It is no surprise to any one of us that time marches on…last year, after Hampton lost its last two WWII veterans, Clarence Thornton at 101 and Tom Gaines at 99, we dedicated our program to Hampton residents’ remembrances of the Second World War, a conflict that ended nearly 79 years ago. This year, the parade committee decided that we would focus on the Korean War.

At the end of WWII, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to divide Korea at the 38th Parallel and to share responsibility for the task of removing all Japanese troops. Japan had occupied all of Korea for more than a decade. By 1950, though, China and the Soviet Union decided to support the North Koreans and attempt to unify the divided country into the Communist Bloc. Only the United States stood in the way of their plan.

A bloody three-year war ensued, and more than 3 million people died with hundreds of thousands more casualties. Often called the “Forgotten War,” the Korean conflict ended in July of 1953 when North Korea, China, the Soviet Union and the United States agreed to a permanently divided Korea. South Korea never agreed to the condition of a permanently divided country and refused to sign the Treaty, that is why the Korean War is often said to have not officially ended.

Nearly 20 Hampton residents served during the Korean War, only three, Bob Gilroy, George Miller and John Yanouzas are still with us. The Parade committee thought it would be fitting this year to dedicate our program to the courageous men and women who were willing to risk their lives and serve their country during the Korean War more than 70 years ago. The stories you are about to hear are the words and thoughts and excerpts from interviews and speeches of some of our Hampton neighbors who served during that time.

We begin our story with the reminiscences of Korean War era veteran and resident of Hampton for over 80 years George Miller. I served in the Navy from 1952 until 1955. If you volunteered before you turned 18, you would serve for only three years instead of four. So I enlisted right after high school. My ship was part of the Atlantic Fleet which transported cargo from Norfolk, Virginia to England and Casa Blanca. As Quarter Master, I kept the ship’s logs and served as a look-out. I would like to share the story of how I once saved the USS Whitley, aka 91. One night when we were steaming in the fog along the coast of England heading for Portsmouth, the look-out on the flying bridge hollered down the voice tube that he couldn’t see anything because of the fog and that he needed lens paper to clean his binoculars. I climbed up to give it to him. It was two o’clock in the morning, and when I returned, the Lieutenant placed me on report for a Captain’s Mast, which is like a trial, because I didn’t salute him and hadn’t requested permission to leave the pilot house. Since the ships run in the dark, he was writing up the report with a flashlight, his back to the bow of the ship, when the Captain slipped in a side door and into the Captain’s seat. All of a sudden I saw a huge oil tanker across our bow. I hollered — there’s traffic on the starboard bow! The Captain ordered all engines to reverse, a hard-rudder to the portside, all out flank speed, and we turned the ship and saved it from a collision. Later at the Captain’s Mast, he, of course, had to support his officer, and gave me two hours of extra duty, “but,” he said, “I think the wrong man’s on trial here”.

Bob Gilroy, one of our surviving veterans of the Korean War, was drafted from Columbia Law School in 1953. He served in the 7th Cavalry regiment, an infantry company of the Army. He was sent to Japan, first to the northernmost island and then south where he was the administrator for the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Bob relayed that, because he was “in charge”, he was, as he put it, “left alone”, and therefore describes his experience as a “peaceful period”. After his service, he returned to finish his degree at Columbia University, and after graduating, practiced law.

John Yanouzas is one of our last three surviving veterans of the Korean War. Drafted in 1951, he served until 1953 with the 43rd Division of the New England National Guard, the 3rd battalion of the 102nd infantry regiment. He received his basic training at Camp Pickett, and wondered if the name had been changed. It has, to Fort Barfoot, after a World War II hero. My father was selected for the medical company where he learned to make splints from branches, and after completing the 8th training session, he expected to be deployed to Korea. “I still remember the day that we were told the division was going to Germany instead,” he recalled, “What a relief.” Stationed in Augsburg, Bavaria at the Sheridan Kaserne, German barracks during World War II, my father was responsible for the transportation of soldiers to the infirmary. When he first arrived, Germany was an occupied country; toward the end of his tour, West Germany joined the allied forces. “It made a difference in their attitude toward Americans,” he said. A resident of Hampton for over 50 years, my father returned to Germany to visit the places important to him, and the important places he had not seen when he was stationed there — Dachau and Auschwitz. (read by daughter Georgette Yanouzas)

Jim Estabrooks served during the Korean War in the Army. Like many members of our family, my uncle Jim was born and raised in Hampton. Another one of our relatives was Leslie Jewett, the town’s only casualty of World War II, for whom our American Legion Post is named. Leslie Jewett would perish on Normandy Beach eight years prior my Uncle Jim’s military service. (read by nephew Alan Freeman)

With the humor familiar to all who knew him, Fred Curry said of his time in the armed forces, “I was put on ice”. Serving during the Korean War, my grandfather was part of operation DEW Line, the Distant Early Warning system of radar stations in the Arctic established for early detection of Soviet activity. A member of UConn’s ROTC program, my grandfather’s service started in 1951 with the awarding of his diploma and the words, “Congratulations Lieutenant Curry”. After basic training at Fort Lee, and fourteen days dodging ice bergs, he arrived in Greenland, where he served as Quarter Master for the 536 Corps, and Commander of the platoon, overseeing supplies and supply ships. He was also responsible for supplying his troops with entertainment, a precursor to his career at UConn in educational television production. The most rewarding aspect of his service? Acceptance by the native people, the Inuits, known at the time as, Eskimos. The most exciting? A mission to the North Pole, which included an Arctic blizzard and venturing into an ice berg. Here in Hampton, my grandfather was a founder of the Senior’s Organization, a member of the Little River Grange barbershop quartet, played leading roles on Hampton’s stage, revived the American Legion Post #106, and served as Master of Ceremonies for several Memorial Days. (read by grandson Brewster Curry, USAF)

Alfred Vargas Jr. served in the Navy during the Korean War, stationed in Puerto Rico and in the North Pole. He grew up on the Vargas farm here in Hampton, which his father, Alfred, Sr., discovered in 1936 when the connecting rod on his truck broke while he was descending East Old Route 6, which was Route 6 at the time. It was the middle of a winter’s night, and he found refuge in the farmhouse in the valley. He would later farm there, expand the dairy operation, and with his wife, Addie, raise 16 children.

Felix Winters was drafted after graduating from college, with orders for the Army Officer Candidate School in preparation for the combat zone. He and my mother delayed their wedding, “Infantry lieutenants lead the way” he said, and he didn’t want to make my mother a widow. After boot camp and mortar training, an opportunity to teach English commands to Puerto Rican troops presented itself to teachers. He would be among those who considered themselves “the lucky ones”. My parents married during my father’s furlough and spent the first years of their lives together in Puerto Rico, where my father trained the recruits of the 65th Regiment, also known as the Boinquenos, who served in World War I, World War II and the Korean War so valiantly that in 1951, General MacArthur wrote “they are writing a brilliant record of heroism in battle”. However the following year, a Commander from the mainland stripped them of their Officers Corps, their name, their diet, their language, and their mustaches, in short, their identity, and their dignity. Their response led to the largest court martial of the Korean War, which was subsequently investigated, the decision reversed, and the soldiers exonerated, pardoned and liberated from their sentence of 18 years of hard labor. But it wasn’t until 2016 that the Borinquenos were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their service in the armed forces of the United States. (read by daughter Dayna McDermott Arriola)

Jim Ryan served in the Army during the Korean War, stationed in France. After his service, he graduated, and taught, at Loras College, later moving to New York City and studying design at Columbia University. He enjoyed a successful career as a scenic designer for CBS and later still, as the business manager for United Scenic Artists, the national labor union and professional organization for designers, artists, and craftspeople in the entertainment industries of stage and of film. After retiring, he came to Hampton where he was a presence at Town Meetings and on Main Street, volunteering at Fletcher Memorial Library and serving as Chairman of The Hampton Gazette.

Phil Russell served in the Army during the Korean War, voluntarily enlisting two years after he graduated from high school when he was sent to Boot Camp at Fort Dix. He served as a radio operator as part of the communications personnel in Korea, having received his training in Signal School at Fort Gordon, now known as Fort Eisenhower. During the Flood of 1955, his family watched as the Farmington River swept their house away, and with it, all of the letters and photographs my father sent his family from Korea. His decorations included the Good Conduct and National Defense Service Medals. After the war, he built a home in Hampton, raised a family, and went to college all at the same time. For 30 years he worked for the State of Connecticut, retiring after 25 years as a Conservation Officer with the Department of Environmental Protection. My father was very involved with Hampton’s American Legion Post, a presence in our parade and a speaker at our ceremonies. (read by son John Russell)

Maurice Edwards served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War and in the Reserves for another ten years. Born and raised on the family farm on Edwards Road, Maurice would turn a large portion of the property into a popular camp, and 60 acres of the farm would become the Maurice and Rita Edwards Preserve, which the Town acquired in 2013 to extend Goodwin Forest.

Warren Stone served in the Army during the Korean War and later in the Reserves, enlisting in 1950 and discharged in1956. He returned to Hampton where he served as Town Treasurer and was the proprietor of the legendary “Pine Acres Tree Farm”. Warren’s generosity was also legendary, and the whole town reaped its benefits. Named Citizen of the Year in 2007, Warren donated time, expertise, and funds to several town institutions, including the library, the seniors’ organization, the Historical Society, Little River Grange, and Trail Wood. As Wendell Davis aptly put it, “The town lives because of able, knowledgeable, caring people like Warren Stone.”

Roger Herriman was a veteran of the Army during the Korean War. After his military service, he studied at the Kansas City Conservatory of Music. An accomplished pianist, he was an accompanist in New York City where he established a talent agency representing classical musicians. Here in Hampton, his neighbors were blessed with the beauty of his spectacular gift whenever he played the piano with the windows open.

Knowing that he would be drafted and recruited into the Army soon after graduation, Jim Rodriguez instead enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War when he was still a teenager. He attended engine school and was promoted to corporal, responsible for performing inspections on all mechanical aspects of an airplane, training which would serve him well in the role many were most familiar with, for although he served in several public capacities, including Selectman, most came to know him at the Hampton Hill Garage. He was also assigned top secret clearance and stationed in the Sahara Desert, where the United States stockpiled atomic bombs in underground bunkers. My father and his crew were assigned the task of refueling the B-47s transporting the bombs from the States to the Sahara, which entailed an airborne rendezvous with the two planes, one with the fuel, the other with the bomb, flying at the same speed to connect the fuel hose, often at night. He saw an actual atomic bomb only once, “nestled in the belly of the plane like a sleeping goliath”. Delivering the Memorial Day Address in 1987, my father expressed this hope, “I have been blessed with four grandsons, and I want them to grow in peace, to roam the hills and valleys of their homeland, and to be able to fish in the streams that their grandfather did…and if it be necessary, to have the conviction of purpose to do what must be done to preserve that which they must inherit.” (read by son John Rodriguez)

John Flynn served in the Air Force where he was a tail gunner in the Korean War. After his service, he earned a doctorate in education and was Chairman of the Department of Educational Psychology at UConn, publishing numerous texts in his field. After retiring, he became a consultant with the Federal Department of Justice, taught online classes and secured grants for universities, and located funding opportunities for Hampton, where he resided for many years. Dr. Flynn offered expert testimony in statistical data analysis for the State in the 1996 Sheff versus O’Neill Connecticut Supreme Court case, which resulted in the landmark decision for civil rights and equity in education.

Hector John Burelle served in the Army during the Korean War, stationed in Germany. After his military service, he returned home to Hampton where he was raised on Burelle’s Dairy Farm on Pudding Hill, and where he and his wife Joan raised their eight children, all of whom continued to pitch in, and enjoy life, on the family farm. He and his brother Francis also started a construction company, and a few years later, established Burelle Brothers Saw Mill. Mr. Burelle also served as the town’s Fire Marshal and as First Selectman.

Gordon Hansen served in the Army for four years, two on active duty in Korea. He was drafted “right off the streets of New York,” he said, “It was like they emptied out one whole apartment building in the Bronx…we could have opened a deli!” Of course, an interview without humor wouldn’t be Gordon’s, thus he shared the story reported in several newspapers, including the military’s “Stars & Stripes”, of three army privates, Gordon and his buddies Irwin and Freddy, whose request to the Broadway Association for a street sign to remind them of home was granted, with a photograph to prove it – the West 24th Times Square sign displayed directly underneath another sign announcing the number of kilometers to specific locales in Korea, in other words, disclosing the soldiers’ precise location! Not all stories were humorous. Gordon spoke of his assignment on the front lines where he spent Christmas scraping snow off his holiday meal, and where it was so dark one could cross enemy lines and not even know it, and where he dispelled the warning that the front lines were the worst with the words: “those guys really took care of each other”. A successful business man, Gordon was a prominent citizen of Hampton, holding leading roles on boards, in organizations, on stage, in politics, and on Memorial Day, where he served as Grand Marshal and delivered three addresses, reminding us: “The collective breadth and depth of our experiences, the sheer weight of the collective number of experiences assembled here together, provide the most powerful and enduring memorial. So before you leave, turn around and thank your friends and neighbors for being here, for remembering, for making this truly a Memorial Day”.

Thumbs Up to all of the individuals and organizations that made Memorial Day so very memorable:
• to the Memorial Day Committee for their months of planning all aspects of the parade and ceremony;
• to those who participated in the Naval Ceremony at the Little River;
• to the Congregational Church for sponsoring their Annual Pancake Breakfast;
• to the Hampton Gazette for sponsoring the Annual Chicken Barbecue;
• to the equestrian team which marched and performed on the Town Hall campus after the ceremony;
• to the Historical Society for opening the Burnham-Hibbard House and its exhibits to the public;
• to the Recreation Commission for sponsoring the Barstool Diplomats to entertain us;
• and to all who participated in the parade – the elementary school children, the Parish Hill marching band, the Fire Department, the owners of tractors and antique vehicles, especially the one that transported the Grand Marshals, and all of the wonderful floats. It was, indeed, a grand parade!

Thumbs Down to the tractor that displayed a political sticker promoting a presidential candidate. Originally meant to honor those who lost their lives in battle, Memorial Day has expanded to include all veterans and soldiers, and to encompass parades, ceremonies, community and backyard barbecues, and to become the unofficial start of summer. But it has never, here in Hampton, contained an ounce of politics – nor should it. The fact that someone exploited this public opportunity disappoints.

Where can one find soldiers, school children, fire trucks, classic cars and horses grouped together for a shared purpose? At a parade, of course!

New England has a rich tradition of parades. Some are for holidays, others commemorate specific events. Some celebrate victories, after wars or sports seasons. Some were brought by immigrants –St. Patrick’s Day, Chinese New Year — and others celebrate the birth of our nation. Some are religious in nature, others political. Some are for historical events, such as the Thanksgiving Parade in Plymouth, and some are recent, such as Pride.

These ceremonial processions have evolved over time. The earliest picture we have of a parade in New England illustrates a procession of over three miles, the panicle of the Railroad Jubilee of 1851, which celebrated the completion of the link between Boston and Canada. Along with uniformed marshals and military groups, marching bands and school children, the procession included commercial displays. Quincy Market was represented by a float with butchers’ stalls, a fireworks manufacturer with an erupting volcano.

Patriotism, and the development of the Union, was a lasting theme, with states represented by young women symbolic of the original thirteen colonies, and growing in numbers as states entered the union. During the Temperance Movement, floral processions grew in popularity, first with marchers carrying bouquets and baskets and expanding to include floral depictions of crosses, arches, and cornucopias, the precursors to the Rose Bowl Parades which started in 1890. Patriotism soared after the Civil War, and historical tableaux became an important aspect of parades, representing iconic events such as Washington crossing the Delaware and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Immigration increased diversity in American society, which grew evident in parades, with participants representing different ethnic identities and flags flown from various European countries. This was countered with an increase in national symbols as center pieces of the parades, and reminders of the unity of “the melting pot”.

Constants, along with floats and flags, are that parades celebrate what’s important to a community, representing regional and cultural aspects, reflecting historical roots and the changing times. Here in Hampton, we have commemorated Memorial Day with a parade for as far back as any of us can remember. Originally called Decoration Day for the flowers and wreaths placed on the graves of veterans, Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868 to remember the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers who lost their lives in those battles. It was also seen as a way to unify a deeply divided nation.

The first written evidence of a Memorial Day parade in our town is found in Hampton Remembers, Alison Davis’ compilation of interviews she conducted with those who were children here at the turn of the century:

Memorial Day for some years was known as Community Day. The parades always had a band from town. The Hampton Brass Band was led by Everett Whitehouse in 1922, and Mrs. William Pearl was the head of the Hampton Ladies Band that same year.

Ethel Jaworski

I remember many Memorial Days – that was a big day…a big parade – everybody decorated their car up with bunting and everything else and the Ladies Band used to play riding on Lester Burnham’s truck…when you’re small it seems more, but I would guess, that at least ninety –eight percent of the inhabitants of Hampton were at the center of town for a minimum of six hours during that day, or maybe longer.

George Fuller

Our American Legion Post, established in 1924,“sponsored the Memorial Day exercises on May 30”, Colon Merrell recalled, “with a parade, which included townspeople and the school children.” To this day, Memorial Day and our parade serve as Hampton’s premier event. Veterans have been represented by those who serve and have served, the National Guard and Grand Marshals. Children on foot, floats, bicycles, scooters representing the elementary school, scouts, Little League teams, 4-H, the marching band from the high school. Lots of flags, lots of fire trucks, lots of tractors to represent our agricultural roots, as well as a bee float, livestock, horses, including the symbolic rider-less horse, and a human carrot representing our local farmer’s market. Historical roots have also been a presence, with antique cars, the Historical Society’s fife and drum corps and floating tableaux of domestic life and the one-room school house, and a few years ago, many former students marched with the banner “The Class of 19xx”, one of the first to graduate from the consolidated school. Other organizations have been represented with floats, the Congregational Church last year to commemorate their 300th anniversary, the Fletcher Memorial Library this year for their 100th, and participants have included such dignitaries as Smokey the Bear.

These are our happiest associations – residents old and young, gathering together on a float or beneath a unifying banner, to form a community procession; but parades are associated mostly with veterans and with wars. It is uncertain as to whether or not there was a parade in Hampton after the American Revolution, though the signing of the treaty, three years prior to our town’s incorporation, probably prompted a parade in Windham. The 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence did occasion a parade, when, according to Janice Trecker’s Discovering Hampton, “no fewer than forty-two revolutionary veterans were still alive and hearty enough to squeeze into their old uniforms for the celebratory parade”. In Folklore and Firesides, Susan Jewett Griggs describes the July 4, 1826 parade as “the first grand celebration on Hampton Hill” when these veterans “’paraded under their old leader, Abijah Fuller, with Nathaniel Farnham as drum-major, and Joseph Foster and Lucius Favill as fifers”, adding that, though Foster wasn’t a member of the original company, he was “one of a family of twelve sons who fought in the strife for freedom”.

One-hundred and fifty years later, Hampton would celebrate the nation’s bicentennial on July 4, 1976 with a wonderful parade, featuring resident participants in colonial clothes, a Revolutionary War militia, and several floats including one illustrating construction of “The House the Women Built” and another with folks sitting on rocking chairs with copies of the newly published book and the banner “Everyone’s Reading Hampton Remembers”. Participants marched beneath a banner of the Pearl Farm on the Little River, designed by artist Pat Donahue, and stitched together by resident seamstresses and quilting groups. The banner also represented Hampton as part of the State’s bicentennial parade.

With Willimantic’s nationally acclaimed Boom Box Parade so near, Hampton no longer celebrates Independence Day with a parade, however we apparently participated in a less familiar 4th of July procession — “The Horribles”. According to an article in Antiques, The Horribles began in the 1840’s as a satirical response to the “disorderly and drunken training days that characterized the last years of compulsory militia service”. Horrible parades were secretly organized, and sometimes sanctioned, with participants in costumes, masks, and even blackface “to illustrate gender and class reversal”. Their social commentary was usually “aimed at authority, women and foreigners.” Described as “aggressive, and critical” and sometimes “offensive”, Horrible parades still continue in a few New England communities, however, here in Hampton we have evidence of only one, in 1926, in the form of photographs. And they’re not pretty.

The 1918 “monster parade” in Willimantic no doubt described the size rather than the costumes for the Armistice Day commemoration of the victorious conclusion of the “War to End All Wars”. Similarly, Willimantic celebrated the end of World War II with a parade and fireworks, while here in Hampton, the town hosted a turkey dinner in the Little River Grange for returning troops, their families and neighbors, “complete with what was then a novelty,” Trecker recounted, “frozen corn-on-the-cob out of Dorothy Holt’s new-fangled freezer”. There were also military processions prior to wars. Jewett describes May 1st as “Training Day”, and Trecker details the uniformed militia of 1855 who “march proudly into the breezy autumn sunlight to the cheers and waves of their families and neighbors”, socializing on the Congregational Church and other porches, where women sip lemonade or cider, men “raise a glass” at the tavern, remembering “other musterings and bygone wars”, and children run “mock parades”. Trecker wrote, “All is gaiety and cheer, but to us, watching from the doorway, this happiness is poignant, because we know what is coming”: the Civil War.

Hampton has had happier reasons for special parades. There were Doll Parades. Photographs of the one in 1954 show little girls in frilly dresses carrying parasols and pushing tiny baby carriages filled with their favorite companions. In 1927, “Hampton Old Home Day” included a parade, and 55 years later, the historical society’s “Hampton Old Home Day” sponsored a parade of antique vehicles. There have also been holiday parades. Kit Crowne recalled one Halloween procession when he “crossed the Rubicon” at the Little River Grange, parading around with the witches and clowns wearing a shiny blue dress, high-heeled red shoes, and a mop dyed yellow for a wig. “Hamptonites,” he wrote, “weren’t prepared for the spectacle of a 13-year-old cross-dresser invading their midst,” and years later he still feared that this “seismic event” contributed to the decline in Grange membership. Thirty years earlier, the Grange sponsored an Easter Parade described in a diary entry in Hampton Remembers:

The grand finale was an Easter Parade put on by the men – with gorgeous flower-garden hats, high heels (where did they get shoes big enough?) , and fancy gowns – all perfectly respectable men, the first selectman and the minister among them.

Curious.

We have also held parades for the special celebrations of special people. In 2020, there was a procession of fire trucks and vehicles festooned with banners and balloons and families saluting Josephine Dauphin on her 100th birthday. And when Phyllis Stensland asked for a parade for a retirement gift, staff, current and former students and their families, neighbors and friends, marched and rode on floats to thank Mrs. Stensland for her 50 years of dedication to the students at Hampton Elementary School.

If parades reflect the regional and cultural values of a community, ours reveal appreciation for our veterans, our fire department, our rural and historical roots, our schoolchildren. And our parades show that we volunteer, and volunteer together, care for one another, and always look forward to an opportunity to gather.

Dayna McDermott

Our Annual Memorial Day celebration is essentially a community tradition that includes a parade in which a color guard, town officials, a few uniformed soldiers, and a dwindling group of old veterans try to keep step. Kids march and ride on floats. Fire trucks, ambulances, and antique cars roll by. And townspeople crowd along the route to applaud and smile and call out to their friends and relatives in the parade. Then everybody crowds around a monument and a microphone. Awards are given to outstanding school kids. Rifles are fired in a salute to the dead soldiers, and bugles echo the sad, lonely notes of “Taps”. A prayer is lifted to the heavens. And Hampton ponders the meaning of Memorial Day.

John Woodworth, Memorial Day, 1998

Our publishing year began and ended with the subject of budgets. Town and school officials submitted their spending proposals for fiscal year 2023-24 and 2024-25 to us, and we reported on the discussions at town meetings and the referenda results. These are not the pleasantest topics we report on, yet they are among the most important.

Budgets were not the only controversial subjects we covered this year. Schools’ Legal Expenses Alarm Town Officials detailed the amount Parish Hill spent on counsel for, reportedly, expulsions, and the amount the elementary school spent on complaints filed with State agencies. These included two allegations of racial discrimination, one resolved last year in the employee’s favor, the other pending; and two complaints filed with the Freedom of Information Commission regarding executive sessions. The first was resolved amicably with an apology from the school board; the second was explained in Hampton Complaint Draws State-Wide Interest when counsel representing the school, the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and of Public School Superintendents argued jointly against the ruling, which favored the complainants who, in the end, prevailed.

We also delivered good news for the school and for the town. Patrice Merendina, the new principal and a Hampton Elementary School alumnus, introduced herself to the rest of the community on our pages, as did the school’s new superintendent, Andy Skarzynski, who splits his time between the elementary school and Regional District #11. We paid tribute to retiring principal Sam Roberson and retiring teacher Linda Sanchini, who each devoted forty years of their lives to the children of our town. We reported on the town’s purchase of a fire truck for our dedicated department of volunteers, receipt of a grant from the Department of Transportation to complete paving the Airline Trail, and the repair of the Fuller Brook Bridge through the use of federal infrastructure funds. Candidates introduced themselves to voters in the November issue in preparation for the municipal election – 25 of them, which in itself is good news — that this small town has so many citizens who are willing to volunteer their time and expertise to the often thankless roles of administering government.

We also announced Walktober events, our Arbor Day celebration, the annual Fall Fest and Christmas programs, which included historical music at the Congregational Church, caroling, a special holiday senior luncheon, tree lighting at Town Hall, a visit from Santa at the Burnham-Hibbard House, and after a long hiatus, the Community Center stage shone once again for “A Christmas Memory”, directed by Perry Mandanis, who portrayed author Truman Capote, complete with accent, and impeccable performances by thespians Mary Oliver, Anne Flammang, Marisa Bozza and Juan Arriola.

Local organizations also reported their news on our pages. The Connecticut Audubon Society, Friends of Goodwin Forest, and Joshua’s Trust kept us apprised of programs at their nature preserves. Firehouse Dog informed us of the department’s responses in “Smoke, Mirrors, and Spotlights”. We congratulated our local scholars for their accomplishments by publishing Honor Rolls, Dean’s Lists, the names of graduates, and award recipients. It was a year of transition for the Seniors organization. The senior luncheons, gastronomical delights for our older residents for several years, ended in February when Diane Gagnon and Peter Witkowski retired from the kitchen, the Agent for the Elderly’s informative column culminated in December after exhausting all possible topics, and “Baby Boomers” ended their columns of many years in July with a listing of the achievements of their brilliant generation. These voids have been filled with local activities and programs for seniors. Fletcher Memorial Library informed us of monthly events, Music at the Fletch summer lawn concerts, the arrival of new books, and the art and artists featured at Top Shelf Gallery. We also featured authors Lula Blocton, Jamie Boss and former resident Bob Chaplin, several of the library’s volunteers, and Deb Andstrum, our beloved librarian who is retiring this month. We also published the news of the Historical Society, the Congregational Church, and the Scouts, who were recognized in 2024 as “Our Citizens of the Year”, with a listing of their many contributions to our town through their packs and Eagle Projects.

The garden column continued with articles ranging from garden gates to pollinator lawns, included the perennial favorite, Our Neighbor’s Garden, Penny Newbury’s this year, and welcomed contributions from “the Reluctant Gardener” and Sam Fisher of Organic Roots Farm. Twenty people contributed to our Recipe of the Month, and Auntie Mac continued to deliver advice with wit and wisdom. We published our annual April Fools issue with humorous photographs and front page coverage of the “Discovery of Gnomes & 17th Century Working Gristmill” living beneath the bridge being repaired, complete with interviews with Ebenezar Bakker Button who shared memories of his two-hundred year relationship with town folks. We try to include some humor in every issue – including this month.

Commentary is a welcomed feature of our newspaper. Mary Oliver contributed several pieces on aspects of the kitchen, Angela Fichter wrote a number of relatable articles such as “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” and “When You Renew Your Driver’s License”, and Uncle Grumpus started a series, “The World We Live in”, which included a couple of humorous columns, such as “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Stuff”. And last August, Becky Burelle Gagne answered the controversial lyrics, “You Don’t Want to Try that in a Small Town” with a “list of some things that one really should try in a small town. Or anywhere, for that matter,” recounting the acts of kindness which characterize small towns such as ours. We published six other Letters to the Editor as well.

Pete Vertefeuille’s wonderful photographs of wildlife graced several of our issues, including two of our front pages, and nine of Hampton’s artists contributed to this year’s calendar “Peaceful Ponds”. We published several excerpts from Edwin Way Teale’s “A Walk through the Year”, which he wrote while he lived at Trailwood, and 11 poems from Hampton residents. Seventeen residents contributed to our community poem, “I Miss…” at our Fall Fest, where we also took a poll which revealed that the majority of Hamptonites want to see more community activities, namely concerts, dances, plays, game and movie nights, that our favorite “Staycations” take place in our own homes, with Connecticut’s beaches a distant second, and that our favorite states to visit are New England’s.

“Our Rural Heritage” focused on the village this year, starting with the history of the Congregational Church in June to commemorate its 300th year anniversary, and included the development of Main Street homes, relying on town historian Bob Burgoyne’s 2002-2003 series “This Old Hill”, and Hampton Hill as a summer destination. We wrote of the venerable village institutions, Center School, the Little River Grange, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, the post office, the fire house, the Burnham Hibbard Museum, and Main Street businesses, especially the General Store. We also wrote of “The Village People”, our town’s colorful characters, “Running our Town” on the establishment of local government and its various locations and maintenance of the roads, including the removal of snow with horses, sleds and shovels. This month we’re featuring Main Street parades, with the history of the Fletcher Memorial Library to follow.

Many of these subjects lent themselves to the monthly column “Remembering” with memories of the 200th anniversary of the Congregational Church, the Chelsea Inn, the Summer Colony, and the Center School. Seven residents remembered the Grange, nine parishioners remembered the Catholic church, and ten, the General Store. We also published a letter from post mistress Evelyn Estabrooks and the response from the Postal Chief of Procurement, and continued the lovely journal of Miriam Peabody, found in the attic of Gustavo Falla, detailing village life at the turn of the century.

Sadly, we said good-bye to 25 residents, with front page tributes to legendary neighbors Dan Meade, who volunteered in every conceivable way, as Selectman, on the boards of finance, education, and emergency management, and the conservation and recreation commissions, and Scott Johnson, who was, in every conceivable way, “one of us”.

And we honored our veterans on Memorial Day. Last year, with the passing of the last two veterans of World War II, Thomas Gaines and Clarence Thornton, we developed the Memorial Address from the writings of our World War II veterans, their words delivered by their relatives and neighbors. This year we developed the Memorial Day Address from information on our Korean War veterans, three of whom are still with us, Bob Gilroy, John Yanouzas, and George Miller, who was this year’s first speaker.

It is an honor to honor these veterans in this way for two years now, and we hope to continue in the future. In the interim, we pledge to bring you all the news that’s fit to print — the good, the bad, and the beautiful — of our lovely and loving village.

Editorial Board of the Hampton Gazette

Summer’s lilies always inspire me to experiment with colors, especially vibrant ones. Spring provides us with such lovely pastels — in the arches of crab apples and globes of magnolias, the fountains of flowering willows, panicles of lilacs and veils of viburnum — all perfectly viewed through spring’s showers, on misty mornings, under a gentle sun. Pastels seem so much safer, as we stitch together carpets of creeping phlox and pulmonaria, forget-me-nots and candy tuft, combining blues and pinks, yellows and whites, lilac and violet and lavender. These are the tones that initially attract us, those of the English gardens and their cloudy skies; but in the summertime, the lilies’ trumpets of orange and gold and red remind us that bright colors belong beneath the bright sun.

Lilies come in so many brilliant colors. We have varieties of copper and rust, scarlet and bittersweet, caramel, coral and brick, yellows the color of lemons and sunshine and canaries, and the oranges of pumpkins, cantaloupes, and carrots. Although they are all splendid, flaring across the front of our house in a riotous strip of color, or spurting in seasonal gardens where they represent the summer months in the same way as daffodils in spring and chrysanthemums in fall, lilies also call for companions. These include subtle contrasts, where their blossoms burst before the dark, foliar backdrops of ninebark and smoke tree, or flamboyant combinations with flowers equally striking.

Crocosmia is one of the most riveting of flowers, its orange-red tubular blossoms climbing branches that arch over stiff blades of leaves. A vigorous grower, it cavorts well with fiery lilies, its interesting foliar form effective with ornamental grasses and along the vertical and horizontal structures of fences. Bee balm is one of a few, rare saturated reds. Their radiant pom-poms are perfect with orange and yellow lilies, especially where they accentuate a red throat. They are essential in energizing a garden comprised of foliar golds and greens. Yarrow “Coronation Gold” also partners well with lilies, its saucers providing a horizontal reprieve, and the brilliant orange centers of echineacea, despite the magenta petals, make it a glorious partner for orange lilies. It also pairs beautifully with rubdeckia, as the two bold flowers share the same shape. Though varieties of rudbeckia have expanded to include such singular colors as the maroon “Cherry Brandy,” and the frilly, yellow and orange layers of “Cherokee Sunset”, the old standard, the dark gold with the chocolate cones, is an unparalleled compliment for lilies and blooms throughout their season.

I confess, most of my gardens contain softer, more familiar vignettes, indigo balloon flowers with an assortment of pink phlox, Japanese painted fern with crimson astilbes, stalks of purple liatrus with paler spires of lavender obedient plant. My favorite, however, is the very definition of vivid, the surprising consequence of a small garden designed for a surplus of carrot-colored lilies and a place for the ornamental grass, calamagrostis. A friend visited with a taller, darker lily, narrow trumpets of brick red, which I included, along with a bunch of the bee balm “Cambridge Scarlet”. I can’t recall the impetus for the lavender astilbes, which sculpt the garden’s rim, but the result is a summer explosion of color, where the lilies form a ruffle throughout, sparked with the bee balm, and where a few clumps of echineacea, with its purple petals and orange cones, bridge the lilies’ trumpets and the astilbe plumes, their color echoed in the “feather reed grass”, which constitutes the garden’s spine and has a pale purple tinge in its wheat-like tassels.

Lilies and their companions are not the only sources of vibrancy in the summer garden. Earlier in the season, lychnis coronaria, commonly known as “rose campion” or “mullein pink”, rivets our attention. Brilliant magenta blossoms rise on silvery stalks over silvery basal foliage; the color would be considered brash if not for the softening effect of its velvety leaves. It is always a sensation, and always benefits from the subduing partnerships of softer pinks like cranesbills, astilbes, and filipendulas, all of which bloom simultaneously.

Earlier still, lady’s mantle enlivens the landscape. Arguably the best of perennials, I include it in nearly every garden, its pale green, felt-like, scalloped foliage holding water droplets like pearls, attracts attention even prior to the emergence of its flowers, clouds of chartreuse frothing at the gardens’ edges. Though its color is as strident as the brashest red, it blends well with nearly everything, a pleasing companion at the feet of deep purple clematis, stalks of yellow star flower, effervescent clumps of lavender cat mint, but my favorite is the one that combines these three vibrant plants: a few lady’s mantles flanked by a couple of plumes of crimson astilbe, and a single stalk of the electric violet salvia “May Night”.

Annuals also provide an assortment of colors to invigorate summer gardens. Red and white geraniums are frequently placed among green foliage, calling attention to themselves from across an expanse of lawn like none other. Similarly, baskets of brilliant fuchsia are suspended from front porches to spruce up the foundation shrubbery. Sunflowers enliven fences, walls, and the vegetable garden, and cosmos, with a variety of vibrant flowers on wiry stems, grows along with the perennials in the garden. On a smaller scale, coleus offers an assortment of arresting hues, from “Lime Time” to “Tabasco”, particularly stunning when planted together in an urn.

Toward summer’s end, dahlias hold the spotlight in every garden they grace with their remarkable stature and colors. Related to daisies and chrysanthemums, they are not as hardy and care-free as their cousins, requiring gentle removal in the fall, a frost-free environment for overwintering, and replanting in early spring. They are, however, well-worth the effort. Rising to one foot, or seven, with blossoms resembling buttons or dinner plates, of rays, spikes or pom-poms in the most delicious of colors from fiery, tropical and pastel palettes, dahlias are among the most captivating of flowers.

Dayna McDermott

My parents receive The Hampton Gazette and every month I look only for your column. I’ve noticed lately that you’ve been giving advice to parents of teenagers. I’m a teenager who would like some advice to give my parents.

I am 15 and my boyfriend is 18. My parents disapprove of our relationship. I remind them that we have been friends for as long as anyone can remember and that they are three years apart, too.

He is a caring and respectful person, and I like him a lot. Please help.
Thank you.
P. S. I love your advice and wish I could meet you sometime!

My Dear Young Neighbor:
Auntie Mac is beyond flattered at your kind words re: this humble column. May she suggest, however, that from time to time you also peruse the list of new arrivals at the library, on the off chance that something may appeal to someone of your obvious intellect.
There. Lecturing aside, we will get down to business.

Your query leaves much to the imagination. Auntie Mac can only suppose what motives your parents have from dissuading you from keeping company with your young man. She can surmise that your age difference may be something they consider to be alarming. Nothing strikes fear in a parent’s heart so much as the phrase “18 year old boy,” complete, one assumes, with car, hormones, and dubious intent (or, at the least, wishful thinking). It is at this juncture that a proactive young woman might want to venture into waters where few family members dare to wade: the Honest Discussion. You could ask them specifically what is at the root of their disapproval; don’t hesitate to request specifics, Above all, remain calm and poised throughout. Hear them out without resorting to what had been some of Auntie’s personal favorites at that age: foot-stomping, door slamming, sulking, and especially what my Great-Aunt Edna would refer to as “backtalk.” The object, dear, is to present to them a thoughtful young woman who is interested in pursuing a normal interest at her age, and who has the maturity to do so.

Sadly, Auntie Mac does not have the column inches to pursue a Venn Diagram of each possible scenario, so let us pick the one most probable, along the lines of “Well, you’re much too young to be serious about a boy.” It is at this point that your composure and levelheadedness should shine like a beacon into their terrified parental souls, as you admit (through gritted teeth if necessary) that yes, there is much you don’t know about boys or dating, but would like the opportunity to have them get to know Frank (Auntie Mac has no idea why she has named your inamorata Frank, but there you have it) and suggest that you all sit down together and discuss some . . . shall we say guidelines, regarding the time you spend with each other, to demonstrate that both of you can be trusted to remain safe while out of parental hovering, attend appropriate events while adhering to pre-set timelines, and display to your parents an ease and familiarity in each other’s company that suggests friendship and mutual respect, as opposed to what Auntie Mac’s former beleaguered headmistress would call “a quick grope in the supply closet.” But I digress.

You might also suggest that they reach out to Frank’s parents for a reassuring chat that establishes comfort on each side of the border, as it were. Fifteen is an age where a plethora of enticements peek out from all sides of the existential hedgerow, and you must demonstrate that you can navigate them with grace and confidence; that way lies increasing trust and freedom. So, too, must Frank demonstrate that he is not a felonious, animal-abusing deadbeat who’s left a trail of broken hearts from here to the Seychelles; informal conversations between you, him, and your parents will go a long way towards easing their disapproval. Provided that no rabbits were injured on the way to your doorstep.

Your Auntie Mac

Music at the Fletch opens the 2024 summer season with a free concert by Judy Handler and Mark Levesque, July 17 at 6 PM. The husband and wife duo have performed over 2,500 concerts together over the past 30 years with inspiring programs for guitars & mandolin. Their repertoire includes melodies from Europe, Latin America, Asia, the U.S. in arrangements that blend swing, Latin American, classical, gypsy, Celtic, folk and jazz. Besides their own critically acclaimed CDs, Handler and Levesque have been featured on numerous compilation CDs and have appeared on many radio and cable T.V. programs. Both are members of the New American Mandolin Ensemble, formed by Mark Davis, which has toured Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom as well playing as at venues across the United States.

Handler and Levesque are on the roster of New England Foundation for the Arts and the Connecticut Library Consortium. They run a teaching studio for private lessons and groups in Vernon, CT as well providing recording facilities for guitarists. Recently, both were involved in producing the audio for Charles Duncan’s A Modern Approach to Classical Guitar Book 3, 2nd Edition published last March. Handler, who has a master’s in classical guitar performance from the Hartt School of Music, recorded the audio, while Levesque was the audio engineer for the project.

The concert is free and open to the public but contributions are gratefully accepted. Fans should bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. In case of rain or excessive heat, the concert will be rescheduled for July 24, 6-7PM.

Janice Trecker

The Recreation and Community Activities Commission is, once again, sponsoring Flock Theater’s rendition of a Shakespearean play. As You Like It will be performed on the lawn of the Community Center on July 12 at 7PM. Admission is free, and donations are gleefully accepted. Bring lawn chairs and blankets for seating, and picnics for sharing. Parking is available at the Community Center and Town Hall. Rain date is Sunday, July 14. In case of inclement weather, check the Town website Hamptonct.org.

Flock Theatre, based in New London, opens its 30th year of Summer Shakespeare with the pastoral romp, As You Like It. Journey to the Forest of Arden with Rosalind and friends as they navigate love, cross dressing, and the many stages of and approaches to life. “All the world’s a stage” and every play needs an audience to join the fun! Hampton’s magical lawn is a perfect venue to perform this classic tale, so join Flock Theatre for an evening of fun! The performance is directed by Geoff Leatham.

For more information, contact Gay Wagner at 860-455-9875.

Hampton and neighboring town seniors want to thank you for participating as a guest or as a volunteer for our first White Elephant Extravaganza (WEE) event. It all added to the success of the event with gorgeous weather in the mix. We couldn’t have done it without you!

We greatly appreciate the volunteer help and organization, those who stopped to browse or shop, the table renters with varied interests, and all Hampton Senior Club (HCS)member support and contributions. A world of thanks to all. It’s so appreciated.

Dahlia Sharing
I would like to give a vote of appreciation to all our local seniors who volunteered to prep and distribute 70 dahlia bulb packages
generously donated by Roger Dionne as well as all who chose to do a planting to beautify our environment on such a beautiful day!
We look forward to another such adventure sometime in the future.

Ongoing Membership Drive
It was wonderful seeing past members, couples and newcomers who stopped by the previous events to say “hello” and support
HSC with a paid membership. The turnout was unexpected, but experiencing happy and positive seniors was refreshingly welcomed. More importantly what stood out for me was the enthusiasm and respect for community cohesiveness.

A membership is $10 for Hampton’s fiscal year. All memberships regardless of when purchased expire June 30. Since
HSC programs are offered to all Hampton and neighboring seniors, members will receive some benefits not available or more costly
to non-members. Half of Hampton is comprised of seniors. Supporting HSC helps to create a family within our community which in turn supports. You. Looking forward to you joining us in the coming fiscal year.

Mail checks to HSC to:
Hampton Seniors Club
Hampton Town Hall
164 Main St.
PO Box 143
Hampton, Ct. 0624

Pat Cascio &Jeanne Kavanagh