Every year since its inception, the Gazette has recognized a Citizen of the Year. Sometimes this is for a significant effort – the first chairman of the fledgling finance board, or those who organized the town’s bicentennial celebration. Sometimes residents are recognized for extraordinary involvement with volunteer organizations – the Fire Department, Fletcher Memorial Library, the Ambulance Corp, and sometimes it’s the organization itself which earns the distinction. Once in a while someone is recognized just for being a really good neighbor; more often than not, it’s for lifetime achievement, citizens who have given to the town in every conceivable way for years.

As the editorial board reviewed the history of the recipients, we noticed that one demographic was not represented: youth. We have never recognized a youth organization, or a young (as in under the age of 20) individual. And so, we decided to honor a very deserved group with lots of energetic young people, who earned this honor — not because of their age, but in spite of it — for the many laurels, accomplishments, and projects they’ve completed which have benefitted our town.

A Brief History
The Boy Scouts of America (the BSA) was inspired by The Boy Scouts Association, established by Lord Robert Baden-Powell in Britain in 1908. According to legend, William Boyce, an American newspaper man and entrepreneur was lost on a London street in1909 when an unknown Scout guided him to his destination. The boy refused Boyce’s monetary tip, explaining that he was merely doing his duty as a Boy Scout. Boyce returned to America and four months later, founded and incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910.

The first Boy Scouts of America program was for teenaged boys but it has grown to become the largest youth organization in the United States, adding cub scout programs for younger boys, as well as girl scout programs. The first pinewood derby was held in 1953. In 1958, a number of programs for older boys were condensed into the Exploring program for boys ages 14 to 20 and in 1969, the BSA added young women to the Explorers. Tiger Cubs were started in 1982 to expand Cub Packs to younger boys, and in 1989, the Venture crew program was launched as another alternate program for older boys. By 1998, Venturing became co-ed. In 2017, Cub Scouts began to have dens for girls and became Family Cub Scouting. In May 2018, the BSA announced a new name for its Boy Scout program: Scouts BSA. The BSA now has national programs for boys and girls from Kindergarten through the age of 21 years. There are 2.2 million youth members and approximately 800,000 volunteers throughout the United States and its territories.

Here in Hampton
In our town, Boys Scouts of America Troop 93 was formed in 1948, celebrating its 75th anniversary last year. Our Cub Pack 93 was started around 1988 by Eagle Scout Dr. Johnson and some other folks including Jane Cornell, Dave Goodrich and Vic Wolmer. The Congregational Church is the charter organization for the three Scout units – the Family Cub Scout Pack for boys and girls in grades K-5, BSA Troop 93 for boys, and Troop 1093 for girls — serving as sponsor throughout the years, aside from a short time under the sponsorship of the Fire Department.

In February 2019 the Scouts BSA program began chartering girl troops. This is when Troop 1093 was formed here in Hampton under the guidance of Deb Garafano as Scoutmaster. In 2021, Genevieve Rondeau became the first Eagle Scout for Troop 1093. Over the years, the Troops and Pack have expanded beyond the borders of Hampton, accepting Scouts from Scotland and then Chaplin when their groups ended. Now we have Scouts from Pomfret, Brooklyn, Plainfield, Moosup, Preston, Baltic, Canterbury, Scotland, Windham, Mansfield, Chaplin, and Hampton!

Accomplishments
Many of the achievements of the Scouts which have benefitted Hampton and environs, particularly our nature preserves, are Eagle Projects. Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the BSA, requiring scouts to earn at least 21 merit badges, demonstrate the Scout Oath through service and leadership, and complete an extensive project, including its plan, organization, and completion.

The creation of the Hampton Elementary School Nature Trail was the work of Scout Todd Johnson, and Scott Garafano’s project was the school’s bicycle rodeo. Josh Woodward completed brush clearing and restoration around Teale’s writing cabin at Trail Wood, where Breton Tillinghast built bridges on the trails. At Town Hall, Geoff Newcombe was responsible for the restoration of the baseball field, Micah Mlyniec built the picnic tables for the pavilion, and Alex Grennon built the maintenance shed at the Community Center. Grave stone maintenance included Ben Tillinghasts’ project at the Old North Cemetery and Alex Dinsmore’s at the South Cemetery. At the Blue Flag Meadow, Tommy Garafano and Travis Jacobson built bridges, and Brandon Nickel’s project was the establishment of a trail.

Our troop also worked on project s in neighboring towns. In Putnam, Scott Bogner restored the grounds at Congregation Bnai Shalom and Genevieve Rondeau built picnic tables for the 4H Camp, Josh Rose restored the fence at the Chaplin Cemetery, Chris Day created a trail and built a bench for Joshua’s Trust, Graham Smith produced an anti-bullying video, and there were several projects completed in Scotland where Nick Nunn built a stairway at the Scotland Fire Department, and at Rock Springs Preserve, Sam Nunn rebuilt a stone wall and Matthew Gailey created a picnic area and worked on trail maintenance.
The Troop has contributed to its sponsoring organization, the Congregational Church, by building storage closets in the basement, helping at fundraisers, doing work at the parsonage, organizing the annual community food drive to help supply the church’s food pantry, and in 2015, constructing the storage shed to the rear of the church.

The troop has also cleared trails along the Edwards Preserve in Goodwin State Forest, cleared trails and painted the picnic tables at Buffumville State Park in Massachusetts, cleaned trails at Rock Springs Preserve and cleaned the gardens and grounds at the Fletcher Memorial Library.

Along with all of these projects, the scouts engage in various activities, such as hiking through Goodwin and other forests, camping for a week annually in the summer at the June Norcross Webster Scout Camp in Ashford, and participating in the Scottish Highland Festival every fall in Scotland, where they conduct kids’ versions of Scottish athletic contests, such as caber toss and throwing weighted objects over pole–vault type bars. These have become one of the main events of the festival. And all the while, the members earn merit badges and advance through the ranks with their many individual accomplishments.

Praise
“Collectively, the Scout units have been a wonderful place to grow and learn and, yes, sometimes fall short. Scott Garafano Sr. once said to me that ‘Scouts is a place for kids to fail safely’ and I have taken that to heart,” says leader Michelle Mlyniec. “As these kids learn citizenship, life skills and leadership, they are testing themselves and learning from their mistakes. This is what makes them knowledgeable, resilient, strong members of our community. And I, for one, could not be more grateful for the opportunity.”

Says leader Rob Rondeau: “I for one have seen my three kids and others in the troop benefit greatly from scouts. It has taught them confidence and independence in a lot of ways. Every meeting starts by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, the Scout oath, and the Scout law. If you live by those words they will serve you well in life.”

The Oath
On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

The Hampton Gazette joins the rest of the community in applauding the scouts of our local troop for exemplifying these principles!

Dear Readers,

We would like to thank local artists Juan Arriola, Pat Donahue, Ethel Engler, Ruth Halbach, Janice Leitch, Eleanor Linkkila, Brian Tracy, Janice Trecker, and Pete Vertefeuille for their contributions to another spectacular town calendar, “Peaceful Ponds”. Next year we are featuring “Hampton Farms”, a broad subject which can include farm lands, corn fields, farm animals, old barns, watering holes, maple syrup pails … We invite artists to submit their paintings and photographs to us at: hamptongazette@yahoo.com. According to Pete Vertefeuille, who prepares our pictures for the calendar, a photograph must be: an image close to 8” x 10” and set to 300 pixels per inch and a file extension of JPEG in order to use in the calendar. Other criteria: your picture must be representative of one of New England’s seasons, and a place that is recognizably Hampton.

We are also preparing a future calendar for “Hampton Horses”, a subject which generated more responses than any other request for information we asked of neighbors, then and now. The same rules apply: horses in the context of a season, and in a familiar place in Hampton. If you have some, please send them in. And on your travels through town with a camera, if you come across something uniquely beautiful, please send us a photograph of it and we will archive it in a file that’s already labeled “Future Calendars”.

Hampton is a very photogenic town, and we look forward to showcasing it, year after year.
The Hampton Gazette

It snowed last night – about four more inches. At the store late this afternoon everyone was very friendly and jovial. There was something very romantic and beautiful about the Hampton street at dusk – with lights in all the houses, snow blowing around lighted by the car headlights coming down the street, and the little oasis of light around the store…
from a diary entry of Alison Davis’ Hampton Remembers

Main Street — the name alone conjures images of rectangular buildings linked one to the next, underlined with sidewalks and lining a wide street through the middle of “town”, with window displays illustrating what’s for sale and signs announcing “we’re open” .
From the mill towns of New England to the mining towns of the west, we instantly recognize “Main Street” on our travels throughout the country whenever we encounter them; and they all feel familiar enough, friendly enough, to invite us to explore and stop for tea or coffee at one of their cafes. What is common to all, from the larger metropolises we’ve visited in Colorado, to the smaller villages of Vermont – is commerce.

In earlier eras, Hampton’s Main Street hosted an assortment of businesses. One of the first establishments was the “publick house”, the Chelsea Inn, which served customers for nearly two centuries. During the years when the town was well known as a “summer colony”, where “city folk” enjoyed fresh country air and recreational activities on Bigelow Pond, a hotel was built as an annex to the Inn, the “Prospect House”, to accommodate additional guests. There were reportedly five blacksmiths in town, busy enough to require appointments. The village blacksmith shop was equipped to shoe oxen as well as horses. Apparently oxen will fall if one of their hooves is lifted, so they were hoisted in a sling when they were shod, not an easy task, nor scene to envision. With the arrival of the railroad through town, Zaphne Curtis ran a livery stable and service on Main Street, transporting visitors to and from Hampton’s railroad stations. At various times, Main Street also offered a wagon shop, a harness business, a tea house, a grain pantry, a doctor’s office, a hospital, a gift shop, a boarding house, a bed & breakfast, an herbery, a cooking school, an insurance agency, and several stores.

Long ago, there were stores throughout the town. Phillips Grain Store was at the train depot on Station Road in the Rawson district. Two stores, Alvin Jewett’s and Amos Stone’s, were at the Clark’s Corner’s railway station. Jirah Hyde, the proprietor of Bigelow’s grist mill and saw mill ran a store there, and several proprietors operated a store at Hampton Springs, which at one time contained, along with grocery items, cats walking on the counter and in the winter, calves to keep them warm. On Main Street, there was a small store in the basement of the building that was once between the Congregational Church and the house to its north. It was replaced with the church’s chapel, and later with Holt Hall. Jonathan Clark’s 1858 map of Main Street identifies the house north of the present post office as the Silas Tiffany store. Charlie Burnham ran a meat market in the little building across from the current Town Hall. In “Hampton Remembers” Ethel Jaworski recalled, He had the scales and the chopping block and some arrangement to keep the meat cold. He wore the long white aprons the way the butchers did and always had his sleeves pulled up with wide armbands to keep the cuffs up out of the way.”

And of course, there was the General Store, which, in earlier years, housed the Town Clerk’s office in its upstairs and the post office in the small room which now serves as a kitchen. Everyone gathered to wait for the evening mail which was picked up at the train station and delivered to the General Store. Originally there were hitching posts in front for horses, and later a pump for gasoline, later still, a phone booth. The town scales, originally located in front of the inn, were eventually moved to the front of the store. John Hammond relayed in “Hampton Remembers” that Patrick Pearl used to do the weighing – hay and coal and whatever you were going to sell, to see how much to charge.

Though the building has burned three times, the site of the store has remained the same for two-hundred years. The original general store opened in 1816 under the proprietorship of Joseph Prentis and Dan Buckley. The next owner, William Brown, listed in an 1869 Atlas as a “dealer in dry goods and grocer”, purchased the store in 1844. In 1890, Charles and Sidney Guild, whose name is associated with the building north of the store, “The Guild House”, which served in the past as a boarding house, a hospital, and a nursing home, bought the store. Unfortunately, the building and most of its contents burned shortly afterwards. A newspaper article claimed that “It was undoubtedly the work of an incendiary, as everything was all right at half past 10’clock, when Mr. Guild left the store,” reporting that the building, the barn, and $1500 worth of stock was insured. The store re-opened in 1891, however it would burn two more times.

In 1911, owner T. J. Roberts accidentally started a fire in the basement when he dropped a lighted match on the oily floor. There was no Fire Department during this time, only a “bucket brigade”, neighbors responding to the alarm of the ringing church bells with pails full of water, and reportedly, “the flames spread through the structure with such rapidity that beyond a few stamps and money and mail in the post office together with a half dozen barrels of sugar and a little barbed wire, nothing was saved”. The third fire was in 1939, and although there was an established Fire Department at this time, its members couldn’t rescue the building from the flames “because the well on the property was so close to the fire as to be inaccessible”. In 1915, Frank Phillips, who with his brother Dwight also built the large store at the Rawson train station, operated the store till Charles Burnham, who previously ran the meat market across from Town Hall, leased it in 1918. When my great uncle Charlie Burnham ran the store in the center of town he came to your house in the morning and took your order and delivered it in the afternoon once a week, Ethel Jaworski recalled in “Hampton Remembers”. Amy Saunders purchased the property in 1928, operating the “Universal Food Store” until 1947 when it was sold to John Looney. A diary entry in “Hampton Remembers” states: Jack Looney got a crate of gorgeous Macintosh apples in and he was polishing each one with a cloth. He says every person who came in while he was polishing asked him “why dontcha spit on ‘em? Neighbors Don Hoffman and Rad Ostby encouraged Mr. Looney to build a ski tow behind the store. Uncertain as to whether or not he took the advice for spitting on the apples, but the ski lift never materialized. Mr. Looney would offer a free Moxie to anyone who could drink it all at once, and he let the neighborhood kids run tabs. Some residents remember the small pieces of paper taped to the shelves near the register with everyone’s totals.

The next proprietor continued this practice. Frannie Wade, who ran the store in the sixties during one of its most memorable eras, was one of its most memorable owners. Characterized as “like another kid”, Mr. Wade offered lines of credit to the youthful clientele, sponsored soda guzzling and ice cream eating contests, and stocked the shelves with Mad Magazine and National Lampoon, baseball and Beatles cards, candy cigarettes and bubble gum cigars, penny candy, and wax bottles, teeth and lips. The General Store was the social center of Main Street for the sixty kids who lived in the village along “the magic mile”.

After Frannie’s tenure, the business changed many hands. First, the Wentworths, followed by Earl Smith in 1970, Carl and Pat Kraschnefski in 1974, Albert and Elizabeth Chabot in 1976, Martha and Edward Hourihan in 1978, and in the early 1980’s, Jeanne and Kevin Kavanagh. During these years, animal feeds and bird seeds, local crafts, and grinders were included in the inventory.

In 1983, the store opened under new ownership, embarking on its second most memorable era. Quentin Woodward expanded inventory to include over 4000 items, seasonal supplies, holiday cards and decorations, grinders, fried chicken, pizzas, and Sunday morning donuts, machines to copy, fax, and make keys, and movies to rent. With the expansion of inventory came the expansion of customers. Included in an Associated Press article on the revival of old-fashioned general stores across America, ours returned to a gathering place similar to the time when folks came evenings to pick up their mail.

After Quentin’s retirement in 2001, the store was closed until 2006, when new owners Marc and Chris Ayotte renovated it extensively. After a few years, Robert Rodriguez leased the store, and then William Oefinger, and lastly Randy Saylor prior to the store’s closing for a number of years. The economy of the last couple of decades made it difficult to manage a small, rural store, on a less-traveled route, competing with the likes of Walmart ten miles away in either direction.

Townsfolk were so excited when in 2022, owner Kara Hicks announced the opening of our general store with a fresh coat of paint and striped awnings. The interior surpassed our anticipation. With a varied array of merchandise — general groceries, freshly baked breads and treats, a freezer stocked with homemade “take and bake” meals, vintage gifts, toys, and Hampton apparel — the natural charm is enhanced with a “country store” atmosphere which invites exploration. Warmth is what one encounters entering on a blustery winter afternoon, and an old-fashioned soda fountain, serving favorites like root beer floats and ice cream sodas, is a popular summertime destination. True to its historic character, it remains a cozy place to gather, continuing the common thread which has run throughout the store’s history — friendliness. It’s always been a place where people can return from work, or from vacation, or from college, or from years away, and feel at home.

New how to safely run and play with big wads of wax in our mouth.
Louis Chatey

The store was a hangout for all the kids in town. The little clump of trees that stood in the parking lot was the hitching rail for all the horses. Mr. Looney and Mr. Wade were great with all the kids. I remember all the things they did for us.
Ann Garrett

All children at Memorial Day Service would run afterwards to Mr. Looney’s store for a free Dixie cup of ice cream! Remember the cup with a wooden spoon?
Hilda Moseley

Always hated the taste of ice cream on the wooden spoon but ate it anyway. Not sure who I was with, but remember hiding behind the counter smoking a lit cigar we found on the counter. Thought I would die coughing – nasty. When Mr. Wade bought the store we renamed it General Wade’s Store. On Halloween, he would give out whole bars of real candy, no mini sizes. My mom would give me a dime to put in the offering on Sundays. I would sometimes take out a nickel change and then on Monday go to the store to buy a nickel candy bar.
Susan Latimer Perez

I remember getting popsicles out of the chest cooler. We would get orange ones and see who could make theirs turn into the best carrot.
Beth Powning

I remember when a hurricane (I think) knocked out the electricity and I went to the store and got all the ice cream I could possibly want because it was melting. That was heaven!
Sandy Reynolds

What a treat that was for all who came. Wasn’t a hard task to gather us once the word was out. I remember Randy having contests with anyone who wanted to challenge him to eat a half-gallon of ice cream or down a Coke faster. What genius marketing…Getting a bunch of kids to buy ice cream on a stick to compete eating it the quickest. All pay except the one who wins
Kathy Thompson

There was a “Boys Only Ranger Club” in the barn in back of the store, but the girls raided the place and we had to let them in. I tried to bargain for a bottle of orange-aid, which was 25 cents more than the other drinks. Mr. Wade said, “If you can drink the whole thing, you can have it for a dime.” Half way through the challenge, I realized my mistake, so I went to the Post Office and sold cups of it to customers for ten cents. The stunt might have earned a “junior degree in marketing”, but it also resulted in a stomach ache the next day at Fenway Park, where Ted Williams was playing right field, and I learned not to make deals with Mr. Wade.
Al Freeman

I remember in the winter after walking from the elementary school to go to choir practice, going in the store to stand over the heat register to warm our legs. I always thought it was so wonderful that the post office was right there in the general store. When the Dutch doors were open you could lean in and say hi to folks or get your mail or buy stamps. It was just such fun.
Debbie Fuller

What joy and treasured memories living there with you all.
Carol Jean MacKinnon Lavoie

Lula Mae Blocton came to Connecticut with a Master of Fine Arts from Indiana University, a Bachelor of Art from the University of Michigan, years of experience in NYC, and a strong idea of how she would create paintings to show the racial, cultural and political landscape she was part of in America. As a professor of Art at Eastern Connecticut State University she extended her early concepts to cover the world itself. She taught at Eastern Connecticut State University for 25 years, developing the Department of Art and serving as Chair. Her unique perception of the issues then and now has endured. Although retired from her position at the University, her energy can now focus on creating new methods of translating reality into abstract art.

The abstract artist sees more than the casual observer. By using both traditional African designs and patterns and those from around the world, Lula Mae has created a cross generational means of depicting the multi-layered fabric that is humanity. The building blocks of society are transformed to become both interlocking and connected. Concepts of black and white, male and female and distinct cultural memes are indicated by color and placement. Like fabric, the texture of our environment is captured and displayed.

Lula Mae served as a delegate with a group named People to People Citizen Ambassador Program of Art Educators, dedicated to bringing better understanding of differences through interaction. Her travels broadened her outlook and increased her interest in African American art forms, still honored on another continent. This part of her life helped make the unique art she produces at home in Hampton, Connecticut.

Retirement is just another way of saying you are doing what you choose! Lula Mae has published a book that offers an immersion into her art worth more than words. And she is now part of another exhibition at the Skoto Gallery in New York City. The gallery, begun in 1992, shows contemporary art from around the world. It is devoted to exhibiting contemporary artists to initiate conversation about the issues of our times through visual art. The Skoto Exhibition presents a new vision developed by Lula Mae Blocton. Called Twisted Forms and Transparent Bands, the paintings show reality in yet another form. The core inspiration continues as a depiction of equality of social, racial and economic justice.

Another accomplishment is the publication of a book. A combination of writing and art allow the reader to visualize the challenge Lula Mae has taken on over many years. Civil Rights are key and are clearly the basis of this artist’s life work.

This coming spring will give Hamptonites who have not yet met this special resident artist an opportunity to do so. She will present a book signing at our local Library, date to be announced.

Jean Romano

The January February show at the Top Shelf Gallery will be “Rough Drafts”, featuring landscapes and images of animals and flowers by Hampton resident Linda Gorman. The show opened the first Wednesday in January with an artist’s reception January 13th.

Gorman works in oils from both sketches and photographs, and she has recently added some mixed media to her work. Much inspiration comes from memories of her extensive travels and from the desert landscapes of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she was born. Like many painters, she was attracted to art early. “I began the artistic side of life, doodling away on my notebooks as I sat in class,” she said. From there she began copying the Sunday funny papers, winning a small contest in the process. Because her family moved a lot, art, particularly oil painting, became one constant in her life. Later as a military wife, she took advantage of travel in the US and overseas to enlarge her knowledge of the visual arts.

“Over a few deployments, and depending on the duty station, I was able to visit dozens of museums,” she said. Especially important was her husband’s three year tour of duty in London that gave her “a chance to see some of the greatest art in the greatest museums in the world” including favorites like Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Hieronymus Bosch, and Sargeant. More than anything else, though, Gorman credits “the many saved memories that find their way to center stage as I begin the search for a new painting or mixed media piece.”
Janice Trecker

Hampton Elementary School Superintendent Samantha Sarli has resigned as of January 15, suddenly and without explanation. Dr. Sarli was hired in July of 2022, initially for a starting salary of $61,585, and then accepted the board’s offer of an additional $5,969 to help compensate for insurance. In June of 2023 she requested and was granted a three month leave of absence, returning in October of 2023.

Dr. Sarli listed her accomplishments in her letter of resignation: becoming a part of the Science of Reading Network Improvement Community which accelerated teachers’ technique and selected a new reading curriculum; strengthening building security; receiving and applying a multi-media security grant to upgrade security systems; creating a collaborative interview process in hiring a new principal; collaborating with the Partners for Educational Leadership to establish a plan and goal of capacity building related to belonging and equity training to the board and staff. Her tenure, however, was also plagued with two discrimination grievances filed with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, one which was settled in the complainant’s favor and the other which is reportedly pending, and two complaints filed with the Freedom of Information Commission, one resolved with a written apology from the Board of Education; the other, which challenged Dr. Sarli’s presence in executive sessions, is still pending.

The school board will be conducting a search for a new superintendent in the near future. In the meantime, Andrew Skarynski was appointed by the school board at its January 24 meeting, and will serve as interim superintendent.

The annual Hampton Super Bowl Sunday grinder sale will take place again this year, sponsored by the Hampton Seniors. Grinder pickup is on February 11th, Super Bowl Sunday, from 1-3PM at the Hampton Community Center. The recipient of the proceeds from this sale will be determined by the active members of Hampton Seniors Club at a future meeting.

Choices for grinders are ham, turkey or salami (which includes provolone, lettuce and tomato) or veggie grinders (which include double provolone, lettuce, tomato, carrot, cucumber, onion and peppers) for $12 each or a “Super” grinder with all the meats, provolone and all the veggies for $15!

To order a grinder, please contact us by phone at 860-455-9864 or by email at hamptonseniorsclub@gmail.com. You will receive a phone or email response confirming your order. Orders must be received no later than Wednesday, February 7th at Noon.

The Hampton Seniors thank you for your continued support!

Are you a senior in Hampton looking for some new ways to socialize with other seniors? Well, we have good news for you! The Hampton Seniors Club is starting to develop some new activities and we want to entice you to join us. We are inviting those of us over 55 to make new friends and have some fun.

In February we are going to host a game day which can include bingo, cribbage, chess, scrabble, bridge, rummikub, backgammon or others if you prefer. It will be held on Thursday, February 15, from 10AM to NOON in the conference room at the Town Hall.

In addition, WHO IS UP FOR SOME LINE DANCING? Beginning on March 7, you can discover the joy of line dancing with beginner-friendly classes in which you’ll grasp the essential steps and patterns while having a great time! We are coordinating this activity with the town of Chaplin and 20 people must sign up for this four week session on Thursday mornings from 10:30 to 11:45 at the Chaplin Senior Center. The cost is $24 and must be paid in advance.

Since these activities are new, we would love to have input from you, your family, and friends of other activities that you would enjoy.

If you are interested in participating in these activities or if you have questions, please contact Fran Gustavesen at fran@gustavesen.com or 860-933-2212. Feel free to leave a message if I am not able to answer my phone when you call. We look forward to hearing from you very soon!

Fran Gustavesen

The Annual Soups ‘N Silents event will be held at the Congregational Church on March 2. This year’s silent movie is “Safety Last”, featuring Harold Lloyd in what’s generally considered his finest comedy. It’s boy gets girl but only after climbing the outside of a large office building in downtown Los Angeles. The difficulties are only overcome with Harold’s renowned and hilarious fixes to impossible situations. Returning to accompany the film is Clark Wilson, considered by many to be the best silent film accompanist in America. He’ll use the church’s special-designed digital organ that’s custom fitted with all the needed musical flavors for silent comedies. The event includes pre-show dinners of homemade soups and breads with servings from 5 to 6:45. Showtime is 7PM. This is an evening out for everyone from school kids to grandparents…something really refreshing to help break the deep winter blahs. Meal and movie are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Children 5 and under are free. Bring the entire family for $40. Call: 860 455-9677 or email hcc06247@gmail.com for questions and pre-show ticket purchases.