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CVH Animal Sanctuary Holds Bug Bonanza

Published: Aug 01, 2026 7:15 am

On Sunday, July 26, Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary presented its annual Bug Bonanza.

Guests enjoyed an afternoon of hands-on exploration and up-close encounters with some of nature’s smallest (and most fascinating) creatures. Kids and adults alike experienced live insect encounters with ambassador insects from Riverside Reptiles, made colorful bug-inspired nature crafts, and dove into the hidden world beneath the pond’s surface in the Sanctuary Discovery Den: The Secret Lives of Pond Bugs.

They also got to meet aquatic insects that row through water, breathe through snorkels, and carry air bubbles like tiny scuba tanks. Guests even explored authentic pond muck and used digital microscopes to get face-to-face with these remarkable creatures that live below the surface.

Bug Bonanza featured a presentation by Brian Kleinman, the owner of Riverside Reptiles Education Center in Enfield. Kleinman discussed the nature and habits of a variety of insects, bugs, spiders, and animals, and the guests were allowed to touch many of them.

Among the living creatures presented were a tarantula, a scorpion, a millipede, and giant hissing cockroaches. The guests noted that they were “fascinated, freaked out, intrigued, and a bit scared” at what they experienced and that they “learned so much and how not to be afraid” from the presentation.

Guests used nets and even their hands to scoop pond debris out of tanks holding pond water and much more during Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary’s Bug Bonanza on Sunday, July 26. Kids and adults got to learn all about the creatures that live and thrive in the murky pond environment.—Bee Photos, Glass

“Oohs” and “ewws” could be heard from the audience members as a tarantula meandered along the arm of Brian Kleinman, owner and manager of Riverside Reptiles Education Center in Enfield.

CVH Education Manager Emily Ciffone (left) explains some of the fascinating details of one of the creatures that Amaya, Lucas, and their dad, Ken Vines, scooped out of pond water and debris.

Children got to create imaginative bug-inspired nature crafts.

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It's a bit ironic. On July 31, 2025, Bruce Walczak wrote that "evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government." He also promised to respond to constituent inquiries and to "close the loop," even when there wasn't an immediate answer. Two weeks of silence in response to a legitimate question seems difficult to reconcile with that pledge. The standard wasn't set by his critics—it was set by Bruce himself. Just another politician ... say whatever is necessary to get the job. Original letter: https://www.newtownbee.com/07312025/a-commitment-to-responsiveness/

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CT primaries are closed to voters not registered with the party's designation. Dems can't vote in Rep. primaries and, vice versa. Unaffiliated and Independent voters cannot vote in them. Keep primaries closed!

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Bruce, welcome to the conversation. Your recent statement after the storm — admitting that you should have communicated “faster, more completely, and more personally” — was fine as far as it went. But this is not just about one storm. It is about a pattern. You ran on openness, responsiveness, and transparency, even saying that “evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government.” The problem is that Newtown residents have been dealing with exactly that silence from you since you were elected. Newtown’s Emergency Management page says the town, together with the Office of the First Selectman, provides “critical public information and warning” during emergencies. The town also rolled out CodeRED cellphone registration on March 24, 2022 so residents could receive emergency information directly. So where were you when police were searching for missing 23-year-old Kateri Doty in January? Where were you during the brush fires near the Newtown town line in April? Where were you on April 22, when state police and Newtown police were searching for two people who fled an I-84 crash and a canine search moved into the Church Hill Road area? Residents should not be hearing about a missing person, wildfire conditions, or police tracking dogs moving through backyards from Facebook, neighbors, or kids in town. They should be hearing from their town government. This is not really about whether you personally press the CodeRED button. Or how many task forces you have created. It is about leadership. You are the First Selectman. You are responsible for making sure the town communicates clearly, quickly, and visibly when public safety is involved. So yes, it is nice that you have finally acknowledged the problem. But the public did not need this storm to figure it out. We have been saying it for a long time. Bruce, you were missing when the town needed to hear from you. The question now is whether this storm finally woke you up, or whether this is just another late apology followed by more silence.

The topic may be the same but the narratives every other week differ and I appreciate the installments. Rebuttals on factual content rather than focusing on form would improve the discourse.

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Who would think that we would start losing count? Maybe not so much a typo as a copy-and-paste error, easy to understand after this much repetition.

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CVH Animal Sanctuary Holds Bug Bonanza

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