Your guide to the heart of Litchfield County:
Discover local stories, hidden gems, and must-know events.

The Rafa Nadal Academy has a successful record of producing some of the world’s most talented junior tennis players at its academy in Mallorca, Spain. Rafa Nadal’s head coach, Toni Nadal along with ex pro Carlos Moya and his team have long put aspiring tennis players through their paces in order to improve all aspects of their game. This summer the Rafa Nadal Academy is bringing its developmental tennis program to the United States by offering tennis camps in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey. The leader in tennis programming will offer the Rafa Nadal camp to both junior players and adults at the state-of the-art facilities of the The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT from July 3 – 8.

The camps are led by official Rafa Nadal Academy coaches and offer exclusive tennis coaching to boys and girls ages 9 to 18 using the same on and off court training that is used at the Rafa Nadal Academy. Adults also have an opportunity to receive coaching in small groups. With the popularity of tennis on the rise and Rafa Nadal’s recent record breaking grand slam victory creating headlines, the summer is the perfect time for aspiring players to improve their game.

“We are delighted to share our unique approach to high performance tennis and support the growth of tennis in the U.S. It’s a natural expansion of our academy in Spain and a great way to introduce players to our proven methodology. By supporting players development on and off the court  we hope to improve the mental, physical, and technical aspects of their game so they can become better players,” shares Tomas Sorensen, Head of Coaching at the Rafa Nadal Academy.

“The Rafa Nadal Academy camps are always well received because we provide training not usually available here in the U.S. The camp is a great taste of high level tennis and many of our players use the camp to prepare for tournaments and sharpen their skills. Some go on to the academy in Mallorca as a result of their positive experience,” says Marta Ramos, Director of U.S operations. “We are excited to bring this dynamic camp to young players across the Northeast and the incredible facilities at Hotchkiss, which has its own storied tennis program.”

Space on this summer’s camps is limited and available on a first come first served basis. For more information please visit:

Athena.rafanadalacademycamps.com

Interested in the performing arts? Under the direction of Michael Kevin Baldwin, The Sharon Playhouse is offering wonderful educational programming this spring.

Baldwin breaks the educational programming into three main buckets: classes, partnerships, and camps. The Playhouse offers classes from September through May. For young ones (starting at age three) there are such classes as Movement for Munchkins, Creative Dramatics, and Let’s Act. For tweens and teens there are classes like Stage Combat, Playing the Part, and Improv. And for adults, the offerings include Tap Dance, Scene Study, Adult Comedy Night (which includes a free drink at the bar!), Playwriting, and the popular Play Soirees.

The Playhouse has established educational partnerships with many local schools and organizations, including Indian Mountain School and Sharon Center School. Throughout the school year, Sharon Playhouse teaching artists offer in-school skills-building in the Performing Arts including techniques on how to devise original scripts. Baldwin also recently led a workshop with the staff of Project SAGE (formerly Women’s Support Services) on how to bring a sense of play and joy into the workplace.

Finally, there is the popular Summer Youth Theater “Camp” Program. Seven weeks of theater camp offer local youth, ages 5-18, the opportunity to play a role in a production on the mainstage of the Bobbie Olsen Theater. This summer’s youth productions include Peter and the Starcatcher (ages 13-18), Disney’s Newsies, Jr. (ages 10-16), A Year with Frog and Toad, Kids (ages 7-11), and Sharon Playhouse Stars (ages 5-7).

Regardless of your age, there is something fun and exciting for everyone at the Playhouse!

An Ordinary Guy Rises to the Occasion 

By Nancy McMillan

In 1975, Litchfield native Ralph White, serving as a junior executive at the Bangkok branch of Chase Bank, was summoned to Saigon to take on a mission no one wanted to fulfill. Saigon was falling to the North Vietnamese and Chase needed someone to evacuate their employees out of the country. Young, single, and expendable, the 27-year-old didn’t hesitate. His new book, Getting Out of Saigon, to be released in April, recounts the riveting narrative. 

“I was an ordinary guy faced with extraordinary circumstances who rose to the occasion,” White says.

Over the course of 13 days, he navigated the labyrinth of U.S. political operations as well as the local underground network of activists. In the briefcase he was never without, he carried $25,000 in cash and a gun.

Despite continuous and mounting challenges, he arranged the evacuation by developing an unorthodox solution to safely shepherd his 113 wards out of the country.

Decades later, White was rocked by the events on September 11, 2001, which killed five of his friends. He changed every aspect of his life and turned to writing. In 2009, he founded the Columbia Fiction Foundry. In 2017, he decided to write his Saigon story. He is also the author of Litchfield (2011), a local history featuring 200 vintage photographs of his hometown. He lives in New York City and Litchfield.

White expects that film rights and international rights will be sold later this year.

By Pamela Brown

Eliot Johnson is an award-winning builder who appreciates preserving his family’s farm. “It’s always been a big part of my life. Farming is my hobby,” says Johnson, owner of West Mountain Builders and Far Fields Farm in Washington.

Although Johnson’s grandfather retired before he was born, his grandson experienced farm life. “Every summer, my cousins, the Potters, would run their heifers down Nettleton Hollow Road from their farm on Sunny Ridge Road to graze here. I was always drawn to farming, so as a kid, it was an exciting day when the animals arrived for the season or when the Potters clattered down the road in June with their tractors to make first-cutting hay,” Johnson reminisces.   

“My great-grandfather Walter Lathrop Senior, a banker, helped buy this property on West Mountain Road for my grandfather in 1941. He ran an award-winning dairy farm here until 1973,” explains Johnson who grew up on the property and is raising his three sons in the same house, with his wife. They raise a small herd of cattle and make square hay bales for retail sale on part of the family’s original land. In 2020 Steep Rock Preserve purchased land across the street from Eliot’s dad and his sisters, and now it’s the Johnson Farm Preserve, Steep Rock’s smallest nature preserve.

While Johnson enjoys tending the farm, his full-time career focuses on West Mountain Builders. In 2003, he took over his father’s company, Walter Johnson Builders, changed the name, and found his niche. “It’s a good fit for my skills and personality. I enjoy the fast pace, managing multiple projects, and creating beautifully finished homes,” he says. “A few years ago, my wife Stephanie came on board to run the office and made work more fun because we really enjoy working together.”  

The thriving Litchfield community inspires Johnson. “We love Washington. It’s a beautiful town, and it’s a pretty sophisticated community—we’ve got small local farms and a lot of really interesting, well-supported organizations. You go down to The Judy Black Park on a Friday night in the summertime there’s a lot going on,” says Johnson whose family established a connection to the town. “In his time, my grandfather drove the ambulance, belonged to the Lions Club, and was on the school board for Region 12. One other important mentor in my life, who is a carpenter in his day job, does the hard work of a volunteer fireman. This set a high bar for me.”

Johnson served as the building chair of the Washington Art Association and is a longtime member of the board of Steep Rock Preserve. Stephanie, an artist, served as vice president of the Washington Art Association for several years. “Growing up in Bridgewater, I watched my mother volunteer for several organizations despite her incredibly busy schedule. I learned from her that donating your time is part of living in a small town,” says Stephanie.

With a family, demanding job, the farm, and community work, Johnson’s life is full but he finds refreshment in his roots. “I feel relaxed when I’m home working on the farm,” he says. “I’m in a really good place and if I can hold this for another 20 years I’d be thrilled.” 

A Historic Litchfield Home Gets a Brooklyn Style Whiskey-Infused Makeover

By Zachary Schwartz 

Driving through the town of Litchfield presents a masterclass in historic American architecture. Wonderfully preserved and restored homes dating back to the 1700s and 1800s line the streets, exemplifying magnificent Colonial and Federal architectural styles. But the façades of these homes are not always reflective of the interiors within.

One example of this architectural contrast is a Federal style house built in 1807 on South Street. The white clapboard siding exterior features symmetrical windows and grand chimneys. The inside, on the other hand, is current, modern, and aesthetically more Brooklyn than Litchfield.

Purchased in late 2020 by a family from Brooklyn, the property boasts four floors, five bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and seven fireplaces. The structural bones of the home offer innate personality, including repurposed wood flooring, a two-story library, various entertaining parlors, and a large backyard. The homeowners inserted their eclectic point of view, opting for colorful floral wallpapers, modern furnishings, and contemporary art, much of which was inspired by or acquired in New York City.

“New York itself is such a big part of us. I think that comes through in the house. We have a lot of Brooklyn artists. We definitely brought a piece of Brooklyn with us,” says the homeowner. Boerum Hill references range from brownstone style parlor lighting to street art and hip hop photography books to pottery crafted by Brooklyn-based artists. The design choices lend a youthful, cosmopolitan, and Instagram-era touch to the historic home.

Perhaps nowhere is the polarity between Federal architecture and 21st century Brooklyn design more prevalent than the formal living room. “When we first got this house, my thought was to try and keep it in a classic antique style decor, but incorporate modern pieces within. But it took a whole turn, and the house has become completely modern in style,” says the homeowner. Artistic accents include a large black and white Gardar Eide Einarsson painting, Kehinde Wiley basketball, and Jenna Krypell sculpture. Furniture is from Jonathan Adler, CB2, and West Elm, paired with curated pieces sourced by Rex Todd Rogers and Housatonic Trading Co. 

The home’s nonpareil is its two-story library. A bromidic design choice would have displayed books and decorative objects. Instead, the homeowners showcase their whiskey and spirits collection with accent lighting. Floor-to-ceiling shelves exhibit an impressive selection of coveted whiskeys, scotches, and bourbons. Spirits brands range from Macallan to Laphroaig to Yamazaki. Genres vary from pre-1970s bourbons to private-label versus distillery-released scotches to novelties like pre-embargo Cuban rum. “The collection represents diversified whiskeys, each from an important moment in time for the whiskey and the distillery,” says the homeowner. The bottles are intended to be imbibed directly from the library stacks, not just displayed. Arranged aside the bottles are vintage memorabilia, including prohibition era liquor prescriptions, estate sale flasks, collegiate trophies, and a functional ladder to reach upper shelf bottles. 

Aside from the whiskey library, the homeowners added a fitness studio, sauna, adult game room with foosball and darts, and a childrens’ playroom. In the backyard of the home, they planted a new garden. “Having a garden that I can soil with organic materials and eat from garden to table has been such a blessing,” the homeowner rhapsodizes. In the summer, the homeowners enjoy fresh cut flowers and produce from their garden, a far cry from their Brooklyn origins.

‘COVID newbies’ Find Their Way in Litchfield County

By Linda Tuccio-Koonz

Sure, the occasional field mouse may appear indoors if your new address is near the woods. And no, you can’t order every type of ethnic-cuisine takeout at all hours of the night.

But critters and cravings aside, a sampling of Litchfield County residents–all of whom relocated from urban areas when the pandemic set in–say they’re glad to be here, even though it’s meant starting over in many ways.

“Litchfield, without a doubt, took in a lot of new residents over the course of the pandemic,” says Megan O’Dell, formerly of Manhattan. She and her family moved here part-time in 2020, but now consider it home.

The O’Dells were among thousands of families that bought homes in Litchfield County in 2020, according to Julie King, Litchfield Hills regional brokerage manager for William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty.

King says 3,112 single-family homes were sold in Litchfield County in 2020, compared to 2,370 in 2019. The figure was 2,791 in 2021, so “clearly there’s been significant interest.”

O’Dell says she and her husband, George, who work in the art world, left Manhattan for a Cape Cod house on Bantam River. They would rather their two boys be hunting frogs than hailing taxis.

“It’s a different pace of life; it’s not like you can call and order Lebanese food at two in the morning and have it delivered, but that’s also a reason we moved here.” It’s a “slightly slower, wholesome” way to live.

“Raising our children in a small town where they have more space to explore and really feel like part of a great community was a major motivator,” O’Dell says.

Some refer to folks who relocated during the pandemic as “COVID newbies,” and while everyone’s stories of settling in are slightly different, there are similarities, too. Most say working remotely is key, and community and school events, from fundraisers to art festivals, are great for meeting people. But you can’t be shy.

“Say yes to every invitation,” says Lisa Harvey, who, with her boyfriend, Andy Wright, moved from Manhattan to a 1750s farmhouse in New Milford. Home ownership means more to contend with, she says, but the beauty here “has added richness to our lives.”

Elyse and Peter Fields, formerly of Westchester County, began looking for a Litchfield County home the week COVID-19 hit.

“It was a very strange time to move anywhere,” says Elyse Fields, who found social-distancing protocols made it harder to meet people. One new friendship was forged when they met another newcomer at an outdoor festival, and conversed about her fedora.

“We spend a lot of time in the town of Litchfield and bring our dog (Hank, a Cavapoo),” Fields says. “People with dogs are the friendliest. That’s a good ice breaker.”

Also embracing Litchfield are Marisa and Robert Schmidt, who reside in the historic district. “We had a bit of PTSD living in Brooklyn with the pandemic, hearing all the sirens from ambulances as people around us were getting sick,” Marisa Schmidt says. Now, it’s “just a quick walk, or scooter ride for the kids, to town to grab a sandwich for lunch from the deli, or to Espresso 59 for ice cream after dinner.” 

Meanwhile, Hollyn and Shawn Baron, also from Brooklyn, say their children are thriving here–enjoying nature and all the open space. Their daughter especially loves that their neighbors have horses, chickens, pigs and goats. “We call her our country mouse,” Hollyn says. 

She and her husband work in tech, and now work remotely. “The pandemic was completely transformational for our lives,” she says, but people have been very welcoming and there’s lots of fun things to do. The only thing she hasn’t yet found are Brooklyn bagels! 

King says although some families that relocated with kids during the pandemic have since returned to educating their children in the city during the week, most have held onto their homes here for use on weekends.

Using Genomics to Optimize Health and Prevent Illness 

By Clementina Verge

Being able to peer into the future and minimize negative outcomes is not just wishful thinking, but a reality made possible by genomics, which provides insight into a person’s unique DNA makeup, assisting clinicians in developing individualized care plans. 

Genomics is a field of medicine that studies DNA variations, explains Dr. Alicia McKelvey, medical director of Medicine for Living in Woodbury, who uses genomic testing to help patients take charge of their bodies and offers a holistic, precise approach to achieving optimal health. 

Genetic variations can be likened to a one-word switch in a recipe.

“Boiling versus baking chicken may not create a significant difference, but boiling an apple pie rather than baking one, will,” Dr. McKelvey observes. “Likewise, DNA tells our individual story, as well as that of our parents and grandparents. Being able to ‘read’ this story allows a deep understanding of our health history.”

After earning a medical degree, completing a general surgery residency, and pursuing a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. McKelvey became a pioneer in minimally-invasive thoracic surgery. Decades of service allowed her to witness limitations of traditional medicine, and, determined to bridge this gap, she returned to school, becoming board-certified in Integrative Medicine.

“Western medicine looks at illness from a symptom standpoint, the proverbial ‘tip of the iceberg,’ rather than seeking root causes,” she reflects. “Integrative medicine is a whole approach, considering the mind, body, and spirit, and how each is interdependent on maintaining health. Genomics allows the creation of a personalized owner’s manual to health, rather than a cookie-cutter approach.” 

While not a diagnostic tool, genomics reveals what contributes to and predisposes to issues. For example, people react differently to the same medication, and genomes are responsible. Furthermore, by the time many diseases, such as dementia, exhibit recognizable symptoms–identified in Western medicine as “early stages”–they have been 20 years or more in the making, notes Dr. McKelvey. 

This is where genomics proves advantageous: research suggests that genes not only hold clues about risks of developing memory disorders, but provide insight for prevention and treatment.

Such benefits extend to many conditions Dr. McKelvey addresses in her practice, including heart and brain health, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

Success stories include: a 52-year-old who experienced fatigue and a change in eyesight; a 44-year-old asthma sufferer who developed psoriasis and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis; and a 65-year-old who required multiple cardiac procedures for blocked coronary vessels and experienced memory issues.

In each instance, genomics found variants impacting the body’s ability to eliminate pesticides and heavy metals, contributing to gluten sensitivity and inflammation, or impacting blood vessels in both heart and brain. Dietary changes and supplements helped each person improve.

Because lifestyle, nutrition, environment, and other epigenetic factors influence genes, knowing one’s DNA is empowering. With a simple saliva test, individuals can take a proactive approach in optimizing health. Results do not mean that someone will develop an illness. Their value, however, lies in allowing patients to use DNA technology to prevent, heal, and reverse diseases. –MedicineforLivingCT.com

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Kent’s Fife ‘n Drum is 50 Years Strong
By Charles Dubow

In 1973 Nixon was in the White House, a gallon of gas cost 39 cents and the Litchfield Hills were a quiet little corner of Connecticut where weekenders were scarce and farms abounded. It was also the same year that Dolph and Audrey Traymon opened the Fife ‘n Drum restaurant in Kent. “My father was a successful band leader and my mother was in the greeting card business,” says their daughter Elissa Potts, who today runs the popular restaurant and inn with her husband George. “One day they had driven up to Litchfield so my mother could deliver cards to a client. They had never been up here before and it was so pretty they decided to drive around. When they tried to find a place to have lunch everything was closed. That gave them an idea.”

This year the Fife n’ Drum celebrates its 50th anniversary, which in the May Fly-like life cycle of the average restaurant is quite an achievement—and for that same restaurant to be owned and operated by the same family is almost unheard of. Even more impressive, the Fife keeps packing them in. Its combination of classic American food, live music, a nice long bar, congenial surroundings, impressive wine list, and friendly staff guarantees that the restaurant continues to do a bustling trade for lunch and dinner every day but Tuesday.

It wasn’t always like that though, remembers Elissa. “The first five or so years were tough. But every night my dad would wear a tuxedo and my mother an evening gown, and my father would play the piano. In the beginning, people would eat in one room and then go into the other room for the music. We would commute back and forth from the city. In those days we were living in Locust Valley. My mother would bring fish from the Fulton Fish Market on Mondays. Gradually, the restaurant caught on and as more New Yorkers bought weekend houses in the area the business really took off.”

But Elissa stresses that the clientele is a good mix of weekenders and locals. “We always made sure that our prices were fair.” That fairness extends to their award-winning wine list. Unlike many restaurants, they don’t adjust their prices to reflect current market value. When one orders a bottle that had been bought in, say, 2005, you will pay 2005 prices even if they could charge more. 

Although Dolph died in 2016 at the age of 97 his vision of offering fine dining and live music lives on. Local musicians play the piano and sing on the weekends. And while the menu (and wine list) is always evolving, it continues to serve up long-time favorites such as Roast Duck, Filet Mignon in Madeira Sauce, and Caesar Salad. “I love making the Caesar Salad table-side,” says Elissa, who every night dons the blue-and-white dress shirt worn by the other waiters. “I just love working here and am so proud that people love eating here.”

55 Main Street, Kent, fifendrum.com, 860-927-3509

By Gavi Klein

Photo credit: Courtesy of the Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy

The Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Litchfield is offering guided tours all throughout winter. This is the perfect activity for those looking for ways to spend some more relaxed time outdoors in the next few chilly months. Now through May 5 (when the Conservancy opens its doors for the official season), experienced aviculturists will offer private guided tours of their diverse collection of waterfowl. All throughout the year, these aviculturists are helping to breed, research, and protect these beautiful birds; they house one of the largest collections of waterfowl in the country, with multiple species of ducks, geese, swans, birds of prey, pheasants, cranes, and more. Contrary to popular belief, winter might actually be one of the best times to take a tour of the Conservancy, as January, February, and March are some of the months when the birds’ plumage is particularly brilliant during breeding season. With your 10-person (or less) group of choice, the expert leading the tour will show you some of the work that the Conservancy is doing through education, research and conservation efforts, helping maintain threatened or endangered waterfowl and wetland habitats in northwest Connecticut. Tours last 60 to 90 minutes. For environmentally-conscious Connecticut-dwellers, this is a great organization to support and a great activity to boot! —ripleyconservancy.org

Photo credit: Courtesy of the Northwest Conservation District

On February 9 in Torrington, Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development (CT RC&D) hosted one of three speaker sessions for the CT Farm Energy Program on farm energy and smart agriculture. The CT Farm Energy Workshop is part of a larger Climate Smart Ag event, made possible by the collective efforts of the Northwest Conservation District (NWCD), the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Berkshire Agriculture Ventures. “Our hope is that the workshop allowed more farms to learn about the soil health practices they may want to adopt and about the opportunities available to them for renewable energy implementation on farms,” says Cynthia Rabinowitz, the Executive Director of the NWCD. “The ultimate goal is for farms to adopt practices after learning about these opportunities and techniques.” The Connecticut Farm Energy program began in 2009, and is one of the CT RC&D’s signature initiatives, aiming to provide technical and grant writing assistance to small Connecticut farms around energy efficiency and conservation. To date, they have helped implement over $25 million dollars worth of energy projects across Connecticut. This year, with more federal money available through the USDA’s Rural Development REAP program, the Climate Smart Ag workshops are all the more important; that boost in potential funding is a big deal for small farmers. The CT Farm Energy workshops will help farmers learn just that. —ctrcd.org