Discover 2018

ALL ABOUT
THE
CANAANS
It confuses everyone: What is Canaan, what is
Falls Village/Town of Canaan North Canaan and what is Falls Village? In this
North Canaan • East Canaan special issue, learn how the confusion between
the two towns began — and learn some of the
special attractions that make each town tick.

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2 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018

A Tale of Two Canaans
P
retty much everyone except
natives of the two towns is
confused by the whole Canaan/
North Canaan/Falls Village thing.
Here’s the short version: There
used to be a single town called Ca-
naan. In the early 1800s, Canaan was
legally divided into two towns: North
Canaan and Canaan. That much, at
least, is clear.
What’s less clear is why everyone
calls North Canaan “Canaan” and
why everyone calls Canaan “Falls Vil- The Original
lage,” except for government officials Town Hall
from the state and in Canaan, who Years ago there was just
call it the Town of Canaan/Falls Vil- one town of Canaan and
lage. Government officials in North just one town hall, as seen
Canaan generally call their town in this photo, to serve the
Canaan and call their southern neigh- needs of the Canaanites.
bor “Falls Village.” Officials from both Although its placement was
towns, naturally, claim that their PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHRYN BOUGHTON
the best compromise the
jurisdiction is “the original Canaan.” original town had found as
The name “Falls Village” apparently North Canaan. She has done extensive a central point for municipal
was bestowed on the town of Canaan research into the cleaving of the town business, that placement was
by railroad operators, whose passen- of Canaan. A fraction of her original emblematic of the problem
gers would disembark at the train stop research is shared beginning on page that brought the town to the
near the Great Falls. The operators got 4. To learn more, visit her on Fridays point of division—too distant
in the habit of announcing “the falls at her office in the center of North from both north and south to
village.” Canaan (call first to make an appoint- be convenient.
Kathryn Boughton is a journal- ment, just in case, at 860-824-5257).
ist and the historian for the town of — Cynthia Hochswender

The Lakeville Journal Company, LLC

Contents, June 2018 PO Box 1688, Lakeville, CT 06039
The Two Canaans and How They Came To Be ........................... page 4 64 Route 7 N, Falls Village, CT 06031
Stevens’ Hotel ...................................................................................... page 5
Couch-Pipa VFW, North Canaan .................................................... page 8 editor@lakevillejournal.com • 860-435-9873
Perotti Makes It Work In North Canaan ....................................... page 9 www.tricornernews.com
Todd Offers Fresh Ideas for Falls Village ..................................... page 11
The Return of the Canaan Union Station .................................... page 12 Janet Manko, Publisher
Cynthia Hochswender, Editor
Friendly Food and Service at Railway Café ................................ page 16
Libby H. Hall-Abeel, Advertising Manager
Gentle Warmth, Cozy Comfort at Toymakers ........................... page 17 Mary Wilbur, Advertising Representative
Public Safety In The Canaans ........................................................ page 21 James Clark, Production Coordinator, Design
What It Means To Be A Town Constable .................................... page 23 Caitlin Hanlon and Olivia Montoya, Composing
What It Means To Be A Resident State Trooper ....................... page 25
Canaan/Falls Village Town Resources ......................................... page 27 Cover photos by Cynthia Hochswender
North Canaan Town Resources ..................................................... page 28
Advertiser Index ............................................................................... page 28 All material in Discover The Canaans is copyrighted
Beckley Furnace: A Relic of the Iron Age ................................... page 30 and may not be reproduced without the express
permission of the publisher and the writers.
HVRHS: The Most Beautiful School In the State ...................... page 31 ©2018, The Lakeville Journal Company, LLC

DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018 3

The Two Canaans And
How They Came To Be
By Kathryn Boughton
T
he Tale of the Two Canaans
rightfully begins with a tale
of one Canaan. The town had
its inception when, in January 1738,
Samuel Lynde, John Griswold and
John Richards gathered at the New
London courthouse to sell one of
five new townships laid out in the
largely unoccupied “western lands” of
Connecticut.
The original town encompassed
some 52.8 square miles and for the
first 120 years of its existence bordered
Salisbury along the Housatonic River,
Cornwall on the south, Massachusetts
on the north and Norfolk on the east.
But a wedge-shaped range of
mountains running east to west cut
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4 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018
the town virtually in two. The Town
Hall, nestled beneath the western tip of
Canaan Mountain, was the first point
that did not necessitate an arduous trip
over the mountain to travel north and
south.
Land in the town that would
become Canaan sold briskly and at a
higher price than in the other towns
put up for sale that winter. The future
Kent and Cornwall sold for a minimum
of $50 a right, for instance, and
Salisbury, which in the 20th and 21st
centuries would eclipse Canaan in the
real estate market, went on the block
for only $30 per share. Norfolk, today
a desirable rural retreat, was difficult
to sell at all in the 18th century and all
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If anyone wants proof that
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movement Canaan made
toward division. The
obvious inconveniences
associated with the town’s
geography impelled
some toward change, but
others, perhaps more
traditional, clung to the
historic town.
but one bidder demanded the return
of his money after viewing the land.
Twenty years were required to sell the
entire first 50 shares in that hilly town.
But Canaan, with its broad, fertile
valleys, swift watercourses and “Grate
Falls,” was instantly attractive to
buyers, and several sales were recorded
on Jan. 4 and in the days thereafter.
Continued on page 7
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Stevens’ Hotel
Ike Stevens had a hotel in the
center of old Canaan back in the
day, photo at left. It was at the
intersection in North Canaan of what
is now Main and Railroad Streets.
North Canaan, which formed
around the Housatonic Railroad after
it chugged into the region in 1841,
had a roistering quality in those days
while railroads were being built and
the iron industry was at its peak.
Workmen known as “plug uglies”
blew off steam each payday at weekly
dances held at the hotel—raucous
affairs that irritated and offended
local townspeople.
In June 1858, Stevens’ Hotel was
being put to a more sober use. That
month, townspeople living in the
northern section of the historic
town of Canaan held a momentous
meeting. They gathered at the hotel
to hold the first town meeting in
what would henceforth be known as
the Town of North Canaan.
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… the two Canaans
Continued from page 4
Canaan’s village started to grow
around what is still called the Depot
— although there was an enclave in
Huntsville in the southwest corner
of the town, around the Great Falls
(now part of Falls Village), where
water power promoted a plethora of
industrial uses; and at South Canaan,
where there was a store and a number
of residences.
To help the growing town find its
center, the state General Assembly
appointed a committee of three men
from Salisbury, Kent and Sharon to
find an equitable location for the first
meetinghouse.
In May 1740 they settled on a spot
along Six Rod Road — today’s Sand
Road — and recommended that the
first meetinghouse be built on the
western side of the road, just north
of the current Sand Road Animal
Hospital.
That spot was not popular and
the building was later picked up and
moved to a location near the Point of
Rocks, a little less than a mile farther
south (in what is now Falls Village).
While that spot was equidistant for
settlers living along the Norfolk border
in the north and for the Huntsville
residents in the south, it was still a
long way to go for worship services
on horseback in the dead of winter.
By 1767 the first practical division of
the town came when the Legislature
approved the formation of a second
ecclesiastical district in the north.
That ecclesiastical division eased the
burden of the faithful but it did little
for the conduct of municipal life. The
first Town Hall, as previously noted,
was located at the point of Canaan
Mountain near the intersection
of Route 7 and Sand Road, but for
Forty-eight years of waffling followed. They were swept
away by decisive action when the community decided on
May 3, 1858 to establish a dividing line between the towns.
DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018
practical reasons town meetings
continued to be held on an alternating
basis in the northern and southern
sections of town.
If anyone wants proof that change is
hard, it can be found in the stuttering
movement Canaan made toward
division. The obvious inconveniences
associated with the town’s geography
impelled some toward change, but
others, perhaps more traditional, clung
to the historic town.
That record begins on April 23,
1810, with the spare announcement
in town meeting minutes: “Voted
to prefer a petition to the General
Assembly at their session in May next
to divide and incorporate said Town of
Canaan into Two Towns.”
Forty-eight years of waffling
followed. They were swept away by
decisive action when the community
decided on May 3, 1858, to support a
petition to appoint a committee of six
to establish a dividing line between the
soon-to-be-two towns.
That committee itself divided into
northern and southern factions and
prepared separate recommendations
to bring back to the town by the May
10 deadline. This was truly astonishing
speed after almost five decades of
PHOTOS BY CYNTHIA HOCHSWENDER
indecision.
The two reports submitted were
similar. The first noted that the
geographical impediments between
the towns and said there were “two
distinct communities with little
intercourse and but few interests in
common. “For these and other reasons
known to all” — what could they have
been? — a fair and equitable division
would benefit both sections, they said.
Both reports suggested boundary
lines that roughly ran along a straight
line that stretched from 50 rods below
Dutcher’s Bridge at the Salisbury
and Canaan town line easterly to the
Norfolk town line.
There was only one significant
difference between the two reports.
The first, prepared by the men who
lived in the southern part of town, left
a blank where the name of the new
town could be inserted. The report by
the northern faction included the name
of North Canaan.
When that slightly more detailed
report was favored by the voters, 150
years of name confusion was put in
motion and continues today.
Few who are unfamiliar with
the town are ever comfortable with
the local nomenclature and postal
designations of the Town of Canaan
as Falls Village and the Town of
North Canaan as Canaan. If the
towns continue thus for 250 years it is
unlikely the state will ever figure it out.
7
 Couch-Pipa VFW, North Canaan
Like many VFW and Legion halls in the Northwest
Corner and across America, the Couch-Pipa VFW in
North Canaan was named in honor of two local youths
who died in World War II. The VFW is a vibrant and
active social center in the area, with outdoor concerts in
summer and, indoors, a recently renovated community
PHOTO BY CYNTHIA HOCHSWENDER
room that hosts everything from memorial services to
celebration parties to fundraisers for local nonprofits.

8 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018

 Town Government
All Northwest Corner towns
Perotti Makes It Work
and most New England towns
are run by a board of selectmen,
usually made up of two selectmen
In North Canaan
By Cynthia Hochswender
(who are part-time) and a first

selectman, who is more of the full-
time town manager.
Many towns have the good
fortune to have first selectmen
who stay on for years, and are able
to acquire substantial and useful
knowledge of how things get done.
North Canaan and Falls Village
both elected new first selectmen
to the office in November 2017
(selectmen serve two-year terms).
Henry Todd in Falls Village
is a retired businessman and
a relatively new arrival in the
Northwest Corner. Charlie Perotti
of North Canaan has lived here
all his life and is known and
respected not only for his place in
town government but also for all
he’s done for his community.
C
harlie Perotti, first selectman
of North Canaan, is the kind
of guy who knows how to
fix things. On a recent afternoon
he walked into Town Hall and was
accosted by several female staff
members who were concerned that
the blinds weren’t working. Well, of
course Charlie could fix that.
And then it was on to his regular
job, fixing other matters on a larger
scale in his town.
Many people know Perotti as a
reassuring and competent presence
at his family’s business, Wm. Perotti
and Sons plumbing. Although he
sorta retired from there in 2017, he
still shows up at the office every day
to check on deliveries.
Many people know Perotti as a
longtime member of the Canaan Fire
Company, and its chief for 21 years.
He served with the company for 50
years (he is 69 now; he joined the all-
volunteer company when he was 18).
Not everyone but certainly a
handful of people know him as an
excellent baseball player and former
Little League coach (“We won the
league championship two out of the
three years I coached,” he says with
pride).
Some people might know that he
was a selectman for his town for eight
years, and probably a few more know
that he’s the first selectman now.
Continued on page 10

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DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018 9

… Perotti
Continued from page 9
But probably he is best known just
as Charlie, a guy who grew up here
and has lived here almost all his life,
except for the years of his military
service at the tail end of the Vietnam
War.
He loves North Canaan. He knows
North Canaan. He remembers the
Canaan Union Station before it burned
down. He remembers when there was
a grocery store in town, a bowling
alley, a movie theater.
“We used to have a department
store, a shoe store, two clothing
stores, three drugstores. I’d like to
have more businesses here again,” he
mused on a recent afternoon in his
spic-and-span office. “But it’s a tough
time.”
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way, is courtesy of the administrative
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Town Hall when he was elected first
selectman in November 2017. Missy
Ohler used to work for the Perotti
plumbing company at its Kent office
back in the 1970s.
“We go back a long way,” Perotti
said. The same could be said of many
of the people he knows in town —
which is most of them. And the ones
he doesn’t know yet, he’s going to
meet sooner or later (probably sooner).
He’s an unusually personable kind
of a guy, interested in having weekly
coffee chats with the municipal
employees, interested in getting out of
the office and hearing first hand what
people want and need in his town.
Even for a native of North Canaan,
he’s discovered, there are plenty of
surprises. PHOTO BY CYNTHIA HOCHSWENDER
“It’s a challenge,” he said. “Every North Canaan First Selectman
day, I learn something new.” Charlie Perotti
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DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018
Todd Offers Fresh
Ideas for Falls Village
By Patrick L. Sullivan

T
own of Canaan/Falls Village
First Selectman Henry
Todd and his wife, Pamela,
moved to Falls Village in 2008, from
Bucks County, Pa. Their house in
Pennsylvania overlooked the Delaware
Battle Hill in Falls Village before they
bought the Undermountain Road
property.
“We fell in love with this farm. It
was instantaneous,” said Todd.
Todd’s involvement in town PHOTO BY ALEXANDER WILBURN

River. Now their house overlooks a
trout pond.
Todd has a background in business
and finance.
“We were looking for a place to
retire,” he said at his Undermountain
Road home during an interview in mid
May.
They were looking for a place
within striking distance of New
York City, the better to see their
grandchildren.
Initially they rented a home on
government began as an alternate on
the Board of Finance.
Then he was elected to the board,
and served as co-chairman.
When longtime First Selectman Pat
Mechare announced she was retiring
last year, Todd decided to investigate.
“I knew Pat was retiring. I followed
her around to see if I’d like to be first
selectman.”
He said he spent a lot of time with
Mechare.
“She’s been very helpful. She’s a
Falls Village First Selectman
Henry Todd
phenomenal resource for me. When I
don’t know something, she helps me.
The office staff has been enormously
helpful too.”
Now seven months into the two-
year term, Todd is having a good time.
“It’s just fun. Everybody I work
with is just great, so I’m lucky.”
“The best thing is when I can just
help somebody. That makes the job
fun.”

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DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018 11

 The Return
Of the Canaan
Union Station
By Cynthia Hochswender

I
n the Northwest Corner, it sometimes seems that
time has stopped or is standing still. This has been
particularly the case with the former Union Station
train depot in North Canaan.
More than a decade and a half has passed since the
arson fire that destroyed half of the former train station
(which had been home
for many years before
the fire to offices and a Eventually, after Gailes
restaurant). retired from the board,
But even after it was Perotti who
all those years, the patiently guided the
memories of that project through what
PHOTO BY KAREN BARTOMIOLI night remain vivid to felt at times like a
For those who weren’t there when it happened, those who witnessed
it’s hard to imagine how badly the Union Station never-ending tangle of
was damaged by the fire in 2001. the flames and the
destruction of the red tape.
landmark building.
Former First Selectman Douglas Humes remembers
getting the late-night phone call, between Oct. 12 and 13
in 2001: The historic Canaan Union Station building was
on fire.
He got dressed and rushed to the center of town.
“The sky was orange,” he said during a
groundbreaking ceremony held in September 2016, on
the site of the building known informally as “The Depot.”
Charlie Perotti was the fire chief of the all-volunteer
North Canaan Fire Department at the time, as well as a
selectman (he was elected first selectman in November
2017, see story on page 9).
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in charge of the renovation project; until 1994, he and
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his wife had owned the restaurant in the building that
Wellness Abady was destroyed by the fire. Eventually, after Gailes retired
Purina Poulin from the board, it was Perotti who patiently guided the
Kalmbach Nutrena project through what felt at times like a never-ending
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12 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018

 54TH
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Saturday & Sunday, July 28th & 29th
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Saturday, July 28th
CAR SHOW / FIREWORKS
Saturday, July 28th
BREAKFAST AT THE NORTH CANAAN AMBULANCE BUILDING
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DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018 13
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14 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018

… Canaan Union Station
Continued from page 12
Even at press time for Discover the
Canaans, not every I-beam had been
dotted, not every T had been crossed,
but it was hoped and expected that
The Depot would open in time for the
2018 Railroad Days festivities in July.
Also planned to open later this
year is the Great Falls Brewing
Company. Owner Chris Tripler is
busy building a craft beer brewery
and pub in one wing of the former
Depot.
He anticipates that there will be a
large, open bar area on the first floor,
with space for live entertainment;
an outdoor deck with seating; and
a second floor that can be used for
parties and events. Initially, food
The exterior of the former Canaan Union Station makes the building
look ready to welcome visitors. Some final interior fixes were being
made in June in anticipation of a grand opening this summer.
DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018
offerings will be limited but Tripler
plans to have a full kitchen installed
in the next year or two.
Find out more about the brewery
at www.greatfallsbrews.com.
Find the full schedule for Railroad
Days (and the triumphant return of
the former Depot) in The Lakeville
Journal in July, and online at www.
canaanrailroaddays.com.
The townwide celebration runs
from July 18 to 29, with a diverse
roster of activities planned, including
a Celebration of the Canaans dinner
on July 11, a pool party on July 17,
the carnival (beginning on July 18)
and of course the annual fireworks
display on July 28.
PHOTO BY KAREN BARTOMIOLI
Before and after: The photo above
shows the outside of the tower where
the historic ticket window (see photo
below) could be found, before The
Depot was partially destroyed in an
arson fire in 2001.
PHOTOS BY CYNTHIA HOCHSWENDER
North Canaan First Selectman Charlie Perotti, in the
photo at right, standing next to The Depot’s historic
ticket window, is like a proud parent as he shows
visitors around the refurbished former train station.
15
Crisp, Clean, Friendly Food
And Service at Railway Café
By Cynthia Hochswender
S
avvy Northwest Corner
residents seek and find odd
little places to go out for
meals. There’s the cafeteria at Sharon
Hospital, for instance, or the dining
halls at the area private schools (for
those who can get access to them).
Geer Village in North Canaan
has its own secret place to get great
food. But here there are no trays and
lines, no cups of pudding for dessert.
Everything about the Railway Cafe
is crisp, clean, friendly and definitely
not institutional, even though it’s
inside a retirement community and
even though chef/owner Carrie
Stetson is a former Geer nursing
home cook.
When the cafe first opened in
November 2016, it was a restaurant
owned by Geer itself. Stetson ran
it with Dawn Sanderson, who was
the food director for the entire Geer
campus. Sanderson eventually left the
cafe; Stetson purchased the business
and has been its owner and chef since
Jan. 1.
It’s perhaps appropriate that
Stetson learned to cook from an
elderly relative: her grandmother,
who was from Harwinton, Conn. It
was that same grandmother as well
as a few other culinary mentors who
taught her to run a tight, neat ship.
“I was trained by strict cooks who
taught me through the years to be
clean and organized,” she said.
This impacts more than just the
ambience. It also affects the quality of
the food, which is freshly cooked and
made to order.
“I don’t pre-cut a lot of foods. I try
to make it so everything is fresh. I
don’t like it when the foods are mushy
and have been sitting in a case for
hours.”
16
Railway Café chef/owner Carrie Stetson, at left in photo, doesn’t let anyone behind
the counter except Geer Administrator Kevin O’Connell, at right in photo.
The small menu is supplemented
daily with specials. Stetson sends the
list out on the night before. Word to
the wise: Certain dishes are extremely
popular and sell out before noon.
One example is the Fiesta Chicken
Rice Bowl.
Another is the Friday special
cinnamon buns.
Stetson prepares only as many of
any dish as she thinks she will need;
she won’t sell foods on “the day after”
and she doesn’t like to waste food in
the kitchen (seriously, this food is so
fresh).
Railway Café opens for breakfast at
9 a.m. and rolls right into lunch; the
restaurant closes at 2 p.m. The café
is open six days, closed on Saturday
but very busy on Sunday (“It’s a big
day for families to come visit their
relatives here at Geer,” Stetson said).
There are muffin specials every day
(and the cinnamon buns on Friday).
Other breakfast items include the
classics (eggs, bacon, pancakes).
“The blueberry pancakes are
especially popular,” Stetson said.
PHOTO BY CYNTHIA HOCHSWENDER
They cost $4.50 each, and they’re
big. A side of three slices of bacon
adds $2 to the total.
The most popular dish on the lunch
menu is the Railway Chicken Salad
sandwich, Stetson said.
“I make it fresh every day. People
love the dried cranberries, walnuts
and celery that I put in it.”
The cost is $7.50. The large
sandwich is big enough for two
people and it comes with crisp, freshly
made potato chips.
There is also a large selection of
burgers on the lunch menu, including
a veggie burger; they range in price
from $8.50 to $9.50 and come with
crisp, freshly made fries.
There is a fresh soup every day.
The sandwich options usually include
one or more variations on the theme
of melted cheese (whether it’s on a
bacon-tomato-cheese sandwich, or a
satisfying Reuben sandwich dripping
with melted Swiss cheese).
Phone ahead for take-out orders to
860-824-2610. Or stop by and get table
service.
DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018
Gentle Warmth, Cozy
Comfort at Toymakers
By Cynthia Hochswender
S
ometimes there’s nothing
more comforting than
having someone serve you a
homemade-style sandwich and giving
you a friendly pat on the shoulder or a
sympathetic smile while they put your
lunch on the table.
Cozy comfort comes as a side
dish with every meal served at the
Toymakers Café in Falls Village, an
unassuming little eatery in the center
of town, walking distance from Town
Hall, the library and the elementary
school (as well as many of the village
residences).
Curiously, however, Toymakers
isn’t a place that’s famous as a
pedestrian destination (although
Sharing God’s Love With Open Arms
Canaan United Methodist Church
2 Church St. Canaan CT | 860-824-5534 | canaanct-umc.com
DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018
of course plenty of people do walk
here to get their breakfast or lunch).
It’s much better known as a place to
which one rides one’s motorcycle.
The cafe was opened in 2001
by Ann and Greg Bidou, who had
been living in Trumbull, Conn., and
stumbled upon Falls Village sort of by
chance.
“Falls Village picked us,” Ann Bidou
said in a recent chat at the restaurant’s
family-style farm table.
The couple had been searching
for a venue in which they could
open a British-style pub. Although
PHOTO BY CYNTHIA HOCHSWENDER
both are American, they are not Ann and Greg Bidou are the warm,
friendly faces at Toymaker’s Café
Continued on page 18 in Falls Village.
Sunday Morning Worship Service
11:00am
Rev. Lee D. Gangaware
Ministries
Fishes & Loaves
Brotherhood of Christ
17
… Toymakers
Continued from page 17

only Anglophiles, they also have a
British-based business, selling parts
for old Triumph motorcycles (and an
assortment of other vintage models)
on the internet.
Their property search had taken
them to Winchester/Winsted and then
to Lime Rock.
“And then our agent showed us this
building,” Bidou said, gesturing around
the homey space, decorated with a
vintage overstuffed sofa, two large
wooden tables, a sculpture of a tree
made of wire and Bondo (it’s there to
cover some exposed pipes). There is a
guitar for anyone who wants to tune it
up and play a song; and there’s a piano.
The ochre-colored building and
its two barns were the perfect space
for the Bidous and their dreams. The
barns now house the motorcycle parts
and other gear that the Bidous sell
online.
The main building has had many
iterations over the years. It was built
in 1853 and originally had bins for
storing coal, feed and grain. It was a
hardware store after that, eventually
becoming part of the Community
Service group of stores.
In the 1970s it became a store for
Housatonic River paddlers, called
River Run, owned by Marlies and
Mark Caliendo and managed by
William Tingley. One of the shop’s
young employees, as a side note,
was Chuck Lewis — who went on to
become the town’s first selectman. He
and his wife, Margo, were honored
with the town’s Community Service
Award this year on Memorial Day.
Most recently it was a coffee shop
and bookstore owned and run by
Cheryl and David Pecha.
The shop had been closed for a
while when the Bidous got a look at it
but its spirit was still strong.
“There was just something about
this space that grabbed me,” Bidou
said. “I can’t explain it. The more I
looked at it the more I could see what
could be done with it.”
Some renovations followed, inside
and out. Neighbors kept stopping
by to say hello and politely poke
their noses into the new business.
The Bidous got a feeling for the
community and quickly figured out
that this was not going to be an ideal
place for playing darts and pulling
pints of beer and ale.
“We realized that we’re very close
to a church and a school and a library
and we felt it wouldn’t be right to
Continued on page 20

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18 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018
DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018 19
… Toymakers
Continued from page 18

serve alcohol here,” Bidou said.
Instead, they opened up a family-
friendly eatery with a menu that,
instead of offering a selection of beers
and ales, offers diners a choice of
different sweet waffles (sweet potato
is particularly popular), burgers and
sandwiches that feel like Mom made
them, with love (even though the
sandwich master is actually “Dad,” or
Greg Bidou; Ann is the friendly face
who takes the orders and delivers the
deliciousness).
It’s not all wholesome hominess,
though; one of the most popular items
on the menu is the roasted Moroccan
chicken, which is seasoned with
spices such as cumin and turmeric and
served with hummus.
Although the Bidous are always
on the premises (they live upstairs),
they only open the cafe from Thursday
through Sunday. Diners wander in for
shots of morning coffee (the “house”
beans are from Barrington Roasters;
thermoses of hot brew in three
strengths are offered all day).
The big days, however, are Sundays
when the weather is fine and the
Litchfield Hills exert their siren song on
motorcyclists. Toymakers has become a
destination diner for polite bikers from
all across the region. They come not
just for the food but also to talk to Greg
Bidou about vintage cycle gear and to
talk to each other about who’s riding
what and traveling to where.
There is also a motorcycle swap
and consignment shop tucked into
one corner of the restaurant, where
anyone who wants to rock a rider
look can find deeply discounted
leather jackets and pants and other
motorcycle gear.
It’s a funny duality, to have a
restaurant with a cozy, inviting mom-
and-pop ambience that is also a biker
bar. The two do really work together,
somehow; perhaps the gentle warmth
of the restaurant brings out the gentle
warmth of the biker crowd.
At any rate, no one in town seems
to mind or to complain. It’s part
of the magic of the Bidous and the
Toymakers Café.
Like most magical things, it
probably won’t last forever; and
it’s unlikely anyone else could
recreate it. But the Bidous (at ages
63 and 70) aren’t seriously thinking
about retiring yet. Or rather, they
are thinking about it but not doing
anything about it yet.
“We think about retiring sometimes
but we’re having too much fun,” Ann
Bidou said.

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20 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018

 When You Need To Call For Help
M
ost of the towns of the
Northwest Corner are
under the protection of the
Connecticut State Police, out of the
Troop B barracks in North Canaan.
But the public safety needs of the
two Canaans are very different.
The larger of the two towns
(North Canaan) has supplemental
police enforcement in the form of a
resident state trooper. The two other
regional towns that also take part in
the resident state trooper program
are Kent and Salisbury; the city of
Winchester (which includes Winsted)
and the city of Torrington also have
their own independent police forces.
Resident state troopers are still
mainly employees of the state police
but are paid by their towns. They
are assigned by the State Police and
generally remain with their town for
several years.
Duane Lopriore is a relatively new
resident state trooper for the town of
North Canaan. In the interview that
follows on page 25, he talks about
the basics of his job and about some
of the ongoing situations that he is
able to help manage.
Smaller towns such as Canaan/
Falls Village also have some
supplemental enforcement in the
form of town constables, who are
elected by their community in
the bi-annual municipal elections.
Longtime constable Louis Timolat
and newly elected constable Dave
Barger shared some thoughts on
page 23 about what constables do
and on the differences in the law
enforcement needs between their
Salisbury Winter Sports Association 2009 27
town and their larger neighbor to
the north.
Troop B, as its alphabet
designation indicates, is one of the
oldest troops in the state and was
founded in the 1920s (the State
Police was created in 1903). The
Troop B barracks is on Route 7, near
the Massachusetts state line (useful
in the early days of the State Police,
when liquor was run illegally across
state lines).
Troop B covers 13 towns:
Salisbury, Sharon, North Canaan,
Canaan/Falls Village, Cornwall,
Norfolk, Goshen, Colebrook and
Winchester/Winsted and Torrington
(which also have their own
municipal police forces), Hartland,
Barkhamsted and New Hartford.
— Cynthia Hochswender

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CANAAN - 2018 Winter 21

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22 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018
What It Means To Be A Town
Constable In Canaan/Falls Village
By Matt Holderman

I
had the opportunity to sit down
with two of the Falls Village
town constables, and listen to
them explain what their volunteer
job entails.
Dave Barger, newly elected as
a constable in November 2017,
and Louis G. Timolat, one of the
longest-serving constables in Falls
Village, talked about how their job is
different from that of a state trooper
or a resident state trooper.
Barger’s background gives him
special insight on the subject. He
was a Connecticut State Police
trooper for 24 years, retiring in
2000 as a master sergeant. He then
safety in June 2015.
Timolat had a long career in the
military, serving as a helicopter pilot
in Vietnam and as an occupational
aviator. For many years he was a
radio traffic reporter for WCBS,
again flying helicopters. He is also
the owner of the Falls Village Saw
Mill on Route 7.
Until fairly recently, Timolat
continued to serve as an aviation
specialist in the Army Reserves.
Timolat explained that in Falls
Village, “There are seven constables,
one for each day of the week.”
In Falls Village, they are elected
in the municipal elections, which are PHOTO BY MATT HOLDERMAN

worked at Quinnipiac University for Constables Dave Barger, in

15 years, retiring as chief of public Continued on page 24 photo at left, and Louis Timolat

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DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018 23

… constables
Continued from page 23

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He joked that constables are
like an appendix: useful but not
completely necessary.
“The first statutory reference
to constables in Connecticut was
in 1650,” Barger said. “Their main
purpose was that they maintained
peace.”
In modern Falls Village, it’s mainly
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24 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018

 What It Means To Be A Resident
State Trooper In North Canaan
By Matt Holderman

O
fficer Duane Lopriore, the
recently appointed resident
state trooper in North
Canaan, described what is involved
in being a resident state trooper, and
explained his duties and primary
objectives.
“A resident state trooper is an
officer who is assigned to a town,
to provide that town with personal
public safety services,” Lopriore said.
“I report to the first selectman
of North Canaan. But as a resident
state trooper I also still report to the
commander of the State Police Troop
B barracks.”
CARE BRANDING:
In North Canaan, Lopriore works
with North Canaan Elementary
teaches students about safe decision-
making in regard to drugs and
alcohol.
“I’m involved at the school
and can be a significant presence
there,” he said. “It’s beneficial to the
town and the school. I’m involved
with DARE, which is still taught to
students in fifth grade. Its purpose is
to teach them to make good choices,
rather than to scare them.”
A native of Connecticut and
a graduate of UConn, Lopriore
Lopriore served in the Connecticut
Air National Guard for seven years
(and participated in Operation Iraqi
Freedom).
PHOTO BY MATT HOLDERMAN

School and its DARE program, which Continued on page 26 State Trooper Duane Lopriore

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DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018 25

… resident state trooper
Continued from page 25
He worked in the private sector
for about a decade and then decided
to train to become a police officer.
“I wanted to be part of something
bigger, to serve a purpose with my
work,” he said.
His first job with the State
Police was as a trooper at Troop H
in Hartford, which he did for five
years. Much of what he did involved
highway patrols.
“But I wanted to do
investigations. I love solving puzzles.”
He also wanted to be a
designated resource to a town.
When North Canaan Resident State
Trooper Greg Naylor retired last year,
Lopriore applied for the position and
was appointed in August 2017.
Lopriore gave a broad picture of
law enforcement in North Canaan,
including how many calls, or
Canaan, CT
860-824-0808
26
numbers, he receives from around
the community in a typical calendar
year.
“Last year there were about 3,000
numbers,” he said. “Most numbers
have to do with assists, burglary,
larceny, assault or domestic abuse,
suspicious activity and motor-vehicle
related activity.”
But being a resident state trooper
is about much more than numbers.
Lopriore is the one who is able to
give context to incidents that occur.
He gets to know the families in town,
he watches trends and keeps an eye
on repeat offenders. Recently he
earned his bicycle certification and
he will often be seen cycling around
town, just checking up on things —
and getting to know people in the
town, so that if they have a question
or concern, they feel comfortable
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and he will often be
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getting to know
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calling to discuss it with him.
“Not everything is a 911-level call,”
he said. “People have no problem
calling me directly; they have my
number. I want them to know I’m
available.”
It’s a lot of work, he said.
“I’ve never been busier as a
trooper than I have been since last
August. I’m constantly working on
something. And that’s a good thing.
“This is a great town. People work
hard and are proud, and it comes
through.”
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DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018
Canaan • Falls Village CONNECTICUT
Town of Canaan • www.canaanfallsvillage.org
Key Services Public Safety Religious Organizations
Animal Control ...................860-824-0707 ext. 10 and Emergency Services Beth El Synagogue, Torrington ....860-482-8263
Assessor (Tues., 9-3; Mon., For emergencies ...................................................................911 Falls Village Congregational Church
Wed. & Thurs., 9-noon).....860-824-0707 ext. 13 Falls Village Fire Department ...860-824-5298 .........................................................................................860-824-0194
Building Official (Wed., 1-3) State Police Troop B, North Canaan St. Joseph Church, Catholic, North Canaan
................................. 860-824-3132 and 860-824-0707 .........................................................................................860-824-7078
.........................................................................................860-626-1820
Fire Marshal (by appointment) 860-364-0909 Sanitarian (Torrington Area Health District) Trinity Episcopal Church, Lime Rock
First Selectman (Mon.-Thurs., 9-noon) ..................................860-489-0436 or www.tahd.org
.........................................................................................860-435-2627
...................................................................860-824-0707 ext. 23
Sharon Hospital ................................... 860-364-4000
Litchfield Hills Probate District #24 Fairview Hospital .............................. 413-528-0790 Elected representatives
860-283-4874 or www.litchfieldprobate.org First Selectman
Registrars of Voters (Wed., 9-noon) Other Services Henry Todd...................................860-824-0707 ext. 23
...................................................................860-824-0707 ext. 18
D.M. Hunt Library ...............................860-824-7424 Representatives in
Sanitarian (Tues., 8-10) ......................860-824-0707 Falls Village Day Care ...................860-824-0882 Connecticut General Assembly
Social Services (Mon., 8-3, Tues. evening Sen. Craig Miner (30th District).....800-842-1421
by appointment & Thurs., 8-3:30)
860-824-9855
.......................................................................................
Public Schools Rep. Brian Ohler (64th District)......800-842-1423
Representative in Congress (5th District)
Tax Collector (Mon. 9-3, Wed. 9-noon) And Colleges Elizabeth Esty .............. New Britain 860-223-8412
...................................................................860-824-0707 ext. 13 Explorations Charter School, Winsted
..................................................... Washington 202-225-4476
Town Clerk (Mon.-Thurs., 9-3) .........................................................................................860-738-9070
United States Senators
...................................................................860-824-0707 ext. 10 Housatonic Valley Regional High School,
Richard Blumenthal........ Hartford 860-258-6940
Town Garage ...............................................860-824-7239 Falls Village .......................................................860-824-5123
..................................................... Washington 202-224-2823
Town Treasurer (Mon.-Wed., 9-3) Lee H. Kellogg School .....................860-824-7791
Chris Murphy ........................ Hartford 860-549-8463
...................................................................860-824-0707 ext. 11 Northwestern Connecticut Community
..................................................... Washington 202-224-4041
Transfer Station (Tues., Fri. & Sat., 8-3) College, Winsted ........................................860-738-6300
Governor
.......................................................................................860-824-5819 Oliver Wolcott Technical School, Torrington
Dannel P. Malloy .........................................800-406-1527
Recreation Center .................................860-201-7639 .........................................................................................860-496-5300

RUSTLING WIND
CREAMERY
8:00am -4:30pm The Shoppe
Open Daily • Always Buying • 860-67
Nancy & Gregg Tidd
860-671-0214
Arts & Crafts • Antiques • Collectibles • Gifts
Farm House Type Cheeses Friday & Saturday 10-4
Made from Raw Cow’s & Goat’s Milk Sunday 12-4
(or by appointment

Wool Hand Knits or chance)

Jams & Jellies

(860)824-7084
www.rustlingwind.com 11 Railroad Street
Canaan, CT 06018
148 Canaan Mountain Road, Falls Village, CT

DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018 27

North Canaan CONNECTICUT
www.northcanaan.org • East Canaan - North Canaan

Key Services North Canaan Volunteer Religious Organizations

Animal Control..................................................860-921-1372
Assessor (Mon. - Thurs., 9-noon & 1-4)
.....................................................................860-824-3137 ext. 108
Building Inspector (Mon.-Thurs., 9-11)
................................................................ 860-824-7313 ext. 191
Burning Official ....................................... 860-307-3461
Fire Marshal ........................ 860-824-3132 ext. 193
Highway Dept.................. 860-824-7313 ext. 117
North Canaan Housing Authority
(Wangum Village) ................................... 860-824-0521 Other Services
Litchfield Hills Probate District #24
860-283-4874 or www.litchfieldprobate.org
Recreation Director ............................ 860-248-0970
Registrars of Voters ... 860-824-7313 ext. 111
Resident State Trooper
............................................................... 860-824-7313 ext. 112
First Selectman (Mon.-Thurs., 8-4)
................................................................ 860-824-7313 ext. 103
Social Services (Mon. -Wed., 9-noon & 1-4)
................................................................ 860-824-7313 ext. 110
Tax Collector (Tues. & Thurs., 9-noon & 1-3)
................................................................ 860-824-3134 ext. 109
Town Clerk (Mon.-Thurs., 8:30-noon and 1-3)
Public Schools and Colleges
Ambulance Corps ................................. 860-824-7219 Beth El Synagogue, Torrington
Resident State Trooper................... 860-824-3145 ......................................................................................... 860-482-8263
State Police Troop B, North Canaan Canaan United Methodist ......... 860-824-5534
......................................................................................... 860-626-1820 North Canaan Congregational
Sanitarian (Torrington Area Health District) ......................................................................................... 860-824-7232
.................................. 860-489-0436 or www.tahd.org Promised Land Baptist ................... 860-824-5685
Sharon Hospital .................................... 860-364-4000 Seventh-day Adventist................... 860-824-5830
Fairview Hospital .............................. 413-528-0790 St. Joseph Church, Catholic
......................................................................................... 860-824-7078
Elected representatives
Canaan Child Care Center ....... 860-824-0597 First Selectman
Douglas Library....................................... 860-824-7863 Charles P. Perotti.......................................... 860-824-7313
Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry at Pilgrim Representatives in
House (Wed., 9-11)............................. 860-824-7232 Connecticut General Assembly
Geer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Sen. Craig Miner (30th District)
......................................................................................... 860-824-2600 ......................................................................................... 800-842-1421
Mountainside Treatment Center Rep. Brian Ohler (64th District)
......................................................................................... 860-824-1397 ......................................................................................... 800-842-1423
Northwestern Connecticut YMCA at Geer Representative in Congress
......................................................................................... 860-824-2790 Elizabeth Esty (5th District)
..................................................... New Britain 860-223-8412
..................................................... Washington 202-225-4476

Explorations Charter School, Winsted United States Senators

................................................................ 860-824-7313 ext. 106 Richard Blumenthal
......................................................................................... 860-738-9070
Transfer Station .............. 860-824-7313 ext. 118 ................................................................Hartford 860-258-6940
Housatonic Valley Regional High School
Zoning Enforcement Officer (Sat., noon-2) ...................................................... Washington 202-224-2823
Falls Village ....................................................... 860-824-5123
.............................................................. 860-824-7133 ext. 192 Chris Murphy
North Canaan Elementary School
................................................................Hartford 860-549-8463
......................................................................................... 860-824-5149
Public Safety Northwestern Connecticut Community
......................................................... Washington 202-224-4041
Governor
and Emergency Services College, Winsted ........................................ 860-738-6300
Dannel P. Malloy
For emergencies .................................................................... 911 Oliver Wolcott Technical School, Torrington
......................................................................................... 860-566-4840
Canaan Fire Company .................. 860-824-7366 ......................................................................................... 860-496-5300

Advertiser Index
Arnold’s Garage & Towing ........................ 14
Associated Lightning Rod Co. .............. 10
Berkshire Hills Design ....................................... 11
Be Well Community Yoga ................................ 6
Blue Hill Flowers ......................................................... 26
C.A. Lindell & Son, Inc. .................................... 14
Caddie Shack .......................................................................... 6
Canaan Child Care Center .......................... 20
Canaan United
Methodist Church ...................................................... 17
Crane’s Outdoor
Power Equipment ....................................................... 23
David M. Hunt Library ..................................... 22
Decker & Beebe Inc. .............................................. 21
Falls Village Fire Department .................... 6
Falls Village Package Store ......................... 10
Gas Products Industries ................................... 18
Geer Village Senior Community ........ 25
Habitat for Humanity ............................................. 8
Hay’s Country Feed ’n Needs ............... 12
Jacob’s Garage ..................................................................... 6
Laurelbrook Natural Resources .......... 18
Lindell Fuels Inc. .............................................................. 9
Lone Oak Campsites ............................................. 24
Mountainside Café ................................................... 29
Old Soul Antiques ..................................................... 26
Printmaster ........................................................................... 21
Railroad Days .................................................................... 13
Railway Cafe ...................................................................... 14
Raynard Peirce Realty, LLC ........................... 2
Riccardelli Accounting ...................................... 14
Riga Construction .......................................................... 5
Rustling Wind Creamery .............................. 27
Rustling Wind Stables, Inc. ........................ 22
Sand Road Animal Hospital ...................... 19
Stadium System ................................................................. 4
The Cordial Shop ......................................................... 22
The Falls Village Inn .............................................. 20
The Flea at 99 ..................................................................... 22
The Lakeville Journal Company ........ 31
The Shoppe ............................................................................ 27
Tri State Chamber of Commerce ..... 32
Undermountain
Logging & Firewood .............................................. 24
Wingard & Pedersen Builders .............. 30

28 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018

 Our mission is to nourish and nurture our community by providing
fresh, wholesome foods made with ingredients from local farmers,
growers and producers. Through our efforts, we strive to promote
healthy lifestyles and sustainable ways of living.

Hours Location Contact

Open Daily 7am–3pm 251 Route 7 South, 860 824 7876
Dinner Call For Hours Falls Village, CT 06031 mountainsidecafe.com

DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018 29

A Relic of the Iron Age
Nestled in a Bucolic Valley
By Cynthia Hochswender

T
urn off Route 7 in North
Canaan and follow the signs
for Beckley Furnace and you’ll
find yourself on a pastoral country
road that looks more like a scene
from “Heidi” than the road to the only
“Industrial Monument” in the state of
Connecticut.
On the right suddenly appears the
visually stunning quarry of Specialty
Minerals, looking like something from
a James Bond movie or an episode of
the cozy English television series called
Midsomer Murders.
And then at last, there it is, the
neat stone structure that was once a
hot, busy blast furnace used to make
iron (which was in turn converted
into railroad wheels). Beside it is a
well-behaved little waterfall that runs
down into a creek, both of which were
essential tools needed to convert ore
into iron.
This is a spot for history buffs but
also for anyone looking for an excuse
to get outside on a nice day in spring,
summer or autumn. Free tours are
offered by the volunteer Friends of
Beckley Furnace every Saturday from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from May through
mid-October.
To learn about the furnace is to get
a deep introduction to the Northwest
Corner of Connecticut and why it
looks the way it looks. The iron indus-
try is responsible for many of the most
stately homes in the area, for many
of the small dams and ponds and most
certainly for the look of the forests:
A century ago, the trees in nearly all
the Northwest Corner towns were cut
down and used as fuel for the furnaces.
When the iron industry here
died out (find out on the tour what
happened!), the trees slowly grew back
— and many of the furnaces fell into
a state of disrepair. Volunteer groups
such as the Friends of Beckley Furnace
have restored them over the years.
The Beckley Furnace Industrial
Monument is 600 feet west of the
intersection of Furnace Hill Road
and Lower Road in the area of North
Canaan that is known as East Canaan.
To learn more, go to www.
beckleyfurnace.org — or just show up
on a Saturday in season.

Wingard & Pedersen Builders, LLC

86 Amy Road
Falls Village, CT 06031
28 years of providing th e tristate region with
quality construction and proven performance
f Like us on Facebook
C wingardpedersen.com
860-671-0888
30 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018
The Most Beautiful
School In The State
By Cynthia Hochswender

H
ousatonic Valley Regional
High School, which is in Falls
Village on the shore of the
Housatonic River, is the public high
school for students in North Canaan
and Falls Village as well as Cornwall,
Sharon, Kent and Salisbury.
All six towns are part of the Region
One School District, which was
established in 1939 by a special act
of the Connecticut General Assembly
in 1937. As its name indicates, it was
the first regional school district in
the state and one of the first in the
United States. PHOTO BY PATRICK L. SULLIVAN

Before Housatonic was opened, Housatonic Valley Regional High School

four of the six towns had their own
high school. The other two towns
shared with the larger towns.
North Canaan usually sends
between 20 and 30 students to the
high school every year; Falls Village
often sends as few as eight. The towns
share the cost of the regional high
school and all regional administrative
costs are based on the number of
students enrolled each year on Oct. 1.
Housatonic has a classic, “old
school” facade that earned it a spot
on Architectural Digest’s list of the
most beautiful public high schools in
Zetterstrom and David Moran. Also
on the committee now are John
Luning, Bunny McGuire, Pauline
Moore and Kevin Wheeler.
Zetterstrom (Class of 1963) has
been particularly active in helping to
eliminate invasive species on the 75-
acre property, which includes football
fields, a running trail and tennis
courts. The property runs along
the Housatonic River at the border
between Falls Village and Salisbury.
Joining Zetterstrom in the invasive
fight is a more recent graduate,
Both alums have also worked
extensively with Moran, who has
created a teaching arboretum on the
campus.
“What I admire about the design
and construction of HVRHS is
reflected in the arch above the
main entrance,” Zetterstrom
commented when he heard about the
Architectural Digest honor.
“It speaks to the citizens of the
area who had a vision of cooperation
and community, in the depression
years of the 1930s, as Fascism was

shop locally
America in 2016, with one choice for Christian Allyn, Class of 2013. raising its ugly head in Europe.”
each of the 50 states.
The magazine article noted that the
building was designed by architect
Ernest Sibley in the Georgian Revival
style.
Not mentioned in the article is Falls Village and North Canaan, great destinations
the loving care given to landscaping for shopping, dining, the arts and outdoor fun!
around the Falls Village campus,
Read about all the news of these and other Northwest Corner
much of it done under the guidance
towns in our community weekly publications.
of the school’s Arboretum and
Landscape Committee, which was Your Independent,
founded in 2004 by Housatonic
alumni and former teachers
MMILLERTON
The
NEWS
ILLERTON N
The
EWS Locally Owned,
Community
The
The Winsted
COMPASS Journal
Winsted Journal Newspapers &
including Ron Dower, Ellery
Regional News Website
“Woods” Sinclair, Phil Hart, Tom

DISCOVER CANAAN - 2018 31

 We love all the Canaans!
Congratulations on 54 YEARS
of Railroad Days!

t r i s t a t e c h a m b e r. c o m 860.393.9171
f a c e b o o k / Tr i S t a t e C h a m b e r O f C o m m e r c e

32 DISCOVER THE CANAANS - 2018