Your Stories October 2009

To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to www.peoplespressnews.com . We are your NewsMagazine! The Red Cross and Me By Jo-Ann Buccetti On August 21st, the American Red Cross was at my work place, for a blood drive. I always wanted to donate my blood, but was afraid to. I thought I would pass out, or the needle would hurt, neither was true. My nurse on staff, and the Red Cross were so kind and compassionate to me, making sure I felt comfortable. After it was done, I felt so good about doing something special. Maybe I will be saving some one’s life. A life that will see sunsets. If you felt the same like me, don’t be afraid there isn’t anything to it. You’ll be glad that you did. Bobbie’s Bevy of Beauties Here we are in fall with some very nice weather. Why can’t it stay like this through March? I’ve spoken to a lot of people who agree with me. Wishing and talking isn’t going to change anything I’m sure. Some of us are still fortunate enough to get a veggie or two. Though I can’t remember when I’ve seen such ugly scrawny plants. Let’s hope next year will be a normal growing season. A lot of the flowers are making their exit. But with those extra nice days we had my pink simplicity roses have gone into a second beautiful blooming. The yellow evening prim-rose which I’ve mentioned many times did a turn about this year. After raising them for 20 or so years instead of flowering until the middle of September they quit about the third week of August. After examining them carefully I found 3 buds. On the 18th of September the finale came. Or so I thought. But the last beauty surprised me on the 24th. About all that’s left to bloom are my chrysanthemums. Their buds are still very small so I won’t be expecting any blossoms for another few weeks. Hope the cold weather stays away long enough so they will be able to flower. Butterfly bushes are sprouting up all over the place. If they survive winter most will be given away next spring. And there will be many perennials I’ll be looking for homes for. Have disposed of some of the dead plants but I’ve still got a long way to go. Dawn and Andy became the parents of The People’s Press in 2000. I wrote my first article in the spring of 2002. I’ve heard nothing but praise for their newspaper. Congratulations to them and may it be around for a very long time. My hibernation plans are beginning to whirl around in my head. Should have them completed for the next issue. My last writing for 2009. Flowerecerely Yours, Bobbie G. Vosgien P.S. Our son Keith, as you know, lives in Paris, France. Plus has a little get away on the Isle of Corsica which is off the coast of France and Italy. He was here for a visit in September. Looks great but the time sure flew by while he was home. Keith, wishing you health happiness and a very happy birthday on October 5, 2009. Love always, Mom and Dad P.S.S. Dear Helen, would you consider trading your tree frogs and mouse for geckos? P.S.S.S. Class of Meriden High School 1954. don’t forget our very special day. 55th reunion on Saturday, October 24, 2009. ____ The Way We Were -by Janet Althouse It was mentioned we might write about what we would do if we didn't have TV, computers, video games, etc. Well, I remember what it was like BEFORE we had these things. I'm not so sure I could give them all up now after having become indoctrinated or maybe the word is addicted, but I know we had a lot of fun before we knew they existed. I remember how much fun we had on warm evenings just being outside in the dark. It was so mysterious. We played games like Kick the Can which was definitely more exciting in the dark. Someone was "IT" and everyone else scattered and hid in the shadows. The "it" person had to find us. Home base was a circle with a tin can in the middle. While the "it" person was off looking to find someone to take his place and be "IT", we would try to sneak in and kick the can out of the circle. A lot of laughing and calling out to one another. Would the kids today trade that for sitting and playing video games? They really don't know what they are missing. Then we had radio. I loved to sit on a stool in front of the radio and listen to the "Lone Ranger", "Fibber McGee and Molly", the early Soap Operas, and many others. The fun part was using your imagination and really seeing these things. Almost like television, but you used your mind and made everything and everybody look like you imagined them to look. The radio also kept us abreast of the news. I remember sitting in front of that old radio and hearing a News Broadcast telling the world that Franklin Delano Roosevelt had just died. I was not very old, but I understood the significance of it all and shed a tear or two. As for the telephone, I was probably about ten or so when we got our first phone. How my mother loved that. Of course, we had a party line and had to wait our turn to speak to our family and friends but what excitement to hear a friend's voice come over that little instrument. But one of the most fun things we did in the evenings was sing. We lived next door to our Methodist minister and his family. The mother of the family played the piano and we would all gather around, my mother and dad, me and the minister's son and two daughters and we would sing our hearts out. And it wasn't always hymns. I remember the war songs like, "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree", "White Cliffs of Dover", "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again", and other popular songs. I'm sure some of you have your favorites. I can still remember all the lyrics from so many of those songs when I am privileged to hear them today. Could be one of the best times I remember from the "good old days" when we had to entertain ourselves. I went on to be a "choir singer". I started in choirs when I was about thirteen and just recently had to give it up. Oh, yes, it's good to go back and reminisce, and we did have great times, but we have great times today, too. The things we do are different, but they are still enjoyable. Especially when they are done with family. My family plays card games and word games and games where you have to think and come up with names of things and places. Even the young ones learn fast and they think they are so grown up. But could I give up televison totally? Even though there isn't a lot I enjoy watching, I still have to watch my favorites. And my computer? After all that's how I am able to share these thoughts with you right now. Then, too, I need to keep in touch with all my friends through e-mail. And now with Face Book, I find out things about my children and grand children they probably would never have thought to tell me. I now know what is going on sooner than waiting until they get around to calling or e-mailing me. Last but not least, "MY CELL PHONE". How I wish I had had one when the kids were younger. To be able to phone them and know where they are and how they are at any given moment. There's no way I could give that up. Of course, they don't always immediately answer, but it's still better than the land line phones. What do you say parents? A great invention? If you can't get them to answer, you can text them or send a picture of you franctically pulling your hair out because they don't answer. (Just a little levity there.) So, all in all I guess I'm stuck with the modern-day inventions. Still I don't let them control my life. (Well maybe one or two Soap Operas) I do other activities, like knitting, reading the Bible and other books, baking, picking berries and being with the family. I just wonder what our grand children's children will be asked to consider giving up in order to make their lives less hectic. Using the family helicopter? Or their personal tele-transporter? (http://us.mc382.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=dottsrun72@yahoo.com) ____ LEARNING TO FLY As you all know, as we pass through life we experience quite a few memorial times. I want to share with you one of my memorial experiences. It was 1956. I had just got out of the Army, after being drafted and serving 2 years. I had acquired a job at Pratt & Whitney and was enrolled in apprentice machinist program. Life was good. I was still living home and had just brought a new car. I was looking for something new to do and decided to look into taking flying lessons. I stopped at the Meriden Airport and inquired as to what was involved in learning how to fly a plane. I made an appointment to come in and talk to one of the instructors by the name of Roy Partridge. Well, my appointment came. I introduced myself to Roy and we sat down for a cup of coffee. Roy asked me what I wanted to do and I replied, “I want to learn to fly.” He outlined the process required to obtain a pilot license. I mentioned to Roy that I had never been up in a plane. His reply was, “let’s go. I’ll take you for a ride.” As he prepared to take the plane up he would explain every move he made to me. From the preflight walk around, to draining the fuel bowl, to signing in on the logbook and all the other preflight stuff that is required before you take off. It was just like taking a lesson. I was excited. We went up and flew around Meriden. You could see Long Island sound to the south and the Connecticut River to the East. He asked me where I lived and we flew over my house. We returned to the airport, parked the plane and went into the lounge. Roy asked,” Well Bob what do you think.” I was hooked on learning how to fly and answered. “When can I start?” It would require 40 hours of flying time to qualify for a private license. Half of that time would be duel control, with an instructor and the rest a combination of solo time and instructor time. You could get a student license after 20 hours of duel control instruction. At that point you could fly the plane alone. I made arrangements to meet Roy every Sunday for lessons. Most of the time it was for an hour and every once in a while I would take a 2-hour lesson. Roy was around 40 years old. He had gotten his pilot license when he was 18 years old so he had quite a few hours flying an airplane. He was a very good instructor and it seemed like nothing bothered him. He had served in the Army during the Korean War as a forward observer for artillery. He would go up in a small Piper Cub and watches were the shells were falling. He would than radio back the proper corrections to make. Several times he found bullet holes in the plane when he landed. I was issued a logbook. Every pilot must have one and enter information about your flying. After every lesson I would enter the instruction and Roy would initial it. The hours soon began to add up. It became quite routine. I would meet Roy at the airport. He would tell me what he would be teaching today and off we would go. He would leave everything to me. Pre flight walk around and all the pre flight other checks. I would taxi to the end of the runway and take off. Only making corrections if I was doing something wrong or not quite to his liking. We had a few moments where things happened and Roy would grab the controls to correct what could be a dangerous situation. We were making a final approach to land; you had to use caution landing from south to north. The high-tension wires south of the runway had not been relocated at this time. You had to watch your altitude so as to have plenty of clearance above them. I was at the controls; we were on our final approach, and both concentrating when out of nowhere something slammed into the plane with a big smashing sound. Roy grabbed the controls, applied the power and we gained altitude with no apparent problems. What had happened was we had hit a kite. Someone was flying a kite south of the airport. It was high enough that it was above us and we did not notice it. We hit the kite string, drawing the kite down until it slammed into the plane. Roy showed me an instructor that could react to an emergency. A typical session of instruction would be practice of take off and landing, stall recovery, emergency situations and practice making proper turns. Roy would also ask me questions about flight rules, regulations and other stuff a pilot was required to know. I had passed the 20hour requirement that would let me solo. Roy had asked me a couple of times if I could fly the plane alone. I said I could. We had just completed a series of practice take of and landings. As I started to taxi to the end of the runway again Roy had me stop. He got out of the plane, said take off and land three times, turned his back and walked away. Now, this is the point in every pilot’s life where you are looking forward with confidence or else fear. I thought I had the confidence. I taxied to the end of the runway, positioned the plane at 45 degrees, so that I could see anything approaching, found things to be clear, taxied to the end, applied the throttle and up I went. I was flying by myself for the first time. I flew the pattern around the airport; I had probably done it 100 times. I felt confident. During my final approach I was coming in what I thought was a little high. This would have me land too far down the runway. I did what Roy had taught me. I applied power and went around. I did a lot of talking to myself as I came around for another attempt to get the plane on the ground. I knew I could do what I had been training for. My second attempt was flawless along with my next two. I have soloed. I was as proud as could be. I parked the plane, did the post flight checks and walked into the lounge thinking I would be greeted with a lot of compliments. None were coming except for Roy. His comment was, “good job Bob. For a minute I thought I was going to have to come up and get you.” We both laughed. I was now a certified pilot. I held a Student Pilot Certificate. I could fly a plane be myself. It was something I had dreamed of from when I was a child. A student pilot license has some restrictions. I could not take any passengers. I had to fly within a certain distance from the airport. Its purpose is to give you the opportunity to practice your skills and work toward getting your Private Pilot Certificate. I continued to take lessons or just take a plane up alone. Being young my priorities started to change. My desire to fly took a back seat. I would go weeks without flying. I than stopped altogether. Never going back. Now it’s just one of the many life experiences I have had. I still think back with fond memories to when I was a pilot. Bob Fowler Meriden, Connecticut _____________________________________________________ To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ . We are your NewsMagazine! ___ News From Your Village Community Life Line Happy 9th Anniversary to our Peoples Press. Thank you to Dawn and Andy for the years of continual service to the community by keeping the paper and online service going. Thank you to the business’s that continue to buy space for advertising to help finance the printing cost that allows the paper to continue to strive. Thank you to all the writers that bring apart of their lives to us in every issue. The Peoples Press has helped our volunteer organization grow every year by allowing us to get our message out at no cost. We are a bigger and stronger group today by the efforts of all of you by allowing us to continue to grow by spreading our story in the paper. Thank you again Dawn and Andy. South Meriden Volunteer Fire Department The department was established back in 1908. It is the only volunteer fire station today in the City of Meriden. It is manned completely by Volunteer professionals. We presently have 30 active members ranging from 18 years old to 64. Our firefighters are certified by the State of CT Fire Academies. Their certification levels depend on the amount of time that each member has spent schooling themselves in the Fire Service. We continue to push our members to continue their education in the fire service and EMS, the more they learn the more they can improve their chance to advance in life’s every day adventures. Our active firefighters must achieve the level of Firefighter I which is approximately 180 hours within their first 12 months in our department. They also must achieve the level of Medical Response Technician (MRT) or Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) within their first 18 months. The certification process then continues, there is Firefighter II which is approximately 140 hours, Fire Instructor I approximately 100 hours, Fire Officer I approximately 100 hours and this list can and sometimes does continue further. Our members and their families are dedicated to serving not only South Meriden but also the whole City of Meriden when there are City wide emergencies. We are one of the only fully volunteer fire stations in the state that has overnight duty crews. We have personnel that presently man our fire station 6 nights a week. This has been going on for over 9 years now. This allows us to respond quicker to emergencies in our area. We believe in providing good customer service to our customers, you our neighbors. South Meriden Volunteer Fire Department works hand and hand with the Meriden Career Fire Department. Meriden Fire Department has 5 career stations based thought-out the City. The two main stations that also cover the South Meriden area are Station 1 which houses Engine 1 located on Chamberlain Highway and Station 2 which houses Engine 2 and Truck Company 1 (The Ladder Truck). We usually get dispatched at the same time for calls in the South Meriden area. The incident can be handled either by both of the departments or separately. When our station is manned either day or night depending on the severity of the incident we usually handle the incident ourselves, this frees the Meriden Engine company up to handle other emergency incidents that might occur. I believe that Meriden has the best career firefighters in the State. We work with them everyday and I think we all learn from each other each day. Our call volume has been increasing each year. Our station will be doing over 750 calls this year. We are funded with approximately $72.000 a year from the City of Meriden. We also run our own fund raiser each year to help us buy extra equipment and supplies that we can not afford to purchase with the City funds. This year we are looking to purchase an all terrain vehicle equip for patient care and carry for the new liner trails that was built in South Meriden plus stage Two coming in the near future. This vehicle will be used to excess individuals that might get ill or injured while using the trails. We not only recruit from within Meriden for Volunteers fire fighters but we also do recruitment for certified firefighters that live outside of Meriden as long as they can meet our bylaw requirements to do minimum one duty overnight crew a week plus meet our drill, meeting and squad duty requirements. Certified Fire Fighters can apply on Monday evenings at our fire station which is located at 31 Camp Street, South Meriden. Well that is all this month I will visit with you again hopefully next month God willing. Stay safe, Keith Gordon Chief of Operations _____________________________________________________________ Nature as a Mirror By Dorothy Gonick Jack-in-the-Pulpit Strange woodland plant Like a green striped umbrella Jack-in-the-Pulpit. A lovely fall day beckoned me to wander through the nearby woodland with my grandkids. Colorful leaves floated gracefully to settle at our feet. The crisp air held the scent of profusely blooming goldenrod and filled our nostrils. Wandering further into the cool shady woods we spotted a cluster of the shiny red seed-bearing berries of a withered Jack-in-the-Pulpit plant. Nature often uses bright red to warn of danger, so we looked at, but did not pick, the cluster. We talked of the plant’s springtime glory, and of how unusual it was. We remembered the ‘pulpit’ as a striped green and brown spathe that curved gracefully above its club-like spadix that is called ‘Jack’. The flowers of this plant were tiny and clustered at the base of the spadix; these had matured into the pulpy red cluster before us. The Jack-in-the-pulpit has been called ‘Indian Turnip’ because the root (corm) resembles a turnip that the Native Americans gathered and dried or boiled them to eat as a vegetable. The plant is poisonous if eaten raw in its fresh state. Cooking eliminates the unpleasant properties of the peppery, burning sensation caused by the calcium oxalate crystals contained in the plant. Native Americans found it useful medicinally for various ailments of eyes, pain and infections. One story tells of a tribe that placed some chopped fresh root into meat and left it for their enemy to find—a potent silent weapon. My grandkids giggled at this funny preacher with the two leaves rising from the same corm, causing us to wonder if they are the ‘preacher’s acolytes’. They wondered what he could possible be preaching about. The plant’s root is a toxic corm; yet grows into a sleek, regal-looking plant. Perhaps its message is that beauty can arise from a tarnished background, that we too can rise above unpleasant circumstances and become an upright, forgiven beauty, ready to greet the world with a smile. _________________________________________________________________________________ Dear Housewives – Central Connecticut’s Know It All Gals! Dear Readers,Do you have a question regarding family life, budgeting, customer service issues, DVD or book reviews, or home organization? We will give you our candid advise from a family perspective. Contact The Peoples Press by e-mail or phone with your confidential question and we will answer it in the next issue.June and Flora Dear Housewives,I was laid off from my job and am in the dumps. It is so difficult for me. When the kids are in school I just dwell on my situation. I have to stay chipper for my children. Any tips? I can't ask my friends...Looking for a job in all the wrong places FLORA: Let's sign it "Looking for jobs in all the RIGHT places!" I will say, since your children are in school, tie your sneakers, take a big sip of water and go out side every day for a walk for 15 - 30 minutes. This will clear your head, naturally increase the chipper hormones inside you and give you a healthy attitude! Your Housewives are with you. Take the time during the day as a temporary job. This new temp job is called: job seeking. It can be a full-time job to look for a job. Get your name and resume on the job search sites. Create an electronic or paper file of all the places you contact and follow-up with. Get showered and dressed every day; right down to the shoes! The Department of Labor has a Meriden CTWorks site on 85 West Main Street, Meriden, CT. 203-238-6148. There are self and assisted services there to help guide yo on your job seeking quest. Flora is a praying lady, so I will pray for you and your family. JUNE: A walk is great for your health but it isn't going to make you forget your jobless situation. That can be very scary. Maybe you can find a support group to have other people to talk to. Perhaps others with your company have been laid off recently. You should start scouring the want ads and use the internet. Many jobs are posted online now. Look outside your field to maybe change careers. If you have to take a class try to do it now since you have a bit of time. I do like the temp agency idea since you may find a job you like and many turn into permanent positions. Good luck! Dear Housewives, I recently found drugs in my son's backpack. I found a marijuana cigarette. He told me it wasn't his he was holding it for a friend and I believe him. Should I call the other kid's mother? Not "toking" around in Cheshire JUNE: Dear not toking, wake up fool. I believe the Cosby's had this issue, oh yeah, and the Brady's and any other family sitcom in the history of television. Your kid is smoking dope and for you to call up some kid's mother b/c your kid had pot is reckless at best. Unless you have proof, parent your own kid and tell him why he needs to knock it off. Good luck and stop being blind to the issues that kids face now. Don't be one of those parents that make excuses for everything your kid does. FLORA: I would call the parents of all his friends and share that you found a marijuana cigarette in your son's backpack. This way they are aware of what your son is doing. You all can be on the 'same team' when it comes to handling this serious issue. Talk with your son and tell him that that his friends families are aware. There may be a someone in your town's Police Department that can guide you on how best to handle this matter. Another idea is to also contact: http://www.mawsac.org/ This is the site for Meriden Wallingford Substance Abuse Council. Their mission statement is: MAWSAC belongs to a statewide system of public/private partnerships known as Regional Action Councils. MAWSAC's mission is to join with communities and support them in their efforts to develop a climate where healthy life choices are fostered and realized. Keep a close eye and a tight rein on your son; monitor his comings and goings. Book nook/movie Corner JUNE: Hey Flora, time for the fall shows to start and I am so happy about it. "Biggest Loser" is back and awesome. "The Office" and "30 Rock" are back as well as our favorite FX hit "Sons of Anarchy". We recently watched "Coraline" with the kids. A bit scary for them but a great movie overall. With Halloween around the corner you should rent it. FLORA: I am about to read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". A review will follow....I haven't watched any movies recently. ___________________________________________________________________ Maggie’s Corner When You Think of Home By: Maggie Griffin When you think of home, think of a place where there is love and so much laughter, home is a place we know people we can depend on and look after. It’s a place where there is unconditional love and affection through all four seasons. We all have the power to change and fix a problem that we are facing. There is no such thing as score cards in a family, stop the pacing. You’ll see your home will be a better place for you and your family. Take a look around and see what is out there and you will find your heart keeps growing and your family is still near, it’s true, just look at you. Suddenly you’ll find the dreams you had went in a new direction. Don’t try to convince time to slow down, not even a little section. Remember time gives us another meaning of a new perfection. Look inside your mind and remember what you left behind you. Suddenly you’ll find that what was left is still in front of you, a Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Daughter, Son and a Friend too, you’ll see that Home is family. Can you imagine what life would be like if there were no four seasons? Without the fall change in the leaves on trees will have no meaning. Can you imagine what life would be like if there is no leaves that are falling? We wouldn’t have a snow flake or jump in a pile of raked leaves that are calling. No Sun to melt the snow, no rain to make flowers grow. Summer will not be hot and the water may dry up, no place to swim or sail, walk and feel the wind. That’s change, even nature has a home. Make a wish come true, but realize that wishes come unspoken. Take a look at you and understand that wishes turn into a calling. That is why I say destiny is not written, it is in the palms of your hands, you can say it, write it, change it, it’s your land. That’s home – it’s in your heart. When I was a child I’d sing and dance for a reason, the Living Room was my stage in every change of season. Then I was a teen I took a chance and walked all the steps I made. I made my wishes then, but later they came true in a different way, a way that was meant to be. When I got married and was expecting my first child, I was given the greatest gift of all. Giving life is the greatest gifts of all; I gave birth to my daughter, then my son, asking God to help me raise them both proud and tall. That’s home to me. When I faced my cancer, God gave me a chance to see what more in life and what it is about, looking in my heart and seeing there is no doubt, I’m home with the ones I can’t live without. I appreciated the snow, the rain, the sun and all the trees. I love it when I jump in a raked pile of leaves. That’s home, there is no place I’d rather be. I looked at the changes in my hands through all these years. I saw they held my Mother, my Father, held my children, wipe some tears. I also saw they built a heart I call my home today; I saw my hands helped another needing help in some way. Just look at your hands, it is plane to see; your hands do have a history. Looking back in time your hands have been with you, for many they helped one swim, ride a bike or drive home to make a curfew, those hands built your home. Many times we need to understand sometimes we cannot let things be. Learn to teach what life gives us, simple gifts that are for free. Rake those leaves in piles and then jump right and feel free. Remember all those rain drops are for flowers so they can grow. When the snowflakes fall, go ahead and make those snowmen, name them Larry, Curly and Moe! That’s home, doing the favorite things with the ones you love. When I think of home I think of my greatest treasure, that is, treasure in my heart that keeps my love growing forever. Watching my children grow and taking their steps in life I hear and see, what they say and do and how much it means to me. Then I know I taught them the meaning of home with love and dignity. All the pets I have, and had at one time, they are also my family and their love does not cost a dime. Treat your pets’ kind; remember they treat us with love and affection, unconditionally, during their life’s time. If you find yourself under a bridge all alone, cut it out and get with it. Look around, you’ll see an answer will come to be soon enough when you least expect it. Just wait a little while and learn time and respect it. Everything has a meaning, but sometimes we don’t understand it, wishing for a chance to go back into time in our lives so we can re-plan it. Don’t wish to change things that were meant to be. Our fate cannot be predicted nor conceived time or place, don’t try to contradict it, fate is something that needs to go at its own pace. But know there is a place in our lives we are all called to do. It is not what we do to earn a living; it is what we do for the living. Just think what our hearts can do. If you keep the faith you will understand fate is a part of changes. Here on earth or in Heaven our love ones are here in all life’s stages. They live in our hearts that is their home too. Just keep in mind and know no matter what or where you are, our love ones are home and still with us and not far; that is home, you’re a place your hands you built with your loving trust. To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ . We are your NewsMagazine! __________________________________________________________________________________ POEM OF THE ROSE By Catherine Short The thorn of the rose that has punctured my soul. Agony is a constant companion. Am I going through an initiation? The darkness and pain are relentless. I yearn for the opening of the rose, its soft petals brush against my cheek. My tears joining the dew on the petals. Some relief of the pain. To see the beauty in the world. Compassion is born as the pain continues and I see it and feel it in others. My heart is broken. My body is broken. Can I transcend and live with the agony? The rose is in full bloom. I can feel its beauty. Soon the petals start withering and dropping off. The rose is dieing. I am still here in pain. The rose has taught me there is beauty and hope. _________________________________________________________________________________ Victory Junction Camp Written By: Paul Narducci I would like to start of by thanking the Petty Family for keeping their son Adam’s dream alive. The week we spent in Randleman North Carolina was simply unbelievable. It was five days of tranquility and normalcy my family has never experienced. Before, I continue with what the Petty family and the sponsors of Victory Junction Camp have put together I must stop and rewind. To fully understand where we are going , I must show you where we have been. My son Jonathan was born a healthy beautiful baby boy and the American dream was complete. I received a phone call from my wife saying I needed to pick Jonathan up at daycare. When I spoke to her she stated that he wasn’t feeling well. When I arrived at day care little did I know it would be the worst day of our lives. There was something clearly wrong and we headed to the doctors. To make along day short we ended up at Yale Hospital hours later. Jonathan was diagnosed with a rare disease called Transverse Myelitis and at seven months old was basically dead. Jonathan is a quadriplegic, on a ventilator and is fed through a stomach tube. My wife and I spent every day and night with our son, never leaving his side. We lived this way for three months. While struggling to survive I remember asking God why, let me have this, please give me my son back, and other things I can’t mention. The feeling of despair and loneliness was enough to choke every breath your body was able to produce. While fighting this fight Jonathan passed away several times and was brought back to us by the grace of God. Imagine what it is like to visit a loved one in the hospital for two hours and than imagine living there for three months. I wrote this poem about two years after we arrived home. While writing this I cried uncontrollably and it was such a feeling of healing that I feel it is important to share this with you. This puts a unique spin on what the first three months were like and how close I came to loosing myself, to the point of no return. Wanting to die seeing you this way. If I could only take your place and throw it away. I want things back the way it was, if I could only find a way. Seeing you lying there fighting to stay, with thoughts in my head drifting away. Wanting to die if you were taken away telling myself this wasn’t the way. Taking life for granted you see, in my own despair you’ll be. Hoping for life because death seemed to be so near for you and me. I’m confused and wanting to take your place asking why this happened. I don’t understand this wasn’t our plan, I just want this all to go away. If you were to go I’d be with you soon. Forever together and that’s the way it should be. After we left Yale we would spend another eight months at New Britain Hospital for Special Care. Bonnie and I continued to spend every day and night with our son. When we went back to work our parents and Jonathan’s great grandmother stayed with Jonny during the day. Our first day home was full of fear, excitement, love and an overwhelming feeling of acceptance. Looking back I truly believe it was this that made us survive something no one should ever have to go through. When Jonathan got sick a part of me died that day and no one, not even myself is strong enough to get back what I have lost. With this in mind, it is truly wonderful to be alive and enjoying one of the best things in my life, my son Jonathan Paul Narducci. “Honey, there having a camp for TM at Victory Junction in North Carolina. Yeah, that’s good but were not going“. You see I’m a person that doesn’t enjoy vacations and I like to stay at home. Home is my security blanket and where we are able to keep Jonathan safe. After being told we were accepted for camp I still didn’t give this much thought. Why, because I really had no intentions of going. The phone rang and it was Sandy Seigal. Sandy runs the Transverse Myletis Association and was involved with us since Jonathans diagnosis. He is truly a remarkable person with a heart the size of Texas. “Bonnie, Sandy Seigal called today we’re going to camp“. I’m not sure what really changed my mind but I know Sandy had something to do with it. Sandy , Thank You. Well, lets go back to camp!!! Victory Junction Camp how do we feel ,WE FEEL SOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!! To all the people in Nascar, the drivers, sponsors, Counselors, volunteers and most importantly Adam Petty and his family Thank you. You have allowed me the opportunity to continue to heal and provide my son a wonderful experience. We have watched the camp video about a dozen times and continue to yell the camp cheer. This was a week full of love, belonging, normalcy, acceptance and an escape. Jonathan truly loved the experience he had at camp. It was wonderful for him to meet the other children and adults with TM. Although there is no place like home, it is good to know we also have one at Victory Junction Camp. Reality is something difficult for all of us to face but for me it was a matter of life or death. The river denial could take your soul and your inner being where everything around you could be swallowed and you yourself could be lost forever. Life is something I have had to embrace and with this acceptance I have found peace. I share this with you and take you to a place I have not even shared with my wife. I do this with the intent of allowing you the opportunity to face difficulties in your own life and realize although hope is alive, acceptance will make the light shine stronger. This is what The Victory Junction Camp has done for me. I ask that you take time to log onto http://www.victoryjunction.org/ If you are able, send them a donation and tell them Jonathan sent ya. _____ What I love about my hometown... by Carole Golitko I came to Wallingford in 1971 a fairly new bride & soon to be mother. I had wonderful neighbors The Chamberlains. They taught me a lot about gardening & giving back to this earth. I have continued over the next 38 years doing so. I learned at my grandmothers house in NJ how to garden but they helped me fine tune it. Along with many gardeners & farmers many gone now. I met several people who I remember fondly, Mrs. Ianuzzi who taught me how to pickle eggplant (I still do) Betty Geremia (a sweetheart) who gave me great advice raising my daughter when my own Mom wasn’t available. This is a great town to live in & I enjoy participating in all it has to offer & the diversity of its people. I miss the farms there were many, but keep in touch with the ones who share my love of the land. Through the Garden club my dear friend Ellie Tessmer (she’s so smart)my friend s The Lagerstroms (Self Farm)& many workshops I attend to keep this agriculture alive. We are lucky in Wallingford to have Andy & his local news to keep us abreast of activities & the adults , children,& pets who are part of this town. We have much to be grateful & thankful for here, let’s keep it going Pass it On. Carole Golitko _ ______________________________________________________________________________ __ Bitumen, Pennsylvania -- My Mom’s Hometown In 1914 my Mom was born, Gladys Mae Seyler, in a little community located in central Pennsylvania, which took its name from the coal that was mined there. The early residents shortened bituminous to make it less cumbersome when telling folks where they were from. Most of the people that had settled there came from countries such as Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Poland. Mom’s grandparents, however, had come over from the Rhineland. Bitumen was never considered a town … not even a township -- just a community. The Kettle Creek Coal Company owned most of the land in that area around that time. The coal company started mining coal there in 1885; built company houses, company stores, and even a small Protestant church. Part of the church was used as a schoolhouse where the children were taught grammar, mathematics, history and religious instructions. The coal company would allow the residents to sharecrop on company-owned farms, and in this way, folks like Mom and her family, could save money by harvesting and canning what they had planted, and thus, spend less money at the company store. Mom would tell me about how her father, my grandfather, worked hard in the fields during the day and even harder in the coalmines at night. She also told me how her dad, and a lot of others there, would give the doctor a peck of tomatoes or a loaf of bread to pay for medical needs that arose from time to time. Somehow, she told me, they managed to own a few chickens and pigs, and these, of course, provided some extra food that they so desperately needed. Once, when she was 12 years old, she had broken her leg. She had fallen from a tree that she had climbed to pick some pears that grew in her backyard. Dad summoned the doctor, and in no time, he had set the broken bone, put a splint on it, and wrapped it with linen from one of her mother’s petticoats. The doctor accepted one of the chickens as payment in full. Mom said how she had cried more over the chicken than she did the pain. She remembered how funny it looked to see the doctor with his medical bag under one arm, and the chicken tucked up under his other, climbing up into his buggy … there were still some people who used a horse and buggy to get around back then. Sundays were very special for everyone who lived in the area. They would all sing and listen in earnest to the words of the preacher. All the dirt and coal dust had been washed off the miners the night before … this was accomplished by using the big galvanized washtub, laundry soap, and the good old-fashioned scrub brush. One thing she said that she would always remember was how one teacher came up with his way of getting the kids to stay attentive in class. He would have everyone stand up, form a circle, clasp hands, and then he would touch a button on this electrical gadget with his bare foot that would send a jolting electric shock through him and all the students. It sure woke everyone up … and twice each day, this was done. My dear mother passed away in 1989, and I will always be grateful, among other things, for the times she would sit down with me and tell me all about her growing up in that tiny little community known as Bitumen. --George Arndt— ____________________________________________________________________________________ FENCES Up where Reservoir Avenue runs into Hubbard Park, was once a quiet and peaceful neighborhood before route 691 stabbed through the heart of the park and divided it in two. My childhood was spent there… There is a chain-link fence at the divide between these two roads which is in total disrepair and may as well not be there in places. Why it’s not maintained, I don’t know, but what ever the rationale for building it in the first place must now be absent, for anyone or anything can freely access the highway from Reservoir Avenue. There is another fence that should be there, but is not. Route 691 is a scant few feet from Reservoir Ave at this point, and the noise from 691 permeates and ruins the tranquility of this neighborhood. The fence that should be there would be a tall wooden sound barrier that one sees all over the state, wherever a large highway passes a group of homes. Such a barrier would provide a lot of relief to the people who live there. We see these barriers all over, but if ever there was a deserving place for one, it would be here. I don’t live on Reservoir Ave anymore, but walk by there often, and I am amazed at the noise levels. If one would go to this place, and if the noise from the cars, trucks and the “jake” brakes subsides for a moment, you just might be able to hear the sounds of the birds and ducks again. A fence can make good neighbors, and maybe a sound barrier would help to make good neighbors of these two roads David L. Pepe Meriden, Conn. ________________________________________________________________________________________ The Thrill of Competitive Baking…..Durham Fair style..... By Ernie Larsen 9/30/09 By the time you read this the 2009 Durham Fair will be history; the weather was certainly more cooperative than last year where almost 3 days of rain and just terrible conditions put a damper on Connecticut’s largest fair. This year, Sunday was pretty much of a washout; however tradition reigned, my daughter; granddaughter and myself braved the elements and had a very nice time at the fair. Did not have to contend with crowds, in essence, we had the place to ourselves. Sure it would have been nicer on a rain free day, but we made the most of it, wet or not. So what’s the big deal about a fair, not only the DF, any fair in general; I had an idea on some of the origins of fairs yet just to expand my information base I did a GOOGLE search and was enlightened by some very interesting facts. 
Back in the early 1800’s fairs were pretty much for those in the agricultural pursuits. As a matter of fact the proper name of the aforementioned event is the Durham Agricultural Fair. And most other fairs still rely on their roots in the farming trades; the Hebron Harvest fair, Guilford Agricultural fair and the list goes on and on. Now, moving right along, in the early days of fairs farmers and their families came out to see the latest in new fangled equipment for the field, milk house and farm kitchen. Then someone came up with the idea of having competitions to see who had the best looking, strongest cattle and other farm animals; this blossomed, excuse the pun, to vegetables, field crops and finally including everyone in the farmers family; household crafts, baked goods, preserved foods, quilts, sewing - children’s crafts; the list goes on; soon fairs became popular with city folk and through the years they have evolved into events that are eagerly awaited each fall. And you still can see new products, ‘miracle mops’ – ‘magic knives’ - food you never have at home: giant raised doughnuts, deep fried candy bars – fresh cut French fries – you know what I’m talking about. And to attract the public to these events, fairs now rely on top name entertainment - Durham has ‘The Guess Who’ plus other acts to get the folks out of the house. And I know the Berlin Fair next weekend will have a ‘name’ to entertain fairgoers. Many fairs now are major fundraisers for local civic, religious, political and fraternal groups. Durham has all plus school groups and more. My sister-in-law will be hawking giant potatoes for her group. Last year, with the lousy weather, members of the group bailed out the group, sort of, buying leftover potatoes – I’ll tell you we didn’t have to buy potatoes for quite some time due to my brother and s.i.l.’s generosity. Here in Connecticut we are fortunate to have more than a few fairs to attend if we choose. And even out of state, just a mere 50 minutes on the road can get you to the Big E, formerly the Eastern States Exposition. Some say it should be renamed the New England State fair; be that as it may it runs for almost 2.5 weeks and if you’ve never been, it is something to see. Getting back to our local fairs, North Haven, Berlin, Durham are all within a short 15 minute ride or less, that is other than fair days. Durham is legendary for traffic jams on the Saturday and Sunday of the fair in good weather. And of course the competitive exhibits, the local fairs are no slouch in sponsoring contests for almost anyone’s desire. The exhibitors guide for Durham is about the size of a weekly newsmagazine, with competitions for horses, cattle, vegetables, canning, pumpkins, photography, quilting and of course baking; that’s where the extended Larsen family has been drawn for the last few years. The competitors this year, were Ernie, Catie, Sarah Larsen and good friends, Fran and Nancy. I entered six categories, ribboned in 4, Sarah and Catie entered three each garnering a couple of blues and 2nds while Fran and Nancy each had some firsts and other places. We all did very well, The two Larsen women made blue ribbon winning, killer Red Velvet cakes, Fran and myself got firsts in (cookie) Bars and Nancy took a Blue Ribbon in the Cookie Mix category. And I must congratulate Sarah who took a first in Quick Bread – beat Poppa, the QB King, oh well. Just have to mention, the days leading up to the fair, around mine and Catie's house - it's almost like we each have a secret kitchen, very little interaction or conversation between us, not saying what is being entered - all in all a really fun time of year. Just kidding of course, right Catie? It really is a treat to see so many people entering the competitive contests – the vegetables on display were top notch in this one of the worst growing seasons of recent times. Also, the canning competition had some yum-oh items on display. To me this is what a fair is all about, sure the food for sale is always an attraction and the entertainment always draws a crowd. By the way, I forgot to mention, I entered a snapshot in the Photography Division and one of my photos won a blue ribbon. So that wound up our family competition for the year, we’ll be talking about in the coming months, I think on Thanksgiving day we’ll have the parading of the ribbons – this is a new tradition I just hatched. Boy, a holiday can’t get more exciting than that, eh. There are still a few fairs in October, head on out – see what’s happening in the fair environment and make sure to check out the competitive exhibits. See you next time. To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ . We are your NewsMagazine! WHY MERIDEN HAS REMAINED OUR HOMETOWN FOR FIVE DECADES By Phyllis S. Donovan Isn’t it strange how people settle in a certain town or city, get involved with the community and spend the rest of their lives there? We’ve lived in Meriden since the spring of 1963, 46 years after buying the house in Carabetta’s Birchwood Estates where we continue to happily reside. Although we are still considered “newcomers” in the minds of people who have lived here all their lives and are privy to family relationships we still haven’t been able to figure out, we feel that nearly half a century in this city has earned us some bragging rights. It’s funny how the city of Meriden played around the edges of our lives even before we moved here. I was born in the Massachusetts Berkshires and my husband grew up in Boston. We met at the University of Massachusetts at a time when the campus radio station was broadcasting on FM and most of us students still only had AM radios. I bought a new FM radio to listen to my future husband who was at the time regularly on air from the campus station and the only other program I could regularly pick up on it was WMMW’s “Silver City Serenade.” I listened to it regularly without having any inkling of where Meriden was way down there in Connecticut. Anyone who took a geology course in those days would have seen photos of Meriden’s unique “Hanging Hills” in their textbooks, and geology majors from UMass regularly journeyed down to Connecticut to actually see those hills. When my soon-to-be husband joined the army and was stationed at Fort Dix, NJ, he would drive up from New Jersey to the Berkshires (where I was living with my parents and working in the Springfield, MA library) every weekend he had off. En route back to Fort Dix in his little 1939 Pontiac coupe along route 10 in the dark of those Sunday nights he would drive past the blinking radio towers on the top of Meriden’s West Peak and know that he was halfway back to camp…a LONG trip in those days before I-91. Once we were married, we returned to New England after a stint in Bordeaux, France with the army. Merely by happenstance, one of his fraternity brothers, who was working at New Departure on Pratt Street here, suggested we come and visit. He set up an interview for my husband at the plant and soon he was working as a junior engineer there. We lived in an apartment in Wallingford for five years but our burgeoning family led us to think about buying a house in the area. We fell in love with the view of West Peak and its radio towers from this Carabetta development, put down our money, and had our own house built here. Our five children went to Thomas Hooker School which meant PTA and bake sales. I joined the Junior Women, which at that time in Meriden was so popular with stay-at-home moms who welcomed the company of other young women serving the community, the club had to limit membership to 125 women under 40. As our kids moved on to Washington Middle School and Maloney High, spelling bees, drama club and glee club, football, track and soccer figured into our lives. Once my gang were all in school, I went to work as the Record-Journal Society Editor and over the next 25 years the pages evolved in the Features section during which time I covered the area theater scene and wrote travel pieces. My husband worked out of the area, at GE Corporate Headquarters in Fairfield, but kept up his local ties as a reader at St. Rose Church. Later, after retiring, he joined the YMCA’s Ys Men whose programs have continued to keep his interests piqued and his mind active. Over the years, I have been regularly irked by people who feel they must badmouth our city. We have long ago evolved from the gritty factory town of a much outdated stereotype. Reputation certainly does lag the fact. We couldn’t ask for a better location, almost at the center of the state and at the junction of important east-west and north-south highways. We have always been delighted at the end of long trips that we don’t have to travel miles and miles over back roads to get home. Five minutes off the highway and we’re home. We are convinced that the scenery in this part of the state ranks among the best in the state. Not only our hanging hills but the other rugged ridges that surround us are striking in all seasons, from the frosted snows of winter to the shades of velvet greens in the summer setting sun. (Let’s keep our ridges protected! We should never allow anything to be built up there.) We have some of the prettiest parks anywhere and our Hubbard Park is a special gem. We never miss a chance to take visiting friends and relatives there and show it off. It is a beautiful and restful place to relax on a hot summer’s evening. The fairyland lights of the holiday season, the beauty of our spring daffodils, the excitement and pleasure afforded by all the activities held there from the Daffodil Festival to ethnic events and graduations are all points of pride. People who scoff at the city’s blue-collar image overlook its cultural offerings. For art lovers, downtown offers both Gallery 53 and the Sandman Gallery and the Meriden Public Library always showcases local art talent. Warren Stephan’s Castle Craig Players regularly present comedies, dramas and musicals for the pleasure of theatergoers. In good weather, concerts are held regularly across from the Courthouse and in Hubbard Park. This month’s Wine and Vine and Beer Fest events next to the courthouse downtown attracted congenial crowds in spite of cold and wet weather. Sadly, after many years the curtain fell several years ago on the venerable Meriden Symphony but local chorales headed by Dorothy Barnhart and Nancy Stewart continue to bring pleasure to area music lovers. Downtown, the Friends of the Library Bookstore offers gently used books for all tastes at very low prices, and the city has enough wonderful little restaurants for people to eat out inexpensively and well any day of the week. Although we have lost our local movie theater, Wallingford’s Holiday Cinemas offers a wide selection of the latest film releases to anyone venturing a few miles south. All in all, we thank our lucky stars that all those years ago we opted to settle in Meriden with all it has to offer and, barring unforeseen circumstances, we’re more than happy to live here contentedly for the rest of our lives. ________________________________________________________________________ Wallingford's Attic:The Wallingford Historical Society, "Preserving the Past for the Future"by Barbara Sherburnebarndt49@yahoo.com Our challenge this month from Andy, the publisher of this newspaper, was to write about what we most loved about our towns, and the first thought that popped into my mind was the Wallingford Historical Society, and I don't think we have ever written about this organization in this paper before, so I am featuring it now. "To collect and preserve the history, art, literature of Wallingford, and to provide for the care, preservation and exhibition of the same." This was the purpose of the Wallingford Historical Society as stated in November 1916. The Historical Society acquired the Samuel Parsons House, built in 1759, from Fanny Ives Schember, and was open to the public on August 23rd, 1920. This was shortly before the 250th anniversary celebration of Wallingford's incorporation. (Wallingford was established on October 10, 1667, but was not incorporated until May 12, 1670.) About 38 planters and freemen settled here, six-acre lots were set out, and by 1675, 40 houses had been built up and down our present Main Street. Interestingly, to me, Wallingford was the 23rd town in Connecticut to form a historical society. I met with Ray Chappell, who is the current president of the Society, and he was also president from 1979 to 1983, and I learned quite a bit from him. He is a great storyteller, by the way. He was born in northern Vermont and came to Wallingford in 1960 after four years in the Air Force. It was the approach of the bicentennial of our nation and wanting to be involved that got Ray and his wife Pat interested in joining the Society, which they did in 1975. They wanted to be part of the history of Wallingford, and have been very active in supporting the Society, which has included making costumes for events such as the bicentennial, and also preparing dinners and planning for Colonial encampments and Civil War enactments, to name a few. As I said, Ray is a very good storyteller, and one of the events that happens over at the Historical Society is a tour for third-graders from all over town in the spring. He delights and fascinates them with tidbits from our history, showing them a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the North Front Room and enlightening them to the fact that we are one of only 56 towns in the United States that was home to one of the signers of the Declaration, and that is, of course, Lyman Hall. He says the children's eyes get very wide when he tells them about early life in that Samuel Parsons House, as they sit in the bedroom with a rope spring bed, a dollhouse, toys, a school desk, and a chamber pot. (He says the story works better if it is particularly cloudy outside.) But imagine what it was like with no TV, no electricity, no heat, and no toilet! (I am paraphrasing this from my memory.) The children were sent to bed as soon as it got dark, well, except when it was dark at 4:30. No sense wasting candles on the young ones. And even though there is a fireplace in that room (one of six), they would not waste wood on them. No, you would be huddled together in one bed, especially in the winter, with your clothes on and a cap on your head. The cap was not just to keep your head warm. Your mom didn't get to do laundry very often, and no baths in the winter, so the cap was also to keep your hair from dirtying up the bed linen. And what happens if after you get into bed you realize you need to go to the bathroom? Oh, boy. You have to make your way down the stairs with no lights, find your coat and some boots, and then make your way out to the outhouse, which was situated quite a distance, generally 75 to 100 feet, from the house. There were two reasons for this. You certainly wouldn't want to contaminate the well water, oh, and then there was the odor. And, boys and girls, they didn't have toilet paper back then. Huh? No. You would need to use leaves, grass or corn husks. Oh, my goodness. And then you would make your way back to the house and up the stairs, and your brothers and sisters would not be too happy with you joining them again in the bed because you were so cold. If the weather was too harsh, they did of course have access to a chamber pot, and guess whose job it was to carefully take it down the stairs and all the way out to the outhouse the next morning? That's right, you kids had to take care of your own chamber pot. Ray then turns to the teacher and parents who are there, and asks them if they have trouble getting their children to take out the trash. Yes, of course. And then he turns to the kids and asks, "Which would you rather take out, the trash or the chamber pot?" "The trash!!!" shouted in unison. It really does make you think about how difficult times must have been. He explained how he tells the school children that they really couldn't risk taking baths in the winter because they could easily catch a cold, and then possibly pneumonia, and, well, that could lead to death. There was no bathroom anyway, so most of the bathing was done in the warmer months when they were at a lake or a stream. It's kind of hard to imagine that. Ray was more graphic with me than I will be here, but there was a good reason for layers of clothing. I'll leave it at that. I must give credit where it is due, and it was Ray who first coined the phrase "Wallingford's Attic," and such an apt name it is! I met with Robert Beaumont a little more than a week after I had visited with Ray. Bob is a lifelong Wallingford resident, has been with the Society for 20-plus years, and has served as treasurer, president (1992-2004), and vice president, which is a position he holds today. He told me that 17 people comprise the officers and board of directors. There are four public meetings a year and business meetings as needed in addition to those. There are approximately 20 people who volunteer at the Samuel Parsons House on Sunday afternoons. Bob's wife, Noma, and Ray's wife, Pat, are at the Society almost every Tuesday morning working on inventory, and this has been and continues to be a somewhat daunting task. It wasn't until the late 1970s that the Society began to get serious about inventorying items. They use an accession sheet for every item, writing down all the details. Bob pointed to a number of pairs of socks on the table we were sitting at in the Keeping Room, and he said that they would be measured, the colors would be noted, the material, where they were manufactured who donated them, the date of donation, and so on, and those records are stored in their library. Pat and Bob also volunteer their time by giving talks at local schools about the history of schools here over the last 250 years or more.. A male schoolteacher in the early 1700s had the second most respected position in town, with the minister being in the number one spot. As an example of their talks, he mentioned the preparations for visits from George Washington, once in 1775 on the way to Boston, when he stopped to pick up some gunpowder at the Atwater store, and once in 1789 while he was on an inaugural tour of the 13 original states. If you have never visited the Samuel Parsons House, you really should. 180 South Main Street is just two blocks from the center of town. One of the unusual things about the architecture is that for that period it was not common in this area to have two end chimneys and six corner fireplaces, four on the first floor and two on the second. This house is a Dutch colonial, and 1759 is early for this style with a gambrel roof and end chimneys. There is a house on Pond Hill Road that is one of the oldest brick houses in Connecticut, built in 1756, and it has end chimneys. So there are a few still in Wallingford with those chimneys. I'm just going to give a little description of some of what is housed at the Parsons house. The Keeping Room, or kitchen, has a large fireplace with antique ironware, pots and kettles, long-handled forks and spoons, a waffle iron, and a brass bed-warming pan from 1770. Nearby are mortars and pestles, candle molds, scales, a bootjack, soapstones used for heating the beds, an old charcoal iron (1852), and a gas-fired iron. Every room in the house is chockful of antiques, including military uniforms, a flintlock from the Revolutionary War, a rifle from the Civil War, an aircraft machine gun and rifle from WWI, helmets, grenades, canteens, firemen hats, display cases of silverware, pewter, Indian artifacts, and various items manufactured in Wallingford, such as drills, bits, and matches. (There was a match factory essentially across the street from the Parsons house, which was later bought by Diamond Match.) And there are children's toys, including an 1850 era dollhouse kitchen. I had the very special privilege of going up to the attic with Bob. It is not open to the public. There are some very large items up there, including two penny-farthing bicycles, which were breath-taking, a large loom, chairs, and farm equipment. The Society really hopes to build an outbuilding, like a barn, to display all of the larger items which simply can't be displayed now. Since 1980 Bob estimates the Society has spent $150,000 or more on renovations such as HVAC, fences, roof repairs, and floorboard replacements. It helps that they have invested in very good blue chips over the years, the oldest stock dating back to 1933. Their source of income is supplemented by dues and donations, and over the last 10 years they have received some matching funds from the town itself. When I first began doing research for this story, I could not believe there was nothing on the Internet about the Wallingford Historical Society other than an address. I had to go to the public library and comb through some articles and booklets from the Connecticut Room. I asked Bob about this, and he said that in the reasonably near future, they will have a presence on the Net. Bob and I also talked about computers and how the Society will be acquiring a computer and putting the inventory on that, as well as other information. The Samuel Parsons House is open to the public on Sunday afternoons from 2 to 4:30 from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and special appointments can be made as well. In 1916 the annual dues were $1. Today the dues are $5 for an individual and $8 for a family or couple. Donations are always appreciated. The annual meeting is taking place on Wednesday, October 21st, at the First Baptist Church, and is open to the public. Dinner is at 6:30, with a home-prepared meal, at a minimal charge, while the meeting begins at 8, which is in the church parlor. Reservations are needed for the dinner.. You may leave a message on the Society's answering machine at 203-294-1996. If you have an interest in history or a love of antiques, visiting Wallingford's Attic will definitely bring you back to the days of Wallingford in 1759, and you might just want to join the Historical Society and start preparing for the 100th anniversary of the Society in just seven years, 2016! Let us all continue to preserve the past for the future so it will never be forgotten. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Barbara's Bountiful Bouquet By Barbara Sherburnebarndt49@yahoo.com "Aw, summer, I love you" is how I ended my last story, and now summer has passed us by once again in the inevitable cycle of seasons. I do really have a hard time letting go of summer. I feel as though we were a little cheated this summer with so much rain and cool temperatures, and the gardens definitely did not do very well this year. I was "lucky," as many people have told me, that I had tomatoes at all and even cucumbers. I am wondering if my prayers and sending Reiki had anything to do with it though. I saw garden after garden at The Community Garden struck by the blight, and hardly anyone had tomatoes at all. My Jet Stars were doing very well, and I had only picked 18 with many more on the way when someone decided to pick every tomato on all six plants one day. So a few weeks ago I pulled them all out and put the cages away. That was disappointing, but hardly unexpected. My Better Boy tomatoes did not do very well. I picked a total of 13 of them, all on the small side, but at least I enjoyed about 10 tomato sandwiches this summer. They were very tasty, and I will miss those until next summer. I picked 13 peppers, but I also invited a couple of people to help themselves to my peppers, and I probably have another 10 or thereabouts to be picked. The crop that did the best were the cherry tomatoes. I picked a good 300 of them and ate most of those myself, although I did give some to friends. I am not talking about grape tomatoes or any other small variety. These are large cherry tomatoes. I actually added some to a sandwich I had today. On September 1st, I still had one good healthy basil plant, the other three having succumbed to the blight, and I picked off all the leaves and went home and washed and dried them and then made a big batch of pesto, freezing some. I enjoyed quite a few spaghetti meals using the pesto sauce. I still have some in the freezer for another day. I have begun putting the garden to bed. I cut back the perennials that are finished for the season, pulled tomatoes out, did lots of weeding, and am still watering what flowers, tomatoes, and peppers are left. The marigolds are just beaming. This is their prime time. I keep dead-heading them all season long, and even though I know a frost will cut them down in a matter of time, I am still dead-heading them. This process makes them fill out to proportions that are hard to imagine. They are simply magnificent. My sunflowers from seed were the last sunflowers in the Community Garden to still be blooming, but they are about done. Some of my perennials are still in bloom and have doubled or tripled in size, which really surprised me. For some odd reason, some of my garlic plants have pushed through the soil as though it were spring. I left seeds in the ground after removing the garlic, but I don't know why they are growing now. Hmmmm. So another season comes to an end. I was happy to receive an email from someone who is planning to move to Wallingford and had read my article and wanted to know exactly where the Wallingford Community Garden is. He is very interested in getting involved once he moves here. The Wallingford Community Garden is on East Center Street. You go up past the East Center Market, past the entrance to 91, past Beaumont Farm, and after a little ways you will see the sign that says Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park on the right side, and that's where the garden is. If you get to MacKenzie Reservoir, you have gone too far. However trying it might have been this summer; I always enjoy my gardening experience. It's hard work, yes, but not too hard. Gardening is something I need in my life right now. I am so involved with this electronic age with the proofreading and scoping work I do for court reporters, I need some time to be involved with nature and to touch it. I never wear gloves when I garden, and I can't really understand people who do wear them. I want to touch everything. I want to feel everything. It is my way of connecting with nature and God's earth and His bounty. And so I close this chapter. I look forward to spring. It is quite a ways off now, but it is always something I look forward to with great expectation. Marilyn, Paul, Leila, CJ, and all the other Community gardeners, I look forward to seeing you in the spring. May all good things come to you in the ensuing months. To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ . We are your NewsMagazine! ___________________________________________________________________________________ Walking through the Doors of Opportunity Without Fear: A Transformational Experience By Jennifer Jenkins In these present times, we find ourselves living with uncertainty. Many people either fear losing their jobs or risk changing their jobs. The truth is that our jobs do not define us. We hold that key. So, if we do “lose a job,” our life is meant to begin anew. We have the power to open and walk through new doors of opportunity. When we believe in ourselves, in spite of whatever skill sets we may presently have, we can achieve more than we realize. Look at the former GM employees as an example of those who have transformed their lives. Many of these former employees, including assembly line workers who have worked for GM for most of their adult lives, have re-trained themselves through various programs and are now working in completely new professions, such as nursing. They may have seen a door close yet they have also seen many new doors of opportunity. They saw this because they stayed open to all possibilities and realized they could be of service to others and still earn a good living. Many have attested to how much their lives have transformed for the better by letting go of the old and beginning anew. Zanette Lewis, a beautiful multi-faceted woman who graced my life and the lives of countless others, is a shining example of this kind of transformational experience. “Z”, the name by which she was well known, experienced many professional changes in her life. As I recall, “Z”, worked in Human Resources for a local corporation before beginning her brilliant career in community, organizational and educational work, as well as professional astrology consulting work. She realized that to fulfill herself and actualize her true potential she needed to make a change and leave Corporate America, even though she was giving up the comfort of a job she held for many years. It was her belief in herself and pushing past any fears that came up for her that enabled her to ultimately make such a career transition, walk through the doors of opportunity that opened for her, and eventually help so many people. If “Z” had held herself back and had not walked through those doors of opportunity so long ago she would never have felt the personal fulfillment she gained from her dynamic work. But, most importantly, she would not have been able to have been such a positive and transforming force in so many people’s lives, if it had not been for her courage and commitment to transforming herself. You see the first step, even if it’s only a baby step, is believing in yourself, that you have the power to change your life for the better and the lives of those around you. The second is realizing that you are not your job; you are a powerfully creative and spiritual being living a human existence. It is what you do with your life that defines you. The third is to keep yourself open to all possibilities so that you can quickly enter any doors of opportunity that God opens for you. Have faith that they will open, and they will for you to walk through. It may be in the form of a flyer for a class of some sort, or even an invitation to join a professional group which leads to transforming yourself. As they say, God works in mysterious ways. I will even take that a step further and say that God works in mysterious ways to enable us to transform ourselves for the better and reach our highest potential. ______________________________________________________________________________________ ECONOMIC BOON By Audrey C. Linke On August 12, 2009, I single handedly began an economic recovery in the state of Connecticut. I went to Home Depot and bought a toilet seat for five dollars and sixty-one cents. I planned to pay cash for this modest purchase but when the clerk suggested I open a charge account I thought it might mean a bonus for the young man so I signed up then and there. Now the boon begins, beginning with the manufacturer of the toilet seat--an entire factory is open and running because of me. The factory, in turn, has hired shipping companies to get their products to the outlets that sell them to the public. I have created jobs for the two men who assisted me with my purchase at Home Depot. Others work in the office. The bookkeeper sent me literature concerning my new status as a holder of a charge account. A computer has been sold to that office because it is needed to record and track sales, create and send bills and record payments. Part of my bill is a sales tax that is eventually forwarded to the State of Connecticut, creating jobs for bookkeepers and others in the building they work in. The U.S. Postal Service employs people to pick up and deliver this new correspondence. Everyone involved must use stamps or in some way pay for the cost of pickup and delivery. In fact, an entire building is devoted to sorting the mail in between its inception at Home Depot and delivery to my mailbox. The U.S. Postal Service relies on trucks with engines that must be maintained as well as tires that must be replaced and/or rotated on a regular schedule. Each employee has a boss and the bosses have bosses. Banks are involved, too. Bank clerks must record my check and mail me a statement after I've paid my bill of five dollars and sixty-one cents. A bank has many employees, all operating out of a handsomely decorated and well maintained building with an adjoining parking lot. Home Depot promises it will not charge interest on my five dollar and sixty-one cents if I pay my bill in full in six months. Sounds easy enough but with several communications from them when I first opened the account, I cannot remember what I did with the actual bill so I have not as yet written a check to cover the cost of my new toilet seat. I have not yet paid a penny for the economic recovery I've begun in America, except for the cost of running my own car. Nevertheless, there are people working because of me. You, too, can be part of this new, wonderfully exciting, economic revival. It's amazingly easy. All you have to do is buy a toilet seat. Be sure you charge it. One Woman's Journal ____________________________________________________________________________________ "Myths, Misinformation and Old Wives' Tales" Lori Peck, MHS Dedicated Volunteer True, we've all heard one cat or dog myth or another, but are they really true? The most common being, "Black cats are unlucky." I mean come on, a black cat is just a cat. Consider yourself lucky to be in the presence of a beautiful, dark and mysterious creature. We've got some gorgeous one's at the shelter now. Hopefully nobody really believes that cat's have nine lives. Cats are the same as any other mortal animal. That cats are very swift creatures and can get out of more difficult situations is only to their advantage. A purring cat is a happy cat. Well yes this is true, but it is not the only time they purr. Some cats purr when they are sick or wounded, and also when they are afraid or stressed. Like when they go to the vet for a check-up. Have you ever been told that a dogs' mouth is clean and its saliva will kill germs? In actuality, dogs' mouths are infested with germs. This is why Veterinarian's will give a wounded dog an Elizabethan collar for their head, to prevent the dog from licking itself. Dogs can predict storms. Dogs actually can sense changes in barometric pressure. Because dog’s senses are much better than humans, they can hear, smell, feel, see & taste better or differently than us. They have more sensitive ears and can feel the change in pressure. Or they watch the Weather Channel. Chocolate is lethal for dogs. It can be if too much is ingested. Chocolate contains theobromine, which increases urination & affects the central nervous system as well as heart muscle. Amounts do vary by the type of chocolate, but it is the theobromine that is poisonous to dogs. I know I’m not allergic to it and can't live without it. So basically, don't share your chocolate with your dog, adopt a black cat(or any color), don't have the dog clean an open wound, don't let the cat jump off a second floor porch and if you really want to know if its going to rain, ask your dog. Upcoming events to benefit the M.H.S. are "A Cause 4 Paws Charity Concert," to be held on Oct. 17th, from 3-9 at the American Legion, 835 Hanover Rd, Meriden. There will be live music by"1800" and you can enjoy a BBQ and refreshments from 3-6. Band starts at 6 and rocks till 9 pm! Tickets are $15.00 per person. Huge Raffle Prizes! Also, "Trails for Tails," is a 5k road race and 1k family & pet walk. The race takes place on Research Pkwy. There are prizes for the racers as well as pets and families. For more info and registration please check our website at http://www.meridenhs.petfinder.org./ Donations are always appreciated by the animals and can be dropped off at the shelter at 311 Murdock Ave. If you have any questions please call us at (203) 238-3650. Thank you and see you at the shelter! ___________________________________________________________________________________ “Sheltering an Animal’s Perspective” by Gregory M. Simpson It was a banner first year for Connecticut Votes for Animals (CVA), for which I am proud to say I am a member of the advisory board. Under the leadership of ASPCA attorney Debora Bresch and Our Companions Animal Sanctuary CEO Susan Linker, CVA saw one of the first bills it lobbied passed and signed into law by Governor Jodi Rell on July 8th, the Puppy Lemon Law Bill. The Puppy Lemon Law Bill will provide greater protection for consumers and animals sold in pet stores. This new law encourages the sale of healthy animals in several key ways. It increases the potential veterinary reimbursement from $200 to $500 and allows this reimbursement for congenital defects without the need to return the animal. The law also increases the window for this reimbursement from 15 to 20 days. Critically, pet stores will now be required to purchase out-of-state animals only from USDA and state licensed breeders. As an important consumer measure, pet stores will be required to provide consumers with breeder/dealer information to fully disclose the source of the animals. Connecticut Votes for Animals is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(4) organization, whose aim is to mobilize the public to support animals through their political choices. It serves as the political arm of the state’s animal protection movement by advocating pro-animal policies and engaging public support for the passage of animal friendly laws and opposition to proposals harmful to animals. CVA is Connecticut’s only grass roots organization that gives animals a voice in the Legislature. Members are provided with political “scorecards” so that they can make a difference at the polls by electing animal friendly legislators. Connecticut Votes for Animals educates the public regarding animal protection issues and safeguards the interests of animals by making their well-being a priority for elected leaders. During this past legislative session, CVA tracked over 20 bills, ranging from acts concerning humane education and the treatment of elephants to an act requiring court ordered counseling for juveniles charged or convicted of animal cruelty. Most proposed bills do not become law, especially the first time they are raised. In the last legislative session, CVA also lobbied to pass a bill to prevent the constant tethering of dogs, i.e., chaining or confinement. The current law is vague and animal control officers are not able to enforce it. As a result, dogs in Connecticut can be chained or confined day and night. This is not only cruel to the dogs but also poses a public safety threat as chained dogs are three times more likely to bite people. Unfortunately, the draft Tethering and Confinement Bill required additional work. With your assistance as a CVA member, a Tethering and Confinement Bill can be passed in the next legislative session, ensuring that the outcome of cases like the one in Hartford, where dogs were found stacked in crates in a shed, are very different. Currently, excessive confinement alone is not sufficient to warrant charges under Connecticut’s animal cruelty law. Next session, Connecticut Votes for Animals, with animal control officers and the ASPCA, will work to get the Tethering and Confinement Bill passed. But it cannot be done without grass roots power. As the anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Animals don’t vote, people do, so share your support by becoming a member of Connecticut Votes for Animals. A $25 non-tax deductible donation can be mailed to Connecticut Votes for Animals, P.O. Box 266 Cheshire, CT 06410. Or you may sign up on-line at: http://www.ctvotesforanimals.org/ For the animals, Gregory M. Simpson Gregory Simpson’s animal welfare involvement spans over 25 years, having provided leadership for several Connecticut organizations, as well as having served as state advisor to the national Friends of Animals. Currently a Board member of Protectors of Animals, Inc., he was chosen by CAT FANCY magazine as one of the ultimate cat lovers in the U.S. He is also a member of the Cat Writers’ Association. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Rehabilitation Week Lauds Everyday Heroes No job is 100 percent satisfying every day – but physical therapy comes pretty close, consistently ranking among the top ten best occupations in national surveys about job satisfaction. And the staff at Brook Hollow Health Care Center can tell you exactly why that is. Every day, they go to work to help people who are recovering from strokes, falls, accidents, illnesses and surgery – and they are used to seeing results. Even from people who had given up on themselves. National Rehabilitation Week, celebrated this year on Sept. 20 through 26, is a reminder that after a trauma, we need very specialized help. And we get it from very special people. Matthew Connell, Director of Rehabilitation Services at Brook Hollow, remembers one of the center's toughest patients, Jane, who arrived at the center after a fall at home. This was no ordinary fall – although it resulted in a list of maladies that is all too commonly heard in rehabilitation centers around the country. “Jane had spent several days on the floor before being discovered by a friend and neighbor,” said Connell. “She was medically unstable following the fall, including severe dehydration, infection and muscle weakness and general malaise.” To top it off, Jane was already living with chronic depression, end-stage renal disease, and disability from a previous stroke. Like many patients who are admitted to a nursing center for short-term rehabilitation, Jane feared that she would be there for the rest of her life. But the staff had other ideas: “We never had a doubt that she would be able to return home,” Connell recalled. That's just the kind of optimism that keeps therapists going. Sometimes, passing their optimism on to patients is the hardest part of the job. Jane caught it quickly, however. Over the next few weeks, she overcame her fear of falling as well as intense pain caused by broken vertebrae, and worked on her balance and her gait. Jane had very specific tasks she needed to be able to perform in order to return home safely. Therapists have an acronym for these – ADLs, or activities of daily living. Jane's ADLs included not only walking, cooking and showering but also dialysis management. “Jane improved by leaps and bounds,” said Connell. However, during her transition back home, she would need extra help. So the staff at the center worked with the family, a community agency and other organizations to set up a support network for Jane. Visiting nurses would continue to help with medications, home aides would assist in meal preparation and the staff would visit regularly to ensure Jane continued improving her strength and mobility. Just five weeks after her arrival at the center with broken vertebrae and a fear of never returning home, “Jane was in the home stretch, and would soon be in her apartment playing with her grandchildren again,” said Connell. Rehabilitation, whether you are a therapist or a patient, can be physically challenging and emotionally draining. Not necessarily the kind of job that you would expect to find on a top ten list. So, why do it? According to Connell, Jane left a card for the rehab staff on her way home, which simply said, “I could not have done it without you.” Notes like that are not uncommon. And they make it all worthwhile. Brook Hollow, a member of Revera Health Systems, offers short-term care and therapy after surgery or illness for adults of all ages, as well as long-term, respite and hospice care. For more information, visit www.reveraBrookHollow.com. A Summer Lad by George Arndt Wake up, sleepy head…get outta bed, Our cherished Summer is fading fast We’ve games yet to play -- so don’t delay. There’s that mossy cave we’ve yet to seek Hidden from our wondering, wandering, adventurous feet. See -- there it rises, o’er the Douglas fir. We know all too well, the summer sun waits for no one to rise from slumber, nor cares if there be fun, yet undone. I know we’ve swum the ocean swift, climbed that yonder mountain nigh, and touched the unmelted, snowy drifts. Yes, we flew our ragged-tailed kites high, watching them wavering, sailing up to the edges of an unclouded sky. A rough time we had with that hemlock tall, but we climbed it with abandonment. Hey … came close, but never did we fall. Now, come on, I’ll race you to the table. Where Mom has bacon browning there. Then we’ll set out to face one more dare before Autumn writes another fable. Before you call I will answer -Janet Althouse At the age of 52, I became a widow. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. It seemed it was easier to be away from home than it was to be at home. I could pretend that my husband was just waiting for my return. So, I decided to travel. I had never done a lot of long distance driving, especially by my self, but from the beginning, I knew God was with me. I never had a mishap, never hit a deer or any other animal. Never got a ticket. I always felt safe. I would play my Christian tapes and the miles would fly by. I had a friend who lived in South Carolina and it was about a 12 hour drive. Being summer it stayed day light till around 9:00 in the evening, so I left home one Sunday morning about 9:00 a.m. headed for my friend's house. I was about an hour from her place and my car started to lose speed. I was low on gas and decided to get off and get the tank filled up. I stopped at the end of the off ramp and my car would not start. Of course, when the car started to act up, I started to pray. I asked God to help me and to ask my friends at home to pray for me. As I sat there not having any idea what to do, cars started going around me and some stopped and asked me if I needed help. One was a woman in her mid thirties, I would guess, and she was alone. She pulled off the road and asked if she could help me. Then this guy stopped and he said he would take a look under the hood. He pushed me off to the side of the road and checked under the hood. He said he was a mechanic and that I would need a tow. He pushed me across the street into a gas station and called a few tow trucks to see if someone could come get me. It was Sunday night and he had to call a couple before someone agreed. In the meantime, this lady stayed with me. The mechanic said he would have the tow truck tow my car to the garage where he worked. I said okay and the lady asked where I would stay. I said probably a motel. She helped me get my luggage out of my car and put it in hers. Then we followed the tow truck in her car. When we reached the garage, the tow truck driver wanted his money. I tried to give him a credit card, but he wanted cash. Fortunately, I had enough to pay him, but was left with about $5 in cash. The lady then decided I should go home with her and spend the night with her and her daughter. She took me to her apartment and fixed me a sandwich. I was going to sleep on her couch, but she decided that since her young daughter was out and would be coming home later, that I should sleep in her bed so her daughter would not be frightened to see a strange woman sleeping on the couch. She put clean linens on her bed and I slept in her bed. In the morning she had to leave early to go to work, but first took me to the garage where my car had been towed. I thanked her so much and got her name and address. Before she left, she gave me $5 to get myself some breakfast. Like the title of this story states, "Before you call, I will answer." God knew I would need an angel and he had a couple of them all primed to help me. The lady had been on her way home from church and felt God's nudge to give me a helping hand. The guy, too, was definitely an angel to give me all that help. I sat in that garage all day while they tried to find out what was wrong with my car. They did not want it to be the fuel pump because they would have to take off the gas tank to get at it, but eventually that's what they had to do. I enjoyed telling everyone there waiting for their cars, about my angels. One older man was a little upset because they broke down on the highway, too, and his son had to walk quite a distance to get them some help. I just smiled and kept on giving God all the credit. To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ . We are your NewsMagazine!

Meriden Wallingford Town News October 2009

To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to www.peoplespressnews.com . We are your NewsMagazine! MAYOR’S CORNER WALLINGFORD Dear Friends: September and October are harvest months. Even though the cool autumn weather heralds the winter to come, we enjoy the fruits and vegetables that make us feel good to admire and eat. The cornucopia overflows with blessings, apples and berries. This raises the inevitable question, how did Fruit of the Loom arrive at using an apple, grapes and gooseberries as its logo? Just prior to 1871, it is said that the daughter of a shopkeeper named Rufas Skeel was an artist. She painted still lifes. While working in her father’s shop, she discovered really fine muslin fabric from the Knight Textile mill. The fabric was wonderful, easy to cut and sew, but was not selling. She painted several pictures of an apple and pasted them on the plain white fabric. The Knight muslin became very popular, adorned by paintings of apples, grapes, pears and cherries. Up until then, fabric in general was pretty plain. Robert Knight noticed that one shop was selling more of the new cloth than any other shop and decided to personally investigate. He found that Miss Skeel’s artwork was making the difference. Soon, as of 1871, he saw to it that her artwork was copied and printed as a label on all the cloth from the Knight mill. The combination of an apple, grapes and gooseberries on the label continues today. What a harvest! Sincerely, William W. Dickinson, Jr. - Mayor _ MAYOR’S CORNER MERIDEN Fall has arrived and the frost is on the pumpkin. In Meriden, we have lots of fairs and fall events/activities scheduled. Please take the time to take part in these fun, festive activities. ” Weather permitting the castle access road will be open from 7:00-8:30PM on Wednesday, October 7th. The 2009 Autumn Fest will take place at Hubbard Park on Saturday, October 24th from 1:00-4:00PM. This free event features hayrides, kids’ entertainment, arts & crafts, amusements, a pie-eating contest, seasonal refreshments, and lots of fall foliage! Meriden homes are invited to enter the 10th Annual Halloween House Decorating Contest. Phone entries will be accepted at the Parks & Recreation office (630-4259) from October 2nd-23rd. Judging will take place on October 24th. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: “Most Creative,” “Scariest Entry,” “Best Autumn Theme,” & “Best Overall.” Want to get an early start to candy collection this year? Then come to “Halloween at City Hall”! Departments will be distributing candy to costumed trick-or-treaters ages 12 & under from 3:00-5:00PM on Friday, October 3oth. Make sure to begin at the Meriden Public Library (105 Miller Street) to get a special bag for candy collection! Also, there are many worthwhile volunteer opportunities available to help others and socialize with friends. The Augusta Curtis Cultural Center is looking for volunteers to help with clerical work for doing postcards, newsletters, membership mailings, etc. Volunteers are needed to help protect the beauty of the Linear Trail by helping to keep the trail clean from litter. Anyone wishing to help can fill out a volunteer form at http://www.meridenlineartrail.org Literacy Volunteers is looking for people who want to become tutors for English and non-English speaking adults in our community. Tutors work one-on-one and in small groups, focusing on reading, writing, and speaking skills with their students. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, call Lara Chiaverini at 235-1714 or go to our website, www.lvagnh.org to fill out an online application. The Annual Fall Mayor's Clean up day is scheduled for Saturday October 24. 10AM-12PM. Join Meriden residents, community organizations, and businesses for some fall cleaning in Meriden! Meet at City Hall at 10am for a clean-up “pep rally” and sign-in to get your t-shirt! (Available on a first-come, first-serve basis by pre-registration) pick up clean-up supplies, (bags and disposable gloves) pick up safety tips and instructions for your clean-up crew. After the clean-up, join us for grilled hot dogs (served by Mayor Mike), refreshments and entertainment at 12:30pm at Hubbard Park. PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 call 639-6595 or email jfordiani@ci.meriden.ct.us to pre-register your clean-up team and location. So put on a sweater or sweatshirt, enjoy the fall weather and take advantage of some of these exciting activities and opportunities occurring in your city. I wish everyone a safe and Happy Halloween! Mike Rohde - Mayor of Meriden To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to www.peoplespressnews.com . We are your NewsMagazine! MAX E. MURAVNICK MERIDEN SENIOR CITIZENS’ CENTER The Max E. Muravnick Meriden Senior Citizens’ Center is open to all Meriden residents age 55 and over. Membership is free of charge and new members may sign-up any weekday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. by presenting a driver’s license or other proof of age. New members receive an information package about senior services and a coupon entitling them to one complimentary lunch in our Senior Community Café. Sign-up today and find out about all that is offered for Meriden seniors at the Max E. Muravnick Senior Center! For almost 30 years, the Meriden Senior Center has partnered with the Wallingford Meriden Branch of the American Red Cross to make sure that Meriden residents have access to transportation for out-of-town medical appointments. Now that the Wallingford Red Cross office has been closed we have made plans to continue this program with Master’s Manna in Wallingford and RSVP of Central Connecticut in New Britain. Both agencies use volunteers to drive seniors age 60 and over to out-of-town appointments, Master’s Manna using agency vehicles, some inherited from the Red Cross, and RSVP drivers using their own personal cars and receiving a mileage reimbursement. The Medical Transportation Program is funded by a grant from the Agency on Aging of South Central CT. There is no fee for the transportation but donations are appreciated and gladly accepted. People requesting transportation are asked to call one week in advance to either Master’s Manna (678-3011) or RSVP (860-224-7117, local call) to schedule transportation to their out-of-town medical appointments. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many Red Cross volunteers who faithfully provided this service for many years and to especially acknowledge all of the good work done by Branch Manager Andrea Balsamo who ran an excellent program and is greatly missed by many in Meriden and Wallingford. Senior Center members will be attending the 3rd annual “Life Begins at 50 Senior Fair & Job Fair” at the Wallingford Senior Center on Friday, October 23. The event runs from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and is co-sponsored by Masonicare, MidState Medical Center, Shaw’s, Osco Pharmacy and Johnson Brunetti retirement consultants. The Senior Fair includes free admission, information displays and handouts, workshops and seminars, screenings, refreshments, entertainment and more. The next session of the AARP Driver Safety Program at the Senior Center will be on Wednesday, November 4 and Friday, November 6 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Several good reasons to take the class are to learn defensive driving techniques and new traffic laws, to find out how to adjust to age-related changes in vision, hearing and reaction time and to get an insurance discount. You don’t have to take a test and millions of people have taken advantage of this valuable course! The course fee is $12 for AARP members and $14 for non-members. People can sign-up in the office or by calling the Senior Center at 237-0066. There are still plenty of openings for the November class dates so sign-up today! Creative Writing Classes with Susan Sandel, PhD, will be returning to the Senior Center for six weeks starting on Tuesday, November 4. Classes are scheduled on November 4, 18 & 25 and December 2, 9 & 16 from 1:00 to 2:15 PM. The Creative Writing Classes are your opportunity to learn to express yourself in writing, to put your thoughts on paper and many times to chronicle your important memories to share with your family and friends. Susan makes the classes educational and enjoyable so please sign-up in the office to participate in the next session of Creative Writing starting on November 4! New Opportunities of Greater Meriden is now scheduling appointments for people to apply for the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program for the upcoming winter heating season. Any household with elderly (60 years of age or older) and/or disabled members, whose annual gross income is $21,660 or less for one person or $29,140 or less for two people, is eligible to receive help with the cost of their home heating bills. Assistance is also available for people at higher income levels. For further information or to schedule an appointment, call New Opportunities of Greater Meriden at 235-0278. Congratulations to 2009 Senior Center 8 Ball Champion Jose Rios, Sr. who defeated Jose Pagan 5 games to 3 to win the title. Rios advanced to the final by beating longtime pool standout Russ Hettrick 5-4 and Pagan beat Raul Cardona 5-3 to win the other semi-final match. Congratulations to the first and second place winners and thank you to all of the 20 pool players who took part in this year’s tournament! John F. Hogarth - Senior Center Director _____________________________________________________________________________________ THE NAPIER COMPANY ON DISPLAY AT THE ANDREW'S HOMESTEAD The Meriden Historical Society will open the Andrew's Homestead, 424 W. Main St, Meriden, CT (next to Ben Franklin School) every Sunday during the month of October. The Napier Company will be the featured exhibit. On display will be banks, bar ware, cigarette items, jewelry, advertisements and other collectibles from the early beginnings until their closing in 1999. For this exhibit we would encourage you to bring along your favorite Napier items to share with the society and any visitors who may be there. We will have a special, temporary section for display or, if it's jewelry, you could simply wear it. It seems everyone who comes to the Andrew’s Homestead has a story to tell and that’s what makes it so interesting. The people of Meriden are all connected through our wonderful manufacturing history. We welcome you each Sunday in October from 11am until 3pm. Admission is free, donations are always appreciated. Stop in and see what’s inside the old red house. _________________________________________________________________________________ Sheehan Announces New CAPT Scholars The following students have been selected as CAPT Scholars: Shayna Adams, Justyn Alexandre, John Anderson, Kristyn Banack, Brian Bates, Matthew Bennett, Timothy Bickford, Brett Biestek, Shayna Bisnov, Mary Kate Boyd, Colin Bradley, Matthew Brigante, Erika Bruneau, Mason Bush, Tara Butkus, Breanna Butler, Heika Caldropoli, Matthew Caparrotta, Rebecca Caruso, Shandi Chester, Deya Chowdhury, Brian Colantonio, Alexander Comforte, Garrett Corless, Jillian Cummings, Alexina DelVecchio, Erica Duran, Christopher Earley, Janet Early, Philip Gaetano, Matthew Gamache, Stephanie Gibson, Scott Gingras, Jessica Glynn, John Grammatico, Cody Grant, Amarah Johnson, Elizabeth Kadow, Michael Kadow, Kayla Kazimer, Graham Kelley, Laura Kinkead, Kirsten Knecht, Brianna Lauria, Jennifer Leno, Eric Liska, Elvia Lopez, Emily McCarthy, Shelby McIntryre, Lindsay Mongillo, Ryan Moore, Lisa Naples, Olivia Navickis, Chelsea Neelon, Reid Nelson, Robert Neubauer, Eric Nguyen, Zachary O’Malley, John Paiva, Amanda Ridley, Lauren Roddy, Kaitlyn Romania, Farah Salam, Julie Sandt, Alexander Scelzo, Janie Schlauder, Jennifer Seyler, Tori Sheldon, Cameron Sidwell, Jake Signore, Monika Singh, Austin Smith, Johnathan Songer, Luigi Tancredi, Ashley Testa, Minh Tran, Jeanne-Marie Van Heerden, Leanna Verch, Nicole Vitello, George Wooster and Tyler Yasensky. The CAPT Scholar award has been established to recognize the academic accomplishments of our students. To be eligible for recognition as a CAPT Scholar, graduating seniors must have achieved goal on all sections of the CAPT. The Sheehan faculty and administration are very proud of these students’ accomplishments. Sheehan Students Earn AP Scholar Award Twenty-five students at Sheehan High School earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program Exams. Graduates Lisa Cheung, Stephen Ciccone, Samantha Nardi, Alexander Thompson, along with seniors Alexina DelVecchio, Michael Kadow and Kaitlyn Romania qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. Graduates Kaela Bjornberg, Stephanie DuBois, along with seniors Brian Bates, Matthew Gamache, Cody Grant, Elizabeth Kadow, Farah Salam and Alexander Scelzo qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. Ten students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Examinations with grades of 3 or higher. These students are graduates Robert Belcourt, Nicole Richetelli, Corey Williams, seniors Leann Bickford, Philip Gaetano, Jessica Glynn, Kirsten Knecht, Tori Sheldon and juniors Alicia Gansley and John Somers. To read The People’s Press, Meriden and Wallingford Ct’s Newspaper in image or pdf form go to www.peoplespressnews.com . We are your NewsMagazine!