January, 2015 - TurleyCT.com

Transcription

Happy
holidays
from
LIFE
LIGHTING THE WAY, 12 | HOLIDAY LIFE, 23 | LIFE BACK THEN, 36
wethersfield
January 2015 | TurleyCT.com
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2 WETHERSFIELD LIFE | January 2015
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3
LIFE
wethersfield
6 D’Esopo food drive
“We had been looking to move into
suburbia. We were looking for the right
location.” –Danny D’Aprile, D&D Market
7 He’s got the beat
W
12 Lighting the way
See story page 10
14 Goddess in Old Wethersfield
23 Holiday LIFE
January 2015
Read online: TurleyCT.com
36 LIFE back then
38 Slice of LIFE
ON THE COVER
540 Hopmeadow Street
Simsbury, CT 06070
t 860-651-4700
TurleyCT.com
4 Healing power
QUOTE OF NOTE:
“Hartford Avenue in Wethersfield
After the Storm.”
Painting by Frank Morgan
Q
“
W
–
S
41 Calendar
42 Events spotlight
43 New leash on LIFE
44 News roundup
46 LIFE in the classroom
(
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4
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It wasn’t until
losing her job at an
insurance company
that Diana Boehnert
began to pursue art.
The healing
power of art
by Mara Dresner
Staff Writer
Respite Care
Photo by Mara Dresner
Diana Boehnert helps cancer
survivors, others with art classes
ith her decades of experience as an artist and teacher, it might be difficult to
imagine Diana Boehnert in any career
other than the arts.
“Back in the day, in the ‘50s and ‘60s, women
weren’t encouraged to go into the arts. Artists were
considered beach bums. If you came from working-class
families, in order to survive, you had to work at something where you knew you were going to get a paycheck,” Boehnert said.
“I married young and had kids ... I worked nights
at an insurance company. My husband worked days
and we shared responsibilities.”
When she got laid off from her insurance job in
the early 1970s, she took a class in rosemaling, a type
of Norwegian folk art.
“Then I started taking a lot of folk art [classes],”
she said.
“The minute I picked a brush up in my hand, I knew
I had to paint. The colors excited me, the forms excited
me, the manipulation of a brush, allowing myself to be
able to control something in my life,” she added.
“It gave me an opportunity to develop a skill I
didn’t know I had. When you’re young sometimes you
don’t know what you’re meant for. The minute I discovered painting, it sucked me right in.”
Boehnert, who had started college but dropped
out due to an illness in her family, eventually decided
to return to school.
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4 WETHERSFIELD
LIFE | JanuaryCT
201506111
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• If a patient returns home from a Medicare-covered stay in a
skilled nursing center and has not exhausted all of their Medicare benefit, they are eligible to re-access remaining Medicare
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5
Corley
The
“I started going for fine
arts, matriculated and just kept
going,” she said. “I found something I was good at and I never
thought I was much good at
anything before.”
She got her undergraduate
degree from the University of
Hartford, her masters at
Rutgers University.
While she was in graduate
school, she “had a traumatic
event happen.” Boehnert discovered the intersection
between art and healing when
she was approached to use art
to aid her recovery.
“It was the best thing that
ever happened to me in my life.
It turned me around and
showed me what I really needed to do in my life,” she said.
The process had her looking at art in a new way.
“When you’re in
grad school and
doing fine arts, that
is concerned with
form and line and
color, formal qualities and content,
that may be social
or political; it can
be personal too,”
she said.
“When you’re
doing art to heal,
there are none of those boundaries or expectations. The art is
totally expressive of the
moment,” she added.
“Sometimes it’s difficult for
fine artists to transfer that
training, to let it go and be
totally expressive about how
art works … You really have to
let go. It really has to be more
about the process, rather than
the product.”
Boehnert embarked on her
journey of helping others heal
through art. First, she volunteered at Hartford Hospital,
which turned into a paid position. She stayed there for 14 years
before retiring a few months ago.
She teaches at Southern
Connecticut State University and
elsewhere.
“I’ve taught at adult ed, art
leagues, senior centers, any
place I could spread the word,”
she said, as well as facilitating
classes on her own.
She trained others to work
in the hospital setting.
“You really don’t need complicated tools and instructions
and materials.”
Volunteers helped patients
make such items as cards,
bookmarks and bracelets.
Donna Eliasson, a wellness
coach from South Windsor,
first connected with Boehnert
through a program at Hartford
Hospital.
“It took me a full year as a
survivor to get the courage up to
even face dealing with recovery
from cancer. Diana’s classes
intrigued me because it was
painting and I’m an artist. I had
never heard of the art of healing,”
said Eliasson, who is a kidney
cancer survivor.
The first class she took was
with eight other survivors. They
made sculptures of their faces.
“The class was to look
ously more riveting to me,”
Eliasson said.
Since that class three and a
half years ago, she’s taken about
15 other classes with Boehnert.
Now that Boehnert is retired
from Hartford Hospital, it doesn’t
mean that she’s taking it easy.
“I’m ready for something
new in my life. It’s time to work
on and process my own art,”
she said.
In addition to creating in
the studio upstairs in her home,
Boehnert is still teaching, both
her own classes and in various
locations, such as the Graduate
Institute in Bethany.
She is also a SoulCollage
facilitator, an activity she got
into about a decade ago.
SoulCollage, which was
started by Seena B. Frost, is
about “using random images
that are juxtaposed so
that they create a new
narrative,” she explained.
“What that means is that
all these images come
together [and] they create
a story you may not recognize in your own life.”
Participants pick
images to use from
magazines.
“You just have to pick
pictures at random and
put them together [on cards],”
she said. “An important aspect
of SoulCollage is that you begin
to understand yourself when
you allow yourself to tell the
story that’s in that collage and
not your story.”
Boehnert sets an intention
or theme for each session, based
on the four suits used in
SoulCollage: community, companions, council and committee.
“Everything has a quality
to it. We’re looking at the quality in the picture and seeing if
we have if we have it in ourselves. You’re owning that quality. It’s a very expansive process. It helps you blossom into
more than who you thought
you were,” Boehnert said.
“Everything you do, if you
make it a practice, it can be
meditative, it can heal you, but
it does need to be practiced on
a regular basis.” WL
Learn more at
www.rxartonline.com or
www.soulcollage.com.
“I’m ready for something
new in my life. It’s time
to work on and process
my own art.”
—Diana Boehnert
within at that point of your life
who you are; having gone
through the cancer, where you
were at. As an artist, it was the
most painful expression of art
I’ve ever been through and
that’s a compliment to Diana
because the class became a
healing process,” said Eliasson.
“What that means is she
created an atmosphere that
was very inviting and you
would think she was a cancer
survivor the way she understands people who have gone
through it … She created an
atmosphere where we felt safe
and connected to each other.”
Eliasson’s sculpture featured
a kissing face.
“Long story short, the message I got from my sculpture
was that the kiss of cancer is
not the kiss of death,” she said.
She first thought the piece
was about giving kisses to family and friends.
“Then it became that message instead which was obvi-
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Saint Francis Welcomes
Another Accomplished
Physician
Saint Francis Care welcomes
Swapnil D. Munsaf, M.D., a
specialist in gastroenterology,
to our community and our
medical staff.
Swapnil D. Munsaf, M.D.
Gastroenterology
Swapnil D. Munsaf, M.D., a specialist in gastroenterology,
has joined the medical staff of Saint Francis Hospital
and Medical Center.
Dr. Munsaf received his medical degree from University
of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, NY.
He completed his internal medicine residency at
the University of Rochester Medical Center, and his
fellowship in gastroenterology at State University of
New York at Buffalo. Dr. Munsaf also received
advanced training as a fellow in therapeutic
endoscopy at the University of Massachusetts
Memorial Medical Center, Worcester.
Board certified in internal medicine and
gastroenterology, Dr. Munsaf is a member of the
American Gastroenterological Association, the American
Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Association,
the American College of Gastroenterology, and the
American College of Physicians.
At Saint Francis, Dr. Munsaf is practicing as a member
of Prime HealthCare, P.C.
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6
D’Esopo
Food Drive
D’Esopo Funeral Chapel held a
food drive to benefit Foodshare
the chilly afternoon of Nov. 22.
A steady stream of cars stopped
by to donate food and money.
Photos by Mark Jahne
Acacia Courtney of Hamden, Miss Connecticut 2014, made a special
appearance to support the cause.
Children could enjoy face painting, a chance to sit inside a police car and fire
truck, as well as a petting zoo. These pygmy goats enjoyed lots of attention.
Several boxes like this one were filled to overflowing with
donated turkeys.
People also brought a large amount of non-perishable food items and
household supplies.
Staff member Janet Carella donned this stylish turkey hat for the occasion.
7
He’s got
the beat
Sal Ranniello is
a sought-after
percussionist
by Mara Dresner
Staff Writer
S
Courtesy photo
al Ranniello’s first foray into
music wasn’t a success. Born
in Verona, Italy, while his
father was in the military
service, Ranniello’s family had
moved to Philadelphia. There, as
a child, he tried guitar lessons.
Sal Ranniello performs with the
Cool Cat Jazz Band at a school
performance.
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May the quiet peace of Christmas fill your heart and home.
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8
Sal Ranniello shows off his technique
on a bongo at his Wethersfield home.
“A guy would come to the house.
I was too young; it just didn’t seem
intuitive,” said Ranniello. Besides,
he’d “be out playing ball” when he’d
have to go inside for the lessons.
When he was 9, the family
moved to Wethersfield, where he still
resides. He got to choose an instrument in fourth grade at Hanmer
School and picked the drums.
“What 10-year-old boy doesn’t
want to play the drums?” he said. “It
was very natural. It came easily to me.”
Once he reached middle school,
he began studying at what is now
known as the Hartt School at the
University of Hartford. He continued
classes there throughout high school
and beyond, eventually receiving a
bachelor of music degree. He has
been a faculty member of its
Community Division since 1984.
“To be honest, the teaching is
more of a necessity. It kind of
evolved. I think we all sort of want to
be players when we start playing the
instrument. It’s not to say I don’t
enjoy it and it’s steady,” said
Ranniello, who offers private lessons.
“I was a performance major so
I’m not certified to teach publicly.”
As far as those performances, he’s
worked steadily through the years.
He’s a member of the Hartford
Symphony Orchestra, Goodspeed
Opera House, New England Percussion
Ensemble and Riverboat Ramblers.
Dec 2014 Langdon LIfe Pubs (Body Contouring) SOUTH.pdf
1
11/24/14
“I’m busy. It was mostly luck,”
he said with a laugh.
“That would be the first word.
You learn your skill and you network
while you’re in school. It’s not like
there’s a definitive timeline when
you start putting out résumés and
that sort of thing, like with a day job.
Even when I was in high school, I
was doing gigs.”
His connections paid off in various ways.
“I had always wanted to study
with Al Lepak,” he said. Alexander
Lepak was founder of the Hartt
School’s percussion program and
played with the Hartford Symphony.
“I had to wait until college. He
started getting me involved in the
Hartford Symphony. I started subbing when I was a senior” at the
Hartt School, he said.
Another steady gig came
through a different friend, this time
when a sub at Goodspeed.
“He was looking for a sub in
1984 or ‘85. I started subbing for him
and just assumed the chair when he
left that post and he’s now the chair
at the Hartford Symphony,” he said.
The fall is his busiest time, in
part because of his schedule at
Goodspeed. He’s usually performing
seven days a week from the time
school starts until the first of the year.
He also leads the Cool Cat Jazz
Band, which grew out a group called
the Hot Cat Jazz Band.
In addition to performing, the
band does educational assemblies,
mostly for elementary and middle
schools. They combine history and
performance with topics such as the
roots of jazz.
He toured England with the Hot
Cats in the early 1990s. That brought
to mind a memorable story.
“We were sitting in a pub. We’d
been traveling around in a van and
had the drums tied down to a rack.
They were tied down to a cargo van. It
was a volunteer driver,” Ranniello said.
“I was sitting with the guitar player, having a pint, and as we watched,
the driver backed through this arch
with all the gear on top, underestimating the height [of the van],” he said.
“The whole drum set and everything
on it just came down. It was like
watching it in slow motion.”
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9
He also did an 11-week
European tour with “Evita” in the
1990s. Despite his tours and regular
work as a musician, he sometimes
wonders if his life might be different
if he’d moved to a bigger city early in
his career.
“My dream would have been to
tour with a major act doing coliseum
shows around the country or around
the world,” he said. “You come to terms
with where you are and where you will
end up and I’m fine with that.”
Ranniello is known for his versatility, playing everything from timpani and marimba to classic drum set.
“It’s a mixed blessing. Sometimes
I feel like I’m a jack of all trades, master of none, but the diversity has
helped me stayed busy. [There are]
percussionists who can’t play a drum
set and vice versa,” he said.
“It makes you a little more marketable. I would say playing the
drum set is really my home base.
That’s what I really feel most comfortable doing and enjoy doing most.”
He said that in a Broadway production there might be a drummer
and then a percussionist. In a
Goodspeed show, on the other hand,
he might end up playing everything
from the Glockenspiel to the bongos.
“He has an unbelievable reputation,” said David Edricks of Edricks
Dry Cleaning in Farmington, who is
also a freelance percussionist. “He’s
just a versatile kind of musician. He
plays everything: musical theater,
very well respected by conductors
and musicians. He’s one of the go-to
guys in the area for percussionists,”
said Edricks.
“It doesn’t matter what the part
calls for. He’s just a very versatile
musician. He’s always very well prepared. He’s willing to do what it takes
to make the ensemble sound great.”
“I just feel that I’m blessed to hit the
drums every day and make a living.”
—Sal Ranniello
symphony, Dixieland, weddings.”
The two met in person eight or
nine years ago, but knew of one
another, as they had both studied at
Hartt and “it’s a small community,”
said Edricks.
“It was great to finally meet him
after hearing about him all these
years,” Edricks said.
They’ve since played many gigs
together.
“He’s incredibly dedicated and
Between teaching and preparing
for gigs, Ranniello estimates that he’s
playing four to six hours a day.
“I have to admit I was never real
great at practice, like the authors that
don’t pick up a pen. I was one of those
people who had to have a deadline,
like if I had a lesson,” he said.
While he’s playing frequently,
“it’s not the same as playing the
material I want to practice. It’s hard
to get motivated to get back in the
studio and practice.”
Although he enjoys a wide range
of music, some day he would like to
play “the music I really like and hold
near and dear to me.”
That includes “the horn bands of
the ‘70s,” such as Chicago, Earth
Wind & Fire and Steely Dan, “music
that’s near to me from my formative
years, not to discredit other music,”
he said.
Sometimes, his gigs just don’t
allow him the opportunity to spread
his wings, such as symphony work.
“Standing there for 400 measures [of] rest to play a triangle note
is not as gratifying as playing ‘What
Is Hip?’ by Tower of Power,” he said.
Still, whether playing for students at a school assembly, with his
own band or for a theater audience,
Ranniello hasn’t lost the early joy
that came with playing the drums.
“I just feel that I’m blessed to
hit the drums every day and make
a living, as modest as it may be,”
he said. WL
Learn more at
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10
F
Danny D’Aprile, owner of D&D
Market, stands alongside a display
of Panettone cakes, a traditional
Italian Christmas treat.
A taste of Italy
Hartford’s D&D Market will add
a second store in town
by Mark Jahne
Editor
or more than eight decades,
Wethersfield shoppers who
wanted choice Italian
meats, produce and other
specialty items have shopped at
D&D Market on Franklin Avenue in
Hartford. Soon they can do so without leaving town.
D&D will open its second store
by the end of December in the former Bliss Market building at 675
Wolcott Hill Road. Owner Danny
D’Aprile would love to be open in
time for Christmas, but that may be
a reach.
D’Aprile is excited about
expanding his business to his hometown. He is confident that this move
will bring him new customers and is
anxious to open the doors and welcome shoppers.
“We had been looking to move
into suburbia. We were looking for
the right location,” he said.
The new store’s location is only
four miles from the flagship store in
the South End of the city.
The Bliss building was a market
for many years and was constructed
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in 1928. It struggled in recent years
with changes in ownership and a fire
that shuttered it for several months.
The store has 6,500 square feet of
retail space. The name will change
from Bliss to D&D.
D’Aprile promises that
Wethersfield shoppers “will get the
same D&D experience at the new
store with a little bit of an expanded
prepared food line. We’re always
looking for new and different.”
It will, like the Hartford store,
emphasize Italian specialty foods
and other products. He fully intends
to keep pace with changing trends in
the grocery business.
“The reason we have survived as
long as we have is we haven’t strayed
from our roots,” he said.
D’Aprile said smaller grocery
stores like his offer a different and
more intimate shopping experience.
D&D has always been family owned
and operated, and the new store will
have that “family feel.”
He expects this expansion will
create 15 to 20 new jobs. More than
150 people showed up at a recent job
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11
“We had been
looking to move
into suburbia.
We were looking
for the right
location.”
fair to express their interest in
working at the market.
“All the people who work for us
really are an extended part of our
family,” he said.
Although the negotiations with
the previous owner took a year to
complete, he believes it was all
worth the effort. He plans to make
himself a presence in both locations.
“I’m delighted. I couldn’t wipe the
smile off my face after we closed,”
D’Aprile said. “We’re excited.”
He called the new location “a
full-service grocery store with an
Italian flair.”
Kenneth A. Rizzio
CLU®, ChFC®, AIF®
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email: [email protected]
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Member: FINRA, SIPC
—Danny D’Aprile
D&D Market prides itself on
carrying the finest meats, deli,
produce, groceries, prepared and
catered foods, especially Italian
products. Founded by Vito D’Aprile,
it has been in business for 82 years
and is now in its third generation
of family ownership.
Originally located on Windsor
Street, the market moved to its current location of 276 Franklin Ave. in
1961. Danny D’Aprile started working with his grandfather and his
father, Achille “Kelly” D’Aprile, at the
age of 10. Danny’s children have
helped out, too, bringing a fourth
generation into the mix.
As the new store becomes established, he expects to sponsor youth
sports teams and become involved
in other community activities.
D’Aprile said he is pleased with the
warm reception he has received from
local government.
Peter Gillespie, the town’s director of economic development and
planning, is delighted with the news.
Small neighborhood markets are disappearing in many places but they
do bring a certain value to a town
D&D Market will open its first suburban store in the former Bliss Market building
on Wolcott Hill Road.
and he likes the fact that this one is
about to open.
It also helps that it is filling a
vacant retail space.
It’s great news for the town and a
good business move for D&D, he said.
“It’s all good. Transitioning from
Bliss to D&D is a good thing.”
Gillespie said D’Aprile is “very
enthusiastic and very happy. He’s had
his eyes on this place for a year or so.”
He is confident that shoppers
will find the same high-quality
products and services that they are
accustomed to enjoying at the original D&D location in Hartford. WL
For more information
call 860-296-3261 or visit
www.danddmarket.com.
Wishing you
peace, hope
joys
and all the
of the season.
LIFE
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12
Lighting
the way
Tradition of Christmas luminaries
in town turns 40 this year
Photo by Mark Jahne
by Mark Jahne
Editor
Martha and Stephen Kirsche started the tradition of lining the street on
Christmas Eve with luminaries 40 years ago.
O
ne of the holiday traditions in Wethersfield is lining streets with glowing luminaries on Christmas
Eve. They are apparent in almost every neighborhood and on more streets than not.
It wasn’t always that way.
Stephen and Martha Kirsche remember. They were
the first ones to suggest lining the street with votive candles inside white paper bags anchored by sand back in
1974. The outdoor tribute got off to a rocky start.
“We started them on Knight Street in 1974 after getting permission from the neighbors,” he recalled.
They put out 100 on Knight, where they lived, Edward
and Bond streets, off Wells Road.
The problem is that nobody else knew what the luminaries were. That included the police and fire departments.
Stephen recalled that the doorbell rang at 9 p.m. and
he opened it to find a police officer waiting outside. The
officer said that the luminaries were a fire hazard and
needed to be extinguished.
“We went around and blew them out,” he said.
He was surprised when the police came knocking
again later that evening. He was asked why they had disobeyed the previous instructions. Unbeknownst to the
Kirsches, the neighbors had lit them all again. Some were
doused by the fire department.
By the letter of the law, each votive candle bag was an
illegal open flame. The Kirsches didn’t agree with that risk
assessment, but the law was the law. They were not the
only residents who were upset about what many considered over-aggressive enforcement.
The tale of the town government that wouldn’t let
people light outdoor candles on Christmas Eve made its
way onto CBS News as well as the two major wire services,
United Press International and Associated Press. They got
calls from as far away as Colorado.
Town government came off looking like the bad guy
in this nationwide story, but calmer heads soon prevailed.
The couple had a meeting with Fire Chief Clinton “Jiggs”
Hughes and Town Manager Ralph DeSantis and it was
decided that the luminaries would be allowed in the
future as “ceremonial fire,” an exception written into the
open flame law.
The Kirsches can laugh about it now. They are pleased
that what they started has spread to many other towns.
They also supply luminaries to the West Hartford Center
LIFE
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13
Historic District for its annual
display.
“It’s a Spanish tradition and it’s
also popular in the southwestern
part [of the United States],” said
Martha, president of Wethersfield
Travel. They were also popular in
Syracuse, N.Y., where she was born.
“We did them when I was growing up,” she said.
The concept is that the candles
will light the way for the arrival of
the Christ child. A more modern
analogy is that they look like airport
landing lights.
Stephen is a lifelong resident of
Wethersfield. The couple, who have
been married 40 years and have four
children and grandchildren as well,
lived on Knight Street before moving
to their current home on Golf Road
near the country club.
In recent years, as the demand
grew and more neighborhoods chose
to participate, the Kirsche family
partnered with the Richard M.
Keane Foundation to help support
that local non-profit organization.
“For the longest time, our kids
used it as a way to raise money for
Christmas presents,” said Stephen.
The cost for the bag and the
candle is $1.50, Martha said, and the
candles are rated to burn for 14
Keane Foundation,” said Martha.
“We encourage neighborhood captains” to organize a street or streets
and purchase in bulk.
They get the bags the week
before Christmas. The votive candles
are made by a 125-year-old business
in Syracuse run by Martha’s family.
The Kirsches make 140 luminaries every year for their neighborhood
“For the longest time, our kids
used it as a way to raise money
for Christmas presents.”
—Stephen Kirsche
hours. Most families buy four, five or
six, depending upon the width of
their property.
“We’re happy to support the
and three generations of the family
go out in unison to make the deliveries. Just as they help bring neighborhoods together, they continue to
bring their growing family together.
“It’s still magical,” Stephen said.
That fuss 40 years ago and the
initial disappointment that resulted
“are how we got involved in politics,”
Stephen said.
After having such an unpleasant
first interaction with government,
they decided a positive response
would be to serve their community.
Stephen and Martha each served four
years on the Town Council (1979-1983
for him, 1983-1987 for her) and their
son Stephen Jr. also served a term.
They have also become involved
as volunteers with numerous town
clubs and organizations including
the chamber of commerce, junior
woman’s club, charter revision commission and housing authority. WL
To order Christmas luminaries call
Wethersfield Travel at 860-257-3775.
The shop is located at 219 Main St.
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14
A Goddess in Old Wethersfield
Anna Antonakos
believes there’s
no reason why good
design has to be
expensive
by Mara Dresner
Staff Writer
A
lot of people may love
New York, but even
though she was “New
York City born and
raised,” Anna Antonakos’ heart is in
Old Wethersfield. It’s been a bit of a
journey for her to return to the
town she loves.
She was a first-generation
American; her parents are from
Greece, “from a tiny little island in the
Mediterranean near Turkey,” she said.
“It’s a group of 12 islands that are
so small they’re referred to by one
name for the 12 islands. We’re the
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16
was very much a part of how I was
raised.”
She attended the Fashion
Institute of Technology (FIT) in New
York and had a “wonderful career” as
a textile designer. Eventually she and
her husband and their young family
decided to move to town, where life
took an unexpected turn.
“The marriage failed,” said
Antonakos. “I found myself here in
Old Wethersfield with no family and
no friends and no work, no money
and no home.”
Her husband had kept their
11th one. … The 12th one is uninhabited. It’s just a pumice island where
people go to chip away pumice.”
Antonakos said her “culture has
played a great role in how I walk in
the world. … There is a very sensible,
practical focus among the villagers
on this particular island. It was so
small that they were self-sufficient
people. They were farmers, they were
fisherman, they made their own soap.
“All the things that we think of
as green today, that are trendy and
new, it’s not, it’s ancient. They were
very focused on the spiritual part of
“I’m looking at things with an
artist’s eye. You have to pay
attention to color and height.”
—Anna Antonakos
home because he also had a business
there. With two young children and
a big dog, she wasn’t sure what to do.
“We had no place to go. This
town, it felt like God was holding me
things. They were superstitious,”
she added.
“Greek mythology and spirituality
were all very much a part of our history, and being the first generation, it
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in the palm of His hand. We ended up
going to 290 Main St. to the rectory of
the Episcopal church,” she said.
There was a space that at one
time had been used for clergy but
now was available for rent.
“The priest at the time said, ‘I’ll
take you and your dog and your children,” she said. “I was so fragmented.
I only identified myself as a wife. I
was a first-generation Greek girl who
didn’t know what I was going to do,
but I knew everything was going to
be fine. I felt very safe there.”
During that time, she became
friends with several women whom
she called “goddesses.” She credits
them with helping her through that
challenging time.
After six months, she held a
thank you dinner for them and put
together a basket for each person,
including a “symbol representing
each of the Greek goddesses.” One of
their gifts was personalized.
“I drove to everybody’s house
and drew a little picture of their
house and put it in a frame and put
in the basket. They loved them,”
Antonakos said.
From there, she started getting
jobs doing similar work for others.
“That’s how I paid for the first
Christmas for the kids,” she said.
After living in town for about 10
years, she got a job offer from
Springmaid Bedding. It was too good
to turn down so she moved back to
New York in 2006.
“It was purely to be able to earn
my full earning potential,” she said.
“We brought Papou with us; that’s how
you say grandpa in Greek. He was
Papou to everybody, even the UPS guy
would honk the horn and say, ‘Hi
Papou.’ He passed two years ago. He
had a long, happy, healthy life.”
Through the years, she and her
“goddess girls” often traveled back
and forth between Wethersfield and
New York. This past August, she
decided it was time to come back for
good, a decision supported by her
children, now in their teens.
Things moved quickly. She sold
her house on Long Island in a day.
“I had a brokers’ open house on a
Thursday. A couple came and on
Friday they made an offer. That
weekend, I thought I’d better come
Anna Antonakos does drawings of houses, such as this one on Main Street. She
originally did them for a group of her friends she calls “goddesses” who helped
her through a challenging time.
from a previous visit.
“It feels different. It gives them a
different life,” said Antonakos, who
used to buy furniture at transfer stations and flea markets.
“I became really proud of the
things I acquired and putting them
all together. No matter what space
they were in, they had the same soul
and spirit. People said they could feel
love in our house and they’d ask,
‘Can you help me?’
The process starts with
gift item displays as the store has
been developing its retail side.
She’s also started her own business called the Goddess At Home.
Unlike most interior design services,
Antonakos will come to your home
and redecorate, using what you
already have. It’s a skill she puts to use
in her own life and her friends’ homes.
“It’s like a balm for my soul.
Beauty does that,” she said.
A visitor to her own home
might find a chair in a new spot
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some advice.
“Normally people don’t know
how to de-clutter. … I tell them at no
charge how to get the space prepared [for the visit],” she said.
After that, Antonakos takes the
time with each client to see what
resonates and what’s important.
“I can walk through with them.
They can show me their favorite pieces, what they like, how they respond to
certain textures or colors,” she said.
“I’ll re-lay it out using their own
things. I’ll do it in the way that is
appealing sensory. It’s somewhat like
putting together a still life, like a
painter does. I’m looking at things
with an artist’s eye. You have to pay
attention to color and height.”
The work draws upon her experience as a professional stager and
floral designer, as well as her work as
a textile designer.
In addition, her services include
helping clients with tasks such as
decorating for a party – she’s done
work for special functions from a barbecue to a bat mitzvah – or creating a
special holiday table. She also will
still do house drawings, such as the
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out to Wethersfield and find someplace to live,” she said.
“My ex-husband told me of a
house for rent on Nott Street. …
Within deciding to live here and closing, it was only a matter of weeks.”
Of course, there was the question of employment.
“I got a job with an insurance
company. They told me I’d have to
work until 9 o’clock every night. I
said I have to take care of the children, so I appreciatively declined.
Then a friend told me that Comstock
was hiring,” she said.
“One of our rituals [when I
would visit] would be to go to
Tapestry Rose [in Rocky Hill] and
stock up on gifts. I came in and we
all got to talking.”
“It was as if we were old friends,”
Antonakos said of her interview with
Manager Irina Stoenescu and
Assistant Manager Sally Farrell, who
previously owned Tapestry Rose,
which closed in 2013. “They said,
‘Can you start Monday?’”
While the position was for a
cashier, they soon started making
use of her design skills for the many
Courtesy photo
17
18
Warm up for
winter at
The Heights.
You don’t have to be a resident of The Heights senior
living community to enjoy a nice warm swim in our
heated indoor pool. Choose from an array of classes
or sign up for our Open Swim. To register, just call
860-953-1201.
Our Doty Aquatic Center is just one important advantage
of living at The Heights. Our full calendar of wellness and
social activities keeps our residents inspired to live life to
the fullest. And, unlike most senior living communities,
we don’t charge an entrance fee.
Come explore The Heights! Join us for our
Open House and Luncheon: Saturday, January 10th
and Wednesday, January 28th. Starting at 10:45 a.m.
Join our senior living community
and receive up to
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403
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550 Avery Heights • Hartford, CT 06106
19
ones she did years ago for her goddess friends.
One of her goals is to keep the
process affordable, which is why
she stresses that you don’t need
new window treatments or furniture to enjoy a new look.
“People hesitate if they feel
they have to spend an enormous
amount of money. I understand as
a single parent exactly what it
means to balance a budget. There’s
no reason why good design has to
be expensive, there’s no reason it
has to be esoteric,” she said.
Changing your home can have
a number of positive effects.
“It does directly affect your
mood,” said Antonakos.
“This type of work, it does have
value. It really does enhance the
value of your life and not in a
superficial way. If your things are
chipped or broken, it’s OK, we can
still make them look beautiful, we
can make them look important. We
can give them a place of honor. You
can still be proud of your space.”
Olivia Carbone was one of
Antonakos’ original goddesses and
a neighbor when she first moved to
town.
“She did a mantel for me years
and years ago, and I’ll never change
it. Something all of us girlfriends
have asked her is advice on our
homes over the years … she has
such a knack for bringing things
together that are already in your
home, such as setting a beautiful
table,” Carbone said.
“She uses what you have, which
is what I like. She took from all over
the house. I didn’t have to go buy
anything. It was simple, it was fun.
She has an incredible energy.”
Carbone thinks that
Antonakos’ business is a great idea.
“She has a gift; she’s an artist.
She just has this kind of energy
you’d want coming into your home.
She’s very positive.
“Her talents are endless as far
as design and working with people.
She’s a pleasure to be around; I just
think it would be a great experience,” Carbone said. “She’s
extremely creative, she’s knowledgeable about design and she just
has an incredible eye.”
Despite having traveled the
world, Antonakos knows she’s
home.
“It’s a magical place; there’s no
place like it. I’ve been to the Orient
for design and the Caribbean and
Mexico. There’s no place like
Wethersfield and it’s home. My
heart belongs to Old Wethersfield,”
she said.
“It parallels my experience
having gone to Greece when I was
a child. There’s an honest, pure
simplicity, a richness to the quality
of life. People understand that it’s
what’s within you that has the
value. All the external stuff comes
and goes.
“They don’t measure success
that way here, the way I don’t.
You are successful in
Wethersfield, to love and be
loved. We all come in this world
one way and we leave the same
way,” she added.
“It’s about a series of relationships; it feeds your soul. That’s
what this town has always done for
me. I just couldn’t be happier.” WL
Contact Anna Antonakos
at 860-463-5547 or
[email protected].
We would like to express our
sincerest appreciation to those who came to
support and volunteer at our first food drive
to benefit FOODSHARE. Special thanks
as well goes to Brad Davis and Miss Connecticut,
Acacia Courtney, for their support in helping make
this holiday season a little brighter.
We wish you the very best for the holiday season.
Thank You for your
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20
High school students
attain honor roll status
T
he following students were
named to the first quarter
honor roll at Wethersfield
High School.
High Honors
Grade 9
Rachael Amoruso, Grant Anderson, Emma
Augustine, Sabrina Berry, Shawn Bertucio,
Alexander Bielak, Timothy Blaisdell,
AnnaJane Brown, Eric Bucknam, Rachel
Bugella, Rebecca Buonopane, Gavin Burns,
Kendall Cathcart, Ling Chi, Isabel Correa,
Jessica Darby, Stephanie DeCarli, Dominic
DiMarco, Alexandra Dizes, Thomas Dowd,
Danielle Elliott, Julia Feliciano, Christine
Gallares, Ismael Garcia, Jessica Garofalo,
Lily Gaunt, Amanda Gilbert, Ansley Gregg,
Brian Heavren, Nathan Hrdy, Gabriela
Interian, Samantha Johnson, Caroline
Kennedy, Devon Kleeblatt, Katrina
Kurpaska, Samuel Lemaire, Caroline
Logan, Timothy Malave, Katia
Malinguaggio, Juliana Mandile, Malena
Mandile, Ashmin Martinez, Heather
Mayo, Maria Moldovan, Marlena Monroe,
Julia Morrissey, Maya Mulholland, Atlee
Myers, Anna O’Neil, Andrew Pace, Chelsea
Pinchera, Jessica Pratt, Sara Puglielli, Talia
Quagliaroli, Erin Reardon, Barbara
Rodriguez, Jacqueline Samse, Nilshali
Sanchez, Brianna Santilli, Cassandra
Scalora, Isabella Schroeder, Tessa
Slesinski, Nathaniel Sommers, Maura
Stewart, Tyler Stout, James Sullivan,
Kaleigh Sullivan, Wing Sze, Addison Toner,
Amanda Tougas, Garrett Tougas, Vanessa
Valle, Mallory Walker, Victoria Whitaker,
Triniti White, Rachel Wilson, Karolina
Wlaz and Emma Zaleski.
Grade 10
Nicole Arcari, Lily Bello, Anthony Berry,
Victoria Brazel, Melanie Burns, Audrey
Coleman, Andrew Console, Dina DiMarco,
Fiona Dunn, Breanna Flores, Dorris
Gallari, Lindsey Gordon, Idalis Irizarry,
Matthew Keefe-Stefanik, Kathleen
Kerekes, Kelly Lamo, Lynne Landers,
Marissa Landry, Jordan Laske, Timothy
Laurito, Megan Lauzon, Sarah Lawler,
Kerry Lindquist, Noelani Liz, Erica
MacLean, Justin Michaud, Amiel
Monasterial, Ashley Morrell, Connor
Peterson, Madison Raposo, Joyce Santos,
Alyssa Schroll, Nora Serrao, Jacklyn Snide,
Austin Stefano, Sabrina Torres, Sarina
Tucker, Samantha Urban, Casey Urso,
Ricardo Velez, Christian Venditti, Jocelyn
Wilcox and Yiqian Zhuo.
Grade 11
Alicia Ademi, Natalie Albrecht, Alexander
Bartis, Briley Bartone, Gabrielle Bielak,
Zachary Birdsall, Summer Budaj, Lorenzo
Burgos, Dilan Cabral, Lauren Cardenas,
Alexandria Casertano, Veronica Catricala,
Matthew Colangelo, Abigail Davis,
Christina DeAngelo, Donato DiCioccio, Zoe
Direnzo, Carter Dizes, David Edwards,
Stephanie Emmanuel, Christina Faienza,
Margaret Fitzpatrick, Katherine Flynn,
Kacey Friedman, Taylor Galusha, Dareca
Garib, Taylor Garrey, Sawyer Gaunt, Max
Gentino, Dante Goddard, Aleysia Green,
Brenden Griffith, Peter Hahn, Destini Hall,
Joshua Halla, Natalie Heavren, Jacob
Hickey, Andrew Hrdy, Alex Irizarry,
Roxanne Jacobs, Jacob Johnson, Taylor
Jones, Katherine Lamberti, William Lank,
Caroline Logozzo, Adam Lynch, Anna
Mayo, Cameron McFarlane, Paulina
Migliorati, Abigale Monasterial, Connie
Nguyen, Grace Nichols, Hailey Olesen,
Mariana Oliveira, Carissa Peckrul, Navarre
Pratt, Kaeleigh Rakus, Katharine Reilly,
Charles Renaud, Jose Rivera, Gabriela
Rizzo-Velez, Gina Santapaola, Taylor
Scutari, Brianna Shive, Diana Sitnik, Joshua
Smith, Joseph Sottile, Colin Stewart,
Rongwei Tan, Michael Trinh, Andrew
Turgeon, Riggs Unajan, Emma Walsh,
Rachel Way, Matthew Wilson, Karol
Wroblewski and Michelle Yanaros.
Grade 12
Mariel Amador, Sebastian Amodeo, Justine
Aulet, Shayla Bailey, Frank Barone,
Christina Bobbitt, Anthony Bruno, Julia
Buyak, Matthew Carcia, Chelsea Carilli, Jay
Clement, Gina Cornelio, Julianna DeBarge,
Reina DeJesus, Giancarlo DiGiacomo,
Nicole DiLoreto, Thomas Duggan, Jennifer
Elmasllari, Ruth Eragene, Caroline Even,
Jordan Everett, Jason Gallo, Tyler
Godlewski, Dennis Harrington, Lian
Hoffman, Joseph Iallonardo, Christopher
Jablonka, Rebecca Johnson, Esmeralda
Korkutovic, Hoang Lam, Kass Lambrecht,
Yanni Mantziaris, Samantha Martin, Hope
Mathis, Estefania Maya, Taylor Melillo,
Joshua Mikoleit, Daniella Minichino, Ioana
Moldovan, Michael Murray, Tyler Nelson,
Candis Nunez, Alexandra Paulakos, Ashley
Perez, Taylor Ramos, Alexia Reyes, Nicole
Sanzo, David Scales, Gabriella Serrao,
Rachel Sharp, Wojciech Skowronek,
Rebecca Stefano, Christopher Tawrel, Erica
Teti, Lisa Trinh, Matthew Turcotte, Joseph
Wallowitz, Max Walter and Gloria Zhu.
General Honors
Grade 9
Lance Amodeo, Elena Anderson, Nicholas
Arcata, Adam Assi, Madelyn Barone,
Brendan Barry, Drin Berisha, Zachary
Bonfiglio, Austin Bovino, Kyle Bukowski,
30 Years of
Honesty,
Integrity
& Service
Sara W. Felter
GRI, CRS
Top 5% Worldwide
Happy
Holidays!
(860) 573-8008
[email protected]
www.sarafelter.com
Read
1331 Silas Deane Hwy.
Wethersfield
LIFE
online
at www.TurleyCT.com
21
Julian Bykowski, Julia Chrostowski,
Spencer Clift, Isabella Croteau, Justin
Cruz, Aporupa Das, Lindsey Davoren,
Odalys DeJesus, Brian Diaz, Joseph
DiCioccio, Rossano DiGiacomo, Maria
DiMattia, Jacob Driscoll, Nathan Everett,
Maricielo Fabian, Adnan Fejzic, Derrick
Fields, Alison Fitzpatrick, Anthony
Forgetta, Blake Fulton, Michael
Gionfriddo, Tyler Gomes, Joshua Gray,
Kenneth Harrison, Tatiana Henry, Nicole
Hertle, Jalaysha Jenkins, Camden Johnson,
Brian Kallajian, Alexis Kallicharan, Lorna
Kalluci, Julie Lamore, Lily Langdon, Elena
Lapa, Irene Laramie, Ezekiel Latiff,
Hannah Martin, Ryan McOmber, Michael
Melluzzo, James Miller, Wesley Moody,
Michael Mozzicato, Lexi Munger, Emma
Murray, James O’Connor, William Odell,
Filip Ogniewski, Leah Ostergren, Peter
Paruta, Ryan Peters, Evan Presta, Olivia
Purinton, Samuel Reichelt, Emma
Rocheleau, Karen Rodriguez, Victor
Rodriguez, Juliana Rosa, Jane Rumley,
Mirnes Sabanovic, Dario Santoro, Kaitlyn
Sargis, Brenna Shannahan, Jason Sharp,
Noah Silk, Cheyenne-Mone Smith, George
Stoughton, Abigail Sullivan, Abigail
Sywenkyj, Alexandra Talarczyk, Alex
Tawrel, Samuel Tenney, Ivory Thibdeau,
Megan Tonucci, Eric Torres, Lucas Torres,
Chloe Troy, Samantha Vargas, Fantasia
Velez and Olivia Zurzola.
Grade 10
Michael Alessandra, Kady Allen, Daziyah
Armstrong, Stephanie Ayers, Holly
Babineau, Rachel Bahouth, Sarah Bean,
Evan Booker, Jeffrey Bridges, Jeana Bruno,
Ashley Burkell, Chianna Calafiore, Anna
Cannata, Mariana Carcia, Matthew
Castano, Devyn Clark, Laura Clark, Nicole
Cornelio, Caroline Coyne, Destiny Cruz,
John DellaFera, Hannah Desrochers, Molly
Desrochers, JinTao Feng, Ryan Flynn,
Monique Gardon, Griffin Grabowski,
Garret Grant, Collin Grottke, Kaleigh Hart,
Bridget Hattie, Arlindi Hoxha, Lauren
Hubschmitt, Kaitlyn Irace, Matthew
Jablonka, Stephanie Kallicharan, Alexander
Kauffman, Maggie Krawczyk, Jaden
Krueger, Amina Kuljancic, Briyanna Labbie,
Aleah Livingston, Rafael Lopez, Gabriella
Margiotta, Caleigh Martin, Katherine
McDonald, Benjamin Milano, Laura Miller,
Emma Moller, Allison Nargi, Aidan Nelson,
Zachary Nyari, Alexis Ocasio-Emilian,
Elvira Osmanovic, Kate Parker, Andreya
Patinha, Emma Peak, Brianna Platania,
Alexandra Pohl, Christian Prado, Zana
Preniqi, Jessica Roberts, Briana Rodriguez,
Christopher Santos, Steven Santos, Evan
Setzko, Hsa Shee, Eric Shields, Trisha
Signorello, Aidan Sitler, Jessica Sitler,
Patrick Skelly, Katherine Skowronek, Peter
Skowronek, Angela Sollima, Sarah
Stegman, David Szymanowski, Roshanay
Tahir, Andrew Thomas, Olivia Tyler, Adam
Veilleux, Payton Viner, Brian Vu, Shaelyn
Way, Brian Weed, Arben Zoto and Jillian
Zuidema.
Grade 11
Austin Adil, Kris Agolli, Sara Aguilar,
Mediha Alihodzic, Lauren Arienzale,
Claudia Barone, Alexandra Berry,
Valentina Birritta, Cassidy Bourassa, JaeQuan Brown, Andrea Bucknam, Micah
Burnett, Elizabeth Byrne, Julian Campbell,
Rachel Caruk, Lillian Ciarletto, Joshua
Colon, Zachary Confalone, Samuel Cook,
Travis Crandall, Austin Cronkhite, Leiah
Solomiya Golovatska, Amina Hamidovic,
Linoshka Hernandez, Nicholas Hock,
Abigail Huntington, Stanislav
Kamenytskiy, Marko Kaurin, Kyle Kelley,
Megan Kieselback, Chloe Knapp,
Katherine Kolaczenko, Morgan Krom,
Kylie Lallier, Evan Laske, Emily Lauzon,
Anthony Libera, Alexander Lin, Timothy
Linnartz, Kayla Litwinko, Dominique
Lopez, James Malizia, Zheylan Mamedova,
Ryan McCarty, Christopher Meade,
Hannah Morris, Patrick Mozzicato,
Patrick Murphy, Molly O’Keefe, Michael
O’Leary, Stanley Pazdziora, Laurie Peluso,
Christopher Piccione, Anthony Portonova,
Taylor-Jean Rodriguez, Zachary Rosa,
Quytiana Rose, Jasmin Sabanovic, Eldina
Salihovic, Matthew Schuberth, Kyle
Setzko, Nicole Silva, Joshua Smith, Kevin
Smith, Liam Stickley, Alex Szestakow,
Gerard Tessier, Jessica Thibeault, Jessica
Tower, Cole Urso, Jeremy Vargas, Ashley
Vasel, Tate Veley and Guari Verma. WL
Joseph Rago, Andrew Reardon, Jake
Reichelt, Jared Salemi, Cruz Santa, Venezio
Santoro, Jessie Sanzo, Daniel Schroeder,
Caroline Schryver, Ingela Shannahan,
Christopher Shimwell, Jacob Skowronek,
James Slayton, Devon Smith, Maura
Stickley, Luke Surawski, Meaghan Szilagyi,
Mikayla Toce, Alyssa Tonucci, Amina
Turkovic, Colin Tyler, Kemal Velic,
Gianmarco Venditti, Allison Weed, Eric
Wright and Paul Zocco.
Cutkomp, Lauren D’Amico-Taylor, Dionna
Davis, Emma Detrick, Alyssa DiFiore, Carl
Diluvio, Gloria Dishnica, Veronika Dubil,
Rhiannon Elliott, Kristina Ercolani,
Elizabeth Estifanos, Rosmarie Faienza,
Vincent Fazio, Kristina Feliciano, Katerina
Ficara, Katie Fierro, Sophie Fortunato,
Pierre Franklin, Harris Gallari, Ian
Gingrave, Emily Gjuzi-Pantaleon, Daniel
Griffin, Rebecca Hine, Joshua Hinostroza,
Enisa Hoxha, Meagan Humphrey, Nick
Huynh, Redona Karamanaj, Michael Kelly,
Tate Knapp, Leonie Koellmer, Hazim
Korkutovic, Alan Ky, Amanda Lamore,
Benjamin Lepo, Amy Lewis, Brendan
Livingston, Leah MacFarlane, Toryn
Malone, Matthew Marena, Mitchell
Marena, Julia Martin, Zachary Martin,
Melissa Matarazzo, Parker Maulucci,
Matthew McAlister, Natalia Negron,
Daniel O’Brien, Madelyn O’Connor, Hayley
Orkins, Susannah Orzechowski, Kishan
Patel, Ariana Persson, Daniel Purinton,
Grade 12
Jacob Arcouette, Tristen Banks, Stephanie
Beers, Gianna Bielenda, Alexis Bourassa,
Michael Brady, Haley Bresnahan, Pasquale
Cannata, Kathryn Carbone, Amanda
Clark, Claire Copeland, Emma Copeland,
Brandon Cruz Kianna Davis, Susan Davis,
Echevarria, Diaz, Michael Dikegoros,
Samantha DiMauro, Lucy El Amri, Teresa
Feijoo, Luke Feltes, Andrew Forgetta,
Madeline Fulton, Gabrielle Gionfriddo,
Judi
W
ishing
everyone
a safe
&
Happy
Holiday this
season &
throughout
the
New Year.
BF rooklaw
N
H
Giuliano-Sagarino
uNeral
ome
“Care & Compassion from our Family to Yours”
511 Brook Street, Rocky Hill, CT
860-721-0087
LIFE
That’s...
Saint Francis Welcomes
Another Accomplished
Physician
Saint Francis Care welcomes
Meghana Gaiki, M.D.,
a specialist in nephrology,
to our community and our
medical staff.
Meghana Gaiki, M.D.
Nephrology
Meghana Gaiki, M.D., a specialist in nephrology, has
joined the medical staff of Saint Francis Hospital and
Medical Center.
Dr. Gaiki received her medical degree from Osmania
Medical College, NTR University, Hyderabad, India.
She completed her internal medicine internship and
residency at Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY.
Dr. Gaiki also finished her nephrology fellowship
at North Shore LIJ/Lenox Hill Hospital.
A member of the American Society of Nephrology,
Dr. Gaiki is board certified in internal medicine
and nephrology.
At Saint Francis, Dr. Gaiki is practicing as a member
of Greater Hartford Nephrology, LLC.
You can learn more about Dr. Gaiki, or any of the
more than 700 accomplished physicians on our
medical staff, by visiting stfranciscare.com or calling
1-877-STFRANCIS (1-877-783-7262).
read the paper or visit us online.
TO ADVERTISE:
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY. ACCLAIMED PHYSICIANS. AMAZING RESULTS.
22
Keeping it fair
Holloway joins town
as zoning officer
by Mark Jahne
Editor
E
Meanwhile,
Back At The Ranch
Baby Boomers. The generation of rock n’ roll, JFK, Muhammad
Ali, and the protest movement. You never let anybody tell you
how to live your life and you’re certainly not going to start
now. Seabury and Seabury At Home offer you an opportunity
to enjoy your freedom and independence even more, with the
peace of mind that comes with knowing your future is secure
with Life Care. Do what you want, when you want. The way
you’ve always done it.
Information sessions held at Seabury every 1st Thursday
at 1:30 p.m. and every 3rd Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
Call (860) 243-6021 for reservations or email [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
LIFE
Read
online at
www.TurleyCT.com
very town has rules and
regulations to keep
properties looking good
and allow businesses to
promote themselves without
erecting signs that look like The
Strip in Las Vegas. But those
rules are not always followed or
understood.
That’s where Monica Holloway
comes in. She joined the town a few
months ago as its zoning enforcement and property maintenance
officer, working with both residential and commercial interests to
explain the rules and work out any
difficulties.
“My job is basically to inform
the public of property maintenance
issues and to help resolve them,”
she said. “I have a variety of duties.
I also take a look at zoning permits. It’s really interesting.”
Those issues may include
uncut grass, inoperative vehicles,
abandoned or foreclosed-upon
properties, illegal signs and commercial vehicles parked in residential driveways. Her goal is to
ensure an even playing field for
everyone.
If a violation is detected, the
property owner will receive a letter
from Holloway explaining the violation and how to achieve compliance. People sometimes get upset
and she understands that.
“I’m fair, I’m reasonable, I work
with them. It’s not an easy job,” she
said. “[The goal is] to make sure the
rules are followed. We want to keep
Wethersfield looking nice and
attractive.”
She has the authority to issue
fines if someone repeatedly refuses
to remedy a violation but seeks to
work things out short of taking
that step. She prefers to explain
and educate.
“I’m a pretty calm person. I’m
fair with everyone. I think that
helps,” she said.
One of her greater challenges is
homes that are in foreclosure
because the banks that now own
them often need a lot of prodding to
cut the grass or
perform other
basic upkeep.
She said
there are
many of them in town.
When prospective businesses
inquire about locating here, she is
part of the town hall team that
meets with them to promote the
community and explain the
governmental process.
Sign regulations for retail,
commercial and industrial
properties may seem complex, so
she helps walk people through
them. The size of the building is
one of the determining factors
when it comes to how many signs
it can have and their size.
The regulations have
allowances for banners and
temporary signs but these are
only allowed for a limited time.
She said the vast majority of
property owners want to be in
compliance and will take the
necessary steps to achieve that
end – but not all of them.
“You have people who are
willing to follow the rules and
people who are looking to get
around the rules,” Holloway said.
She has several years of prior
experience doing this kind of
work for the towns of Berlin and
Hamden. The Wethersfield job
appealed to her because of the
nature of the town and its
proximity to Hartford.
“It just seemed like a nice
town. Everybody’s great. Everyone
has welcomed me.”
Town Manager Jeff Bridges
said he took a few part-time jobs
and combined them to make this
one full-time position. Recent
retirements allowed him to
re-think how the town could best
coordinate the tasks that are now
part of Holloway’s job.
“She has a deep background in
zoning enforcement and property
maintenance,” Bridges said.
His goal, like hers, is to help
people understand the rules and
regulations. He doesn’t want strict
enforcement to be the first step in
the process.
When it comes to education
and community awareness he said,
“She’s a good fit for that.” WL
23
Holiday
LIFE
SPECIAL HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 12, 2014 • TURLEYCT.COM
24
to the Nines in West Hartford, said,
noting that men who are having suits
made are paying attention to buttons
and lining.
The suits themselves are
slimmer for younger men.
“The trend now is for suits overall are more slimming, more of an
athletic look,” said Morgan Garcia,
assistant manager at Jos. A. Bank
Clothiers in West Hartford Center.
“The day of standard boxy cut suit is
really passé. Everything now is more
angular, more sleek, so to speak.”
Fitzpatrick agreed that younger
men are leaning toward trimmer
fitting garments across the board.
“To accentuate a modern suit,
a tie should coordinate – not match –
and bring out the vibrancy of the
pattern or colors in the suit. With a
tie, a pocket square is becoming a
more and more popular choice to
create the finished look that men
desire. Pocket squares come in all
shapes, colors and in different
fabrications. The color should,
again, create interest and elevate the
look, not create a matchy-matchy
repeating sequence,” she said, adding,
“When in doubt, choose prints of
different scales and in complementary
color palettes.”
Garofalo has also seen a comeback with pocket squares.
“It signals that the gentleman
actually cares about his appearance
and wants to look professional,”
Garcia said.
He noted, “The whole landscape
has changed. You want to care about
Men’s trends
Accessories are great gifts for guys
by Lynn Woike
LIFE Staff
B
rightly colored socks, snazzy belts, more shoes, wrist
wear and bags are taking men’s accessories from boring to fashion statements.
“The trends we are seeing becoming most prevalent in the menswear industry are primarily driven by the urge to
create a complete look, from top to bottom – coordinating, but
not necessarily matching items. Having a key standout piece is a
sure way to get compliments and set yourself apart from the
pack,” said Carie Fitzpatrick of Daswani Clothiers in West
Hartford Center.
One potential standout piece can be shoes.
“Footwear lends itself toward a high attention to detail, with
unexpected color hinting at the man’s more unique approach to
fashion in this current season. Robert Graham, a hugely popular
menswear designer known mostly for his attention to the smallest
details and bold use of color and pattern, has just launched a footwear line … [offering] limitless opportunity for self-expression.”
Tony Garofalo, owner of Formals by Antonio in Rocky Hill,
said that navy, gray and charcoal suits are “now worn with brown
shoes and brown belts.
Wingtips are very popular with formal pairs worn with suits
and more casual wingtips worn with jeans. “It’s very important
that you match shoes with belts,” Garofalo said.
Speaking of belts, options go beyond traditional black and
brown with non-descript buckles. Depending on the outfit, one
with fish or a plaid print could be just the thing.
“Details are a big deal right now,” Bob DeGemmis of Dressed
New Year’s Eve
Mr. Outdoorsman (think Michael
“Bear” Grylls)
chunky knit Ireland’s Eye sweaters,
handmade in Ireland
William Henry Knives
a vest or outer jacket by Braeval
made from American buffalo
Mr. Dashing (think George Clooney)
skinny tie, micro-corduroy pant,
Robert Graham shoes
Movado watch
custom made velvet tuxedo jacket in
midnight navy
Mr. Sportsman (think LeBron James)
woolen driver hat with hidden flaps
24k plated golf ball and tee set, or a
Philip Stein golf tool
wrist wear
Mr. Nerd (think Bill Gates)
plaid wool tie
Philip Stein sleep bracelet
tweed sport coat
Mr. Handyman (think the Property
Brothers)
sherpa-lined gloves
a wool & cotton shirt by Viyella of
Canada
Mr. Traditional (think Frank Sinatra)
pack of three pressed cotton pocket
squares
cufflinks
money clip
wool and mohair tuxedo a la 1960s
Mr. Culinary (think Guy Fieri)
Margo Petitti patchwork scarf
with your Crabtree & Evelyn
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Mr. Mature (think Sean Connery)
cashmere scarf
woolen driver hat
Philip Stein watch
Harris tweed cap by Stetson
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“Scarves,” Fitzpatrick said, “can be
either menswear fabrications, luxe
cashmeres with tonal prints, [or] oversized knit scarves with a multitude of
color palettes” with “wools in plaids”
remaining “timeless.”
“We also do very well with our
reversible printed brushed silk scarves,
which are incredibly warm and super
soft,” she said.
When it comes to hats, “very
on-trend men will be pulling on structured, polished shapes to accent business attire. The more casual gentlemen about town lean toward woolen
drivers in tweeds, patchwork prints,
plaids or solids. Some drivers feature
also hidden earflaps to protect from
the weather,” she said.
DeGemmis said, “Hats are big for
everybody, too. Fedoras and newsboy
caps, also known as eight-quarter
caps, are big. They can be made of
wool or beaver felt.”
Men of all ages are also adorning
their wrists, DeGemmis said, from
metal bands to wooden beads, and
from nautical-themed ropes to leather
cuffs. Cufflinks are also very popular,
Garofalo said, adding that many are
your appearance. [Men in their] 20s to
early 30s are paying more attention to
the accessories such as tie bars, ties,
pocket squares, cufflinks and especially socks. They really care about
how they look now. The old give-me-apair-of-jeans-and-a-T-shirt, that’s pretty much done. … Men want to go all
out and look the best they can.”
As suits slimmed and the pant leg
stopped at the top of the shoe, socks
were exposed when seated, so more
attention started to be paid to them,
he said, adding, socks can bring the
whole look together – and not just
with suits.
“Socks are a big deal,” DeGemmis
agreed. “Bright colors. Bright patterns.
Dots. Guys are wearing them with
anything. Maybe not in a courtroom,
but if you own your own business and
you want to liven up your outfit,” you
can do it with socks.
They are a key fashion component
and offer “a real opportunity to show
some personality.”
Garcia said he especially notices
younger men “pushing the boundaries” and “going the extra mile to be
sure they look perfect.”
themed with such topics as golf, boating, football, baseball and racing.
“Silver is still more popular than
gold,” he said.
Dina Unwin, sales associate and
buyer at Wethersfield’s Sterling
Jewelers, agreed that silver, along with
stainless, is more popular than gold.
Men who “are a little more into
metro style” are purchasing “long
chains with a medallion or a cross.
That’s very cool,” she said.
She also noted that bracelets –
heavy and chunky – are more popular
than rings.
While a knife might be considered
an unusual accessory, men are buying
them. Unwin said knives are another
gift idea for men.
“Our William Henry knives are a
male accessory that they can wear in
their pocket,” she said.
Daswani sells lapel flowers – a
menswear accessory gaining popularity among sports figures, television
personalities and on-trend men across
the nation.
Fitzpatrick said, “They are very
popular for wedding parties and special events, and make a great conver-
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sation piece. They simply attach to the
suit by way of the button hole on the
lapel.”
Of all the fashion accessories,
however, Unwin said wristwatches are
“still the most fashionable accessory
they will wear. Men are wearing
watches these days more as a fashion
piece than a timepiece. If the watch is
expensive, it could be seen as a status
symbol. If it’s more funky and trendy,
it shows they’re into style.
Last, but not least, comes the subject of men’s ties – long the dreaded
go-to gift.
“Men can never get enough ties,”
Garofalo said.
Garcia added, “Ties to men are
the right set of heels for women. With
men, you have to have the right tie to
bring everything together, to complete
the outfit.”
While black ties are in fashion
right now, mostly ties are bright and
colorful, DeGemmis said.
However, he also noted, “There’s a
new modus operandi in that guys are
wearing suits without ties. It’s dressier
than a sports coat but not as dressy as
a suit without a tie.” WL
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LIFE
LIFE
26
Honoring the darkness, celebrating the light
Winter solstice
marks the day
with the least
amount of light
by Mara Dresner
Staff Writer
W
Caregiver’s
Resolution
Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Group
Alzheimers Association‘s Ct
Chapter offers an
Alzheimers Support Group
Every 2nd Tuesday
6:00pm
at this Glastonbury location
Please RSVP 860-647-1695
Learn - to take one hour out for
myself each day
Attend - at least one caregiver
support group
See - doctor for a physical exam as
a priority
Try - to find a way to laugh or find
humor in the day amidst how I
may feel
Reach- out to my family and
friends to help with my loved one
Seek - spiritual support or personal
counseling to gain perspective
on my life
Eat - a balanced diet & exercise
Finally - by focusing on these
resolutions, I will be able to reap
the rewards of caregiving, maintain
balance in my life and provide care
longer for my loved one.
for all holiday gifts and hostess gifts
Our family is
committted to yours
Your Local Boutique
hile some people tend to
hibernate as we move toward these
ever-darker days of the year, others
see the days of decreasing daylight
as a time of celebration, hope and transition.
Winter solstice – the date on the calendar
with the least amount of daylight and the
longest night – occurs Dec. 21 this year, and
individuals and communities will be marking the
occasion with a variety of rituals.
“Connecticut Audubon Society, Center at
Glastonbury hosts a solstice event for both
summer and winter, because nature functions on
the light cycles of the world,” said Cynthia “Cindy”
Bartholomew, director of the organization.
“The longest and shortest days mark
important seasonal changes for creatures living
outdoors, such as birds, and for humans who
depend on the light. It is also a celebration we can
share with humanity around the world and
Buckingham Estates
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860-647-1695
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27
through the centuries,” Bartholomew
said. “The winter solstice as we
celebrate it is about the return
of the sun after the shortest day of
the year and the letting go of the
past year’s sadness and difficulties.
To that effect, we have a bonfire to
signify the returning light, and giving out herbs such as rosemary that
are thrown into the fire and letting
it rise into the air as if taking
away something sad or sending
a message.”
She continued, “The reading of
poems and stories, dancing around
the fire, singing and drumming are
all part of the event and celebration.”
The annual event will be held
this year Friday, Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
at 1361 Main St., Glastonbury.
Nora L. Jamieson, LPC, will
hold a different type of solstice
event at Earthspirit Council House
in Canton.
“Honoring the darkness is the
center of our gathering ritual each
year – the darkness and the silence –
and the gradual re-emergence of the
light,” said Jamieson. “The way I do it
is not typical of the way a lot of peo-
ple do it. I emphasize the silence and
the dark, and it’s very simple. People
who wouldn’t ordinarily come to
that space feel comfortable coming.”
Participants sit in a circle and
Jamieson makes some introductory
remarks. A talking stick is passed
and participants can offer prayers or
speak of people who need healing.
“I do a short meditation and we
go into silence for 20 minutes or a
half hour in the dark. It’s never
completely dark; there’s always
ambient light. Then, we light the
candles and we sing. Then, we go
out in silence. As we go out to the
culture that is so frenetic, I ask them
to hold that; I ask them to leave in
silence as best they can as they go
back into the busyness.”
The ritual at Earthspirit Council
House is open to both men and
women.
Debra Cohen, a pagan who lives
in Wethersfield, said her celebration
of the solstice “basically springs from
the need almost all of us have to
have hope and something to look
forward to. It’s a time for me to start
telling myself that spring is coming.
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It gives me a whole different
perspective on the cold and the dark
of winter. It’s a time to reflect not
just on the year leading up to it, it’s a
very positive way to look at the year
in the future.”
While she’s not sure what she’ll
be doing this December, as she’s
become involved with “a delightful
coven,” in the past, she developed an
individual solstice celebration.
In good weather, she’d have a
fire in her backyard; when the
weather wasn’t cooperative, she’d
light candles inside.
“Whether I’m sitting with the
candles in the house or the fire outside, it’s really a time for reflection,”
she said. “If I’m outside with the fire,
I will have pieces of paper [that are]
thoughts about the past year or
hopes for the coming year and I will
release them in the fire.”
Cohen has enjoyed putting her
own spin on the ritual.
“One of the things that draws
me so heavily to a pagan path is that
there are, to my understanding, no
rights or wrongs about how we
celebrate the days and times of the
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year that are most important to us.
It can become so personal. There’s
leeway to celebrate as how best fits
us,” she said.
“There isn’t something that must
be said. There isn’t one particular
way that we must celebrate.
It allows us to be creative and
personal. My ritual for winter
solstice might not be the same as
last year, and it might not be the
same as years to come. It’s so
individual to the people and the
particular time.”
However one celebrates,
there are some recurrent themes for
the rituals.
“Winter Solstice is the shortest
day and the longest night before
the re-emergence of the light,” said
Jamieson. “If there is no darkness, there is
no regeneration. Babies
gestate in the dark, roots are
grounded in the dark, seeds gestate
in the dark. Our culture is speedy
and nearly irradiated with light;
we’ve forgotten the descent into the
fertile darkness, the holiness of the
whole cycle of Mother Earth.” WL
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Unwrapped
Ideas for items
to leave under
the tree
Claddagh jewelry
Class up the bath
These Claddagh earrings, necklace and ring
are made in Ireland and available in sterling
silver, gold and white gold at O’Reilly’s Irish
Gifts, 248 Main St. in Farmington. Call
860-677-6958 or visit online gotirish.com.
Add class to the bath with
monogrammed mats, towel wraps,
cosmetic bags and dispensers for soap or
lotion available at Spin Monograms &
Gifts at 55 Isham Rd. in Blue Back
Square, West Hartford. Call 860-236-0530
or find them on Facebook.
Stuffed animal dinosaur
This adorable plush dinosaur represents
the carnivorous Dilophosaurus, the type of
dinosaur thought to have made the Eubrontes
tracks at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill.
This is for sale at the park. Call 860-529-8423 or
visit dinosaurstatepark.org.
Toys & treats
Pet Supplies
Plus, with
locations
locally in
Wethersfield,
has holiday toys
and treats for pets of all
sizes. Call 860-570-2461 or
visit petsuppliesplus.com
Men’s bracelet
Dina Unwin, sales associate and buyer at
Wethersfield’s Sterling Jewelers, says heavy
and chunky bracelets are popular right now.
Sterling Jewelers is located on the Silas
Deane Highway. Call 860-529-1187or visit
shopsterlingjewelers.com
Corley
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We Make Holiday
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• Bed, Bath & Beyond
• Card Hall
• Chimirri’s Bakery
• Christensen’s Frame & Art
• Friendly’s
• Froyo World
• H&R Block
• Hairport
• Lane Bryant
• Once Upon A Child
• Panera Bread
• Payless Shoe Source
• Plato’s Closet
• Radio Shack
• Sake Café Restaurant
• Sebastinelli Jewelers
• Sleepy’s
• TJ Maxx
• The UPS Store
• Tré Lynn Salon
• Webster Bank
• Wethersfield Liquors
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• Wethersfield Optical
between Exit 24 & 25 off I-91
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29
Memory
Why documenting personal
histories can be the
perfect gesture by Sloan Brewster
Staff Writer
W
hen Sarah Brown
was handed her first
baby, she was fascinated by the child’s
feet and hands.
That memory was one of the
many that came to mind when Brown
sat down with personal historian
Sarah Merrill, owner of Merrill
Memoirs in Granby, and told the
woman her life story.
“They just seemed to spill out; we
all have those stories in our head that
we remember,” Brown said. “I think we
all have stories.”
She remembered her wedding day
and all the things she was worried
about that, looking back on in later
years, seemed silly. Then there were
the memories of childhood, such as
when she was 9 or 10 and Time
Magazine first published a piece on
evolution. She recalled how the magazine was spread out on her mother’s
lane
bed and they sat there talking about
the story, looking at all the pictures.
She also remembered experiences
she had while traveling.
“I was fortunate to travel a lot,”
Brown said. “I loved Paris, the first
time I saw those beautiful buildings.”
Brown thinks others who sit
down with a personal historian, or
who decide to write down their own
life stories, will find that their memories will come spilling out as well.
“Your first home: when you
walked in and [saw] the rug that was
in there,” she said.
Brown’s husband hired Merrill to
document Brown’s life story, and she
thinks it’s the perfect gift, especially
for those who are aging.
Merrill hopped on a plane and
spent the weekend in Pensacola, Fla.,
where Brown and her husband live six
months out of the year.
It wasn’t the Browns’ first time
to a family member,” she said.
“What was life like for grandpa or
grandma growing up, or mom or dad?
What was their childhood like?” she
asked. “I find that I’m most often hired
to document stories for the grandchildren. ... I have a lot of people say, ‘I
don’t want to leave this world without
my grandchildren understanding what
has been really meaningful to [us] and
the values that [we’ve] learned from
[our] experiences.’”
Though recorded history will benefit future generations, the chance to
tell one’s story is also valuable to the
individual.
“It is a gift to the storyteller,”
Merrill said. “Reflecting on life gives
life greater meaning, they begin to see
their lives as a narrative that makes
more sense.”
This is especially true when the
storytellers are in their 80s or 90s.
“They make all these connections,” Merrill said, “It’s cathartic.”
She recalled two clients she sat
with who were in their 90s and had
been married for 75 years.
Their book was a gift for their
grandchildren.
“Their book was really lovely
because it was really about the value
of working hard in their marriage and
respecting each other,” Merrill said.
“They were just welcoming their first
great-grandchild into the world.” WL
documenting memories.
“When my husband turned 75, he
wrote his memoirs,” Brown said.
But since Brown isn’t a writer as
her husband is, he decided to get a
personal historian to help.
A personal historian is someone
who documents a life story, taking
pains to make sure it is written as
though the storyteller composed it,
Merrill said.
“What I liked most about it was
that she wrote in my voice,” Brown
said. “I felt like, when I was reading it,
that I had written it.”
That will be important to her
children and grandchildren when they
read it, Brown said.
They will be able to identify with
the stories more because they will
sound like they came from her.
Brown thinks having her memoirs
written was the best gift her husband
could have come up with and that
more people should do the same thing
for their loved ones.
“Our parents did not really leave
their feelings with us written down. It
was a silent sort of time,” she said.
That was one of the reasons her
husband took the time to write down
his story. “He didn’t know what his
father was thinking,” Brown said.
Merrill thinks it’s a great gift, too.
“It goes without saying that I
believe there isn’t a better gift to give
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30
Delightful
Dirty Pasta
holiday dishes
Steve’s Place Signature
Sausage and Lentil
Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 to 3/4 pound sausage meat
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup diced green peppers
1/2 cup diced red peppers
1 to 1 1/2 quarts Steve’s Place
marinara sauce
4 cups chicken stock
1 quart water
8 to 12 ounces lentils
Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves sliced garlic
4 anchovies, chopped
1 tablespoon of chopped hot
cherry peppers
1/4 cup toasted bread crumbs
1 pound spaghetti
Directions:
Sautée the garlic, olive oil, red
pepper flakes, onion, celery
and sausage until onion, celery and sausage are cooked
through, about 10 minutes.
Add the carrots, green and red
peppers, marinara sauce, chicken stock, water and
lentils.
Simmer about an hour until
vegetables are tender.
Fraser Fir
Christmas
Trees
Directions:
Sautée the garlic in the oil
until browned. Add the
anchovies and peppers until
the anchovies start to dissolve.
Toast the bread crumbs in a separate pan without oil.
Boil the pasta and drain.
S
e
r
e
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r
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m
a
L AUTO & TRUCK REPAIRvice
Wethersfield’s only
FULL SERVICE GAS & DIESEL ISLAND
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Monday – Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Visit our
Christmas
Shop...
• Large selection of
Old World Ornaments
Willow Tree Angels • Yankee Candles • Woodstock Chimes & other unique gift items
ALSO: Fresh plain and custom decorated wreaths • Custom made memorial baskets
and pots with seasonal decorations • Custom handmade bows • Amaryllis and paperwhite
bulbs for indoor forcing • Bird feeders and birding supplies • Firewood
Open
1616 Willard Ave., Newington, CT 860-667-1158
www.stonehedgelandscapingco.com
-Tony Albano, a chef and the owner of
Pazzo Italian Café in Glastonbury and
Rocky Hill, shared this recipe that his
mother always made at midnight on
Christmas Eve.
“Garlic and oil, anchovies, chopped
hot cherry peppers and pan-browned
bread crumbs all sautéed together and
tossed with spaghetti,” he said.
“A family tradition.”
-Provided by
Steven’s Place in
Newington and
Rocky Hill
Just Arrived...Fresh-cut, CT Grown
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Add pasta to the ingredients in the
sautée pan and toss, then add the
bread crumbs and toss again.
Place in a bowl, sprinkle with grated
cheese and serve.
Serves 4.
Mon. - Fri.
9-6
Sat. 9-5
Sun. 10-5
6am – 10pm
7am – 6pm
9am – 5pm
24 HOUR TOWING &
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31
Questions for Santa
W
e asked our young
readers what
questions they had
for Santa Claus.
Below are their questions and the
answers our jolly friend had to share.
Q. “How old are you?” -Dev, age 7
A: I often am asked that question, Dev. I lost count quite a while
ago! I live because the
spirit
of the holiday season
lives, and as long as that spirit has
been in the hearts of children and
for as long as it will be there, I will
continue to be Santa Claus. Keep
believing in me and I will be with
you every Christmas and all
throughout the year.
Q. “How do the reindeer fly?”
-Ava Coco, age 8
A. Oh Ava, with magic, of
course! On Christmas Eve, the elves
load up my sleigh and
prepare my reindeer for flight by
attaching their harnesses. When I’m
ready to leave on the night before
Christmas, my reindeers brush their
hooves against the ground. The air is
filled with the magic of the season
and as they brush the ground, the
Christmas spirit in the air causes
sparks to appear as my reindeer lift
up into the sky.
Q. “How do you get into the
chimney? What if people don’t have
a chimney?” -Joseph Coco, age 5
A. Well, Joseph, when I arrive
on your rooftop, I take my magical
bag that’s filled with toys and I
use a little of the Christmas spirit
in the air to snap my fingers and
help me slide right down the
chimney. If your home doesn’t
have a chimney, I simply close my
eyes and wish to be inside, and a
temporary chimney appears.
Q. “Does he ever have to pay
money for the toys?”
-Addie Meisterling, age 8
A. My dear Addie, I don’t buy the
toys I give, my elves make them
carefully for boys and girls. My elves
have pages and pages of names of
toys that children are hoping for
each year. The elves do quite a bit of
research to make sure they know
exactly what you’re hoping for.
Q. “Does he have special
machines to make electronics that
elves can’t make?”
-Caroline Meisterling, age 10
A. What a good question,
Caroline! As technology has evolved
over the years, we have had to put
a few special machines in the
workshop to help my elves create
electronic devices, but they still do
much of the work! WL
7KH*LIWRI&RRO
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9257(;
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(860) 529-1945
:HWKHUV¿HOG
5RFN\+LOO
*ODVWRQEXU\
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Open 7 Days a Week
YRUWH[JXLWDUVWXGLRFRP
Christmas Sale!
Perfect Holiday Gifts!
• Pool Tables & Accessories
• Bars • Counter Stools
• Wine Bars • Ping Pong
• Darts • Poker Tables
• Cinema Seating • More!
Don’t miss it...Just in
Time for the Holidays
Jewelry
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• • •
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• • •
Farmington, CT
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32
Come celebrate with us
grace episcopal church
55 New Park Avenue, Hartford
860-233-0825
We invite you to share with us
Feel
the Spirit!
Advent at Grace
Traditional
Anglicanfor
worship
and music
Come
“home”
Christmas
in a welcoming congregation
Christmas
Eve
Sunday Masses
A.Mcongregation
.
Low for
Mass,
8:00and
9:30 P.M. Carols
choir
Solemn
High
Mass
(with choir),
10:30 A.M.
10:00
P.M.
Solemn
High Mass
Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent
Christmas
Sunday,
December 7th,Day
5:00 P.M.
followed
reception
10:30 A.M.
LowbyMass
with carols
Advent Worship
Fr. Richard Maxwell
www.gracehartford.orgKyle Swann
Rector
Music Director
www.gracehartford.org
Come and join us as we wait in wonder
for the coming of the Christ child. You
and your family are invited to worship
with us, Sunday mornings, 10 a.m.
ROCKY HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
What is Advent? See our video at
www.rhccucc.org/advent
Sun, Dec. 14
Third Sunday of Advent
10 AM Worship
4 PM Lessons and Carols
The Christmas story in music & scripture
Sat, Dec. 20
10:30 AM - 2 PM Christmas Cookie Sale
Sun, Dec. 21
10 AM Fourth Sunday of Advent - Worship
Wed, Dec. 24
5 PM Christmas Eve Service
11 PM Service of Candlelight & Communion
We are an Open and Afrming community
of faith, striving to celebrate the diversity in
which God has created us. You are welcome here!
805 Old Main Street, Rocky Hill, CT 06067 • phone: 860-529-4167
email: of[email protected] • www.rhccucc.org • facebook.com/rhccucc
RHCC_Advent_Ad_2014.indd 1
11/30/2014 3:12:27 PM
Longest Night Service
A worship experience for those
that are grieving or whose lives are
filled with pain or confusion.
Join us as we sing, pray, and light
candles, Sunday, December 21 at 7 p.m.
Christmas Eve Worship
5 p.m. - Family Service with
annual Christmas pageant
10 p.m. - Candle-lit Service with carols
Church of Christ, Congregational
1075 Main Street • Newington
860-666-4689
33
Holiday libations
Merry Maids is
Dependable, thorough cleaning • Bonded & Insured
Satisfaction Guaranteed • Can provide other home-care services
Loyalty/Referral Programs • Easily Customizable Cleaning
Outstanding Customer Service Strategies • Extensively Trained Employees
to tickle your tastebuds
860-563-8367
email: [email protected]
Holiday Special!
Gift Certificates!
Take $20 OFF any gift certificate purchase
*must be a minimum of 2 hours
$99.00 OFF
Bourbon Cream Root Beer Float
2 large scoops vanilla ice cream
1 12-ounce bottle root beer
1/4 cup (2 ounces) Heritage Hills Bourbon
Cream
2 Maraschino Cherries
Place ice cream in two chilled cups or sundae
glasses. Pour half of root beer over ice cream,
followed by bourbon cream. Top with cherry.
Serve immediately.
This recipe was provided by
M&R Liquors in Farmington,
located in the Epicure Shopping Center on
Farmington Avenue. For more information
visit www.mandrliquors.com.
Neill
Walsh
Goldsmiths & Gallery
The Webb-Deane-Stevens
Museum Shop
YEAR END SALE:
12/27/14 -1/3/15
221 Main St., Wethersfield, 860.529.0612
Open Daily (Except Tuesdays)
10am - 4pm • Sundays 1pm - 4pm
with minimum of 4
carpeted areas
New customers only
Not valid with other offers.
$15.00 OFF
$20.00 OFF
any window service.
any gutter cleaning service.
Minimum of 8 windows
www.merrymaids.com
Happy Holidays
THE EYEGLASS PLACE
ay
MHOLIDAY
SPECIAL
Receive
860-721-9256 • www.neilwalsh.com
Kassandra’s Treasures
FASHION| JEWELRY| ACCESSORIES
All for Christmas!
English Party Poppers • Glassware
Cocktail Napkins • Jewelry with “Bling”
Candles • Hand Knit Hats & Gloves
Placemats • Sweaters and Silk Jackets
$10.00 OFF
cial
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(Custom Designs by Appointment)
125 Main Street, Old Wethersfield
$33.00 Off
First Full House Cleaning
$33.00 Off 5th & 10th
Cleaning
1000+ Frames in Stock including:
Still plenty of time for shopping.
Great selection of gold & silver jewelry!
Unique, Hand-Crafted Designs
Hours: Tues-Sat 10am-6pm
CARPET CLEANING
SPECIAL
$40 off
Exp.
.14
5.31
a complete pair
of eyeglasses
Excludes Value Line.
Not valid on
previous purchases.
CoaCh
GuCCi
Wiley X
RayBan
Silhouette
toRy BuRCh
Jimmy Choo
maRC JaCoBS
Gift Certificates Available
Use your end of the year HSA dollars here!
HOLIDAY
Sale Event
FREE GIFT
WITH PURCHASE
(Exp. 12/24/14)
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Evening hours available on Thursdays
2311 Berlin Tpke, Newington
860-667-0921
www.eyeglassplace.net
34
Your thoughts: What is your favorite holiday song?
“White Christmas.”
“O Holy Night.”
–Carolyn Bedula
–Mary Spellacy
“Hark! The Herald
Angels Sing.”
“Frosty the Snowman.” “White Christmas.”
–Larry Spellacy
–Dorcas McHugh
–Joan Hughes
We Have
7 Winners
Ava
Age 5
Newington
Shivendra Age 11
Rocky Hill
Camila & Valeria
Ages 10 & 7
Glastonbury
Faith
Age 4
Farmington
Sydney Age 12
West Hartford
Maia Age 7
Wethersfield
Emily
Age 6
Avon
Congratulations to Our Coloring Contest Winners!
Thank you to all who participated in our Holiday Contest. Feel free to stop into our Simsbury office at
540 Hopmeadow Street to see all the entries on our Winter Snowman Wall and have your picture taken.
A special Thank You to Wooden Toy of Wethersfield, Perfect Toy of Avon
and Over the Rainbow Toys in Glastonbury for sponsoring the $25 Gift Certificate Prizes!
35
Ambulance Food Drive
Wethersfield Volunteer Ambulance held its annual food drive the weekend of Nov. 22-23.
Many residents brought turkeys, cash and other food items, all to benefit Foodshare.
Some of the volunteers who helped out at the
food drive stand alongside the Foodshare truck.
Ambulance Chief Phil
Lombardo and his wife Kim
donned turkey headwear
to get into the spirit of the
holiday.
A Foodshare representative
loads another box full of turkeys.
Give the


with a travel gift certificate,
Wishing all of our family,
friends and clients a joyful
Holiday Season
and a Happy New Year!
Wethersfield Travel
219 Main Street
Gift Certificates can be used
toward vacation packages,
flights, hotels and more.
(860) 257-3775 www.WethersfieldTravel.com
Spotlight
Hygienist
K
im has been with our practice for 9
years! Kim has been a dental hygienist
for 13 years, she graduated from Springfield
Technical Community College. Kim cares for
each and every one of her patients and strives
to provide the BEST in dental care. She is
married with two sons. She enjoys spending
time with her family and stays busy with their
favorite sport hockey!
Kim Hutton
Please call our office to set up your cleaning appointment today with
Kim or one of our other fabulous team members today!
Connecticut Family Dental Group
945 Cromwell Ave., Rocky Hill
(860) 529-1199
36
LIFE back then
Wethersfield’s former state prison is a unique
chapter in local history
by Amy Gagnon and John Oblak
I
n September 1827, the newly
constructed Connecticut
State Prison opened its
doors to 81 inmates once
housed at Newgate Prison in
Granby. The prison was modeled
after a state-of-the-art penitentiary in New York.
The prison’s administration
stressed prisoner rehabilitation
during incarceration. Prisoners
labored by day to learn a trade,
were allowed plenty of fresh air and
exercise, and offered religious services and Sunday school classes.
Both male and female prisoners
were housed in separate parts of the
facility. Incarcerated women
cooked, cleaned and repaired cloth-
ing used in the prison, as well as
made cigars. Male prisoners worked
as carpenters, coopers, tailors and
blacksmiths, among other things.
Until 1880, prison labor supported
the cost of running the facility.
Many prisoners served long or
life sentences at this maximum
security facility. The incarcerated
served time for everything from
stealing horses to arson to murder.
Seventy-three inmates were
executed here between 1894 and
1960, with 55 being hanged before
the method was stopped in the
1930s. The others were executed
by electric chair. On May 17, 1960,
the last inmate executed was
Joseph Taborsky, convicted of
killing six people.
Violence was common and
during its 136-year history two
wardens and three guards were
killed by inmates. The prison
closed in 1963 when the
Connecticut State Prison was
moved to Enfield.
The complex was demolished
a few years later. All that remains
on the former grounds is a small
marker commemorating the site
of its burial yard.
Two of the 112-year old cells
are in the collection of
Wethersfield Historical Society.
The cells were originally installed
in 1900 as part of a 30-cell block
in the women’s section.
SALE
LIFE
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37
Following the decommission
and subsequent demolition of the
penal institution in the 1960s, two
of these cells were removed and
installed in the Coventry police
station as part of its local lockup.
When the Coventry police
moved into updated quarters in
2006, they began speaking with
historical society representatives
about returning the cells to
Wethersfield, largely due to the
efforts of society member and prison expert Frank Winiarski.
Through the cooperation of the
town managers and physical services departments of both communities, the cells were disassembled and
moved piece by piece into their new
home at the Keeney Memorial
Cultural Center.
An exhibition about the
Connecticut State Prison in
Wethersfield is currently running at
the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center,
200 Main St. Hours are Tuesday
through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.
Gallery admission is free but
donations are appreciated to support
the changing exhibitions. To learn
more call 860-529-7656 or log on to
www.wethhist.org.
For the curious:
•The Connecticut State Library
has a database of Connecticut
State Prison at Wethersfield
prisoners that you can search by
name, town, or date. See if your
ancestors were there. (http://
www.cslib.org/wethers.asp)
•Package stores in Connecticut
were once open until 11 p.m. but
in the 1960s the legislature set
closing time at 8 p.m. after
Taborsky went to the electric
chair. He was convicted of a
series of murders and robberies
that included package stores.
•Jabez Woodbridge of Wethersfield
patented the Automatic Gallows
on June 18, 1895. Not only was he
a resident, he was the warden
from 1893-1899.
•A my Archer Gilligan, who was
purportedly the murderess portrayed in “Arsenic and Old Lace,”
served time at the Connecticut
State Prison.
•The original 81 prisoners – men,
women and children – were
marched to Wethersfield from
Old Newgate in Granby. The
youngest was a lad of about 11
and the oldest a man near 90.
•The state-of-the-art prison at
the time was the Auburn
Correctional Facility in
Auburn, N.Y. It was the modernity of these facilities that
drew French political thinker,
historian and author of
“Democracy in America” Alexis
de Tocqueville to Auburn and
Wethersfield in 1831.
•Wealth from maritime trade
was near its end for
Wethersfield in the 1820s. The
prison was viewed as an economic development opportunity. The story of how the town
lobbied and maneuvered politically to gain the prison, against
other towns competing for it,
would be a fascinating story.
•The prison was an imposing
structure of Portland
(Connecticut) brownstone. It is
the largest structure ever built
in town.
•Portland brownstone was an
important source of construction material in the second part
of the 1800s and was used in a
number of historic buildings in
New Haven and Hartford as
well as in Chicago, Boston, New
York City and Philadelphia.
•For archeologists, important parts
of the structure still exist. The
challenge is that they are buried
under the state Department of
Motor Vehicles parking lots.
Portions of the prison, like solitary
confinement, were below ground
level. It was more economical to
fill over them than to take them
down. WL
LIFE back then is an occasional
historical column provided by the
Wethersfield Historical Society. Author
Amy Gagnon is lead content developer
for connecticuthistory.org, an online
history resource presented by
Connecticut Humanities. Author John
Oblak is a volunteer docent and former board member of the Wethersfield
Historical Society.
Impeccable, Chic and Pristine Are The Best Ways
To Describe This Exceptional Property
860-463-9296
Located in the west end of Rocky Hill,
this home is situated amongst similar
luxurious homes. 31 Murphy Road boasts
all the appointments today’s refined buyers
want: open floor plan, expansive trim
levels, 9’ plus ceilings, large windows and
a three car garage.
The current owners have made extensive
updates that truly enhance the home’s
appeal. A gorgeous color palette, the
latest fixtures, modern chef’s kitchen with
stainless appliances, double ovens, 48” white cabinets and marble counter tops.
Not to be forgotten are the spectacular grounds, with gas barbecue grill, multitiered patio and a built-in, heated Aqua pool with jacuzzi.
Premium hardwood floors were added to the entire second floor that show-off
four bedrooms including a luxurious master suite. There are two bedrooms with
a Jack and Jill bathroom, as well as an en suite. The lower level has also been
finished and includes a bathroom and wet bar! Call Jeff Bodeau for a private
showing.
38
Slice of
photos by Lisa Brisson
LIFE
1
2
3
Thanksgiving at Webb-Deane-Stevens
4
5
6
7
1. Historical interpreter Tammy Denease talked to the guests at the wine reception about the traditional foods and their preparation during the 18th century. 2. Historical
interpreters Jay Anderson of Cromwell, Linda Pagliuco of Coventry and Elizabeth O’Brien of Manchester. 3. Some of the food on display in the Silas Deane House
included apples, cinnamon and lots of dried fruit. 4. The Traditional Thanksgiving Feast held in the Webb Barn provided an opportunity for visitors to make new friends
as they dined together around long communal tables. 5. Laura Mazza-Dixon and Deborah Robin serenaded the visitors with popular 18th century musical pieces.
6. During the traditional Thanksgiving meal served in the Webb Barn, John Skrainski of Bolton helps fellow historical interpreter Cynthia Riccio of Wethersfield by slicing
bread to go with her pottage of cabbage, leeks and onion. 7. Historical interpreters Sal Carmosino of Tolland, John Skrainski of Bolton, Helena Reilly and Katie Sullivan,
both of Wethersfield, take visitors for tours prior to the feast.
39
Slice of
photos by Lisa Brisson
LIFE
The streets of Old Wethersfield resembled a Currier & Ives holiday scene
Dec. 4 as the town welcomed in the Christmas season with the 5th Annual
Holidays on Main event. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived in a fire engine just in
time to lead a carol sing.
3
4
5
1
6
2
7
Holidays on Main
1. Five-year-old Elliot McMullin thanks Santa for the candy cane he gave him after he posed for photos at the fire station. 2. The center of Old Wethersfield resembled
a Currier & Ives holiday scene, minus the snow. 3. Holidays on Main revelers enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride through Old Wethersfield. 4. Kate Anzidei, 11, Claire
Murphy, 11, Emma Anzidei, 8, Lorien Touponse, 11, and Katherine Murphy, 9, were all bundled up for the chilly night. 5. The Wethersfield High School Choralaires
serenade the crowd with Christmas carols. 6. Ernie and Trudy Pawlich look over the wreaths for sale at the Red Onion Gardens booth in the farmer’s market. 7. Volunteers
and staff of the Hurlbut-Dunham House await visitors to the decorated holiday home. They are, from left: Cindy Brown, Lisa Walsh, Todd Lucas, Beverly Lucas, Janet
Hansen and Curator Rachel Zilinski
40
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Daycare available while lodging
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Cat Tree Raffle!
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Our entire facility is heated and air conditioned
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Winner notified 12/22/14
1940 Silas Deane Hwy • Rocky Hill
860-721-MEOW (6369)
Dr. Linda DuPont & Associates
M-F 7:30 am - 6:00 pm
Sat 8:30 am-4:00 pm
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41
calendar
January
3
Drop-in Playtime/Storytime, 10 a.m.
to noon, Wethersfield Library, 515 Silas
Deane Highway, 860-257-2801 or
www.wethersfieldlibrary.org, also
Jan. 10, 17, 24 and 31
5
6
Introduction to the Internet, 2:30 p.m.,
Wethersfield Library, 515 Silas Deane Highway,
860-257-2811 or www.wethersfieldlibrary.org
SuMo Tu We Th Fr Sa
123
4 5 6 7 8 910
1112 13 141516 17
1819 20 21 222324
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
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24
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26
Interactive Stress Relief for
Teenagers, 3:30-5 p.m., Wethersfield Library, 515
Silas Deane Highway, 860-257-2811 or www.
wethersfieldlibrary.org
eBooks at Your Library, 10:30
a.m., Wethersfield Library, 515 Silas Deane
Highway, 860-257-2811 or www.wethersfieldlibrary.
org
Computer Basics, 2:30 p.m., Wethersfield Library,
515 Silas Deane Highway, 860-257-2811 or
www.wethersfieldlibrary.org
Guided Meditation, 6:30 p.m.,
Wethersfield Library, 515 Silas Deane Highway,
860-257-2811 or www.wethersfieldlibrary.org
eBooks at Your Library, 6:30 p.m., Wethersfield
Library, 515 Silas Deane Highway, 860-257-2811 or
10
Second Saturday Cinema: “The
Heiress,” 1:30 p.m., Wethersfield Library,
Walk-In Clinic
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Specials for students UNDER 18 - Camp • School • Sports
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Immigration Physicals Available
U.S. Designated Civil Surgeons
Call for Details & Cost
If it’s not an emergency, don’t pay for one.
Don’t wait to be seen!!
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365 Queen St. Southington
860.863.5835
velocityurgentcare.com
OPEN ALL HOLIDAYS
Christmas Concert, 7 p.m., First Church of Christ
in Wethersfield, 250 Main St., 860-529-1575 or
www.firstchurch.org
20
Pasta Dinner, 4:30-7 p.m.,
Wethersfield United Methodist Church, 150
Prospect St., 860-529-2025, $10 for adults, $5 for
children younger than 10 and free for children
under 3
GFWC Newington/Wethersfield
Woman’s Club, 6 p.m., Newington Senior &
Disabled Center, 120 Cedar St., Newington, 860666-4371
Is your club, community organization, school or
house of worship holding an event open to the general public? If so, please send us the details for inclusion in our calendar. Email your events to Mark
Jahne at [email protected] or mail them to
Turley CT Community Publications, 540
Hopmeadow St., Simsbury, CT 06070.
Tuesday Night Movie: “Dawn of
the Planet of the Apes,” 6:15 p.m., Wethersfield
Library, 515 Silas Deane Highway, 860-257-2811 or
Pizza and Pages, 6:30 p.m., Wethersfield Library,
www.wethersfieldlibrary.org, registration required
DOT Certified
Medical Exam Center
!
Immigration Exams!
• Immunizations
• X-Rays & Blood Lab On-site
• Setting/Splinting Fractures
• Laceration Stitching
• Eye, Ear & Throat
• Cold & Allergies
• Confidential Testing
• FREE Walk-in Blood Pressure
& Sugar Checks
• Board Certified
Emergency Doctors
• Most Insurances Accepted
STEVE’S PLACE
Since
1969
G R I N D E R S • P A S TA • S A L A D • G R I L L E
“Some of Our Best Grinders & Sandwiches
have nothing to do with Coldcuts!”
Let us prepare our delicious, fresh food for your
Holiday Gathering!
84 Market Square
Newington
860.666.5975
366 Cromwell Ave.
Rocky Hill
860.721.8545
42
Events
spotlight
Candlelight Tours
Dec. 12 and 19, 5-8 p.m.
Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum
211 Main St.
860-529-0612 or
webb-deane-stevens.org
Each year, the museum’s “Three
Centuries of Christmas” tours show
how the American holiday season
has evolved over the past 300 years.
This year two evening candlelight
tours with costumed guides have
been added for viewing the three elegantly appointed historic houses
that comprise the museum. Daylight
tours will be held on Saturdays from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from
1-4 p.m. from Dec. 13 through Jan. 4.
Admission is $12 for adults, $6 for
senior citizens, AAA members and
active military personnel, and $28
for families.
of David Spicer. Featured pieces
include “A Christmas Cantata” by
Arthur Honegger and “Ceremony of
Carols” by Benjamin Britton. There
will also be an opportunity for everyone to sing favorite carols. Admission
is a free-will offering.
Jan. 24, 4:30-7 p.m.
Wethersfield United
Methodist Church
150 Prospect St.
860-529-2025
Proceeds from this fund-raising
dinner will be used to support the
church’s participation in a
Homefront Mission Project in town.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for
children younger than 10 and free
for children under 3. Reservations
are encouraged and seating will be
continuous. The Homefront Mission
Project is scheduled for May 2.
Teen Learn, Laugh &
Let Go
Christmas Concert
Jan. 12, 3:30-5 p.m.
Wethersfield Library
515 Silas Deane Highway
860-257-2811 or
The First Church Choir, Cantata
Singers, Pilgrim Youth Choir, Carol
Choir and Festival Orchestra will
combine talents for this annual
performance under the direction
Teenagers in grades 9-12 are invited
to attend an energizing interactive
stress relief workshop taught by
YouTube sensation Robert Rivest. He
is an accomplished wellness teacher
and public speaker who has presented more than 7,000 workshops all
over the world. Experience his entertaining combination of mime, comedy and interaction to learn some
basic stress-relieving methods.
Registration is required.
Dec. 14, 7 p.m.
First Church of Christ
in Wethersfield
250 Main St.
860-529-1575 or
www.firstchurch.org
Pasta Dinner
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To advertise call 860-651-4700 • TurleyCT.com
43
LIFE
a new leash on
Meet Alex and Fluffy
Alex is a 7-year-old male
neutered terrier mix. He
considers himself a great
dog with lots of potential.
He hopes for a home with a
family that has some
previous experience with
dogs and children who are
older than 12. Alex would
do best in an environment
without any other dogs
or cats.
Fluffy is an 8-year-old
female spayed domestic
shorthair tiger cat. She
prefers a quiet home with
an owner who has prior
experience with cats. She’s
flexible in terms of living
with children of any age
and willing to consider
sharing her new home with
another pet, even though
she has no prior experience
in that area.
Inquiries about adoption may be made at the Connecticut Humane
Society, 701 Russell Road, Newington. Call 860-594-4500. More
information, including videos, can be found online at cthumane.org.
Click on “Adopt” and “Newington.” The Connecticut Humane Society
is a private organization and has no time limits for adoption.
2014-2015 PERFORMING ARTS SERIES
Connecticut Premiere!
A Light in
the Dark:
The Story of
Helen Keller and
Annie Sullivan
The acclaimed story ballet created by American dance
legend Ann Reinking and Melissa Thodos, performed with
additional repertoire by THODOS DANCE CHICAGO
Sat., Jan. 31, 2015, 7:30 p.m. • Hoffman Auditorium
$28 Adults, $22 Senior Citizens, $16 Youth
Funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from
the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.
The Francis Driscoll Box Office:
Free Parking
1678 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT
860.231.5555
www.usj.edu/arts
44
News roundup
items were sorted and boxed by
Meghan Sousa and Yanitza Rodriquez.
In the photo, teacher Merilee DeJohn
delivers the boxes to Eppler.
UNICO seeks nominees
1
Highcrest donates items
1. During the month of October, second grade students at Highcrest
School were able to connect their
social studies curriculum on communities to real-life lessons. With the
help of parents, the students collected
various necessities that were identified by Marita Eppler from the town
food pantry as high-priority items.
Some of these items included
toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap,
deodorant, toilet paper and tissue. At
the end of the collection period, the
The Wethersfield chapter of UNICO
National, the largest ItalianAmerican service organization in the
country, is seeking nominations for
its “Medaglia di Servizio” Service
Award. The fourth annual event will
be held in March honoring those
who represent UNICO’s motto of
“service above self.”
Past award winners are: Judy
Keane, president and founder of the
Richard M. Keane Foundation;
Gaetano Leone, past president of the
Santa Lucia of Siracusa Society;
Mary Daversa, founder of Mikey’s
Place; Tony Santucci, charter member of Wethersfield UNICO and Nina
DiMascio, the founder of the Italian
Culture Center of Education.
Include why you feel this person
ond Place
Sage P
deserves the award along with your
contact information. Nominations
may be sent to Wethersfield UNICO,
P.O. Box 290370, Wethersfield, CT,
06129-0370, or to unicotomv@gmail.
com. The deadline for nominations is
Dec. 19.
Christmas Eve
at First Church
The First Church of Christ in
Wethersfield, 250 Main St., has a
busy evening planned for Christmas
Eve. It starts with a community carol
sing in front of the church at 5 p.m.
Four candlelight services will be
offered in the 1761 meetinghouse at
6:30, 8, 9:30 and 11 p.m. Each service
features Christmas music and carols
sung by all, along with an inspiring
message by Senior Minister Deryk
Richenburg entitled “A Thrill of Hope.”
Child care is available during
the 6:30 and 8 p.m. services for children age 5 and under. Children age 5
through grade 3 are invited to a
Wethersfield Monument Company
1725 Berlin Turnpike, Berlin
Nestled off the road in a quiet, wooded setting!
serving Greater Hartford since 1986
Special Designs
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that’s life.
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45
Happy Birthday Jesus party at 6:30
p.m. while their parents are worshiping in the meetinghouse.
Preschool program seeks
peer playmates
The Wethersfield Public Schools is
seeking children who will be 3 years
of age as of Oct. 1, 2015, to participate in the Developmental Early
Intervention Program for the 20152016 school year. This program
includes children with developmental delays and same-aged children
who act as peer playmates.
Classes are located at Webb
School and are held Monday through
Thursday from 9-11:30 a.m. or 12:30-3
p.m. The cost per year for this fourday program is $1,050. Peer playmates
will be selected through a two-tiered
lottery system. The application deadline for the lottery is Jan. 9.
Those selected will be invited for
a screening on Jan. 23. A second lottery will be held after the screening to
fill any open slots. Parents interested
in completing an application may call
Rosanne Zdrok at 860-571-8141.
Antiques show returns
Photo by Mark Jahne
2. The Wethersfield Historical
Society held its 14th annual antiques
show the weekend of Nov. 22-23.
More than 30 dealers from throughout the northeastern United States
were on hand to display and sell
their wares.
Board wins CABE honor
The Wethersfield Board of Education
was honored by CABE (Connecticut
Association of Boards of Education)
with its Level One Leadership
Award. It is designed to recognize
boards and superintendents that
exhibit the most effective leadership
while working as a team.
Level One status is granted to
those boards that fulfill at least 22 of
34 criteria. These areas include
board leadership, student achievement, board member professional
development, policy, community
relations and related organizational
leadership.
Be wary of food-borne
illness
The Central Connecticut Health
District encourages everyone to
practice safe food handling, especially during the holiday period. Holiday
buffets, party trays and other foods,
if improperly handled, can lead to
food-borne illness.
There are four basic steps to prevention: clean, separate, cook and
2
chill. Personal cleanliness as well as
making sure all cooking utensils are
clean is of utmost importance. Hands
should be washed for at least 20 seconds in hot, soapy water before,
during and after food preparation.
Use different plates and utensils
for raw versus cooked foods, especially meats. Use adequate cooking
temperatures to make sure food is
properly cooked and any bacteria is
killed. Keep hot foods hot and cold
foods cold.
Guerrera returns funds
State Rep. Antonio Guerrera, who
was re-elected without opposition in
the 29th Assembly District, is returning $8,355 to the state Citizens
Election Program. That represents
100 percent of the taxpayer funds he
received for the recent election.
He said he held the money in
reserve in case a last-minute challenger entered the field. Guerrera ran
his campaign exclusively on privately donated funds and did not need
the state money.
Avoid CO poisoning
The arrival of winter means turning
up the heat and spending more time
at home. The Central Connecticut
Health District reminds people to
take the necessary steps to avoid
carbon monoxide poisoning. CO is
an invisible, odorless gas.
The symptoms of CO mimic the
flu: headache, fatigue, dizziness,
nausea, vomiting or loss of consciousness. The effects can vary but
exposure to this gas can be fatal. If
you experience any of these symptoms get out of the house immediately; if you quickly feel better, it may
well be a CO problem.
Reasons for a buildup of CO are
most often malfunctioning furnaces,
improperly placed portable generators
or indoor use of charcoal grills. The
district advises homeowners to install
CO detectors that will warn them if
dangerous levels of the gas are present.
Rotary and Liberty Bank
help the needy
The Wethersfield-Rocky Hill Rotary
Club collected $709.95 as part of the
regional Liberty Bank/Rotary Club
Thanksgiving Dinner Drive.
Matching funds of $177.49 increased
that to a total of $887.44. The funds
were donated to Rocky Hill Human
Services and Wethersfield Youth and
Social Services.
Rotary clubs in 35 towns teamed
up with the 49 Liberty Bank offices
to raise $167,620 during the weeks
after Columbus Day. At the end of
the drive, the Liberty Bank
Foundation added 25¢ for each dollar raised, totaling $41,869.
Rotarians use the funds to purchase and deliver Thanksgiving food
to needy families or donate the
money to a local non-profit organization that provides Thanksgiving
baskets. All donations are used to
provide food in the communities
where the money was raised.
Ballou Tooker dies
Ballou Tooker, 95, a longtime resident, died Nov. 19. He was active for
many years in numerous civic and
volunteer capacities including the
Wethersfield Taxpayers Association,
Boy Scouts of America, First Church
of Christ in Wethersfield,
Wethersfield Historical Society,
American Red Cross, Meals on
Wheels, Wethersfield Yacht Club,
Wethersfield/Rocky Hill Rotary Club
and Mystic Seaport. WL
LIFE
That’s...
read the paper or visit us online... that’s life.
TO ADVERTISE: 860.651.4700 • www.TurleyCT.com
46
LIFE
Education LIFE
Photo by Mark Jahne
in the classroom
Technology is in the forefront
at Emerson-Williams School
by Mark Jahne
Editor
T
echnology is a major factor
in American life. It changes
constantly, allowing people
to do more with a simple
touch of a pad or a few keystrokes,
opening up new worlds of possibilities.
That makes it a key component
of learning. Today’s students do not
know the world that existed before
cell phones, laptops, iPads,
Chromebooks and similar devices.
So, when the parent community
at Emerson-Williams School cited
that as an area where the school
needed to show improvement,
administrators took notice.
Second grade students Madison Schenkel, Amaya Torres, Madelyn
Sobotka, Ava Thompson and Jay Saluja are quickly becoming proficient
with the new iPad technology at Emerson-Williams School.
American School for the Deaf
presents
Community Programs
Sign Language Classes:
SPRING SESSION MARCH 3RD - MAY 14TH
Registration opens January 2nd
Adult, Youth and Baby - 36 month classes
Group practice, games, exercises and dialogues
Supportive & enthusiastic teachers!
Join the experience!
Spring classes start
January 22nd!
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING INCLUDES:
Self
Learn Defense
Spanish for
Women
Begins
January 8th
January
10th + 11th
Learn
to
Knit
Begins
March 11th
Creative
Cuisine Zumba
&
Crockpot
March 13
Vegetarian
March 27
Kickboxing
Drop in
Tuesdays &
Thursdays
OUR CLASSES ARE OPEN TO THE
COMMUNITY. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE
DEAF TO PARTICIPATE.
American School for the Deaf
Register online asd-1817.org
Email [email protected]
139 NORTH MAIN STREET, WEST HARTFORD • 860-570-2300
LIFE
That’s...
read the paper or visit us online... that’s life.
TO ADVERTISE: 860.651.4700 • www.TurleyCT.com
47
Education LIFE
“Every year we do a spring
parent satisfaction survey,” said
Principal Neela Thakur.
The school scored extremely well
in all topic areas except one. It got a
79 percent satisfaction rating for
technology education.
That’s a decent score, but it was
well below all the others, so Thakur
decided to take action. That meant
more professional development
training for the teachers, more use of
technology in the classroom and an
increased effort to keep parents
informed.
Lots of new technology arrived at
the school over the summer, she said,
so the stage was set. The school was
already wired for Wi-Fi service.
“With all the technology in this
building, we need to make sure we’re
using it and using it well,” said Thakur.
Doreen Corsair, media center
paraprofessional, developed a brochure for parents telling them all
about the technology and its uses.
“Digital Resources @ Your Fingertips”
addresses online subscriptions that
are available to students and families.
In addition, David Moore, a
Wethersfield Public Schools IT
technician, has been doing a great
deal of work to get everything up and
running, the principal said.
“He has been absolutely instrumental in helping us with our
technology needs this year,” she said.
Technology is even more
important now that the schools are
having students take the new Smarter
Balanced Assessment Consortium
tests in place of the former
Connecticut Mastery Test. These
exams must be taken online.
Ongoing efforts are being
undertaken to help teachers become
comfortable with the new technology.
Video showcases are being created
showing how teachers are using it to
enhance their lessons. In addition, the
school now has Facebook and Twitter
accounts.
“The parents love it,” Thakur said.
Second-grade teacher Stephanie
Laskowski said both the iPads and
computers are used four days a week.
Lessons enhanced by the
technology include language arts,
Northwest Catholic High School
Entrance Exam:
January 24, 8:00 – noon
Information Session:
Wednesday, February 4,
7:00 p.m.
Visit www.Northwest
Catholic.org/Shadow
Day to schedule a visit.
Come join the Northwest Catholic community!
Northwest Catholic
(860) 236-4221, ext. 140
29 Wampanoag Drive, West Hartford, CT
www.NorthwestCatholic.org/Apply
LIFE
Read
online at
www.TurleyCT.com
Grolier Online, a resource for encyclopedia articles, magazines, media and
websites; World Book Online, offering
multiple levels of resources; Enchanted
Learning, with websites that promote
creativity and the enjoyment of learning; BrainPop and BrainPop Jr., featuring animated curriculum-based content; and United Streaming, designed
to help teachers accelerate student
achievement.
The school’s library collection has
the Destiny online library catalogue,
Funbrain games that reinforce what
students have learned in reading,
math and problem solving, as
well as a free app called Overdrive
Media Console that provides
downloadable eBooks.
The new technology includes five
iPads per kindergarten teacher, a full
iPad cart with a charging station
and keyboards for grades 1-3, a full
Chromebook cart with a charging
station for grades 4-6, a full iPad
cart for the library/media center
and five iPads each for art, physical
education, music and English
language learners. WL
mathematics and social studies.
The children are using touch
screen functions right now and will
begin to learn keyboarding skills after
the holidays.
“We have keyboards for all of our
iPads,” Thakur said.
Five second-graders showed off
their proficiency with iPad technology.
Their favorite program appeared to be
one that counts money and places it in
a piggy bank.
Fourth grade teacher Summer
Cookson said she uses the technology
in her classroom “all the time.” Some
students do extra practice utilizing
the Lexia Reading program that helps
them with phonics, vocabulary and
reading comprehension, among other
skills.
s“We have lots of back and forth
going on,” she said.
Students can also use a program
called eBackpack to upload and access
material, do their homework and pass
in that homework electronically.
Parents are the keepers of the access
code for this application.
Among the online options are:
Picture
Your Child
at
Saint Mary School
Newington
INNOVATIVE,
NEW SCHOOL MODEL
State Certified Teachers in all classes
PreK - 3 through Grade 8
Come and see what all the
excitement is about!
OPEN HOUSE
Sunday, January 25 12 pm - 2 pm
& Thursday, January 29 6 pm - 8 pm
or call for a private tour with our Principal.
Saint Mary School
NEWINGTON, CT
652 Willard Ave, Newington • 860.666.3844
Visit us at www.stmarynewington.com today
48
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51
Holiday wishes
As this last issue of 2014 arrives
in your home, Christmas is less
than two weeks away. Hanukkah
is even closer. Then along comes
New Year’s Eve and the start
of 2015.
All too often, we become so
caught up in the “busy-ness” of
the holiday season that we
don’t get to enjoy it the way we
would like. So many parties,
family and friends to see, shopping, cooking, decorating …
Somehow we need to find a
way to turn off the stress
machine and catch our breath.
This is such a wonderful time
of the year. The weather is crisp
and clear (we hope), people are
in a better-than-usual mood,
everything is so colorful
and bright.
The holidays, especially
Christmas, keep becoming
more and more commercialized. There’s nothing wrong
with that aspect of the season
but it should not overwhelm
the true meaning of the holiday.
In addition to the religious
significance, it’s also about
peace and good will and
respect for everyone. Who
doesn’t agree with that? That’s
a message everyone can enjoy
and that transcends any one
particular faith.
It’s a time of year when we
reach out to people we don’t
always have much contact with
during the other 11 months. It’s
a time of year when we can put
the pressure of work behind us,
at least for a little while, and
share the joy with our colleagues at office parties.
The holiday season is great
for food and beverages, too.
Among them are special treats
that various cultures may cook,
bake or otherwise create only
at this time of year. Think
about it – who drinks egg nog
in June?
The onset of a new year
also provides us with a fresh
start. It gives everyone, young
and old, a chance to reflect
upon their lives and look for
ways to make them better in
the months to come.
Many people make resolutions – usually broken within a
matter of days. Still, it’s not a
bad idea, even if losing weight
was the resolution for the past
58 years. At least it shows some
thought toward improvement.
There are simple things
Letter to the Editor
Democratic leader pledges
a positive campaign
To the Editor:
The last issue of Wethersfield
LIFE contained a compelling
editorial regarding the need for
political candidates to run
positive campaigns. I agree
completely. The problem is that
Wethersfield LIFE did not give
credit to State Rep. Russ Morin
for doing exactly that.
As LIFE pointed out, “so
many candidates told us everything they thought was wrong
with their opponent.” As the
new chairman of the
Democratic Town Committee, it
was a pleasure to work on Russ’s
campaign. He always insisted
LIFE
wethersfield
Editorial
that the campaign message be
positive and he truly believed
that the electorate would
respond well to a candidate who
took the high road.
Russ was able to illustrate
what he has accomplished
during his tenure in the state
legislature and clearly stated
what his priorities would be in
his next term, all while refraining from negative attacks
against his opponent.
While LIFE surmised that
candidates run negative advertisements because “voters
respond to them and they can
sway an election,” I am pleased
to see that Wethersfield voters
did the exact opposite. The
each one of us could do to
make our communities a better place. Here are some
examples:
•Hold the door for the person behind you rather than
letting it close in their face.
•Smile at and say hello to
someone you don’t know.
•Pick up a piece of litter
when you’re out walking
the dog, even if it’s not on
your property.
•Donate one item to the
town food bank. Can you
imagine how full the
shelves would be if every
resident did this?
Take the time to talk to
someone, ideally in person,
rather than simply sending an
email or text. Make meaningful
human connections.
You get the idea. The list
is endless so feel free to come
up with your own way to do
something positive for your
family, your friends, your wider
community.
The staff at Turley CT
Community Publications wishes all of our readers and advertisers a Merry Christmas,
Happy Hanukkah and Happy
New Year. WL
540 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070
860-651-4700
Read our publication online at
TurleyCT.com
KEITH TURLEY, Publisher
EDITORIAL
Abigail Albair, Executive Editor
[email protected]
Mark Jahne, Editor
Alison Jalbert, Assistant Editor
STAFF WRITERS
Alicia B. Smith, Allie Rivera, Mara Dresner,
David Heuschkel, Jennifer Senofonte,
Sloan Brewster
ADVERTISING SALES
Melissa Friedman, Advertising Director
[email protected], 860-978-1345
Alana DiMarco
[email protected]
PAGE DESIGNERS
Daniel Kornegay, Patricia Stenbeck,
Robert Sirois
voters rejected negative campaigning and voted for Russ,
someone they know and trust.
With regards to the next
local campaign, LIFE said that
the “same kind of attacks and
negativity that reigned in this
year’s campaign” will likely be a
part of a future one as well. I
can assure you that it will not.
The Democrats will run a
campaign that is focused on
the issues and will present a
clear vision of both our accomplishments and goals. We can
only hope that our opponents
will do the same.
John Gallivan, Chairman
Democratic Town Committee
GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT
Barbara Ouellette, Production Manager
[email protected], 860-264-5523
Maureen LaBier, Production Assistant
Corley Fleming, Cynthia Martel,
Kathy Kokoszka, Gail Lefevre, Mary Grimes
CIRCULATION
For circulation issues, please call 860-651-4700
FOLLOW US ON
published by
52
CLASSIFIEDS
Avon • Canton • Farmington • Glastonbury • Newington • Rocky Hill • Simsbury • West Hartford • Wethersfield
Cleaning Services
Diamond Buyer
Service
Service cont’d.
Service cont’d.
POLISH-ENGLISH
SPEAKING WOMAN
CAN CLEAN YOUR
HOUSE/OFFICE WITH
CARE. Third cleaning
50% off for new clients.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
Insured/bonded.
Call 860-538-4885.
INHERIT A
DIAMOND?
Engagement ring you
don’t want or need?
Sell your diamond. My
NYC diamond dealer
partners and I will buy it.
860-719-1454. Contact:
Mitchell at
[email protected]
BENEDICT
OVERHEAD DOOR.
Is your one stop for all
garage door problems.
CT HIC #0621772
Call 860-828-2951
OFFICE OR HOUSE
CLEANER. If you need
your office or house
cleaned, feel free to give
me a call. Free estimates.
860-856-1803
Help Wanted
PIANO SALES AND
SERVICE
NEW AND USED PIANOS FOR SALE TO FIT
YOUR BUDGET.
Lessons for all ages and
skill levels. Tuning and
repair services available
for all makes and models.
Call Bob at 860-4787482, 860-529-0590. Visit
us at www.themusicscorellc.com.
JCWEB - WEBSITES
DONE RIGHT. JCWeb
makes professional business websites and gets
you listed on Google and
up to 90 different directories. Save 20% before
December 31st. Call
James at 860-940-8713 or
visit www.jcweb.org
PROTECT YOUR
INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY
PATENTS, TRADEMARKS ETC. Call Ted
Paulding. No longer representing the big guys.
Now helping the little
guys become a big guy.
860-474-5181
BATHROOM
REFINISHING. Tub
and Shower Replacement
-economical to custom.
Do the job right - replace
- don’t cover up. Toilets,
sinks and vanities as well.
Reasonable, licensed and
insured. Charles Peterson
860-839-0246
WEST HARTFORD
SNOW REMOVAL. Our
20th year! We show up
every time! Most driveways $59, up to four
inches.
CALL 860-666-9999
GOOD ATTITUDES
REWARDED. Merry
Maids now hiring
full time or part time.
Must be able to work
ADA’S HOUSE
Monday-Friday from
CLEANING QUALITY 8am-5pm. No nights,
PERSONAL SERVICE. holidays or weekends.
Must have own car, drivWeekly, biweekly, or
monthly. Specializing in er’s license and insurance.
help to clean before clos- Please call 860-563-8367
ing/moving or one time to set up an interview.
cleaning. Serving the
Instruction
West Hartford areas since
2000. Call 860-521-3823 STUDY MUSIC AT
or 860-944-6541. Lic 7
HOME. The Music Store
insured #809334
now offers in home
music lessons for piano,
ROXY’S HOUSE/
guitar, bass, drums, brass
OFFICE CLEANING.
and voice. Hartford and
Quality weekly, biweekly, surrounding towns. Call
or monthly. Satisfaction 860-529-0590. Visit us at
guaranteed. Serving
www.themusicscorellc.
West Hartford,
com.
Newington, Rocky Hill,
and Wethersfield.
Free estimates.
Call 860-913-3158.
TREE REMOVAL
SPECIAL
SAVE 10%. Free
Estimate. Also stumps,
chipping, etc. Call 860621-0008. Licensed/
Insured.
Z-THE HANDYMAN,
LLC HOME
IMPROVEMENT.
Interior. Exterior.
Painting, flooring, decks,
power washing, vinyl
siding, roofing, etc.
Don’t pay high prices,
Call 860-690-2855. Ask
for John. Licensed &
Insured.
FOR ALL YOUR
MASONRY NEEDS.
Stone walls, pool decks,
CHS CARPENTRY.
patios, walkways, chim- ANDY WOTTON
Kitchen & Bathroom full
neys, fireplaces, etc. Free PLUMBING &
remodeling, windows,
estimates. Fully licensed HEATING, LLC
doors, decks, porches,
860-833-8153. We offer
and insured. Call 860cabinets, installation,
honest
plumbing at a rea483-0139.
paint, custom tile instalsonable price. Estimates
lation, drywalls, siding,
PIANO TUNING AND are always given before
rooing, floors & trim
REPAIRS BY HARTT
any work is done. From
work. Fully licensed &
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
snaking your main drain
insured. References avail- TRAINED TUNER.
to water heaters and boilable. Reg.#612982
Piano cleaning and cliers, faucets and leaky
Call 860-803-5535 or
mate control also availpipes - WE DO IT ALL.
email chscarpentry@live. able. Contact Ted
Remember with Andy
com.
Williams 860-228-0309. Wotton Plumbing, it’s not
done until you say it is.
Call today 860-833-8153.
Licensed and insured
P10282605 S1 0402048
CLASSIFIED ORDER FORM
Classified Ads: $40 for up to 20 words, 30¢ each additional word
Help Wanted Ads: $70 for up to 20 words, 60¢ each additional word
Classified Ads run monthly in all 9 of our local publications. If ordering by
mail, please make checks out to LIFE Publications or provide your Credit Card
information. PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED BY DEADLINE OR YOUR AD WILL
NOT RUN. We accept Mastercard, Visa and American Express.
Name ( PRINT)
AD TEXT
Company:
Address:
Phone:
Check or Card #
Exp Date
Security Code
No. of Months to run:
3 WAYS TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD!
Call: 860-264-5656
Email: [email protected]
Mail: TurleyCT
Attn: LIFE Classifieds
PO Box 497
Simsbury, CT 06070
Seasons
Greetings!
Service cont’d.
TREE CARE
J A CHUNIS
ARBORICULTURE
LLC. Licensed arborist.
Pruning, storrm damage
repair. Fully insured. Free
estimates. CT Arborist
Business # 3103. Call
John at 860-550-2732.
Real
Estate
53
Happy Holidays!
OPEN HOUSE 12/14 1-4PM
140 Berlin Ave. Southington $219,000
A Real Money Maker. 2 Family Home.
Freshly painted. $1500 mo. income. 1200
sq. ft. per floor, 2 bedroom, 1 bath per floor.
Lizz Romano
Relocation Specialist
Five-Star Professional
“For Absolute Integrity
& Commitment to Service”
My Loyal Clients
Family & Friends!
There is no more
appropriate time
for me to say
“Thank You”
and to extend my
best wishes for
every happiness
in 2015!
CALL ME ANYTIME
860-983-6330
[email protected]
www.LizzRomano.com
Wishing you a
joyful Holiday
Season and a
Happy &
Healthy
New Year!
Call me for all
your real
estate needs!
860.344.1658 or 860.978.1109
[email protected]
This December let the Holiday Spirit find
us and remind us how good life is, and
how fortunate we are.
ABR, GRI, SRES
860-205-9678
www.maureenhorowitz.com
[email protected]
1331 Silas Deane Hwy.
Wethersfield, CT
11 Coulter St. Old Saybrook $389,000
Stunning Townhouse. Needs a little TLC.
Short walk to restaurants and shops. 2
bedroom 2.5 bath.
Joe Ercolani
Maureen Horowitz
R esidential B RokeRage
598 Randolph Rd. Middletown $234,000
Perfect for Multi-Generational Families.
Set up as a 2 Family can be easily made
into a Single w/In-Law. Large Deep Lot.
Sharon
Carducci
I am grateful for all of my clients and thank
them for trusting me with one of the biggest
decisions of their lives. I hope the holiday
season brings all of you much
health and happiness.
(860) 836-0558
Fondly,
Sharon
54
Real Estate
WETHERSFIELD PROPERTIES
Wethersfield Homes
Lisa Bowman, GRI, ABR
www.RedOnionHomes.com
860-983-6789
Often admired 4BR 3 bath home
in the heart of Old Wethersfield.
Completely updated and filled
with charm. 2712 sqft plus barn
with loft and parking for 2+ cars.
$439,900
Delightful 2 BR Townhouse, fireplace,
finished lower level with full bath and
low condo fee. $154,900
Well-maintained Split Level, 3BR, C/Air,
wood floors, new roof, two car garage,
large level lot. $239,900
Nicely updated 3BR 1.5 bath
colonial with 3 car garage and
finished walkup attic all on a
double wide lot.
$239,900
Julie Lemos
Solid Baldwin built 9 room Colonial
on friendly cul-de-sac street. Remod.
kitchen, ingroud pool. $339,900
CLEMENS & SONS
860-463-0426
[email protected]
www.julielemosrealtor.com
2015 CT Magazine 5 Star Real Estate Professional
Multi-million $$ and Quality Service Pinnacle Producer
Charming Colonial with Pottery Barn
flair. Nothing to do but unpack your
bags, open floor plan. $239,900
Steps to the Broad Street Green!
Charming updated 3 bedroom Colonial,
2 car garage & XL lot. $249,900
One house from the Green! Gorgeous 6
room Cape completely remodeled from
top to bottom. $339,900
cynthia
Pretty 8 room center hall Colonial
in Pyquag Village. Open kitchen/family
room, deck. $324,900
Historic Colonial, 2800 sq ft., 1.11
Acres, Barn, Newer Roof, Mechanicals
and Bathrooms $374,900
Two family! 2660 square feet,
separate utilities, excellent condition
inside and out. $229,900
860-729-2998 • [email protected]
Sales Vice President
Absolutely stunning 8 room Colonial,
3 Fireplaces, Central Air, wood floors
finished LL & lush grounds. $339,900
Affordable 3 BR Colonial, wood floors,
oak kitchen, 1790 sq ft, 1.5 baths,
2 fireplaces on 1st floor. $184,900
Call Lisa for information on additional listings
Wethersfield’s
#1 Listing Agent
014
T h a nk Y
ou for uccessful 2
aS
I would like to thank you for trusting me with the purchase
or the sale of your home. I wish you happiness at your door. May it
knock early, stay late and leave the gift of good fortune and good health
behind. Let me help you with your purchase or sale in 2015. I look forward to
hearing from you.
Thank you.
Annie
55
BY MARK DIXON
WFSB METEOROLOGIST [AMS]
Winter Storm Naming...
I
n case you’re not familiar,
the practice of naming
winter storms is something
Channel 3 and the Travelers
Weather Service began in 1971,
with a team of meteorologists
broadcasting weather information on Channel 3, WTIC radio
with Bob Steele, and other media
outlets. It’s a tradition WFSB is
proud to carry on here in the
state of Connecticut – now
43 years later!
A storm has to meet certain
criteria in order to be named: we
must expect at least 6” of snow
for much of the state, and/or
½” of ice accretion (that would
be a significant ice storm).
Many people remember
Blizzard Larry, the Blizzard
of ’78. The big ice storm of
December 1973 was named
Felix. More recently, we had to
deal with Storm Alfred in late
October of 2011 - Alfred’s heavy,
wet snow caused a record power
outage in Connecticut. And,
it was Blizzard Charlotte that
dumped up to 40” of snow on
the state. Yes, people remember
names, especially the ones
that have been attached to
Connecticut’s biggest storms.
This year, we’ve gone with
the theme “current day chart
toppers” …our viewers voted
online, here are some of the
names for the 2014-15 season:
Ariana (Grande), Blake (Shelton),
Colbie (Caillat), Darius (Rucker),
Ellie (Goulding), Faith (Hill),
Gavin (DeGraw), and Hunter
(Hayes). WL
56
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January, 2015 - TurleyCT.com

Transcription

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