What a wild weekend we had last weekend! I'm glad I have claws because I really had to dig in to keep from being blown away with everything else that wasn't nailed down. Sadly, the windstorm did a fair amount of damage to the trees at Fairfield H
What a wild weekend we had last weekend! Iâm glad I have claws because I really had to dig in to keep from being blown away with everything else that wasnât nailed down. Sadly, the windstorm did a fair amount of damage to the trees at Fairfield Hills. One of the stately hardwoods which graced the front lawn of Canaan House was so damaged by the storm that it had to be cut down, leaving a visual gap in the full screen of tree branches which had framed the buildingâs façade.
Parks & Recreation Commission Chairman Larry Haskel got a great chance to test one of the town parks against the elements during Saturdayâs storm. Larry and his wife, Sonja, were having a family reunion in the pavilion at Dickinson Park when the storm ripped through. As sheets of rain blew through the pavilion sideways and tress fell all around them, the 55 men, women, and children ran for cover. âWe got creamed,â Larry joked this week. Fortunately, no one was injured!
The storm actually added a little something to the party Sheila Gervais was having at her home on Algonquin Trail. Sheila had assembled 15 of her friends for a celebration of summer. Three psychics had been invited to do readings for the partygoers, who had all dressed like gypsies for the occasion. At the appointed hour, when spirits were rising in expectation, the wind blew up and the lights went out, just as if it had been staged for dramatic effect. Sheila said it was a party no one will soon forget.
Mindful of all the inclement weather weâve been experiencing lately, Father Bob Weiss passed out plastic rosary beads to parishioners at the Masses at St Rose last weekend. He said the rosary beads should be hung outside this week with prayers for good weather for the church carnival, which runs through Saturday night. Hanging rosary beads outside for good weather is an old Catholic custom, he explained, like Bingo, which is being played at 7 pm each night at the carnival in the parish hall.
When Jeff Fagan marries Jennifer Glosser in Pittsburgh this weekend Newtown will be well represented. Tim Price and Pete Mascia will be groomsmen. Stephanie Hays, who just returned from six months in London where she worked for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, will be a bridesmaid. Mark Rucktenwald will also be there. Jeff is working on his PhD in chemistry and his fiancée is in law school.
Shirley Ferris, a lifelong Newtown resident who is now in her second term as state commissioner of agriculture, recently was honored for her gift to the University of Connecticutâs College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Shirley established the Shirley Ferris Fund, which will support educational exhibits in the atrium of UConnâs new agricultural biotechnology laboratory. The exhibits will illustrate and describe biotechnology-related topics in non-technical terms. Her $10,000 personal gift was combined with a $5,000 matching grant from the UConn Foundation, of which Shirley is a member of the board of trustees.
Newtown Christian Church member Dianne Malin is spearheading a service project to donate used computers, clothing, furniture, books, and toys to an orphanage in Zimbabwe that is a care facility and hospital for children with HIV or AIDS. The items will be sent by boat in September. To donate or help call Dianne at 364-0441.
Sisters Avril and Feona Fraser have a busy summer ahead of them. They are the site leaders for this summerâs Parks & Recreation camps. Avril, a teacher, is in charge of 230 kids at Dickinson, while Feona, a college senior, heads up operations for 200 campers at Treadwell.
Over 50 Park & Rec Camp Counselors showed up at Dickinson Park Thursday to have their orientation only to find that the program had been moved to Treadwell Park after a miscommunication that someone had rented the pavilion at Dickinson for the same day as the orientation. Maybe it was a good thing since it gave the counselors a little bit more time to wake up. Early mornings when camp starts next week look like they might be a shock to some of the counselorsâ systems. Campers, if you want to be on the good side of your counselors, donât bring apples, bring caffeine!
Zoning Enforcement Officer Gary Frenetteâs cat Rusty may be notable for having had his right outer ear amputated after a scuffle with a wild animal, but Land Use Enforcement Officer Harry Fitzgerald also has a kitty cat of note. Harryâs cat weighs nearly 40 pounds, a pretty hefty feline by any standard. Harryâs cat, mind you, is not a wild animal, but a domestic cat which just has a healthy appetite. Waiter, Iâll have another four brook trout, thank you.
Don and Jean Leavitt are back in Newtown after spending the winter in Florida and the last week or so in Alaska. Don said he and Jeanâs plane landed in Fairbanks at around midnight, just as the sun was setting. It rose again in the sky three hours later, but by that time, the two were fast asleep. The Leavitts traveled down to Anchorage, during which time they got what Don called a spectacular view of Mount McKinley. Eventually, they boarded a cruise ship in Seward and celebrated the gorgeous sights along the shores of Sewards Follies.
Richard âFuzzyâ Simon may be a member of the Newtown Police Commission, but that didnât stop him from traveling at 112 mph Monday. Fuzzy fulfilled a longtime dream this week when he got behind the wheel of a Richard Petty Winston Cup car and roared his way along the track at Loudon Speedway in New Hampshire. It was a Christmas gift from his wife, Cindy. Incidentally, Fuzzyâs son Michael, 15, reached speeds of 130 mph in another car he was riding shotgun in.
The Fourth of July always takes me back to the days when Newtown used to hold a fireworks show at Dickinson Park. I remember the line of cars down Elm Drive and the hundreds of people who packed the park, the golf course hillside, and the back of the Village Cemetery to take in the spectacle. Itâs been 16 years since the town sponsored such a show, but people still call the Parks & Recreation office each year asking what time the fireworks start.
Of course, I try to have some fireworks right here every week, so be sure toâ¦
Read me again.