Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.
Lakeville Journal · Kent, CT
Nearby: Kent, CTThere’s a corner of YouTube populated by real-time footage of high-dollar art sales from prestigious New York and London auction houses like Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips. Hundreds of thousands of viewers routinely watch with rapt attention, popcorn and cocktails in hand, as recognizable pieces from art history make their way to the upper echelons of grossly unattainable hammer prices. Pieces can often start with opening bids of tens of thousands of dollars and work their way up to multiple millions. Bidding increments alone can grow to sums unattainable for the average American family in several lifetimes. Kenise Barnes Fine Art in Kent, Connecticut, wants to help make fine art more accessible. The 2026 version of the gallery’s annual “Cool and Collected” exhibition is subtitled “The Gift Edit” and features dozens of works by fine artists at prices that are much more in reach than an art-world outsider might expect. More than 30 artists contributed pieces to the show.
Lakeville Journal · North Canaan, CT
Nearby: North Canaan, CTNORTHWEST CORNER — Libraries provide much more than books nowadays, and eligible Connecticut residents now have another resource available. All six libraries in the Region One school district are participating in Laptop ConneCT, a program that allows eligible residents to borrow laptops for long-term use. “It’s terrific,” said Meg Sher, executive director of the D.M. Hunt Library in Falls Village. “We’ve already given out two.” Laura Moran, director of the Douglas Library in North Canaan, spoke enthusiastically about the program, saying it has particularly benefited people over 65. “They are able to use it for such things as telehealth,” she said. “They are finding it easier to read because of a larger screen and keyboard than on their phones.” Each library has received an allocation of laptops through the statewide program. The Dell Pro 16 laptops run Windows and have built-in cameras for video calls, online classes, virtual doctor appointments and more.
Lakeville Journal · North Canaan, CT
Nearby: North Canaan, CT“I think art is the thing that allows us to feel there’s something in the universe that loves us,” said painter Peter Cusack in his new studio, a mid-19th-century stone church on Main Street in North Canaan. For Cusack, art has always been a way of reaching toward something beyond the physical world. That sensibility runs through “Eternal: New, Recent, and Near Distant Paintings,” his upcoming exhibition in the church, a setting that seems an improbably good fit. Cusack recently moved his painting practice from Torrington into the former church at 58 Main Street. The move came about somewhat unexpectedly, after a change in ownership made his previous studio untenable. “At first I thought it was just gonna be too much,” Cusack said. When he first saw it, the building still looked unmistakably like a church, with its vaulted ceiling, stained glass and architectural details intact. It had served as a place of worship for generations before closing roughly 12 years ago.
Lakeville Journal · Litchfield, CT
Nearby: Litchfield, CTThe gallery is really meant to create a very intimate relationship with the artist and the story behind their work. —Jennifer TerzianOn a recent crisp, fall afternoon in Litchfield, Jennifer Terzian welcomed a steady stream of collectors, artists, and art-world insiders into her jewel box of an art space on South Street, just off the town’s manicured historic Green. The occasion was an opening for Jenny Kemp, an artist noted for balancing fluidity and structure in her abstractions through repetition, variation, and gradual shifts in hue. Hers is exactly the kind of tactile, process-driven work Terzian champions at a subterranean space that feels less like a commercial art gallery and more like stumbling into an impeccably edited sanctuary of contemporary thought. “I don’t really consider myself a traditional gallerist,” explained Terzian, a Southern California native who moved to Connecticut in 2008.
Lakeville Journal · Sheffield, MA
Nearby: Sheffield, MASubway stations may seem unlikely places to encounter the divine, but amid the rumble of trains, the crush of commuters and the cavernous underground passageways, Salisbury artist Mike Selbach finds moments of unexpected beauty. In “Subway Saints,” his solo exhibition opening Thursday, Nov. 12 at the Warren Family Gallery at Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, Selbach transforms ordinary commuters and familiar transit spaces into sacred moments. Through carved, two-sided wooden sculptures and expressive woodcut prints of New York City subway stations, Selbach captures both the individuality of the people who pass through these spaces and the shared experience of moving through the city. His work draws on decades of experience in sculpture and printmaking, with a distinct focus on the expressive possibilities of wood.
Lakeville Journal · Torrington, CT
Nearby: Torrington, CTThe 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. North Canaan DUI A 21-year-old driver was charged with driving under the influence after a single-vehicle crash on Casey Hill Road early Nov. 3, state police said. Troopers responding to an automatic crash notification found that Samuel Green had been driving north near the intersection with Route 44 when his Ford F-150 struck a Frontier utility pole, left the road and came to rest atop a dirt mound, police said. Green, the vehicle’s sole occupant, had no reported injuries. He is scheduled to appear Nov. 13 in Torrington Superior Court. North Canaan possession of a controlled substance Police arrested a Torrington man in North Canaan on Nov. 8 for alleged possession of a controlled substance after a routine traffic stop investigating an equipment violation.
Lakeville Journal · Great Barrington, MA
Nearby: Great Barrington, MAGREAT BARRINGTON — Climbers of all ages and ability levels filled Berkshire Boulders on Friday, Nov. 6, as the new rock climbing gym celebrated its grand opening just north of downtown on Route 7. As the crowd began to build at 4 p.m., founder Nick Friedman said it was gratifying to see the long-planned project finally open to the public. “It’s a bit surreal but it feels good,” he said. “It’s this idea that’s been percolating in climbers’ minds for decades.” The type of climbing on offer is bouldering — a short but often powerful and technical form of the sport, usually practiced on walls less than about 14 feet tall. Mats cushion falls, and climbers use no harnesses or ropes. Beginners need only a pair of climbing shoes and some chalk, available to rent for $7, making bouldering a popular entry point to the sport. In addition to climbing, the gym offers a fitness room with exercise equipment, a shower, and a back porch and picnic tables overlooking the Housatonic River valley.
Lakeville Journal · Great Barrington, MA
Nearby: Great Barrington, MANow celebrating 40 years, Cowboy Junkies will perform Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The band is celebrating its long career with a triple-vinyl retrospective album called “Open to Beauty,” featuring a selection of songs from 2000 onward, including material from its most recent release, “Such Ferocious Beauty.” Initially, the band was inspired by the dark, spacious qualities of post-punk and goth groups such as Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division. But the musicians soon settled on an organic, rootsy country-blues sound with hints of psychedelia. Their hushed sound developed from playing quietly in their garage rehearsal space so as not to disturb their neighbors. Formed in 1985, the band made a huge impact on the indie rock scene with its second album, “The Trinity Session,” recorded with a single ambisonic microphone at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto.
Highlands Current · Terryville, CT
Nearby: Terryville, CTIt is with profound sadness that the family of Patricia Anne Byron of Cold Spring, New York, announces her passing on Nov. 1, 2026, at the age of 80. Pat was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on Sept. 8, 1946, to Emmett Byron and Eleanor “Nell” Byron. She grew up in Terryville, Connecticut, and Providence. Patricia was a beloved mother and grandmother whose intense intellect, sharp wit and compassion touched the lives of so many, near and far. She was, simply put, brilliant, having learned to read the newspaper at the age of 3, sitting on her grandfather’s lap. Pat was a voracious reader throughout her life, generally consuming a book every day or two. She also was an editor for authors and nonprofits throughout her life. In Cold Spring, she loved visiting Butterfield Library, and when the walk became too far for her in later years, she appreciated their weekly deliveries of new material for her to enjoy.
Patch · Wappingers Falls, NY
Nearby: Wappingers Falls, NYThe panel of students and district leaders explained that Briarcliff shaped its approach to AI by listening first. Press release from the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District: On Tuesday, November 3, Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Kaishian, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Jasmine McQuay, and Briarcliff High School senior and Student Government Co-Class President Sofia Cruz presented the Briarcliff AI Community Playbook at NYSCATE’s Hudson Valley State of Mind: Navigating Tomorrow Together regional conference. Hosted by the New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education, the conference was held at Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls. Find out what's happening in Pleasantville-Briarcliff Manorfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
