Features

Going Green For Sandy Hook

Features •
Friday, May 31, 2013

Ricci’s Salon & Spa, at 99 South Main Street, held a special event on Sunday, May 19: The Sandy Hook Green Salon-a-Thon. All services that were provided to customers included a bottle of Sandy Hook Green, a new, limited edition nail color created and donated by O*P*I Products, Inc. All proceeds benefited Sandy Hook Promise, a charity formed after 12/14.
No Spashdown This Year, But Duck Race Still Nets 20 Raffle Winners

Kendra Bobowick & Shannon Hicks • Features •
Friday, May 31, 2013

Following days of rain and a swollen, rushing Pootatuck River — and even hopes by Friday, May 24, that The 13th Annual Great Pootatuck Duck Race would go onas planned — Newtown Lions Club members on May 25 made the difficult decision to change their plans for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Rather than floating plastic ducks along the river and fishing the winners from a collection point downstream, Duck Race Chairman Bob Schmidt spun tickets in a raffle wheel mid-Saturday afternoon. In the end, however, the Lions finished the afternoon with the same result as always: 20 people were winners of goods and services donated by local businesses and organizations.
Help For Oklahoma’s Dogs And Cats

Nancy K. Crevier • Features •
Friday, May 31, 2013

For those who are concerned about the welfare of the pets affected by last week’s tornado that laid low the town of Moore, Okla. and surrounding area, Reed Intermediate School student Aubrey Christensen is coming to the rescue.
Democrats To Honor Alan Clavette At Local Jefferson Jackson Bailey Event

John Voket • Features •
Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 2:01 pm

When it comes to quietly and efficiently assisting the community and his own political party, many who know him might compare local CPA Alan Clavette to The Energizer Bunny — he just keeps going and going. Mr Clavette’s legacy of service to both the community and the Newtown Democratic Town Committee will be recognized when he becomes the group’s third honoree at the 2013 Jefferson-Jackson-Bailey Dinner. The event will be Thursday, June 13, at The Villa Restaurant, 4 Riverside Road, beginning at 6 pm. According to organizer Rich Boritz, all are invited, regardless of party affiliation.
James Taylor Plays Private Show For Newtown Families, Responders

John Voket • Features •
Thursday, May 30, 2013

Five-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee James Taylor, accompanied by his wife Kim and a sweet-sounding ensemble, entertained hundreds of invited Newtown families, 12/14 survivors, and emergency responders during a private one-hour set May 26 at the Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel. Downsized from his normal touring group, the combination of Boston Symphony Orchestra cellist Owen Young, Larry Goldings on piano, Andrea Zonn on fiddle and vocals, along with vocalists Kate Markowitz and Arnold McCuller provided a perfect balance to the 13-song set...
Newtown’s Hearts Of Hope Arrive In Boston

Features •
Thursday, May 30, 2013

Hundreds of Hearts of Hope — palm-sized ceramic hearts, hand painted with personalized messages — painted in Newtown in recent weeks were packaged up and transported to Boston on Tuesday, May 15, on the one-month anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings. Four Newtown residents joined Hearts of Hope Founder Judy Pederson to hand out the 1,200 hearts in Copley Square.
Theater Review: Long Wharf Offering Pulitzer-Winning "Clybourne Park" A Wonderful Treatment

Julie Stern • Features •
Wednesday, May 29, 2013

In 1959, Chicago born playwright Lorraine Hansberry broke new ground in New York with "A Raisin in the Sun," the first play by a black woman to be produced on Broadway. Based in part on her family’s personal experience in trying to buy a house in a white neighborhood, the show ran for over two years, received prestigious awards, and has been revived, made into movies, and used as part of the curriculum in many schools. Playwright Bruce Norris was introduced to the film version in his seventh grade classroom, in an all white Texas school district specifically formed to avoid its students being bused to integrated Houston schools. It dawned on him that he and his classmates were essentially the people of Hansberry's work. Long Wharf Theatre is producing Norris's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Clybourne Park" for just a few more days, and would be worth a trip to New Haven.
Gestures Of Kindness, Part Ten: Current And Former Residents, And Strangers, Find Ways To Help And Heal

Shannon Hicks • Features •
Monday, May 27, 2013 at 8:51 am

A Sandy Hook resident who has seen his wristbands worn across the country, a Long Island runner who was inspired by those who died, a college student who did what she could to inspire others to make a promise, cheerleaders raising spirits and funds, and others who once lived in Newtown, or the area, or were so moved by the events of 12/14 that they were compelled to do something... these stories continue The Newtown Bee's Gestures of Kindness series.
Owlets Draw An Audience And Get Tagged

Kendra Bobowick • Features •
Monday, May 27, 2013 at 8:51 am

Placing a five-gallon pail on a drop cloth in the woods, bird bander and resident Larry Fischer reached in for the first of five baby screech owls. Crouched around the pail were four young children, who watched as Mr Fischer cradled one bird against him, its talons out, and wrapped and crimped a metal band around its leg. With the bands soon in place on all five babies, he would potentially be able to learn where the birds go, how long they live, and whether they maintain a nest site and mate fidelity.
Resident’s Personal Journey Through Art To Benefit SHOP

Kendra Bobowick • Features •
Saturday, May 25, 2013 at 11:12 am

Dashed onto a canvas in oils is an image of Sabrina Style’s front window, dresses displayed in the pane glass of the Washington Avenue dress shop and boutique. Again with dabs of vibrant oil colors, Main Street and other Newtown and Sandy Hook scenes have come to life thanks to artist and Newtown resident Jim Chillington. Four of the painter’s pieces will be sold or auctioned off during a June 15 Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity (SHOP) fundraiser and wine tasting event to benefit local businesses. The second annual SHOP fundraiser will benefit Newtown Scholarship Association and FAITH Food Pantry, as well as provide SHOP with future event funding.