*A reminder this week that Sandy Hook musician DOUG WAHLBERG will be among those providing music during a fundraiser next weekend for Kevin's Community Center, the free medical clinic here in town.

By SHANNON HICKS

Published: Sep 12, 2008 12:00 am

*A reminder this week that Sandy Hook musician DOUG WAHLBERG will be among those providing music during a fundraiser next weekend for Kevinâs Community Center, the free medical clinic here in town.

The event will feature classic music by the Concert Society Chamber Orchestra, arranged by Richard Serbagi (also of Newtown), Â and there will also be jazz selections from RICK BAUMER and his jazz quartet and acoustic music from MARC HUBERMAN along with the aforementioned Doug Wahlberg. The event, called âMozart, Merlot and Mums,â will run on Saturday, September 20, from 4 to 7 pm.

The event will be hosted by Shane and George Miller at their historic home at 50 Main Street (a/k/a The Budd House). There will be wine tastings, several local restaurants will offer a variety of ethnic cuisines, and there will be a silent auction showcasing the best of Newtownâs benefactors, and George Millerâs gardens will be open for tours. A glass of champagne will be offered to everyone upon arrival.

And just in case itâs needed, a rain date has been set up for September 21.

Tickets are $30 and available at Yankee Liquor, Drug Center Pharmacy, Lexington Gardens, Dodgingtown Market, Stop & Save Liquor, Mocha Coffee House, and C.H. Booth Library. Call Kevinâs Community Center at 426-0496 or visit KevinsCommunityCenter.org for further details.

*If you canât wait until next weekend, Doug and the rest of his band will be opening for Levon Helm (of THE BAND) on Saturday afternoon during the Arts & Crafts Festival at Latham Park in Stamford. Thatâs a free concert, and showtime is 2 pm.

Saturday night (where do these guys get the energy??!) The Doug Wahlberg Band will return to The Georgetown Saloon for a 9 pm show. Reservations are recommended; call 203-544-8003.

*MIDNIGHT RODEO has a number of shows, or as a recent note from band member Mark Rudzinski said, âa steady ride this month,â including two this weekend. Rodeo will be in Southport tonight (September 12) at Kicking Horse Grill (17 Pease Avenue; telephone 203-254-1600), and then at Deweyâs Irish Pub in Seymour (9 Franlkin Street; 203-888-9290).

Next weekend the band, which plays covers of popular country as well as southern rock songs, will be over at Redding Roadhouse (406 Redding Road in West Redding; 203-938-3388) for a show on Saturday the 20th.

*Guitarist MOLLY BRYCE will begin the weekendâs musical offerings at Mocha Coffee House this weekend, with a solo performance on Friday night from 8 to 10 pm. Listen for influences ranging from Paolo Nutini and The Good Life to Amy Winehouse and Taking Back Sunday.

Young singer-songwriter RYAN WEBER will have the stage area on Saturday night, also running from 8 to 10 pm.

Next weekend itâll be KAYPIN on Friday night and NICHOLA MARIA OâDONNELL on Saturday, and the following weekend Mocha will welcome the return of PORTER on September 26.

*Some good news to end the column this week: A few weeks ago I offered advance info about an event at Georgetown Saloon that was to be a benefit for Wilton Social Services Warm Up Fund. With music by FARMERS AGAINST THE CROWN and THE BILLIE SUE HOLLINGSWORTH TRIO, those of you who showed up for that fundraiser filled the house and raised $4,000 for the cause.

Most of us are going to need help with home heating bills this winter. Thanks for helping some people stay warm.

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

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 clubs are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING SHOWS

SEPTEMBER 12 â Trace Adkins at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Kellie Pickler opening; Alicia Keys at MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Ledyard; Darik & The Funbags at Toadâs Place, New Haven; Midnight Rodeo at Kicking Horse Grill, Southport; Molly Bryce at Mocha Coffee House, Sandy Hook;

September 13 â Bonnie Tyler at Mohegan Sunâs Wolf Den; Midnight Rodeo at Deweyâs Irish Pub, Seymour; Ryan Weber at Mocha Coffee House; The Doug Wahlberg Band at Georgetown Saloon, Redding;

September 17 â Built To Spill and Meat Puppets at Toadâs Place (all ages);

September 19 â Martina McBride with Jack Ingram and Jason Michael Carroll at Dodge Music Center; Sugarland at MGM Grand at Foxwoods; Kaypin at Mocha Coffee Hosue;

September 20 â Midnight Rodeo at Redding Roadhouse, West Redding; Nichola Maria OâDonnell at Mocha Coffee House;

September 24 â Willie Nelson and Family at Mohegan Sun Arena, with special guest Jakob Dylan;

September 26 â Indigo Girls at Mohegan Sunâs Cabaret Theatre (also September 27-28); Brad Paisley at Mohegan Sun Arena, Jewel, Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough opening; Roxy Perry at Georgetown Saloon (CD release party); Porter at Mocha Coffee House;

September 27 â Indigo Girls at Mohegan Sunâs Cabaret Theatre (also September 28);

September 28 â Indigo Girls at Mohegan Sunâs Cabaret Theatre;

September 30 â New Kids On The Block at Mohegan Sun Arena.

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Reservoir Rd. does indeed appear to have an interesting history that I often ponder as I hike the Rochambeau Trail. Early on it was apparently part of a main route from the center of the Borough to Taunton, which went up Mt. Pleasant Rd. and then roughly followed a watershed boundary from Mount Pleasant to Taunton Hill. When the current switchback road was built from West St. to Castle Hill in the 1800s, replacing the indirect route through the campground that Rochambeau used, the part of that original route to Taunton now known as Reservoir Rd. became redundant. But on an 1868 town map and topographic maps from 1892 and 1915, it looks like both routes were still maintained as roads. By the time of the 1934 aerial survey of CT, the connection to Mount Pleasant Rd. (maybe called Reservoir Rd. by then since the reservoir is visible) even had two outlets onto Castle Hill Rd. Since it is only shown as a partial dashed line on a 1953 topographic map, it may have stopped being maintained as a passable through road by then. But on a 1963 topographic map, where the section down to Knollwood Dr. had become a normal road again, the other end is shown as a dashed-line road, still with two connections to Castle Hill Rd., and a structure on the east side where one can still find remnants of a house today. Maybe a longtime resident can add comments about what it looked like in the 1950s and 1960s?

Clarity on Reservoir Road and the Rochambeau Trail

Please stop referring to your fellow Newtowners as the Mob. I was at the Legislative Council meeting where Mr. Pisani insulted the intelligence of a room full of Newtown voters; twice, and not in a satirical way. Plenty of new projects have been given the green light - the repurposing of the Taunton Press property is a welcome addition to Town, a new retail center is under construction on Church Hill Rd there are ongoing plans for the existing Fairfield Hills campus. Newtown is a wonderful place to live. Kudos to the Town officials who have managed to grow Newtown and maintain a small town feel, which may mean saying no to development more often than you would like. There will always be two sides to any proposal - different points of view are welcome and essential - name calling adds nothing to the conversation.

Who is Calling Newtowners Stupid?

Appreciate your perspective. Rather than litiate all of your opinions expressed here, here....I would like correct your opinion about the BOS having the final authority on road discontinuance decisions. State statute (CT GS 13a-49), requires the BOS' decision to be approvate by a majority vote at a regular or special town meeting (just like the one Newtown had a few years back to decide to spend the money to build an addition onto the High School). In towns that no longer have any town meetings, that responsibility would fall on the town's representaive government, or legislative body....in Newtown's case, our Legislative Council. Failure to follow this statutory process is but one of the reasons the town/the BOS is being sued.

There are many private roads in Newtown where they property owner owns right to the center line, for example this is often true in the lake communities. Many of these roads predate and do not conform to the Town's roads standard and therefore the Town never accepted them into the Town road system. Does the Town actually own this road?

It’s important to clarify the tone and context of Derek Pisani’s remarks, particularly the satirical line about suing Newtown for "Gross Stupidity." This was clearly a tongue-in-cheek jab at the exhausting culture of legal threats that’s become a staple on the local Facebook Group forums. It was a reflection of frustration over endless regulatory hurdles and obstructionism, and the desire to avoid common sense solutions not an insult aimed at residents. Satire, is meant to provoke thought and highlight the absurdities. If we are unable to distinguish between satire and literal threats, perhaps the comment hit closer to the truth than we’d like to admit. Rather than focusing on Pisanis style, we should be discussing the substance of what he’s pointing out: that Newtown’s progress is being routinely blocked by a small but vocal contingent who seem intent on saying “no” at every turn. They are saying no to any development, no to common sense solutions to crowd control, etc. Newtown deserves leaders who are willing to call things as they see them, even if their language ruffles feathers. That doesn’t mean they lack respect for constituents—it means they care enough to challenge the Mob and push for solutions. Isn't that what we elect people to do? I applaud Pisani's dedication, he certainly has earned my vote. Regardless, let’s not reduce conversation to tone-policing and outrage. Let’s focus on the issues that matter.

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*A reminder this week that Sandy Hook musician DOUG WAHLBERG will be among those providing music during a fundraiser next weekend for Kevin's Community Center, the free medical clinic here in town.

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