New York Times Cooking writers Melissa Clark and Sam Sifton on the fate of salt. 

Another key event at the festival is the Brendan Gill Lecture honoring longtime Norfolk resident and staff critic at The New Yorker. This year’s lecturer is Susanna Moore, whose most recent novel is The Lost Wife. 

The fall program has writers such as Ada Calhoun and Priscilla Gilman on the writing lives of their fathers. George Packer and Elizabeth Becker will converse about journalists covering conflict, and Robert Schneider and Samuel Moyn on political ideas and emotions. Elizabeth Bucar and Bob Smietana will discuss the use and abuse of religion. The festival will close Sunday afternoon with Carl Safina in a lively conversation on owls—what they know and what humans believe.

Haystack Book Festival in Norfolk at the Norfolk Library from Friday, September 29, through Sunday, October 1. Free and open to the public. Registration is required at norfolkfoundation.net/book-talks.