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Speed, spirit and splinters
Mar 27, 2024
Patrick L. Sullivan
FALLS VILLAGE — It was Pinewood Derby time at Housatonic Valley Regional High School Saturday, March 23, as Scouts of all ages raced their five-ounce cars on a long track in the gym.
Daniel Moran, age 14, handled the release of the cars at the top of the track.
There was a new category this year: Classic Cars, open to entries from the last 100 years. In practical terms, this meant entries from the last 20 years or so.
Racers competed in 13 categories. Below are the winners with average speed (To determine the speed, software factors how long it takes each car to travel the 40-foot track and calculates an average in miles-per-hour).
Lion Scout Winner
Nicholas D. (224.24 MPH)
Tiger Scout Winner
Alex M. (225.72 MPH)
Wolf Scout Winner
Gavin T. (245.05 MPH)
Bear Scout Winner
Davier V. (197.24 MPH)
Webelo Scout Winner
Myles S. (204.11 MPH)
Boy Scout Winner
Bentley K. (226.99 MPH)
Scout Leader Winner
Tanya P. (231.19 MPH)
Parent Class Winner
Josh B. (205.53 MPH)
Business Class Winner
CAM Automotive (232.08 MPH)
Youth Class Winner
Caleb P. (231.65 MPH)
Cub Scout King of the Hill
Gavin T. (230.55 MPH)
Non-Cub Scout King of the Hill
CAM Automotive (232.41 MPH)
First Ever Cub Scout Classic Winner
Daniel M. (233.34 MPH)
Patrick L. Sullivan
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Police Blotter: Troop B
Mar 27, 2024
The following information was provided by the Connecticut State Police at Troop B. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Sharon disorderly conduct
On Monday, March 18, at approximately 8:15 p.m., Troop B responded to a Sharon Valley Road address in Sharon for the report of a male and female screaming on a 911 call. Subsequent to an investigation, Chad Peterson, 36, of Sharon, was taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct. Peterson was transported to Troop B headquarters. A cash/bond was set at $25,000.
Driver hits utility pole
On Wednesday, March 20, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Keely Reed, 40, of Canaan, was traveling southbound on West Cornwall Road in Sharon in a 2012 Ford Escape and lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle veered off the roadway and struck a utility pole. Reed was transported to Sharon Hospital for injuries. The Escape was towed from the scene. Reed was issued a written warning for failure to drive in the proper lane.
One-car crash in Norfolk
On Saturday, March 23, at approximately 6:15 p.m., Walter White, 22, of Torrington, was traveling south on Winchester Road, south of Parker Hill Road in Norfolk, in a 2005 Pontiac Vibe. While negotiating a curve in the road, White’s vehicle exited the roadway and struck a telephone pole. White did not sustain any injury and the vehicle was towed from the scene. White was issued an infraction for failure to maintain lane.
The Lakeville Journal will publish the outcome of police charges. Contact us by mail at P.O. Box 1688, Lakeville, CT 06039, Attn: Police Blotter, or send an email, with “police blotter” in the subject line, to johnc@lakevillejournal.
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John Coston
COPAKE — Town of Copake Supervisor Richard Wolfe reported that Hecate Energy LLC plans to seek a siting permit for a 42 megawatt (MW) solar project after the company’s plan was turned down by the state last month.
The project, called Shepherd’s Run, was originally designed as a 60MW facility that would be situated near the intersection of Routes 23 and 7.
The New York state Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) on Feb. 6 dismissed the company’s application after it had lost control of a parcel of land that had been integral to the project. The decision to dismiss was made “without prejudice,” meaning that the company could resubmit.
In a January filing with ORES, Diane Sullivan, a senior vice president at Hecate, said that the company planned to submit a revised plan within 60 days, which would be any time now.
Emails and phone calls to Hecate were not returned.
Wolf, in his latest report to residents about the project’s status, wrote, “I warned that the saga of Shepherd’s Run was not over. Because the dismissal was “without prejudice,” Hecate could try again. Well, they’re back!”
The original project covered 267 acres, and according to Wolf the company plans to work with 217 acres to build a 42MW array.
“Shepherd’s Run would still be the size of more than 150 NFL-sized football fields,” Wolf wrote.
Wolf could not be reached for comment, but in his report he said that he hoped that the company “will work with Copake to address our well documented concerns about its proposal.”
Wolf said that should include incorporating proposals from an ad hoc Working Group that include a 300-acre public greenspace, creating nature walks and bicycle paths that would turn Shepherd’s Run “from an eyesore into a tourist attraction.”
The supervisor called for Hecate to compensate homeowners who will be impacted by “tens of thousands of solar panels directly across the road.”
Wolf was critical of Hecate’s approach to view a new application filing as an “amendment” to the old application.
Wolf also notes in his report that Hecate, despite its claims, has not held any “open house style” meetings to present a new proposal to the Town of Copake, and further that in its Public Information Project Plan (PIP) the company makes several mistakes regarding the identity of town officials.
“[PIP] has incorrect titles for some appointed board chairs, fails to list another appointed board member, and even lists a deceased Copakean as a current deputy chair,” Wolf wrote.
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Leila Hawken
SHARON — Local French pastry buffs do not mind a bit that the lines are sometimes long at the Blue Gate Farm Bakery in Sharon. After a few years of offering baked goods at a variety of area farmers’ markets, the bakery settled down and opened for business nearly a year ago.
Located on the Sharon side of the Housatonic River where Routes 7 and 4 meet, the bake shop is the work of pastry chef Bruce Young, along with his wife, Yobana, both owners of Blue Gate Farm in Warren. They paused for an interview on Thursday, March 21, after a busy day of preparation for Friday’s sales.
“We’re a small community in Warren,” said Bruce Young, who recalled the beginnings in 2020 at a farmers’ market behind the Warren General Store, later adding a similar farmers’ market in Washington Depot, and then others. Young grew up in Warren and he and Yobana still live there in his boyhood home that had been built by his father.
A Washington Montessori schoolteacher during the week, Yobana welcomes customers at the bakery on weekends. She also handles the bakery’s business details.
Transition from farmers’ markets to retail location came suddenly, according to Young, who recalled the day that he pulled into the gas station and convenience store that stands along Route 4 on the Sharon side of the river just west of Cornwall Bridge.
“I stopped for gas and ran into Liz Macaire, a long-time acquaintance,” he said. She pointed to the building across the road and recommended that he look at it. He remembered that she insisted that he needed to open his bakery there “immediately,” so 48 hours later, he was open for business.
“We haven’t had a slow day since we opened,” Young reported, pleased that the line of customers extends out the door, and that people are sometimes waiting in line before the bakery opens in the morning.
Baked goods are all baked on site. Breads include traditional, European, and the baguettes are done to French weight and size standards. Sourdough is naturally fermented. Multigrain and variations seasonally rotated.
Croissants are made on site. “I start with a scoop of flour, water and yeast, and very expensive French butter,” Young said. The French butter works the best for laminating pastry.
Hard rolls are made fresh every morning, Young said. “I cut and weigh and shape every one of them, about 85 each day.
“I’m pretty fast,” he added.
Young said that he arrives at the bakery each day at 3 a.m., working six days a week. The schedule is necessary in order to fill the bakery shelves with the variety that is sold on the busy weekends.
Area towns have their own designated rolls. “We always have a local roll,” he said. The Cornwall roll is topped with a pistachio ganache, for example.
On a Saturday, Young expects there to be seven types of breads available, and always baguettes. Blue Gate bakes varieties of tarts, and regional French specialty items, including short-crust pastry with black cherries, walnuts, or red plums as a few examples.
Delicate barquettes, shaped like small boats, are filled with lemon curd or fresh fruit as some of the choices. French caneles, local to the Bordeaux region, are a frequent feature.
“We have an astonishing variety,” Young said. “We do what we do best.”
The coffee comes from Sacred Grounds in Sherman. Choices include latte, cappuccino, or espresso. Hot chocolate is made with Lindt chocolate truffles topped with handmade marshmallows.
There is no indoor seating, but customers are welcome to find a spot outdoors to enjoy their purchases. Many summer season patrons walk over from the Housatonic Meadows campgrounds for warm pastries and coffee in the mornings, or some prefer the fresh breakfast sandwiches.
“I’ve been cooking since I was 14,” Young said. He lived in England for nine years working for a French chef whose father was a baker from whom he learned much. He noted that he has been largely self-taught and is always learning.
An unusual companion to a bakery operation, a design and décor note is added by Ivy’s Collective, stylishly occupying the other half of the building’s interior. In high spirits from having acquired pastry before the bakery sells out, visitors can shift gears and view an array of antiques and collectibles. Prices from a few dollars to higher. Ivy’s is owned by former New Yorkers, Ivy and Daniel Kramp, and managed by Liz Macaire, merging talents to create an ever-changing display in an unrushed country environment.
Both the Blue Gate Bakery and Ivy’s Collective are open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (the bakery closes earlier if things sell out).
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