Harry’s Barn

05/10/2026

This is what we should be doing today at Harry’s….and planned to do….Moms would be free….and no, we did not need a CO for the patio nor the lawn….Happy Mother’s Day!

01/20/2026

01/17/2026

Go Bills!!

01/17/2026

These photos are a perfect metaphor for what the real issue is with Paris:
misdirected authority, spending resources not on care nor nurturing: devoting energy and tax money to lawsuits & enforcement battles instead of pursuing restoration and renewal…cemeteries should be preserved not neglected….maintaining what it holds in trust - the land and the history….the result is not order but quiet ruin….what deserves preservation is allowed to decay and the damage becomes visible only after it starts to disappear…they may not like “outsiders” like us but they also have no loyalty to “insiders”….

01/15/2026

To All Harry’s Barn Supporters ~ Yesterday, we FINALLY got our appearance in front of a NYS Variance Board. After (supposedly) reviewing all our documents, plans, etc., we were basically advised that our professional team of engineers & architects gave us bad advice all along the last 5 years and that the Paris Codes Officer, Gina LaMonte, is the only “Expert” on codes & compliance, at least as far as Harry’s Barn is concerned! It felt like we were starring in an alternate reality Twilight Zone episode!!

The board did mention additional work we could consider doing to Harry’s Barn (which would cost us an additional $50,000-$100,000) and then the Paris Codes Officer could revisit and we could possibly move forward…this is paraphrased but we’re sure you get the gist! There is no way we are spending one more cent to then have to beg for a Certificate of Compliance from a codes officer who we know will never grant one to us, especially after being advised that Chuck Tibbits, a member of the Paris Planning Board (appointed to represent town businesses) has told quite a few people that it was decided that “No matter what the owners of Harry’s Barn do, they will never get a C.O. (Certificate of Occupancy/Compliance)!”

So we move on, much wiser than we were when we innocently started this venture assuming we would be dealing with professional & respectable adults!
Live & Learn!!

We are eternally grateful to the amazing supporters of Harry’s Barn and the many patrons we had the pleasure of meeting over the last few years! And to all the people who wrote letters of support to the Variance Board, THANK YOU!! Unfortunately, the board seemed to have absolutely no interest in anything that supported our plight! We are exhausted but also a bit relieved! We tried, then we tried again, and we are done!

Please be well!
Cynthia, Barbara & Rich