Meriden and Wallingford CT Your Stories July 2010

To read the current issue of The People’s Press – Wallingford and Meriden’s Community Newspaper in image form or to download the latest pdf go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ A Little Advice from Your Friends at Meriden Feed Just imagine…it’s September 6th, 2010, the weather is just perfect, your signature steaks are marinating, and the sodas on ice and you have a great backyard family barbeque planned for Labor Day. All that’s left to do is set out the chairs in the backyard. Your beautiful wife is just about to show you exactly where to place the first chair and you notice something’s wrong with your immaculate lawn. It feels spongy in spots and it seems like something’s been making little tunnels just below the surface of the lawn. Brown patches have suddenly appeared and you can literally roll up sections of the lawn. You look further back into the yard and notice little holes in the turf, like something has been looking for buried treasure. Something has, and that treasure is GRUBS! A grub infestation can cause one or more of the signs that I’ve illustrated in the scenario above. After eating the roots of your grass, grubs will cause your turf to feel spongy or loose. Sections of your turf will turn brown and you will be able to peel it up easily. Moles will eventually tunnel their way into your yard to feed their voracious appetites with the well fed grubs you are raising just below the surface. Grubs are also favored by the “treasure hunting” skunks in our area, who will leave your backyard pockmarked with little holes that they’ve dug for a late night snack. If left unchecked, these little one inch long, c-shaped, Japanese Beetle larvae can really wreck a lawn. The grub, however, is one of the most confusing lawn pests that we have to deal with in our area. It’s control or prevention is very much a matter of timing. I know that most of you are only concerned about your 4th of July picnic today, but you need to do something now to prevent grubs from spoiling your parties in late August and September. To understand how to prevent grubs, you need to know a little about its lifecycle and what can be done during each part of the cycle to control this pest. Adult Japanese Beetles emerge from our lawns in June and July. During this time they eat our plants, mate, and lay eggs in our lawns. A mature beetle can lay up to fifty eggs in your lawn. Beetle traps, a natural alternative, can be placed around your property to contain as many of these adults as possible. Insecticide sprays and powders can also be used to protect plants in our yard from damage. Many products, like GrubEx, that claim “season long control” of grubs need to be put down during this time period to be most effective. These products typically need to be established in your lawn up to 30 days before infant grubs start to feed in order to be most effective. In August, “infant” grubs have hatched from their eggs and have begun to feed on your lawn. If you put down your “season long control” product in July, it will be most effective on these newly hatched grubs. If you didn’t do it in July, you can apply your “season long control” product now, but its effectiveness will be negated the longer you wait. Quick kill insecticides, such as Dylox, can be used once you know grubs are active. These products will kill all grubs just below the surface of you soil, but do not remain in your lawn to control the population afterward. From September to October, only the quick kill insecticides (Dylox) will be effective. In November and December the grubs will go down below the surface to escape the winter. Next March and April the “mature” grub will come back up to the surface to feed. The more “mature” the grubs become, the harder they are to control. Once again, only the quick kill insecticides will be effective during this period. “Season long controls” can be applied, but will have limited effect. In May the “mature” grub will pupate and emerge in June as a beetle to start the process again. In addition to traps, other more environmentally safe controls are available to the homeowner. Milky Spore is a natural bacteria that eats the grub stage of the Japanese Beetle. It is not harmful to pets, people, or the environment. The bacteria spores multiply as the grubs consume them and die, providing effective control for years after the product has been established in your lawn. This product can be applied any time of the year, but will take time to be fully effective. Just remember, now is the time to pick which way you want to control or prevent a grub problem in your yard. Stop down to the store and we would be happy to help you pick the method that you would find most comfortable to use, whether chemical or natural. It is much easier to help you now, than it is to help you after that fateful barbeque at the end of the summer. Through a Child’s Eyes - Eddie "spaghetti" Siebert Director of Constituent Services – Meriden This is a new series of articles so that you can get to know public servants in Meriden and how they can help you. Eddie "spaghetti" Siebert was born and raised on Meridens West side near Hubbard Park...He had tree forts where I 691 now tears through the forest and he hiked every trail that criss crosses and reaches Castle Craig..often blazin a few trails of his own in those parts. After finishing grammar school at St. Marys School Eddie went on to Platt High School where he became active in many activities and excelled in Baseball and Basketball where he Was Captain of both teams for several consecutive years... Upon graduation he went off to Florida starting with Stetson University in Deland Florida...after two years there Eddie was introduced to the University of Florida campus in Gainesville Florida where he finished his degree and graduated from the Warrington School of Business Administration with a degree in Marketing. Immediately upon graduation Eddie was hired right from the campus and drove home to Connecticut and then on to Boston where he worked in and around the greater Boston "high tech" area. " I enjoyed the five years I had up there, but there was one thing that was missing from my life: my family...and although the salary was significant it didn't outweigh the one thing that meant more to me than money...my hometown, and being with my parents and brothers oand sisters !" Upon returning to Meriden Eddie worked for his family business, Meriden Insurance and Travel, He started a career in Real Estate and still holds his license and remains active in the market both with commercial land residential sales... The highlight of his immediate return was the overseas travel adventures to the European Alps...which took eddie and his ski friends to the highest points in the French Alps...His favorite spot on Earth..."At 13,000 feet atop the Agui Midi, in Chamonix, France, you look one way and you see Italy, the other way and Switzerland...then you look down and ski like you have never skied before.!" This trip inspired one of Eddie's children’s books titled WISHBONE MAGIC...that books was inspired by a flight that he took on a 'day off' from skiing when Eddie and another group of friends 'ran off a clliff"....We hand glided from a midstation in The French Alps...that flight was so unreal that i had to write about the experience and in that book I wished I was a bird for a day..."that was the closet i ever was to being a bird" its was beautiful.... So with that thought in mind Eddie then went on to write nine more Educational Children’s Books and toured the East Coast sharing his rhyming tales with children, students, parents and teachers...and in his journeys he adopted the name "Eddie Spaghetti" and to this day he is know far and wide by that pen name.... Recently Eddie was appointed by Mayor Michael Rohde as his "wingman' or more officially the Director of Constituent Services. At the Mayors Office Eddie does an array of tasks from organizing and booking Circuses to helping taxpayers with municipal concerns complaints...The whole time Eddie keeps his 'ART DEPARTMENT" nearby and has filled this City hall desk and car with everything from colored pencils, to computer graphics to Sharpie Markers....One of his recent brainstorms was the Pizza Paddle Sponsorship effort where he actually 'handmade" over 30 paddles into 'masterpieces' for the Italian Night event...The proceeds represented nearly half of the total profits for the evening...So "Through a child’s eye- Eddie remains positive about Meriden, his hometown, and has the belief that if you share that same enthusiasm with others it will be contagious. " I take my job for Mayor Mike very seriously, at the same time i try to be nice to people, consistently, and at the same time add a little creativity in everything I do....I try to look at the mundane, the black and white, and see how I could add color to it so to speak.." Meriden has just come off a a fabulous stream of entertainment with the Cole Brother Circus and we intend to keep that momentum going. Through my eyes, a child eye, I am penning a Educational Childrens Books about Meriden!!! Its Title...Today Meriden and it is about our beautiful city, its assets and how cool it is to PROUD OF YOUR HOMETOWN... I have had the opportunity to travel all over the world...And I am grateful t have seen other lands...but there is no place like home and as far as the grass being greener on the other side....Take a step back and take a deep breath. Meriden is a green as it gets. You can reach Eddie at 203.639.6595 or email him at ESiebert@ci.meriden.ct.us. Have you ever been to Block Island? My mom, my two children and I take a yearly trip each June for a Tuesday through Thursday stay at an Inn to explore paradise, just a ferry ride away. We just returned from our sixth trip and are starting to feel a bit like regulars. Let me share a bit of a nearby island paradise. Block Island is 13 miles south of Rhode Island and shaped like a pear, with the ‘stem’ closest to Rhode Island. Looking at a map of B.I., you’ll notice the pear shape, but some people will see it shaped more like a duck. Block Island is three miles wide by seven miles long. We choose not to take a car to the island. B.I. is best explored on foot, an occasional cab or bike. The less cars, the better… We drive our car from Connecticut to Point Judith, Rhode Island, leave it in a lot while gulls fly over it for three days, take the ferry to B.I., enjoy the island then once we’re back on the mainland, drive through a car wash before heading home. One has the option to take the high-speed ferry or the traditional. We like to take the large, slower (only by 25 minutes) traditional ferry to save the money and to savor the trip (55 minutes). The sounds of the ferry horn, the waves, eating Good n’ Plenty, drinking water, playing games, reading the Block Island Times fills the fifty-five minutes. Why rush it? The ferry landing is on the east side of the island, mid-way down so when you are almost there you get a nice view of the bluffs on the northeast side of the island. Getting off the ferry is orderly, when you have people, a few dogs, bikes, cars and trucks. The first visible landmark is The National Hotel along with all the shops along Water Street. Once we disembark, we take a taxi (and there are plenty of them) to our inn, settle in and then take off for adventures. My mom wears a pedometer that we incorporate into a game where the kids guess how far it is to our destination; who ever is the closet gets $1.00. It’s fun and takes our mind off the miles we put on our sneakers! We enjoy gong on walks and hikes. The island is filled with the Greenway Trail system, which consists of miles of maintained hiking trails that are clearly marked on guest maps. One thing we enjoy doing on B.I. is letterboxing. Letterboxing is a fun way to explore places you otherwise may not stumble upon. Letterboxing.org and atlasvista.com are two great websites to get you started. In a nutshell, letterboxing is a treasure hunt of sorts. You print out clues from the aforementioned websites, come prepared with a zip-lock bag with an inkpad, stamp, pen, an unruled little notebook, and a compass (optional). We typed in ‘Block Island’ on the two websites mentioned and found some great letterboxing clues. The clues lead you to a hidden weatherproof box that holds a stamp, an inkpad, and a notebook. You stamp their pad with your personal stamp, date it, put your name and where you are from and then you take their stamp and stamp your notebook, date it, and make notes of the journey to the letterbox if you desire. I want to share about the beauty and charm of B.I., so if you are interested in Letterboxing, I invite you to visit the websites. B.I. beaches are varied; some are rocky with the nice big smooth rocks while others have sand soft as powder. They all have something to offer. Off the Clay Head Trail on the northeast side, the beach is rocky; some areas you can lay a blanket other area looked like a mini Stonehenge. Creative beach goers carefully place stacks of rocks all over the place. There are so many good restaurants on B.I. We make sure that we have a meal at The Oar. This restaurant is at New Harbor (a fifteen minute walk form where the ferry lands), sits right on the water and has hundreds of unique oars decorating the walls and ceiling. The food is consistently good and reasonably priced. I love the mediterranean salad with pan-seared tuna. We make a few trips to Froozies, a healthy alternative small juice bar and cafe that serves fabulous smoothies, wraps and great organic coffee. Froozies is located on the back porch of the National Hotel (the big landmark you see when your ferry docks). A few yards away is the Island Free Library…we did not pop in this year but have been faithful all the years past. It’s a great little library! There is a lot to do in this gem off of Rhode Island. Come visit! Have some Block Island fudge, cool off with a cup of Del’s frozen lemonade, savor a delicious lobster roll, count the cars coming off the ferry, walk the jetty. Whatever you decide, you are sure to enjoy yourself. Block Island is filled with people living their dreams whether it is a merchant selling textiles, organic vegetables, or jewelry, artisans, photographers, fishermen, you name it. This island captures people. Many people work a summer and never leave. There is something about the people, the sounds, and the beauty that can make you come back year after year. Maryann Santos - Meriden, CT Boulder Field by Samantha Schafer As a child, my family frequently visited Boulder Field in Hickory Run State Park, Pennsylvania. I loved playing and scampering over the boulders in the field. For years, I wondered about why the rocks accumulated in that manner. As an aspiring geologist, it is incredible to know that I was playing on the very same rocks that form the largest boulder field in the Appalachian Mountains. Approximately 400 by 1,600 feet and at least 12 feet deep, Boulder Field is an unusual formation of glacial origin that was formed over 20,000 years ago during the last ice age. Ice nearly one mile thick covered most of Canada and part of the United States. This glacier ended less than one mile north of Boulder Field and cooled the climate of this area dramatically. Boulder Field was formed from the extremes of hot and cold temperatures on a cliff that resulted from nearby glaciers. The freezing and thawing of the ground fluctuated as the temperatures changed. The water melted and seeped into tiny cracks in the cliff that is now Boulder Field. The water froze and expanded and eventually widened the cracks. This happened many times over thousands of years and eventually, the outcrop began to break apart into smaller rocks and boulders. Over time, the entire cliff was broken apart and slowly created Boulder Field. This field of rocks was continually broken into smaller pieces by erosion and weathering. Soon, water rich sand and soil surrounded the boulders. The water in the soil froze and expanded towards the surface. This lifted larger boulders higher than smaller boulders due to the greater surface area possessed by the larger boulders. Around 13,000 years ago, the ice sheet melted and the boulders stopped moving. Sand settled into the crevices between the boulders. The rest was washed away and only the boulders remained. Boulder field was many times its current size but forests slowly encroached and caused its size to decrease. The water that shaped the entire landscape is still in the soil underneath Boulder Field. If you listen closely as you sit in the field, you can hear water flowing underneath the rocks. This water eventually becomes the headwaters of Hickory Run, which is the creek that gives the name to Hickory Run State Park. Boulder Field has remained essentially unchanged for the past 20,000 years. It was named a National Natural Landmark in 1967. Its diversity and importance to the understanding of the geologic history of the Appalachian Mountains makes Boulder Field a deserving honoree. Hickory Run State Park captures the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains in an accessible way. Boulder Field, along with the entire State Park, is a great place to visit. The park has plenty of hiking trails, a lake, waterfalls, and camping that is enjoyable for people of all ages. For more information on Hickory Run State Park, please visit: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/hickoryrun.aspx Twilight Tunes 2010Wednesday evenings on the Wallingford Parade GroundsSponsored by Wallingford Parks & Recreation and Stop and Shop Supermarkets from 7:00-8:30pm.Wednesday July 7, 2010 - Funk Brokers BandThe primary objective of Funk Brokers Inc. is to inject the songs you know with bodacious amounts of groove, funk, soul and vibe. Agents of the FBI pledge to protect you from stale, note-for-note renditions of tunes you’ve heard so many times. Our detectives uncover the best tunes then put a funky spin on them.Wednesday July 14, 2010 - Disco Inferno BandThe music of KC and The Sunshine Band, The Village People, Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer, Kool & the Gang and more. The parade grounds will be turned into a Boogie Wonderland.Wednesday July 21, 2010 - Late For Dinner BandLate For Dinner is a 5 piece Connecticut based band who have been performing rock, blues and R&B in the Connecticut area for the past 10 years. Come and see what everyone is talking about.Wednesday August 4, 2010 - Latanya Farrell & The Bookman Styles Band”The unmatched vocal talent of 2003 Connecticut Star Search winner Latanya Farrell, great instrumentation and a ton of charisma. With a focus on soulful rhythms and a highly popular set-list, this group truly shines every time they are on stage. From smooth vocal favor-ites, to upbeat dance tunes – classic to contemporary.Wednesday August 11, 2010 - Benny and the JetsBenny and the Jets is the world’s premiere Elton John Tribute band.Enjoy the music, entertainment and costumes by Massachusetts performer Greg Ransom.Wednesday August 18, 2010 - The Blue AgavesThe Blue Agaves rock music, ranging from the Beatles to Pat Benetar. You will be greeted with the powerful, yet, soulful vocals. The Blue Agaves appeal to a wide range of audiences and are perfect for an August evening.Wednesday August 25, 2010 - The 101 BandOriginal, contemporary, feel-good music at it finest. Six veteran musicians blend intricate chord structures, detailed arrangements and precision vocal harmonies with great lyrics, to deliver memorable, toe-tapping, tune-humming songs. The song styles are full range, from the Beatles, to Steely Dan, the Grateful Dead to The Band and Leonard Cohen to the Beach Boys. HYPERFLITE FRISBEE DOG COMPETITION Wallingford Park and Recreation DepartmentSince 1993 our department has been offering this spectacular event. We started in 1993 with 6 dogs and their owners and have grown this event to over 50 dogs. We look forward to new participants and welcome back our old friends. Join us at Doolittle Park on Wednesday July 28th at 6:00p.m. Rain date: July 29th. Pack you picnic dinner, and watch unbelievable leaps, bounds and catches by our four-legged friends. Please all dogs must be leashed when not participating…Plaques for the top three finishers provided by Hyperflight. Summer Fun At the Wallingford Family YMCA With our full daily schedules, sometimes the last thing we think of is taking care of ourselves – spirit, mind and body. The Wallingford Family YMCA located at 81 South Elm Street can help! The Y offers an extensive lineup of activities for people of all ages – with the goal of getting you involved and healthy. The YMCA has a 65-year history of offering health and wellness activities. We try to take the whole person into consideration when we provide programming for families. The Wallingford Family YMCA is THE place kids can go for fun this summer. Camp Ulbrich is an American Camp Association accredited and State of Connecticut licensed Day Camp that operates at the YMCA as well as Doolittle Park, Bertini Park and Mt. Ridge. Young people can enjoy specialty camps that cater to many active interests – outdoor adventures, sports, arts and crafts, field trips and overnight excursions. One thing is for sure – all of our camps are creative and fun. Also, due to popular demand Camp Ulbrich is now offering transportation from all Wallingford Elementary Schools. “Safety is our main concern, and focusing on making sure the children are having fun in a safe environment,” Eric Skinner, Camp Director explained. “Our counselors are specially trained and understand the role they play in the lives of children for the summer – we all want to have fun.” Children can also participate in karate, rock climbing, tennis, volleyball – and so much more. Whether you’re eight months or 80 years old, there are YMCA programs just for you! The YMCA also offers a list of exciting programs that are literally designed with everyone in mind. This includes the specialized senior fitness program for active older adults, a Learn to Swim program, many new teen programs such as the Saturday Night Club for 11-to 15-year olds, Movie Madness nights at the Rotary/YMCA Teen Center, private tutoring, middle school overnights, 5th grade dances, and Flick and Float at the pool. There’s also a Road Race and a Tennis Tournament – as well as many other activities for you to check out. Fulfilling its mission, the Wallingford Family YMCA received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help fight childhood obesity through public policy and environmental change. A team of community leaders has been meeting since the fall of 2009 developing a community action plan. As a response to this initiative the Y also celebrated graduations of its pilot program, Fit to Go. Fit to Go is a middle school program focused on self esteem, exercise, nutrition and more. The YMCA has teamed up with the VNA, Youth and Social Services Department, Wallingford Public School System and United Way to deliver this program. Look for our fall program launch in October at both Wallingford Middle Schools! The YMCA keeps programs fun and exciting – and the community is responding, even in a slower economy. Membership numbers are ahead of last year, youth sports classes are in-demand, youth soccer, baseball, racquetball, t-ball, dance classes and parent-tot gymnastics are all well attended by the Greater Wallingford community. There’s also a strong need for the YMCA’s childcare programs at every elementary school in Wallingford as well as Choate Rosemary Hall and Gaylord Hospital, with more than 420 children enrolled. We invite you to come out of the hot sun and into our air conditioned 54,000 square foot facility to find two pools, a state of the art Health and Wellness Center, two racquetball courts, a newly renovated gymnasium, aerobics studio, group cycling room and free on-site child care while members are working out. And, staying on the cutting-edge of exercise technology, in just over a year, the YMCA has purchased over $100,000 in new fitness equipment. “We pride ourselves on offering a great place for families to gather at the Y and to spend quality time together. We encourage families to incorporate play into their busy lives,” says YMCA Executive Director Sean Doherty. As a leader in helping the community through its many programs and services that are available to everyone – regardless of ability to pay, the YMCA relies on annual fundraising through its Strong Kids Campaign. This year’s goal is to raise $85,000 for the community, so that everyone who walks in, regardless of their ability to pay, can participate in our programs. Whether you’re signed up for a special Zumba class, swimming lessons or summer camp, the Wallingford YMCA will help you build your fitness level and take time to focus on your own spirit, mind and body while socializing and having fun. The YMCA is led by a volunteer board of talented and passionate community leaders guiding over 175 caring and dedicated staff. Visit our new Web site to learn about Wallingford YMCA programs and more, at www.WallingfordYMCA.org and please join us on Facebook and Twitter for up to date exciting news about YOUR YMCA! Have a safe and enjoyable summer! My Life in Moments - Sweet Summer By Alexis Sulinski I got in late last night. I was with my next door neighbors, drinking wine and dancing barefoot in celebration of their 21st wedding anniversary. The night before, I was drinking wine with my other next door neighbors, celebrating……..drinking wine with my neighbors. Fortunately, I am both a night owl AND an early riser, which is how I came to be sitting in front of my computer typing at 5:00 AM. It occurred to me that the story I needed to write was about the reasons it wasn’t getting written. We store moments of memories, not continual narratives. When I look back at things I’ve done in life, I rarely make mental lists of accomplishments, no matter how satisfying some of those individual moments may have been. What I think about instead are moments with the people who were beside me when these things took place. School is the friends I’ve made there. Childhood summers are the kids on my baseball team. Christmas is my brother’s children. Work is my co-workers and all of their quirks and coffee preferences. Even my memories of being treated for cancer are oddly sweet. I don’t think of chemo, but of the wonderful friends and family who took care of me during that time. Now another summer of happy moments stretches out before me. We have a couple of trips planned, some projects to work on, and a garden to take care of. All of these things are interesting enjoyable ways to spend our time, but what I’m really looking forward to is all the people we’ll see and all the moments we will experience together. Childhood Memories of Summer By Marisol Estrada-Soto Summer as a child was great. I remember riding my bike, catching caterpillars and playing with Mexican jumping beans. I lived on Liberty Street and road my bike all over the library parking lot and up and down Twiss Street. The breeze from riding down Twiss Street was the best on a hot summer day. I also caught caterpillars with my friends and kept them in a glass jar with holes on the lid and we would then feed them leaves. After a few days we let them go so they could turn into butterflies. The Mexican jumping beans were fun too. We thought watching these small brown looking things “jump” around was very funny. We had to remember to put them back in a cool place so they would not die. And there was always plenty of ice cream and ice pops to keep us cool. Ah, the memories. Trip to Pacific North West We Embarked June 14th for an 8 day trip to first stop Seattle. It was cold & raining. I have to say the trip became more exciting as we traveled along the Oregon coastline. There are no hotels, motels or houses on the ocean side. Beautiful beaches with huge rocks, which add to its beauty. We stopped several times to take pictures,& I rolled up my pants to run in the water. Although I was cautioned it’s to cold it didn’t stop me after all I live in New England our waters are cold too. I imagined we were opposite N.E. We saw the beautiful Rose Gardens the Seals on Pier 39. On to San Francisco. Lots to see very very crowded, I found myself disoriented at times not knowing what to see first. China Town had wonderful farmers markets the prices were so much less than anywhere else. The coach tour was helpful to point out areas. We had a snow storm on Mt Hood. We traveled with mostly wonderful Wallingford people from The Senior Center, had a great time with old travel companions Rose & Bill Shaw who by the way turned 80 June 26th.A big Happy Birthday to Bill. Pictures of The rainbow outside our hotel room, snow on Mt Hood Beaches & Seals to be included after all Homes Best. - Carole Golitko What I do in the summer. Okay I was asked to write a story about what I do in the summer time so here we go. I will be taking my 3 children to Lake Compounce as much as we can stand it. So far it has been great minus all the rain lol. My children are all attending camp in July both of my boys are in scouts. They are looking forward to see what they will learn this year. My daughter will be doing cheerleading later on in the summer. When I get too much time on my hands or get stressed I grab my camera and I find places to take pictures of any thing. It is a great way for me to clear my head so to say. Then I also send letters and care packages to various soldiers through Soldiers Angels. That is most of what I do so I can let soldiers know that they are not forgotten and that they are supported and loved as well. Soldiers Angels is a big part of my life and my kids write the soldiers as well. They love it. Aside from that I have the family time with my kids and husband when we grill outside which is a lot during the summer. Okay it might sound boring but I enjoy all my time and I would not want it any other way than what I have and what I do. Lisa from Meriden An Elephant's Buried In Wallingford. What???!!! I was on the phone chatting with my good friend Kathy Marotta on June 8th. We were talking about a number of things, and she was reminiscing about her brother Paulie returning from Okinawa, Japan. After his return, there were a few problems in the family home, so his mother basically kicked him out. (He did come home again after a few weeks.) One day Kathy was outside watching the circus come down her street and she saw her brother following behind. She was shouting to him across the street, "Paulie, come home." Okay, that's kind of interesting about her brother, but I said, "What? A circus came to Wallingford?" "Oh, yeah," she replied. "They passed right by our house on East Street. We'd all be outside yelling, 'Here come Barnum & Bailey! Here comes Barnum & Bailey!'" I said, "WHAT? A circus came by your house?" I've been living in Wallingford since 1982, and somehow this fact has never crossed my path. I was intrigued. "Oh, yeah, the elephants were all dressed up in their costumes and the performers were all marching down to where the tents were set up, where the Wallingford Airport used to be." She described the elephants as being docile and yet spectacular, extravagant and proud. Before I had a chance to say much more, Kathy then nonchalantly said, "You know, there's an elephant buried in Wallingford." "WHAT???" "Yeah, an elephant died here and was buried near the Electric Division." I was dumbfounded. This information piqued my curiosity, and I had to find out more about it. My first stop was at the Wallingford Public Library and their Connecticut Room. They had a tiny folder called "Circus" with very little information, but it was enough to get me started. I searched many websites, wrote to museums, and contacted the Wallingford Historical Society, but there is scant information available. I'm going to tell you the story in a minute, but one gentleman, Jerome Jacobson, spotted a post of mine on a circus site and wrote to me privately. He supplied me with the only photos I was able to locate, so I am grateful for his kind assistance. He is a former clown, by the way. Her name was Miss India. She was the species known as Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), and she came from India. I don't know when, however. I do know she was with the Bud E. Anderson Circus in 1940. Sometime after that she was purchased by the Polack Brothers Circus, and in 1950 she was sold to the Mills Brothers Circus. It turns out a lot of different circuses came to Wallingford every year, but on Sunday, June 28, 1953, the Mills Brothers came to town. (Kathy was born in May of that year, so of course she doesn't remember this..) As The Morning Record indicated in the paper on Monday, June 29th, "The Mills Brothers Circus, sponsored by the Wallingford Lions Club, rolled into town yesterday and hundreds of local children and adults thronged the grounds for a pre-performance glimpse. There were elephants and trained dogs, ponies and white horses, special acts and monkeys, a big top and several smaller tops. There were goats and a camel, and all the colorful caravan that goes with the show." The article indicated there would be an afternoon and evening show that day, which helped me clarify a couple of things that were reported incorrectly in an article dated June 30, 1980. The Morning Record dated July 2nd, 1953, reported this: "'India,' one of the performing elephants of the circus, died Monday night after the evening performance and was buried Tuesday on the former local airport property." I was able to verify her date of death as June 29, 1953, on an elephant site I went to, and it said she died of a heart attack. I have no idea how old she was. In the article from 1980 entitled "Excavator recalls burying a visiting circus elephant," it said, "60 people, mostly children, gathered at the South Cherry Street circus site to watch the marvelous beast be lowered into a hole 15 to 20 feet deep." The article also mentioned, "Despite a plea in 1955 for a headstone marking the remains of the largest animal ever buried in Wallingford, Miss India's grave is unmarked." That's kind of sad. Two sentences in the Morning Record article of 1980 caught my eye because they were not correct. I didn't know this immediately until I dug into things a bit. "The tents were set up for the next day's performance in 1953 when Miss India died during the night. In true circus tradition, the show did go on, but without the youngest member of the Mills Brothers' 40-elephant troupe." Well, the show was always set up in the morning on show day and was torn down at night, and you know now that she died after the evening performance, but 40-elephant troupe? Not possible. Through my travels I was able to determine that the Mills Brothers more than likely had a total of 9 elephants at that time, which included Miss Burma (the Republican Party mascot), Minnie, Bunny, Jenny, Lelabardi, Lena, Dixie, and Miss India. I am missing one name, but it's close to complete. I found out from Jerome Jacobson that one of the slogans used by the Mills Brothers was "40 tons of elephants!" which makes a whole lot more sense than 40 elephants. My friend Kathy only remembers Barnum and Bailey coming to town, but there were other circuses which came through here, including the Hunt Brothers, King Brothers, Hills Brothers, Coles Brothers, and probably many more. A little interesting note before I continue, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus was one of very few circuses that traveled by train.. The vast majority, including the Mills Brothers, traveled by truck. I found a website called winterquartersltd.com, and Bruce Johnson posted these memories of the Ringling Bros. on his website: "One of Bruce Johnson's earliest recollections was his mother calling him to the front yard on an early July day in 1944. The railroad tracks lay down the hill about a quarter mile away. The view of the passing train was like seeing so many colorfully wrapped Christmas presents being paraded before his eyes. It was the great Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey circus train, en route to Hartford, Connecticut. He pleaded with his mother to take him to Hartford to see the show, scheduled for the next day. But it was wartime. Gas was expensive. And Daddy had to work. On July 7, exceptionally bold, black headlines covered the front page of the morning paper. A month after D Day, everyone was accustomed to bold headlines. But this was different. The circus had burned to the ground, costing 168 lives, mainly women and children... Long recovered from the fire, Ringling played Wallingford, Connecticut, his hometown, for a couple of seasons a few years later. The magic of transforming the nearly abandoned airport near the town dump into a huge, magnificent wonderland in a single day, only to disappear the next day, was incredibly fascinating... Whenever possible, Bruce was there as the magic unfolded on some dusty empty lot." In the Wallingford Post dated June 10, 1954, I read this: "If you set your clock for about 4 a.m. this morning and headed for Wallingford Airport, you would have seen one of the traditional scenes of the United States - the circus coming to town. Arriving in town in gleaming cars from their last stop in Waterbury, the Barnum and Bailey, Ringling Bros. Circus unloaded car after car of animals, and early risers on Cherry Street could see the elephants plodding down to their station at the airport." In my mind, I was assuming they were unloading the cars at the railroad station, which is close to South Cherry Street, but, no. There was a freight station located on North Cherry Street, built in 1910. The building is still there. I took a drive to check it out. You can see a picture of it on page 54 in "Images of America, Wallingford." Let me tell you, it was not a short walk from there to the airport. In the 1980 article there is reference to the burial site of Miss India. "It is buried 100 feet in front of one of the two hangars left over from the Wallingford Airport, Audisio said. The tusks were removed before burial." Just as a side note, female Asian elephants frequently have no tusks at all, but when they do, they are so small you can only see them if they open their mouth, so they probably were not very big. But where did they wind up? In that same book, "Images of America, Wallingford," on page 60 it says, "One of the hangars is still used as a storage building by the Wallingford Electric Division at the corner of John and East Streets." By the way, it was the Lufbery Airport named for Major Raoul Lufbery of World War I renown. So is the remaining hangar the one Miss India was buried in front of? Kathy has promised to take me on a walking trip to the spot, as she says she remembers exactly where it was. She and a friend of hers had made a makeshift cross and placed it on the grave along with flowers when she was perhaps nine years old. This is really a story about Miss India, who found her resting place in a most unlikely location, our fine town, and there are probably a lot of Wallingford residents who have never heard about her. I think it's about time that she gets the recognition and place in history that she deserves, and that a proper headstone be placed at her grave. Yes? By Barbara Sherburnebarndt49 @yahoo.com In memory of Miss India, I submit this story to Andy Reynolds, by sheer coincidence or synchronicity, on June 29, 2010, exactly 57 years after the death of this marvelous creature. To read the current issue of The People’s Press – Wallingford and Meriden’s Community Newspaper in image form or to download the latest pdf go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ And My Kids Took Flight... Little did I anticipate how wonderful the morning of Wednesday June 23rd would be for my children or for me? Friends Andy and Dawn Reynolds had given out an open invitation to a wonderful event at theMeriden-Markham airport sponsored by the Young Eagles. I hadn't even heard of the Young Eagles before, seeing that neither my children nor I have ever flown prior to this. I learned about how the Young Eagles donate their time as well as their aircraft and own money, all for the love of aviation and for the opportunity to inspire children to also develop a love of aviation as well. I thought to myself for a minute and quickly said to count my children in on this fantastic opportunity. I thought about how exciting this would be and what a fun way to start their summer vacation. We started the morning with jitters for my children and me. We were escorted out to each plane one by one, a plane and a pilot for each of my four children. Each pilot was as kind as the next. They were patient,polite, and friendly to my children. They talked of their experience with flying and they taught my children about the different parts of the plane and how they work, how the plane runs, what makes it fly and howit lands. They then helped the kids into the planes and before I knew it they were off racing down the runway. I watched with amazement and for those few seconds could not believe my eyes as my babies were leaving the ground and heading into the beautiful blue sky. With my first child taking off, I have to admit my stomach felt a tiny bit queasy, but that feeling was quickly gone and I was left with just tears in my eyes. Within those few seconds my children were flying! They were up in the sky flying, well above my head and soon out of my sight. They were gone. I thought to myself where else could they get such an opportunity as this?? Where else could they receive an education followed by tremendous excitement and an experience they never before had known? I quickly realized how much this truly meant to them as they returned back down to the ground. With big smiles and happy faces my children greeted me once again. The first thing they told me was "I want to dothat again!" The Eagles gave them log books that recorded their very first flight, a picture of them in front of the plane with each pilot, a poster (which now hangs on their bedroom walls), and further informationabout aviation. My oldest son has even taken the information he had been given and now wants to expand on it further by taking a training course that could one day lead him to obtaining his very own pilot's license. My children took flight with a wonderful group of people who call themselves the Young Eagles. On behalf of my children Colton, Mackenzie, Camden and Garrett and myself, I would like to take this opportunity to thank this group for all that they do to make this opportunity available to children. It was a pleasure to have met these pilots and an absolute thrill for my children to have flown with them. Sincerely, Dawn Brown SIMPLY SUMMER No Disney or Cape Cod for our middle class family of 5 just making ends meet. Regardless, my fondest summer memories were spent with my Aunt Margie, Uncle Mark and my cousins (6 girls!) in West Haven at their home and the beach. They were the most loving, caring and carefree people I had ever known. Being with all of them, I felt my happiest as a child. My Aunt & Uncle always made me feel right at home and loved to laugh and just have fun. Summer of 1970, I am 3 years old (cute right?), and the beginning of my love for the beach and anything related to water. Being a little kid and curious about creatures littler than me, low tide was my favorite. At low tide, we would all walk so far out and collect sea shells, snails and little crabs. All the little kids were most excited when we actually got to see a live horseshoe crab. Before heading back to their house for an awesome BBQ, which at their house was always like going to a party, we would always walk to the “original” Jimmies, a little hut type restaurant right there at the edge of the beach, to get cherry dipped cones. Now I am teaching my two little ones about the beach, water and all the wonderful things and creatures that there is to explore. Anytime I smell that sea air, hear the seagulls and the crashing waves, I am 3 years old again and life is good. It reminds me, that the simple things in every day life, is what is most important. Michelle Trenchard-Scianna Barbara's Bountiful Bouquet The garden saga continues. A lot has happened since I wrote about the garden for the June issue. Everything was planted by the end of May, or so I thought, but not quite. I was in search of a biblical plant, hyssop, for my friend Kathy, and went to several nurseries, but could not find it. Someone suggested that I go to Northford and check out the nursery there, so I did. They didn't have it either, but it is one huge nursery, so I took a look around. I found something I have never seen before, a yellow cherry tomato. I am not talking about pear tomatoes. I tried those one year and wasn't too excited about them. These are cherry tomatoes and have the same kind of leaves as the red, so I bought one. I was able to find one spot to put it in and planted that on June 7th. We had a lot of rain, and for a while nothing seemed to be progressing very much, especially my marigolds, which actually seemed to get smaller after I planted them, and I think they did. They looked so pitiful, but started to perk up after a few weeks. They are still kind of small compared to everything else, but I know they will eventually get bigger. Patience. A few weeks ago on a Monday I saw a fellow dumping coffee grounds, lettuce, and other stuff into one of our compost areas near the parking lot. I have never used coffee grounds before, but he said they are good for the garden, and CJ told me that he had heard that they are excellent at deterring slugs. So I got a plastic bag and loaded it with coffee grounds and spread them around all of my plants. I have not seen one slug this year. Hmmmm. Might be something to it. On June 21st when I was hoeing some weeds around my tomatoes, I spotted something that looked like it was not a weed. "What's this?" I picked it up, probably a plant that was an inch and a half tall, and smelled it. "It's a tomato!" It had somehow germinated under the weed block and the hoe uprooted it without destroying it, which was kind of a miracle. I quickly dug a hole near the last tomato on that row, filled it with water, and basically buried the plant. I thought, "If it's still alive in an hour, it might make it." Somewhat to my surprise when I checked it later, it was still alive. A few days later I put a bamboo post in the ground near it, and it is still alive right now, June 27th. My friend Kathy insists it will wind up being the strongest tomato plant in my garden. It is very, very tiny at this point, but it is growing. I have tried to make tomatoes come back for the next year by burying them, but I have never succeeded. This was just kind of a strange coincidence, me weeding with the hoe and unearthing a tomato from under the weed block on the very edge of it and yet not killing it in the process. You kind of get so you recognize certain plants in their baby stage after a while. On June 21st, to my surprise, someone I know pulled up in the parking lot with a pickup truck filled with grass clippings and wondered if the Community Garden could use them. I said, "Sure." He told me he never uses fertilizer or pesticides, so it is not contaminated in any way. So he raked out the whole truckload of clippings into the area where the hay is. I thanked him, and after he left, I decided, "You know, what the heck, let me try this." So I loaded up the wheelbarrow several times, took the clippings to my garden and basically put them down on every inch of soil, pretty much. Put it around all the marigolds, all the tomatoes, all the sunflowers, the cucumbers, the basil, and the only spots I did not get to were around the perennials. There are still a few more clippings near the hay, so that will be my next project. You see, I am really determined to cut down on the weeding chore this year. It was very hot at the garden this evening, June 27th, like 95 degrees. All I did was water and pull some weeds. I have more volunteers of various kinds coming up, way more than I have had in the past. I have at least four of what might be some type of squash or cucumber in several spots. They are in precarious areas where someone could easily crush them, but we'll see what happens. The three volunteer sunflowers are growing like mad. One is already in serious competition with a basil plant, and the other two are very close to tomatoes at the front of the garden. Everything is suddenly getting much taller. I picked my first two yellow cherry tomatoes today and gave one to the gal who has a garden next to me with her husband. Very tasty. She gave me a few strawberries, but tonight is their last picking. They got a ton of them compared to my very few. Strawberries were early this year, and they are pretty much all done. I keep meaning to take my camera and always forget it, but things are really taking off now, except for my still rather small marigolds. But they will fill out pretty soon, I am sure, and will look gorgeous in two rows this year. CJ gave me three Cherokee Purple tomato plants tonight, which I took home, but will plant either Monday or Wednesday. I think I'll make a few holes in the weed block along a border in one spot and put them there. (I have 20 tomato plants already, but can there ever be too many?) I still have two basil plants in my sun room I have yet to decide what to do with. My perennials are going to be beautiful as they are filling out very quickly. The autumn rubeckia already has orange flowers on it. The delphinia has a couple of bluish flowers on it and is coming along. I'm glad I put a cage around the typical rubeckia, black-eyed susans, because they are already getting tall. There are several volunteers of something, which I think are perennials, so I am leaving them alone until I know for sure if they are plants or weeds. They are in the area where the other perennials are. I helped the new gardener next to me tonight who thought she was growing carrots, and I had to inform her that they were weeds. But she has a bunch of volunteer tomatoes growing right in that very area. She wasn't sure if they were tomatoes, so I verified that they indeed were. I told her that last year I threw some rotten tomatoes into that garden since it had been abandoned and was all weeds, and probably that's where the tomatoes came from. They don't look like cherries, so they are probably Jet Star or Big Boys. She was pretty happy to discover them though. I have three volunteer cleomes coming up next to tomato plants, and one unidentifiable flower growing near the basil. It has buds on it, so I know it's some kind of flower, but I don't know what it is yet. The garlic is ready to be harvested, and I should do that soon. One gardener came by tonight, Ray, who had observed me about six weeks ago swinging my hoe into the sea of weeds, a seemingly impossible task to complete. He said something like, "Wow, what a difference. Your garden looks great!" It does look pretty good with hay and grass clippings covering almost every inch of soil and with plants flourishing. It looks neat and orderly. I like a neat garden. I hope everyone had a great 4th of July and enjoyed the fireworks, especially in Wallingford due to the generosity of many citizens and the hard work by Jason Zandri and Craig Fishbein. It takes a village to raise a child, or maybe have fireworks. Job well done! Barbara Sherburnebarndt49@yahoo.com HOW ABOUT A STAYCATION THIS SUMMER By Phyllis S. Donovan I don’t know about you but the very thought of leaving home several hours early in time to stand in congested airport lines just to check in for a flight, then waiting interminably to go through the tedious security process before hanging around for hours in the gate area for a flight to be announced is something I’d rather avoid. Since my husband has hardware in his back from various operations, the security process is even more time-consuming. He always sets off the security beepers and is hauled off to be wanded, frisked and otherwise questioned and examined with nobody ever bothering to even look at the card he carries from the doctor explaining his medical reason for setting off their alarms. Meanwhile, I’m left at the end of the conveyor belt to collect both of our carryons, two pairs of shoes, his camera, watch and whatever else he was carrying in his pockets and transfer the whole of it off to the side and out of the way of other folks claiming their possessions. After all that, I am not a comfortable flyer. Thanks to my husband’s wanderlust, we have chalked up more flying miles than most folks flitting around the world, but I still get queasy boarding a plane. I don’t like the sensation of taking off, I can’t sleep during the flight because every time the sound of the engines changes or we hit a patch of turbulence, I worry. (A 17 hour wakeful flight to Bangkok threw my system off for days.) And I think landing is one of the scariest times of all. (No wonder some people clap when they get back safely to terra firma after a hairy flight. I don’t clap but I do offer up a prayer of thanks.) All of this is part of my campaign for a stayvacation this year. What’s wrong with staying comfortably here in our own home and relaxing for the summer? Personally, that is my idea of the perfect vacation. At this stage in my life, I’d much rather spend my money going to deliciously air-conditioned movies or live theater shows for entertainment than traipsing around the world. And there are also lots of free things to do. Every week in the summer there are musical concerts planned in parks and town centers all over our area. The Wadsworth Mansion in Middlefield has Wednesday evening outdoor concerts reminiscent of Tanglewood in the Berkshires, with people setting up picnics all over the expansive lawn to enjoy wonderful music. Right here in downtown Meriden, Steve Robichaud of the Sandman Gallery has rallied downtown merchants to sponsor weekly mid-day summer concerts on Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m. on the patio between his gallery and Middlesex College. Bring your lunch or grab a sandwich from a nearby downtown eatery like Café Dolce, Paul’s Café, Cassidy’s or the Polish deli and enjoy the music. Then why not walk two doors down the street to the Friends of the Library Bookstore and grab a couple of books (“summer read” paperbacks are only 50 apiece now) to take to the beach or just relax and read in your own backyard. Both the Meriden and Wallingford libraries have great children’s programs scheduled for the summer where parents can bring in their kids where it’s cool and browse for their own books while the kids are entertained. What could be better? For folks interested in the more cultural kind of entertainment, ArtFarm is presenting Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “As You Like It” in their Shakespeare in the Grove series at Middlesex Community College in Middletown July 8-11 and July 15-18 at 7 p.m. Go early to get a nice spot on the grounds and have a picnic. If you aren’t interested in being entertained, we have plenty of beautiful parks in the area where you can just sit outside, enjoy nature and watch the world go by. Summer is short, make the best of it! To read the current issue of The People’s Press – Wallingford and Meriden’s Community Newspaper in image form or to download the latest pdf go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ Summer Fun at Mystic Aquarium To The Readers of The People’s Press At Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, close encounters of the incredible kind happen every day. This summer, there’s a world of new experiences awaiting guests, from exhibits featuring fascinating species and animal encounter programs to a theater that allows you to experience ocean exploration live, as it happens. New ResidentsOn the main exhibit floor, get an up-close look at jellies in the new Jellies: The Ocean in Motion exhibit. Among the six species on exhibit are moon jellies, commonly found in Long Island Sound; hypnotizing comb jellies, which appear to have electrical currents running through them; unusual upside-down jellies. Species in this ever-changing exhibit will vary throughout the year. “Many guests remember when the large, cylinder tank in the main exhibit floor entrance was filled with jellies, and have expressed their interest in seeing more,” said Jonathan Scoones, director of exhibits at Mystic Aquarium, a division of Sea Research Foundation. “This exhibit was designed to showcase many types – from big to small and even some local species – while displaying their grace and unique swimming patterns.” At the new Shark Encounters exhibit, touch the backs of white-spotted bamboo sharks as they glide by. The shallow pool allows for easy reach of these docile, bottom-dwelling sharks. The exhibit houses six sharks, all one to three feet in length. “Conservation of sharks is an important issue right now. Some populations have declined as much as 80 percent in recent years,” said Dr. Tracy Romano, senior vice president of research and zoological operations at Mystic Aquarium. “This exhibit provides a great opportunity for guests to cultivate a bond with these animals while learning about the threats various species are facing in the wild.” In the Marine Theater, Jetty amuses audiences with his playful antics during the daily shows featuring California sea lions. The newest addition to the show, the young pup is learning quickly and frequently demonstrates new behaviors. Other young residents include Blue-Black and Blue-Purple, two African penguin chicks born in late January. The chicks recently left their nests to join the 27 other penguins in the Roger Tory Peterson Penguin Exhibit. The two chicks are easy to recognize – they still have their gray plumage until next year, when they’ll get their black and white adult feathers. Ocean Exploration Live In the Challenge of the Deep exhibition – the world’s only public exhibits dedicated to Dr. Robert Ballard’s ocean exploration – the new Nautilus Live Theater lets guests join him aboard the E/V Nautilus as he and his team explore the deep-water regions of the Black Sea, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. A Nautilus team member monitoring the expedition’s progress from shore hosts daily live shows in this state-of-the-art theater space, which delivers the expedition in high definition on a big screen. During the show, hear about Dr. Ballard’s greatest discoveries and expedition goals during an intimate interview, get the latest news on shipboard activities and recent findings, and see the incredible tools used to explore our oceans. Audiences can also talk with a Nautilus team member and watch images from the ocean floor in real time through satellite and high-speed networks. From home, you can track the expedition 24 hours a day, seven days a week at nautiluslive.org and on Facebook and Twitter. The site’s homepage features a live video feed from one of the cameras aboard the Nautilus or on a remotely operated vehicle, providing an intimate look at shipboard or underwater activity. Additional site features include status updates detailing current expedition activities and discoveries; a science event log, which features scientists’ descriptions of what they see on the sea floor; maps showing the ship’s current location; and blog posts from educators and expedition team members. Facebook fans and Twitter followers will receive alerts when something new or interesting is taking place aboard the ship or when a discovery is made. Animal Encounters With the summer here, Mystic Aquarium’s popular animal encounter programs are back. Get waist-deep in the water with a beluga whale during a Beluga Encounter, or interact with one over a low window during the Whales Up Close program, designed for younger guests or those who don’t want to get wet. Learn about African penguins and the threats they face in the wild during the Penguin Encounter program, as a penguin waddles freely around the room. At the Ray Touch Pool, pet a ray and even feed it right out of your hands in the new Ray Feeding Program. Birds of the Outback, an enclosed 1,200-square-foot aviary houses hundreds of colorful Australian cockatiels, parakeets and rosellas, is back for a fourth summer. With the $3 exhibit entry fee, guests receive a millet seed stick for feeding the free-flying birds right out of their hands. For more information on Mystic Aquarium’s animals, exhibits and programs, as well as additional details to plan your visit, visit mysticaquarium.org or call (860) 572-5955. Summer Days in Brooklyn, New York By Patricia Coppola - Wallingford My family lived in a house that was attached on both sides to other houses, and those houses took up an entire city block. Our “backyard” was a concrete driveway, with community garages about 20 feet behind the houses. Between the house and garage, there was a slight indentation in the concrete, with a drain. During my father’s vacation, which was always the last week in July and the first week in August, my father would take a rubber stopper and cover the drain. He would then fill the indentation with water from the hose, and my sister and I would sit in ½ inch of water and splash ourselves. Eventually, the house was taken by “eminent domain” to allow for the construction of the Verrazano Bridge. Our next home was three blocks away. In the summer, my friends and I would play endless games of stick ball, where a fire hydrant would be first base, the sewer cover second base and sometimes we would have to use another kid as third base. Occasionally we would switch to stoop ball. If you know what that is, you have lived in a city and are over 50. As a teenager my girl friends and I learned early NEVER to say we were bored. If we did, our mothers would put a dust rag in our hands and tell us to clean. So, we would escape the house real early and go to the school yard and meet up with our friends. We played, (or the girls watched the boys play) handball – all day. There was a kiddy sprinkler in the school yard and inevitably one of the girls would be chased into the sprinkler. After dinner it was back to the school yard where we would just goof around and TALK until curfew time. Some days my best friend, Judy, and I would go to “tar beach”. My grandparents lived on the top floor of a six family apartment house, one block from a major highway. Judy and I would go up on the roof and put our towels on the tar roof and roast ourselves. If you took a deep breath, you could smell the car fumes from the highway. Some of my best memories were days spent with friends at Coney Island. We would have to take a bus or train to get there –you haven’t lived until you sit on public transportation for 45 minutes with sand in your bathing suit. None of us had any money, we never heard of “camp”, never went on vacations, but we had the time to form close friendships, read books, daydream, depended on ourselves for entertainment, and laughed a lot. I don’t think any of our crowd stayed in Brooklyn. Subconsciously, I think we all knew we were experiencing the best of good times, and that the innocence could not possibly last. I know I am not looking back on those days through rose colored glasses, because my husband was one of the “crowd” and he remembers the summers the same way. And, even though she now lives in Georgia, Judy is still my best friend. CLICK IF YOU MUST By Audrey C. Linke One Woman's Journal "It's a guy thing," my friend said. I wouldn't know about that--I only knew one guy and he loved to click. In the evening, after supper, we'd make our way to the living room to watch a movie, or something, anything, for the evening. He would take possession of the cllicker and click away. Then click some more. It wouldn't matter if we had a TV Guide--there was no fun in that--he just liked to click. He clicked through every channel at least twice before he settled on a program, more often than not a movie. By the time he settled, the story would be well advanced and we had no idea what it was about. We spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out what the plot might be, what the hero was up to, which of the actresses might be the love interest, or where the story was set. Add to the confusion, my delicate hearing and at the end of the movie my guy and I had seen two entirely different plots, characters, relationships, and conclusions. As we compared notes we'd realize we'd experienced two different stories, and then it was time to share a good laugh. If we subscribed to two TV Guides, it would make no difference. There is no substitute for the pure joy of just clicking the remote. I hope there are clickers in heaven or he'll be lost. To tell the truth I'm lost without the clicker myself, and the dear husband who clicked it for me. Our Lives in Demographics By Katrina S. Axelrod A while back, as my husband and I were relaxing in our respective claw-footed bathtubs, facing the sunset on a rocky-coast beach, he awash in six days of The New York Times, and me, in my cerulean blue, back-opening Snuggie, I got to musing. I did nothing of the kind. Neither do I expect my car to give me thrills, chills and/or an oasis from my goings on, and from which I can, consequence-free, lock my children out of the car, so as to be completely alone with my thoughts. I can hear through glass, amazingly enough. I hate being lied to. Now, if I am correct, we are being lied to and our civilization is so much for the worse for it. It is all about setting expectations. Madison Avenue, or wherever these things are concocted these days, has really lost its collective mind. I’ve never having been to either Connecticut casinos, (I guess neither are in Connecticut, come to think of it, they are simply surrounded by Connecticut), as I have an aversion to people dancing feverishly and then sliding across the floor, posing for my amusement/ amazement, for a display of their super-catchy enthusiasm. Both casinos have been kind enough to show me just who populates casinos. Studly men, svelt and bouncily-athletic young women; you know, the beautiful people, who win money and then immediately go purchase diamond necklaces. No thanks. I dropped out of that race, if I was ever in it. NO mention of the Mom who left her children in the car for 2 hours, while she gambled. I did succumb to the commercial for a body wash that promised an all-over clean and skin-hydrating shower experience; they weren’t too far off the mark and do I smell like grape for a few minutes until I towel off. Then my towel smells like a big, soggy grape. Not exactly a lie, just an exaggeration I can live with. I’m still waiting to be transformed into a 100 lb goddess of proportions endowed only by skilled surgeons. I can hope. I would like to share a dinner time-conversion with “ The Most Interesting Man in the World.” He seems like a guy with whom I could connect. We could speak about his James Bond-like encyclopedic knowledge and experiences and I could perhaps find a new patron for my youth orchestra. He seems the type. Some ads are clever- the one just mentioned, and the Intel ads showing the seemier side of computer scientist office politics, cracking wise with each other and surreptitiously changing a number in a formula for laughs and being boorish in front of poor little Jeffrey. I am sure that the nice lady computer scientist consoled Jeffrey and that he did return to the lunch room feeling more socially ept. They did, after all, all get together for that nice, four-note community hum. When confronted with a particularly inane commercial, I ask myself “Who do the marketers think ing watch this program?” I sus out the demographic that is being depicted, young/old, rich/poor, healthy/afflicted, calm/ frenzied-maniacal (which seems to be a great deal of us, judging from my TV experiences,) and then compare myself with the chosen. I don’t talk to soft, cuddly bears when I do laundry. I think that is all for the good. My husband is not a three-thumbed doofus, unable to handle the simplest task, either, I am glad to say. My children do not think it is funny to spray me with a garden hose, nor to drop water balloons on the head of his sibling in our living room. Another good thing. Sad, to say, I might not smile, think about them lovingly, while considering adding to their numbers, cheerily cleaning up the damages. Nope, not me. I would be old-fashioned ticked-off and I'd make sure that little darling/perp knew it, as he cleaned up the mess. This commercial world was clearly conceived (ha-ha, see what I did there?), by a man with no child rearing experience. Other fantasy worlds extolled by commercials are just too gross for mention- as in taking my elementary/middle school-aged children to an ear-splittingly loud event in which car smashes and potential injury are the expectations, for instance. I’ll pass, thank you all the same, even if it does cost me “Just Five Bucks!” The frenetic “flag man” seems to have an aversion to listening to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” while canoodling with his girlfriend as being just too tame or lame, thereby just earning “one flag” of fun. (It is so great to have one’s entertainment quotient so handily quantified, isn’t it?) Wow does he have his priorities askew. When the couple goes to the amusement park, they have no reason to have any kind of conversation at all, and the thrill of the roller coaster, apparently, is a great substitute for getting to know his lady friend - ahhh, yes, the boy is off the hook for relating to a nice young woman. Rather than dazzling her with this charm, wit and repartee, he is upside down screaming! Well, the Most Interesting Man in the World has nothing to worry about, there will be no one challenging his authority anytime soon. Hitting the Bricks; a musing on employment, retirement and our favorite summer activities... by Ernie Larsen Every month I sort of ignore the publisher's suggestions for stories and whip out something I have been thinking about or involved with at the moment. So when I read this months theme I really wasn't that enthused as I had a couple of paragraphs already written, which had nothing to do with my favorite things to do in the summer. As I don't write every day the next time I returned to the MacBook I got to thinking that my upcoming change of lifestyle would be a good fit for an article in which I could satisfy, sort of, the theme of the issue. And what change of lifestyle is that? RETIREMENT! Eek! Yes, my friends, after 50 or so years of employment; mostly full-time with a stint of "freelancing" which is sort of like "consulting" an occupation which some of my colleagues and I consider to be a euphemism for unemployment. Well, it is - if someone doesn't hire you, you are technically unemployed, no? In my particular case my employment experiences were quite varied to say the least; my first job, well it wasn't really a paying position - more of just helping my buddy out at his grandfather's filling station, up on North Colony Road - we were both 16 and the gas station was one of the first selling non-branded gas. my buddy's grandfather would buy the gas leftover in the tanker trucks that supplied the brand-name outlets; Gulf, Esso, Cities Service, Amoco. Never heard of those brands, well most are around today under different monikers; our 'discount gas outlet’ supplied gas, oil and every once in awhile we attempted to fix a flat tire. And believe it or not the building where I 'worked' is still around as the HQ for the local taxi fleet. As mentioned, I wasn't exactly an employee - like I said I was helping my friend out - well it was more like hanging around, taking turns as to waiting on the next customer if we liked the make of car coming in or if the driver was a young female; well we were just kids and this wasn't really a real job anyway; fun while it lasted but I really wanted to earn some of my own spending money; checking the want ads I saw a Help Wanted notice for Thompson Candy Company who were looking for part-time help. I'm not sure of the timing on this one, but I think it was in January, they were prepping for the Easter rush. So I applied-spent one Saturday being taught the finer points of making milk chocolate bunnies. Everything was made by hand, no automation like most of today's candy production. Well, long story short - I lasted just another 4 hour shift after my training session; it was the smell of molten chocolate that did me in, c'est la vie. So, I gave up on employment during high school, When I was in my senior year I had to make a decision on real employment; college wasn't in the books so I fell for the pitch of a smooth talking recruiting sergeant and signed the papers of intent to join the U.S. Army with an assignment to the Army Security Agency. A few weeks after my graduation from the class of 1962 I began my first real job. I had to go endure what they called Basic Infantry TrainiEssentially what they were doing was turning young men into 'trained killers'. That was somewhat of an eye-opener but I'll say it did introduce this 18 year old from a factory town to others mostly my age, from all over the US. Between that and more training at Fort Devens in Massachusetts it took up almost 5 months of my 3-year enlistment in the U.S. Army; back then you didn't have to be all you could be - it was just a stint in the military. And that was the beginning of my employment history. So, 3 years goes pretty quickly if you're having fun, my Uncle, Sam that is, treated me to a trip to Germany for 2 years, one month and 29 days. I think that put the bee in my bonnet for travel in the future. Actually, when I was discharged I spent several months in Europe following and photographing Grand Prix races on a freelance basis - yes, technically unemployed, but I did sell a few photos that kept me going for the period I was there. When I arrived home I bummed around for a couple of months and then I worked in a chemical research lab, took some courses in material science and garnered a position in the metallurgical lab at INSILCO up on Broad Street. When they went under in the late 70's I followed a couple of colleagues to a precious metals company in Waterbury. There I was active in the American Society for Metals and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and was a frequent lecturer and contributor to technical journals on the art of metallography. I did a lot of traveling for this firm. Then, lo and behold, they were sold by 'corporate' and while the new owner offered jobs in Rhode Island, I no thanks, so that began my photographic freelancing 'career'. Oh did I mention during all my full-time employment I worked part-time as a wedding photographer; probably 'shot' upwards to 500 weddings in my time. I picked up the skills whilst in the Army in Germany, the fellow who ran the Special Services photo lab taught a photo techniques class and I was an honor student. I also had a penchant to 'give back' and did occasional volunteer work. The major benefactor of my donation of time was the Meriden Daffodil Festival - I was a committee member for over 15 years. And this led to a full-time position with the City of Meriden, in the Parks Department offices. This lasted for 9 years and then the job was eliminated from the budget and I transferred to the Purchasing Department from which I will retire after 10 years of loyal service to the citizens of Meriden; July 2, 2010, which coincidentally is my birthday. I also want to mention my wife retired a couple of weeks ago, after an illustrious career with the Meriden Board of Education. So, getting back to Mr. Andy's request about what our favorite things to do in the summer; when we were first married we would head up to the Cape for a few days each summer, a place my wife and her family used to visit. Then when we had children we rented a cottage on the Connecticut shore in Clinton.. That lasted for quite a few years and after the folks who owned it, passed, we explored other opportunities, we started to travel in the summer, Bermuda, West Indies and the like. We took the children to the Bahama's, Antigua and then when they were older we started traveling on our own. Bermuda was our first summer away from home - made several trips there then Nevis, in the West Indies. Most recently Italy with my daughter and her family, her husband was born there and still has family scattered around the Campagna area. Our daughter has rented in Old Saybrook for several years and we make the trip to visit with her. We also have gone to Maine for a few days, shopping, sightseeing and just relaxing. So if it isn't the 'shore' it's the occasional day or two trip to some New England destination. I guess just normal summer stuff. And as per the publishers request I've attached one of my favorite vacation photos, kind of hard to choose, I think it's sort of unique. Happy summer to everyone. And now retirement - when we can take vacation 'whenever' - it's going to be an adventure, that's for sure. A milestone such as this gets one to thinking; not having to "put in" for vacation days - days off - coming and going as one pleases - freedom and getting paid for the experience. We have no real plans, we are seriously considering a certain volunteer activity which will take up some of our time. No traveling right away - but that will definitely happen. It's going to be a great time and certainly will be interesting - I'm sure I'll have lots to write about after I get a few months of it under my belt. See you next month. To read the current issue of The People’s Press – Wallingford and Meriden’s Community Newspaper in image form or to download the latest pdf go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ NATURE AS A MIRROR by Dorothy Gonick MUSIC Tweet, chirp or warble Air is full of happy trill. Greetings happy friend. Music surrounds us wherever we are. Whether man made or from nature. There’s a wide variety of birds, each with a distinctive song that we may recognize and try to copy. Some remind us of springtime, or of winter’s chill. The robin in springtime adds the beauty of song to the welcoming season. The cheery Chickadee brightens the chill of winter. Other birds and creatures add their voices, whether the subdued whirs and clicks of insects or the familiar voices of pets and farm animals. The wind plays its song as it weaves its way through the leaves of trees. Sounds add depth to the scenes we view. From earliest lullabies that soothe distressful babies, and throughout our life melodies have become imprinted in our mind. Songs can lift our spirits from the doldrums; soothe our hearts in times of grief. During times of success, grief, frustration, joy, or heartache, a song will come to mind to soothe or enhance the moment and we find we are singing or humming it, and mixing it with the moment. When I was a child, I remember my grandmother playing her jolly, lively rendition of “Oh, Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone,” on the pump organ in her parlor. We kids would try our best to play a tune while pumping the organ with our feet. It was quite a trick to master. Later our folks answered an ad for a piano and wanted us to give it our stamp of approval. We weren’t good judges of quality, but were fortunate that this piano did have a good tone and we purchased it for $10.00; which was considered a fair price during the depression. Donella, a petite young musician, came to our home each week and encouraged each of us to become good pianists. We girls were impressed with her stylish clothes and high heels so we practiced diligently wanting to impress her. We had special pieces to master and play for the spring concert to entertain family and friends. We dreaded playing in public and feared we’d make mistakes, so we practiced even more, hoping panic would not set in. Alice begged that she not perform, but our folks said she must, so she bandaged a finger and told them she hurt it, pleading to be excused. The ploy didn’t work and she surprised herself by playing her piece very well, even with the bandage on her finger. All across the land youth are mastering the fundamentals of music-making. Learning to play a musical instrument or singing vocally, they have the pleasure of ‘making’ music and bringing pleasure to lives around them. All through life, we are ‘tuned’ to sounds and rhythms around us. May they be cheerful and bring pleasure to each of your days. by Dorothy Gonick Connecticut Outdoors Written By: Paul Narducci Reynolds Garage and Marine celebrating over 150 years of doing business and taking care of their customers. It all started in the year 1859 and has continued to present day. With an extraordinary history of survival and ever changing with the times, this is truly an American story. The Reynolds family has forever left its mark in the Connecticut area. They are known for customer satisfaction and selling products they believe in. Through a lot of hard work and changing to meet their customers needs Reynolds Garage and Marine has become a mainstay in the Connecticut area. They are located in Lyme Connecticut on the beautiful Connecticut River. While reading about their history you could only imagine how proud Ephraim Otis Reynolds must be. From the early days of building carriages to today of becoming a top Subaru and boat dealership. The Reynolds family must feel the enormous pressure of keeping the family legacy alive and strong. I would imagine it is this that has kept them in business for so long. When I first met Tom Reynolds it was while I was in his store buying my first Skeeter Bass Boat. I was so happy with this place it brought me back years later to buy a bigger boat. I have been very happy with them both times and a Skeeter Bass Boat is top of the line. Tom is 41 years of age and is married with three daughters. He started selling bass boats in 1995 and has made this part of the company a huge success. When Tom first approached his father Gary about selling boats their had to be some skepticism. In keeping with the Reynolds heritage his father embraced the idea and had faith in his son’s determination. Over the past 15 years Tom has created one of the largest and fastest growing boat dealerships in New England. He has received numerous awards from Skeeter and Yamaha. The dealerships employ about 24 people. On a typical year Tom stated they sell around 150 new and used boats. In running a business the biggest hurdle we face is keeping quality help. Our costumers expect to be treated fairly and with respect. It is this that has kept our family in business for over 150 years. We have created something special with all our customers and have made them part of our extended family. While interviewing Tom about this article it was very easy to drift off and discuss fishing. You see Tom is also a wonderful fisherman and I found an opportunity to pick his brain. Some of this I am going to share with you and some I will keep to myself. Tom enjoys fishing top water baits and of course loves the Connecticut River. Although we did discuss some secret spots on the river I feel obligated to tell you nothing. When I asked him if he could only use one lure what would it be, I was totally surprised. You see he answered a crank bait. A lot of tournament fisherman shy away from crank baits and have little confidence in them. Tom is involved in the Connecticut Bass Federation and club Team Skeeter. He fishes around 15 tournaments a year. He has several tournaments wins and has made the Nationals not once but twice. This is an accomplishment some of the best anglers in Connecticut will never make a reality. To find out more about clubs, tournaments and the bass federation log onto www.ctbass.com Tom has created a top of the line boat dealership and has become a respected fisherman through out the state. While talking to him in person or on the phone you can tell he truly loves the sport and the business he has helped create. The Reynolds family celebrated 150 years last year with a customer appreciation team tournament on the Connecticut River. This was such a huge success they decided to make this a yearly tournament. June 12, 2010 was their second tournament and again this was a wonderful experience for all who attended. Tom and I will be fishing together in July as part of a show ,we will be showcasing the Connecticut river. I look forward to this day. I have a Skeeter TZX 190 with a Yamaha 150 which is their best selling boat but I may have to convince Tom to bring Skeeters new FX line of boats. This is a 20 or 21 foot boat with Yamaha’s new 250 horsepower four stroke. I would highly recommend buying a boat from Tom or having work done on the one you already own. They are a wonderful group of people and do everything possible to take care of your needs. If you would like more information about the Reynolds family and business log onto www.reynolds1859.com . They sell both salt and fresh water boats. As always the team of Connecticut Outdoors wishes you the best of luck and good fishing!!!! Revitalizing America’s Downtowns In the Twenty-First Century Roger L. Kemp Many citizens have left downtown areas for the suburbs over the years. Also, many businesses have moved to the shopping mall over the years. Much of this was brought about by the development and expansion of our nation’s Interstate Highway System, a product of the mid-1950’s, which is still evolving today! A lady recently told me that a family wants to raise their children in a single-family house with a yard, away from the traffic and noise in the downtowns. This seemed like the “American Dream” for many years, and is now changing. A quick overview of history would reveal that, as our highway system expanded, many residential subdivisions were developed in the suburbs. Families moved there for the reasons noted above. This trend went on for several decades! When I was a young child, there was typically one car in a family. As mothers went to work over the years, they acquired cars too. Nowadays, it seems like many children over the legal driving age in every state have cars. I recall seeing old homes with single car garages, newer homes with two-car garages, and more recent homes with three-car garages. I was recently visiting one of our nation’s growth states, and I saw some homes with four-car garages. Wow! Things are now changing! There are families where the children have grown, and they would like to relocate in urban downtown areas. There are young professionals that would like to focus on their respective jobs before starting a family. They wish to locate in inner-city areas and relocate to the suburbs later in life. There’s also another group, consisting of those folks that would like to live their lives without having a vehicle. Hence the new type of residential developments around public transit stations called Transit Oriented Developments (TOD’s). There is also a rapidly developing market for condominiums and townhouses that are located next to public light-rail transit systems. There is a national need, a community one too, to make downtowns attractive, which requires a redevelopment effort to make them more livable. Such positive movements require states, and their local governments, and especially those folks that manage downtowns, to advocate for changes that will benefit downtown areas. I think history has gone, or is going, full circle in this regard. I was recently looking at a picture of a high-rise residential area in the Lower East Side of New York City from a century ago. Individuals and families lived in several story residential structures, with an assortment of commercial businesses located on the ground floor. All of the restaurants, markets, and other types of commercial activity, took place at street level. Then over the years we separated our zoning areas based on different land-uses. After all, you would not want citizens living in commercial or industrial areas. This is now rapidly changing. If you wish to revitalize your downtowns, you must change your zoning to allow for mixed-uses of commercial (on the ground floor) and residential (on the floors above that). Also, arts, entertainment, and culture are coming back to downtown areas. I’ve seen cities using libraries and museums as tools to stimulate economic development. Also, cities are trying to lure educational institutions and nonprofit organizations back downtown. I recently read where some states are relocating some of their offices from the suburbs back into their downtown areas. There’s also a big trend to preserve what’s left of nature downtown, as well as restore what’s been removed over the decades, as well as expand various aspects of nature. This includes parks, wetlands, waterways, as well as ways to enhance pedestrian access and movement through the use of walkways, bikeways, plazas, and the widening of public areas to accommodate people as opposed to cars.. I’ve always thought that our downtowns were designed by cars. It seems like people were a secondary consideration. Times have changed! Streets are now getting narrower, as well as are the number of lanes to accommodate traffic. Sidewalks are now getting wider – as well as greener. This trend has facilitated the movement of people back to downtown areas! It’s also great for those commercial businesses established on the ground level to have their market built-in above them. No need for those one story commercial centers and blocks of the past. Rezoning them and placing residential units above them is the wave of the future. If you build them, people will come, especially if there’s public transit in the area. Some of our nation’s major evolving downtown trends are highlighted below: Restoration and enhancement of nature, Buildings that have mixed-uses, and are multi-story in their height, Making public transit available, usually light-rail, To restore the public infrastructure to favor people over cars, To combine landscaping with the restoration of all aspects of the public infrastructure, Surface parking lots are being converted to parks, gardens, and open spaces, Attract culture, the arts, and entertainment facilities, Attract educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, While many businesses have located to malls, smaller specialized ones have gone downtown, Focus downtown on ethnic and niche stores, such as markets, delicatessens, bakeries, and restaurants, and A sense of “public place” is being restored in the core of our “new” downtowns. Many of the items on this list, if accomplished by a city government, would stimulate the local economy, and attract the type of businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations that would benefit the rebirth and growth of our downtown areas. Additional incentives would further facilitate the attraction of desirable private, educational, and nonprofit sector additions to our downtowns. As we all know, to sell economic development incentives to local public officials, they must be reasonable as well as have a long-term benefit to the taxpayers. More importantly, those public officials elected by the citizens must feel comfortable with such incentives, as well as feel that they will improve their downtown. They must also benefit all of the citizens within the community. A nice downtown should not only serve as a great public place for those folks that live there, but for other citizens in the community as well. They should not only be attracted to “their” downtown, but they should also feel comfortable within the entire inner-city area. The various trends outlined above, when facilitated by local public officials, will make these trends a common reality! Public officials, both elected and appointed, should always keep in mind that prudent economic development incentives are a wise way to increase a local government’s revenues without raising its taxes. During these difficult economic times, the above practices should be embraced and facilitated by politicians, downtown professionals, and citizens alike, since they will assist in balancing their community’s budget with the increased revenues that result from renewing a community’s downtown. Most cities evolved piecemeal over the years, and now need to be retrofitted and redesigned for the future. Planning and zoning regulations should be in place to accommodate mixed land-uses, infill, and redevelopment projects. Call it New Urbanism, Sustainability, Pedestrian Cities, Healthy Cities, Inner-City Renewal, or the Green Cities Movement, whatever you wish. We must all work together to get things moving in these evolving positive directions. The practices facilitated by these downtown trends can be increasingly applied to projects of all sizes -- from a single building, to a full block, to a neighborhood, and even to an entire community. Roger L. Kemp, PhD, has been a career city manager, visiting scholar, adjunct professor, and has written/edited numerous books dealing with cities during his career. Dr. Kemp is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Public Administration Program at the University of New Haven, and in the Urban Studies Program at Southern Connecticut State University. Roger can be reached via email (rlkbsr@snet.net). Brian David Ash It’s been twenty-four years that The Brian David Ash Fire Memorial Fire Prevention Fund has been running its annual fundraiser for fire safety in Brian Ash’s memory. We will be doing it again this year on September 10th, 11th, and 12th at Stop and Shop on East Main Street in Meriden. So what’s it all about? It starts with a novel idea, “Working Smoke Detectors Save Lives”. We have heard this since we were kids, but people don’t believe it. There are actually homes that don’t have them and many others that have ones that won’t work. If you’re awake, you’ll smell smoke, but not when you’re sleeping. When you sleep, you lose your sense of smell first, and it’s the last sense to come back when you awakened. It is recommended that you change the battery in a smoke detector once a year. It is also suggested that you change the smoke detector every ten years. It is also advisable to test the smoke detector regularly. NEVER move a smoke detector battery to another device. Your life is worth more than any battery. Fire drills are common in school, but when did you have one at home? More than likely, you never did. What is your plan of escape? What would you do in a fire? These are the facts that The Brian David Ash Fire Memorial Fire Prevention Fund is trying to teach. The funds we raise are used to provide educational materials that are distributed by the fire department. These include booklets, videos, handouts, and specialty items that carry our life saving message, “Working Smoke Detectors Save Lives”. We also provide the Meriden children with their fire hats during fire prevention week and the smoke detector batteries the fire department hands out to students and families. Our hot dog sale at Stop and Shop is our primary fundraiser and all proceeds go to the fund. Please come by and visit us, and don’t forget your hot dog, soda and chips. Baran's Kenpo Karate Professional Instruction at its finest. Baran's Kenpo Karate instructors are trained professionals at teaching the character building traits that develop black belts from the inside out; focus, discipline, self-control and perseverance to name a few. You won't find student instructors at our school. We maintain a staff of highly skilled, thoroughly educated adult professionals to give you the very best in martial arts education. Baran's Kenpo Karate is a member of Black Belt Schools International. This highly acclaimed organization helps us stay up-to-date on the latest and most effective self-defense techniques, teaching methods, nutrition and exercise science. Some of the most recognized schools in the country belong to Black Belt Schools International because of the high quality instruction provided in these areas. Baran's Kenpo Karate instructors are tops in the industry and are experts in what we do. We are on a constant quest to be the best, so our students can always expect the very best in martial arts training. Our Kids Are All Winners Baran's Kenpo Karate is designed as a personal development system as well as a self-defense system. Our classes are filled with excitement yet focused on developing the inner qualities of a champion. Learning builds a sense of accomplishment. With each new accomplishment a student's self-confidence grows, and confidence is the first step in the empowerment of a person's physical and mental abilities. Once we begin to develop a student’s self-confidence, we are then able to instill the values of respect, courtesy, honesty, perseverance, and integrity that are the foundation of martial arts dating back thousands of years. Furthermore, your child will develop perseverance, which is a non-quitting spirit to overcome life's obstacles. Instilling a non-quitting spirit helps a child over come challenges, to succeed in the face of adversity, and to be a goal setter, and a goal getter. These combined physical and character foundations that Baran's Kenpo Karate develops helps children excel in their academic life, sports, and social environment. It ensures that they will have the confidence in themselves and the character to make the right decisions when confronted with negative peer pressure. They will be leaders not followers. No One Sits on the Bench at Baran's Kenpo Karate At Baran's Kenpo Karate our instructors are there to guide, instruct, and motivate each child to be the best that they can be. It can be heartbreaking for a child to sit on the bench because he or she is not "good enough" to make the team. How sad it is that this world has placed this type of negative pressure on our youth at such an early age. We believe that in order to build a champion kid, a coach needs to understand that each child has his or her own unique abilities. Our program allows your child to find the inner-strength and confidence to know they can achieve anything they put their minds to. We are located at 21 North Plains Industrial Road in Wallingford. Our phone number is 203-949-9660 and our website is www.baranskenpo.com . And The Birds Have It By Sil Patterson This story originally started with a boring commentary about my bedroom window transformation from a shoulder height glimpse of my backyard to a double window giving me five times the view, done in 2002. But the birds I see out this window are the high point of my story. Less than two years ago I gave up on the birdhouse my youngest son and his wife gave me for Christmas and instead, pushed the wrought iron hanger deeper in the ground near my window and purchased from Meriden Feed a case of individually wrapped suet cakes and a wire basket which many birds feed from. Within two to three days the basket is empty: 11 ounces of nutty treat devoured by woodpeckers, grackles, sparrows, blue jays and more, not to mention a few grey squirrels. But the birds had most of it. When I see a squirrel on top of the metal hook I call to my dog, Chipper, who intuitively knows what I want and just misses catching Mr. Squirrel. There are times when I fail to recognize the type of bird. The jay that oversees all the chaotic activity in a calm almost exulted way, I call Grandpa Blue Jay. Because he is more black than blue I consider him the elder. Other blue jays squawk and compete but he rules. Many of the little brown birds look like sparrows to me; their wings flutter nearly as much as the humming birds’ wings do; are they nervous because of their size or do they love flying? In the winter, occasionally a white capped chickadee stops to feed—a treat for him and a treat for me. The grackles are diverse in form and color but most have a long tail. I stop short on the other side of the window to catch the beautiful purple head of the male common grackle but I’m interrupted by two other smaller grackles who pushes at the same spot on the suet, and of course, one flies away. Ironically, my favorites are the woodpeckers. Toward the end of the winter my suet basket disappeared, even the rope that replaced the broken chain was gone. Did the squirrels get it or did a wandering raccoon grab it? Or did the woodpeckers have it? They are beautiful birds and I love watching them but where did those large holes come from on the side of our home; could it be from that huge red headed woodpecker? Am I an enabler, feeding the birds that demolish my home? I asked the boy who sold me more suet and a new basket.. He thought for a minute, “I think the woodpeckers will be less attentive to drilling the house if they can feed themselves in other ways.” (Oh well, one of life’s problems still waits to be solved.) Yesterday I witnessed two small downy woodpeckers kissing or was that an illusion. They danced around the suet, not at all nervously and touched beaks. How could I think ill of them? My bedroom is confining but my window opens my perspective and my cluttered home no longer closes in on me. No curtain obstructs my view. My grand daughter observed, “Where do you get dressed? Aren’t you afraid someone will watch you?” My answer, “I just turn off the light or dress in the bathroom.” Perhaps, there’s a raven who peeks in on me—that might bring a little romance, a little fantasy to an older woman’s hum drum life. Speaking of drumming, I must have the deep holes repaired on the side of the house. \Wild Flowers of Hubbard Park By Francis W. Lappert I must go back to my early teen years to describe the many wild flowers that grew in the park. There were two small streams that came from Meremere Reservoir and from some springs also. We called that one “Bee Hive Brook” because there was a stone structure at the edge of the swamp opposite Reservoir Ave. shaped like a bee hive. The other small stream on the west side of “Mirror Lake we called shady brook which came from springs in the forest. Both of these streams supported the park with a multitude of wild flowers. Listed among them were the “Adder Tongues which grew in profusion along the stream. Then there were the “Jack-in-the-Pulpits” which were also plentiful, also a white flower called “Blood Root” so called because when picked the stems juice was the color of blood. The yellow flower which grew right in the stream was called “Cow-Slip”. The flowers we liked the best were the purple “Lady Slippers” and the yellow variety. The purple ones grew under the pine and hemlock trees in the north of “Meremere” reservoir. The yellow variety grew on the hillsides between Hubbard Park and the reservoir. Today they are very scarce from over-picking and changes made in the park. There was one rare flower that grew up every year on the slope that was the dam for the reservoir, it was called “Dutch Mans Britches” as the flower which was white, resembled a line of britches hung out on a line. On the rock slides on both sides of the reservoir grew the multicolored “Columbines”, a very fragile flower. One of the first flower to appear in the spring was the “Mayflower”, some were blue others a shade of pink. My sister Rose was always the first person to find them and bring them to the local newspaper. She always knew when they were ready to bloom. On the north of the lake on the sunny hillsides were wild “Geraniums”, blue “Violets” and yellow ones which were quite rare. There was also the “Blue Gention” and one called “Wind Flower”. There were also the flowering bushes that were quite beautiful. “Honeysuckle” which grew among the rocks near the reservoir, “Mountain Laurel” which was plentiful along the road leading to the “Castle”. Along the brook coming from the reservoir were numerous “Pussy Willows”. The parks undeveloped forest land has numerous white “Dogwood” trees which are in full blossom at this time. Most of the flowers which I have mentioned are long gone due to the development and improvements made in the park. Where the swimming pool is located we used to play ball in the meadow that was there. Most of the youth in our neighborhood on Reservoir Ave. learned to swim in “Mirror Lake” as it was clean and not polluted. Now the ducks and geese have taken over. I recently received a letter from my sister in California, Rose Lappert Clark, and she listed a number of wild flowers that I had forgotten to mention. Among those are as follows: Solomon’s Seal – Along the rocky ledgesSaxifrage – Along the rocky ledgesBlue Flag – Swampy areasWhite Violets – Swampy areasWhite Daisy – Open FieldButtercup – Open FieldWild Aster – Open FieldWild Rose – Open FieldBlack Eyed Susan – Open FieldSnap Dragon – Open FieldClematis – Open FieldAnemone – Open FieldRed Trillium – Open WoodlandMyrtle – Open WoodlandIndian Pipes – Open Woodland Added to the fifteen kinds I listed it makes quite an array of wild flowers that once grew in the park. I don’t believe there is any other park in Connecticut that can claim such a variety. I challenge anyone to roam through the park and name as many as we both have. 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 advice from a family perspective. Contact The Peoples Press by e-mail at peoplespress@peoplespressnews.com or by phone at 203-235-9333 with your confidential question and we will answer it in the next issue. - HAVE A SAFE AND ENJOYABLE SUMMER! - June and Flora Dear Housewives,Why is texting taking over our lives? It is dangerous and people do it while driving. People of all ages are doing it. Am I crazy or are they? - Texamania JUNE: First of all, you are not crazy. You are right. Texting has taken over everyone. Texting while driving is as dangerous as drunken driving. Aside from the dangers it is rude. I have been in school meetings or talking with someone while they are looking at their phone constantly then responding all while we are conversing. People put the phones down and remember your manners!!! FLORA: Amen June. People of all ages are looking at their phones constantly. I am starting to wonder if this is in fact a confidence issue. People seem to be validated and feel wanted and important by being in constant contact with others. But are people really developing relationships this way? I tend to think not... Texting and driving is so dangerous and so many newly licensed drivers are doing it. If you are guilty of this-commit to stop the texting and driving NOW! Dear Housewives,There is a huge push for our children to get the Gardasil vaccination as early as age 9. It claims to not even stop someone from getting all types of the virus that causes cancer so is it worth it for me to vaccinate my 10 year old daughter? - Informed Parents Wanted FLORA: Why don't families start with their young children and teach them to value themselves, their bodies and to save the gift of intimacy for adulthood. That makes much more sense then injecting young girls with 3 doses of a vaccine that was clinically trialled on adult women (very few teens from what I read). Gardasil in my opinion was a Merck/Political lobbying backroom deal. How in the world would this drug make it to market in the manner that it did without someone/group getting paid off. JUNE: I do not think anyone should any vaccine for their child without researching it. I feel this drug is too new to have ample long term facts about it. I also do not think any child needs this at the age of 9 or 10. No kid should be having sex at this age and by the time they are older, other measures should be pushed considering there are many other diseases that Gardasil does not protect against. I would vote no as far as getting this vaccine. This may be a big money maker for the drug company but I can’t see any reason it is necessary for our kids. Chit Chat JUNE: Hi Flora, I am reading a new book right now. It is called “A Lucky Child, A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy by Thomas Buergenthal. This is a heart wrenching account of a young child in the middle of one of the most horrible atrocities of man, the extermination of the Jews in Germany. There is so much sadness in this book but it is also a story of hope and survival as well as luck. I would recommend this book. FLORA: Hi June! Your book pick reminds me of a spring read of mine..."Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. Every high schooler should read it so people are reminded of what happened in that dark chapter of history. I read "Making Rounds with Oscar" by Dr. David Dosa .. Oscar is a cat that has a special way of detecting when someone is near the end of their life. He lives on a dementia unit in Rhode Island. The book tells much more than a cat story....It touches on family, end of live care and relationships. I loved it!! If I don't finish "Gone with the Wind" anytime soon, I will scream....I can't seem to flow with it, yet I am enjoying it. Perhaps it is the size of the book that is so daunting..."The Help" by Kathryn Stockett came highly recommended and rightfully so! It was a fast moving, well-written novel that takes place in Mississippi in the 1960's on the cusp of the Civil Rights Movement. The three main characters are two black maids and a white college grad. Get a copy, sit back and enter into a time not too long ago. You will feel as though you and the characters are friends and the story will stay with you long after you finish it! To read the current issue of The People’s Press – Wallingford and Meriden’s Community Newspaper in image form or to download the latest pdf go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ Collin Reilly Fundraiser – You can help Collin Reilly, now a nine months old, is suffering from pilomyxtoid astrocytoma - a rare type of juvenile cancer first discovered in 1999. After meny tests to find out why Collin was not gaining weight the cancer was found when a MRI was done on him. Collin is the youngest son of Chris & Jennifer Reilly of Wallingford. Collin’s father Chris has searved his country in with the National Guard in Iraq and is a Volunteer Firefighter for the Town of Wallingford. Jen, Collin’s Mother, works for Community Health Network in Wallingford. These are people that would do anything for those those in need, and have! I have experienced the selflesness of the Reilly’s my self as a Brother Firefighter of Chris’s, both inside and outside of the Fire Service. This family is always looking at how they can help others, even durring these times they still think of others before themselves. Friends & Family of the Rielly’s have gotten together to assist Collin along his road to recovery. They have put together a Ziti Supper this past April which drew hundreds of area residents and has begun to raise awareness of this disease and funds to help ease the financhale strain of caring for Collin. The next fund raiser is schedualed for Sunday July 11, 2010. This will be a Cut-A-Thon hosted by Hair Cuttery 496 South Broad Street in Meriden from 5:30 to 7:30 Pm. More infromation on this and other upcoming events can be found at: http://collinneedsyou.ne1.net and by searching “Collin Needs You” on Facebook. Donations are also being accepted at the Community Health Network in Wallingford. Community Health Network11 Fairfield Blvd. Wallingord, CT 06492 Attn: Meg Cavanaugh See you at the Cut-A-Thon, FF Stephen Rygiel He's a "Fairytale" He'll be there for you when you're hurt.Stay up forever just to watch you sleep.Someone who dreams about you, who will always flirt, who loves to hearyou laugh, call you back when you accidentally hang up. The one personthat adores being your "other half".The one special person in your life Forever and Always, someone who willhold you tight, tell you you're perfect the way you are no matter what,believe you are always right even if you do fight, someone who will doanything just to make you happy, someone who wants to be inseparable!And this is why she fell in loveBut eventually he broke her heartHe shredded and tore her apartShe missed him so much!She'd cry herself to sleepWishing he'd never have let her goStaying up all night thinking about himWanting things to be like they were years ago.Things are so different without him. Now she will be walking S O L OShe wanted him to come back and stay forever and ever. She wanted him towhisper "I love you" in her ear. She wanted him to stop her tears fromfalling. She didn't want them to be severed. She missed that bigembrace. She missed him and that huge smile on his face!But then she realized he wasn't worth her tears, that her life wouldmove on. She realized that boys are going to be boys and that they'll donothing but hurt us girls. She finally got herself feeling better andput the pieces back together. She realized that there was no such thingas a "forever"He was nothing but a "Fairytale".~ Kaitlyn Disbrow, 12 yrs old, Meriden CT. Home Country Slim Randles We all watched as the flag came by. It was the first thing in the parade, of course. Great big one, carried by two of the kids from the ROTC at the high school. The bands followed, along with the mounted patrol, the ski patrol in their summer-weight jackets, the float with the princesses on it, and the local kids leading dogs and cats – some rather reluctantly – on leashes. For some of us, the Fourth of July parade is a chance to see just how much the local kids have grown over the past year. For others, it’s a chance to see something that is really ours. This is our parade. These are our people. These are the people who make our little valley unique in the whole world. This is a chance for us all to get together and celebrate us, you know? But all that comes later. What comes first on this day above all others is the American flag. Oh, it’s a great big one. Where they found this one, I don’t know, but it takes two high school boys to carry it. It really doesn’t matter what size it is, because it’s what it means to us that counts. To Herb over there, there are memories of his terrible days in Korea, I’m sure, and the wounds that sent him home early. To Doc, maybe it’s the way the G.I. Bill let him go back to college and become his life’s dream of taking care of sick people. To Annette, over across the street there, there is a look in her eyes that tells us that flag meant she could protest whatever the complaint-du-jour was during her college days. She knows there are few places in the world this tolerant of unpopular opinions. There’s Dewey down on the corner. He’s got his hand over his heart as the flag goes by. Maybe he’s thinking of a country that will allow him to start a business with a borrowed pickup and a shovel and supply our flower beds with fertilizer. He sure hasn’t been able to make anything else work for him, so far. But these are just speculations, because what the flag means to each of us is personal. We don’t have to tell anyone. We never have to explain. We even have the freedom not to be here looking as the flag goes by. It’s an American thing. A very private American moment. Sponsored by: www.pearsonranch.com. Farm direct, delicious, California navel & Valencia oranges. To read the current issue of The People’s Press – Wallingford and Meriden’s Community Newspaper in image form or to download the latest pdf go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ LIONS and TIGERS and TEENS The Permit The big day arrived this April. My son turned sixteen and wanted to register for his learner’s permit. Years ago, I remember joking with other parents about the future. Can you just imagine so-and-so driving? Then we’d all laugh. Now D-Day was here and it didn’t seem quite as funny. The slip of paper with his name on it induced a flashback for me - my mom telling everyone who would listen that I used to go on red and stop on green. I still took the leap. I drove him to a quiet neighborhood on the way home from the motor vehicle office so he could practice using the brake and accelerator. Except for the whiplash, he did pretty well. The hardest part came later when we ventured onto the main roads. The problem with main roads is that there are things in the way – other cars, confused squirrels, road crews, etc. It’s enough to cause the calmest of parents to have a conniption! Why worry? The statistics are alarming. It’s no wonder that parents are nervous. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash.” Reports by the CDC also conclude that teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous or potentially hazardous situations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association provides yet another shocking analysis, “Among 15 to 20-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2008, 31 percent of the drivers who were killed in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking.” Then there is the latest hazard: texting while driving. State laws have changed in response to these statistics. There are new graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws in many states that require teens to follow a more strict protocol before a senior license is issued. These laws have a supervised learning period and an intermediate license period before teens can get their full-privilege license. There are also more restrictions for new drivers (such as not being allowed to drive with more than one passenger under 21). First Time Out Some parents say that it is best to have a driving expert teach their teens. However, if you feel up to the challenge, you should keep the following in mind. Your teen needs to get comfortable with the basics. Take him to a parking lot to practice using the accelerator, brake and steering wheel. Then, gradually take him to roads where he will encounter traffic lights, pedestrian walkways, and higher speed limits. Give your teen as many opportunities to drive with you as possible. David Melton, Director of Transportation Consulting Services at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety in Hopkinton, MA, says, “Our expectations of how our kids drive must be very clear. Put expectations in writing and remind your teens of them regularly.” Melton encourages parents to be good role models. “Your teens will expect you to exhibit the same safe driving behaviors as you require of them.” Life-long Safety Behind the Wheel Melton explains, “Just because your teen has obtained his license, doesn’t mean he has the experience he needs to cope with the driving situations he’ll face. Talk to your teen about driving safety, and do it often. We know from years of research that teens who say they have regular conversations with their parents about driving safety are less likely to exhibit destructive behaviors, like speeding and driving under the influence.” Driving safety should be an ongoing discussion. It’s good for everyone to be reminded of safe driving strategies. Defensive driving courses are for experienced drivers, too, and they lower insurance rates. Some general guidelines: Don’t force your teen to drive before she is ready Practice Makes Perfect – drive as much as possible with your teen Talk to your teen about the hazards of “drinking and driving” and “texting and driving” All teens should take a Driver’s Education Course TIPS AND TALES “Let your teen driver know that if the car doesn't rock backward at a stop sign (meaning you've truly come to a complete stop) you will be changing seats as soon as he/she can pull over. Set the rule immediately, that there is no cell phone usage when driving.” Lisa Oliver – Solon, Ohio “I paid for individual driving lessons for my son because I think it is really difficult for a parent to do. I think one really good thing is to give them words of encouragement – such as 'nice job taking that corner.’” Linda Witherwax – Hyde Park, NY Want to share your ideas? Upcoming topic: College Prep: Tips to navigate the mire Please send your full name, address, and brief comments to: myrnahaskell@gmail.com Or visit: http://home.roadrunner.com/~haskellfamily/myrna/ Myrna Beth Haskell is a freelance writer specializing in parenting issues and children’s development. She is the mother of two teenagers. This advice column for parents of teens debuted in June 2009. “Sheltering an Animal’s Perspective” By Gregory M. Simpson With a love for animals, Lassie was my favorite television show as a child. The plot was always the same. There would be a crisis, such as Lassie falling into a ditch, and of course she would eventually get rescued. Timmy and Lassie would then walk off into the sunset for a happy ending. The only problem was that it would take me hours to calm down because I was still distraught over the predicament Lassie faced. With that as my personality, perhaps it was inevitable that an avocation in animal rescue would follow. As someone once said, to the world you’re just a person but to an animal you are the world. My “community” of animals to help is the state of Connecticut where I assist animals in as many ways as I can, including by writing this column. I find ample opportunities to help, ranging from simple acts like petting the rescued cat sitting in my lap as this column is penned, to being active in a number of animal welfare and animal rights organizations. Today my message is to encourage others to do the same, i.e., think consciously of how to help animals in your self-defined community. Think about it. Realize that the possibilities are virtually endless. Some can be personal, like when I decided that I need not eat animals to live, and became a vegetarian. Others can be public, like carrying a placard to protest puppy mills, research on animals, fur coats, circuses, or other animal cruelty. Kindness to animals takes many forms. They can be small, for as Aesop wrote, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Feeding the birds in one’s backyard – the squirrels, too – especially when the winter landscape turns to snow and ice, is a simple act. Yet simple acts can be most fulfilling. I’ve become something of the “bird man” in New Haven, feeding the pigeons and sparrows in a small park each morning on the way from the parking garage to the office. Sometimes kindness can be shown even after an animal has died. Phone numbers for the state and local highway departments are in my Rolodex, in order to report the sighting of a dead deer, cat, or other animal in the road. Bringing some measure of dignity to their passing is the intent. Connecticut’s public and private animal shelters need volunteers. Most operate totally on volunteers so the need is essential and always present. Dogs must be walked and groomed, cats fed, cages cleaned, and loving homes found. Fund raising is a constant necessity. If protecting animals through legislative lobbying is more your interest, consider joining Connecticut Votes for Animals (www.ctvotesforanimals.org). In its first year, CVA succeeded in having a puppy lemon law passed. This law requires pet stores to buy puppies from only USDA and state licensed breeders rather than puppy mills. The law also requires veterinary reimbursements to customers who unknowingly purchase sick animals. In the last legislative session, one focus of Connecticut Votes for Animals was on strengthening a currently vague law against unreasonable chaining and tethering of dogs. This law was passed, as well. There are many ways to advocate for animals. Writing letters and joining a protest march are two of them. Donating your time and money are others. Don’t underestimate how much you can do as an individual or small group. 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.” Think about what you would define as your community and show kindness in ways that work best for you – and the animals. As Henry James wrote, “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” 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 an award winning member of the Cat Writers’ Association. Frugal Living: Getting MORE for LESS in Connecticut! By Gina Juliano We all know using coupons helps us save money. However, if you want to get the most out of those little pieces of paper, there are a few guidelines you may want to follow in order to maximize your savings. 1. Refrain from clipping your coupons from the Sunday inserts. I can't tell you how many people cut out their coupons and then never use them or lose them at the bottom of their purses. When you clip coupons, you tend to forget what you have and where they are. I like to write the date I received the coupons on the top of the insert so I can identify where to find the coupon when I need it. For example, if a couponing site tells me I can find a coupon for Hood Sour Cream in the June 6th Smart Source insert, I know I can find it without too much trouble. I don't have to sort through hundreds of clipped coupons to find the one I want. 2. Wait for items to go on sale. When I didn't know any better, I would get my Sunday inserts, cut out all the coupons I wanted to use, and then promptly go to the store and buy the items. I was happy because I got a few cents off the item. I shudder to think that's how I shopped before my epiphany of smart couponing. Unless you are in absolute desperate need of a particular item, hold on to your (unclipped) coupons and wait for a sale. Most items tend to go on sale in a 12 week cycle, so chances are you'll be able to use your coupon before it expires. I still have coupon inserts from January and February that I match with sale items. Typically, I hold onto coupon inserts for 6 months before I discard them. 3. Buy more than one Sunday paper.. Although you may be spending about $2.00 on each paper, I promise you the coupon savings will pay off in spades. I always buy at least four additional Sunday papers just to get the coupon inserts. Many times, the additional papers help me stock up on items for free or really cheap. Recently, for example, ShopRite had Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta on sale for $1.00 each. I had four .75/1 coupons which enabled me to buy six boxes of pasta for free after the coupons doubled at the store. That one deal alone was definitely worth the price of the extra papers I bought. 4. Stack your coupons whenever possible. Stacking coupons means using a store coupon with a manufacturer's coupon.. Target is a great store for stacking coupons. They have their own coupons you can print and stack with a manufacturer's coupon to maximize your savings. Here’s a great example of how stacking coupons works: Target had Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-A-Clean shower cleaners for $6.99. There was a $3 Target coupon, a $5 manufacturer's coupon AND another manufacturer's coupon for a free refill.. Therefore, after stacking all these coupons, I got the shower cleaner and a refill FREE. Not too shabby! 5. Price match whenever possible. Most stores want to keep your business, so they will honor a competitor's price of an item in their own store. I was able to get a DVD at Christmas time for really cheap because I had a flier from Walmart I took to Target and price matched. Because I also had a Target store coupon, the DVD cost only $2.00. My husband does price matching at Best Buy all the time, too. He is in the Best Buy club and receives discount coupons for items. When he does and it's something he wants, he'll go on line and search out other stores' prices to see if it's cheaper anywhere else. If it is, he takes documentation to Best Buy and they always match the price. With the lower price and the use of the Best Buy coupons, my husband always gets really good deals! Gina is the creator of Gina’s Kokopelli, a Connecticut blog dedicated to all things coupon, free and cheap. You can get more frugal tips, freebies, coupons, and great deals by visiting her blog at http://ginaskokopelli.blogspot.com. Gina also teaches free couponing classes and would love to be invited to your organization or business to teach a class. For more information or to inquire about a couponing class, please email her at ginaskokopelli@yahoo.com. She’s also happy to answer any couponing question you may have! To read the current issue of The People’s Press – Wallingford and Meriden’s Community Newspaper in image form or to download the latest pdf go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ Free Shows At Quassy Amusement Park ‘All American Thrill Spectacular’ Comes To Connecticut In July They’re nerveless, to say the least, and prove it hundreds of times a year while performing in front of mesmerized audiences. Meet the family of Michelangelo Nock, also known as the “Nerveless Nocks.” From motorcycle stunts to a variety of breathless highwire acts and the graceful aerial chiffon, the “Nerveless Nocks” are synonymous with staging spine-tingling shows. Billed as the “World’s Greatest Circus Stunt Man,” Michelangelo Nock brings his “All American Thrill Spectacular” to Quassy Amusement Park this summer. Free daily shows will be presented July 4 through Aug. 1 at the Lakeside Theatre. “We are bringing three great acts to Quassy,” Michelangelo said from his winter home in Sarasota, Fla., where he produces shows for the theme park industry. Among them will be the “Vortex of Doom” and the towering “Space Wheel.” “They go hand in hand as part of our ‘All American Thrill Spectacular,’” the producer/start stunt man added. “The aerial trapeze will also be returning to Quassy.” Nock produced the highly-successful “Cirque Equinox” performances at the park in 2009. But what guests will see this summer will be three different edge-of-your-seat experiences. Space Wheel Towering 35 feet into the air, the Space Wheel features a stunt man balancing on the structure as it spins above the audience. “It looks like a giant hamster cage – constantly moving and going faster and faster,” Michelangelo explained. “The performer will do leaps, flips and hand stands on the wheel.” The act reaches a climax when the stunt man walks the wheel while blindfolded. “The faster and louder the audience claps, the faster the wheel spins – really adding to the excitement of the show,” he added. Vortex Of Doom “The All American Thrill Spectacular” draws to a close with the Vortex Of Doom, a motorcycle stunt high above the stage. As the cycle gains speed on its circular track, a world-class gymnast performs on the other end of the spinning vortex. The cycle stunt man at one point will actually go fast enough that the bike actually lifts off the track. “I will be at Quassy this year as I love performing at family parks,” Michelangelo asserted. He will be accompanied by members of his family to fill out the cast. Dating Back To The 1700s For more than three centuries the Nock family has been involved in the circus and they continue to amaze and thrill audiences throughout the world today. “Our family in Switzerland first started a theatrical circus in the early 1700s,” said Michelangelo, who carries on the tradition nine generations later. “I don’t know why our family started a circus, because at the time they were saddle and horse connoisseurs in Europe.” With U.S. operations now based in Sarasota, Fla., the family produces a variety of “Nerveless Nocks” shows ranging from heart-stopping aerial acts to water ski stunts. “Ringling Brothers (Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey ® Circus) saw my family perform in Europe and brought my dad, Eugene, over in 1953 to play the circus in New York’s Madison Square Garden,” Michelangelo added, reflecting on how the family got its start in America. From there, the Nock name became synonymous with circus entertainment in the U.S. as Eugene appeared on the then popular Ed Sullivan television variety show while his children started to master the trade of clown/daredevil. Eugene’s brother, Pio, was a renowned slapstick/aerial artist and also hooked up with Ringling Brothers before appearing in the 1964 John Wayne movie “Circus World.” “A clown in Europe can perform 20 or 30 daredevil acts,” Michelangelo pointed out. “That is clowning there, which is a lot different than clowning in the traditional American circus.” Start Out As Youngsters Being part of a circus family means learning the trade at a young age. Michelangelo, now 44, and his three brothers started performing with their parents before any of them turned 10. “I’ve been doing this since a youngster and I’ve never been hurt while performing,” he noted. Brother Bello has become a circus star and has been the head clown with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. One of his most famous daredevil stunts was dangling from a helicopter trapeze while flying around the Statue of Liberty in New York. Mastering the art of circus at a young age is no different today in the Nock family as Michelangelo’s 11-year-old son, Cyrus, is active with the show. “He was the youngest accomplished daredevil in the motorcycle ‘Globe of Death,’” Michelangelo said of Cyrus. “He has done the act since he was 4. To him, it (riding in the steel mesh globe) was like having a swing set in the backyard.” His wife, Carolina, and teenage daughter, Angelina, are also performers. Angelina is a world-class water skier in shows in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., during the summer months. The rigors of circus life also provide few opportunities to slow down. “There is no off-season for us right now,” he asserted. “Ever since I took over the company in ’99 there has not been any down time. We tour Hawaii, have had a show in Las Vegas and the kids have done a full show in Miami.” At any given time there could be as many as four units touring the nation with many summer stops at state fairs and major festivals. The family’s circus also continues to thrive in Switzerland. No Strangers To The Region The Nock family performed during the hey days at the now shuttered Rocky Point amusement park in Rhode Island and Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey. “We were a staple at Palisades Park with the sway poles and balancing ladder,” Michelangelo reminisced. Singer Tony Bennett was also a headliner at the park, which overlooked Manhattan from the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Palisades closed in 1971 but the old circus riggings from that venue remain with the Nock family to this day. Memories Michelangelo Nock says the fondest memory he has of performing was working along side his parents, Eugene and Aurelia. “I worked the sway poles 80 feet up in the air – looking to my left was dad and to the right was mom. You think those times will last forever, but they don’t,” he said. “I tell everybody to enjoy your time.” Eugene and Aurelia met on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in the 1950s and wed. Aurelia was a performer the circus hired from Italy. “Being a European circus family, they did a variety of acts for Ringling Brothers,” Michelangelo said. “Between acts my mother would jump into the band and perform. It was common in those days to be part of the entire show. Mom is sort of retired now in Sarasota and doing fine.” Eugene Nock produced shows up until his death in 1999. Get Some Satisfaction Michelangelo Nock had a run in with rock and roll legend Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, while playing the Tennessee State Fair in the mid-1990s. “We were performing a helicopter trapeze act in the Liberty Bowl at the fair at the same time the Rolling Stones were rehearsing,” he said of the incident. “When we flew over, Mick got pretty angry and wanted us to stop. At first we refused, so he offered us 20 front row seats to the concert. I took his offer and we became friends.” Like most performers, Michelangelo Nock says the biggest thrill about being in a circus ring or on stage is having the kids in the audience smile. “I never believe that the audience isn’t good. They always are. We have 150 acts in our repertoire, so performing never gets old,” he added. “There is no doubt about it that this business gets into your blood and I love every minute of it.” Tickets At Price Chopper Discount all-day ride and “Saturation Station” tickets are on sale at Price Chopper locations in Connecticut and the Hudson Valley of New York. Guests can save up to $5 off the price of an all-day wristband through Price Chopper’s Tickets To Go program, with tickets available at any open cash register. 102nd Year Quassy Amusement Park is in its 102nd year of operation and features more than two-dozen rides and attractions. New for 2010 is the “Free Fall ‘N’” drop tower which lifts 12 riders high above the park before releasing them in a series of fun and exciting plunges. The lakeside facility also has a restaurant, redemption arcade, games, and free entertainment. Quassy hosts catered events, school and church picnics and other functions. For more information visit www.quassy.com or call 1-800-FOR-PARK. Maggie’s Corner A Mastermind in Creativity in Film Entertainment Took One Small Step by Matthew Quinn Martin, Who Brings One Giant Leap for Human Kind Meet Actor, Writer, Producer and Director: Matthew Quinn Martin By: Maggie Griffin Matthew Quinn Martin is an actor, writer, director and producer who set up a platform of his own. Through his own talent, he discovered creative energies in writing of which changed his focus from writing screen plays to prose fiction. The irony of it all, he primarily makes a living as an actor, that Matthew calls “his day job”. Matthew, a character that genetically comes natural to him, delivers the most valued entertainment to those who see him, know him and follow him. I will admit, knowing Matthew is more than a privilege, it’s more relatively speaking. Matthew told me once, a phrase he heard from an Uncle that humored him that he never forgot. “If you are going to move to England, you need to learn the language first”. Traditional values at its best, Matthew has talents beyond his own control. He is a role model to many, a speaker to all, but most important, Matthew holds his family traditions close to heart. Rumor has it that he enjoys making his own wine. Genetically speaking, that came natural to him as his great-grandfather made his own wine too. Does Matthew come from a family of virtue and values, the answer is yes. There is a quality in Matthew that is familiar to me. Somehow I have it pinned, but I’ll announce that if I move to England and hopefully learn the language. Matthew began acting while he was in college. Following, acted professional on stage, doing mostly theatre productions of classic works; especially Shakespeare. Today, being in the film industry, he simplified his valued roles as an actor, writer, director and producer. “I think of myself primarily as a storyteller. That job manifests itself in different ways through each of those positions. As a writer, most often you are the prime architect of story (whether or not that story is "original"), and if it's prose fiction then the job is pretty much done (all apologies to the hard-working editors out there). If it's a film, then it needs to get past that stage and then that's where the other jobs come in. As a producer, you are concerned with the nuts and bolt of making sure that story makes it out of the planning stage; sadly very few do. The director gets far too much credit as far as I'm concerned (especially on a film they didn't write) it's an exhausting job to be sure, and a very necessary one, but it can be a link very far down the chain. I just wrapped production on a film that I directed but didn't write ("Celebrities in Disgrace"), and I still feel odd taking credit as "my" film...it's really the writer's film as I see it (but then again, as a writer I've been burned pretty badly by a couple of credit-greedy jerks so I have an unabashed pro-writer stance). When you're acting (especially on stage), you're the last link in the chain that connects story to audience and are afforded the opportunity to communicate that story to them directly.” Matthew Quinn Martin Emphasizes. Discussing Matthew’s favorite movies and TV shows as an actor he famed appearances on through the roles he played, refers back to the beginning for him, leading him to the present. Clearly, Matthew will answer direct questions with honest answers as Matthew stated, “The big credit is as a recurring co-star on Fringe (in the first season). When I got that I'd pretty much quit "acting" seriously and resigned myself to doing background work as a survival job (because it's fun and usually affords me plenty of time to get writing done on set; oh and they usually feed you). It felt like getting elected class president a decade after you graduated. Other than that, I suppose my favorite stage roles were as Hamlet and then as Jimmy Porter in Look Back in Anger. And as far as background goes; the Law & Order franchise has always been very kind to me, especially Criminal Intent." Matthew gained excellent reviews for his screen play called “A Very Good Year”, one of my favorites as well, leading me to ask him where he got his inspiration when writing A Very Good Year. "As far as writing - anything goes, you draw from many sources. For that one the initial spark came when I was working downtown and found out that this broken-down old guy who'd hang out there used to be a mafia button-man back in the '50s. From there I shifted the location to Fair Haven, Connecticut (where I grew up) and incorporated some of the more colorful aspects of members of my own family (none of which were involved in organized crime, but who's personalities had that charismatic zing that audiences like)." We know Matthew Quinn Martin is the writer of the movie Sling Shot, give me a positive statement quote about your accomplishment in the creation of Sling Shot. On a positive note, Matthew stated “Working on that taught me more about writing, the industry, the "place" of a writer in film making, and what comes after then any film school ever could. And even though I'm a bit embarrassed by it now, it put me in a very select club. Not many writers can say they've had a feature film produced by someone other than their relatives or credit-card company. But I didn't write that bit about them eating their own dog, I didn't even know about it till the premier”. Let’s introduce The Fringe, when will the series appear on TV and what Matthew’s character as a co-star for this up-coming series. “Ahh… Fringe. Well they moved to Canada (New York burned through its tax-incentive money too early and lost a couple of productions as a result; there's the nuts and bolts part for you). So I was only in the first season as an FBI agent who's never named directly, although Peter (Joshua Jackson) does jokingly refer to me as "Mr. Protocol." It's on FOX. In the Acting and Film Industry along with being a screen writer, Matthew wants people to know “Making a life in the entertainment business can be so totally draining at times that you’re tempted to answer "nothing." But that's not true either. The media focuses on "stars" and rightly so, they are stars for a reason, but there are literally thousands of working and middle-class actors/writers/etc out there and getting to be a part of that is a reward...not a terribly well paying one mind you, but a reward. Beyond that, however, sometimes you get to see that connection, be it through an audience reaction, or a review, or a well-placed piece of fiction...and that's why we're all in it really.” I told Matthew I would be honored to give thousands of readers a peek at his biography that is also on his web site along with more enjoyable links to view, everything you can find and read at: http://www.matthewquinnmartin.com/ The following source is on Matthew's web site under his biography. Visit his web site to read more!© 2009 Matthew Quinn Martin. All Rights Reserved. Matthew Quinn Martin is a New York based writer. His original screenplay Slingshot was made into a feature film starring Juliana Margulies, David Arquette, Thora Birch, Balthazar Getty and Joely Fisher. Slingshot had its premiere at the TriBeCa Film Festival, 2005, has been featured on Access Hollywood, and is currently on DVD, distributed by the Weinstein Co. Matthew's prose fiction has been published (or is forthcoming) in Transition Magazine, The Crossing Chaos Anthology: Quantum Genre on the Planet of Arts, and Big Pulp (co-written with Libby Cudmore), Thuglit, MFA/MFYou Literary Journal, A Twist of Noir, Eastern Standard Crime, The Oddville Press, Aphelion and The Flash Fiction Offensive. His screenplay A Very Good Year, featuring Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years) and Gaius Charles (Friday Night Lights) was presented at FilmFest New Haven. Other works of his have been produced by NYCollective and The New Haven Theatre Co. In addition he has acted as a consultant or ghostwriter on numerous projects for film and television. He can also be seen flitting around the margins of your TV set...most notably in a recurring co-starring role on the first season of the JJ Abrams created Fringe. Stone Wall Boundaries, LLC Surveying & Mapping CT LS License #70099 Stone Wall Boundaries, LLC serves the entire state of Connecticut, specializing in high quality, affordable boundary and construction surveys. Whether you are subdividing property, uncertain of a parcel’s property lines or need a foundation staked or “as built”, Stone Wall Boundaries, LLC and Paul Buckley Reynolds would be proud to serve your needs. The following services are expertly provided: A-2 Boundary Surveys Subdivision Surveys Property Line Stake-Outs FEMA Elevation Certificate Existing Building Location Surveys Zoning Location Surveys Topographic Surveys Plot Plans Construction Stake-Out Services “As Built” Surveys ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys Wetlands Mapping Land Title Research & Court Testimony Project Specialization Stone Wall Boundaries, LLC provides land surveying services tailored to meet the demands of a diverse clientele. 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He is well versed on how this technology can best serve his clients to reduce costs and save time. Stone Wall Boundaries, LLC is dedicated to the sole profession of land surveying and is led by a professional surveyor who is committed to excellence in every aspect of the job, from the research through the field work and to the completion of any maps associated with the project. Furthermore, the company guarantees to deliver quality services at a fair rate. Paul has been involved with land surveying since he graduated from high school. Educated at Paul Smith’s College and the University of Maine, he has surveyed in Maine and New Hampshire as well as in Connecticut for the last 20 years, developing a wealth of experience. His growth within the profession has coincided with the technological advances of the last two decades. These advances have changed the methodology of how surveyor services are performed and delivered. He is well versed on how this technology can best serve his clients to reduce costs and save time. Stone Wall Boundaries, LLC is dedicated to the sole profession of land surveying and is led by a professional surveyor who is committed to excellence in every aspect of the job, from the research through the field work and to the completion of any maps associated with the project. Furthermore, the company guarantees to deliver quality services at a fair rate. Stone Wall Boundaries, LLC is owned and operated by Paul Buckley Reynolds. A licensed surveyor in Connecticut since 1999, Paul is an active member of the Connecticut Association of Land Surveyors, Inc. Stone Wall Boundaries, LLC is dedicated to fulfilling the needs of its clients in a timely, cost effective and accurate manner. The company provides licensed land surveying services throughout Connecticut. To Contact Stone Wall Boundaries, LLC Surveying & Mapping, Paul Buckley Reynolds, PLScall (203) 889-8564 or email: buckleyreynolds@yahoo.com "I'M THE BABY!" By Audrey Linke The new mothers in the maternity ward passed around an innocent looking sewing box. When the nurses were out of the room each mother would locate the hidden make-up in the box and quickly transform their pale lips and cheeks to a healthy-looking pink. It was against hospital rules to wear make-up, but husbands and other family members would soon arrive and each mother wanted to look her best. Gram had come up from New York to take care of Bob, Jeannette, and Alice and they all came to the hospital with Papa to visit me and Mama. Bob had planned to ask Mama to send me back and get a boy, but when he saw me he changed his mind. "Let's keep her," he said, and from then on he was my willing slave. Bob was ten years old when I arrived, a devoted big brother. Jeannette, at eight, was my second mother, loving and attentive, always. She and Bob fought over who would carry me upstairs and they fought over who would carry me upstairs and they fought over who would carry me downstairs. Alice had mixed emotions-she was five and a half and used to having things pretty much her own way. She pro-claimed that she "wasn't going to be any 'servant' to that darned little baby!" Later, when she was finally allowed to start school she conceded that it was a "good thing that Mama had the baby or she would never let me go to school." It was probably true-Mama didn't like to be left home without a child to keep her company. Bob, Jeannette, and Alice had been born at home, but Doctor Harvey sent Mama to Griffin Hospital in Derby to await the arrival of her fourth child-me, Audrey Lucille Cable, and arrive I did, on May 20, 1923.Mama spent a whole week in the hospital waiting for me, and although she kept busy rolling bandages and helping in other ways, for her it was like a wonderful vacation, the rest Dr. Harvey knew she needed. On May 29th, Mama's 30th birthday, Dr. Harvey drove us home to the farm behind the Episcopal Church in Oxford Center. He said he wished he was taking home a baby just like me. Who could blame him? To read the current issue of The People’s Press – Wallingford and Meriden’s Community Newspaper in image form or to download the latest pdf go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/ It’s a Girl! All my life I wanted a daughter, which I could love unconditionally and without reserve. However, I was not sure it was something I would deserve. Nine months and three quick pushes later and there it was, the cry I had been waiting to hear. It was an outer body experience and the most beautiful music to my ears. My whole world changed on that warm December day, when all of a sudden, I heard the doctor say “it’s a girl”. I was so unbelievably overcome with joy, because everyone had me convinced I was going to have a boy. I will never forget the moment, they placed you in my arms, I swore I would spend my life loving you and keep you from harm. You are beautiful inside and out and have so much compassion, which I think someone should never be without. I do my best to teach you everything, as a result, like me, you love to paint and dance and sing. Now you are five and make me smile with everything you do, I am and will forever be so very proud of you. That was 5 years ago now, but it just seems like yesterday. when the doctors turned to me to say “it’s a girl”. May God Bless you, Rachel, my sweet baby girl, because there is nothing else I love more in this world. As I say to you each and every day, I will forever love you in every single way. There is nothing you could ever do, to make me stop loving you. Love always Momma 5/17/10 Michelle Trenchard Scianna YELLOW ROSE The velvety feel of each pedal signifies the gentleness you’ve expressed to me physically. The golden yellow glow, expresses the happiness you’ve given. And the fragrance simply reminds me that I am alive. Michelle Trenchard Scianna THE COURTSHIP OF NELSON AND CORA MAE (From Audrey C. Linke's book, THE GOOD OLD DAYS) He was twenty-eight, handsome, tall, and lean; She was pert, pretty, and practically eighteen. A strawberry blonde with eyes of blue, She wore a dressof matching hue. His dard, wavy hair was receding a bit, But it took from his charm not one whit. She was a guest from out of town; He was the most eligible bachelor around.. Martha Bell, their mutual friend, Could see how these two were going to end. He loved music and danced with grace; She knew he found her fair of face. She followed his lead to the banjo and fiddle; How to see her again, that was the riddle. Letters of wooing followed the dance; In no time at all t'was a full-blown romance. An elopement to Torrington, we find if we delve, Took place January twentieth, ninetee-twelve. From Millerton, New York, she came not in vain; He came from Oxford, by team, trolley, and train. The couple did wed, and right after the vow, It was back to the farm, for he must mild the cow. This started the marriage of forty-five years, Of Nelson and Cora, My parents, my dears. A New Page Kimberley Linstruth-Beckom Candles are something that I constantly use in my life. I like all colors, scents, and sizes becauseeach one has a purpose in my house. Some are used to deodorize certain rooms that tend to become a little unpleasant and I use others for meditation purposes. I was running low at one point and decided to buy locally in Middletown. A friend suggested a newly established store and I thought it would be a wonderful place to go to. I must admit that I was a bit nervous upon walking in. The displays looked very inviting to me aswell as, my very young and inquisitive daughter. She is always touching things and I’m afraidthat those little hands will wind up dropping something one day. Yvette however, put me at ease with a smile and a, “Why don’t you take her over to the crystals? Every child seems to love those. She can touch and hold as many as she likes.” A calm feeling came over me as I browsed. It could have been from the wonderful smells of the burning incense, or perhaps it was from the cozy fire and beat of the drums during circle. It may have even been from the beautiful displays of crystals, books, and other products geared to aid in the health of your mind, body, and spirit. The Tribal/Holistic online community that is connected to the store could also have something to do with my high spirits. I knew this was a store I’d come back to again and again, not only for candles, but for other products that would enhance my well being. Yvette Page opened A New Page doors on October 4, 2003 after a few setbacks in her life. A New Page was Yvette’s new chapter in life after recovery and a job layoff. She started this new path on Main Street in Middletown. It was a nice store filled with wonderful holistic products however, Yvette yearned for more. She wanted to tie holistic products with tribal healings, and so started the quest for a new store location. The new location was found recently and it boasts a huge outdoor space for Lunar Rhythm drum circle events. It also has a large interior for workshops on Reiki, Candle Making, and even Tarot sessions. A New Page has an online community page on Ning (http://anewpage.ning.com) and this gives one a sense of belonging as well. Yvette is a wonderful person who goes out of her way to provide great products and services to her consumers. I remember going there for some decorative bells that I keep by my front door. They may look pretty, but their purpose is for a much more practical reason. I have them there as an alarm. They let me know who’s opening the door and closing it, be that my husband, or my little ones. It’s a great product to have when you have small kids or even adults with Alzheimer’s that tend to wander. Yvette was nice enough to order a few more for me and I can’t wait to pick them up! A New Page is easy to get to off of Route 9 South (Cromwell Exit 19) and Route 372. It’s located on Route 3 at 1060 Newfield Street in Middletown Connecticut. When I Was a Lad of Ten - George Arndt When I was a lad of ten, My dear mother said back then; Gather up your smiles Cling to all your wiles; Hold to those merry games, The ones only you can claim; Take your sticks and stones, Take all those that you own; Cherish your happy dreams, Hold tightly by the seams;Grasp the happy sounds From the garden grounds; Behold the morning dew There to dance with you. Don’t forget your smiling eyes…The ones that could hypnotize. Along with your amorous sighs. For these are things you’ll need, To grow to man, my boy, Indeed. “The Bus” [First Rights Offered] By Jeffrey Hamelin Part 2 of 3 That is it! No sweat! There was absolutely no question about it! I was going for it! This was going to be the day! That is right, I knew just what had to be done, and I knew just how to do it! I had the entire caper planned out in my head. First I was going to stroll down the aisle [I almost always sat in the front seat, the one on the right] and hide out in the back of the bus and try discretely to make myself very, very small. So small in fact that the bus driver won't even see me. I will then go past my stop. Then I like so many of my French explorer ancestors before me would begin my expedition. I will be on my magnificent safari! I will admit that I did not know the names of all of the streets, or just where the bus would go after it went past where I usually got off. Not to fear. Hadn't my father told me more than once, hadn't he drilled into my head that, “If by some chance you miss your bus stop, don't get excited, just stay on the bus till it works its way through the Village. It will automatically follow the same route back towards the City! If this happens, do not panic! Just wait till the bus comes back up the hill, and then pull the cord!” [The cord was just that, it was a cord that stretched the length of the bus on both sides. The Cord was connected to a buzzer, and it was used to signal the bus driver when one wanted to be let of the bus somewhere along the route other than at a predetermined stop.] Dad also told me that if for some reason or other this happened, I was to calmly and politely tell the bus driver as soon as I noticed my mistake. The bus driver would then make certain that on the way back I would be let off at the right stop. Now I had certainly been to “The Village” at least a million times before with the grownups that is. I had gone with my Dad more times than even he could count. We often went to the “Dump” [now known to the P.C. World as the Land Fill] to get rid of the family garbage or perhaps an old piece of furniture, building scraps, or leaves and yard debris. Why on several occasions I had even gone with our neighbor George to “The Airport” to watch the airplanes as they took off and landed. More than a time or two I would go with my uncle or with dad while he or they shopped at one of the local shops like the hardware store owned by Mr. Lehman. Occasionally my Dad would stop in at Barney's Gas Station and chat with the owner. [One time we stopped there to put air in my bike's front tire after my dad had fixed the tube with a patch.] I remember even stopping in at Terragna's, the village drug store. I would sit patiently at the soda fountain sipping on vanilla dishwater [a curious mix of vanilla syrup, milk, and soda water. When mixed together it would foam up and look like soapy glass of water.] While my Dad tested some of our TV tubes to find the “bad one” and replace it so that we all could watch Ed Sullivan and the rest of the Sunday night lineup. This day however was going to be an entirely new ball game. I had finally gotten up enough gumption to give it a try. I would take the plunge. To heck with whatever consequences would befall me. I would throw all caution to the wind. No matter what, I WAS GOING FOR IT! Well this was it. The bus rounded the corner from West Main onto Hanover Street and pulled up to its appointed spot not ten feet from where I was standing. Everyone including me moved closer to the curb and stood in line. I thought it best not to be at the front of the line or at the back, and that somewhere in the middle would be “safest. I must admit that my pulse quickened more than just a bit. My right palm became very moist when I reached into my right front pocket to grab hold of my transfer. I retrieved it, carefully folding the thin very porous paper and stuck it between my lips making certain not to get it wet. [If you got your transfer wet there was a very good chance that the paper would stick to your upper lip and when you went to yank it out of your mouth to give to the bus driver a bit of lip would more than likely go with it. If the truth were known this had happened to me more than once or twice. This action always resulted in a lot of pain and the loss of what seemed to be gallons of blood.] Where was I, ah yes, with my transfer between my lips, and my schoolbooks clutched under my left arm I boarded the bus. I nodded politely to the bus driver handing him my transfer averting my eyes so as not to be noticed. I made my way slowly down the aisle to the very back of the bus and deposited myself in the right rear seat. I must admit that I had never sat that far back in the bus before. Not only was the seat different, [it went the entire width of the bus] but the Cord [remember the cord] did not stretch all of the way to the back. The windows ended at the row of seats in front of me so the view was not quite as good. Who cares? I had made it all the way back here and I had completed at least two parts of my rather intricate plan without being discovered. I was positive that the bus driver had not noticed that I was not in my regular seat. What was more important was I had reached the back of the bus. Yes, yes! So far so good! The bus started out, my heart began to race so hard that I was certain that I could actually hear it beating. We passed the back of Grants Department store on the right, Good! Good! Across the street was The Charles Parker Company where my Uncle John worked [I hoped he didn't see me!], the bus built up steam, it’s wheels dancing as we crossed Cook Avenue with its remnants of exposed brick and trolley tracks. We easily made the light with time to spare. Suddenly the buzzer sounded. Someone had pulled the Cord. The bus driver took his foot off the accelerator then onto the brake and pulled to the curb while stopping. A tired looking old man wearing a Panama hat carrying his rumpled jacket over his arm exited the bus from the rear doors. This put him down directly in front of Fazio’s Barber Shop where he sluggishly made his way to the front door next to the twirling barber pole. As he entered the shop, one could hear the tingling of the little bell that was attached to the door. I crouched down so as not to be seen. Once again we started out chugging along on our way and progressed upon our preset route. We were really moving along, all the time picking up steam. Thank God, there was no one yanking on the Cord. We hit a green light and we started up Columbus Avenue. Boy-o-boy we were really rolling along now. I will admit that at this point my heart was pounding, and my mind was full of “what ifs”. What if I do get lost? What if someone I know sees me? What if the bus driver notices that I am still on the bus after my stop? What if it starts to rain? What if the bus brakes down? What if the bus driver “catches” me? Is what I am doing a sin? Is the sin mortal or venial? What if I bang my head and become unconscious or worse? What if something really bad happens to me and I die and this is a sin? What if because of this sin I die and can't get into heaven? Oh GOD! Wow! Just as quickly as my fears started; they stopped. As the bus began climbing towards the top of the hill all of my “What ifs” seemed to vanish like the vapors of steam that came from that funny store that “Blocked Hats”. A wonderful calm settled over me. I seemed to come to terms not only with my apprehensions but also with myself. Not only with myself but with the idea of the entire adventure. In that split second I knew what I had to do. I decided that today definitely was the day. Today I would become a man. Today for the first time I would be totally in charge of Me. True it might be for only a short bit of time, but the important fact definitely was that I would be in charge! This was it. I was going to do it. My mind was made up. The adventure was on! I reasoned to myself that if I closed my eyes and kept them closed really, really tight until we started our descent down the hill, I could always say that I had somehow missed my stop. I could then claim [another sin?] that I and had been more or less forced to continue on the ambling trek through the Village. I made myself as small as I could, so small that I was certain that no one except God could see me. I closed my eyes oh so very tight. I had closed my eyes so tightly in fact that they actually hurt. No matter what the pain I would keep my eyes shut very, very, very tight. I felt the bus reach the crest of the hill and as it had so many times before. It stopped. Stopped, but why? Why was it stopping? I was the only passenger that ever, ever got off at the top. I knew that the bus driver had not noticed that I was all the way back here because if he had he would have called me to the front way before this. He would have directed me to sit in my own seat, way, way up front. I just stayed sitting back there all “scrunched up” with my eyes glued shut. The doors, both front and rear opened [though even with my eyes shut I could hear them, and normally the bus driver only opened the back door when someone got off] and after what seemed to be the longest forever, ever, he shut the doors again. The wait for him to restart our journey seemed interminable. The engine raced as our driver fed it the gas and we started up again. With the roar of its engine, the bus found enough power to round the top of the hill and begin the decent down the other side. We were now gliding towards Hanover Street on the way to South Meriden. Finally my wonderful adventure had begun! Whew, I had made it, easy as pie, nothing to it, I was on my way! We were again moving. We were picking up speed. The bus was “hurling” itself down Highland Avenue. My first attempt at “totally solo” travel had just begun. Would I dare? Should I open my eyes? If I opened my eyes, would the bus driver somehow magically notice me? If I did open them, would my adventure be over? Would it end as suddenly as it began? If I opened them, would my trip be less exciting? With my eyes shut it somehow all felt so much more fantastically dreamlike! I was certain that somehow I had acquired a new superpower. With my eyes shut, I had by some means become “sort of “invisible! With my eyes shut, this adventure belonged entirely and totally to me and me alone! Sooner than later, my curiosity got the better of me. I began to gradually open my eyes just a bit. First to just a pair of tiny slits. I then opened them just a bit wider. I sat there with a little bit of light sneaking in. It was then and only then, that I could see the shadow of what I knew was an adult. Oh God! This was not just any adult. Even before I had opened my eyes, I had recognized the smell of a familiar perfume. Oh boy! Not only that, I recognized the woman’s coat. I recognized her leather handbag. Uugh oh! I knew that curious snorting- chortling sound! Oh no, my Aunt Beverly made that noise! It was Aunt Beverly who was looking down at me. Despite the fact that her brow was a bit wrinkled, her lips were fixed in a loving smile. Once again she chortled. In that moment I knew that though she was both puzzled and relieved, I was safe. Puzzled because when she met the bus with the expectation of joining up with me to do a little shopping in the Village, I was nowhere to be seen. Her plan was to go to White’s Department Store and then stop for an ice cream soda at Terragna's. Once finished we would then board the next available bus and retrace our route back to the top of the hill. From there a quick walk home. She was relieved to find me, after first boarding the bus at “MY Stop” and not seeing me in my usual seat.[If the truth were known, more than once Aunt Beverly had just happened to be out walking and “run into” me as the bus had reached My Stop!] She had experienced a moment of slight panic before noticing me sitting all of the way in the rear with my eyes tightly clenched. To her credit, Aunt Beverly just passed over the situation, never questioning me as to the why’s and the wherefore's. Instead, she told me why she was there and where we were going. Well actually, she did not mention the ice cream part, only the White’s Department Store part; My Mother had asked her to take me to White’s to pick out and purchase some sort of “dress clothes”. To this day, quite honestly, what I had to try on and what she had bought for me I do not know. I will say this, not all of my recollections of what went on in the Village that afternoon are forgotten. I do remember leaving White’s Department Store and going next-door with Aunt Bev to the soda fountain. We sat at the counter and I ordered what seemed to be the largest twenty-five cent triple scoop, double fudge banana split that anyone had ever seen. It was topped off with sprinkles, nuts, whipped cream and giant cherries. I will admit that Auntie Bev shared my prize with me, as my eyes were in those days so much bigger than my stomach. Well, the rest of the tale you can more or less figure out for yourself. To her credit, Aunt Beverly never “told” on me. She never quizzed me as to why I was at the rear of the bus all alone scrunched up with my eyes glued shut. I will admit that from that day on until her death many years later that at times she would look at me and wrinkle her brow, close her eyes very tight and make that little giggling sound of hers, and smile that warm, knowing, loving, comforting smile. Love’s Perfect Alignment By Diana Lewis Chapter 4 Back in Missouri Frank Foster walked into his house after a long difficult cattle drive to Denver and back. All he wanted was a cup of hot coffee and a bath but he knew his housekeeper, Connie wouldn’t allow anything to be done until he had eaten a good meal. And since it was almost suppertime, he knew he couldn’t relax much. He went to his office. He sat heavily down on his chair with a sigh. He put his hand through his testy brown hair. He saw an envelope on his desk. He slowly picked it up. It looked Josie’s handwriting. He got curious as he tore the envelope open. As he read the note, tears came to his eyes. Dear Daddy, Please don’t be upset but today I found out I was adopted. I even saw a copy of the adoption papers, But anyway, I have gone with my real mother to Montana to live there for a while. Don’t be upset that I am gone. I love you all and I will be in touch when I get there and get settled. I love you and Marky, Love, Josie Why would she go without telling me, Of course I wasn’t here. I’m losing my daughter, Lord, I need some help here, Should go after her and bring her home? Or should I let her go. Show me what your Will for me to do. I’m going to go talk to Martin, my lead man and see what he sayd. Have him confirm to me what I should do. He walked out of the house toward bunkhouse, looking for Martin. He didn’t notice but he still had the note in his hand, When he found Martin, he took over to the side so the other men wouldn’t over hear, He told him about the note and what happened, He let Martin read the note, “I don’t want to lose the daughter I raised,” he said. :I wouldn’t either if it were my daughter. I think you should go after heard.” “That’s my confirmation of the prayer I just prayed.” “That’s wonderful. What else can I do to help?” “You want to go with me?” “Sure , but we have to assign someone to take my place while we’re gone,” “I’ll leave that up to you. You know the men better.” he put his arm on his shoulder. “We leave at first light. I’ll see that Connie gives us supplies for the trip. See you at supper.” and he headed back toward the house. “Hello, Mr. Foster, I didn’t realize you were back.” said Connie coming the dinning room with plates. “Where’s Mark?” he asked. “He was upstairs the last I knew.” “Marky, are you up there?” Frank hollered upstairs. “Oh, Pa, you’re home. He came running downstairs and hugged his father. “I missed you, especially after Josie left.” “What do you know about this?” “I was here when Mr. Hammond came to see Josie. I guess he showed an adoption paper saying she was adopted and the next day they loaded two wagons and left to meet her real mother who was in Idaho heading this way. They’ve probably turned to head to Montana by now.” “What did she take?” “All her stuff, nobody else’s.. It’s like she turned her back on us and I really don’t like it one bit.” “Don’t worry, Son, we are going after her. She doesn’t know this lady from Adam and I intend to bring her home.” “Really, Pa, can I go?” “I don’t know, Son, it’s really a long ways on a horse. We’re not taking wagons, although we could.” Connie came in with the food. Martin came in right behind her. “Let’s go wash up for supper,” they headed into the kitchen and washed and came back to the table and sat down. It was Mark’s turn to say grace. “Dear Lord, please take of Josie wherever she is, keep her safe, we thank You for loving us enough to die for us. Thank you for this food. Nourish it to our bodies, In Jesus’ name we pray Amen.” “Martin, do we have a wagon we can take with us? Mark, here want to go with us. We can switch around who drives it each day. We could carry more supplies with a wagon.” “It will slow us down a little but it’s a good idea. I think we have one wagon sturdy enough to use on the trail. I’ll pout some extra wheels and parts so id we have problems we can fix it.” “Good, have it ready to go for 7:00 AM in the morning. Mark, can you be up that early?” “Sure thing, I’ll be up.” he answered. He was getting excited about taking this trip west, even if it was just to find his sister. Kids Make the Ideal Volunteers Few things can be as refreshing as the attitude of a child. The exuberance many kids exhibit makes them the ideal volunteers, as kids can brighten up a room in ways adults rarely can. For parents hoping to instill a sense of commitment to community in their children, the following volunteer ideas can be a perfect way to do just that. Clean Out the Closet Kids can start their volunteer careers right at home. Many kids grow like beanstalks and, as a result, quickly outgrow their clothing. While some parents might want to keep those clothes for younger brothers and sisters, parents who know they won't be having any more children should encourage their kids to donate their clothing to a local charity. Kids can pick through their wardrobes and choose items they have outgrown to donate to a nearby church, clothing bank or shelter. Parents can lend a hand and explain to kids that their old winter coat will now go toward helping another child stay warm, instilling a valuable lesson that helping others feels good. Work at the Local Food Bank Food banks often need volunteers, and volunteers are welcomed in all shapes and sizes. The local food bank is a great place to teach kids about the less fortunate, and kids might even enjoy interacting with other volunteers and the people they serve at the food bank. Another way to get kids involved with the local food bank is to take them to the grocery store to shop for items to donate. Parents should consult workers at the local food bank and get a list of the most needed items. Parents can then take their kids to the store and let them choose items to donate. This type of active involvement can help kids feel like they are genuinely contributing to a needy cause. Interact with Seniors Perhaps no group's eyes light up more at the sight of a child than the elderly. Many nursing homes and senior living facilities have volunteer programs for youth that encourage kids and seniors to play board games, puzzles, work on crafts, or even read together. Kids can go visit their own grandparents or, if grandma or grandpa lives too far away, simply visit a nearby nursing home or senior center and "adopt" a grandparent to spend time with. Parents should call ahead and discuss their intentions with facility staff. Many seniors may be experiencing failing mental health that a child might not understand. Parents may consider requesting their child be paired with a senior who can relate to the child. For more ideas on volunteer opportunities for children, consult the local government or ask officials at a nearby church or community center Garage Sale Success Tips It's prime garage sale season. Those interested in conquering the clutter once and for all and offering items to willing buyers can improve their chances of success by following some key tips. Individuals have different reasons for holding garage sales. Some people are moving and want to thin out items before packing. Others are looking to make a little extra spending cash. Still others simply enjoy the socialization garage sales provide. Garage sales can garner a person a good profit. However, if the goal is to make as much money as possible on high-end goods, such as antiques or collectibles, a garage sale is probably not the best place to do this type of selling. Instead, choose a reputable online bidding site or advertise specialty merchandise in the local newspaper. Those who want to clear out their home, cull through the excess clutter and make a few dollars along the way will find that garage sales can be the ideal way to do so ... if done the right way. Otherwise they can be a waste of time. Here are some pointers to maximize success. * Wait until there are enough items to fill a few tables and spread larger merchandise on the driveway or lawn. Individuals will be drawn to a sale that looks like it has a good quantity of items to pick through. * Think about a joint garage sale. Getting together with neighbors enables a larger amount of sale items and may attract a bigger crowd. * It's better to have the sale on one main day than stretch it over two or three days. Weekends provide the most action, particularly Saturday. Avoid long weekends to hold a garage sale because most people go out of town. * Garage sale visitors tend to be early birds. Therefore, schedule the sale for the early morning into the afternoon. An 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. sale will enable a good number of people to make it to the sale. * Set up the merchandise the night before and house it in the garage or another locked area. Simply move it out onto the display tables before the sale. * Realistically set prices. Remember, a garage sale is an opportunity to unload items quickly. Don't expect to earn what was originally paid for each item. Be prepared to part with things for a steal. * Advertise the garage sale in the local newspaper several days in advance. Some people like to post signs in high-traffic areas as well, such as traffic intersections or by the entrance to the local supermarket. * Have easy-to-read signs that mark the way to the sale, including the address and any directional markers. Balloons and streamers can help make the signs more visible. Be sure drivers can read the signs from the car. Writing that is too small will be ineffective. Keep the signs brief: GARAGE SALE DATE ADDRESS * It is best to host the sale in the front yard where passersby can easily see the items on display. Garages are ideal for poor weather conditions but are more difficult to scan for possible treasures. The backyard should only be used as a last resort because it is the least visible. Remember that the goal is to sell the most items so they don't have to be packed back up and either put inside or taken to the dump. Be able to part with items for less than originally marked. Consider slashing prices as the end of the sale draws nearer Did You Know? Arguably the most widely known song in the English language, "Happy Birthday to You" is credited to a pair of Kentucky sisters. Mildred J. Hill, a schoolteacher, and her sister, Dr. Patty Smith Hill, a principal at the school where Mildred taught, both get credit for writing and composing a song titled "Good Morning to All." Patty Hill is credited with the lyrics and Mildred with the music for the song, which was first published in 1893 in the book "Song Stories for the Kindergarten." However, many previous songs with very similar lyrics predated "Good Morning to All," including "Happy Greetings to All" by Horace Waters. Initially, the Hill sisters' song had nothing to do with birthdays. In fact, one legend suggests that Patty Hill was not even responsible for altering the original lyrics, which were meant as a morning greeting to Mildred Hill's kindergarten students. One theory suggests Mildred Hill's own students altered the lyrics during classroom birthday parties. While” Happy Birthday to All" was published in 1935, there remains some controversy as to who wrote the lyrics pertaining to birthdays. After accepting a position as the head of the Department of Kindergarten Education at Columbia University's Kindergarten College, Patty Hill learned Robert H. Coleman had published the song with a second verse added. That second verse is the "Happy Birthday to All" verse. Upon publishing of the second verse, Patty Hill, whose sister Mildred had passed away in 1916, took Coleman to court over the copyright issue of the song, eventually winning. Oddly enough, controversy over the song continued into the 21st century, when the issue of copyright remained a legal question. Did You Know? Solar eclipses occur fairly frequently, typically two to five times per year. One possible explanation as to why this fact may surprise people is due to the relatively small area of the ground covered totally during a solar eclipse. Unlike a lunar eclipse, which covers roughly half of Earth's surface, a solar eclipse only covers a few miles in width. Although human beings have spent millennia associating solar eclipses with doom, no such evidence exists to suggest such theories are accurate. What's more, no evidence exists supporting the theory that solar eclipses can have a profound physical effect on the human body. Don't Get Burned by Grilling Myths Are you ready to get cooking? Grilling is a staple of summertime entertainment, and some people even grill 12 months a year. As long as grilling has been around, myths have circulated about this popular means to preparing a meal. Let's set the record straight. Myth: You have to clean the grill right after cooking. Fact: It really doesn't matter when you clean the grill, just that it gets cleaned. Many people rely on grilled food as a quick method of cooking. If company is over, it's perfectly alright to leave the grill uncleaned. Just do it the next time you light the fire. Simply turn on the heat, let it warm up for about 10 minutes to allow the flames to burn off any food particles and loosen up the rest. Then go over the grates with a wire brush. Remaining oils from foods help season the metal grating and flavor the next round of food. Myth: Eating grilled food causes cancer. Fact: This myth is based on a study in which rats were fed heavily charred food that was cooked on a grill. Charred food can contain benz-pyrenes, which are carcinogenic. However, the rats were only served the charred food and in high amounts -- something that would be unlikely for people to consume. Eating grilled food as part of a balanced diet is unlikely to cause cancer. If you are concerned about benz-pyrenes, grill lean meats that are less likely to cause flare-ups and charring on the foods. Some marinades can also reduce the amount of charring that occurs. Myth: Grilling and barbecuing are the same thing. Fact: Actually, they're not. Grilling cooks food over high heat for a short duration of time. Barbecuing uses low, indirect heat to cook foods, generally all day or even overnight. Grilling is used for foods that would dry out if cooked for a long time. Less expensive, tougher cuts of meat can be barbecued, such as brisket. Myth: Grills require special cleaning to prevent bacteria. Fact: Concern about food borne illnesses is very real. Bacteria can lead to stomach discomfort and other symptoms. However, it is not necessary to sterilize your grill. The high heat used to cook the food essentially does that work for you. Allowing your grill to preheat and cleaning it regularly will be all the precaution you need to prevent bacteria. Myth: You need to coat foods in oil to prevent sticking. Fact: Generally cleaning your grill and allowing the grating to season will be enough to prevent sticking of foods. Also, allow meats to cook thoroughly on one side before attempting to flip to avoid sticking. If sticking is still a problem, a light coating of cooking oil or nonstick spray applied to the grill grates can help. To read the current issue of The People’s Press – Wallingford and Meriden’s Community Newspaper in image form or to download the latest pdf go to http://www.peoplespressnews.com/