Shout Out - Poetry Reading, and Retiring Cantor in Ridgefield -

Shout Out – Poetry Reading, and Retiring Cantor in Ridgefield

Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center Hosts Summer Poetry Reading

Barb Jennes assumed the role of Ridgefield Poet Laureate in April of 2020, just as the COVID pandemic “pretty much pulled the plug on all public gatherings.” By the summer of 2021, however, people were craving ways to again enjoy cultural events, particularly in outdoor settings where they could be safely socially distanced from others. That eagerness set the stage for Jennes to curate a summer-evening poetry festival, hosted in the historic walled gardens of Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center.

Even in the festival’s first season, the readings were a popular after-dinner destination for poetry lovers and the culturally curious alike. “Imagine listening to poets read their work amidst glorious gardens exploding with color, with butterflies flitting from flower to flower and birds filling the air with song. That’s the vibe of these readings,” says Jennes.

Now in its fourth season, Poetry in the Garden will bring nationally renowned poets to the stage on Monday evenings throughout July. This year’s lineup includes Sophie Cabot Black and Patricia Spears Jones (July 1), Jared Harel and Emily Hockaday (July 8), Tina Cane and Cynthia Manick (July 15), Marie Howe (July 22), and Oliver De La Paz and Nathan McClain (July 29).

Guests are invited to bring their own lawn chairs (or blanket) and pack a picnic dinner to enjoy an hour of poetry and community. In the event of rain or a heat emergency, the readings move inside the beautiful Cass Gilbert-designed Garden House with views of the gardens.

All readings are free, although donations are gratefully accepted. The gardens open at 6:30; readings begin at 7:00.

Poetry in the Garden is generously supported by Books on the Common and The Fountain Inn. For more information, visit https://keelertavernmuseum.org/events or Poetry in the Garden at Keeler Tavern Museum on Facebook.

Cantor Deborah Katchko Gray Retires

By Aron Hirt-Manheimer

Cantor Katchko Gray, heir to a three-generation dynasty of celebrated cantors, is retiring after 25 years at Congregation Shir Shalom in Ridgefield. In addition to co-leading worship services with Rabbi David Reiner and Rabbi Jon Haddon before him. Cantor Debbie leaves a legacy of innovation and activism in the congregation, the community, and nationally.

Among her contributions to the congregation is creating the singing group “Talented Teens.” A former member thanked her in a letter “for inspiring me to sing. My a cappella group made it to the quarter finals of the ICCA (International a cappella competition). I couldn’t have done it without your mentorship.”

For the past 18 years in celebration of Martin Luther King Day, she brought to the congregation her “soul sister” Gigi Van Dyke, director of the Serendipity Chorale, performing “a lovefest spirituals” with members of the temple choir.

Her contributions to the Ridgefield community include serving on the Compassionate Ridgefield Committee, Arts Council, and Ridgefield Clergy Association. For many years she led “Folk Song Singalongs” at the library and initiated “Menorahs on Main Street” to add a touch of Hanukkah in store windows.

Cantor Debbie gained national recognition as founder of the Women’s Cantors’ Network. She hosted several conferences in Ridgefield. Most memorable was when musical theater composer and lyricist Stephen Schwarz performed several of his Broadway hit songs for the group. A student of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, Cantor Debbie is writing a book about his teachings.

Cantor Debbie has created personalized prayer shawls for her congregants. Seeing their vibrant colors in the pews gives her great joy. She is most proud of the one she made for Rabbi Reiner when he arrived in Ridgefield. “I cherish the tallit (Jewish prayer shawl) she created for me,” says Rabbi Reiner. “It incorporates pieces of fabric from the jacket my mother, of blessed memory, had worn at my bar mitzvah. Whenever I lead services wrapped in my tallit, I feel my mother’s embrace. We are better as a congregation and community for Cantor Debbie’s tremendous contributions and already miss her music, energy, and leadership.”