Thumbs up for soaking up some summer sun

Transcription

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AVON • BURLINGTON • CANTON • FARMINGTON • GRANBY • SIMSBURY
Vol. 7, Edition 30
Thursday
July 23, 2015
in the press
Summer theater
puts on 50th
production
Simsbury Summer Theatre is a tradition for many. This year, participants will bring a show about tradition to the stage during the 50th
anniversary production. PAGE 5
Gardens
growing with
great success
The community gardens at Farmington Woods are enviable. Tony
Retartha, a Woods resident and
community gardener for more
than 10 years, said the gardens in
the gated community rival and
even surpass most in the greater
community. PAGE 13
Photo by Ted Glanzer
Thumbs up for soaking up some summer sun
With temperatures soaring into the 90s last weekend, local residents looked for ways to keep cool and enjoy the season. Pictured above: Rob Green
gives the thumbs up while tubing on the Farmington River on the Canton/Farmington border. See more photos on page 9.
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Wild about animals
NEWS
THIS WEEK
A&E
Quotes
of Note
“A firefighter’s job is
to protect other people
and their property.
My job was to protect
[the firefighters]. I felt it
was very important and
felt it was personally
invigorating to serve in
that role. I was honored.
I served in that role by
accident.”
3
The Buzz
11
Town News
13
Business
18
Editorial
20
Sports
21
Calendar 26
Classifieds
28
-David Leff in “A combined
almost-century of service”
on page 7
Courtesy photo
10
At the home of Steven Morrell and Beverly Schmidt in Burlington, a hummingbird flew in through a window and rested on a branch next to the cutout of a crow. After resting, the hummingbird checked out the
open dining/kitchen area before returning to its perch. By then, the windows were open for it to fly away.
If you have a photo of a critter that you’ve spotted locally, submit it for this segment to Abigail at aalbair@
turleyct.com. Include “Wild About Animals” and the animal spotted in the subject line, as well as your
town of residence. All submissions will be considered for inclusion in a future edition.
“What’s going on with
the Charles House
property is hugely
important to
Unionville. The Town
Council should make
sure everyone is aware
of it and everyone’s voice
is heard.”
-Amy Suffredini in “Council will
vote on easement...” on page 17
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The
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PRESSARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
‘Clay on the Wall’ art show opens July 24 at Lost Acres Vineyard
Her pottery has earned accolades and
awards, graced the pages of Yankee Magazine, been represented by fine galleries and
selected for the Slater Memorial Museum’s
permanent collection. One of her clay pots
even survived a trek to the top of Mount
Everest. Now, Granby artist Avis Akers Cherichetti is embracing a new challenge: Her
first one-person show, “Clay on the Wall,”
runs July 24 through August 15 at Lost Acres
Vineyard in North Granby.
Not only has this exhibition required
Cherichetti to produce nearly 100 innovative
new clay works, which will be on display and
available for purchase Friday through Sunday, it’s required her to think in new dimensions: creating both decorative and functional ceramic pieces designed to be hung on
walls and cherished every day.
“This show demands my creations
come out of cupboards, off their pedestals and onto the walls,” says Cherichetti,
who has honed her skills for more than 35
years. Mirrors, clocks, decorative plates: all
are original, singular pieces that reflect her
continual experimentation and desire to expand the boundaries of her chosen medium.
“As I work on pieces for this show, I get more
and more excited about the possibilities inherent in clay,” she shares. Her current work
expresses repetitive motifs—which may be
printed, carved or executed in glazes—on
pieces of varying colors finished using an array of firing techniques.
At a public opening at the vineyard from
weaving structure, which adds thickness
and softness. A book on this technique, challengingly written in Swedish, inspired him to
explore the versatility of this weaving system.
Avis Akers Cherichetti is an experienced
and prolific potter who works from her home
studio, Honey Hill Pottery, which is open to
the public daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 31
Barndoor Hills Road in Granby. She has been
an active potter for more than 35 years, and
her work, which is displayed and enjoyed in
homes and collections around the world,
evolves continuously as she explores new ceramic techniques.
She produces hundreds of functional
and decorative stoneware pieces each year,
ranging from individual creations, such as
bowls, lamps and teapots, to entire wedding
registries. She makes pots that are meant
to be used and pots that are nonfunctional.
She makes pots for birds and flowers and
pots for people and pets. Cherichetti’s multifaceted work employs alternative firing
methods including raku and saggar, and her
pieces are all designed to balance durability
and utility with beauty. Learn more at www.
honeyhillpottery.us.
Lost Acres Vineyard is located at 80
Lost Acres Road in North Granby. The show
may be experienced during the vineyard’s
regular business hours: Fridays and Saturdays from noon until 6 p.m. and Sundays
from noon until 5 p.m. For more information, call 860-841-8675.
Courtesy photo
Avis Cherichetti has created nearly 100
distinctive pieces, such as this stoneware
wall pocket, for “Clay on the Wall,” which
runs July 24 through August 15 at Lost Acres
Vineyard in Granby.
5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 24, Cherichetti will
unveil the show and answer visitors’ questions about her inspirations and methods.
Her husband, Lou Cherichetti, will also be
on hand to discuss the rugs he’s designed
and handwoven: Several will accent the pottery installation. The 100 percent wool rugs
exhibited are Dobbel Krokbragd, a Swedish
Salmon Brook Historical Society opens
for tours featuring three special exhibits
This summer Granby’s Salmon Brook
Historical Society has three temporary exhibits on display in addition to its regular
house and barn tours. These three special
exhibits cover a wide variety of historical
interests.
Simsbury Bank
Cash Management
Solutions
Show your
finances
who’s boss
Steppin’ Out! Of Lace,
Trim, Ruffles and Fringe
Have you ever wondered what women living in the Farmington Valley wore for an
evening dancing the Charleston with their
favorite fellow, or to an afternoon tea with
the ladies, a wassail party or to dinner and
a movie perhaps? Spanning the years from
the 1890s through the 1930s, the eight vintage dresses and various accessories on exhibit throughout the historic houses allow
a glimpse into women’s fashion over the
years.
“Be Prepared!” to see a Vintage
Boy Scout Exhibit
Kurt Bryant, a First Class Scout and troop
historian in Troop #125 in Granby, has an
exhibit of Boy Scout memorabilia in the
Preservation Barn. The items on display
will bring back happy memories to former
Scouts. Parts of the exhibit are on loan from
local citizens. Included in the display is a
journal with a sign that reads, “What is your
favorite Scouting memory?”
Marking the End of the Civil War
In recognition of the 150th anniversary of
the Civil War’s end, Estelle H. Holcomb’s
Simsbury Bank’s Cash Management Suite gives you the
flexibility to simplify and manage the flow of money through
your organization.
Courtesy photo
Vintage dresses offer a glimpse of life from
the 1890s to the 1930s.
Stars and Stripes Quilt is on display in the
Preservation Barn. Made in 1861, Estelle H.
Holcomb of West Granby was 17 years old
when she made this quilt from a pattern
published in the July 1861 issue of Peterson’s Magazine.
Join the society at 208 Salmon Brook
Street in Granby for a walk back in time.
It is open for tours on Sunday afternoons
from 2-4 p.m. through Sept. 27. Members
are free. Nonmember admission is $5 for
adults, $2 for children and seniors.
Whether you need to view and conduct business online
or are looking for automated financial services, we can
offer a comprehensive package tailored to your unique
business needs.
To learn more, visit
SimsburyBank.com/CashManagement
July 23, 2015
The
Valley Press
3
Acoustic Nights at Winding Trails
Acoustic Nights, the
Farmington Valley’s own
version of Tanglewood, will
take place Friday, July 31, at
the Ampitheater in Winding Trails in Farmington.
Dave Donaldson and Marc
Shulman will headline the
night.
Donaldson is an accomplished singer-songwriter who has performed
over the last 40-plus years,
most recently at the Bitter End in New York City.
He has a deep catalogue
of original material performed on acoustic and
electric guitar, as well as
piano. Shulman is a highly respected session guitar player who has toured
and recorded with Jewel,
Suzanne Vega, Richard
Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky,
Shawn Colvin, Celine Dion,
Patti Larkin and many
others.
The opening act will
be Nightcap, a group who
plays acoustic-style classic rock. Hosting the event
will be Blackberry Jam, an
acoustic guitar trio based
out of the Farmington Valley. Their music involves an
organic blend of blues, folk,
funk and classic rock.
The event will be held
Schubert’s last year at the library
On Tuesday, July
28, the Farmington Libraries will host historian Jeffrey Engel for a
lecture on the last years
and works of composer
Franz Schubert. A Director’s College event, it will
take place at 7 p.m. at
the Farmington Main Library, 6 Monteith Drive.
The last year of Schubert’s
life was marked by pro-
fessional disappointment
and very poor health. Despite these handicaps, he
wrote music seamlessly
and at an incredible clip,
producing one masterpiece after another until just weeks before his
early death. Engel will
relate in detail the tragic life of Schubert and
showcase some of the
extraordinary music he
the characters created by
Charles Addams, features
a story that is every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams, the ultimate
princess of darkness, has
created in 1828. Engel is
a music historian who
teaches at Northwestern
Connecticut Community
College. The event is free
and open to the public.
Advanced
registration
is required for Director’s
College programs. Call
860-673-6791 for details
or register through the
library’s website at www.
farmingtonlibraries.org.
Collinsville HOT, to be
held Saturday, July 25, is a
day of entertainment, artisans, food and children’s
activities, capped by a spectacular water fire display.
The event starts at 9 a.m.
with an outdoor yoga class
and the artisans fair starts
at 10 a.m. Watch the Chalk
Walk art competition and
enjoy live entertainment all
day long. The Family Chill
Zone is in the Town Hall
parking lot with activities for
kids, including bubble-making with Suzanne DeRosa,
popcorn and pretzels from
Popcorn-Powered
Mama,
and ice cream from Canton
Creamery. Performing on
two stages throughout the
day will be the following:
Dilfopotamus, 11 a.m.-noon;
Dawnie Love and Friends,
noon-1 p.m.; Kais and Dollz,
1:15-2:15 p.m.; West End
Blues, 2:30-4 p.m.; and Goddamn River, 4:15-5:15 p.m.
The day will end with Fire
on the Water from 8:30-10
p.m. and a lighting ceremony
with Chief Firecrow on Main
Street.
Stop by and pick up a flavorful
offering Gnome-made daily from
scratch in our own kitchens.
Our new cases offer a variety of
delicious prepared foods from
chicken pot pies, chicken cutlets,
chicken salads to black bean salads.
Stuffed clams, hummus and more!
grown up and fallen in love
with a sweet, smart young
man from a respectable
family, The Warner Stage
Company production of
“The Addams Family” is
directed and choreographed by Foster
Evans Reese with musical director Dan Porri. Performances are
Saturdays, July 25 and
Aug. 1 at 8 pm; Sundays, July 26 and Aug.
2 at 2 p.m.; and Friday,
July 31 at 8 p.m. Call
the Box Office at 860489-7180 or visit www.
warnertheatre.org.
We also Cater!
Summer Hours:
Cafe Open: Mon., Wed., Thurs. 11:30 to 7; Ice cream: 11:30 to 8
Cafe Open: Friday & Saturday til 8pm; Ice cream Fri /Sat/Sun until 9pm
Join the Community
Read Discussion of “Boys
in the Boat” with Simsbury
High School crew team
members Tuesday, July 28,
7-8:30 p.m., at the Simsbury Public Library, 725
511 Spielman Hwy, Burlington • 860-673-8111
July 23, 2015
• MINI GOLF NOW OPEN ACROSS THE STREET •
OF CANTON
est. 1978
after 12 years as one of its
principal dancers. She is the
artistic guide for the dance
department’s fourth season
of “From Studio to Stage.”
Tickets are $10, and can be
purchased online at hartford.edu/hcd or by calling
860-768-4228. A romantic
ballet in two acts, “Giselle”
features a trusting peasant
girl, a love-struck nobleman
and a cast of ghostly spirits
who dance their victims
to death.
Community Read discussion
of ‘Boys in the Boat’
www.SaybrookFishHouseCanton.com
The Intersection of 44, 202 & 179
Frozen Gnome!
Valley Press
The Hartt School Community Division Dance Department presents “Giselle,”
a ballet by Adolphe Adam
Saturday, July 25 at 2 and
7:30 p.m. at Millard Auditorium at the University of
Hartford, 200 Bloomfield
Ave., West Hartford. The
guest choreographer and
artistic director of the production is Xiomara Reyes,
a world-renowned dancer
who retired from the American Ballet Theatre in May
Fish House
Complete your meal with a visit to the
The
Ballet ‘Giselle’ at Hartt
PATIO
OPEN!
Let’s meet at the
Catering menu available
4
Photo by Gene Schiavone
!
O
PEN
O
Get
it
to go!
I
T
A
from 7-9 p.m. and is free to
members of Winding Trails
and Greater Hartford Arts
Council card holders, $5
for non-members, and $3
for children (4-12). Tickets
may be purchased at the
door the day of the event.
Food, beer and wine will
be served for a fee.
For more information,
call 860-677-8458 or visit
www.windingtrails.org.
Collinsville
heats up
Warner presents ‘The Addams Family’
The Warner Stage
Company will present the
musical comedy “The Addams Family” July 25-Aug. 3
on the Main Stage. “The
Addams Family,” based on
Xiomara Reyes
in “Giselle” at the
American Ballet Theatre
Reserv. Accepted: 860.693.0034 • Open 7 Days & 7 Nights
Lunch: Mon.-Fri. 11:30-4 • Sat. 12-4
Dinner: Mon.-Thurs. 4-9 • Fri. & Sat. 4-9:30 • Sun. 12-8
Hopmeadow Street.
What is it like to be
part of “the boat”? Learn
firsthand as members of
the SHS men’s and women’s
crew teams and their coaches share their experiences
participating in a top-notch
rowing program and what it
means to each of them to be
part of “the boat.” This will
be followed by a facilitated
discussion with crew members, coaches and audience
members of Daniel James
Brown’s bestselling book,
“The Boys in the Boat: Nine
Americans and Their Epic
Quest for Gold at the 1936
Berlin Olympics.” The discussion will be led by local
historian and author Mary
Jane Springman. Extra copies of the book are available
to check out at the library’s
Reference Desk. Come and
be part of the discussion.
Registration is suggested at
860-658-7663, ext. 2200 or
www.simsburylibrary.info.
Free and open to all.
Simsbury Summer Theatre puts on 50th production: ‘Fiddler on the Roof ’
By Abigail Albair
Editor
Simsbury Summer Theatre is a tradition for many.
This year, participants
will bring a show about tradition to the stage during the
50th anniversary production.
“Fiddler on the Roof ”
will showcase the talents of
local high school and college students at the end of
this month. The show, which
won nine Tony awards when
it debuted in 1964, features
memorable songs such as
“Matchmaker, Matchmaker,”
“If I Were a Rich Man” and
“Tradition.”
While much of the first
act includes humor and storylines of love, there are much
greater undertones of commitment to culture and the
way change can challenge a
family. Set in Imperial Russia
in 1905, the musical tells the
tale of Tevye, a father of five
daughters who must contend with the choices of his
three eldest to marry for love.
Eventually the Jews are evicted from their village, a culmination of the story about one
man’s need to maintain his
religious and cultural traditions, but also a potential new
beginning for the family.
“It’s an interesting show
because it’s so beloved, and
it’s such a dichotomous show,”
SST Board President Nancy
Grandin said. “Up until the
[end of the first act] it’s funny and clever; the second act
kind of slaps you in the face
a little. But it’s done in such
a lovely, engaging way. ... You
find a nice balance between
needing to tell this important
story and also entertaining
the audience. I think that’s a
very hard thing to do and this
show does it well.”
The lead actors who play
Tevye’s wife and three eldest
daughters all found the message of the show to be applicable in today’s world.
“After all the changes
happen to the daughters, even
without tradition, the daughters are the happiest they’ve
ever been,” Kate Campolieta,
who plays Hodel, said of the
show. “They challenged the
faith and the way things were.
That really contributes to the
lesson of accepting change
and breaking boundaries and
creating new rules.”
Jen Bush, who plays
Tzeitel, agreed with Grandin
that the show builds to its
larger message, bringing the
audience in along the way.
“Act one builds this endearment for the faith and
culture and family. That’s girls who fall in love. It’s about
what makes the second act a race of people who are
so impactful,” she said.
oppressed.”
The actors spent many
The lead actors demonhours learning lessons about strate the range of talent withthe Jewish culture in order to in the cast this year, as well as
accurately and respectively commitment to SST as they
portray it on stage. They had all are veteran members.
help from Jewish cast memPaddock and Campoliebers, volunteers and the fami- ta, a second-generation memly of those involved.
ber of SST, are rising seniors at
“We’re attacking it with Simsbury High School. Both
an open mind,” explained have portrayed principal roles
Katelyn Paddock, who plays – Paddock was the stepmothTevye’s wife, Golde. “I have to er in “Cinderella,” and Camlight the Sabbath, so I had to polieta was Oliver Twist in
learn how to do that.”
“Oliver” and Carrie Pipperidge
Campolieta said she in “Carousel,” among others
learned details of Jewish his- – and have been part of the
tory she had not understood theater group for many years.
before. “I think it’s important
Sarah Baierwick, who
when you do any show that plays Chava, is also a rising
you take away something SHS senior in her fourth profrom it,” she said. “I have duction but first principal role
learned about Jewish culture, on the SST stage.
what life was like back then
“I’m very, very honored,”
and historical facts.”
she said. “After you get past
That level of respect is the initial ‘This is real’ [mosomething the actors hope ment], actually going onstage
audiences leave the show in front of an audience is
feeling. While the show is well when it will hit me. I’m nerknown, they feel those who vous but excited.”
haven’t seen it may not realize
Bush is a SHS graduate
the depth of the material.
and rising senior at North“People say, ‘That’s the eastern University and the
one where they are trying to daughter of two SST alums.
marry off the daughters,’ but She appeared as Cinderella in
it’s about a whole culture and “Cinderella” and Kim MacAfee
it will be fun to show [au- in “Bye, Bye Birdie.”
Tevye is played by Andiences] it’s more complex
than that,” Paddock said. “It is drey Vdovenko, a rising senior
Jumbo 2 mil VALLE 7/7/15 6:27 PM
about more than these three at Loomis Chaffee, who previ-
ously appeared as Billy Bigelow in “Carousel.”
Paddock, Campolieta,
Bush and Baierwick all agreed
that the cast has many younger ensemble members this
year who will help continue
the organization’s success for
years to come.
“I think one of the great
things about this cast is …
this passion and enthusiasm,”
Campolieta said. “They really
care and give 100 percent all
the time. It’s nice to see the
future of the organization is
so bright.”
The professional staff
“ D a nofc e
SST includes 17-year artistic director Joe Campolieta,
Hartt school teacher and music director Jack Pott and New
Photo by Lisa Brisson
D.A.N.C.E.
by Kristin
Andrey Vdovenko and Katelyn Paddock as Tevye and Golde.
Tickets are available onEngland School of Dance choline at www.simsburysumreographer Lesley Lambert.
“Fiddler on the Roof ” will mertheatre.org or by calling
n dperformed
Abe
N u t r i t i o n at the Werner the ticket information line
Creative
”
E d u c a tati o n860-951-6860.
Tickets can
Centennial Theater
at Westminster School in Simsbury also be purchased in the lobJuly 29, 30 and 31 at 7 p.m. and by of the theater before each
performance.
Aug. 1 at 2 p.m.
D.A.N.C.E.
by Kristin
“Dance“ DAann cde ANnud tNruittriio
t i onn C
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a tai vtei v
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Kristin ofers a variety of competitive and
A.N.C.E. by
D.
non com
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de
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ip-Hop! S
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top by to f
nd a class that is perfect for your dancer!
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We e k
OPEN HOUSE
August 1, 2015 • 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Check out the 2015-2016 schedule, register for classes,
enjoy snacks and win prizes!
Please see website for additional details!
Kristin Vilardi • Artistic Director
D.A.N.C.E. by Kristin, LLC. • 109B Main St. • Collinsville, CT
[email protected] • http://www.dancebykristin.com • 860-380-0702
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July 23, 2015
The
Valley Press
5
Eburth and Xabi Escobar enjoy some time on the banks
of the Farmington River.
Ella Romanowski plays in the sand on the Farmington River.
A kayaker enjoys the paddling scene on the Farmington
River.
Summer scenes
W
ith temperatures soaring into the 90s
last weekend, Farmington Valley residents took to the seasonal staples of
tubing, kayaking, paddle boarding, mini golfing
and swimming to enjoy some fun in the sun.
Pictured here are scenes of what people did to
escape or, in some instances, enjoy the heat.
Photos by Ted Glanzer
Julie Burns (above) and Matthew Patrick (above, right)
prepare to go tubing on the Farmington River.
Allison Miller relaxes while tubing on the Farmington River.
Amanda Beaudreau and Ellie Smith paddle in from the Farmington River.
6
The
Valley Press
July 23, 2015
Ed Romanowski Jr. (above) and Sr. (top)
enjoy the Farmington River.
Matt Schmicker shows off his form on a shot at Riverfront Miniature Golf Course.
A combined almost-century of service
Firefighters retire from volunteer posts after a collective 91 years serving the town of Canton
By Alison Jalbert
Assistant Editor
Three recently retired members of the
Town of Canton Volunteer Fire & EMS Department served, in various positions, for 91
years combined.
Fire Capt. Wayne Goeben recognized
David Leff, Mike Zimmerman and Bill Volovski at a recent dinner held to thank fire, EMS
and fire police members for their service. All
three began their fire and/or EMS careers beFile photo
fore the formation of the town-wide departCourtesy photo
Courtesy photo Bill Volovski, pictured scooping ice cream at
ment, when three separate fire departments
David Leff, pictured above marching in a
a Free Cone Day to benefit the department,
served the town: North Canton, Canton and Mike Zimmerman was part the fire service
Memorial Day parade, retired after 26 years. retired after 37 years.
Collinsville. The ambulance service was its for 10 years and EMS crew for 18 years.
own separate entity.
He was part of Canton’s EMS crew that Volovski, said when Dan Volovski went on his
Leff retired after 26 years, 23 of which he close-knit group. They engage in experiences
that
people
who
are
friends
or
acquaintances
responded
as the third ambulance to the first call, he was in the back of the truck with
served as the department’s first safety officer.
rarely
go
through
together,
situations
that
are
Avon
Mountain
crash in 2005. He helped tri- him, something very meaningful to him.
He was also a Medical Response Technician.
sometimes
life-and-death
scenarios.
In instances where there is a fire, Leff
age
and
then
transport
two patients from the
He told The Valley Press that his desire to be
“We
can’t
be
everywhere
–
we’re
all
our
said
most material possessions can be rescene.
more involved in the community drew him to
brother’s keepers,” he said. “You have to look
“It was the worst thing I had ever seen,” placed, but there are certain keepsake items
joining the department.
he said in an email. “The flames were still go- that cannot. “If you bring [a keepsake] out of
“I believe in public service,” he said. “Vol- out for the other guy.”
Volovski retired after 37 years with the ing when we arrived. We could see the smoke the building, … the looks on people’s faces are
unteerism is what made this country great,
priceless,” he said.
whether it was the Minutemen in 1775 in department; he held the titles of fire lieu- from miles away as we approached.”
Volovski said the fire department is ofFirefighters’ most memorable calls are
Lexington and Concord, or the Little League tenant, fire captain and deputy fire chief
coach today or the person who sits on a zon- during his tenure. He said he wanted to be often traumatic. Leff recalled an incident ten responding to calls people make on what
ing board. Volunteerism is the absolute rock a firefighter since he was a child, and joined where a newly married woman drowned in could be the worst day of their lives.
the department when he turned 18. Being a the Farmington River. Her husband was on
“A lot of times, we’ve had the opportuniand strength of this country.”
ty to change the outcome and make that day
He chose the fire department as the firefighter is a family affair for Volovski; three scene and was “close to hysterical.”
“My job was to be with him and keep him better than it could have been. We’ve saved
source of his volunteerism because he enjoys generations of his family have served in Canbeing outside and learning new things. Leff ton, as well as other relatives in the fire ser- calm as they carried her in a Stokes basket people and saved property. We’re able to turn
up to the waiting helicopter. It was a pretty it into a better experience,” he said.
had a job that kept him indoors most of the vice in other towns as well.
“It’
s
in
our
blood,
”
he
said.
Making the decision to retire is not alhorrible scene,” he said, noting it was hard to
time, so firefighting was a way to get outside.
At
one
point,
four
members
of
the
deways
easy, but Leff said the demands of the
discuss.
“Working in an office, I didn’t have too
partment
lived
under
one
roof:
his
wife
job
caught
up with him.
Volovski’
s
most
memorable
call
hapmuch of an opportunity to work with things
worked
for
the
ambulance
service,
and
his
“I
did
very
limited physical labor on the
pened
to
be
the
first
one
he
responded
to
that are mechanical. Firefighting gave me
son
and
stepson
were
both
firefighters.
His
fire
ground
–
my
job was to use my eyes, ears
in
1975:
a
head-on
collision
on
Route
44
in
that opportunity as well.”
son,
Dan,
received
a
bachelor’
s
degree
in
fire/
and
head.
It
gets
to the point where it’s too
which
one
of
the
vehicles
carried
16
people
on
Leff became the department’s first safearson
investigation
from
the
University
of
hard,
too
taxing
to
do.”
their
way
to
go
swimming
in
Barkhamsted.
ty officer at a time when safety standards for
New
Haven
and
currently
serves
in
the
WindVolovski
said
it seemed like “the time
“When
we
came
upon
a
car
like
that,
it’
s
firefighters were becoming mainstream.
something very difficult to prepare for,” he was right” after 37 years.
“I pointed out something to the then- sor Volunteer Fire Department.
Looking back on his time in Canton, said. “We’re used to accidents where there’s
“I certainly always encourage people to
chief that I thought was an unsafe condition,”
join,” he said. “It’s such a positive way to give
he recalled. “He said, ‘OK wise guy, if you’re so Volovski said the most important thing that two or three patients.”
happened was the merger of the three fire deAnother call that stands out in his mind back to the community. There are few organismart, I’m making you the safety officer.’”
is when a fellow firefighter was killed in the zations in town that give and serve so much.
When Leff joined the department, fire- partments, which took place in 1995.
“I was a very, very strong proponent for line of duty. Arthur Vincent was killed in 1987 There are so many positive benefits.”
fighters were still riding on the backs of the
Leff agreed.
trucks holding on to a strap, and some of the that. I worked very hard for that merger. It while directing traffic on Route 44.
“[I]f I was young again, I’d jump in a min“In a small fire department like ours,
trucks had open cabs. The air packs utilized really made the department run a lot more
by firefighters worked on demand, as op- efficiently. Everything prior to ’95 was done in you never believe something like that could ute to do it again. I have absolutely no regrets.
posed to providing continuous pressure, and triplicate. It wasn’t efficient,” he said, noting happen, but then it does,” Volovski said. “Art I would love to do it again.”
there were not alarms on the packs to alert its that the merge was important for the long- was someone I knew growing
up and all through my fire dewearer of low air levels. Another thing the fire term survival of the fire department.
Zimmerman,
retiring
after
28
years,
partment years.”
department did not have was an accountabilThough the majority of
spent
10
of
those
as
a
firefighter
and
fire
lieuity system, which Leff said is one of the princalls
can be distressing, there
tenant,
as
well
as
18
years
in
various
EMS
ciple things he developed as the safety officer.
are
positive
memories, too.
roles,
including
advanced
emergency
medical
“I counted the number of people who
Leff,
who
is
good
friends with
technician,
captain
and
assistant
chief.
went in, where they went in, and counted
everyone who came out. It
was a very exciting time for
safety innovations and a very
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July 23, 2015
The
Valley Press
7
Send us a photo of your dog!
We will feature them on our Dog Days of Summer Pages
in the August 7th edition of The Valley Press
First 15 entries win a
4 pack of tickets to
The Rock Cats
Simply email your favorite picture to:
[email protected]
Dont forget to tell us your dog’s name!
Please include your full name and address.
Rock Cats Tickets will be mailed out to the first
fifteen entrants as photos are received.
You can also mail your entry to:
The Valley Press Dog Days, 540 Hopmeadow Street,
Simsbury 06070 or stop in and drop off your photos.
Office hours are 9:30 am to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday
Deadline for entries is Friday, July 31, 2 p.m.
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8
The
Valley Press July 23, 2015
“Lucerne, aka Luci, the Bernese Mountain Goat” was painted by Chris O’Herron of Almost
Home Studio, Collinsville, and is one of the goats on the course at Matterhorn Mini Golf.
“Sugar Goat” by Simsbury High School
“Tempest” by Kevin Stiles
Photos by Sloan Brewster
“Wonder Doe” by Brad Gilchrist is one of the pieces of art that decorates the course.
“Francis Honeymustard Matthews” was painted by Canton Middle School.
Mini golf course decorations are also public art display
Swiss goats have escaped and
are wandering around Canton, but
worry not, they are contained at
Matterhorn Mini Golf.
The 10 painted stainless steel
goats are part of the course, which
is themed as a scene in the Swiss
Alps. Autumn Sutherland, Matterhorn owner, dresses the part, wearing the national Swiss costume and
her employees wear uniforms designed to look like Swiss outfits. She
chose the Swiss theme because
she thought it would be a engaging
and she takes it quite seriously. As
customers return from the course,
she asks about their trip.
“How was Switzerland?” she
asked a pair who had just finished
the course on Thursday, July 16.
Sutherland wanted to incorporate “Heidi,” by Johanna Spyri,
because the tale about Heidi and
her goats is “one of the most famous stories out of Switzerland,”
she said. To do that, she decided to
have some goats painted.
“We have Heidi’s goat shed,”
Sutherland said.
The goats have escaped the
shed and can be spotted all over
the course.
Sutherland engaged professional artists and schools to paint
the goats, giving them the freedom
to do what they wanted.
“I had no expectations,” she
said of the end result. “It’s a wide
variety. I’m thrilled it gives such
colorful character [to the course.]”
Sutherland ordered the stainless steel goats from the same
company that makes the stainless
steel cows that can be spotted in
the area. When she got the goats,
she gave them out to the artists, to
whom she gave a stipend for painting them. Once they were complete, she brought them to a local
auto body shop where they were
clear-coated to protect them from
the elements.
Each goat was given a unique
name by the artist.
For example, “Lucerne, aka
Luci, the Bernese Mountain Goat”
was painted by Chris O’Herron of
Almost Home Studio, Collinsville.
Luci looks exactly like a Bernese Mountain Dog.
“Sugar Goat,” by Simsbury
High School students, on the other
hand, is a little creepy, with a skulllike face and a skeleton with the organs showing on its body and legs.
To see all the painted goats, go
play a round of mini golf at Matterhorn Mini Golf, which faces Route
44 and is located at 10 Dyer Cemetery Road.
-By Sloan Brewster
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Each office is independently owned & operated.
email at:
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July 23, 2015
The
Valley Press
9
Pictured: Union School students paraded by grade around
the school last month, waving to community members who
lined their route. Some held signs they had made in art
class that said “75” and were brightly decorated in
recognition of the school’s 75th anniversary.
Union School community celebrates
75 years of history in Farmington
On Thursday, June 11, at 10 a.m.,
Union School celebrated 75 years at
its beloved, historic location at 173
School St. in Unionville, with an original film about Union School, a parade,
remarks from local officials and a musical performance.
The event started in the Union
School gym with a viewing of a documentary about 75 years at Union
School. Last year’s fourth graders
researched time periods and interviewed Union School community
members. The film was made with
very generous help from Jerry Franklin, president of CPTV, and his staff.
Union School students paraded
by grade around the school, waving to
community members who lined their
route. Some held signs they had made
in art class that said “75” and were
brightly decorated.
After the parade, the community
gathered for a program. Principal Caitlin Eckler warmly welcomed community members.
Local leaders were there, too,
including state Rep. Mike DeMicco, Farmington’s Superintendent of
Schools Kathy Greider, Town Manager Kathy Eagen, Town Council Chair
Nancy Nickerson, Board of Education
Chair Mary Grace Reed and members
Jean Baron, Bill Beckert and Bernie
Erickson. Students were excited to see
many retired teachers at the event,
as well.
Patricia LeBouthillier and her
son, Tim, spoke at the celebration.
LeBouthillier went to Union School,
worked in the library at Union School,
sent her children and now grandchildren to Union School, and now is a
volunteer at Union School. “It’s my
favorite place,” she said.
She is also the board chair of the
Unionville Museum.
Tim LeBouthillier spoke about attending Union School.
Strings teacher Janet Fantozzi
and music teacher Kate Smallidge led
the student orchestra and chorus in
“Union School Birthday Song,” an original composition by Emmet Drake.
After the ceremony, students
returned to their classes where they
enjoyed cupcakes. Community members were invited to the beautiful outdoor Readers’ Garden for cake.
Union School is a kindergarten
through fourth grade elementary
school, recognized as a National Exemplary School by the U.S. Department of Education. Union School is
celebrating its 75th year on School
Street in Unionville.
Photos by Eric Foley Photography
OPEN HOUSE
Sat, July 18TH & 25TH
Drop in anytime between 9am and 11am
RSVP not required but appreciated
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860-653-3220
EXCL students stage Disney show
Courtesy photo
The Farmington public school’s Summer Learning Academy presents a musical each
summer. This year’s EXCL Musical Theatre Academy’s production is “101 Dalmations,”
a Disney musical. The director is Catharine Sullivan, assisted by academy counselors
Chloe Wynne, Jeannette Leopold and Sarah Tritman. Students in grades two through
eight will present the musical July 24 at 3, 4, 5 and 6 p.m. at the West Woods Upper
Elementary School cafeteria stage. Admission is free. Courtesy photo
Members of the McLean community accepted grants supporting resident activities and
programs awarded by the McLean Auxiliary during the Annual Grant Awards Reception and
Strawberry Festival Luncheon June 1. Those present included David Bordonaro, president;
Karen Hunter, dining supervisor; Lorraine Diagle, auxiliary president; Kathy Cookson, director
of therapeutic recreation; and Lisa Clark, VP and administrator of the McLean Health Center.
McLean Auxiliary gives grants, scholarship
The McLean Auxiliary has given its support for
the past 43 years by providing volunteer services and
grants that directly benefit
McLean residents, staff and
the entire community.
On Monday, June 1, the
McLean Auxiliary awarded
$16,000 in grants at its Annual Meeting and Strawberry
Festival to benefit resident
life, which included funding
for art, entertainment and
horticultural activities; a Patient Personal Needs Fund;
specialized equipment for
rehabilitative exercise; furnishings for the front lobby
of the Health Center; and
caregiver support.
“The Auxiliary has provided a great sense of constancy for the 13 years I have
been at McLean. We truly
appreciate all that you do,”
said David Bordonaro, McLean president.
The McLean Auxilia-
ry also recognized Debbie
Davis, RN, evening supervisor, as the recipient of its
annual $1,500 scholarship.
This scholarship is awarded
each year to an employee,
or a child of an employee,
who will be attending college in the fall to pursue a
career in a health care related field. Lorraine Daigle,
McLean Auxiliary president,
described Davis as “a compassionate nurse and team
player with a great sense of
humor.” Debbie has earned
academic honors of distinction, and is currently working towards her BSN degree.
The McLean Auxiliary
raised the majority of funds
through its Gift Shop, conveniently located in the Health
Center. The shop is run exclusively by volunteers, and
is open to residents, families
and the public. The gifts are
as unique as McLean, and all
purchases are tax-free.
The McLean Auxiliary
also sponsors many wonderful events and activities
for the residents throughout
the entire year.
For more information
on the McLean Auxiliary
or to become a member,
visit their website at www.
mcleancare.org/auxiliary or
call the Auxiliary voicemail
at 860-658-3710.
McLean is a not-forprofit senior living community in Simsbury offering a
continuum of services including independent living,
assisted living, and memory
care assisted living; an adult
day program, short-and
long-term skilled nursing,
outpatient
rehabilitation
and wellness; post-acute
care, home care and hospice.
Editors Note: Inaccuracies
appeared in a version of this
article in last week’s edition.
The correct version appears
here.
Village
gets $89k
In May, the Simsbury
Auxiliary of the Village
for Families and Children
presented Dr. Galo Rodriguez, president and CEO
of the VF&C, with a faux
check representing the
Auxiliary’s 2014-15 fiscal
year’s earnings. The check
was for $86,000.
However, by the time
Auxiliary Treasurer’s Betsy Hurley and Judy Sturgis closed their books in
June, the final amount
was increased to $89,100. This represents the largest amount of money
the Auxiliary has given
the private, nonprofit organization in the Auxiliary’s 60 years in existence,
according to Hurley, the
Second Chance Shop
treasurer. When all donations are totaled, the
Auxiliary has given the
Village more than $2 million since 1956. Broken
down,
$77,000 of this year’s
donation came from
the Auxiliary’s Second
Chance Shop, and $12,100
was earned through special fund raising events
conducted by the Auxiliary’s Special Events
Committee.
The check presentation was made during
the Auxiliary’s annual
Tea Cup Auction held at
Simsbury’s Hop Meadow Country Club. Auxiliary
Co-Chairwomen Gail Korten and
Patty Crawford, and Hurley and Sturgis made the
presentation. The money will be
used by the VF&C to
fund the organization’s
approximately 40 programs and services that
are designed to fulfill the
VF&C’s mission “To build
a community of strong,
healthy families who
protect and nurture children.” The programs span
a broad spectrum, filling
the needs of children and
families at risk.
The Simsbury Auxiliary’s primary money
earner is the Second
Chance Shop, a high-end
thrift store. The store is
located in the center of
Simsbury at 12 Station
St. It is open Monday
through Saturday, 9:30
a.m. to 4 p.m. July and
August hours are Monday
through Saturday, 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m.
Foundation raises $1 million
Major milestones and
successes are being celebrated at the Ron Foley
Foundation, a West Hartford-based nonprofit that
raises funds for medical
research for pancreatic
cancer, promotes public
awareness and education
about this deadly disease
and provides direct financial aid to those suffering
from pancreatic cancer.
The Foundation was
established in 2010 in
memory of Ron Foley, a
respected business leader
in the community and a
former Travelers executive,
who died from pancreatic cancer in 2005. Bar-
bara Foley, the Foundation’s
president and Ron’s widow,
leads this volunteer-based
organization.
A majority of the
Foundation’s fundraising is
through its keystone event
Ron’s Run for the Roses,
an afternoon gala held on
Kentucky Derby Day. The
7th annual Ron’s Run for
the Roses was held May 2 at
Folly Farm in Simsbury, raising more than $265,000.
Pancreatic cancer is
the fourth leading cause of
cancer-related deaths in the
United States. For more information about the Foundation, call 860-521-0500 or visit
www.ronsrun.org.
We’ve Made Our Plans,
Now It’s Time To Start
Making Yours
Welcome to the future of Seabury. Here’s a
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with a top architectural firm and developed plans
for 65 additional distinctive, well-appointed
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the flexibility to customize them to your personal
taste. And that’s just the beginning. Join us for
an info session to learn more about the state-ofthe-art features and amenities included in our new
expansion, as well as the Seabury At Home program.
Discover Seabury and Seabury At Home at our
info sessions held at Seabury every 1st Thursday at
1:30 p.m. and every 3rd Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
Call (860) 243-6081 or (860) 243-4033 for
reservations or e-mail [email protected]
Now accepting
reservations
from those
50 and over.
An Active Life Care Community
200 Seabury Drive Bloomfield, CT 06002
(860) 286-0243 or (800) 340-4709
seaburylife.org
July 23, 2015
The
Valley Press
11
Troop 175 recognizes four new Eagle Scouts
A ‘garden’ luncheon
Courtesy photos
The Farmington
Garden Club
held a luncheon
in June. Pictured
above: Debbie
Klene honors
Ann Mullens with the Arline
Whitaker bowl
for exemplary
community gardening
service; pictured
left: Marcie
Shepard passes
the “Auntie
Hort” hat to
Barbara Hess for
future gardening
questions and
answers.
Simsbury Boy Scout
Troop 175 recently held a
Court of Honor to award
the rank of Eagle Scout to
four young men, Alex Stein,
Andrew Gutierrez, Matt
Zikovich and TJ Nicholson.
Troop 175 is based at St.
Mary’s Church in Simsbury
and draws Scouts from the
entire Farmington Valley.
The troop recognized its first
Eagle Scout in 1981.
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy
Scouting program of the Boy
Scouts of America. Since
its introduction in 1911, the
Eagle Scout rank has been
earned by more than two
million young men.
Requirements for the
Eagle rank include earning
at least 21 merit badges and
demonstrating Scout Spirit
through the Boy Scout Oath
and Law, service and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the
Scout plans, organizes, leads
and manages. Eagle Scouts
are presented with a medal and a badge that visibly
recognizes the accomplishments of the Scout.
Stein made completing his Eagle Scout project
before junior year a goal because everyone says that junior year is the most hectic
for a high school student. His
project was building an informational kiosk for the
Friends of the Heublein Tower organization. His kiosk is
located at a trail head about
a mile from the tower on the
West Hartford side. Stein is now entering
his junior year at Simsbury
High School. He plans to
continue to be active in
Troop 175 and help younger
Scouts with their journey to
Eagle. When he is not at a
troop meeting or at school,
Photo by Bill Rice
Andrew Gutierrez, Matt Zikovich, TJ Nicholson and Alex Stein have earned the rank of Eagle
Scout and were recognized by Simsbury Boy Scout Troop 175 at a recent Court of Honor.
Troop 175 is based at St. Mary’s Church in Simsbury and draws Scouts from the entire
Farmington Valley.
he is doing hurdles at the
track in the spring, hitting
the slopes in the winter, or
on the couch watching what
his parents consider to be
“too much TV.”
Scouting has been a big
part of Gutierrez’s life ever
since he joined Cub Scout
Pack 174 in first grade. He
is a recent graduate of Simsbury High School, where he
was a four-year member of
the Simsbury High School
cross country, indoor and
outdoor track teams and
served as cross country captain during the fall of 2014.
He co-founded Run CT Running Apparel, a small business dedicated to producing
quality running apparel and
unifying the Connecticut
running community. He currently attends the University
of Rochester, pursuing a degree in engineering and computer science.
For his Eagle Project,
Gutierrez raised money to
construct a bookcase and
shelving unit for the Hartford Catholic Worker. In ad-
dition, he ran a book drive
and filled the bookcase with
more than 700 books, thanks
to generous donations from
the community. The Hartford Catholic Worker provides a safe environment for
children in Hartford to play
and study after school, and
they now have a sufficient
library to supplement their
schoolwork and help them
to develop a love of reading
and learning.
Zikovich is a senior at
Simsbury High School and
plans on attending college
majoring in either business
or mathematics. The two biggest hobbies in Matt’s life are
baseball and snowboarding.
He is a player on the Simsbury High baseball team in
the spring, American Legion
in the summer, and, for the
past two years, has been part
of the AAU Mustangs baseball in the fall. Once the long
season of baseball is over, he
is a snowboarding instructor
at Ski Sundown. For his Eagle project,
Zikovich decided to give
back to the baseball community he has been a member of
the past 12 years. Matt made
a picnic table area at Town
Forest baseball park right
next to the running path. The
area consists of two picnic
tables with a stone dust base. This now makes Matt
the third in his family to become an Eagle Scout. His
two brothers, Scott Miller
and Zac Zikovich, are both
Eagle Scouts with Troop 175. Nicholson first started
Scouting as a Tiger Cub in
first grade. When he crossed
over to Boy Scouts, Nicholson chose Troop 175 to be
with his friends and because
of the fantastic trips that
they took as a troop. Also an
older baseball friend, Jack
Falkner, was part of Troop
175 and made him feel welcome. Falkner was a real
mentor for Nicholson.
Nicholson now feels he
is a “Jack Falkner,” trying to
get younger kids into Scouting and making them feel
comfortable in the troop, he
said in a press release.
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12
The
PRESSNews
Statements
on survey
skew truth,
PD says
Roadblocks
to garage
repair
detailed
By Sloan Brewster
Senior Staff Writer
By Alison Jalbert
Assistant Editor
SIMSBURY — Simsbury’s
police chief wants it known that
his department received an “A”
from residents who participated
in a local survey.
Nearly 96 percent of people surveyed said they were
satisfied with the department’s
performance, Police Chief Peter
Invertsen and Captain Nicholas
Boulter said in a meeting with
The Valley Press Monday, July
13. A mere 4 percent were dissatisfied.
Despite that, it was stated
in a presentation by representatives from GreatBlue Research,
Inc., of Cromwell – the firm
that conducted a survey for the
town – that residents were less
than pleased with the police
department.
“Dissatisfaction was centered on usability of the town’s
website, police presence and
road maintenance,” Nicole Gaona, director of research at GreatBlue, said, pointing to the same
words on the screen during the
presentation.
That statement made little
sense based on the numbers in
the survey that claimed that 95.9
percent of those surveyed were
satisfied with the police department, Ingvertsen and Boulter
said.
“If we’re at 95.9 percent satisfaction, how is a 4.1 percent
dissatisfaction a key finding?”
the chief asked. “That is really
[skewed].”
Furthermore, the captain
and chief wanted to truly understand the so called dissatisfaction but, as far as they were concerned, the questions were too
vague and, by default, so were
the answers.
“How can I correct something if I don’t know what it is?”
Ingvertsen posed.
They dug deeper, reading
the survey in full, and, while
they found numbers, they did
not find any clarification.
Out of the 400 people who
took the survey, 87 said they were
dissatisfied with general town
services, Boulter said. Fourteen
said they were dissatisfied or
CANTON — Chief Administrative Officer Bob Skinner
gave the Board of Selectmen an
update on what can be done to
fix the unsafe conditions at the
highway garage, indicating that
the issues prove to be too extensive to fully repair.
Skinner told the board at
its July 8 meeting that there are
two questions in regard to improvement of the garage: ‘What
improvements can be made
to the existing building?’ and
‘What additional site improvements can be made?’
The garage is adjacent to
the Farmington River, making
floodplain regulations applicable to the site.
The town hired engineering
consulting firm Fuss & O’Neill
to do an analysis of the site and
provide recommendations on
how to proceed with repairs.
The garage on River Road
See SURVEY on page 25
Reading and rides
Since his arrival in 2011, Tinker the mechanical pony has become one of the most popular attractions at
the Kids’ Place at the Farmington Public Library.The repurposed carousel ride is 62 years old, according
to children’s department employee Jane Maciel. Because of its age, Maceil said, Tinker is available for
kids to ride for only one hour per day, with the schedule varying as follows: Sunday 2-3 p.m., Monday
11 a.m.-noon, Tuesday 7-8 p.m., Wednesday 11 a.m.-noon, Thursday 7-8 p.m., Friday 2-3 p.m., Saturday
11 a.m.-noon.“Kids love it,” Maciel said. “He’s really made the library a destination point. He’s a very
popular item.” Pictured above: Siena B. enjoys a ride. See more photos on page 15.
See GARAGE on page 17
Community gardens growing with great success this summer
By Sloan Brewster
Senior Staff Writer
FARMINGTON — The community gardens at Farmington
Woods are enviable.
Tony Retartha, a Woods resident and community gardener
for more than 10 years, said the
gardens in the gated community
rival and even surpass most in the
greater community.
One thing Retartha attributes
to gardeners’ success is the accessible water right at the gardens, at
a spigot with a convenient hose.
Easy access to water is a feature that, according to Retartha, is
not found in other local community gardens for which gardeners
have to visit the Farmington River
and cart the water to their plots.
The gardens at Farmington
Woods are on two levels. Up top,
the smaller plots are situated in
boxes; vegetables and flowers
neatly growing in clearly marked
spaces. Below, the plots are also
in boxes, but most are larger than
those above, with rows and rows of
Photo by Sloan Brewster
Peter and Wendy Gill work in their garden plot that is part of the Community Gardens at Farmington Woods.
various plants.
Most of the gardens have vegetables, Retartha said, but others
have chosen to grow both or just
flowers.
Retartha just picked between
30 and 40 bulbs of garlic that were
ready for harvesting and planted
string beans in their stead. He also
has tomatoes, peppers, eggplant,
broccoli, lettuce and cucumbers.
“I just put in cucumbers, of
which there are more than I can
handle,” he said.
Retartha’s wife, Maria Retartha, is the chef in the family and
will make many dishes with all the
produce he grows, he said.
“She’s an expert. She’s fantastic,” he said.
Among other specialties,
she makes sauce, for which she
July 23, 2015
See GARDENS on page 25
The
Valley Press
13
Town seeking funds to bring another car charging station to the Valley
By Sloan Brewster
Senior Staff Writer
ergy and Environmental
Protection Electric Vehicle
Charging Station Incentive
Grant, is an incentive grant
to do just that, encourage
people to buy electric cars,
Shafer said in a phone call
Friday, July 17.
He decided to look into
the program after receiving a number of calls from
residents asking him to research the idea of getting a
charging station in town.
According to an August 2013 memo from Roland Klee, Canton’s then-assistant town planner, the
charging station can charge
two cars at once.
The grant would pay
for a dual Level 2 charger,
which offers quick charging
for two plug-in electrical vehicles per unit, Klee wrote.
While the dual charging
units can charge two vehicles at once, in Canton
only one space per unit is
dedicated exclusively for
BURLINGTON — The
town of Burlington is looking into getting an electric
charging station for vehicles.
At the July 13 Board of
Selectmen meeting, First
Selectman Ted Shafer said
he was applying for a state
grant to cover the cost of a
vehicle charging station.
“They’re becoming very
popular in Connecticut. A
number of municipalities
have accepted this grant,”
Shafer said. “I believe there’s
over 100 locations right
now. There’s one in Canton,
Plainville, [and], I believe,
Southington.”
Shafer went on to say
that the state was trying to
get more communities to
install the stations as a way
to encourage people to buy
electric cars.
The grant, called the
state Department of En-
TOWN OF FARMINGTON
TOWN PLAN AND ZONING COMMISSION
Notice is hereby given that the Town Plan and Zoning Commission took the following action on Monday, July 13, 2015:
Approved CPD Parent Properties LLC application for special permit and site plan approval to convert gas station to
retail store at 1593 Southeast Road, B1 zone.
charging vehicles. An adjacent parking space can be
used to charge a car, but is
not be devoted exclusively
for that use.
Shafer said he has
reached out to Robert Skinner, Canton’s chief executive officer, to ask about
that town’s charging station, which it installed two
years ago behind town hall.
“We did our research,
contacted the other communities and it seems to
match with the character of
the town,” Shafer said.
If Burlington does get
a station, it would likely go
in the parking lot of the library, which will be expanded next year, Shafer said.
“The reason we like the
library is because it’s a very
popular facility for our residents, it’s in an excellent
location in the center of
town,” Shafer said. “While
electric vehicle owners are
charging their vehicles,
they’re in walking distance
of Cumberland Farms, local
restaurants, CVS and the
library.”
In addition, there is
good night time lighting at
that location, Shafer said.
The town will have to
make sure there is shelter
available for car owners
to use while their cars are
charging, Shafer said. It usually takes about 45 minutes
to charge a car.
Per the parameters of
the grant, for the first three
years of operation, the town
will be responsible for the
cost of using the station and
it must be open 24 hours a
File photo
First Selectman Ted Shafer has reached out to Robert Skinner, Canton’s chief administrative
officer, to ask about that town’s charging station, pictured above, which it installed two years
ago behind town hall.
day, seven days a week,
Shafer said.
After that, the town
can revisit the idea of
charging people or changing the hours it is open.
The cost to use the
charging station would be
nominal, Shafer said.
“It’s no greater than the
costs for [electricity in] our
buildings,” he said.
He forwarded an email
from Patrice Kelly, DEEP senior environmental analyst
for the Toxics and Mobile
Sources Group Planning &
Standards Division Bureau
of Air Management, who
said the cost varies from one
vehicle to the next, but is
generally low.
Based on studies evaluated by Eversource Energy,
public charging stations get
On vacation? Don’t let a problem ruin your relaxation.
Approved Ed Queirolo application for special permit to construct accessory structure (pool house) in excess of 700 sq.
ft. at 41 Ely Road, R80 zone.
Approved 499 Farmington Avenue LLC application for site
plan modification to remove ten trees located at 499 Farmington Avenue as presented.
Approved Amped Fitness interpretation of proposed business as a personal service shop at 55 Mill Street by the
business model presented
Dated at Farmington, CT
July 15, 2015
Donald W. Doeg, Secretary
about two uses per day, according to the email.
“Eighty percent of
charging occurs at home
at night and most nonhome charging is ‘topping
off ’ while someone is out
completing an errand,” she
wrote. “Most people in Connecticut have the vehicles
with a back-up internal
combustion engine, not a
true battery electric vehicle such as a Leaf, so even a
full charge for these hybrids
is about $1.50. BEV owners don’t let the charge go
down to zero, or the equivalent of fumes in a gasoline
car, since there are not as
many charging stations as
gas pumps. The Prius plugin hybrid seems to be the
most popular but with only
a 13-mile range on electric,
the battery pack is small
and costs only $0.75 to fully
charge.”
The grant maximum
is $10,000, Shafer said, and
per estimates he has already received, the town
would need less than that,
or about $9,000 to install
the station.
Once he gets all the information, selectmen will
decide whether to accept
the grant, Shafer said.
As it stands right now,
the town is in a good spot to
get the grant, he added.
“Burlington’s geographic location is very favorable,
[and] there’s a need,” he
said. “We have an excellent
location [ for the station],
we have a community that’s
very supportive of green
initiatives.”
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14
The
Valley Press
July 23, 2015
TOWN OF FARMINGTON
Notice is hereby given that the Town Plan and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing Monday, July 27, 2015 at
the Town Hall Council Chambers, 1 Monteith Drive, Farmington, at 7:00 p.m. on the following applications:
Farmington Public Schools request to modify special permit approval to light the athletic field for four additional night
games at Farmington High School located at 10 Monteith
Drive.
KEK, Inc. application for special permit for bar/restaurant use
and waiver for sale of alcohol at 838 Farmington Avenue, B1
zone.
Berlin Remnant Land Parcels application for change of zone
from R40 to MOC for property located at 55 South Road and
Lot 3 South Road (adjacent to 55 South Road).
At this hearing interested persons may be heard and written
communications received. A copy of these proposals are
on file in the Planning Department, located in the Town Hall,
Farmington, CT.
Dated at Farmington, Connecticut, this 9th day of July 2015.
Donald W. Doeg, Secretary
Plan and Zoning Commission
grants approvals for businesses
By Ted Glanzer
Staff Writer
FARMINGTON — Farmington is expected to have two new businesses open
in the near future after the Town Plan and
Zoning Commission cleared the way for
both of them with approvals at its regular
meeting July 13.
First, commission members unanimously approved a request for a special
permit to convert a gas station located at
1593 Southeast Road to a retail space that
will house a Sleep Number store.
The store will be 3,000 square feet; the
applicant, CPD Parent Properties LLC, will
remediate any contamination that is on
the site as a result of the gas station having
been housed there previously.
In a 4-1 vote, the commission also approved a plan to designate Amped Fitness
as a personal service shop under its regulations so it can eventually open at 55 Mill
St., the location that formerly housed The
Dance Connection.
The designation, which was sought
by Amped Fitness owner Douglas George,
was necessary to meet the parking requirements under the town’s zoning regulations.
If the commission did not designate
the fitness studio as a personal service
shop, then it would have been 26 parking
spaces short pursuant to the regulations.
The Dance Connection, which was a
dance studio, was designated a personal
service shop, according to Town Planner
Bill Warner. George noted that Amped
Fitness is not like a normal gym, where clients may stay for hours at a time. Instead,
Amped Fitness would be open from 6 to 9
a.m. and reopen from 4:40 p.m. to 6 p.m.
with training sessions divided into 30-minute blocks, George said. “It’s basically nutritional wellness with
personal training,” George said. The fitness studio would be only 1,300
square feet, with no plans to have outdoor
training sessions, George said.
Commissioners expressed their concern over the shared parking space, particularly with Cure restaurant set to open
soon in the space formerly occupied by
Matthew’s next door to where Amped Fitness plans to open.
“I still can’t help but feel we’re doing
a disservice to other businesses,” Commissioner Bob Jarvis said, noting that the
hours of operation would bleed into the
time that the restaurant would be open for
dinner.
“I would hate to add [this] use and
maximize additional parking [of patrons],
plus staff and shortchange people who reside and do business in that area.”
Jarvis was the lone dissenting vote.
Commission Chairman Phil Dunn
said that he wasn’t as troubled by the parking issue.
“The hours are perfect for what’s
there,” he said. “If it ends at 6 p.m., then it
would work.”
Amped Fitness has another location
in East Granby that has no more than 20
people in any given session, with memberships costing $199 a month.
George said that at that price, people
wouldn’t continue their memberships if
they had trouble parking.
Commissioner Barbara Brenneman
said she supported the designation, but
the commission would have to be careful
with what it approved for the final space in
the building.
The commission will be reviewing
proposed text amendments to the zoning
regulations as proposed by Warner.
Among the amendments include
clarifications on prohibitions of certain
businesses, including tattoo parlors, pawn
shops and gambling establishments.
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE TO TAXPAYERS
TOWN OF SIMSBURY
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN TO ALL PERSONS LIABLE FOR PAYMENT OF
PROPERTY TAXES AND SEWER USE CHARGES TO THE TOWN OF
SIMSBURY AND SIMSBURY FIRE DISTRICT ON THE GRAND LIST OF
OCTOBER 1, 2014, THAT SAID TAX IS DUE AND PAYABLE JULY 1, 2015.
TOWN TAXES FOR REAL ESTATE AND PERSONAL PROPERTY (OTHER
THAN AUTOMOBILE) OVER THE AMOUNT OF $100.00 MAY BE PAID IN TWO
INSTALLMENTS; ONE HALF DURING JULY 2015 AND THE OTHER HALF
DURING JANUARY 2016. ALL TAXES DUE ON AUTOMOBILES ARE PAYABLE IN FULL IN JULY 2015. SEWER USE CHARGES ARE ALSO DUE AND
PAYABLE IN FULL IN JULY 2015. IF THE TAX DUE IS NOT PAID ON OR
BEFORE AUGUST 3, 2015, INTEREST WILL BE CHARGED FROM THE DUE
DATE, JULY 1ST, AT THE RATE OF 1-½ PER CENT PER MONTH UNTIL PAID,
SUBJECT TO A MINIMUM INTEREST CHARGE OF $2.00 ON BOTH TOWN
TAX AND THE SIMSBURY FIRE DISTRICT TAX IN ACCORDANCE WITH
SECTION 12-146 OF THE CONNECTICUT GENERAL STATUTES AND PUBLIC
ACT 80-468.
PAYMENTS MAY BE MAILED OR PAID AT THE TAX COLLECTOR’S OFFICE,
WHICH IS OPEN MONDAY 8:30 A.M. TO 7:00 P.M., TUESDAY THRU
THURSDAY 8:30 A.M. TO 4:30 P.M., FRIDAY 8:30 A.M. TO 1:00 P.M.
COLLEEN O’CONNOR
TAX COLLECTOR
Valley
PRESS
read the paper
or visit us online...
TO ADVERTISE:
860.651.4700 • www.TurleyCT.com
Photos by Ted Glanzer
T
Taking a ride on Tinker
inker the mechanical pony has become one of the
most popular attractions
at the Kids’ Place at the
Farmington Public Library. Pictured clockwise
from above: Teagan gets
her turn on Tinker, accompanied by her mother, Megan, Juliet B.; Owen
S. gets his turn; Skylar C.,
Teagan’s sister, on Tinker.
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July 23, 2015
The
Valley Press
15
EDA hears axe factory proposal
By Alison Jalbert
Assistant Editor
CANTON — The Economic Development
Agency heard a proposal on redevelopment
plans for the Collinsville Axe Factory site.
EDA chair Bob Bessel told The Valley
Press that Jeff Lefkowitz, founder and president of JB Commercial, Inc., presented “pretty
preliminary plans” for the axe factory to see if
it is feasible. Lefkowitz is partnered with RDC
Properties LLC.
“They’re putting a proposal together to
a financial group,” Bessel said. “They want to
find out if the finance people think they’re
viable.”
At the EDA’s July 16 meeting, Lefkowitz
laid out a “pretty aggressive” construction
schedule, Bessel said, which included more
than 200 residential units for rent. Everything
from the stone building deeper into the property would be taken down and new structures
would be built. The rest of the property would
be restored. There would be 170,000 square
feet restored and 160,000 square feet of new
construction; 55,000 to 66,000 square feet of
the property could possibly be used for retail,
artisan studios or office space.
“All of that can change depending on
market condition,” Bessel said. “They showed
us a few plans, but nothing that was, ‘This is
it.’ There is a lot of movement back and forth
about how it would be [and] how it would go.
Quite frankly, it’s pretty early in the game right
now. It looks like there’s a lot of moving pieces; things could change.”
Also working on plans for the axe factory
site is the team of Mike Goman, Greg Boyko
and Julius Fialkewicz, who Bessel believes
have been working on a proposal for about
four years. Lefkowitz told the EDA he has had
involvement in the project for about a year.
“This is the first time that we’ve heard
formally from the new group,” Bessel said.
“We’ll see how they evolve.”
He emphasized that the EDA has no regulatory authority and can only give its opinion on proposals.
“Ultimately, we may sway others who
have some kind of discretion in the matter.”
The EDA would like to see something
happen on the site, he said, but it needs to be
positive for the town both in terms of building the tax base and the culture. The group
wants to preserve the character of Canton
and Collinsville.
“That’s our calling card,” Bessel said.
“That’s what draws people here and continues to bring them back. … That sense of place
is very important, and the board feels it keenly, in addition to the responsibility to build up
the tax base.”
AVFD hosting second tournament
The Avon Volunteer Fire Department
is seeking golfers to play in the
Department’s second annual Golf
Tournament Monday, Aug. 10. “The golf
tournament is a fundraiser to support
our commitment to the live fire training
facility to be built in Farmington,” said
Jamie DiPace, AVFD fundraising co-chair
and Avon fire marshal. “We’ve just about
reached our goal of $500,000 for the
project and every golfer will help us get
there.” Presented by Sullivan’s O’Neills
Chevrolet Buick, the event will take
place at Farmington Woods Golf Club,
34 Heritage Drive in Avon. Proceeds will
go toward equipment, firefighter training,
and maintaining the new live fire
training facility and benefit the AVFD’s
commitment to training its members to
the highest level of proficiency. Prior to
the noon shotgun start, check-in begins
at 10:30 a.m. and lunch will be served
at 11 a.m. A silent auction and reception
begins at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at
6 p.m. and awards at 7 p.m. Entry Fee:
$130 per golfer, includes 18 holes of golf,
driving range, putting green, golf cart,
BBQ lunch, buffet dinner and raffle
ticket. For more information and to
register online, visit www.avonvfd.org.
Courtesy photo
Plan and Zoning Commission extends special permit for excavation
By Ted Glanzer
Staff Writer
GRANBY — In what was mostly a
housekeeping meeting, the Granby Planning
and Zoning Commission granted Tilcon Inc.
an extension of a special permit to excavate
the property located at 536 Salmon Brook St.
Tilcon has excavated that property for
sand and gravel since the 1950s, though little
to no work has been done on the property
for at least a decade.
Cliff Thorstenson, whose property located at 139 Notch Road abuts the Tilcon
Drainage
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16
The
Valley Press
July 23, 2015
Delivery of
Landscape
Products:
including stone,
soil, sand
and mulch
parcel, stated there are still steep banks behind his property that violate a court order
from the 1950s. “My property is the only area that is not
graded properly in my opinion,” Thorstenson
said. “My conversation with [Tilcon representative Frank] Lane can best be described as
belligerent. His only response would be that
only a judge telling him he has to grade the
bank” would make him do it. … I don’t know
how much longer before they have to meet
the court order. Mr. Lane, I don’t know why
Tilcon and you believe you are above the law.”
Thorstenson requested that the commission enforce the court order.
Commissioners, however, said that
planning and zoning wasn’t the commission
that would enforce it, but rather the town
manager or the board of selectmen.
Further, Fran Armentano, the director
of community development, said that so
much vegetation had grown on and over the
area in question, any work done to grade it
could make it look worse.
The area in question is also not visible
from the road.
“I think it’s best really left alone,” Armentano said. “There is vegetation growing on
that bank that’s got it pretty well retained.”
In other business, the commission approved extending the Cider Mill Heights subdivision for another four years. The developer,
according to Armentano, has one more road
– Cider Lane – to construct for the subdivision. After some discussion, the commission
approved the request, which runs until 2019.
It’s the last extension that the commission may grant under state law. If the road
isn’t constructed by 2019, then the subdivision lapses, Armentano said. In the event
that happens, the developer could file a new
application.
Finally, the commission approved two
applications for in-law apartments. Armentano said that he expects the
remainder of the summer to be a busy one,
including an application expected to be filed
for a special permit for a beauty salon across
the street from Granby Memorial High
School.
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GARAGE
from page 13
is in disrepair, as was detailed in a November 2014 memo from the Department of Public Works. There are structural, safety and operational issues with
the building, which was formerly a barn.
The biggest issue to contend with
is the roof, Skinner explained, which
has extensive leaking. Another major
concern is uncontrolled cracking on the
south and north sides of the brick wall,
for which the town previously received
an Occupational Safety and Health Administration violation. The garage also
needs a boiler.
Fuss & O’Neill is looking into getting
estimates on the three projects, but due
to flood regulations, the town cannot
spend more than 50 percent of the value
of the building when making improvements. Skinner told The Valley Press that
the building has not been appraised
First Selectman Richard Barlow said
there is also the problem of needing a
salt shed, which cannot be done at the
current location.
Selectman Stephen Roberto mentioned the plan presented six months
ago by state Sen. Kevin Witkos that detailed the plans for a combination garage
and firehouse. He asked if there was any
possibility of moving forward with that
option. Barlow said he had been in communication with Witkos and the option
of using state bonding for that is no longer viable.
Skinner said in a phone interview
that the town is looking at its options
for moving forward with the garage. Part
of that is determining the extent of improvements that can be done at the site.
Since it is within a floodplain, if any additional structures are built, floodplain
must be created elsewhere on site.
For example, if a 10,000-square-foot
building is constructed, the town must
find 10,000 square feet where it can dig
down to make floodplain.
The DPW memo states there are
questions as to the extent of the “grandfathering” of the existing building, whether
structures can be built only above a certain flood level and/or what, if anything,
can be built within the existing flood
level, all of which the town is attempting
to answer as it goes forward with garage
renovations.
Efforts to replace the DPW garage
have failed at referendum, most recently
in November 2014 when voters did not
approve plans to build a new garage at
325 Commerce Drive. A previous referendum regarding that site failed as well.
Other issues with the structure include an undersized generator, a water
heater in need of repair, HVAC pumps
to be replaced, garage windows in poor
condition and damaged insulation in numerous areas throughout the building.
Council will vote on easement for development Sept. 8
By Ted Glanzer
Staff Writer
FARMINGTON — The Farmington
Town Council will hear a presentation Sept.
8 and vote on whether to grant an easement
to the developer of a proposed large apartment/townhouse complex on the 19-acre
Charles House property neighboring Union
School in Unionville.
At its regular meeting July 14, the council debated whether to hold the meeting
Aug. 18, with councilors Amy Suffredini and
Vice Chair Jeff Apuzzo objecting to that date
because August is a month in which many
residents are away on vacation.
The developer, CenterPlan, is expected
to file a formal application for the $60 to $70
million 295-unit luxury apartment/townhouse complex before the next meeting of
the Town Plan and Zoning Commission,
which is July 27. It’s also the last meeting of
the commission until Sept. 14.
That application is expected to contain
an easement for a road that will need to
clear both the Town Council and the Board
of Education. The council initially planned
on having its Aug. 11 meeting pushed back
to Aug. 18 to hear a presentation from the
developer and render decisions on both the
easement for the road as well as a conservation easement.
But Suffredini and Apuzzo found the
timing problematic.
“What’s going on with the Charles
House property is hugely important to
Unionville,” Suffredini said. “The Town Council should make sure everyone is aware of it
and everyone’s voice is heard.”
Suffredini said that she would feel
more comfortable waiting a few weeks to
ensure that residents and members of the
Town Council are “ properly educated” on
the issues.
“August is a dangerous time,” Suffredini
said, alluding to people taking vacations and
generally not being aware of town affairs
during that month.
Apuzzo agreed, stating that he was concerned he was going to hear a presentation
from the developer and would be expected
to vote on the matter in the same evening.
“That’s being rushed through,” Apuzzo said, noting that there have been times
when he was driving home from a meeting
and realized that he wished he brought up a
point on some matter. “I would like to have
time to reflect on the presentation.”
Apuzzo added that, given that the
project has been “kicking around for
years,” the two or three extra weeks likely
wouldn’t present an undue hardship for the
developer.
“It’s too important an issue to hear in
August and vote on it in the same night,”
Apuzzo said. “Why can’t we wait two weeks
to vote on this? What’s the harm?”
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The Town Council is expected to mull providing an easement to the developer of a proposed
apartment complex on the Charles House property in Unionville.
The council ultimately decided to hold
the presentation and the vote on the easements in September.
In other business, the council was presented with information on the state budget
from state Sen. Beth Bye and state Rep. Mike
Demicco.
Bye and Demicco said that Farmington
was held harmless this year in terms of the
amount of funds - $6.2 million - the town
would receive from state grants
Bye said that the town could expect to
receive an extra $482,000 in the next fiscal
year.
“It could go up or down by a few thousand dollars, but we feel confident in our
projections,” Bye said.
Town Council Chair Nancy Nickerson
asked about education cost sharing funds,
noting that Farmington did not see an increase in funds, but other local municipalities, including Canton and Simsbury, saw
increases.
Bye said she focused on towns that re-
ceived less than 55 percent of ECS money
under the statutory formula. Farmington receives more than 55 percent of its ECS funding under the formula and, therefore, did not
realize an increase.
“I worked very hard on ECS,” Bye said,
noting that West Hartford only receives 33
percent of what it should under the ECS
formula, 90 percent of which is calculated
through property values.
“Farmington has done a great job of developing its properties,” Bye said.
Still, by keeping things the way they
were for the past 20 years, Bye said, some
towns were receiving more than 100 percent
of what they should be getting under the
ECS formula.
“We dug into that this year and we
made progress for towns that were receiving
less than 55 percent,” she said. “We also did
add $20 million into the ECS fund, which
was distributed based on the formula.”
The next Town Council meeting is
scheduled for Sept. 8.
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The
Valley Press
17
PRESSBUSINESS
Farmington doctor opening specialized middle school
By Sloan Brewster
Senior Staff Writer
A Farmington doctor with a
different approach to education is
opening a private school.
Presatore Academy, which will
be in New Britain, will be open to
children who cannot learn the traditional way, said Paul Picciano,
Ph.D., the school’s founder.
Presatore is for the 70 to 80
percent of children currently enrolled in public and private schools
whose brains work differently, some
of whom tend to think and learn
more in an artistic or creative way,
and who are less likely to process
information the way it is traditionally delivered, Picciano said.
Many of the children have a
variety of special needs, from blindness to autism, others are from
lower income families and minority
communities and have not excelled
in typical classrooms, while others
are children considered perfectly
normal and appear highly intelligent but may falter in the classroom.
As he explained it in a press
release, the academy will be a
high-end, technology-based middle school dedicated exclusively
to children who do not learn well
in traditional classroom learning
environments. They are not part of
the high achievers nor do they suffer from intellectual or behavioral
special needs. They are those who
struggle in school due simply to
learning differences.
“About 70 percent [of children] struggle, 80 percent struggle,” Picciano said. “Some are autistic some not ... they struggle to
learn in a classroom that’s set up to
teach in a way that maybe 20 percent get it.”
Picciano came up with his
approach after years of research
on the way children learn, he said.
There are 14 learning dispositions
and only three of them promise
success in traditional learning settings.
“[Those three are] the very
cerebral scientific oriented, engineering type, all of the rest learn
in a very more hands-on artistic
creative way,” Picciano said. “[They]
have more of a big picture view of
things and virtually learn that way
because that’s the way their brain is
hard wired ... So many of the people
I work with are struggling so much
[with] how to understand, how to
incorporate all the data and how to
understand it, but they’re actually
being taught differently than how
they learn.”
The entire country could benefit from an understanding of the
different ways children learn, according to Picciano.
“This is a very far-reaching program, and we’re hoping to partner
with a lot of different institutions,”
he said. “Really, ultimately, this has
to do with making the future of
America.”
Picciano’s method of teaching
is a scientifically laid out hands-on
approach, he said. It all began when
he was working with blind children,
teaching them to move around
freely, developing a sense of their
bodies and of what was around
them, learning to function without
sight through self awareness.
“It has a long history, actually;
it comes out of a system known as
Presatore, which was built to reduce learning disorders of all sorts,”
he said. “A system that’s neurological and biological and comes with a
lot of research, ... an understanding
of how the mind works with the
brain and body and thought and
movement and so on.”
His first case was a child who
had been blind since birth. Through
working with her, Picciano began
to better understand how children
follow and “bring in” what goes on
in the classroom and how she was
less able to do so.
“Everything that we do has to
do with experience,” Picciano said.
“As someone who was blind, she
had very little experience with what
was going on, that has a huge impact on language and putting dots
together.”
After working with Picciano,
the child did extremely well, he said.
Next, he branched out to children with autism.
“They see things around them
but they’re not really focused,” Pic-
ciano said. “I think that they’re
totally aware of a lot of things but
they’re sort of preoccupied, if you
will. ... [They’re] not aware how to
communicate and express themselves. They’re just not able to express self. It’s almost like a flip side
of blindness.”
Whether blind or autistic, the
children needed to learn to read
and write, so Picciano devised ways
to reach them and help them to
learn.
“Along the way, I started to
work with a lot of children who
couldn’t learn in a traditional classroom,” he said.
Through a systematic analysis of the system as a while, he also
came to the conclusion that education in America needs an overhaul.
“Education is in a crisis in a
lot of ways,” he said. “I constantly
heard, somebody’s got to do something about this.
I understand it, so let’s build
the academy.”
He introduced the idea of
the academy in 2014 and this year
launched a national initiative to
bring attention to the matter and
start a national discussion on children in the classroom.
“So we have a totally different
approach,” he said. “We present a
model of learning with two primary
pillars in place so that all children
can learn. ... Our school is only for
the 70 percent ... [of] children who
can’t learn in the traditional sense.”
The principals of learning are
all hardwired in the brain, he said.
“When you look at a baby, they
learn about 80 percent [of what]
they’ll need for life without any formal training in logic, without any
formal training in walking, without
any formal training in talking. ...
Those principals are hardwired in
the brain.”
On their journey in life children, unbeknownst to them, ask
three simple questions, he said.
First, they ask what is around them
and what is it all about. Next they
ask who they are.
“Eventually, [they ask] ‘How do
I fit in and how do I get accepted by
people to demonstrate what I feel,
demonstrate that I’m important,
that I have self worth and that I
have ubiquity.’”
The purpose of education is to
answer that question, Picciano said.
And currently, that is being lost.
“[Education] should be for
supporting that journey of that
child in teaching them civic literacy,
in teaching them skills for productivity, because through productivity
comes service to society and service to family and most importantly, a regimen of their own dignity
and thought.”
Presatore uses curriculum,
that according to Picciano, “is totally different and unique” to help children become who they really are.
“We use general principals
of learning to help them discover
themselves and then give them permission to be who they are,” he said.
“We provide a space, if you will, in
which they can learn and discover and self discover. Secondly, we
mentor. We don’t teach because
teaching, in many ways, is a manner of speaking mouth to ear. Mentoring, on the other hand, is a process of heart to heart. Thirdly, we
speak in a way to these children in
this mentoring with language that
is meaningful to them, that gives
them direction. Fourthly, rather
than teaching to fact after fact with
test after test, we act to give them
formal lessons in how to become
leaders through personal branding,
through critical thinking and complex problem solving and the latest
technology. ... We strengthen that
with strong scholastics that again.”
The end result is that the children see the relevance of what they
have learned and become masters
of their own life.
Presatore, which is slated
to open in January 2016, has announced open enrollment for its
inaugural sixth-grade class, beginning in September.
Preceding the opening of the
academy, Presatore will offer workshops and coaching services to children in the general public.
Currently, Presatore is seeking
20 students for its inaugural class.
For more information on Presatore Academy call 860-463-8828 or
email [email protected].
Simsbury Bank announces West Hartford branch plans
The Simsbury Bank & Trust
Company, Inc., wholly owned subsidiary of SBT Bancorp, Inc., has
filed applications with the Connecticut Department of Banking
and the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation to open a full service
branch at 1232 Farmington Ave. in
West Hartford. If approved, this location will
be Simsbury Bank’s fifth full-service branch. The bank’s other full-service
18
The
Valley Press
branches are located in Simsbury,
Avon, Bloomfield and Granby. The bank also has residential
mortgage loan production offices
in Warwick, R.I., and Mansfield,
Mass.
“West Hartford is the natural
next market for Simsbury Bank. We already have many customers
in West Hartford,” said Simsbury
Bank President & CEO Martin J.
Geitz “and we have branches in
towns contiguous to West Hart-
July 23, 2015
ford to its north and west.” The branch will be located in
a shopping center owned by Winschar III Associates, LLC and contiguous to retail locations housing
CVS, Boston Market and Dunkin
Donuts stores. Banks have been
located in the space to be occupied by Simsbury Bank for more
than 40 years.
Simsbury Bank is an independent, community bank for
consumers and businesses based
in Connecticut. Simsbury Bank Home Loans
is a division of Simsbury Bank
serving the home financing needs
of consumers throughout Southern New England. Simsbury Bank is wholly-owned by publicly traded SBT
Bancorp, Inc., whose stock is traded on the OTCQX marketplace
under the ticker symbol of SBTB. For more information, visit
www.simsburybank.com.
People
on the move
Robinson+Cole partner
elected to The Bushnell
board of overseers
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts has named Robinson+Cole partner Jeffrey J.
White to its Board of Overseers.
White was elected to the board
at The Bushnell’s Annual Meeting
June 10.
Robinson+Cole
is
a
long-standing
supporter
of
The Bushnell, and White’s appointment to the board further
strengthens the firm’s commitment to the performing arts center. Robinson+Cole partner Eric
D. Daniels is already involved with
The Bushnell as an officer and
member of the Board of Trustees.
Additionally, the firm has been the
title sponsor of The Bushnell Family Series for the past 15 seasons.
White is chair of Robinson+Cole’s Manufacturing and Distribution Team, where he advises
both publicly traded and privately
held manufacturers/distributors
on a range of matters, including
corporate compliance and litigation. White also serves as a corporator of the Saint Francis Hospital
and Medical Center Foundation,
an officer on the board of directors of the New England Air Museum, and an officer on the board
of directors of the Connecticut
Supreme Court Historical Society.
He is a past member of the board
of directors of the Center for First
Amendment Rights, Inc.
Nancy Fellinger wins
Women’s Choice Award for
financial advisor recipient
As the leading advocate for female
consumers, WomenCertified Inc.
is pleased to announce that Nancy Fellinger, CFP has received the
2015 Women’s Choice Award for
Financial Advisors. The Women’s
Choice Award Financial Advisor
Program is based on a rigorous
review of 17 objective criteria associated with providing quality
service to women clients including
credentials, experience, business
practices and a favorable regulatory history.
The Women’s Choice Award
for Financial Advisors is the only
recognition program for well-qualified advisors who are committed
to the women’s market and to serving their female clients. It allows
this outstanding group of advisors
to showcase their commitment to
the women’s market, while giving
potential clients a starting point
for entrusting their finances to an
advisor. Achieving this award reaffirms the commitment Fellinger
has to addressing the financial
needs of women and their families.
PRESSBUSINESS
Chamber awards scholarship
Courtesy photo
Joel Nowakowski (right), vice president and commercial banker at United Bank, presents the
$1,500 donation on behalf of the United Bank Foundation Connecticut to William Case (left),
a member of the board of The Friends of Heublein Tower, Inc., and an attorney with Case &
Case, P.C in Avon.
United Bank Foundation supports
The Friends of Heublein Tower, Inc.
The
United
Bank
Foundation Connecticut
announces its donation of
$1,500 to The Friends of
Heublein Tower, Inc. in support of its fundraising event,
“Hike to the Mic.”
The Friends of Heublein Tower, Inc., a nonprofit
community-based
organization, supports and
assists the Connecticut by
restoring, improving and
interpreting the Heublein
Tower and its surrounding
grounds.
The first ever “Hike to
the Mic” will take place later
this summer Saturday, Aug.
29, and will reward individuals and families who hike
to the Heublein Tower with
musical
entertainment,
food vendors and other
family fun.
Scheduled from noon
until sunset, The Friends
of Heublein Tower call this
event a great way to celebrate summer and enjoy the
view from one of Connecticut’s premier hiking destinations. For more information about the fundraiser,
please visit www.hiketothemic.com
WMGNA gives back to celebrate 20 years
This year marks WMGNA, LLC‘s 20th year in
business within Hartford
county. The company commemorated the occasion
by announcing its $20 for
20 campaign in January.
The program was designed
to give at least $20 to 20
charities and quickly generated $2,770 for such organizations as the American Red Cross, the Crohns
and Colitis Foundation and
Foodshare. WMGNA, LLC
has helped multiple organizations, ranging from grassroots start-ups like Colins
Crew in Wallingford, to major organizations such as
the ALS Foundation. Due to
the overwhelming success
of the program, WMGNA,
LLC will continue to take
donation requests.
“It is one of our ways of
giving back to the community that has given so much
to us the last 20 years,” said
Daniel J. Friedman, CEO.
WMGNA is a boutique
tax and wealth management advisory firm headquartered at 231 Farmington Ave., Farmington. Since
1995, they have been trendsetters in the industry with
their membership-based
one stop tax and financial
advisory service. Their financial philosophy is built
around their “Power of True
Success” formula: Great
Lifestyle + Money x The
Time to Enjoy It=True Success™
Those with an organization near and dear to
them are invited to email
[email protected] with
Valley
PRESS
read the paper
TO ADVERTISE:
the name of the charity and
web address, if available.
The Canton Chamber of Commerce awarded a $2,000 scholarship
to Canton High School
senior Jonathan Smith at
the school’s annual awards
ceremony June 9.
The chamber provides
one or more scholarships
every year to a graduating
senior planning to pursue
higher education in business or an entrepreneurial
endeavor. Smith will be
attending
Northeastern
University in Boston in the
fall. He will be majoring in
business and finance and
aspires to become a business owner after college.
He hopes also to occasionally attend Fenway Park and
root for the Red Sox.
Smith earned Distinguished Honors for all
16 marking periods while
attending Canton High
School. He was inducted
Courtesy photo
Canton Chamber of Commerce president Chuck Joseph
presents a $2,000 check to Jonathan Smith at Canton High
School’s annual awards ceremony.
into the National Honor
Society and named Canton
High School Scholar-Leader
by the Connecticut Association of Schools May 28.
He sings in the school choir,
had the leading role in two
musicals and was captain of
the varsity tennis team.
The Canton Chamber of Commerce has been
awarding scholarships to
Canton High School seniors since 2004, soon after
it became an independent
chamber and opened an
office in Canton Village.
Scholarships are funded by
a portion of proceeds from
the chamber’s annual golf
tournament held at Farmington Woods Golf Club.
ProHealth launches telemedicine service
ProHealth Physicians
and Anthem Blue Cross
and Blue Shield launched a
new telemedicine service to
provide Anthem members
with a fast, convenient way
to see a ProHealth doctor
for nonemergency needs
when their own doctor is
not readily available.
Beginning last month,
ProHealth adult patients
who are insured by Anthem
can use their smart phone,
tablet or computer to have
a live video visit with a ProHealth doctor to discuss
nonemergency health issues
from home, work or anywhere with a Wi-Fi signal or
Internet access.
ProHealth Physicians
is the first medical group in
Connecticut to implement
Anthem’s LiveHealth Online
Practice Edition technology
platform.
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July 23, 2015
The
Valley Press
19
PRESSOPINION
Capture
the
Moments!
VALLEY
PRESS
www.turleyct.com
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Simsbury, CT 06070
Phone: 860-651-4700
Fax: 860 606-9599
Click on the
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Letters
policy
Letters to the editor should be
400 words or less in length. Political letters should be 250 words
or less. Guest columns will be
published at the discretion of
the editor and should be no
more than 650 words in length.
No unsigned or anonymous
opinions will be published. We
require that the person submitting the opinion also include his
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edit or withold any submissions
deemed to be libelous, unsubstantiated allegations, personal
attacks or defamation of character. Send opinion submissions
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20
The
Valley Press
July 23, 2015
www.TurleyCT.com
Beyond the desk of the EDITOR
As summer starts to slip away
I saw a back to school commercial earlier this week.
It was the first one of the season, at least for me, and it sent me
straight into a bit of a panic.
Summer has been here for
several weeks now. What’s that
Abigail Albair,
phrase about the living being easy
Editor
this time of year?
My definition of time is:
something of which we never have enough.
I always tell myself – and others – that work
slows down in the summer and I should have more
free hours. I truly believe it every year, but it never
seems to work out that way.
Although one week or another, like this week,
for example, might bring a few slow news days for
our weekly publications, summer also brings fabulous human-interest opportunities for our monthly publications and endless potential for colorful
photo assignments.
I like to be busy, but somewhere around the
moment two weekends ago when a neighbor
teased me for bringing my laptop to the pool – my
first visit to the pool in our condo complex in the
last two summers – I realized I may have missed
the boat to summer relaxation quite a while ago.
I have a feeling I’m not alone.
Maybe it’s because social media is so all-consuming that we are aware of each other’s movements on a constant basis, but it seems many
people aren’t taking the chance for a summer slow
down.
Summer always seems like the shortest of
all four seasons. It starts in late June and lasts for
three more weeks after Labor Day, but those days
that occur before the end of school and after Sept.
1 don’t seem to count.
At that point, we’re back to school and work,
and it seems much more like autumn.
It really is a season that, for all practical purposes, only lasts for two months.
Summer is the time when we are supposed
to kick back a little and recharge our batteries. It’s
when we take advantage of the opportunity to go
somewhere fun, to slow down the pace a little bit,
to get some sunshine and fresh air.
If we don’t make the conscious choice to enjoy
it, it’s gone before we realized it was here. Then, all
we have to do is wait until next year and promise
ourselves that we will make better use of the season.
My husband is taking a two-week vacation
soon, most of which he plans to spend doing home
renovations. If I’m lucky, I’ll get a few days away
from work to spend with him.
I have high hopes that I’ll make it to my parents’ house on the lake for a few days to unplug –
truly, they have no Internet so my only connection
to the outside world is my cell phone, which gets
spotty service, and the free WiFi at the local coffee
shop.
I want to go to the beach, make it up to Boston
for a day and head to New York for a Yankees game.
I hope to spend time with my family, particularly the generation below me that is growing up
too fast, take my dog to the park and hold a barbecue with friends.
Perhaps I’ll find the time to hike in a state
park, attend an outdoor concert or see a movie on
a rainy day.
I’ve managed to see far-away cities over the
years but day trips allude me: I’ve never been to
Cape Cod or Block Island.
The days of spending hours on a river bank
with my grandfather fishing with my little pink
fishing pole are decades gone, but I think it’s time
I recapture those kinds of moments to clear my
head.
I’m starting to learn the value of taking a day
off every now and then.
Summers of my youth were full of picking vegetables from my mother’s backyard garden, climbing trees until dusk fell, and breathing in the smell
of a bonfire in the moonlight.
As we all know, life moves faster with each
passing year, but I think I’ll make a concerted effort
to reduce the pace a bit for the next few weeks.
Before we know it, election season will be
upon us, schools will be in session and everything
will speed up again.
If you’re feeling the need for a little simplicity
as I am, I hope you make some plans to enjoy the
summer season while you can.
Get some sun in your hair and some sand under your feet.
From what I hear, it’s worth the time.
The Valley Press
is a publication of
TurleyCT
Community Publications
Delivering local news,
sports, entertainment
and more to the
Farmington Valley
community
Keith Turley
Publisher
Abigail Albair
Editor
[email protected]
David Heuschkel
Sports Editor
Melissa Friedman
Advertising Director
860-978-1345
[email protected]
Barbara Ouellette
Classified Sales
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Gearing up
Matters
By Scott Gray
Photo by David Heuschkel
Jeremy Buck will compete in the AMA Amateur Motocross Championships next week in Tennessee. Racing against the best amateur dirt bike riders in the world represents a big jump for him.
Farmington’s Buck to race
in the motocross nationals
By David Heuschkel
Sports Editor
With a recently purchased camper trailer in tow and his dirt bike in the back of the
van, Farmington’s Jeremy Buck is embarking
on a journey to his dream destination. He
will encounter many bumps and dangerous
corners while navigating through a hazardous flow of traffic.
While Buck will be a tad nervous about
his surroundings, he shouldn’t be too worried about his first trip to Tennessee. After
all, this is not his first motosports rodeo.
Buck will be among more than 1,400
competitors in the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC
AMA Amateur Motocross Championships.
The week-long event is July 26 to Aug. 1 at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.
The 19-year-old son of a motosports
dealer will be spending his summer vacation
zipping around a challenging dirt track on
the 600-acre property owned by the 83-yearold coal miner’s daughter who is a country
music legend.
How fun is that?
“When you think of the magnitude
of all the racing organizations and all the
different people who participate in racing
across the country, to get to this level when
Photo by Paul Buckley
it’s narrowed down to the top 42, it’s pretty
significant,” said Marc Buck, Jeremy’s father
and owner of Powerhouse Motorsports in
Meriden.
Buck, who began racing dirt bikes at
an early age, is among the 42 riders who will
See MOTOCROSS on page 22
Pitching depth a key for Simsbury in state tournament
By David Heuschkel
Sports Editor
When the American Legion playoffs
began last weekend, there were 40 teams
with hopes of playing for a state champion
on the first weekend in August.
Simsbury is in the same position as it
was a year ago after repeating as Zone 1
champion. In doing so, Post 84 automatically advanced to the second round of
tournament play and was scheduled to
host Bristol opener in a best-of-three series July 22 at Memorial Field. The second
and (if necessary) third games will be the
next day with the winner advancing to the
next round in South Windsor. The best-ofthree championship is Aug. 1 or 2 at Middletown’s Palmer Field.
Pitching depth is especially paramount in the tournament because games
As the No. 1 starter for Simsbury Post 84, Pete Myers was expected to get the ball for
the opener of the American Legion state tournament this week.
are nine innings, compared to seven in the
regular season. Simsbury essentially ran
out of pitchers last summer.
Post 83 coach Tom Vincent doesn’t
See PITCHING DEPTH on page 24
I’ve always been more a fan of the story than
any particular team. In 1961, I thrilled to the
Mantle and Maris home run derby, clinging to
the edge of my seat as Maris chased the Bambino. In 1967, I rode the magic wave as the 100-1
Red Sox claimed the “Impossible Dream” American League Pennant and I held my breath as
Denny McLain chased the only 30-win season
of my lifetime in 1968. In 1969, I became a fan
of the “Miracle Mets” and their dazzling young
rotation, dotted with future Hall of Famers. My
favorite? Non-Hall of Famer Gary Gentry.
As that “fan of the story” I’m now in the
smallest minority in baseball, rooting for Alex
Rodriguez, quite a turnaround considering I
started the season like everyone else, including
his own team, skeptical he could become a productive teammate again. The Yankees declined
to support A-Rod beyond giving him a chance to
earn a job in spring training.
Fans in Seattle and Texas hate A-Rod for
obvious reasons. He went elsewhere. Red Sox
fans’ hatred is complicated. All he did to them
was attempt to join the Olde Towne Team at a
reduced price. When the union refused to allow
him to take $3 million off his contract, he was
forced to look elsewhere when the Red Sox declined to pay full price. It didn’t set well in Boston when A-Rod became a Yankee, but if they
really wanted him that much their anger should
have been directed at their team.
Being the “most hated player in baseball”
made Rodriguez an easy target of commissioner
Bud Selig, who needed a win to mask his legacy as the “Steroid Commissioner,” overseer of
the most rampant era of cheating in the game’s
history, an era in which players made fools of
a congressional committee, Barry Bonds and
Roger Clemens won court challenges and an
MVP won an appeal on a technicality that cost
an innocent man his career.
Selig chose A-Rod, one of more than a dozen players linked to Biogenisis, a “rejuvenation clinic” in Coral Gables, Fla. Major League
Baseball purchased documents from a disgruntled Biogenisis employee that indicated A-Rod
bought his records from the lab, making him
guilty of a cover-up. Biogenisis founder Anthony Bosch cut deals with Major League Baseball,
to be dropped from a lawsuit, and the feds, to
face only a minor charge, to testify against Rodriguez. The result, a 211-game suspension,
the longest in history, eventually cut to 162 under an appeal the players union supported on
the grounds the “commissioner has not acted
appropriately under the basic agreement.” In
other words Selig wanted A-Rod and wouldn’t
go away until he got him. A-Rod subsequently
dropped his threatened legal action against the
Yankees and Major League Baseball.
Since his return A-Rod has been a model citizen and a major force with the Yankees, earning the support and approval of his teammates,
who were disappointed for him over not being
chosen for an All Star game that included four
players who served drug suspensions of 50
games or more. He cut a deal with the Yankees
See GRAY MATTERS on page 24
July 23, 2015
The
Valley Press
21
Junior Legion: Simsbury clinches playoff spot
By Ted Glanzer
Staff Writer
Simsbury’s William Zawilinski beats the throw to the plate to
score an insurance run in a 6-1 win over West Hartford.
MOTOCROSS
from page 21
served as makeshift bunk
for Buck when he’s traveled
to competitions in Ohio,
North Carolina, New Jersey
and New Hampshire earlier
this year. Rather than shell
out money for a motel, he
brought a mattress and
crashed in the van.
Naturally, the van isn’t
big enough for the entire
family. So with the national
motocross competition just
around the corner, Jeremy
and his father were looking to purchase a camper
trailer. They found one last
weekend.
Jeremy was all set to
buy a camper the previous
day from a man in Vermont.
Following an interview that
afternoon for an internship – he’s an accounting
major at Central Connecticut State University – he
planned to make the fourhour drive to pick up the
van, but the plan changed
compete in the 450c division.
This is the first time he qualified for the amateur nationals.
What Daytona is to
NASCAR, Loretta Lynn’s is
to amateur motocross racers. The bumpy, twisting dirt
track has hosted the event
for more than 30 years.
This is a week-long
summer getaway for his
parents. And like any family trip, there is a list of
last-minute things to get.
At the top of that list was a
place to stay.
Marc and Becky Buck
will
accompany
their
19-year-old son along with
their younger son Corey,
another avid dirt bike rider,
to the Volunteer State this
weekend with Jeremy’s 2014
Kawasaki KX250 motorcycle
in the back of a van that he
purchased on Craig’s List.
The cargo vehicle has
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The Simsbury Junior
American Legion team’s
charge in the final two
games of the regular season
was straightforward: Win
and win.
Two victories propelled
Post 84 into the Junior Legion
(17-U) state tournament
as Simsbury claimed one
of three remaining berths
between four teams on the
final day.
Simsbury was halfway
to its goal after a 6-1 win
over West Hartford at Memorial Field July 16. The next
day, Nate Orluk pitched a
two-hit shutout as Simsbury
clinched a berth with a 1-0
win over Glastonbury.
Simsbury (13-11) fin-
ished in third place in the
zone, ahead of three teams
– Avon, Wolcott and West
Hartford – that went 12-12.
West Hartford finished in
sixth place as the result of the
first tiebreaker, which was
head-to-head competition,
because it lost two of three
games to both Avon and
Wolcott.
Against West Hartford, Simsbury won with the
time-tested formula of great
pitching, solid defense and
timely hitting.
“We played a really solid, fundamental game,” said
assistant coach Rick Orluk,
who was filling in for head
coach Dan Lee. “We were
always knocking on the door
all day long. Even when we
didn’t score, we had the pressure. That’s a big part of base-
ball. You have to put pressure
on the other team.”
Simsbury pitcher Josh
Consentino pitched a complete game, yielding just one
run on three hits. He struck
out four and walked two.
“He’s done a super job
all year,” Orluk said. “He’s
efficient.”
Catcher William Zawilinski, the No. 9 batter in the
order, provided a huge spark
on offense, going 1-for-1 with
a walk, a sacrifice fly and two
RBIs in addition to hustling
on the bases.
“When we met in right
field at the end of the game,
one of the guys we identified
was Will Zawilinski,” Orluk said. “He caught a great
game. He was the reason so
many good things happened
today.”
With Simsbury trailing
1-0 in the third, Zawilinski drew a leadoff walk and
came around on Anthony Ceolin’s double. Ceolin
scored on a single by Connor
Ahrens.
Simsbury extended its
lead to 4-1 in the fourth.
Zawilinski drove in the first
run with a sac fly and Miguel
Gonzalez scored the second
run on a fielder’s choice.
Post 84 tacked on another run in the fifth and
added insurance in the sixth,
keyed by Zawilinski’s hustle.
The catcher singled to lead
off the inning, went to third
base on George Matteo’s sacrifice bunt, and scored the
sixth run.
“That’s head’s up base
running, going from first to
third,” Orluck said. after he learned the man
had already sold it despite
promising it to Buck.
“Nothing is ever easy,”
Jeremy lamented.
Racing is an expensive
hobby. From race gear and
entry fees for the races to
bike parts and gasoline for
the van, getting to Loretta
Lynn’s was a costly venture.
To defray the costs,
Buck set up a gofundme.
com page. (www.gofundme.
com/jeremybuck659). He
and his family have spent
an estimated $10,000 since
the winter.
“That’s doing it the
cheapest possible way that
you can,” Jeremy said.
Buck said there have
been several times he has
put his hobby on hold because the cost was prohibitive. He was forbidden
to ride his bike during the
football season when he
was quarterback at Farm-
ington High, class of 2014.
Jeremy once broke his
tibia in a youth football
game. He’s experienced
more broken bones on a
motorcycle, though. Dirt
bike racing has literally been
a back-breaking endeavor.
Last year, Buck fractured
his L3 and L4 vertebrae at
an area qualifying event in
New Hampshire when he
flipped over his handlebars
after a jump.
“I got up and raced
the rest of the day without
knowing [of the fractures],”
Jeremy recalled. “The pain
was actually in my thigh.
My dad had to start my
bike for me. He had to help
me on the bike, but I raced
through the pain.”
“Jeremy’s really tough,
so he didn’t say anything to
me,” his father Marc said.
“He ran two or three motos
and said, ‘We should go to
the hospital.’ ”
Other mishaps on the
track resulted in fractures
to his collarbone, shoulder
blade and hand. However, it
was by no accident how he
got into dirt bike racing.
Back in the 1990s,
Marc Buck and his brotherin-law, Scott Peters, used to
race street motorcycles on
the circuit at New Hampshire Speedway. There were
always small dirt bikes
around when the Bucks
lived in Haverhill, Mass.
Riding one was a blast for
5-year-old Jeremy.
Shortly thereafter he
was introduced to motocross racing. His initial exposure to the sport was at
a track in Southwick, Mass.
“We went to Southwick
for the first time to see what
motocross was all about,”
said Marc Buck. “I found
Southwick on the map
and said we’ll drive there
and find the track when
we get there.”
Not long after, Jeremy
was competing in races at
the Canaan Lions Motocross in New Hampshire.
Marc Buck said his son had
a great time and seemed
like a natural.
“He had great reactions
and stuff like that,” his father recalled. “He sort of
took to it pretty well.”
“I remember when I
was 6 years old I had just
moved up to the older age
group and I beat everybody
in the class,” Buck said. “It
surprised me, my dad, my
mom, the whole family. I
was young and just saw the
potential. Once you win,
you want to keep winning.
You don’t want to finish behind anybody ever again.”
This being his first time
competing at the nationals,
Buck isn’t expecting to win.
There are three 15-minute
motos, or races, on three
separate days. The finishing
places of each rider are added
up and the lowest score is declared the national champion.
Dirt bike racers require
nerves of steel because of
the perils. It takes a steely
focus to navigate their machines around corners and
over bumps.
Buck said going over a
jump a rider can clear 100
feet in the air or about 10
feet higher than the top of a
telephone pole.
“When you’re on the
bike and you’re standing up
the whole time,” Buck said.
“Your thighs are burning.
Your arms are pumping up.
Mentally you get very worn
down because you’re trying
to figure out what you can
do to get ahead.”
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Walk-off winners
Photos by Dave Heuschkel
Adam Theriault, top photo, lined a single to right field
that scored Kyle Emery, bottom photo, with the winning
run in the 12th inning to give Avon a 3-2 walk-off victory
July 17 that clinched a berth in the American Legion
Junior state tournament.
The Avon Little League All-Star team (11-12) defeated Burlington 14-2 to win the District 6 championship and advance to
sectional play, which begins this week.
Little League: Avon wins District 6 championship
By Ted Glanzer
Staff Writer
The Avon 11-12 Little
League All-Stars gained
a measure of revenge July
18 by defeating Burlington
14-2 to win the District 6
championship at Reeves
Field in Thomaston.
Avon dominated pool
play by going 4-0, outscoring its opponents 52-29.
But in the first game of the
double-elimination playoffs, Avon lost to Burlington
13-7.
The loss served as a
wakeup call as Avon went
on to win its next three
games in the double-elimination tournament, outscoring the opposition
53-5. That included the
mercy-rule win over Burlington in the four-inning
championship game.
“We fought hard to get
back to play them again and
I’m really proud of the way
the kids responded,” Avon
coach Steve Angus said.
“They came in positive.
They had great at-bats.
Avon had 15 hits.
Leadoff batter Christian
Boudreau (4-for-4, double,
three runs, three RBIs) and
cleanup hitter Zac Aiello
(2-for-2, home run, double,
three RBIs, three runs) had
big days at the plate. On the
mound, left-hander Arjun
Grover pitched all four innings, allowing three hits
while striking out nine and
walking one.
“Our pitcher was outstanding today,” Angus said.
After Avon took a 3-0
lead in the top of the first,
Grover found himself in
trouble in the bottom half
when Burlington loaded
the bases with one out.
But he used his fastball
and knee-buckling curve to
strike out the next two batters to escape the jam.
Avon’s offense struck
again in the second inning
with four runs. Brian Dowling (2-for-3) singled to score
Aiello with a single. Singles by Jonathan Sides and
Benjamin Angus loaded
the bases and set up Boudreau’s two-run single. After
Brayden Nemarick (2-for-3,
run, 2 RBI) singled, Aiello
capped the rally with an RBI
single to make it 7-0. Burlington (5-2) responded with Christian
Corliss hitting a two-run
homer to left-center. But
Avon responded with a run
in the third and six more in
the fourth, highlighted by
Aiello’s two-run homer. The
game ended after four in-
Now offe
our prograrimng
a
AVON HIG t
SCHOOL H
nings because of the 10-run
mercy rule.
“We really played well
in every aspect of the game,”
Angus said. “You really can’t
ask much more from the
kids. They had fun doing
it and they showed great
sportsmanship. They really represented what Little
League is all about.”
Burlington head coach
Glenn Triplett said he was
proud of his team, which
left holding their heads
high.
“Our motto for this
season was ‘one team, one
dream,’ ” Triplett said. “Although we didn’t fulfill our
dream of a District 6 championship, we did fulfill our
dream of becoming a team
and forging friendships that
will last further than today.”
Avon moved on to the
sectional playoffs and is
scheduled
to play the
District
5 champion on
Tuesday, July
21 at PJ Foley
Field in Naugatuck.
Last year,
Avon
won
the District
6 title in the
11-year-old division.
“We have team
rules,” Angus said. “The
most important rule is
support your teammates.
They’ve done that all season long. The other rule
is have fun, and they’re
having fun. But they also
know when to focus. …
They each know what’s
expected of them; they
know what the coaching
staff hopes they can accomplish and they play within
their role and they do it
very well.”
Photo by
Ted Glanzer
Avon pitcher
Arjun Grover
got plenty of
support for
the win.
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The
Valley Press
23
American Legion: Tough start and finish for Unionville
By David Heuschkel
Sports Editor
With half its American
Legion roster with players
still in high school, Unionville Post 32 experienced
the usual growing pains of a
young squad. From start to
finish, it was a challenging
summer.
Unionville lost its first
seven games and spent
most of the season at or
near the bottom of the Zone
1 standings, failing to make
the playoffs for the second
straight year. As the season was winding down last
week, the Black Bears were
trying to avoid finishing in
last place.
Meanwhile, the Junior Legion team (17-U) for
Unionville finished in last
place. The team had to forfeit
its final seven games because
it forfeited two prior games
for not having enough players to field a team. According
to Legion rules, two forfeits
and you’re out.
“The second game we
forfeited, we had five playPITCHING DEPTH from page 21
anticipate that will happen
this time. He firmly believes
the team has enough arms
to make a strong run at a
state title. Simsbury has
used nine different pitchers
in zone games.
For the tournament
opener, Vincent was leaning toward giving the ball to
right-hander Pete Myers. He
went 4-0 with a 0.63 ERA and
ers,” Unionville coach Kyle
Meccairello said after the
Senior team lost to Simsbury 2-1 July 14 at Memorial
Field.
The next night, Unionville allowed four runs in
the last inning as Terryville
rallied for a 6-5 win. With
its sixth one-run loss this
season, Unionville dropped
to 6-16, one game ahead of
last-place Torrington (517). Both teams had two
remaining games.
In the 2-1 loss to Simsbury, Unionville squandered
some chances in the late innings. The Black Bears had
runners in scoring position
in five of the first six innings
and scored in just one of
them, and that was on a
throwing error by Simsbury
catcher Ryan Gothers on an
attempted pickoff at third.
Unionville went 1-for11 with runners in scoring
position and compounded
that by failing to get a bunt
down on a few occasions.
One player got doubled off
second on an infield pop
out. Another player lined a
ball through the right side
for an apparent leadoff single, only to get thrown out
at first by right fielder Jake
Cassano.
Trailing 2-1, Unionville
had two on with none out
in the fifth and sixth innings
but failed to score with the
tying run stranded at third
both times.
“Those are situations
we wish we were in more.
But because we haven’t
been in them we don’t know
how to handle it,” Meccariello said. “Those innings
have been few and far in
between.”
Meanwhile, Simsbury
took advantage of its few
chances. Post 84 scored
both of its runs on sacrifice flies with a runner on
third and less than two
outs. After Unionville took
a 1-0 lead in the third, Jack
Patrina drove in the tying
run in the bottom half.
In the fifth, Ryan Gothers knocked in the go-ahead
run with a fly ball to right.
Jake Nichols, the No. 9 hitter
in Simsbury’s order, went
a team-leading 40 strikeouts
in 28.2 innings, establishing
himself as the No. 1 starter
on a staff that had a team
ERA of 1.15.
Myers, who will be a junior at The Master’s School,
and left-hander Chris Enns
(5-0, 0.64) were the two main
holdovers from the 2014
pitching staff. Both made
starts in the state tournament last summer.
“I’d like to think we’ve
got more arms this year and
some stronger arms going
in,” Vincent said. “The pitchers we’ve had have more experience and we’ve added
some quality arms, too.”
The biggest addition
is the biggest pitcher. Matt
Gill, a hard-throwing righthander, has started and
pitched in relief. Depending
on how far Simsbury goes,
he may do both in the state
tournament. The 6-foot-
Simsbury first baseman Jake Wood makes a leaping catch and swipe-tag on Unionville’s Jack
Roy, getting the final out of the fifth inning and preventing the tying run from scoring.
2-for-2 and scored both runs.
“We were focusing on
just playing every game,
taking it game by game,
and the players give the
best effort. Let the chips fall
where they may in regards
to how it will affect other
teams,” Meccariello said.
“If anything, we’re trying
to protect ourselves from
last place. We’re trying to
play so we’re not going to
be dead last. Actually finishing with our heads held
high so we can go off in the
season and say, ‘Look, we
tried our best.’ ”
5, 230-pound pitcher has
committed to Boston College even though he has one
year remaining at Avon Old
Farms.
Gill has been invited to
play in the heavily-scouted
Area Code Games, scheduled
Aug. 4-11 in Long Beach, Calif. So he may not be available
if Simsbury advances to the
Legion championship series,
scheduled to start either Aug.
1 or 2.
Another addition to the
staff is lefty Jordan Whaley,
who has started and pitched
in relief. He and Gill are options as third starters. Jake
Nichols, Jack Patrina, Gavin
McConnell, Kevin Gurry and
Ryan Gothers will likely be
used in relief roles.
“It’s always helpful
[to have a deep staff] for
nine-inning games in the
heat,” Vincent said. “Sometimes a good pitcher is only
going to go five innings.”
Simsbury pitchers allowed 40 runs, the second
fewest in the zone behind
runner-up Bristol (37). But
Simsbury, which scored 151
runs, had the largest run differential (+111).
Simsbury won its final
13 games in the regular season to finish 21-3, three more
wins than last year and the
most since the 2008 team
went 23-1.
GRAY MATTERS from page 21
financial crisis before returning
to second-half action with a
late-inning tie-breaking homer
to secure a Yankee win. Who
would have believed a day
might come when A-Rod was
considered a better teammate
than David Ortiz, who’s feuding
with the Red Sox over playing
first base.
With two more years on his
contact, a five-year wait period and no chance of first ballot
induction, it will be interesting
to see how Hall of Fame voters
treat Rodriguez, who continues to assail the record book,
already in the top 10 in most
categories, nine years from
now when they begin to deal
with him honestly.
Bud Selig made A-Rod his
personal poster boy of the
steroid era and the scapegoat
of his quest to shake his own
tainted mantle. In nine years,
Major League Baseball may be
forced to face Bud’s tainted era
head-on when it’s time to judge
Alex Rodriguez more arbitrarily.
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to donate millions of dollars
in incentive bonuses, as he
climbs baseball’s all-time
rankings, to a variety of charities. He quietly accepted the
team’s decision not to play him
in the field, using him almost
solely as a DH, and became
a powerful contributor in that
role, giving the Yankees perhaps the most fearsome front
five of any lineup in the American League as they soar atop
the East.
In a society eager to offer
prodigals second chances, Major League Baseball couldn’t
have been more blatant in its
acceptance of Pete Rose as
a central figure at the All Star
Game, making A-Rod a story
that will play out over the next
decade. He remained quiet on
his exclusion, using the time
to record a TV skit poking fun
at his “most hated” status, accepting blame for everything
up to and including the Greek
Tony Retartha points out pepper plants growing in his plot in the Community Gardens at
Farmington Woods.
GARDENS
from page 13
freezes the myriad tomatoes her
husband gets out of the garden, he
said.
The 142 plots in the gardens
are tended by 167 people aged 2 to
93, of varying ethnicities, Retartha
said. The gardens show the true
spirit of a diverse community working together.
One woman has been gardening there since the 1980s, he said.
A mom who gardens there
recently told Retartha that her
5-year-old son had taken a liking to
eating vegetables since gardening
became a family affair, adding that
getting children to eat their veggies
is always a good thing.
There are 100 tomato plants of
different varieties, Retartha said.
“We have almost a ton of tomatoes planted in our community,”
he said.
Once the harvest starts coming in, the gardeners will sell the
tomatoes and other produce at a
weekly farmer’s market, to be held
on Sundays, he said.
The money raised will go back
to the Community Garden Committee to use for supplies, equipment and the materials needed to
rebuild a greenhouse.
It will also help fund gatherings held throughout the summer
on picnic tables and benches outside the gardens.
“We do hold events where
SURVEY
from page 13
very dissatisfied with public safety
or police presence.
“We don’t know what that ‘police presence’ is, whether it’s kids
or elderly or drugs or bicyclists,’ Ingvertsen said.
They called GreatBlue and
asked them for more details.
It turned out that 14 people
were dissatisfied with police presence and, based on a question in
the survey in which they were asked
to expand on their answers, had
A view of some plots on the upper level in the Community Gardens at Farmington Woods.
we welcome in the community at
large,” Retartha said.
The small fee charged to gardeners to use the plots also helps
pay for those items.
There is an herb garden shared
between the gardeners with 15 different herbs.
Retartha gives a lot of the
credit for the gardens, which he
said have gotten much better in the
past few years, to Garden Committee Chairman Bill Weikert.
Weikert grew up on a farm in
Gettysburg, Penn., and comes from
a farming background on his mother’s side. He learned a lot of tricks
from his maternal grandfather, he
said.
The gardens were first installed in the 1980s, Weikert said.
He’s been involved for the past
three years. In those years, Weikert
has been a transformative force,
Retartha said. He has vastly improved the gardens through his
mastery and hard work.
Among other things, he boxed
in the gardens, fenced in the watering area, added faucets and built
two greenhouses, one of which he
has taken down and will build an
improved one later in the summer.
“It is an amazing looking
garden,” Retartha said. “It’s very
impressive.”
This year, for the first year
since the gardens were started, all
the plots have been filled.
Another first this year was that
many of the plants in the gardens
came from seedlings grown in one
of the greenhouses, Retartha said.
Approximately 3,000 plants of
many varieties, including 14 varieties of tomato, five kinds of kale, six
types of lettuce, as well as cucumbers, melons, squash, herbs and
peppers, were started in the greenhouse.
“You name it,” Retartha said.
“We wanted to have a broad base,
... [a] healthy stock.”
The garden is also much like
a social club as people meet and
befriend one another and enjoy
parties.
Weikert and the other committee members also give classes
and seminars on gardening and
have written some tips, including
how early to plant certain items
and other useful hints.
“Everybody’s kind of an expert
in their field,” Retartha said.
The committee studied materials from the Pennsylvania
Horticultural Society and read its
book on community gardening,
Weikert said.
“We needed to deliver an edible landscape so we did: we planted
grapes on that hill,” he said, referring to the hill at the outside of the
fenced-in gardens.
They also put in berry bushes, including strawberries, black
raspberries and blueberries, things,
according to Weikert, that people
normally don’t associate with a
mixed views about the department.
GreatBlue, Boulter said, sent
them a sheet of paper with paraphrased responses that went from
one side of the spectrum to the
other.
One person, for example,
who indicated dissatisfaction with
police presence, said they were
“overbearing,” according to the document. Four others said “police visibility could increase.”
Seamus McNamee, senior director of research at GreatBlue, said
he had heard someone from the
Simsbury Police Department had
called and asked for clarification.
Many of the questions in the
survey were reused from a survey completed in 2008, by another
firm, McNamee said. The rest of the
questions were determined based
on meetings with town staff and a
public meeting in which residents
were offered the opportunity to suggest questions.
McNamee acknowledged that
the number of people dissatisfied
with police presence was small,
but said it was highlighted in the
Photos by Sloan Brewster
A view of the lower gardens from the upper levels in the Community
Gardens at Farmington Woods.
vegetable garden.
“We offer those as an edible
landscape,” Weikert said.
Other plantings for the landscape included cosmos, zinnias,
sunflowers and two edible flowers,
nasturtium and borage.
They also planted a grape arbor and anticipate picking up to 35
pounds of grapes from each of the
eight vines they planted this year
and the 16 more planned for next
year.
They are considering making
wine with the grapes, Weikert said.
“All the golfers ask [if we’re
going to make wine],” he said. “We
actually have a couple of folks in
Farmington Woods that do have
that as a hobby. They try to make
their own wines.”
Gardeners in the community gardens do what they can to
improve the gardens, such as improving the soil to adding compost,
Retartha said. Other community
gardens should follow suit.
“Towns should look at [their]
community gardens [and ask] what
should we do to strengthen our
community garden,” he said.
The Farmington Woods Annual Community Garden Party will be
held Aug. 6.
presentation because it still had
relevance.
“It was a small percentage. We
basically took folks that said they
had some level of dissatisfaction
with town services and asked them
to say why,” he said. “It wasn’t necessarily just saying that anything was
necessarily terribly wrong.”
The number of people dissatisfied with anything in town, police or otherwise, was small and
basically everything was rated 90
percent or higher, explained First
Selectman Lisa Heavner and Sean
Kimball, deputy director of administrative services.
“It’s a tiny number, but it’s
something we could work on,”
Heavner said. She pointed out that
the police department has won national recognition.
“We could have said it more in
a reflective way,” she said about the
presentation. “The bottom line is
we were thrilled. ... The story here is
how excellent the town was rated,
and including our police department, that’s a phenomenal rating
for a police department.”
July 23, 2015
The
Valley Press
25
check it out
AVON–––––––––––––
Sew Thankful Quilters making Quilts
of Valor for service people touched by
war Thursday, July 23, 6-9 p.m., at Avon
Congregational Church, 6 West Main St.,
drop in
Avon Senior Center, 635 West Avon
Road, 860-675-4355: LGBT & Allies Picnic
Thursday, July 23, 4-6 p.m. at Sycamore
Park Pavilion, register; Ping Pong Fridays,
July 24, 10 a.m., sign up; Dress Down Day
Tuesday, July 28; Shuffleboard Wednesday,
July 29, 10 a.m., sign up
Avon Summer Theater’s “Once on This
Island” Friday and Saturday, July 24 and
25 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 26 at 2
p.m., in the Avon High School auditorium,
510 West Avon Road, tickets $15/$10/$25
(www.avonsummertheater.com)
Avon Rec & Parks summer camps
registration online at www.AvonRec.com:
Pee Wee Camp, ages 3 ½-5, fee $150 each
session, Session 4 Insect Inspectors Aug.
3-14; Summer Fun Camp entering grades
1-3: Session 6 Under the Sea July 27-31,
Session 7 Let’s Make Things Aug. 3-7,
Session 8 Week at Paradise Island Aug. 1014; Camp Discovery entering grades 4-7,
Session 6 Action Week July 27-31, Session
7 Camp’s Got Talent Aug. 3-7, Session 8
Summer Olympics Aug. 10-14
Summer worship at Avon congregations:
in July worship at the West Avon
Congregational Church, 280 Country Club
Road, and in August worship at the Avon
Congregational Church, 6 West Main St.
Avon historic sites open every Sunday
through September from 2-4 p.m. for
tourist season – Pine Grove Schoolhouse, 3
Harris St., and Derrin Farmhouse, 249 West
Avon Road
Tuesday Crafters meeting weekly on
Tuesdays at 10 a.m. at Avon Congregational
Church, 6 West Main St., on drop-in basis
to do simple sewing and knitting projects
BURLINGTON–––––––
Burlington Parks & Rec programs
at
www.burlingtonctparksandrec.com:
Kickbox Combo Mondays and Wednesdays
thru Aug. 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m., walk-ins $10
per class; Fitness Mix – evenings Tuesdays
and Thursdays, thru Aug. 27, 6:15-7:15
p.m., fee $10
CANTON––––––––––
At the Canton Senior Center, 40 Dyer
Ave., 860-693-5811:
• The Medicare Saving Program
Wednesday, July 29, 11 a.m., hosted by the
Senior Center, call to reserve a seat
• Matter of Balance classes offered
26
The
Valley Press
by Farmington Valley Health District
Thursdays, thru Aug. 6, 10 a.m.-noon,
free of charge, register at 860-693-5811
• Canton Community Café open every
Wednesday and Friday, suggested donation
for 60+ $2.50, $4.50 for others, pre-register
by noon the day before at 860-693-5811
• Wii BowlingTeam every Monday at 1 p.m.,
Wednesday at 10 a.m. and Thursday at 9 a.m.
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program
for residents age 60+, if interested in
program and fit income guidelines call
Claire Cote
Farmers Market vouchers for Canton
residents either 60 years or older, or
younger than 60 and permanently disabled,
living in subsidized housing – informational
sessions Tuesdays and Wednesdays
from 11 a.m.-noon thru Aug. 26 at the
Community Center with Claire Cote to
qualify for vouchers (860-693-5811)
Mills Pond Pool open thru Labor Day,
Sept. 7, pool memberships and daily
passes available at the pool, daily fees $5
residents/$7 non-residents
Senior and Social Services Department
summer office hours Monday-Friday, 9
a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Calling all crafters for the Canton
Holiday Craft Fair Nov. 21 at Canton High
School, contact Tammie Coffey at dremkr@
aol.com
FARMINGTON––––––
At the UConn Health Center, 263
Farmington Ave.:
• Free Hospital Maternity Tours
Saturday, July 25, 2:30-3:30 p.m., main
lobby, call 860-535-6232 to register
• Free Workshop: “Things to Consider
Before Joining a Research Study” Monday,
July 27, 5 p.m., Onyiuke Dining Room,
register at 860-679-8802
• Free IVF Information Session Thursday,
July 30, 6-8:30 p.m., Cell and Genome
Science Building, 400 Farmington Ave.,
register at 860-679-4580
At the Stanley Whitman House, 37 High
St., 860-677-9222:
• Flower arranging workshop Sunday, July
26, 1-3 p.m., hands-on workshop led by
Hayley Billip of Eddy Farm in Newington,
bring three vases or containers, admission
$45, register early
• Wednesday program for children: Colonial
Games July 29, 10 a.m.-noon, ages 8 and
younger, try out some games and make a
“ball and cup” of one’s own to take home,
admission $10
• Walking Tour, Main Street: The Beautiful
Mile Wednesday, July 29, 6-7:30 p.m.,
discovering how the buildings and
streetscapes tell the town’s story, begin at
the gazebo on the green
July 23, 2015
To submit an event for the calendar,
e-mail Sally at
[email protected]
Simsmore Square, 540 Hopmeadow St.
Farmington Rec Department summer
concert series featuring the Kenn Morr
Band Thursday, July 30, 7-8:30 p.m., at
Alice Clover Pinney Park, School Street,
Unionville
Events at Farmington Senior Center,
321 New Britain Ave., Unionville, 850-6752490, ext. 3: pinochle Thursdays at 1 p.m.;
Farmington River Wood Carvers Mondays,
10 a.m.; Bible Study Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.;
Eye Care Bingo Wednesday, July 29, 1
p.m.; Salon Discussion Group Wednesdays,
1 p.m.
Five Corners Thrift Shop at First Church
of Christ, 61 Main St., Unionville, super
summer clothing sale, most summer
clothing $1, hours: Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2
p.m.
FHS Class of 1990 25th Class Reunion,
Knights of Columbus, Uncas Council #32,
301 New Britain Ave., Unionville, Saturday,
Aug. 8, 3 p.m., cost $35 per person or
$60 per couple (adults only), RSVP to
[email protected]
to
receive payment details
GRANBY––––––––––
Ham and strawberry shortcake dinner
Saturday, July 25, 4:30-7 p.m., at the
Granby Grange, 212 North Granby Road,
$12/$6 (860-627-5053)
Annual Blueberry Pie Supper Saturday,
July 25, sittings at 5 and 6:30 p.m., at the
West Granby United Methodist Church, 87
Simsbury Road, menu: ham, turkey, potato
salad, cabbage salad, baked beans, roll
and blueberry pie, call 860-653-2449
or 860-653-8045 to make reservations,
adults $14/children 6-12 $7
At Lost Acres Vineyard, 80 at Lost Acres
Road, North Granby (860-324-9481): Avis
and Lou Cherichetti Art Show July 24-Aug.
16, reception Friday, July 24, 5:30-8 p.m.;
Vinyasa in the Vines with Granby Yoga
Friday, July 24, 5-6 p.m.
Granby Senior Center, 15 North Granby
Road, 860-844-5352 - Excursions: Farm
Stands Wednesday, July 29, departing
11:30 a.m., for farm stands in Granby and
Southwick, Mass., cost $3; Slater Museum,
Friday, July 31, departing 9 a.m., tour of
recently remodeled museum, lunch at
Irene’s in Norwich, explore largest shoe
store in New England
Granby Artists Association show at
Simsbury Library, 725 Hopmeadow St.,
Simsbury, thru July 31
SIMSBURY–––––––-–
Go Green Day at the Simsbury Farmers’
Market, Thursday, July 23, 3-6 p.m., at
Celebrate Tuscany with the Simsbury
Chamber of Commerce (traveling there in
March 2016) Thursday, July 23, 5:30-6:30
p.m., at Maple Tree Café, 781 Hopmeadow
St.
Simsbury Land Trust hike, July 25
at 8 a.m., Metacomet Trail, Tariffville,
parking just north of the Rte. 189 bridge
over the Farmington River, 3.2 mile hike,
approximately two hours, moderate
difficulty.
At the Simsbury Senior Center, Eno
Memorial Hall, 754 Hopmeadow St., 860658-3273:
• Lunch Café at Eno Friday, July 24,
11 a.m.-noon, garden vegetable soup,
chicken salad and tuna salad sandwich,
$2/sandwich, $2/soup
• Lunch @ Eno Wednesday, July 29, noon,
baked meatloaf, $3/$4, sign up the Friday
before by noon
• Jump on Board Trip to Bill’s Seafood in
Westbrook Monday, July 27, depart 10
a.m., return 4 p.m.
• Bocce on the new bocce court Tuesdays
at 10 a.m. (weather permitting)
• Pickleball at Simsbury Farms Ice Rink
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 4-5:30
p.m., thru October
• Simsbury Community Band concert
Wednesday, July 29, 7 p.m., at Simsbury
Meadows Performing Arts Center, Iron
Horse Boulevard, rain location Simsbury
ice rink
At the Simsbury Free Library, 749
Hopmeadow St., 860-408-1336:
• Genealogy Road Show Saturday, July 25,
10 a.m-2 p.m., with Diane LeMay, $5 nonmembers, RSVP
• New exhibit: George L. Hall’s WWI Letters
Home written between Aug. 11, 1917 and
Oct. 21, 1918
• Pinchot Sycamore Art Contest for children
and teens living or attending school in
Simsbury, info at Simsburyfreelibrary.org
or 860-408-1336
Chamber of Commerce Fun Run/Walk
of 3-5 miles at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday,
meeting and ending at Red Stone Pub, 10
Jim Gallagher Way
Dog Days of Summer free hot dog
suppers Mondays thru Aug. 17, 5-6:30
p.m., at Shepherd of the Hills Evangelical
Lutheran Church, 7 Wescott Road, 860658-0583 – hot dogs, chips, fruit and
veggies, beverage and dessert
Marketplace Day Camp Aug. 10-14,
9 a.m.-noon, at Covenant Presbyterian
Church (The Barn), 124 Old Farms Road,
children ages kindergarten-grade 6, and
junior high and high school students to
serve on ministry teams, registration open
at cpcbarn.org (860-658-9772)
VALLEY & BEYOND––
Shabbat Under the Stars Friday, July
24, 6 p.m., at Stratton Brook Park, West
Simsbury, bring a picnic Shabbat dinner,
dinner follows the service in the picnic
grove, at the Temple in case of inclement
weather
“Happy Birthday Hubble,” Duncaster
Retirement Community, 40 Loeffler Road,
Bloomfield, Fridays, July 24-August 28, 2
p.m.-3 p.m., six-part astronomy course,
open to public, free, must pre-register,
contact Fran Kent, [email protected] or
860-380-5006
Natural Lawn Care program by
Farmington River Watershed Association
Sunday, July 26, 10:30-11:30 a.m., at the
Barkhamsted Senior Center, with Aimee
Petras, education and outreach coordinator
– get lawn in shape without using chemical
fertilizers or pesticides (860-658-4442)
Free talk with Dr. Natalia Menjivar
entitled “Early Orthodontics” hosted
by Farmington Valley Orthodontics
Thursday, July 30, 6-8 p.m., at Abigail’s
Grille and Wine Bar in Simsbury, limited to
first 25 who RSVP at info@iwantbraces.
com by Monday, July 27
Summer cooking classes: Garden to
Table: Summer Sides and Salads Friday,
July 31, 6:30-8:30 p.m., and Spicy Summer
Nights Friday, Aug. 7, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at
Connecticut Kitchen & Bath Studio in Avon,
register one week prior to class date
Farmington Valley Farmers Market
Sundays 11 a.m.-2 p.m., at Riverdale
Farms Shopping, 124 Simsbury Road,
Avon, vendors offering certified organic
produce, local meats, breads, local eggs,
baked goods, prepared and ready-to-eat
foods, fresh local seafood, fresh coffee,
Italian ice, local goat soaps and fresh
cut flowers, SNAP/EBT credit/debit cards
accepted ([email protected])
Academy International Coaches visiting
Ethel Walker School in Simsbury to host
a weeklong field hockey training camp
Aug. 10-14, 4:30-7:30 p.m., beginners
to advanced players welcome, register
at www.academyinternational.net or call
1-888-529-3827
Seeking applicants for volunteer training,
inquire by August 11, McLean Health Center,
75 Great Pond Road, Simsbury, hospice
& home care team, training held Sept.
9 through Oct. 30, to request application
call 860-658-3950 or email michelle.
[email protected]
Arts & Events
Art Party at the Farmington Valley Arts Center,
25 Arts Center Lane, Avon, Bird and Owl Doodad
Thursday, July 23, 6:30-8:30 p.m., with artist
Deborah Velasquez, $35 includes materials, wine
and refreshments, register at 860-678-1867 or
email [email protected]
Summer Concert Series with The Blue Cherry
Band at Elizabeth Park Thursday, July 23, 6:30-8
p.m., on the Rose Garden lawn, in the Pond House
if rain; Movies in the Park July 24, 8 p.m., TBA
At the Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main St.,
Hartford:
• Film “Little England” Thursday, July 23, 7 p.m.,
additional screenings Saturday, July 25 at 4 and
7 p.m. and Sunday, July 26 at 2 p.m., $9/$8/$7
• Summer Sizzle Under the Stars: “To Have and
Have Not” Friday, July 24, 5-10 p.m., a la carte
dinner in Gengras Courtyard accompanied by
live swing with Alta and Matt DeChamplain and
Haneef Nelson, followed at approximately 8:15
p.m. by a screening of “To Have and Have Not,”
tickets (no including dinner) $9/$8/$7
• Film “Life in a fishbowl Thursday, July 30, 7
p.m., additional screenings Aug. 1 at 4 and 7
p.m. and Aug. 2 at 2 p.m., tickets $9/$8/$7
At Bridge Street Live, 41 Bridge St., Collinsville,
860-693-9762: July 23, 8 p.m., Larry Kirwan of
Black 47; July 24, 8 p.m., Capricorn presents
“The Fillmore Revisited”; July 25, 8 p.m., Mind
Reader Eric Ditteleman
At Infinity Music Hall and Bistro:
20 Greenwoods Road North, Norfolk, 860542-5531: July 24, 8 p.m., Rumble & Twang
featuring “The Stray Cat” Lee Rocker & Jimmy
Vivino; July 25, 8 p.m., Aztec Two-Step; July 26,
7:30 p.m., The Original Jim Kewskin Jug Band
Farewell Tour; July 30, 8 p.m., The SteelDrivers;
July 31, 8 p.m., Walter Trout
32 Front St., Hartford: July 23, 8 p.m., Ladies of
Laughter; July 24, 8 p.m., The Lovin’ Spoonful;
July 26, 7:30 p.m., Arrival from Sweden – The
Music of ABBA; July 28, 8 p.m., Dr. John & The
Nite Trippers; July 29, 8 p.m., Aaron Neville; July
30, 8 p.m., Jah9 with Dubtonic Kru; July 31, 8
p.m., Girls, Guns & Glory with special guests The
Mallett Brother Band
The 94th Army Band in concert Friday, July 24,
2 p.m., at the Avon Public Library, 281 Country
Club Road, Avon
The HSO’s Talcott Mountain Music Festival,
Music of Queen, Friday, July 24 at the Performing
Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows, Iron Horse
Boulevard, advance adult single lawn tickets
$20, $5 for kids 12 and under, adult single lawn
tickets $25 at the gate, 860-987-5900 or www.
hartfordsympphony.org
Avis & Lou Cherichetti Art Show July 24-Aug.
16 at Lost Acres Vineyard, 80 Lost Acres Road,
North Granby, with an artists reception Friday,
July 24, 5:30-8 p.m. (860-324-9481)
At the Mark Twain House & Museum, 351
Farmington Ave., Hartford, 860-280-3130:
• Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours Friday and Saturday,
July 24 and 25, tours stepping off at 6, 7, 8, and
9 p.m., tickets $22/$17/$15, call 860-280-3130
• Twain’s Companions & Cohorts: Steve
Courtney’ Leads a Walking Tour Saturday, July
25 at 10 a.m. at Hartford’s Cedar Hill Cemetery,
$5, free to members of Mark Twain House and
cemetery foundation members and Let’s Go! Arts
• Book Launch, “The Two State Delusion:
Israel and Palestine - A Tale of Two Narratives,”
Tuesday, July 28, 7 p.m., with author Padraig
O’Malley and moderator Norton Mezvinsky,
professor of history emeritus from CCSU, free,
reservations requested – an evening about the
ongoing conflict in the Middle East
• CLUE Tours Wednesday, July 30, 7-10
p.m. starting every 15 minutes, $22/$17
for members/$15 for children ages 6-17,
reservations required
• Seventh Annual Ice Cream Social Thursday,
July 31, 5-7 p.m., music from folk group Horizon
Blue, free admission
Connecticut Theatre Company’s “Noises
Off” final performances Friday and Saturday,
July 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, July
26 at 2 p.m., at The Repertory Theatre, 23
Norden St., New Britain, tickets $18/$15, www.
connecticuttheatrecompany.org or at the door
Collinsville HOT, an all-day village and
river celebration, Saturday, July 25 – day of
entertainment, artisans, food and children’s
activities capped by spectacular water fire display
Max Chef to Farm dinner series: Lobsterfest
Two Saturday, July 25, 5-9 p.m., at Rosedale
Farms, East Weatogue St., Simsbury; Heirlooms
& Heritage, Thursday, July 30, 6:30 p.m., Sub
Edge Farm, Farmington
Bruce Gregori at Crown & Hammer, 3 Depot St.,
Collinsville, Saturday, July 25, 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
“The Addams Family” at the Warner Theatre.
68 Main St., Torrington, 860-489-7180, July 25Aug. 2, performances Saturdays, July 25 and
Aug. 1 at 8 p.m.; Sundays, July 26 and Aug. 2 at
2 p.m.; Friday, July 31 at 8 p.m., call for tickets
Elizabeth Park’s Summer Concert Series
featuring the Mighty Soul Drivers Wednesday,
July 29, 6:30-8 p.m., on the Rose Garden lawn,
rain date Thursday, if rain on Thursday in the Pond
House, picnics welcome at outdoor concerts only
“West Side Story” presented by West Hartford
Summer Arts Festival, at Northwest Catholic High
School, 29 Wampanoag Drive, West Hartford,
July 30 thru Aug. 1, 7:30 p.m., tickets $16, visit
www.westhartfordsaf.com or visit Northwest
Catholic High School Box Office July 27, 28, and
29 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
24-Hour Play Festival at Playhouse on Park,
244 Park Road, West Hartford, participants meet
July 31 at 8 p.m., performance August 1 at 8
p.m., participation free and open to those over
16, preference given to those with experience,
for registration information call 860-523-5900
x15 or email dloveland@playhousetheatregroup.
org, performance tickets $10, to purchase
tickets call box office at 860-523-5900 x10 or
visit www.playhouseonpark.org
Joe Galiette’s “Femme Aprovechar” art show
at The Simsbury 1820 House, 731 Hopmeadow
St., Simsbury, thru July 31 (860-658-7658)
Night of Hope Saturday, Aug. 1, 5:30 p.m., at
Rosedale Farms & Vineyards, 25 East Weatogue
Street, Simsbury; A gourmet culinary event
at the farm to benefit the Connecticut Brain
Tumor Alliance; night include food, wine and
music by Connecticut’s own six-piece band
“Freeplay”; purchase tickets at www.picatic.
com/ctbtanightofhope.
At the Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main St.,
Hartford, 860-278-2760:
• Mark Bradford / MATRIX 172 thru
Sept. 6, site-specific
wall
drawing
• Peter Blume: Nature and Metamorphosis thru
Sept. 20, exhibition on influential modernist
painter
Aspects of Portraiture: Photographs from
the Wadsworth Atheneum Nov. 15, featuring
nearly 50 examples of photographic portraits in
a variety of styles
Auditions for “Nice Work If You Can Get It”
to be presented by the Warner Stage Company
beginning Nov. 7, auditions by appointment
Monday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. or Wednesday, Aug.
12 at 7 p.m., email [email protected]
to schedule an appointment
Auditions for “The Rocky Horror Show”
Aug. 16 and 17, 6-9 p.m., Trinity-on-Main
Performance Center, 69 Main St., New Britain,
production to take place Oct. 16-31, contact
[email protected] for more information
At La Trattoria, 21 Old Albany Turnpike, Route
44, Canton: music by Andre Balazs every
Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and music by Swing
Jazz starting at 7 p.m. every Friday
At the Library
Avon Public Library,
281 Country Club Road, 860-673-9712,
www.avonctlibrary.info:
• Kids Choice Book Club Thursday, July
23, 4 p.m., grades 4-6, “The Map to Everywhere”
Teen Game Night Thursday, July 23,
6-8 p.m., Teen Cupcake Wars, entering
grades 7-12, register
• Celluloid Highway Film Series, film
and discussion with Dr. Bob Kagan,
Thursday, July 23, 6:30-9 p.m., “Lost
in America”
• Summer music series Friday, July 24,
2 p.m., 94th Army Band of East Windsor
(instead of Foodie Film) – marches, pop,
rock and jazz
• Teen Lock In Friday, July 24, 8 p.m.midnight, entering grades 7-12, sign
up – experience the library after dark,
snack, games
• Farmers Market Monday, July 27, 4-7
p.m.; Local Author Festival: Authors in
Tent Nan Arnstein and Glenn Maynard
• BYOA: Teen Art Monday, July 27,
6:30-8 p.m., entering grades 8-12
Summer Fun Stories Tuesdays, July 28,
Aug. 4 and 11, 10:30-11 a.m., ages 3
and up, drop in
• Children’s Movie Matinee Tuesday,
July 28, “Up,” all ages, drop in
• Local Author Festival: Children’s
Author Night Tuesday, July 28, 7 p.m.,
Donna LeBlanc, Shannon Mazurick, J.C.
Phillipps, Martha Ritter
• Register for Kids & Teen Craft Fair
Wednesday, July 29, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.,
sign up to reserve a table, setup 11 a.m.
• Pencil Art Instruction – Crafts for
Adults with Avon artist Shushobha
Jenner Wednesday, July 29, 11:30
a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2-3 p.m.
• Instrument Zoo with the Hartford
Symphony Orchestra Wednesday, July
29, 3-4 p.m., all ages, drop in
• Teen Movie Afternoon Thursday, July
30, 3:30-5:30 p.m., “I Am Number Four”
– pizza donated by Big Y
• James Frey Event Thursday, July 30,
6-8 p.m., an evening with Frey, author
of “Endgame: The Calling”
Burlington Library,
34 Library Lane, 860-673-3331,
www.Burlingtonctlibrary.info:
• Tween & Teen Crafts Thursdays, 5-6
p.m., register: July 23, Super Hero
Bookends, bring one’s own action
figure, and July 30, Super Hero Phone
Case, bring one’s own phone case
• Family Fun Night Tuesday, July 28,
6:30 p.m., Burlington Land Trust – Our
Land Heroes
• Hero Art – Craft Corner MondayFriday thru Aug. 14, 10:30 a.m.-noon,
ages 2 and up, drop in
• Picnic Story Hour Wednesdays, thru
Aug. 12, noon, all ages, drop in – bring
lunch and a blanket for outdoor story
hour
Canton Public Library,
40 Dyer Ave., 860-693-5800: Saturday
summer schedule: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.,
closed Sunday
• Movies on the Big Screen Thursdays
at 6:30 p.m., ages 6 and up: July 23,
“Boxtrolls” and July 30, “Cinderella”
“McFarland USA” screening Friday, July
24, 1p.m., free
• Drop-In Story Time: I Spy a Super
Hero Wednesday, July 29, 10:30 a.m.,
ages 3 and up with parent/caregiver
Face Painting 101 Thursday, July 30,
4-5 p.m., entering grades 3 and up,
register
• July art display: Shelter and Art: The
Architectural Photography of Richard
Swibold thru month of July Books/DVD
donations for book sale in September
during library hours thru Aug. 29
Farmington Library,
6 Monteith Drive, 860-673-6791, ext. 1,
www.farmingtonlibraries.org:
• Farmington Libraries Farmers Market,
Fridays thru Aug. 28, 2-5 p.m.
Afternoon at the Bijou Thursdays, 2
p.m.: July 23, “The Mating Game” and
July 30, “Madame X”
• Lucy Loves the Library Saturday,
July 25, 9-11:30 a.m., read to Lucy, a
certified therapy dog, all ages, make
appt.
• Super Hero Family Crafts, Shiny
Shields, Monday, July 27, 6:30-7:15
p.m., ages 5 and up and their families,
register
• Director’s College event: Franz
Schubert’s Last Year Tuesday, July 28,
7-8:30 p.m., with Jeffrey Engel, register
• Literary Afternoon Circle Reads:
“Theseus and the Minotaur” Thursday,
July 30, 2-2:45 p.m., grades 2-4,
register
• Day trip to New York City Sept. 1,
$100, payment due no later than Aug. 4
Barney Library,
71 Main St., 860-673-6791, ext. 2
• Midsomer Murders at the Barney
Thursday, July 23, 1-2:30 p.m., served
with tea and biscuits – the longrunning British TV series that chronicles
Detective Tom Barnaby attempts to
uncover secrets and solve murders in
Midsomer County, register
Granby Library,
15 North Granby Rd., 860-844-5275:
• Craft Week Monday, July 27-Saturday,
Aug. 1, all day
• Hula Hooping Wednesday, July 29,
1:30 p.m., held at the senior center,
with master hooper Judi Ann Jones
demonstrating her hooking skills,
hoops for everyone from toddler to
adult, register
• Book & Film Series Wednesday, July
29, 1:30 p.m., “I Always Loved You”
(novel) by Robin Oliveira, register
Simsbury Library,
725 Hopmeadow St., 860-658-7663:
• Friday Flicks 1-3 p.m.: July 24, “On
the Beach” and July 31, “The Dirty
Dozen”
• Community Read Discussion of “Boys
in the Boat” Tuesday, July 28, 7-8:30
p.m., with SHS crew team members
• What Women Avoid: Practical Tools
to Live Your Life Safely and Confidently
Thursday, July 30, 7-8:30 p.m., with
Dennis Golden, CEO of IM-SAFE and
author of “What to Know Do and Say to
Be Safe, a Woman’s Guide to Personal
Safety,” registration suggested
• Books wanted for September Used
Book Sale, collection site at library thru
Aug, 29
Teen programs
• Yoga Thursdays, July 23 and 30, 7
p.m., RSVP
• Techie Tuesday: Solar Smores
Tuesday, July 28, 2 p.m. (rain date
Aug. 4)
• Lunch & Lit with free books
Wednesday, July 29, noon
• Crafternoon: T-Shirt Re-creation
Wednesday, July 29, 2 p.m., bring a few
shirts
• Lock-In Friday, July 31, 8 p.m.midnight, RSVP (teens only afterhours)
Children’s programs
• Dog Days of Summer Monday, July
27, 2:30-3:30 p.m., entering grades
1-6, R.E.A.D. to a furry friend, drop in
for 15-minute session
• Let’s Make It! Monday, July 27,
entering grades K-3, drop in
Discoverer’s Club Crafts Wednesday,
July 29, 3-4:30 p.m., ages 3 and up,
drop in
• Family Movie Wednesday, July
29, 6:30 p.m., “Willy Wonka & The
Chocolate Factory”
July 23, 2015
The
Valley Press
27
Classifieds
Help Wanted
Help Wanted
At Your Service
Does Health Insurance confuse you?
SCHOOL BUS
DRIVERS - AVON
Hiring and training for
September 2015. Four hour
minimum daily guaranteed,
other hours available.
$17.20/hour to start
For details contact
Kim Bush 860-470-7200
HOME HEALTH CARE
RN - PART TIME
Seeking talented and caring RN to
join The Farmington Valley VNA team,
3 days a week. Homecare experience
is required. Competitive salary and
benefits for the experienced candidate. Our nonprofit organization offers a cohesive and supportive work
environment in which you can utilize
your skills and fulfill your professional
goals in nursing. For more information, please contact Robin Baker RN
at 860-651-3539 or email at rbaker@
farmingtonvalleyvna.org
Farmington Valley VNA
EOE
Old Mill Lane, Simsbury, CT 06070
www.farmingtonvalleyvna.org
Construction Director (Farmington, CT) Oversee construction projects
for residential single-family homes. Review and adjust plans and budgets w/
project managers. Evaluate land acquisition opportunities. Send resume re: Ad
# 8081 to employer at: F. Dulos, Attn:
HR, Fore Group, Inc., 4 Jefferson Crossing, Farmington, CT 06032
PUBLIC
NOTICES
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
CAREGIVERS WANTED
THROUGHOUT CT
We are looking for mature,
responsible individuals.
Call Dylan Cowen at 860-922-2005 today, to make the confusion go away!
Your local licensed independent Health Insurance Broker. [email protected]
There is no extra cost when purchasing insurance through a Servicing Agent
PIANO LESSONS for all!
Read
Valley
PRESS
online at
www.TurleyCT.com
Take lessons from a patient and experienced teacher, all ages and levels
welcome. Private instruction with a
classically-trained pianist, graduate
of McGill University (B.Mus and
M.Mus). Studio located in Tariffville.
Please contact Claire for more information: 201-213-6645, claire.paik@
gmail.com
Gambling Problem?
Gamblers Anonymous can help
you. Take back your life.
Phone: 855-2-CALL-GA
855-222-5542
to speak with someone
Gamblers
Anonymous
is
a
non-profit fellowship of men and
women who share their experience,
strength and hope with each other
that they may solve their common
problem and help others to recover
from a gambling problem.
www.gamblersanonymous.org.
Apartment for rent $900.00 a month
in West Simsbury. Includes Utilities,
heat, hot water, electric, air conditioning and Wifi. Private one bedroom
with a fireplace. Single, non-smoking,
professional without pets preferred.
860-965-7729.
“We do Obama care and
the Affordable care act
plans!” Call us to make
it easy! 860-922-2005
Free no obligation no pressure consultation at my office in
Farmington or home visits available upon request! 860-922-2005
• Choose your own hours
• FT/PT positions available
• Live-in positions available
• 80% medical/401k
Apply Online Today at
www.caregiverjobsct.com
or call 888-844-4442
DCP HCA 0000101
Affordable Care Act plans
Medicare Supplement Insurance plans
Medicare Advantage Plans
Prescription Drug Plans
CT Exchange plans
Dental/Hospital/Cancer plans
And more!
Come see why people say “I have my health insurance with Dylan!”
GUITAR LESSONS
in your home. I am a Hartt School of
Music graduate with thirty years of
teaching and recording experience.
I have helped many students prepare
for Jazz Band music auditions,
improvise, and learn to play their
favorite songs. All styles, levels, and
ages with references available.
Tom Tribuzio, 860-673-1210.
[email protected]
TRAVELING MUSIC
TEACHER
Enjoy the Summer!
3 hours
of cleaning
for $99
Apartment for Rent
LEGAL NOTICES
At Your Service
.Daily,
Weekly and One-Time Rates Available
Bonded & Insured, Gift Certificates
BBB Accredited and Angies List Approved
MORAWSKI CLEANING LLC
A Super Service Award Winner
Call Sandy at 860-651-4601 • MORAWSKICLEANING.COM
[email protected]
Deadlines for legal notices is Friday
at noon. Notices may be faxed to
860-606-9599
Music lessons in the comfort of
your own home. Musician Billy
Romanos offers piano and guitar lessons for all levels, ages,
and styles of music. Over 40 years
experience.
Graduate of Berklee College of
Music in Boston.
Billy 860-978-3333
HOUSE CLEANING
POLISH /ENGLISH SPEAKING
WOMAN CAN CLEAN
YOUR HOME.
3RD CLEANING - 50% off.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
Insured. Bonded. Call 860-538-4885
Wanted
I BUY houses
AS-IS. Cash.
Call TODAY
860-674-9498 or
Email:
john@boucherbuilding.
com.
CT.REG.# 530518.
For questions about rates or
placing a notice please call
860-651-4700
Valley
PRESS
read the paper
TO ADVERTISE:
28 The Valley Press July 25, 2015
36
Read
Valley
PRESS
www.TurleyCT.com
Home Improvement
AIR COND. & HEATING
BATHROOMS
BATHROOMS
Remodeling Your Bathroom?
Install - Service - Repair
tune-up your system
$125 for AC or heat Schedule
both and save 10%*
Suffield
668-8000
West Hartford
232-8002
HIC #613103
(800) 975-5495
www.BridgeWorks-llc.com
CT’s Bathroom Remodeling Experts
CHIMNEYS
CHIMNEYS
$20 OFF
$20 OFF
STOVE
ONE CHIMNEY FLUE CLEANING PELLET
CLEANING
Offer Expires 8/31/15
& SERVICING Offer Expires 8/31/15
Since 1984
A+
860-693-3404
HIC License #0674006
WWW.VALLEYCHIMNEYSWEEPLLC.COM
Texture Spray ~ Painting
28 years experience. Free Estimates. Insured.
Call Robert
Call For Free Estimates
860-890-6704
EQUIPMENT REPAIR
Darrell
CT License #557873
Call
Insured • Prompt Service
SPRAY-TEX
for
FREE estimate
860-749-8383 • 860-930-7722
DRIVEWAYS
860.953.6519
Call for
Free Estimates
ELECTRICAL
CT Lic. 575422
ELECTRICAL
Residential * Commercial * Industrial
INC.
Call today
for your
FREE, no
obligation
consultation
& estimate.
155 Brickyard Road, Farmington
860-242-6486
860-269-3103
35 Peters Road
Bloomfield
www.advancedequipmentct.com
HOME IMPROVEMENT
www.renew-asphalt.com
Brannack Electric Inc.
Kyle
SPRING TUNE-UPS!
HOME IMPROVEMENT
DRIVEWAYS
RENEW ASPHALT
MAINTENANCE
EQUIPMENT SERVICE & REPAIR
CHIMNEYS
• Sealcoating
• Hot Crack Filling
• Line Striping
EQUIPMENT REPAIR
EQUIPMENT
Fully Insured • Free Estimates • Locally Owned & Operated
Over Three Decades of Service
• Textured Ceilings • Drywall & Plaster Repair
• Ceiling Painting • Interior & Exterior Painting
& Refinishing
• New Ceiling Installation
• Bathtub Reglazing
CPA REG. #593039
Pick Up & Delivery
Available
Floors
Tile • Slate • Linoleum • Stone • Stripping
Refinishing • Waxing & Polishing
CEILINGS
860-521-6942
Senior Citizen Discounts • Insured & Guaranteed
ADVANCED
No Hidden Charges • No Over Wetting
Pet Stains & Odors
CEILINGS
ER PA
EWSince 1958 VI
COMMERCIAL &
RESIDENTIAL
✔ Driveways
✔ Parking Lots
✔ Excavating
860-895-9301
Carpets & Upholstery
CT LIC #0673079
G
Water Damage
Repair • Plaster
Sheetrock
860.515.8265
N
CEILING EXPERT
DRIVEWAYS
BR
CEILINGS
A Professional Cleaning Service • Commercial & Residential
Specializing In: Cracked And Water
Damaged Ceilings
VALLEY CHIMNEY SWEEP LLC
220 Albany Tpke., Rte. 44, Canton Village, Canton, CT 06019
ALISTAR SERVICE CO.
REMODELING
DO IT NOW Affordable Remodeling
bathroompros.com
*Must present this advertisement at service
More Like A Friend Than A Company
“WE SHOW UP”
BATHROOM
Baths & Tiling Our Specialty
Full & Partial Remodels
Also...Kitchens, Floors, Painting,
General Repairs & more
Bathroom
Pros
Support local business
CARPETS & FLOORS
HOME IMPROVEMENT
24 Hour Emergency Service
• Generator installations
• Interior & Exterior Lighting
• Remodeling & Additions
• Service Upgrades
• Telephone, Cable TV, &
Computer Network Wiring
• Repair & Upgrades
• Pool & Spa Wiring
License #103858 & 103859 • Fully insured
www.brannackelectric.com
HOME IMPROVEMENT
www.JPCountryBuilders.com
Old Fashioned Quality You Can Live With
ONE CALL
DOES ALL
HOME IMPROVEMENT LLC
Call Anthony in Simsbury:
860-502-9527
C
There’s nothing we can’t do!
Jobs done right the 1st time!
Free Estimates • Senior Discounts
Remodeling
RY BUILDERS
O UN T
•Additions • Bath • Kitchens
LL
C
P
Replacement
Since 1988
•Windows & Doors • Siding • Decks
Lic#0621710
860-738-1502 John T.Yacawych 860-589-2267 Pat Collin
J
$29-1 week
BUSINESS & SERVICE DIRECTORY
$150- 6 weeks $300-13 weeks Add WEST HARTFORD Press for 1/2 Price!
July 25, 2015
The
Valley Press
29
HOME IMPROVEMENT
HOME IMPROVEMENT
HOME IMPROVEMENT
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Hebert Construction
Home Improvement
BARRETT ENTERPRISES LLC
Home Improvement Contractor
So Many Amateurs . . . So Few Professionals!!
Framing • Siding • Roofing • Doors
Sheetrock & Tape • Intall Finish Stairs
Inside & Outside Trim • Replacement Windows
Kitchens & Baths • Room Additions & Blueprints
- COMPLETE MAINTENANCE & REPAIR • Siding
• Decks
• Kitchens
Over 35 years experience • References
Call 860-977-3621 or
HIC 050743
860-819-3663
HOME IMPROVEMENT
HOME IMPROVEMENT
AVALLONE
CONTRACTORS
CONSTRUCTION
ROOFING
SIDING
REPLACEMENT WINDOWS
GUTTERS
ADDITIONS
TOTAL REMODELING
INTERIOR & EXTERIOR
Serving the Farmington Valley
for over 10 years
* Concrete * Stone Walls * Patios
* Bricks * Belgium Blocks * Chimneys
* Wood Fencing
In business for a blessed 29 years
Lic.#514976
203-206-2839
CT License #HIC0616677
JUNK REMOVAL
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Junk Removal
Price includes dump fees,
labor and fuel cost. We will
remove junk from basements,
attics, and garages
From complete property masterplans to improving upon your
existing landscape, B Designs Landscape Architecture
is passionate about designs that combine beauty with
technical expertise and planned to fit any budget or need.
Residential & Commercial
LANDSCAPING
LANDSCAPING
Arboretum
LANDSCAPE & DESIGN, LLC
Stone Work • Patios • Retaining Walls Custom Vinyl & Wood Fencing
Sidewalks • Fire Pits • Pruning • Plantings Tree Removals
Spring Cleanups • Mulching • Mulch Deliveries
860-906-6736
Expert Tree Climbers & Crane Service
Land Clearing • Brush Clearing
Shrub Removal • Hardscaping
New Lawn Installations
MASONRY
MASONRY
Stone Walls • Veneer Stone
Brick Walls • Blue Stone
Steps • Fireplaces
Chimneys • Patios • Sidewalks
Pavers • Retaining Walls
All Masonry Repairs
Satisfaction Guaranteed ~Free Estimates ~ Lic#0637095
Andi’s Masonry
Buki -
MASONRY
860-417-9968
MASONRY
ALEX EUROPEAN MASON
Over 30 years experience
Retaining Walls, Chimney Repair,
Steps, All Masonry Services
Free Estimates • Fully Insured
203-232-0257 Lic. #0580443
860-810-4196
The
CT REG.
ROOFING
#509749
SIDING • WINDOWS
DOORS • GUTTERS • DECKS • AWNINGS
D.H. RADOMSKI, INC.
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
High in Quality and Dependability
FREE ESTIMATES
LANDSCAPING
860-296-3405
LANDSCAPING
• Pool Patios
• Poolscapes
• Lawn Installation
• Tree & Shrub
HYDROSEEDING
Planting
EROSION CONTROL
• Pruning
Based In & Serving The Farmington Valley • Walkways
For Over 18 Years
& Patios
Fully Licensed & Insured
• Walls & Steps
• Yard Drains
• Excavating
• Grading
cell: 860-250-2908
• Snowplowing
• Bucket Loading
FallMowing
Clean-ups
Weekly
• Mulching
Aerating
• Overseeding
Hedge
Trimming
& Pruning
• Mulching • Weekly Mowing
Powerwashing
•
Stump
Grinding
Pruning • Hedge Trimming
Complete Landscape
• Powerwashing
• StumpServices
Grinding
• Complete
Landscaping
Services
SENIOR
DISCOUNTS
LANDSCAPING
LANDSCAPING
When It Comes To Tree Service
We Run Rings Around The Competition.
TREE CARE OR TREE REMOVAL
Grimshaw Tree Service
and Nursery Company
Call 860-658-4420 for a
MULCH
freeestimate or for more
AVAILABLE
ntral Connectic
information
h Ce
ut s
ort
inc
on how we can
gN
e
n
i
help your trees.
grimshawtreeco.com
We do it right the First time, Every time.
Full Service Landscaping Company
• Mowing
• Pruning
• Mulching
• Garden design
and installation
STONE MASON CONTRACTOR
860.225.3077
cell 860.839.8971
MASONRY
AD MASONRY
All type of Masonry Work
• Patios
• Walls
• Driveways
• Pools in Stone
• Brick, Bluestones
& Pavers
• Stairs and Walkways
30 Years Experience • License #0630165 • New Britain, CT
SPECIALIZING IN:
Stone Wall Patios & Veneers • Patio Walls - Walk Ways
Chimney Rebuilding - Brick & Block Additions - Partition Walls
Basement Waterproofing - Drainage Work - Pre-Cast Retainer Walls
Pre-Cast Artificial Stone Veneers - Ceramic Tile Installed
Bobcat Service - Snow Plowing - Trucking
• Shrub removal
• Seeding
• Lawn renovations
• Spring and Fall
Cleanups
Call today for your free estimates
860-324-2912 www.elite-landscape.com
MASONRY Dennis Volpe
30
LOW
PRICES
PO Box 9656, Bristol, CT • Fully Ins. Worker’s Comp & Liability
68
19
CT LIC# 0630444
FULLY INSURED
Visit us at www.dhradomski.com
Fax: (860)410-1190 or (860) 583-2183
rv
For single truck load up to 1 Ton
“Building Trust By Doing Jobs Right!”
P.O. Box 791
[email protected] Farmington, CT 06034
www.pinnaclemaintenancellc.com T 860-284-8975 Fax: 860-255-7900
(860) 582-0712
HOME IMPROVEMENT
LANDSCAPE
CONTRACTORS
$149
Mattress & Box Springs
$50 extra.
CT. LIC. #602130 • Office (860) 796-0131
www.berkshirewoodsmiths.com
Licensed & Insured
860.738.4931 or 203.232.9114
Lic. #HIC0625936
NICK
PINNACLE
MAINTENANCE,
LLC.
Jim Barrett, Owner
SMALL OR LARGE • WE DO IT ALL!
HOME IMPROVEMENT
• Bathrooms
• Remodeling
• Improvements
Se
• Complete Basement Renovations
• Kitchen & Bathrooms Updated
• Windows/Doors Installed
• Pre-Finished Floorings • Custom Ceramic Tile
• Maintenance-Free Decks • Finish Carpentry
• Complete Painting Service • Custom Countertops
Serving the Farmington Valley
for over 17 years!
FREE ESTIMATES
CT Lic# 602717
MASONRY
860-368-9486
MASONRY
KC MASONRY
Stonewalls • Brick Walls
Bluestone • Steps
Fireplaces • Chimneys
Patios • Sidewalks
We can also do all
Masonry Repairs!
Fully Insured
Quality Workmanship
Free Estimates • Lic#0604514
Ken (203) 558-4951
PAINTING
PAINTING
Quality Painting by Joseph’s & Co.
PAINTING
PAINTING
Exterior Experts
Since 1950
PROFESSIONAL HOME
IMPROVEMENT-REMODELING
ALL WORK The Experienced, and Reliable Company.
GUARANTEED Staining • Power Washing • Carpentry
860-561-0146
PAINTING
Interior & Exterior
Aluminum, Vinyl & Wood
Siding & Shingles
INTERIOR WORK: repair ceilings, walls, trim,
moldings, baseboards, doors, windows
EXTERIOR WORK: Small Masonry Repair
Let
(860) 675-4025
Farmington
FULL CREW READY TO GO
EXTERIOR SPECIALS
Quality Craftsmanship • Competitive Prices
Call Peter Sottile 860-658-7745
Insured - Interior & Exterior • CT Reg. #562798
POOLS
[email protected]
lic. #0623272
We also offer general handyman/repair services.
Our success is based on your satisfaction. Since 1986.
PAINTING
ROOFING
INTERIOR SPECIALS FOR
THE NEXT TWO MONTHS
2 rooms plus a 1/2 bath
$
includes materials
Any 3 rooms plus a 1/2 bath
$
includes materials
785
978.67
Refer a friend, you both receive 10% OFF
Hanging • Removal
Interior Painting
Wall Prep • Skim Coating
Guaranteed Quality
860-982-3300
RobPolo.com
ROOFING
POWER WASHING
RAINBOW
HYDRA-BLAST
WHY JUST POWERWASH
Specializing in high pressure
house detailing since 1988.
Fully Insured/Free Estimates
860-649-4953
860-402-7672
ROOFING
contractor & community
Lic. #0639246
WITH THIS AD
Fully Insured
FREE Estimates
Lic. #604200
PLUMBING
ANDY WOTTON
PLUMBING &
HEATING, LLC
(860) 833-8153
Old fashion, honest, reliable
service at a reasonable price.
All residential plumbing, repairs
done from leaky faucets to
snaking your main drain.
Call today and we will
show you quality still
makes a difference!
STUMP GRINDING
STUMPS?
G OT
Call
VALLEY STUMP
GRINDING, LLC
860-614-1173
Lic. #0639246
WINDOW WASHING
WINDOWS
(SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO)
SAVE 35% OFF NOW
Commercial & Residential
• Free estimates • Fully Insured & Bonded • Uniformed • Reliable
“Residential”
Free estimates. Absolute lowest prices possible!
Deal direct with owner.
WINDOWS & DOORS
*Sales * Service * Installation*
REPAIRS/GARAGES
Hann’s On Home Improvement
860-563-2001
10 OFF
$
WE CLEAN WINDOWS!
VINYL SIDING SUMMER SPECIAL
Ct Lic. #547581. Fully licensed & Insured.
PESTS
WaltersPestLLC.com
Creating HARMONY
860-614-1173
between customer,
WINDOW WASHING
The best decision you’ll ever make
I’ll take care of any pest...
four legs or more!
License # B-3000
HARMONY
SIDING
• High Quality interior/exterior painting
• Remodeling • Interior/exterior restorations
• All home repair • Fully licensed and insured
(860) 689-6867
860-890-6704
ROB’S
HIC#0629057
Pro Quality
Painting & Home
Repair, LLC
860-201-7788
www.pqpainting4u.com
RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL
DAY, EVENING OR WEEKEND SERVICE
28 years experience. Free Estimates. Insured.
POWER WASHING
PAINTING
• General Pests
• Termites
• Mice
Home Improvement (860) 645-8899
Cell 860-916-6287
Free
Estimates Home 860-523-4151
Walter’s Pest Control
ROOFING
MPS?• SIDING
STU
T
O
• WINDOWS • & more...
G
Call
Call now.
VALLEY STUMP
Roofing
& Siding
GRINDING, LLC
Sale!
Lic #:HIC0607969
T.C. Home Improvement
PAINTING/WALLPAPERING
WALLPAPERING
& PAINTING
GUTTER CLEANING
POWER WASHING
ROOF CLEANING
[email protected]
CONN. LICENSE NO. 536406 COMPLETE INSURANCE
Speedy Pride Painting
beautify the inside of your home.
860-459-6705
PAINTING
Serving the Valley since 1980
OWNER
MR. JOSEPH PONTILLO
MANY SATISFIED CUSTOMERS
Scheduling interiors as well as exteriors.
Call: Zenon 860-518-0630
Bodgan 860-518-2625
VALLEY PAINTER
KITCHENS - BATHROOMS - WALLPAPER
TILES- BASEMENTS - ATTICS
ALUMINUM SIDING
If you sign within the next 2 months, receive $25 gift card to Starbuck’s
Free estimates. You can count on us for a precise & excellent job!
20 year experience. HIC #0575928
Simsbury’s Hometown Painting Company
Small renovations,
home repair, carpentry
& painting.
Complete prep.
PAINTING
PAINTING
DON’T RELY ON AN INTERNET SERVICE TO FIND YOU A
PAINTER WHEN YOU CAN HIRE A LOCAL PROFESSIONAL
ZB PAINTING
• Good painting preparation
• Trim, Window Painting & Glazing
• Shingle Repair • Power Washing
PAINTING &
CEILING REPAIR
ZIBBY DRZAZGOWSKI
We also Spray Paint Faded Aluminum & Vinyl Siding
like new with a 15 Year Written Guarantee
Insured
Lic. #062380
PAINTING
A BETTER VIEW
WINDOW CLEANING, PLUS
(203) 284-8836
860-249-1558
www.fishwindowcleaning.com/3053
860-747-8875
thewindowmanofct.com * [email protected]
*Bill Morrell Contractor * Ct Lic.#0509785 * Insured*
July 25, 2015
The
Valley Press
31
Let Us
RENEW
YOUR DRIVEWAY
Our Saw, Cut & Patch Service offers nearly
permanent repairs to heavily damaged areas.
We specialize in:
• Seal Coating
• Asphalt Cut & Patch
• Hot Crack Filling
• Line Stripping
RENEWLLC
ASPHALT MAINTENANCE
Owner
operated
family business
with owner
on every
job site.
860-953-6519
HAVE YOUR
DRIVEWAY
SCHEDULED
WHILE YOU’RE
ON VACATION
VISIT WWW.RENEW-ASPHALT.COM
FOR A FREE EVALUATION OF YOUR DRIVEWAY
LIC. #575422 • FREE ESTIMATES • FULLY INSURED • SERVING THE HARTORD AREA FOR OVER 18 YEARS
32
The
Valley Press
July 23, 2015

Thumbs up for soaking up some summer sun

Transcription

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