Â *JOHN VOKET returns to Mocha Coffee House in Sandy Hook tonight, guitar in hand and soundboard set up for a few hours of live entertainment.

By SHANNON HICKS

Published: Jul 29, 2005 12:00 am

Â Donât forget, next weekend John will be part of the big RICHIE HAVENS show at McLevy Green in Bridgeport. Havens will be playing around 8:30 on Friday, August 5, and John is among the local performers â perhaps the first in line, in fact â who will start playing a few hours earlier, at 5:30.

Â The concert is part of the annual International Performing Arts series. Fridayâs concert is in conjunction with a Fairfield Avenue Art Walk being sponsored by IPA from 5 to 9 pm.

Â *So I was looking around for something completely unrelated to music at the Bridgewater Fair website earlier this week and came across the full schedule for the fair. This yearâs headliners will be JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND on Saturday at 8:30 and then THE CAST OF BEATLEMANIA (who played Ives Concert Park just last weekend), with performances scheduled at 1 and 4 pm on Sunday.

Â The fair returns this year the weekend of Friday, August 19, to Sunday, August 21.

Â *Now that its latest album, Chuck, has been certified gold, SUM 41 can add that to its list of reasons to celebrate this summer.

Â What to do? What to do?

Â Hit the road with the bad boys of rock, MÃTLEY CRÃE, of course! As of Monday, just as the band was wrapping up the tour for its third CD, Sum 41 has joined MÃ¶tley CrÃ¼e on its Red, White & Crue Tour 2005, which will stop at The New England Dodge Music Center (formerly The Meadows) in Hartford on August 20.

Â Great tickets â including well inside the pavilion, less than 20 rows from the stage â are still available for this show. Pavilion seats are $55 and $75, and regular lawn seats are $25. Grass Pass tickets are also available for this show. For $39, ticket holders have lawn seating, parking covered and a $10 food coupon.

Â *SOL DOG is returning to this yearâs SoNo Arts Festival. Rev, Ron, Mark and Curtiss will be on the Food Court Stage (which theyâre happy about because itâs near the beer) on Saturday, August 6, at 4 pm.

Â Saturdayâs performances on that stage will also include THE JAWS at 5:30, WHATUPFUNK at 7:30, FREEKBASS at 8:45, and THE BOMB SQUAD at 10:30.

Â ASSEMBLY OF DUST will have a 6 pm set on The Washington Street Stage on Saturday, while The South Main Street Stage will feature DARIAN CUNNING starting at 1, FRO at 2, COSMIC JIBAROS at 3, HOT BUTTERED RUM at 4, THE RYAN MONTBELAU BAND at 5, and ASSEMBLY OF DUST at 6.

Â On Sunday, HOE opens The South Street Stage at noon, and then MYSTIC BOWIE has a 4:45 set on The Washington Street Stage.

Â Full festival details are of course available on line. Go to www.SoNoArts.org.

Â *Ives Concert Parkâs summer season continues to move along. This weekendâs big show is The Wildflower Festival, which will feature performances by JUDY COLLINS and JOAN OSBORNE.

Â Tickets range from $20 on the lawn ($10 for kids on the lawn) to $45 and $55 for the reserved seating area.

Â Following the folk festivalâs stop, the concert park will have a two-week break before its next show. Remaining 2005 ICP events include ARTURO SANDOVAL & YERBA BUENA on August 12, COLLECTIVE SOUL and THE GIN BLOSSOMS the following night, MERCYME and SALVADOR ON August 26, and the season finale by DARRYL HATT & JOHN OATES on September 1.

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

July 30 â The Wildflower Festival at Ives Concert Park, Danbury, featuring Judy Collins and Joan Osborne; Bad Medicine at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; 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; 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.

AUGUST 3 â Destinyâs Child at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville;

August 4 â Coldplay at The Dodge Music Center (formerly The Meadows) Hartford; George Thorogood & The Destroyers at Foxwoods Casinoâs Fox Theatre, Ledyard; Keith Urban at The Chevrolet Theatre (formerly the Oakdale), Wallingford (SOLD OUT, second show added for August 13); Donna Summer at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville; The Bloodhound Gand and Troy Walsh at The Webster Theatre, Hartford;

August 5 â Richie Havens at McLevy Green, Bridgeport, John Voket, et al, opening; Kelly Clarkson at Mohegan Sun Arena; Whitesnake at The Webster Theatre, Hartford; opening night of Black Sun Music Festival at Toadâs Place, featuring Das Ich, Razed in Black, Iris, Decoded, et al (continues August 6); The McKrells at Towne Crier CafÃ©, Pawling, N.Y.

August 6 â The Beach Boys with Hartford Symphony Orchestra at Simsbury Performing Arts Center; Nelson at Mohegan Sunâs Wolf Den; Lucky Boys, Confusion, The Working Title, Melee and Dropping Daylight at The Webster Theatre; Black Sun Music Festival continues at Toadâs Place, featuring Dismantled, DJâs Lee, Addambondd, et al;

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It seems a lot of the discussion around the flagpole focuses on vilifying drivers who pass on the right, but the real issue is being overlooked. If Chapter 248 Section 14-251 were enforced, we wouldn’t see this problem to begin with. That statute prohibits stopping in the middle of a roadway to yield to cross traffic—as so often happens with cars waiting to turn from Church Hill. When vehicles stop illegally in the travel lane, they effectively create a blockage. Other drivers then either sit through unnecessary delays or carefully pass around them on the right, which is fully permitted when the vehicle ahead is “illegally parked” in the roadway. Instead of punishing drivers reacting to the obstruction, enforcement should focus on the cause: vehicles unlawfully stopping and backing up traffic in the first place. If that behavior were addressed, the need to “go around” would largely disappear.

Borough Board of Burgesses Continues Traffic Safety Discussion

John, you raise an important point — these situations are tragic, complicated, and often far less clear-cut than the headlines make them seem. In the Fredericksburg case, the full facts still aren’t publicly known, and like so many of these stories, there’s conflicting information. It was apparently the back door at 3 a.m. — was it justified to use deadly force? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that the homeowner has been charged, and as you rightly noted, that is very serious. But this is also where perspective matters. These cases are quickly sensationalized in the news and on social media, yet when the dust settles, the outcomes are rarely publicized. People forget that in our system, you are innocent until proven guilty. Try to find much coverage of the convication in the case of the Fairfield Realtor vehicle homicide, or updates on the woman who shot her husband a couple of Christmases ago, or even the pedestrian death in Sandy Hook a year or so back. The follow-through simply isn’t there, and public opinion is often shaped only by the first round of headlines. At the end of the day, these situations remind us how split-second decisions in the middle of the night can change lives forever — which is exactly why the right to protect one’s property, home and family is so fiercely debated, and lucky constitutionally protected.

Late Night Prank Gone Wrong

First the low hanging fruit. Dave; it was a joke, please get over it. You are the only person in Newtown that thought I really wanted to build a stadium on 6 Commence Rd. Now on to Alex. You might not appreciate my writing style or my selection of words, but let's not loose sight of the fact that by responding to my letter in the manner that you did, you have removed any doubt whatsoever that you have no idea of the quantifiable benefits you are dismissing not only for the town, but also for protesters. Either you stopped listening at the word "ordinance" or you never started.. Your constitutional rights to assemble were never in question and would actually be strengthened and there would be literally no impediments. We could even title it "The Alex Villamil Ordinance" if you want. It could be your legacy and actually show Newtown your willingness to work in a bipartisan way for the betterment of the town. Businesses would be protected. Traffic wouldn't be interrupted. The town would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in police overtime. And maybe most importantly, the town could prevent another tragedy while mitigating legal risk in the event something terrible happens at a protest. Nothing bad could never happen in Newtown right? All that could be accomplished by a simple, non-intrusive ordinance unless all the detriments to our town are intentional in order to bring more attention to your cause. Alex, this was not me throwing a temper tantrum. Believe me, you will know it if that happens. I am just putting Newtown first. From that perspective, if you think critically, the regulation is necessary. It makes sense logically, rationally, and is reasonable. There is absolutely no down side. None. I would be willing to sit down with you to see if we could come to some type of compromise if you want. Let me know. You would be amazed how much you can accomplish when there is dialogue amongst neighbors.

It’s About Dialogue Amongst Neighbors — Not Regulation

A popular prank circulating on TikTok is “ding-dong-ditch” where a group of young people violently bang or kick someone’s door late at night and then “ditch” or run. On May 3 three high schoolers here in Fredericksburg Va. were participating in such a prank. One homeowner assumed, as in this case, an attempted break in and also took measures to defend his family and property. As the youths were running away he fired, striking an 18 year old graduating senior in the back killing him and seriously injuring a second youth. A wasted life, a family shattered, and the homeowner charged with murder.

You’re absolutely right — no one should ever feel unsafe in their own home. Being startled awake by violent banging at your door late at night is no joke, and it’s a stark reminder that danger can come without warning. That’s why I’m thankful for the right to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. In a moment like that, you don’t get a second chance to call for help before you act — you have to be prepared. Our homes should be a place of peace, not fear, and the ability to defend them is a right worth safeguarding.

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Â *JOHN VOKET returns to Mocha Coffee House in Sandy Hook tonight, guitar in hand and soundboard set up for a few hours of live entertainment.

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