Â *Newtown High School graduate (Class of 1992) JOHN JUDD seems to have devoted his life to music. Judd graduated from Western CT State University with a degree in jazz performance and has been teaching about 50 students annually while also playing

By SHANNON HICKS

Published: Jul 22, 2005 12:00 am

Â *Newtown High School graduate (Class of 1992) JOHN JUDD seems to have devoted his life to music. Judd graduated from Western CT State University with a degree in jazz performance and has been teaching about 50 students annually while also playing gigs regularly, either with his trio or on his own.

Â This weekend The John Judd Trio will be the focus of a CD release celebration at Silvermine Tavern in Norwalk. The trio â with Judd on guitar, Jim Royal on drums and John Mobilio on bass â will celebrate a new recording with Jim Royal on drums. The band will be featured in the tavernâs Late Night Jazz Series, which runs from 9 to 11:30 pm Friday and Saturday nights.

Â The tavern is at 194 Perry Avenue; directions and additional information are available at 888-693-9967, 203-847-4558 or www.SilvermineTavern.com.

Â *A very important notice this week for anyone holding tickets to the Connecticut presentation of BIG Summer Classic 2005.

Â The event, scheduled for Sunday at Yale Field in New Haven, has been moved to Ives Concert Park in Danbury.

Â Tickets will of course be honored at the new location. The other good news is the line-up for the July 24 show has not changed. Still planning to perform are THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT, KELLER WILLIAMS, MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD, YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND, UMPHREYâS MCGEE and NEW MONSOON.

Â BIG Summer Classic, the only traveling festival of its kind this summer, launched on July 2-3 with two sold-out shows at Coloradoâs Red Rocks Amphitheater. In addition to performances on stage, each BIG Summer Classic event hosts an eco-village, a sumo wrestling tournament, fire dancers, costumed parades and other non-musical surprises.

Â This is an all ages general admission event.

Â Gates will open at 1 pm on the westside campus of Western CT State University, and tickets are still available. If you manage to make a reservation prior to Sunday, tickets are $39.50 each; on Sunday the price will be $45. Tickets are available through all TicketMaster vendors (including in person, phone and online) and at the Ives Concert Parkâs box office (except that itâs only open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4 pm, at 837-9226).

Â *ERIC BENET is among the new additions for The Webster Theatre in Hartford. Benet will be headlining on Wednesday, August 17. Tickets are $20 in advance. Jaeme Brennan will open.

Â Also added, for September 22, is STRYPER. I donât have details on those tickets yet.

Â HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW, scheduled for an August 19 show, has been postponed. A triple bill featuring Finch, RX Bandits and A Static Lullaby has been put in its place. Contact the club if you have tickets for the Hidden in Plain View show; 860-525-5553.

Â ARTIE LANGE has canceled one of his performances at The Webster. Lange will now only be performing one show, at 9 pm (with doors opening at 7:30), on September 17. Tickets for both shows â originally scheduled for 6 and 10 pm â will still be honored. Bob Levy and Nick DiPaolo will open.

Â *Heading into next week I know that JOHN VOKET already has at least two more shows coming up at Mocha Coffee House in Sandy Hook. John returns with his guitar, soundboard and song list on Friday, July 29, and then again on Friday, August 19.

Â Until next week Iâll be seeing you... on the road.

Â Questions and comments should be sent to Shannon Hicks c/o The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown CT 06470, or shannon@thebee.com, or call the office at 426-3141. Shows listed at club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING SHOWS

JULY 22 â Elvis Costello & The Imposters at The Chevrolet Theatre (formerly the Oakdale), Wallingford, Emmylou Harris opening; Michael McDonald at Ives Concert Park, Danbury; The Doobie Brothers at Foxwoods Casinoâs Fox Theatre, Ledyard; Darik & The Funbags at Toadâs Place, New Haven, Red Handed opening; Vixen at The Webster Theatre, Hartford; Paul Rishell & Annie Raines, featuring Dave Maxwell, at Towne Crier CafÃ©, Pawling, N.Y.;

July 23 â Buddy Guy at The Webster Theatre; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Mohegan Sunâs Wolf Den, Uncasville (also July 24); Michael McDonald at Foxwoods Casinoâs Fox Theatre; Blues Traveler at New Haven Green; Shakedown at Toadâs Place, The Melissa Mulligan Band and Rusty Horse opening; Luv Bug at Tuxedo Junction; Dervish at Towne Crier CafÃ©;

July 24 â Blues Traveler at The Ridgefield Playhouse; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Mohegan Sunâs Wolf Den (also July 23); BIG Summer Classic 2005 at Ives Concert Park, Danbury (change of venue from Yale Field, original tickets will be honored), featuring The String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Yonder Mountain String Band, Umphreyâs McGee and New Monsoon; The Wailers at Toadâs Place (all ages); Jesse Colin Young Band at Towne Crier CafÃ©;

July 25 â Hilary Duff at Hartford Civic Center;

July 27 â John Cafferty at Mohegan Sunâs Wolf Den;

July 28 â Steve Clark at McLevy Green, Bridgeport (show starts at noon, part of Summer Sounds of the World/Sweetport Music & Arts Festival Summer Concerts Series), featuring Teresa Wright; Lou Gramm at Mohegan Sunâs Wolf Den (also July 29);

July 29 â John Voket at Mocha Coffee House, Sandy Hook; Clay Aiken at Mohegan Sun Arena; American Idols Live Tour at Hartford Civic Center; O.A.R. at The Chevrolet Theatre (formerly the Oakdale); 112 at Foxwoods Casinoâs Fox Theatre, Brooke Valentine opening; Lou Gramm at Mohegan Sunâs Wolf Den (also July 28); Jeffrey Gaines at The Webster Underground, Hartford; Yellowman at Toadâs Place, The Sagittarius Band opening (all ages); James Lee Stanley and Tom Conlon at Towne Crier CafÃ©;

July 30 â The Wildflower Festival at Ives Concert Park, featuring Judy Collins and Joan Osborne; Bad Medicine at Tuxedo Junction; Big Shot at Toadâs Place, LipLok and Outta the Basement opening; Static X, American Head Charge and Blood Simple at The Webster Theatre; Vanessa Williams at New Haven Green; Bad Medicine at Tuxedo Junction; Bill Miller at Towne Crier CafÃ©, with special guest Brianne Chasenoff.

July 31 â Action Action and Spitalfield at The Webster Theatre; Stacey Earl & Mark Stuart at Towne Crier CafÃ©, The Rowan Bros. opening.

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To be clear, there are different types of open space designations in the State of CT. The "Open Space or Recreation" designation simply means that the open space is open to the public for passive recreational activities (e.g., Hiking, Fishing, Horseback Riding, etc.), as opposed to the types of open space that are closed to the public. I'm confident that our terrific Conservation Commission will fulfill their responsibilities associates with Open Space land, as outlined by the town Charter, including the recommendation of specific rules on what's allowed and what's not for the Board of Selectmen to approve. Also, make no mistake, the final language of the law is completely aligned with the resolution passed by a vote of 2-1 at the 10/7/24 BOS meeting. That resolution reads "....the Board of Selectmen will request that state legislators designate 6 Commerce Road as Town Open Space and request the economic development restriction be removed from the 6 Commerce Rd. deed....." Interestingly, on November 1st, the First Selectman wrote a letter to Mitch Bolinsky and Tony Hwang saying "....Following a resolution adopted by the Board of Selectmen on October 7th, and subsequently endorsed by the Legislative Countil on October 23rd, we seek to enact legislation that would remove the economic development stipulation from the deed of 6 Commerce Drive." Not only did he change the name from 6 Commerce Road to 6 Commerce Drive, but he also changed the request to suit his desire for the property instead of what was voted on, by omitting the part about designating it as open space! Thankfully, he attached the 10/7/24 BOS meeting minutes to his letter, where our state reps were able to reference the actual accurate resolution language, which again, matches the final language of Special Act 25-15. The only clarification needed, is why the First Selectman changed the wording of his Nov. 1st letter, from what the BOS approved on October 7th.

It’s Done: 6 Commerce Can Be Open Space

I am feeling like Mr. Ackert's quest/request for greater transparency of our town's governance is disingenuous. First off, I cannot imagine how a "town-wide policy to provide greater transparency" could possibly be worded, and I think that Mr. Capeci was just being polite in agreeing that we should have one. Secondly, Mr. Ackert is accusatory, as if he believes something nefarious is behind the lack of transparency, where it exists, while I do not believe this at all. Third: The time, effort, and upkeep to have absolutely every town meeting interactively live, recorded, and fully documented, would obviously NOT save the town money, and I doubt that other towns of our type "implemented these policies long ago." And lastly, after having witnessed the town meeting behaviors of the anti-development faction, I am certain that we should not facilitate their ability to sit at home and harangue the poor people who work so hard IN PERSON, to make our town a better place.

Calls For Policies To Create Greater Transparency

The devil is in the details, what constitutes recreation, a ice skating arena. A tennis club?

The language “any purpose other than open space or recreation, the parcel shall revert to the state of Connecticut” is a bit concerning and warrants clarification. Would the existing infrastructure be violative of this language?

It’s disappointing to see Newtown move forward with the so-called “Save-As-You-Throw” program—let’s be honest, it’s really Pay-As-You-Throw. Most families will end up paying more just to throw out their trash, despite the high taxes we already pay. While the swap shop and free bulky waste disposal are nice ideas, they don’t offset the added cost and inconvenience of having to buy special blue bags—up to $4.40 each. It’s especially frustrating to see threats of $500 fines and policeenforcement tied to something that used to be a basic service. This isn’t about sustainability—it’s about shifting more costs onto residents. I hope the town will reconsider and find a more reasonable and affordable approach. I have already heard discussions about purchasing backyard incinerators as a work around. What's next, is the town going to discontinue curb side recycling?

Save-As-You-Throw Program Coming To Transfer Station July 1

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Â *Newtown High School graduate (Class of 1992) JOHN JUDD seems to have devoted his life to music. Judd graduated from Western CT State University with a degree in jazz performance and has been teaching about 50 students annually while also playing

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