discover kent 2013

7/27/2019 Discover Kent 2013

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The LakeviLLe JournaL Co., LLC

Te Lakeville Journal, Te Millerton News, Te Winsted Journal and www.tricornernews.com

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October 2013


2/24

SOUTH KENTS C H O O L

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OPENHOUSE

Arrival & Welcome, 9:00am

To RSVP or for more info contact

[email protected] or (860) 927-3539 x201

40 Bulls Bridge Road, South Kent, CT 06785

www.southkentschool.orgPage 2 Discover Kent 2013


3/24

Discover KentBy Cynthia Hochswender

Discover Kent 2013 Page 3

In a motorized world, one of the charms of Kent

is that its still very much a walking town.Its a destination for vehicles, of course, and a popular

place for visitors to come to by bicycle, motor car or motorbike but when they get here, they dont drive through,they park.

And then they walk. The village center has manyenticements: restaurants, cafs, art galleries. And of coursethe eye candy of the many high-end bicycles, vintage carsand motorcycles parked along the curbs of Main Street.

Not everyone arrives here in a vehicle, though. Thehistoric Appalachian Trail runs through Kent. Scruffy buthappy hikers step off the trail into town and sit happilyat outdoor cafes, drinking espresso beverages and, for achange, watching other people walk on by.

Some hikers choose to stay here, where there aremore inns and hotels than any other town in the region.

Augmenting those more traditional options: rooms leased

through new Internet programs such as www.airbnb.com.However you get to Kent, and however long you stay,enjoy your journey of discovery.

Contents October 2013

No room at the inn? .............................................. page 4

The Appalachian Trail .......................................... page 9

South Kent Schools Center for Innovation...... page 14

Halloween: Taking it to the street..................... page 17

Season of Song for Kent Singers ....................... page 19

Giving a beautiful face to Kent........................... page 20

Town Resources.................................................. page 22

Advertiser Index ................................................. page 22

The Lakeville Journal Company, LLCPO Box 1688, 33 Bissell St., Lakeville, CT 06039E-mail: [email protected]: 860-435-9873 Fax: 860-435-4802

Web site: www.tricornernews.com

Janet Manko, PublisherCynthia Hochswender, EditorLibby H. Hall, Advertising RepresentativeElizabeth Castrodad, Advertising Coordinator

James Clark, Production Coordinator, DesignAmanda Maya Winans and Derek Van Deusen, Composing

Contributing writers: Chelsea Edgar; Darryl Ganglof f;Monica Chin; Jed Struckus, Ph.D.

Cover photos by Janet Manko;Photos contributed by Cynthia Hochswenderand Janet Manko

All written material in Discover Kent, Connecticut, iscopyrighted and may not be reproduced without theexpress permission of the publisher and the writers.

2013, The Lakeville Journal Co., LLC


4/24

GMPH & SONS LLCGary Morin Plumbing & Heating

Est. 1987

Kent, Connecticut 06757

860-927-3923 (office, fax)

860-601-6186 (cell)

Ct Plumbing Lic.#: 203671 Ct Heating Lic.#: 30852

New Construction

Renovations

Repairs

Installations

OUTOFTHEORDINARY

Womens Wear

Tel: (860) 927 4064

11N. Main Street

Kent, CT

ClothesCountry

Mon.-Thur. 11 to 5

Fri. 11 to 5:30

Sat. 10 to 5:30

Sun. 12 to 5

Discover an uncommon selection of unique clothingin our comfortably fashionable country house. Finda casual elegance in beautiful clothes that are easycare and easy wear. We specialize in extraordinaryclothes that complement your individual style sense.

The best in women's wear all in one place: BettinaRiedel, Comfy, Fat Hat, and many more.

Page 4 Discover Kent 2013

No room at the inn? Leaf-season lodging optionsBy Cynthia Hochswender

Some come to see artwork,or the amous display o autumnleaves, or to enjoy hiking at thewateralls or along the HousatonicRiver. Some come to hear theworld-class speakers at KentMemorial Library lectures (MerylStreep, Colin Powell, ChristopherBuckley).

There are lots o reasons tocome to visit, and there are manyplaces to stay (see our listing olodgings at the end o this article).In addition to the more traditionalinns and bed-and-breakasts,

Its not Paris, London or New York City but Kent has its own

appeal and does draw visitors from around the world. Some

come to help their youngsters settle in at boarding school. Some

are walking the Appalachian Trail and want a soft bed, a

shower and a hot meal for at least one night.

several Kent homeowners are nowoering lodgings through onlinesharing sites such as www.airbnb.com. Two successul hosts werewilling to be interviewed or thisarticle, and had interesting adviceto prospective renters.

The two we spoke to are atdierent edges o the price

spectrum. Guy Mauri owns SpiritHorse Farm, and rents out whathe describes as a barn; thats alittle bit like saying a top-o-the-lineRange Rover is a car. Guests canswim in the pool, use the weight

room, visit with the horses, roastmarshmallows in the outdoorfreplace. There is a arm, withresh produce and resh eggs

available to guests.Appropriately, prices run on thehigh side, starting at $350 a nightor double occupancy.

At the other end o thespectrum are the simplerpleasures and downhome comortsto be ound staying with AlisonPalmer and Steve Katz in theirhouse on Stone Fences Lane. Tworooms are available; they rent or$85 a night. Steve and Alison will

make you breakast. Theyll driveyou to or pick you up rom theAppalachian Trail.

And i you like working withclay, Palmer has a large and lovelyceramics studio and a wood-fred


5/24

Litchfield Countys largest

outdoor specialty shopWe serve only the best!Irving Farm coffee and espresso

Harney teasSoco Creamery ice cream

Boars Head hot dogs

5 Bridge Street, Kent, CT

860-927-3377become a facebook fan @ AnnieBananie Icecream

follow us on twitter @ annieicecream

*Five Fingers

*Pistil

*Isis

*fishing

*rentals

*The North Face

*Horny Toad

*Woolrich

*Smartwool

*camping supplies

5 Bridge Street, Kent, CT

860-927-3377

Become a Facebook fan: Annie Bananie Ice Cream, Backcountry Outfitters

Litchfield Countys Premier

outdoor specialty shop*The North Face*Horny Toad

*Woolrich

*Smartwool

*camping supplies

*local artisans

*Pistil

*Isis

*fishing

*rentals

outdoor specialty

and general store*Horny Toad

*Woolrich

*Rab

*camping supplies

*local artisans

*fishing

*rentals

*wigwam

*local gourmet foods


Continued on Page 6

Steve Katz and Alison Palmer (and dogs Henry and Mickey) host guestsat their house through www.airbnb.com.

kiln (she is in the process o

building a gas-fred model); sheteaches classes and all guests atthe house are invited to come up

and make some art.I you like music, Katz has

several guitars lying aroundthe living room, which he will

occasionally pick up and play. Thisis particularly cool since, ahem, hewas a ounding member o Blood,Sweat and Tears and the Blues

Project. Hes very lowkey about it,however, and actually apologizesor the act that he sometimes uses

the living room as a music room.Sometimes Ill play guitar in the

living room, he said difdently.

People are pretty nice about it.Past guests at their house dont

comment on the music at all intheir online reviews. They mostly


6/24

WELCOME TO THE NEWLY

REMODELED DAVIS IGA!

Davis IGAKent Green Kent, Ct

Phone (860) 927- 4093Open Sunday 8am to 6pm

Monday thru Saturday 8am to 7pm


Lodging Options Continued from Page 5

talk about the very cool ceramicsstudio, and about what warm butunobtrusive hosts Katz and Palmerare.

Were busy, Palmer said. We

have things to do.Which can be a wonderul thing

in a home-stay situation. There isno need to provide entertainmentor the hosts.

Both Mauri and Palmer andKatz got into the lodging businessabout two years ago, when theairbnb model was just taking o.For those who havent heard o ityet, airbnb and sites like it createwhat Katz calls a community o

people who would rather not stayin a hotel and would rather staywith interesting people.

Sometimes the draw is thehouse itsel; architecturally

unique homes are popular airbnbdestinations. More oten peopleare looking to travel inexpensivelyat a time when hotel rooms caneasily cost $400 a night.

Mauri and Palmer and Katzalso stressed that what makes an

airbnb rental dierent rom otherlodging situations is that theresan interchange between renterand guest beore any bookingsare made. They go online andsearch reviews o their potentialguests, just as travelers go onlineand read reviews o the hosts andtheir homes beore setting up abooking. And everyone agreedthat good reviews are crucial.

Alisons priority has alwaysbeen the reviews, Katz said.

Theyve been o ering a roomat their home or two years now,but its only in the past year thattheyve begun to rent out space

on a pretty regular basis. Thatspartly because more people knowabout airbnb, thanks in part tolots o recent media coverage. Butits also because Katz and Palmerhave begun to amass a long list ocompletely positive reviews.

Its the Catch 22 o airbnb.Without reviews, there are noguests. Without guests, thereare no reviews. What broke theimpasse or them was a riend whocame to stay and posted the frstreview (a good one, ortunately).

Mauri has been renting outthe barn since 2008, making hima pioneer in the business. He ismore systematic than the averageairbnb host. He not only has hisown website or Spirit Horsearm, he also pays or listingson other sites such as www.bnb.com, www.bedandbreakast.com, www.homeaway.com and


7/24

1000+ Wines55 Bourbons400+ Beers

Open 7 days

24 Main StreetKent CT

860-927-3033


www.vacationrental.com. Thelistings cost him about $300 ayear, he said, which is a bit o aninvestment. But hes booked orthe entire next year.

It pretty much caught on or usthe second we started to list it, he

said. We must have started at theexact right time, its been nonstop.Sometimes we get three inquiriesa day.

Attractive photos and amazingamenities help, o course. He saidthe arm and the horses are a bigdraw.

But, like Katz and Palmer, hesaid that the most important thingis ensuring that guests have thebest possible experience. Aboveall, he said, the lodgings must beclean.

I you want people to be happyand write good reviews, you haveto treat them well and be willing

Continued on Page 8

to drop everything or them. Wegreet them when they arrive, showthem around, teach them how touse everything, the weight room,the pool.

Beore anything: We scrub theridge. We clean everything. I

you have spaghetti sauce on thetop o the microwave, youre goingto get trashed on the Internet. Wego over this place with a fnetoothcomb as soon as a guest leaves.

He and Katz and Palmeragreed that most guests are veryrespectul o the property.

I think a lot o that is becauseIm here on the premises, he said.Its more likely someone wouldhave trashed it i I werent rightover there in the next building.

Mauri started renting lodgingsbecause he had the extra space.

Renting long term wasnt that Entry to the Village Barn Shops:galleries, eateries, a day spa, achildrens shop and more.


8/24

80 North Main St.

1B3, Kent, CT. 06757


Lodging Options

Continued from Page 7

great. We couldnt fnd tenantswho would pay the rent. So wedecided to do short-term vacation

rentals. And it just took o.He has a riend who is now

talking about building an extraspace specifcally to rent it out.

I wouldnt recommend that, hesaid. We had the space, and Im abuilder, so it made sense or us.

And, he stressed, it takes more

than just a nice space.This has turned into a real

job. Its not an easy thing to do.

It defnitely pays the bills, but itreally takes work.

Traditional innsand bed-and-breakfasts in Kent

Constitution Oak Bed &Breakfast, 36 Beardsley

Road, 860-354-6495

Cooper Creek Bed &Breakfast, 230 Kent-Cornwall Road, 860-927-4334

Fife n Drum Inn, 53 N.Main St., 860-927-3509

Inn at Kent Falls, 107 KentCornwall Road, 860-927-3197

Kent Country Inn, 23 Maple

St., 860-671-0002

Starbuck Inn, 88 N. Main St.,860-927-1788

Mickey the Havanese greets renters to Alison Palmer and Steve Katzs

airbnb lodgings.


9/24

In a lovely setting on Rt 7 in Kent, Kingsley Tavern is your stop forfresh-from-the farm food & a great selection of cra beer, wine & spirits.

Please visit our website at kingsleytavern.com for more information.

See you soon!

14 North Main St, Kent, CT(860) 592-0261


Continued on Page 10

History, beauty and peace of mind: the Appalachian TrailBy Cynthia Hochswender

Theyre as much a part of villagelife here as are the crowds ofmotorcyclists lining Main Street and

the well-heeled dogs sitting withtheir owners outside the local shopsand restaurants. But for those who

arent familiar with the AT and theculture of thru-hiking, they can bea somewhat mysterious presence.

Who are these people and why arethey so notably under-groomed?Why are they all smoking if theyreout walking for 10 hours a day?

Most people who live here

know that the Appalachian

Appalachian Trail hikers are thick on the ground in Kent in

summer, not just out on the white-blazed AT footpaths but also in

town, where they come in for some needed calories (aka pints of Ben

and Jerrys ice cream), check for mail and shop for new boots or

poles or bandanas.

Trail is the national trail andconservation corridor that followsan uninterrupted path from Springer

Mountain, Ga., north to MountKatahdin in Maine.

What many of us dont know is

how much the trail has changed overthe years, and how relatively recentlyit took on the shape it has now.

The name Benton MacKaye(rhymes with sky) is the one thatmost people associate with theAT. A Massachusetts forester and

The Appalachian Trail in Kent goes

through felds and orests.


10/24

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