Even a rough ride on the Rail Trail was a nice break for cyclists

MILLERTON — Rain loomed ominously on the horizon, and (for the most part) held off Sunday, July 26, as Bike New York set up at Eddie Collins Field for the sixth annual Harlem Valley Rail Ride, which began and ended in the village of Millerton.

There were five routes covering from 22 to 100 miles, which gave riders of all abilities an opportunity to either challenge themselves with the tough hills and the longer rides or simply enjoy a nice tour of scenic Harlem Valley views.

The ride was scheduled to take place rain or shine. There was a light drizzle in the early afternoon but for the most part it was a humid but not rainy day.

Most of the riders started at the Harlem Valley Rail Trail head in Millerton and moved south to Amenia, where they then split up.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be such a beautiful ride,� said Ross Lee, who along with his brother, Andre, had come down from Canada and did the 30-mile loop. Andre had previously participated in Bike New York’s Five Borough Bike Tour in New York City.

The 75- and 100-mile rides caught a few people by surprise, as they were especially challenging and hilly in places. There were a few local celebrities going for the century ride for the first time.

“This is a tough thing to prepare for,� acknowledged Millerton Mayor John Scutieri before he started. Scutieri reported that he logs between 100 and 150 miles a week on his bike, but this was the first time he had tackled such a long distance in a single day.

Same for town of North East Supervisor Dave Sherman, who also signed up for the 100-mile route. [Millerton is a village in the town of North East.]

“I’m concerned about the weather,� he said before the early morning start, looking up into the sky. “But I haven’t done 100 miles before either.�

Sherman said he felt compelled to join in after hearing that Scutieri and Millerton Police Officer David Rudin would be going for the glory.

David Reagon of Wassaic brought along his son, Mike, for the century as well, but on only one bike, a tandem. (Does that mean each cyclist only has to pedal 50 miles?)

After the ride, cyclists were treated to a festival at Eddie Collins Field, complete with food, free swimming at the town pool, a bean-bag toss and entertainment provided by local bands. There were also educational seminars on handy things to know such as fixing a flat tire.

But rain or shine, whether you rode 22 miles or 100 miles, it was an opportunity for many to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

“Today was great,� said Charles Brewer, who came up from the city. “It’s nice and quiet around here, and it’s just what I needed.�

Latest News

South Kent School’s unofficial March reunion

Elmarko Jackson was named a 2023 McDonald’s All American in his senior year at South Kent School. He helped lead the Cardinals to a New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC) AAA title victory and was recruited to play at the University of Kansas. This March he will play point guard for the Jayhawks when they enter the tournament as a No. 4 seed against (13) Samford University.

Riley Klein

SOUTH KENT — March Madness will feature seven former South Kent Cardinals who now play on Division 1 NCAA teams.

The top-tier high school basketball program will be well represented with graduates from each of the past three years heading to “The Big Dance.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotchkiss grads dancing with Yale

Nick Townsend helped Yale win the Ivy League.

Screenshot from ESPN+ Broadcast

LAKEVILLE — Yale University advanced to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament after a buzzer-beater win over Brown University in the Ivy League championship game Sunday, March 17.

On Yale’s roster this year are two graduates of The Hotchkiss School: Nick Townsend, class of ‘22, and Jack Molloy, class of ‘21. Townsend wears No. 42 and Molloy wears No. 33.

Keep ReadingShow less
Handbells of St. Andrew’s to ring out Easter morning

Anne Everett and Bonnie Rosborough wait their turn to sound notes as bell ringers practicing to take part in the Easter morning service at St. Andrew’s Church.

Kathryn Boughton

KENT—There will be a joyful noise in St. Andrew’s Church Easter morning when a set of handbells donated to the church some 40 years ago are used for the first time by a choir currently rehearsing with music director Susan Guse.

Guse said that the church got the valuable three-octave set when Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center closed in the late 1980s and the bells were donated to the church. “The center used the bells for music therapy for younger patients. Our priest then was chaplain there and when the center closed, he brought the bells here,” she explained.

Keep ReadingShow less
Picasso’s American debut was a financial flop
Picasso’s American debut was a financial flop
Penguin Random House

‘Picasso’s War” by Foreign Affairs senior editor Hugh Eakin, who has written about the art world for publications like The New York Review of Books, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and The New York Times, is not about Pablo Picasso’s time in Nazi-occupied Paris and being harassed by the Gestapo, nor about his 1937 oil painting “Guernica,” in response to the aerial bombing of civilians in the Basque town during the Spanish Civil War.

Instead, the Penguin Random House book’s subtitle makes a clearer statement of intent: “How Modern Art Came To America.” This war was not between military forces but a cultural war combating America’s distaste for the emerging modernism that had flourished in Europe in the early decades of the 20th century.

Keep ReadingShow less