Journal Entry

Davis Chant

December 15, 1938–April 22, 2023

In reflecting on Dave’s life, there are a few things that really jump out for me. So many people in the community have said to me and to our family recently, “Dave never said a bad word about anyone. Even in the most difficult of situations, he never said a bad word.”

At home, he was that same person; this was exactly how he was—authentic. He always had a positive outlook because, as he said, “I don’t like to waste time thinking about the negatives of life.”

Dave was born in Port Jervis and lived in Milford his whole life. It was here that he started his real estate business, which grew into the largest independent real estate business in the area, with five offices and about 120 staff and agents. Dave, along with his two partners, never sold out to the big corporate real estate chains.

He truly loved and enjoyed all aspects of real estate. I remember him going out to look at large pieces of property in the woods. He would just rhapsodize about the land, how it looked and the vision he saw for it. Real estate was his passion up until the end, a vital part of him.

Dave was a wonderful mentor, not only to the people in his office, who he loved to help and encourage, but also to others. It was second nature to him.

Community involvement was something else that he truly loved and was quite committed to. He wanted to help in whatever way he could. Basically, if there was something going on in the community, he wanted to support it. This attitude led to his many years of involvement in the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, the Milford Enhancement Committee, the Greater Pike Community Foundation, and the Black Bear Film Festival, which he helped to co-found. He also supported the Milford Music Festival and the Milford Readers and Writers Festival.

I was very touched by the community’s outpouring of love and respect for my husband. This past May 21st was the day of the tribute we held for Dave in Ann Street Park in Milford. The date has been officially recognized as Davis Chant Day. The proclamation will be framed and hung in Milford’s Borough Hall. Thank you, as well, to the Milford Music Festival and the Black Bear Film Festival, who are both dedicating this year’s festivals to Dave.

On a personal note, Dave was a wonderfully supportive partner, father, and grandfather who looked at everything that we did together and on our own as a great opportunity. We are fortunate to have so many wonderful memories.

Judy Chant, Guest Journal Entry

Poem Banquet Piece

An emerging slice of sun (that you said I brought with me) Has gilded this corner of the park. The detritus of late spring Would make any Old Master’s table look winter-lean: Overturned cups, abandoned sandals, Soccer balls, scraps of paper, rumpled blankets. The fountain shines, the running children, The traffic pulsing along Columbus Circle Become a tapestry behind us.

This afternoon is a fortune too great. Everything is rendered as if from a lowland brush. Crumbs on the basket, trailed sentences, The glint of gold by your throat, The stitches on my skirt - these small details we pore over, Each unwilling to leave the other unwarmed by hands and breath (Lovers leave nothing unturned, unread, untasted).

bean

I spill my Coke and as it sizzles into the ground, We laugh and you collapse the space left between us. You gather me up again.

Covered in sugar, sweat and earth, Honey flows from me.

-Liz Reilly

June 1st

Thursday 4–9 p.m.

.............................

Warwick Food Truck Festival. St. Stephens Place, Warwick, NY. Benefits Small Things, Inc. & Warwick Valley Knights of Columbus. Live music. $5. Info: www.war wickfoodtruckfestival.com.

June 3rd

Saturday 10 a.m.

Explore the Town Next Door. Hawley & Honesdale, PA. Ride the Stourbridge Line for free between Hawley & Honesdale to explore & shop. Info: 570.470.2697, historic honesdale.com.

10 a.m.–2 p.m.

.............................

Minisink Heritage Days. Minisink Heritage Center, Westtown, NY. Museum tours, raffles, crafters, live music, food truck. Benefits Town of Minisink Heritage Commission. Info: Facebook: Town of Minisink Heritage Commission.

11 a.m.–5 p.m.

.............................

Sparta Day. Station Park, Sparta, NJ. Hosted by Junior Woman’s Club of Sparta. Free. Info: 973.400.9260, www.jwcsparta.org.

Noon–4 p.m.

Pinchot Lawn Picnic. Grey Towers, Milford, PA. Bring your own picnic spread and dress for an early 20th century formal picnic. Music by Ronny Whyte and Amy London. Falconry demonstrations, games, painting lessons & more. Hosted by the Grey Towers Heritage Association. Free but registration required. Info: 570.296.9630, greytowers.org.

2 p.m.

.............................

Choral Favorites. St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Sandyston, NJ. Includes Vivaldi’s Gloria & Mozart’s Ave Verum. Presented by the Delaware Valley Choral Society. $10–$15. Info: www.dvchoralsociety.org.

June 4th

Sunday Noon–3:30 p.m.

.............................

A Day on the Farm. Old Mountain Road, Otisville, NY. Blacksmithing, painting, live music, open hearth baking & more. Free but donations appreciated. Hosted by Mount Hope Historical Society. Info: 845.386.5945, nanciecraig@gmail.com.

1–4 p.m.

.............................

Community Celebration. Minisink Battleground Park, Minisink Ford, NY. Scholarship award picnic, live DJ, family fun, auction. Hosted by Greater Barryville Chamber of Commerce. $60. Benefits community events & beautification and scholarships. Info: barryvilleny.com.

Butterfly Release Celebration. Sussex County Community College, Newton, NJ. Benefits Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice. Info: 973.383.0115, www.karenannquinlanhos pice.org.

June 8th–29th

Tuesdays through Fridays 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Images of Sussex County. Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council, Newton, NJ. June exhibition. Info: 973.383.0027, www. scahc.org.

June 9th

Friday 1–2 p.m.

Take a Rake: A Tour of Cornelia’s Gardens. Grey Towers, Milford, PA. A behind-the-scenes look at Cornelia’s Gardens and the inspiration that created them. Info: 570.296.9630, greytowers.org.

June 9th–11th

Friday–Sunday

Milford Music Fest. Milford, PA. Free music all around town. Info: www.milfordpa. us.

June 10th

Saturday 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Arts & Crafts Fair. Bingham Park, Hawley, PA. Hosted by Chamber of the Northern Poconos. Handcrafted merchandise, entertainment, food. Info: 570.226.3191, www. northernpoconos.org.

10:30 a.m.

Newton Day Festival. Spring Street & Memory Park, Newton, NJ. Food, live music, activities, fireworks. Hosted by Greater Newton Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Newton. Info: 973.300.0433, greaternewtoncc.com.

5 p.m.

Boots, Bourbon, BBQ. Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta, NJ. A hootenanny hoedown. Includes dinner and live auction. $80. Hosted by the Sussex County Farm & Horse Show Association. Info: sussexcoun tyfairgrounds.org.

5–8 p.m.

Artful Expressions from the Environment: Opening Reception. ARTery Gallery, Milford, PA. Featuring Randall FitzGerald and Scott and Debbie Helfand. Exhibit: June 8th–July 3rd. Info: 570.409.1234, www. arterygallerymilford.com.

June 11th

Sunday 9 a.m.

Soap Box Derby. Port Jervis, NY. Largest local soap box derby in the world. Info: info@pjsoapboxderby.com.

June 15th

Thursday 6–9 p.m. .............................

Benefit Reception & Auction. Falkirk Estate & Country Club, Central Valley, NY. Hosted by Orange County Land Trust. $200. Auction, local foods & beverages. Info: 845.534.3690, www.oclt.org.

June 16th

Friday 6 p.m.–midnight .............................

Summer Solstice Festival. City Winery, Montgomery, NY. Oddities & curiosities night market, food, drinks, live entertainment. $21–$27. Info: www.moonserpent andbone.com.

June 16th–19th

Friday–Monday .............................

Delaware River Sojourn. Upper Delaware River. Join the Delaware Highlands Conservancy to explore via canoe. Registration: adult/$100 per day, child/$70 per day. Info: delawareriversojourn.com.

June 17th

Saturday .............................

Roots & Rhythm Music & Arts Festival. Central Park, Honesdale, PA. Live music, food, craft vendors. Free. Info: honesdale rootsandrhythm.com.

4–6 p.m. .............................

Picasso Was Right. Barryville Area Arts Association & Artists’ Market Community Center, Shohola, PA. Reception for exhibit of pieces by youth up to age 16. Info: barry villeareaarts.org.

5:30 p.m. .............................

Fortuna Antiqua et Ultra: Condordian Dawn. Grey Towers, Milford, PA. 12th–15th century French music. Sponsored by Kindred Spirits Arts Programs. $25. Info: www.kindredspiritsarts.org.

June 17th & 18th

Saturday–Sunday 9 a.m.–3 p.m. .............................

Hiking & Camping Workshops. PEEC, Dingmans Ferry, PA. Workshops to get your family outdoors. Attend any sessions. Free. Info: 570.828.2319, www.peec.org.

June 19th

Monday 3–5 p.m.

Town of Wallkill Juneteenth Jubilee. Galleria at Crystal Run, Middletown, NY. Family friendly activities. Info: 845.692.7800, www.townofwallkill.com.

June 21st

Wednesday 1:30–3:00 p.m. .............................

Summer Afternoon Garden Soiree. Van Kirk Museum, Sparta, NJ. Garden stroll with master gardener. Hosted by Sparta Historical Society. Info: 973.726.0883, www.vankirk museum.org.

June 22nd

Thursday 5:30–9:30 p.m. .............................

Craft Creativity & Cocktails. Walpack Inn, Walpack, NJ. Hosted by Peters Valley School of Craft. Food, drinks, silent auction. $135. Benefits programs at Peters Valley. Info: 973.948.5200, petersvalley.org.

June 24th

Saturday 2–3 p.m.

Fish of the Delaware. Van Scott Nature Reserve, Beach Lake, PA. $5/members, $10/ non-members. Hosted by Delaware Highlands Conservancy. Info: 570.226.3164, delawarehighlands.org.

2–7 p.m. .............................

Tunes Along the Towpath. Towpath Rd, Hawley, PA. Feast of Friends performing music of the Doors. $25–$30. Benefits Pike County Historical Society. Info: 570.296.8126, www.pikehistorical.org.

4 p.m.–dusk

Montague Day. Montague, NJ. Music, vendors, food, Miss Montague contest, classic cars, fireworks & more. Info: 973.293.7300, www.montaguenj.org.

4–7 p.m.

Welcome Party. Under the tent at 106 West Ann Street, Milford, PA. Hosted by the Mil ford Enhancement Committee. $50. Dinner, live music, auction. Info: 570.832.4789, www.milfordenhancement.com.

June 24th–25th

Saturday–Sunday 10 a.m.–3 p.m. .............................

New York Air Show. Orange County Airport, Montgomery, NY. Includes US Navy Blue Angels, aircraft displays, food vendors. $35. Info: airshowny.com.

10 a.m.–4 p.m. .............................

The Nature of Quilting. Delaware Valley High School, Milford, PA. $10. Hosted by Milford Valley Quilters’ Guild. Judged show, quilt display, door prizes & vendors. Info: www.milfordvalleyquiltersguild.org.

June 25th

Sunday 1–4 p.m.

Discover the Art in Sparta. Van Kirk Museum, Sparta, NJ. Spring/Early Summer Exhibit. 2 p.m. Talk. Hosted by Sparta Historical Society. Info: 973.726.0883, www. vankirkmuseum.org.

June 29th

Thursday 6–8 p.m. .............................

Cocktails for Conservation. Lacawac’s Historic Carriage House, Lacawac Sanctuary, Hawley, PA. $45. Benefits nature education. Reservations: 570.689.9494, www. lacawac.org.

By Julia Schmitt Healy

When Alison Bolshoi was a little girl, she made drawings of divas—women in big dresses wearing lots of rings on their fingers. It’s almost as if she was predicting her future as an opera singer, where many female roles require one to wear, yes, a big dress, often along with rings and other shiny jewelry.

Ms. Bolshoi is now based in New Jersey with a pied à terre in Manhattan. I recently spoke to her in her comfortable living room, which is, of course, dominated by a beautiful grand piano.

Born with a mixed heritage of German, Czech, Cherokee, Italian, French and “a bit of Iberian peninsula,” Alison Bolshoi grew up in Eastchester, NY. She attended the Ursuline School and got to spend her summers on the north shore of Long Island, where she developed her love of nature. “I became an outdoor girl. I fished. I hunted. I loved the country,” she notes.

As often happens with artists and performers, her parents were in the business and helped shape her interests. They ran a children’s theater troupe for kids. Ms. Bolshoi began performing at 18 months and was “a prodigy.” She learned tap dancing, sang and acted, and once older, graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia with a degree in theater and film. While there, she studied with Dr. Frank Pullano, who was himself a former opera star.

At age 21, she got a job as a singer at an opera nightclub in NYC and has worked ever since. She relates a funny story from that early job. They told her Paul Simon was going to be in the audience. Of course, she thought it was “Bridge Over Troubled Water Paul Simon.” She did not see him anywhere. But after her performance, Senator Paul Simon of Illinois approached her and complimented her on her voice! He then became a fan of hers, as it were, encouraging her and coming to her performances whenever possible over the years.

Ms. Bolshoi, who has won many awards and competitions, has sung various roles in the repertoire and eventually came to understand that she is a contralto—someone with a powerful voice that sits low on the staff but also has great high notes because of the amount of time the singer spends stretching the lower notes of the voice.

A mezzo-soprano, she explains to me, cannot do the higher notes with the same volume or quality because it’s like taffy. You pull on both ends of the range and you get a great top and bottom sound.

She tells me that as a singer who has the dynamics and big voice, “Wagner chose me! Not the other way around!” And yes, her voice has power. If you go to her website, alisonbol shoi.com or listen to her YouTube recordings, you will grasp what I mean. Continued on next page