Hampton Elementary School students will return full time to the building for the start of the 2020-2021 academic year, with school officials following the guidelines prescribed by the Governor and the Departments of Education and Health. These include seating restrictions on buses and in classrooms, where walls will be removed to accommodate six foot distancing, face masks, and a separate room designated for anyone experiencing Covid-like symptoms. Additionally, the school building and all materials will be sanitized daily. Training for staff will occur prior to the start of school, and the school nurse will continue as the Covid 19 compliance liaison, responsible for the review of all related issues. Parents whose children are not returning to school will be contacted by staff for an alternate learning schedule. Officials have also developed plans for communication with State agencies and with the community regarding notifications, cancellations, and changes. The school intends to distribute a mailing with additional details to all households within the next few weeks.

Parish Hill Middle/High School is in the process of finalizing their re-opening plan to submit to the State by July 24 and then to the Board of Education for review. Specific plans will be shared with the tri-town community after the completion of this process.

Please keep in mind that plans are “as of press time”. Our national climate illustrates how quickly things can change; we hope the Quiet Corner can continue to flatten the curve.

Hampton Elementary School students will experience a tremendous amount of change as they return to school this year. Among them, the warm smiles of Mrs. Askew and Mrs. Timberman will no longer be there to greet them.

Resident Sue Askew retired after a thirty-nine year career as a paraprofessional at the school. In accepting her resignation, principal Sam Roberson described “an incredible woman and an inspiration to everyone”.  Mrs. Askew was instrumental in helping countless students overcome academic obstacles and realize their full potential. Her work with children left an indelible mark, the rewards of her encouragement – her students’ success.

“I’m so sad that she’s leaving HES! But I’m also happy for her! She deserves it!” said parent Nicole Sayles. “I will miss her, and my son will, too.”

“She has been a very special and faithful part of HES,” school nurse Beverly Danielson said. “Her care and kindness influenced my own three children and influenced me as a co-worker each and every day.”

“Mrs. Askew was always so sweet and kind,” said former student Kimberly Thornton. “She always helped me with things.”

“This saying, in my opinion, fits Sue Askew — sometimes real superheroes live in the hearts of young children who are fighting big battles. She was just that person,” teacher Linda Sanchini wrote, “one of their first greeters at the start of the day, and one of the last to send them home at the end of the day. She listened to them, and would carry on conversations about their interests. Whether it was working on a bulletin board design and sharing a trick or two to make it shine, advocating for students, helping us communicate to the community, or sharing a delicious homemade treat, Mrs. Askew was willing to contribute. I will deeply miss working with her.”

Wendy Timberman retired after teaching in Hampton, where she resides, for 16 of her 30 years in education. Starting as a remedial math teacher and transitioning to the classroom, she instructed many different grade levels, always with the singular gentleness, compassion, and patience she perfected during her early career in pre-school and early literacy programs at local libraries. Wendy’s commitment to her students was unwavering and continued through the mandatory closing of the school in March when teachers switched to distance learning. Like all good teachers, Wendy did what she had to do to attend to every student’s individual needs, and since they were “down the street and around the corner”, she delivered instruction directly to some of them through the windows of their homes. And on their birthdays, Wendy, who has led the children in patriotic songs for Memorial Day celebrations, brought her guitar to their lawns and sang to them.

Wendy shared with school officials the experience of one of her last lessons, “conveying the blessings of teaching in the heart of this awful pandemic.” She described sitting on the step of a student’s porch, with the student at a distance on the porch swing, and after a very attentive lesson, glancing at her feet. “There, sitting in the sun were chickens, two ducks, and a big, white turkey. Sitting and listening. In the window stood grandma with a sleeping baby in her arms.”  For those of you who don’t know Wendy, close your mind’s eye on this pastoral scene, reminiscent of a Tasha Tudor illustration, and you’ll capture a glimpse of her teaching, and the ambience of her being.

Congratulations Mrs. Timberman and Mrs. Askew. We’re certain the Gazette speaks for the entire community in wishing you in your retirement health, happiness, and, of course, a continued love of learning.

Dear Auntie Mac,

We’re experiencing an awful lot of backyard fireworks this summer that have proven terribly frightful for our pets. We understood the exuberance on the 4^th of July, and in the days leading to the holiday, but it’s been continuing sporadically ever since, sometimes quite late at night. I don’t know who it is, only a vague direction, and with the woods surrounding us, we have never even enjoyed a display, only the disturbing noise! Ideas?

Enough is Enough

My Dear Neighbor:

Auntie Mac can indeed sympathize with your predicament. Several years ago she was attending a State dinner in Fiji, and had left Lars and his hunting dog Bathsheba to watch the house. One evening, Lars had gone to his fly-tying class, leaving the dog alone. He returned to the sound of what apparently had been a lengthy and unsanctioned fireworks display coming from across the fields—we know it was at least long enough for Bathsheba, straining at a window to join the action, to completely disembowel my 18^th century Louis XV “fauteuil” armchair. Needless to say, when Lars informed me by phone, my distress was palpable.

I must, however, remind you that Hampton is a marvel of a town, where culture and earthiness combine to form—most of the time—a nearly-perfect place to live. Auntie Mac can assure you that while you may, in this, the oddest of seasons, have become more attuned to your surroundings and their attendant noises, fireworks, gunshots, or whatever they may be, have been part of the fabric of our community for ages. They remind us, for example, that we do indeed live in the country, and not Hartford or Manhattan, where, I can assure you, the explosion of ordnance is a round-the-clock affair. Here, the sounds connote hunting, target practice, or a birthday party. Malicious intent is usually not involved, and for that we can take a certain amount of comfort.

That does not let boorish and discourteous revelers off the hook, by any means. If the noise is happening after 10pm, for example, you are within your rights to notify the Selectmen, the Constables, or the State Police. Auntie Mac would first suggest, however, that you seek out (during the day, of course, and possibly with pets in tow) the errant celebrants, and tell them that while you enjoy the sound of a small brigade-to-brigade skirmish as much as the next person, you would truly appreciate if they could honor a reasonable curfew, for the sake of the elderly, babies, and pets in the vicinity. Be willing to assume that your neighbors are eager to make your life as pleasant as theirs.

And for those who just adore the sounds of combat at any hour, please be considerate of all people and pets in your area. Blow things up only on conventional holidays. Clean up after yourself—don’t leave sharp bits around that can injure bare feet or puncture tires. And do not shoot your gun in the air. Auntie Mac shouldn’t even have to say this, but it clearly must be said.  Children over a mile away from this type of foolishness have been killed because of this behavior. And for heaven’s sake, stay sober-–one more reason, Dear, why tracking down the merrymakers the day afterwards is a prudent course of action.

Your Auntie Mac

Surplus jalapenos in the vegetable garden? No problem. This recipe is a favorite appetizer.

1 pound bulk pork sausage

8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

22 large jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded.

Cook the sausage over medium heat until brown; drain. In a small mixing bowl, combine the parmesan and cream cheeses; fold in the sausage. Spoon about 1 tbs. into each jalapeno half. Place in two, ungreased, 13 x 9 baking dishes. Bake uncovered at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with ranch dressing, if desired.

Diced peppers, onions and garlic can also be added to the mixture. Use plastic gloves to protect your hands and eyes when cutting and seeding peppers.

Bob Burgoyne

As if avoiding the epidemic is not challenging enough, my garden has been invaded by terrorist rabbits. Why do I call them terrorists?  Because just like human terrorists, they know no bounds.  I love flower gardening. These rabbit invasions started in June, when the flower garden is full of blossoms. They have been eating the flower buds of plants. I hired a Hampton gardener to grow poppies for me from seed under grow lights in her home because poppy seeds have not successfully germinated in my soil. I carefully planted each seedling she grew, but as the flower buds were ready to open, the rabbits ate each one of them. The rabbits started devouring my garden with the carnation seedlings I bought through a garden catalog. The seedlings grew to healthy plants and set their flower buds. As the first bud was ready to open, snip by Mama Rabbit. That angered me so much I asked a Mennonite friend if he had have-a-heart traps. He said he did, and he set them up for me on the lawn between the strip of woods that the rabbits come out of and my garden.  He baited them with carrots. The rabbits came into the traps, ate the carrots, left thank you notes and exited the traps, all without setting them off.  One day I actually saw a rabbit eating a carrot at that part of the trap that is opposite the opening into the trap.  She climbed over the platform that is supposed to close the trap door when she ran to the end of the trap where the carrots were. She watched me suspiciously since I am a Congregationalist, not a Mennonite. She stayed at the end of the trap with the carrots, and I shoved the trap door shut fiercely. Somehow she seemed unfazed and just kept eating carrots. I called the trap owner, and he came over after work to pick up the trap and let the rabbit out of the trap, but far away from my garden. When I lived in Scotland, my husband grew the vegetables, I grew the flowers, and the cats ate the rabbits. The last of my cats died last fall. My husband set have-a-heart traps for the woodchucks.  When they were caught, my husband drowned them in the cage in a nearby brook.  Cruel? No, not when you are an organic vegetable grower, and your wife blanches and freezes all those vegetables. It was merely execution of a vegetable thief.

So my Mennonite friend oiled the traps in the hope that would make it easier to catch the rabbits. But the rabbits are atheists, so they continue to go in, eat some carrots, leave and then eat my flowers for dessert. They stopped leaving thank you notes.  In fact, after the traps were set up, in revenge they then ate all the leaves and blossoms off of two new plants for my garden. I am kind of shy, so I have been afraid to ask my Mennonite friend if his traps are not merely have-a-heart, but actually pacifist. Should I ask him? Unless they are pacifist traps, I do not really see any point in trying to convert the traps from atheist to a meaner denomination.

“Okay…I’m ready,” I sighed. I looked away and braced for it as if I was the one about to have surgery. Slowly, and ever-so-gently, she pulled the first tiny bit of gunk from the hole between Checker’s toes. Eeeh gads, was it stinky!  “Poor little girl,” I whispered to our brave hen. Life had gotten busy and I hadn’t noticed the bumps developing between Checker’s toes — not until they had turned into large, swollen blisters.

If you’ve ever owned chickens, then you’ll already know the joys and wonders of watching them grow and learn. You’ve discovered how entertaining they can be and also, sometimes, how naughty. Hopefully your flock has contributed to your farm via eggs, meat, insect control, and if you have a rooster – guard duty. Most of the time, our gang goes from day to day with no drama at all. Occasionally though, something pops up that, all of a sudden, needs immediate attention. These large, red blisters on our hen’s feet, was one of them. Research from Backyard Poultry, Backyard Chicken Coops and The Chicken Chick provided three possible causes:

Gout: “Gout in chickens may result from a genetic defect that causes the kidneys to function improperly, but may also be triggered by a diet that is too high in protein. It is more common in cocks than in hens, generally doesn’t appear in birds until they are at least 4 months old, and usually affects individuals rather than an entire flock. The usual sign is swollen joints of the feet and toes, resulting in lameness and shifting of the weight from leg to leg to relieve discomfort. Because of the swelling, the bird is unable to bend its toes. The feet may redden and blister, and the blisters may develop into sores. Because walking is painful, the bird may spend a lot of time sitting in one place, grooming excessively.” Fortunately, that was not the case with Checkers. Ok, how about one of the others.

Scaly Leg Mites: “The scaly leg mite is a pale gray, round, tiny chicken parasite, only about 1/100 inch in diameter. It is more likely to attack older birds, but can also affect young chickens kept with old birds. It burrows under the scales on a chicken’s shanks and feet, raising the scales by generating debris that accumulates beneath them. As a result, the shanks thicken and crust over and eventually become deformed. Scaly leg mites spread slowly by traveling from bird to bird along the roost.” Since only one of our girls had this, and everyone’s legs looked fine, I ruled this out as well. That left –

Bumblefoot:“Bumblefoot occurs when bacteria, such as Staphylococcus invade and cause infection in the skin of a chicken’s foot, creating a pus-filled abscess. The entry point for bacteria can be anything from a cut, scrape, injury or even simply a raw spot on the skin caused by walking on wet, dirty bedding. The first stage of Bumblefoot is characterized by pinkish-red rough areas on the top or bottom of the chicken’s feet or between its toes. The second stage manifests itself with increased redness, sores, inflammation and infection. The chicken in question will most likely be feeling a little pain upon walking and landing. During stage three, the final and most serious stage of this infection, any sore that has not been treated will turn dark brownish black. Chickens are in a good deal of pain and will avoid any movement or activity that puts pressure on their sore weak foot or feet.”

Bumblefoot seemed like the most likely cause although our black and white hen showed no signs of discomfort or lameness. I called my daughter, who works as a veterinary technician, and ran all the possibilities past her. “Hmmm. I can take a look on Sunday when Dom and I come for dinner,” she replied.

We had planned a nice afternoon for my daughter and future son-in-law. Excitement built as Sunday got closer. “Sissy’s coming home!” I exclaimed to Star and Duke who meowed as if they understood. Our two boys purred and meowed and cuddled, excited to see their ‘sister’ and Dom.

“Want to eat now? Are you hungry?” I asked. “Let’s take a peek at Checkers’ feet first,” my daughter suggested. “Be right back,” I called to the guys. “This’ll only take a minute”.

Catching Checkers was a bit of a challenge. Especially with our rooster Doug darting around squawking and yelling and trying to run at us as we attempted to corner his favorite lady. We finally corralled him into the chicken run and shut the door. Once we got the treats out, all the girls, including Checkers, ran over to us and we scooped her right up. “Good girl,” my daughter cooed. “Here, you hold her so I can check her feet.” She carefully handed the hen to me and I cradled her in my arms, extending her left leg first and then her right so her feet could be examined. “What do you think?” I was certain that we could simply spread some kind of disinfectant over the wounds and that nature would take care of the rest. “We’ll need to take care of this now,” my daughter replied, her voice serious. “The bumps are little abscesses that have become infected.” I felt terrible. “This is my fault for not noticing sooner,” I thought to myself.

“Can you do that here? Do you know what to do?” I was amazed that she was willing to operate right then and there. “Sure, I’ve seen this type of procedure performed many times. I know exactly what to do.” The guys were called out into the yard and each tasked with a list of materials to gather. We took Checkers out of her yard and away from the others to keep everyone calm. Our picnic table served as the operating table. Tweezers, cotton swaps, disinfectant, warm water with Epsom salt and gauze were laid out. It took almost an hour. Checkers had a total of four infections, two on each foot. We were fortunate that the bumps were between her toes and not on the bottoms of her feet. And that we caught it when we did. The guys retrieved the small, temporary coop and placed it next to the big coop. We put Checkers in there so she could recover in peace for a few days.

After sanitizing and cleaning up, we warmed our now cold dinner, opened a nice bottle of wine, and I made a toast: “Here’s to you two,” I nodded to my daughter and Dom. “The best doctor and assistant in the county!” I also apologized. They had driven all the way up here for a pleasant and relaxing afternoon, only to spend it covered in goo! I dedicate this article to the wonderful, lovely, unselfish and so-much-fun-to-be around couple: my beautiful daughter and my caring, terrific soon-to-be son in law. Couldn’t be happier having you both in my life! Thanks!

Cindy Bezanson

Wayne McNaughton  of Bigelow Road passed away on June 16, 2019 at the age of  73. Born on January 26, 1946 in Damariscotta, Maine, the son of Fred and Mary McNaughton, Mr. McNaughton was a veteran who worked in construction later in his life. Our condolences to his family.

Dorothy Schmied of Sarah Pearl Road passed away on August 8, 2019 in the 88^th year of her life. Ms. Schmied was born in Watertown, Wisconsin on April 27, 1931 and worked as a telephone operator. Our condolences to her family here in Hampton.

Frederick Harper of Parker Road passed away on September 4, 2019 at the age of 64. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts on August 28, 1955, Mr. Harper worked as a sound engineer. Our condolences to his loved ones.

Donna Fitts passed away at the age of 76 on January 11, 2020 in Monroe, North Carolina. She and her husband of 35 years, Richard Fitts, who predeceased her, made their home here in Hampton for many years, where they were active in the community and raised their children, Jay, Amber and Crystal – our condolences to them and their children.

Sandra Brindamour of East Old Route 6 passed away on January 24, 2020 in the 72^nd year of her life. Mrs. Brindamour was born on October 21, 1948 in Willimantic, the daughter of Edward Swan and Avis Nichols. Our condolences to her husband and our neighbor, Roland.

Ronald Lemire, Sr. passed away on March 13, 2020 at the age of 75. A veteran of the United States Navy, he retired from UCONN as an electrical supervisor. Mr. Lemire enjoyed fishing and camping. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Joyce, his children, Ronald Jr. and Tammy Church, and several grandchildren. Our condolences to all. Memorial donations in his name may be made to Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.

Grace Epsey of Calvin Burnham Road passed away on March 29, 2020 in the 97^th year of her life. Mrs. Epsey, the daughter of Albert Marvel and Vivian Schohl, was born on September 22, 1923, in Catonville, Maryland. Our condolences to her family.

John Bemis of South Bigelow Road passed away on April 9, 2020 at the age of 77. Born on June 9, 1942 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Bemis was a veteran of the United States Navy and worked as a nuclear engineer at Millstone Point. He was predeceased by his wife, Isabelle. Our condolences to their family.

Ronald Gilman of New Hill Road passed away on June 7, 2020 in the 78^th year of his life. Born on July 8, 1941 in Norwich, the son of Ernest Gilman and Thelma Strickland, he worked at Mohegan Sun. Our condolences to his wife, Robin Walkins, and their family.

George H. Cook passed away on July 8, 2020 at his home here in Hampton. Born in 1945, Mr. Cook graduated from Windham High School, served in the National Guard, and studied horticulture at Guelph University in Canada, where he and his wife, Susan, resided before returning to Connecticut. An avid gardener, Mr. Cook was the greenhouse manager and co-manager of the nursery division at Holdridge Farm Nursery in Ledyard for 25 years. Our condolences to Susan, his wife of 48 years.

Thumbs Up to those whose contributions to Memorial Day helped compensate for the loss of Hampton’s usual festivities: the committee who arranged for the commemorative sign, the highway department for lining Main Street with flags, the patriotic music supplied by Jerry Misak, the traditional wreath compliments of Woodward’s Greenhouse, the historical society’s lawn display of flags, the flowers available at the bridge to toss into the Little River, and Neal Moon, who has performed “Taps” for us ever since we were children, playing in the village this year, and “echoing” in the cemetery. It was difficult this year without our glorious parade, our solemn ceremonies, our wonderful barbecue, and our communal celebration, but your efforts were appreciated.

Thumbs Down for the failure of the commemorative sign to recognize veterans of more recent wars. The collective and historic hurt of, especially the Vietnam veterans, evoked the words of Arthur Osborne, keynote speaker in 1995: “What an unbearable situation we placed our boys in — a war they could not win; a culture they could not understand; and then when they did their best, they came home and were treated dishonorably…We must never allow this to happen again…When our country sends our sons and brothers into conflict we must stand behind them. When they return they deserve our love and loyalty. I still remember being part of the war in Europe, the struggles, the mud and cold, the fearfulness, the longing for home; my buddies being brought in wounded and dying…and then the good news…What a welcome we received all over the country…How I wish that our boys coming back from Vietnam could have received a welcome like we had.”

Dear Readers,

Our Annual Report, published this month, evidences the necessity of delivering news of the town and our neighbors, particularly in these distancing times. But like almost every other public and private aspect of society, the Gazette’s finances have been adversely affected by Covid-19. We decided to delay sending annual advertisement renewals because so many local businesses have been out of business. We postponed our annual donation drive due to the financial constraints so many residents are facing. And we were unable to have our annual fundraiser, the Memorial Day Barbecue. The special edition we needed to produce meant an extra month of unanticipated expenses, and some of our costs have increased. We’re grateful for Gulemo printers for their excellent service and reasonable fees, but we need your help. Enclosed is a coupon and an addressed envelope; any donation is welcome. Please assist us in our continued efforts to apprise residents of the happenings in town, and to stay in touch with one another.

Thank you,

The Hampton Gazette

The town and its newspaper experienced unprecedented events this year, with a controversy that consumed much time and ink, and a pandemic, from which even our isolated corner of the world was not insulated.

We began our publishing year in May, 2019 with the tradition of reporting on the town budgets, followed by an article on the Town Meeting in June, information on the referendum in July, and the results of the votes in the August issue. Conversely, the year ended with reports on the deliberations of the Board of Finance, who were charged, per the Governor’s Executive Order, with sole approval of the budgets, restrictions on public assemblies precluding votes by the legislative body. In between, it was mostly business as usual, and we were pleased to report on our neighbors’ ventures: the General Store in its most recent iteration, “Fallen Log Homestead Bakery”, and Renee Cuprak’s “Rural Arts & Workshop Retreat”. On the suggestion of new board member, Delphine Newell, we started listing seasonal services, benefitting providers and residents alike.

We “Met the Candidates” seeking municipal office in the November Election, and new neighbors, members of the Mennonite community, who shared several celebrations with us, including a Thanksgiving Feast. The series “Coming to Hampton” introduced another new board member, Laura McCabe, and an exchange student temporarily here from Brazil. We recognized one of our neighbors, David Foster, who was honored as Windham’s Citizen of the Year, and started 2020 with the tradition of honoring our own, this year’s recipient, Susan Hochstetter. And in September, “It Must Be Something in the Water!” honored our fourteen nonagenerians, who are all, fortunately, still with us. We did lose twenty residents last year, some who resided here only briefly, others, all their lives, a renowned artist, Andy Jones, and veterans, including one of a few from World War II, Mario Fiondella. We celebrated Veterans’ Day with a patriotic tale from Wayne Kilpatrick, and the cover of last year’s July issue featured the Memorial Day speaker, veteran Anne Flammang, whose speech was a tribute to the young women who volunteered to serve in our military in the 1940’s – Ruth Burchnall, Eva Loew, Jean Surridge, and Dorothy Howell, whose family also contributed her memoir to the Gazette.

Our readers also submitted letters to the editor, mostly campaign related, recipes, and poetry, and contributed to the annual Community Poem titled “I Remember…” at the Fall Festival, listing “My first day at Bell School…Milking cows…The Little River Grange.” Because we’re a newspaper, we always poll townsfolk at the Festival posing local, state and national questions, and this year we discovered that 30% of the participants still have an out-house on their property, the majority consider summer their favorite season in Connecticut, and our town is comprised of people with cultural heritages from all over the world, along with a couple of “Swamp Yankees” and a few who identified as “Heinz 57”.

Pete Vertefeuille continued to elevate the Gazette with his exceptional photography, with information on the art as well as his avian subjects. His magnificent image of Pine Acres Pond graced the cover of our annual calendar, where local photographers and artists displayed seasonal masterpieces of the town’s nature preserves. Marcia Kilpatrick continued to dispense ecological advice in “Green Thumbs”, and the Editor, on gardening. Auntie Mac continued to keep us on our toes, and in stitches, with her sagacious answers to questions of etiquette, Angela Fichter continued to entertain us with her unique perspective on the world’s quirks, and Cindy Bezanson continued to delight young and old alike with enchanting tales of her chickens. Neighbors detailed their travels with us, to Ireland, and on the Rocky Mountaineer through northwest Canada; and a crew member shared her experiences in “Cruise Life: the Good, the Bad, and the Downright Weird”. Local high schools, and a student reporter, Genevieve Rondeau, informed us of academic events and accomplishments. We reported on an elementary school program and retirement, and featured the Class of 2020 on last month’s front page to recognize graduates who were prevented from having a ceremony this year.

We continued “Our Rural Heritage” series with articles on historic barns: “The Johnsons” and “The Joneses”, the “Little Red Brewster Barn” and the “Barn at the Top of Hammond Hill”; historic farms: “at Popover Hill” and “on Hammond Hill”, the “Grow Farm” and the “Vargas Farm”. Also included in the series: Farmer’s Markets, from the turn of the century to the present; the neighborly endeavor of “Barn-Raising” by Pat and Jamie Boss; stories from students who attended the one room school houses, including an award winning poem on the Bell School, and an account of life in the ABC school house from its current resident, Penny Newbury.

Various organizations apprised us throughout the year of their programs — Fletcher Memorial Library, Goodwin Forest, Connecticut Audubon, the Seniors, the Recreation Commission, and the Historical Society. And we reported on town news, detailing the addition on the library and covering the grand opening, explaining the new tax collection services, alerting residents of the rash of burglaries we suffered last winter. The year’s consuming news was the Selectmen’s unauthorized purchase of a bucket truck to remove hazardous trees from roadsides, and the response of the Board of Finance and taxpayers, which we reported on from November to June; and when the Selectmen scheduled a referendum to abolish the Board of Finance, our editorial board was compelled to publish an unprecedented Special Edition to alert residents of the referendum and the issues surrounding it, which proved costly in terms of time, money, and the removal of all references to The Hampton Gazette from the Town website. Information, however, is always an investment well spent.

We’re a local newspaper, so our pages rarely contain commentary on news of national or global significance. We’re there now though – thrust into a global pandemic and a national crisis from which most of us cannot turn away. When the pandemic, and its restrictions, struck, the Gazette published accordingly. Our organizations, churches and schools informed us of their accommodations and the Town’s Covid-19 Emergency Management provided information. “Our Rural Heritage” series featured “The Return of Milk Delivery”, a local psychologist advised us on dealing with stress, the Recreation Commission suggested ways to entertain ourselves, and we developed a Hampton crossword, word search and cryptogram for our readers. We featured the popular page “Hampton Remembers the 2^nd Half of the 20^th Century” which connects Hamptonites near and far. We promoted “The Healing Power of Humor” with humorous commentary, photographs and a political cartoon, and “The Healing Power of Nature” with articles on beginning a garden, shelter-in-place gardens, and our new community garden.

If ever there was a year that challenged all of us, this was it, yet the circumstances of the pandemic and our special edition proved the worth of a small town newspaper. If there’s one thing we’ve learned this year, it’s the value of hearing of and from one another. That’s the role we’ll continue to help fulfill in the future – with news of the town and our neighbors, sharing recipes, opinions, poetry, photographs, comic relief, and journeys on memory lane – whatever that future entails.

Juan Arriola, Chairman, Editorial Board of “The Hampton Gazette”