Features

Bunny Watch 2014 Preparations Underway

Eliza Hallabeck • Features •
Thursday, April 10, 2014

For the fourth year in a row, Newtown High School Odyssey of the Mind team members are gearing up to offer the annual Bunny Watch, a fundraiser for the group to attend the World Finals of the problem-solving competition. Odyssey of the Mind is the largest intellectual competition in the world. Teams of up to seven students select and solve one of five long-term problems that they present at the annual state competitions. The top 30 teams in each competing state then head to World Finals, where teams from more than 30 countries come together in the spirit of international competition. This year’s Odyssey of the Mind World Finals will be held at the end of May in Ames, Iowa. A number of Newtown’s Odyssey of the Mind teams will be attending World Finals. This year’s Bunny Watch is set for 10 am to 4 pm, Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19. It is once again being held on the Fairfield Hills campus, behind Glander Field. Rides will cost $5 per person and each participant will be given a tally sheet to “count” each bunny seen along the path. Additional activities will also be offered during the two-day event, including an inflatable slide.
A Book With Good Taste Between Its Pages

Nancy K. Crevier • Features •
Monday, April 7, 2014

Fairfield County Chef’s Table, Extraordinary Recipes From Connecticut’s Gold Coast, released March 3 by Globe Pequot Press, is a book of recipes and photographs from more than 50 of Fairfield County’s restaurants, and the stories of the chefs behind the food. It is a collaboration by photographer Stephanie Webster, editor in chief and founder of CTbites.com, and Newtown native Amy Kundrat, who is the executive editor of that award winning website. The book builds on the brand recognition generated by CTbites, said Ms Kundrat. “About two years ago, I thought that a recipe book about the chefs and Fairfield County food scene would be great, so I pitched it to Pequot Press,” she said. It was an idea well received, and she set about determining who and what would be featured in the book. Fairfield County Chef's Table is one in a series of similar books published by Globe Pequot Press featuring cities and regions from across the country, with unique content by the authors.
A Who's Who Of Great Guitarists Channel Hendrix At Waterbury's Palace

John Voket • Features •
Saturday, April 5, 2014

WATERBURY — Whether a fan of the late, great guitar wizard Jimi Hendrix looking to see how some of the world’s best living axe wielders reimagined his work, or a perennial attendee to the Experience Hendrix Tour hoping to feel the magic Hendrix left behind when he passed away in 1970, ticket-holders easily got their money’s worth when the excursion pulled into Waterbury’s Palace Theater on March 29. Clocking in at nearly four hours, the crew for this stop included a somewhat subdued but nonetheless inspiring Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the innovative Dweezil Zappa, left-handed blues rocker Eric Gales, as well as Texas guitar gods Doyle Bramhall II and Eric Johnson. Fourteen-year-old Stratocaster prodigy Noah Hunt and the long, blond and blistering work of Ana Popovic also flavored the diverse lineup.
Collins & Proimos Named Christopher Award Winners

Features •
Saturday, April 5, 2014

The stories of a corporate executive who left his job to help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy among inner city teens, an athlete who withstood racial hatred to break baseball’s color barrier, and the autobiographical story of a girl in first grade who tries to stay brave while her father is fighting in Vietnam are among 19 feature films, TV/Cable programs, and books for adults and young people being honored with Christopher Awards this year. Created in 1949, The Christopher Awards are presented to writers, producers, directors, and illustrators whose work affirms the highest values of the human spirit. Sandy Hook-based author Suzanne Collins and illustrator James Proimos, from Baltimore, Md., have been named winners of a 2014 Christopher Award for "Year of the Jungle: Memories from the Home Front," an autobiographical picture book written for children in kindergarten and up (Scholastic Press). The honorees were announced on April 2. The 65th annual presentation of the awards is scheduled to take place in New York on May 15.
Booth Library Hosts Connecticut State Chess Championship

Features •
Saturday, April 5, 2014

Thirty-five participants did battle in two sections at the C.H. Booth Library on Saturday, March 29, for the title of 2014 Connecticut State Chess Champion. The tournament was organized by Glenn Budzinski of Newtown Chess Club and Derek Meredith of New Britain Chess Club. The championship section was won by National Master Gary Shure of Westport, with three wins and one draw in four games. Mr Shure was declared State Chess Champion, the third time he has won that title.
The Top of the Mountain

Features •
Friday, April 4, 2014

Newtown, from a cat's point of view.
The Way We Were

Features •
Friday, April 4, 2014

A look back at Newtown 25, 50, 75, and 100 years ago.
Julie Allen Bridals Donates 415 Dresses For Prom Dress Giveaway In New Haven

Eliza Hallabeck • Features •
Friday, April 4, 2014

After Julie Allen Bridals marketing director and co-manager Lauren Morehouse spent a week, roughly eight hours in total, sorting through dresses, she had gathered 415 to be donated to the Believe in Me Empowerment Corporation’s Prom Dress/Formal Giveaway.The dresses were sorted, bagged, and gathered in a front section of Julie Allen Bridals on Friday, March 28, for Believe in Me Empowerment Corporation case manager Valerie DiNuzzo’s arrival. Ms DiNuzzo picked up and delivered the dresses for the Believe in Me Empowerment Corporation. “People have started donating personally because they saw what a great job Julie Allen Bridals did,” Ms DiNuzzo said. The Prom Dress/Formal Giveaway is set for Friday, April 4, in New Haven and will offer eighth grade girls attending formals and high school juniors and seniors attending proms who otherwise would not be able to afford dresses, the opportunity to select attire for their upcoming special events.
Snapshot: Helen Brickfield

Features •
Friday, April 4, 2014

A weekly profile of a local person.
Culinary Students Set A ‘Community Table’ To Show Off Food Skills, Creativity In Feeding Homeless

Shannon Hicks • Features •
Thursday, April 3, 2014

A special event at Newtown High School on March 27 highlighted the ongoing collaboration between the Newtown High School Culinary Department and the student-launched organization Feeding The Need. “A Community Table: Food from the Heart, Nourishing the Soul” was a showcase, of not only the talents coming out of the kitchens at 12 Berkshire Road but also of what can be done with items from a food pantry when preparing meals for a homeless shelter. Approximately culinary 30 students were paired off and challenged to come up with something extraordinary with ingredients found in most food pantries. The results, as many in the crowd on March 27 were repeatedly overheard declaring, were “amazing,” “incredible,” and “delicious.”