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Vol. 5, Edition 26
Thursday
June 27, 2013
InThePress
AVON • BURLINGTON • CANTON • FARMINGTON • GRANBY • SIMSBURY
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
PALMER, MA
PERMIT #22
Local man will
‘bring the film’
to Collinsville
A cinematographic experience
will steal the scene in Collinsville
next April 2014. Collinsville is al-
ready known for its music and
arts scene, but when Jonathan
Napolitano introduces the
Collinsville FilmFestival inApril he
will, in his words, “bring the film.”
PAGE 9
Dog park fence
damaged
in hit-and-run
e members of the Paw
Meadow Dog Park committee are
working to estimate the amount
of damage made to the small dog
park fence after it was plowed into
by a vehicle. PAGE 13
In Sports
A ‘perfect’ finish
for Nicholson
All-State Simsbury athlete ends high school
career with three track and field championships:
Class LL, State Open and New England.
PAGE 25
Police and school officials passed out orange ribbons to every vehicle entering the Avon High School parking lot June 21 as a reminder to drive safely.
When displayed by a driver, the orange ribbon acknowledges an understanding of statistics related to and the dangers of distracted driving, especially
among teenagers. By wearing it or placing it in a vehicle, a driver pledges to drive safely. Read more on page 14.
A pledge to stay safe behind the wheel
Photo by Jennifer Senofonte
PRESS
2. 2 The Valley Press June 27, 2013
News
This week
Kids 5
A&E 8
The Buzz 10
News 13
Calendar 17
Editorial 18
Crossword 19
Business 23
Sports 25
Classifieds 29
Quotes
of Note
9
Life is a cabaret
In lieu of the annual “Seniors’ Prom” that is hosted by Canton Senior Center and sponsored by Canton
High School groups, this year the program was changed to a “Canton Cabaret!” that was held Thursday,
June 13. The High School Music Department showed off its many talents with performances by the full
band, individual singers and the jazz combo. The other two sponsoring groups, The National Honor So-
ciety and CATA (Canton Adolescents Taking Action) decorated the community center, provided food and
drink and served throughout the evening. Pictured above is Vi Danila. The NHS set up a photo booth with
a variety of costume pieces with which guests could adorn themselves.
“You can bring as
much food as you
want; some people
come with elaborate
candelabras. Other
people just roll up
with a chair slung
over their back and
a newspaper.
It’s whatever you
want to make it.”
-CarrieHammondin“HSOaimsto
please...”onpage10
“Look at the river.
Watch the news. Lis-
ten to danger signs.
e river is no place
for anyone during
conditions like this.”
-MarshallPorterin“...police
reminderaboutrivercaution”on
page15
Courtesy photo
263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington
It’s a new day at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. While
construction transforms our campus, what’s going on inside our
buildings is just as exciting.
We’ve added new specialists and services including GI expert
Dr. Reena Chokshi, who has a special interest in women’s GI issues.
Learn more: Visit uchc.edu
Make an appointment: Call 800-535-6232
Dr. Reena Chokshi
GI expert
s a new day at theIt’’s a new day at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. While
construction transfo
buildings is just as e
e’ve added new sWWe’ve added new specialists and ser
. Reena ChokshiDrr. Reena Chokshi, w
isit ucLearn more: V
e UConn Health Cen
orms our campus, w
exciting.
vicspecialists and ser
who has a special interest in women’
chc.edu
nter in Farmington. While
s going on inside ourhat’’s going on inside our
ces including GI exper
s GI issues.terest in women’’s GI issues.
While
e our
tper
issues.
263 Farmington Avenue, FarmingtonFarmington
isit ucLearn more: V
Make an appointment: Call 800-535-6232
chc.edu
ent: Call 800-535-623232
3. By Nicole Wetsman
West Hartford Press staff
As the location of e Jackson
Laboratory (JAX) in Bar Harbor,
Maine, has long been a main center
ofmammaliangeneticsresearch,the
expansion to the UConn Medical
Center’s campus in Farmington
might allow that location to rise to
prominence in the field.
“It’s going to invigorate science
research here,” said Mark Lalande,
senior associate dean for research
and director of the University of
Connecticut Stem Cell Institute.
Bioscience Connecticut, Gov.
Dannel Malloy’s 2011 initiative to in-
crease innovation in the sciences
and expand the UConn Health Cen-
ter, was a draw for JAX to expand
into Connecticut and create e
Jackson Laboratory for Genomic
Medicine. Ground was broken on
the Bioscience Connecticut con-
struction project at the Health Cen-
ter one year ago this month.
According to an article on the
Health Center website, “In the year
following its groundbreaking last
June, all aspects of Bioscience Con-
necticut have moved forward on
time and on budget. Of note, the
project has created about 500 con-
struction and related jobs on the
UConn Health Center campus in its
first year, including higher-than-
required averages for small business
participation and 85 percent of all
work going to Connecticut-based
contractors. e number of con-
struction jobs will rise significantly
over the next three years.”
JAX Genomic Medicine is hir-
ing new researchers from the Con-
necticutareatofillitsnewlabspace.
Although its permanent build-
ing will not be completed until 2015,
JAX has already begun recruitment
in the area.
“We’ve rented lab space for
threeoftheirscientists, andtheywill
lease additional space at the UConn
Health Center at the beginning of
2014,” said Lalande.
Lalande said the arrival of the
Jackson Lab and the intended col-
laboration between UConn and JAX
has generated a lot of enthusiasm.
“We think that between the
strengths of UConn and Jackson we
can be a leading university in pro-
viding genomics education for the
general public, for health care
providers and for students,” said La-
lande.
While standard microbiology
and genetics generally look to ex-
amine a specific gene, genomics
takes a broader view and looks at
the complete human genome – that
is, it studies the entire sequence of
DNA.
e UConn Medical Center’s
Institute for Systems Genomics was
formed in November 2012 in antici-
pation of the arrival of JAX Genomic
Medicine and will allow UConn to
grow its own genomics program in
conjunction with JAX.
“It’s the university’s interface
with the Jackson Lab,” said Lalande.
“e goal there is to create a re-
search and education community
around genomics.”
Collaborative research,
education opportunities
Programs through the institute
are intended to both foster collabo-
ration between JAX and UConn and
to create a base for world-class ge-
nomics education and research.
“We’ve already written 13 joint grant
applications between Jackson folks
– both from Bar Harbor and from
Farmington – and UConn,” said La-
lande.
e institute has also launched
a program called ARC – Affinity Re-
search Collaborative – that will fund
collaborative genomics projects be-
tween Jackson and Farmington.
ARC will award four teams
$250,000 each; Lalande said the in-
stitute has received 14 applications
thus far. Each team must contain
members from both Jackson and
UConn, and each team’s project
must be interdisciplinary.
UConn is also creating a new
Ph.D. program in systems genomics.
“We want to co-train students
who have a background in compu-
tational stuff with students who
have a background in biology,” said
Lalande.” ey’ll learn about ge-
nomics either around biological
context or computational. What we
want in the end is a student who, no
matter what their background, they
can talk about genomics.”
According to Lalande, the re-
searchers from JAX are experts in
the computational aspects of ge-
nomics, which is a subset bioinfor-
matics.
Genes contain millions of base
pairs, and researchers need thor-
ough computational analyses in
order to understand the biological
components of their data. JAX re-
searchers will therefore be able to
partner with those from UConn and
provide the computational piece of
the puzzle.
Such collaborations are already
taking place. For example, Dr. Bruce
Mayer of the UConn Department of
Genetics and Developmental Biol-
ogy is partnering with Jeffery
Chuang of e Jackson Laboratory.
“Bruce is interested in under-
standing what proteins are altered
in cancer cells,” said Lalande.
“Chuang is providing the bioinfor-
matics.”
According to Lalande, the ma-
jority of the research done in the
new Jackson Lab will be done in
cancer genomics.
One of the JAX Genomic Med-
icine major projects in the Farm-
ington location will be its Cancer
Avatar Program. Researchers will
use laboratory mice as stand-ins for
specific cancer patients by trans-
planting their individual tumors
into a mouse avatar.
“ey’ll see the patients tumor
in the mouse, treat the mouse, and
that would inform how you treat
the patient,” said Lalande, “or at
least, that’s the ultimate goal.”
According to Lalande, this re-
search is part of the ongoing evolu-
tion of cancer therapies toward
more personalized medicine.
“Ten years ago, people were
trying to look at caner as one dis-
ease,” he said. “Because of genomics,
we now understand that all cancers
are different. Maybe we should look
at these as more individualized.”
Cancer cells grow and propa-
gate due to mutations in an individ-
ual’s genome. By using genomics, re-
searchers hope to find the specific
mutations responsible for individual
cases of cancer and use that knowl-
edge to tailor treatments to each
case.
“ere’s a ways to go, and it’s
complicated,” said Lalande. “But
there’s a good reason to invest heav-
ily in this. ey would be one of the
first groups in the world doing this.”
While JAX will bring new ge-
nomics innovation to UConn, Bio-
science Connecticut will affect and
improve many other aspects of the
health center.
A new hospital tower will be
completed in 2016 as well as a new
outpatient care center; planning is
also under way for renovations of
the main building.
e sizes of the classes of both
the Schools of Medicine and Dental
Medicine will be increased by about
30 percent, and faculty will be hired
to meet the needs of the growing
student population. Renovations
will also be made to the current ac-
ademic and research buildings.
All of the projects are currently
on time and on budget; according
to Malloy, their completion will be
a step toward placing Connecticut
as a leader in the bioscience indus-
tries.
June 27, 2013 The Valley Press 3
Oneyearlater: An update on Bioscience Connecticut and its impact on the UConn Health Center since groundbreaking
4. By Sloan Brewster
Senior Staff Writer
Faith is a journey with twists
and turns and bends along the
way.
at was the message in the
Rev. Jonathan Morgan’s farewell
sermon to his congregation at First
Church in Simsbury. Morgan has
been the senior pastor at the
church for 10 years and in July will
depart for Eugene, Ore., where he
has been named senior pastor of
that town’s First Congregational
Church.
On Sunday, June 24, he offered
a packed church “some very fond
farewells.”
“It has been a marvelous jour-
ney, challenge, at times even
painful, but also very beautiful and
something … I will never forget.
And now, well, we stand at a fork
in the road, don’t we? Ready to em-
bark on new and separate paths of
our common journey,” he said,
shortly before making a little joke.
“ere’s so much to say. ere is so
much to say, and yes, it hit me, this
will be my very last sermon given
at this historic and beautiful
church, so I can preach as long as
I’d like.”
e church erupted with
laughter.
Morgan told congregants to
“be the voice of God” and to stand
firm in their convictions while not
being stubborn.
“Let the power of the spirit of
God be the wind at our backs as
we walk toward the chaos that
often surrounds us,” he said.
“Standing firm means that one is
willing to debate, to listen.”
As examples of people who
practiced those qualities, he spoke
of civil rights leader Martin Luther
King Jr. and women’s suffrage ac-
tivist Margaret Sanger.
King, he said, “stood firm on
the foundation of nonviolence,”
while Sanger had “tremendous
courage” in speaking against the
injustice done to women.
He also spoke of “justice for all
human kind, no exceptions.”
“As a church, we have stood
firm on the conviction that all of
God’s children, regardless of who
they are and who they love, are
welcome in this church,” Morgan
said.
at, in a nutshell, has been
what the minister has sought to do
and accomplished in the decade
he has served as a pastor in Sims-
bury, Morgan explained in an in-
terview June 20.
In October, with a 96 percent
vote, the congregation became an
“open and affirming church.”
at was the last step in a
two-year program in which the
congregation examined what it
would mean to be a church that is
open to gays and lesbians.
“Unfortunately, the church
has had a history of being very
damning and very discriminating
toward gays and lesbians, and they
have felt excluded and judged and
unwelcome,” Morgan said. “In our
belief, this is wrong and they
should be included. ... Too many
churches have been excluding gays
and lesbians, or at least judging
them for what they perceive as a
lifestyle choice.”
As far as Morgan and his con-
gregation are concerned, homo-
sexuality is a not a choice, but is
how a person is born, he said, and
homosexuals should be welcome
in the church.
“So, continue on this journey
and stand firm in the conviction
that we are all, in the eyes of God,
one, no exceptions. … I know this
is not easy. We cannot accomplish
this on our own, that is why we
have one another,” Morgan said in
his sermon. “Let our hearts as well
as our minds lead us to stay true to
the course, even if it is not an easy
one to bear. Hold on to each other
with strength and solace ... listen
to each other.”
Another of his accomplish-
ments has been to bring together
people of all faiths in charitable
work, he said.
e congregation, through
funding and volunteer efforts, has
worked with the town to convert
two vacant town-owned buildings
on the grounds of the Apple Barn
into affordable homes.
When Hurricane Sandy hit
New York City and New Jersey, in-
stead of simply getting volunteers
from the church together to go
down and help recovery efforts,
Morgan opened the invitation to
all faith communities. In the end,
65 people from multiple churches
and a synagogue went to New Jer-
sey and helped people clean up
what was left of their flooded
homes.
“at’s another example:
rather than just doing it ourselves,
we opened it to the community
and went down and did it together
as a community,” Morgan said.
He does not yet know what he
would like to accomplish in Ore-
gon, Morgan said.
“It’s my belief the first year of
any ministry should be spent in re-
flection – prayerful reflection –
with the congregation and the
staff,” he said. “Get an idea from
them as to who they are ... pull to-
gether a vision of what we are
looking for.”
Morgan’s departure from
Simsbury was consecrated with
the congregation releasing him of
his vows to it in unison, and him,
in turn, releasing the congregation
from leaning on him.
“Do you, Jonathan, release
First Church Simsbury from turn-
ing to you and depending on you?”
asked Interim Regional Confer-
ence Minister Tamara Moreland.
“I do, with the help of God,”
Morgan replied.
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ReverendgivesfarewellsermonatFirstChurchinSimsbury
The Rev. Jonathan Morgan gave his farewell sermon at First Church in Simsbury Sunday, June 24.
Photo by Sloan Brewster
6. By Erica Morawski
Valley Press staff
A group of Simsbury High
School students have set out to ad-
dress the problem of hunger and ad-
dress it where it hits close to home.
Under the leadership of Ashley
Meuser, 10 students formed Teens
Against Hunger.
Over the past year, Teens
Against Hunger has worked to raise
money and, on Wednesday, June 19,
the teens donated the funds col-
lected – a total of $300 – to the Gifts
of Love Weekend Food Backpack
Program.
Meuser said an additional $300
was raised to go toward continuing
the group’s efforts next year.
Additionally, food was col-
lectedthatwasdonated totheSims-
bury Food Bank.
Gifts of Love is a charitable or-
ganization located in Avon that pro-
vides a variety of basic needs
ranging from furniture, to clothing,
to food, to energy assistance, and
otherwise supports families in need.
e Weekend Food Backpack
Program is a Gifts of Love initiative
that seeks to fill backpacks with
food items in order to give students
who qualify for free or reduced
lunches something to eat over the
weekend.
Diana Goode, executive direc-
tor of Gifts of Love, explained that
the backpacks are filled with “kid-
friendly, easy-to-open” food items
suchas“dinnerslikepastaandsauce
or noodles and stew, things we can
send in a backpack. We also include
easy-to-open and prepared foods
like microwavable dinners and
soups, granola bars and snacks the
kids can use to bring to school for
the week, peanut butter, jelly and
bread, oatmeal and cereals – espe-
cially the individual cereal bowls –
mac and cheese, rice, chili, tuna.”
e backpacks are provided for
kids ranging from elementary
school to high school age. e stu-
dents pick up the backpacks as they
leave from their school day on Fri-
day afternoons and return them
Monday morning so they can be re-
filled by volunteers.
Jenifer Aldag, accountant for
Gifts of Love, explained that the
backpacks began as a way to ease
some of the tension students felt
when they left school on Friday and
were uncertain when they would re-
ceive their next meal.
Towns that benefit from the
program include Avon, Canton,
Farmington, Simsbury and West
Hartford. Gifts of Love fills 100 back-
packs a week and covers 22 schools.
e donation from Teens
Against Hunger will be of great use
to the Gifts of Love Weekend Back-
pack Program, Goode said, citing
that 1,000 kids receive free or re-
duced lunches in the Farmington
Valley, and 2,000 kids receive free or
reduced lunches in West Hartford
alone.
One thing Goode would like to
see improve with the Backpack Pro-
gram is the “funding to be able to
purchase healthier items,” she said.
Goode added that “we include
the healthiest juices we can find and
packasmuchfruitandvegetablesas
we can,” but donations can help to
ensure such nutritional options.
“We are always in need of more
healthy snacks and meals for our
participants,” explained GiftsofLove
Volunteer and Outreach Manager
Karen Reid. “We count on groups
like Teens Against Hunger to help us
in the fight against hunger.”
Teens Against Hunger is a new
organization this year and the
money donated to Gifts of Love was
raised via pizza slice sales held
throughout the year.
Meuser noted, “We want to
thank Little City Pizza for their in-
credible contribution to our pizza
slice sales. ey donated many piz-
zas to support our fundraising, and
we couldn’t have raised so much
without their kindness.”
When asked about future plans
for the Teens Against Hunger,
Meuser said, “We will continue with
Teens Against Hunger next year and
are hoping to hold larger events and
food drives to raise more awareness
in the community. We are hoping to
reach out to the elementary and
middle schools to increase support
andawarenessfromthecommunity.
“Our overarching goal is to
raise awareness about childhood
hunger and to help in our country
and community,” Meuser added.
“Any little bit helps, so we encourage
people to donate food to Gifts of
Love this summer when kids in
need do not receive their free school
lunches.”
6 The Valley Press June 27, 2013
PRESSKIDS
TeensAgainstHungerdonatetoGiftsofLove
Pictured from the left: Ashley Meuser, Executive Director of Gifts of Love Diana Goode, Gifts of Love accountant
Jenifer Aldag, Brian Johnson and Emma Moran
Photo by Erica Morawski
7. June 27, 2013 The Valley Press 7
Easy Rider
When you live at Seabury, you can finally do those things you always wanted to do. You’re not
held up by the day-to-day costs and burdens associated with owning and maintaining a home. It’s
all taken care of. Seabury residents have created hiking trails and elaborate gardening projects,
formed their own band and more. We are a vibrant, diverse life care community committed to
independence and active living, with a state-of-the-art fitness center, wellness programs and
college-level courses provided by the Adult Learning Program. Surrounded by a great community
of friends and neighbors, and Seabury’s dedicated and friendly staff, there is no limit to the life
you can make for yourself here.
seaburyretirement.com
info@seaburyretirement.com
>
Starting again in August
Information sessions held at Seabury
every 1st Thursday at 1:30 p.m. and
every 3rd Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
Call (860) 243-6021 for reservations.
200 Seabury Drive, Bloomfield, CT 06002 (860) 286-0243 • (800) 340-4709
An Active Life Community
Easy Ridersy Riderer
oWhen y
p bheld u
all taken care o
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t Learning Program. Surrounded by a great cd by the Adul
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ommuniverse life care ct, di
ter, wellness programs andtness cen-art fi
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ommunided by a great c
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Starting again in August
ormatiInf
every 1st Thursda
ds and neighbors, and Seabury’
ourself here.or ymake f
ng again in August
ns held at Seaburyon sessiomati
y at 1:30 p.m. and1st Thursdaay at 1:30 p.m. and
s dedicated and friendlSeabury’
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d at Seabury
0 p m and
y staff, there is nand friendl t to the lifeo limiere is n ife
every 1st Thursda
every 3rd Wednesda
8Call (
y at 1:30 p.m. and1st Thursdaay at 1:30 p.m. and
y at 10:30 a.m.3rd Wednesdaay at 10:30 a.m.
or reservati) 243-6021 f860
0 p.m. and
10:30 a.m.
ns.oeservati
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seaburyretirem
info@seaburyr
200 Seabury Drive, Bloomfield, CT 06002
ment.com
retirement.com
>
ry Drive, Bloomfield, CT 06002T 06002 (860) 286-0243 • (800) 3440-4709
8. e launch of “Harvest of
Gold,” a new historical novel by
Iranian-bornnovelistTessaAfshar,
will take place at e Mark Twain
House & Museum, 351 Farming-
ton Ave., Hartford, Monday, July 1,
at 7 p.m. e free event will feature
tea and Persian treats. “Harvest of
Gold” is set in Biblical times: e
scribe Sarah has married Darius
and at times she feels as if she has
married the Persian aristocracy,
too.
ere is anotherpoint she did
not count on in her marriage –
Sarah has grown to love her hus-
band. Sarah has wealth, property,
honor and power, but her hus-
band's love still seems unattain-
able. Although his mother was an
Israelite, Darius remains skeptical
that his Jewish wife is the right
choice for him, particularly when
she conspires with her cousin, Ne-
hemiah, to rebuild the walls of
Jerusalem.
Ordered to assist in the effort,
the couple begins a journey to the
homeland of his mother's people.
Will the road filled with danger,
conflict and surprising memories
help Darius to see the hand of God
at work in his life and even in his
marriage? A hidden message,
treachery, opposition and a God-
given success will lead to an un-
likely bounty. Afshar was voted
"New Author of the Year" by the
Family Fiction-sponsored Reader's
Choice Awards 2011 for her novel
“Pearl in the Sand.” Her book “Har-
vest of Rubies”was nominated for
the 2013 ECPA Book Award (for-
merly known as the Gold Medal-
lion) in the fiction category. She
was born in Iran to a nominally
Muslim family and lived there for
the first 14 years of her life. She
moved to England, where she
survived boarding schoolfor girls
and fell in love with Jane Austen
and Charlotte Bronte before
moving to the United States per-
manently. A book sale and sign-
ing will follow the event. For
more information, call 860-247-
0998 or visit www.marktwain-
house.org.
8 The Valley Press June 27, 2013
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Farmington Valley Arts Center
is hosting a free community event,
Friday, June 28, from 5-8 p.m., 25
Arts Center Lane, Avon. e Fisher
Gallery will feature “CONNEC-
TIONS,” an exhibit of select pieces
from the art center’s professional
resident studio artists, and the
Drezner Visitors’ Gallery will feature
“A SKETCH BOOK PROJECT,” an ex-
hibit ofsketchbooks from more than
30 local, regional and national sub-
missions. Guests can enjoy refresh-
ments while visiting the classroom
for a special Arts Market, with dis-
countedoriginal works ofartforsale
including paintings, prints, draw-
ings, sculpture and jewelry. Infor-
mation Stations will be set up and
offer information on how to become
a member at a special one night dis-
counted rate, learn about the many
new volunteer opportunities, and
see the calendar of upcoming
events, exhibits, classes and work-
shops. is is also an opportunity to
meet the newly appointed executive
director, Michele Colletti.
FarmingtonValleyArtsCenter
tohostfreeevent
“Faces” by Laurel Archambault Courtesy photo
A ‘super grooving evening’ of
soulful guitar music with the Rich
Goldstein Trio featuring Akiko
Tsaruga on the Hammond organ
and Rudy Petschauer on drums
presented by the Connecticut Gui-
tar Society will be Sunday, June 30,
7:30 p.m., at e Studio at Billings
Forge, Hartford. Tickets are $18,
$15 for CGS members. Advance
ticket reservations are highly rec-
ommended. Tickets may be pur-
chased online at: www.ctguitar.org
or e Guitar Society office 860-
249-1132. e trio will explore tra-
ditional organ group material of
such artists as Wes Montgomery,
KennyBurrell,BrotherJackMcDuff
and Jimmy Smith as well as new
arrangements of jazz standards
and original compositions by
group members. Goldstein is a
local favorite who has performed
up and down the East Coast, in the
Midwest and in parts of South
America. He will be in his element
on this night performing blues
driven, bebop, jazz guitar. Tsaruga
hails from Japan, but has made
New York City her home since
2001. She has toured all over the
world and performs regularly with
saxophone legend Lou Donaldson,
who dubbed her “Queen of the
Hammond organ.” Petschauer is a
top tier New York City drummer
who has also performed all over
the world.
GuitarSocietypresentsRichGoldsteinTrio
Rich Goldstein
Courtesy photo
PersianTeacelebratesthelaunchof‘HarvestofGold’
9. By Erica Morawski
Valley Press staff
A cinematographic experience
will steal the scene in Collinsville
next April 2014. Collinsville is al-
ready known for its music and arts
scene, but when Jonathan Napoli-
tano introduces the Collinsville
Film Festival in April he will, in his
words, “bring the film.”
Napolitano, a resident of
Collinsville, is the program director
for the Collinsville Film Festival.
His own documentary, enti-
tled “Ben Franklin Blowing Bub-
bles at a Sword: e Journeys of a
Mental Athlete,” premiered at the
Slamdance Film Festival, held in
Utah, during 2012. Christopher
Jason Bell, former Indiewire/e
Playlist critic and filmmaker
whose works include “Bridges” and
“e Winds at Scatter,” will as-
sist Napolitano.
According to a press release,
the Collinsville Film Festival “will
bring films from around the world
to the Northwestern area of Con-
necticut along with live music per-
formances and art shows during
the three-day celebration.”
When asked what type of en-
ergy he would like the film festival
to exude, Napolitano answered,
“e 1880s meets the 1920s with an
addition of modern film. Folky.
Jazzy. Classy. Indie. Electric.”
“Audience members will expe-
rience the cinema in a whole new
light. Live music to vinyl records on
the turntable prior to each screen-
ing, cotton candy, popcorn and
soda pop on hand for all. Audiences
will be coming out for three nights
of unforgettable works circulating
the world of film,” according to
Napolitano.
Napolitano’s experience as a
participant in the Slamdance Film
Festival gave him insight into how
he wants to model his own event.
“Slamdance treats their filmmakers
very well and with the utmost re-
spect. Great communication be-
fore, during and after the festival. A
fine stage for any filmmaker’s pre-
miere, career … something I strive
to do and mirror with the
Collinsville Film Festival,” he said.
On how his festival will differ
from others he has experienced,
Napolitano said, “Something very
different … is our willingness to ac-
cept, program and present radio
narratives and radio documen-
taries.ese categories are devoted
to storytelling without a visual
component, a rarity for nearly every
film festival around the world.
“I want our event to be unrec-
ognizable, something foreign and
intriguing at the same time,”
Napolitano added. “I want the fes-
tival to do its own thing. I want it to
operate the very same way I would
enjoy it, both as a filmmaker or an
audience member.”
With regards to content, how-
ever,Napolitanonotedthatthema-
jority of the films will be suitable for
adults 17 and up, although there
will be some content suitable for
children. Parents should look to the
website for further information
about the specific films closer to
the festival’s dates.
e Collinsville Film Festival is
designed to “support filmmakers,
artists and musicianslooking to tell
a story. Our aim is to enlighten as
wellasentertainaudiencesthrough
a series of cinematic visions, ap-
proaches and perspectives. If we
can do that, we’ve done our job,”
Napolitano said.
When asked if there’s any ad-
vice he would offer to those think-
ing of submitting a film to the
festival, Napolitano explained, “Pro-
fessional, amateur and student
filmmakers working in all aesthetic
disciplines and genres including
narrative, documentary, experi-
mentalandanimationarewelcome
to submit, including radio narra-
tives and radio documentaries.
Film submitted must be a Con-
necticut premiere to be considered.
ere is no date of completion re-
quirement. So, if it’s a film that you
just completed last Friday night or
perhaps 10 years ago, we want
them all.”
In addition, Napolitano is ac-
cepting artwork for the festival’s
poster contest for which he’s look-
ing to get a 1920s vibe that reflects
the historic area, he said.
Further guidelines and dead-
lines for both film and poster sub-
missions can be found on the
Collinsville Film Festival website:
collinsvillefilmfestival.com. Win-
ners of the poster contest will be
announced by February 2014 and
will receive two tickets to the open-
ing night film. Final program deter-
minations will be completed by
March 15, 2014. e Collinsville
Film Festival itself is scheduled for
April 25 to 27, 2014.
When asked about future
plans for the Collinsville Film Festi-
val,Napolitano replied,“Iwouldlike
to expand upon the festival now, by
incorporating charitable events
and seasonal festivities leading up
to the festival. As for the festival it-
self and for its future, I would love
to bring in more and more films,
filmmakers, artists and musicians
in the years to come. Only time will
tell.”
June 27, 2013 The Valley Press 9
PRESSARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
We have a multi-purpose studio featuring Certified Visual Arts
Educators and guest Artists presenting workshops on many
different art disciplines. Our goal is to help share the talents of
many great artists from all over the Farmington Valley with our
friends and customers! These classes will be casual, com-
fortable, and will be geared towards students of all ages and
skill levels, from grade school - retirement, novice to expert,
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Or call 860-670-7930
to set up an appointment
Workshops starts this September!
We will open our doors for SALES on July 10th.
Are you an Artist with
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We are looking for artist who would like
to share their passion and talents at
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Interested?
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or call 860-670-7930
We are currently seeking
local, cool artisans
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Turn your unique furniture, fine
home furnishings and one of a kind
accessories into CASH!
We are the only local retailer for
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the original European furniture paint.
Eco friendly, no sanding, stripping or priming.
Get several OLD WORLD FINISHES.
We will feature
Gallery artists
Linda Jacque
and
Jillian Barber
for the
months of
July and August
Localresidentwill‘bringthefilm’toCollinsville
Collinsville Film Festival Program Director Jonathan Napolitano stands with
the historic Collinsville Axe Factory building in the background.
Courtesy photo
“ Live music to vinyl
records on the turntable
prior to each screening,
cotton candy, popcorn
and soda pop on hand
for all. Audiences will be
coming out for three
nights of unforgettable
works circulating the
world of film.”
-JonathanNapolitano
10. By Alison Jalbert
Assistant Editor
With the start of summer
comes the start of the Talcott
Mountain Music Festival, the sum-
mer concert series of the Hartford
Symphony Orchestra.
Celebrating its 19th season
this year, the Performing Arts Cen-
ter at Simsbury Meadows will once
againbehometothe festival,which
combines the music of the Hartford
Symphony Orchestra with guest
conductors and artists.
e venue allows concert at-
tendees to enjoy a summer evening
on thelawnlistening to music.HSO
President and CEO Carrie Ham-
mondsaidthatattendeesvaryfrom
casual concertgoers to those who
come with a fancy spread. “With all
of the concerts, people bring their
coolers and blankets and chairs,”
she said. “You can bring as much
food as you want; some people
come with elaborate candelabras.
Other people just roll up with a
chair slung over their back and a
newspaper. It’s whatever you want
to make it.”
Going into each season, Ham-
mond said the HSO has a general
idea of the scheme of the festival.
“We say we’re going to start out the
first concert being more of the
music we’re traditionally known for,
atleastwhenwe’reinaconcerthall.
It’s kind of a transition.”
is year,the HSO is lookingat
the results of an online survey con-
ducted last year via the town of
Simsbury and the HSO’s websites,
asking attendees what they want to
hear. “After Talcott closed last year,
we took all those results and looked
at them and looked at who was
available,” Hammond said. “We fac-
tor a lot of that in.”
After an initial lineup is deter-
mined, the HSO looks at “how [the
shows] feel together,” Hammond
said. “Are we doing a little some-
thing for everybody? Does it feel
like a good mix?”
She said they start with three
to four times the number of ideas of
the final lineup, which is five pro-
grams, before narrowing it down.
“We’re looking at how long has it
been since we’ve done a Sinatra
program? Did we have that pro-
gram in 2002? at’s probably long
enough. But then we’ll have people
who will ask, ‘When’s the Michael
Jackson program coming back? We
want that again.’ We try to balance
it that way. ere is a lot of thought
that goes into it.”
e season kicks off with
Mozart in the Moonlight Friday,
June 28. Hammond said they “al-
most always” start with a tradi-
tional classical music program. “It’s
awaytohighlighttheorchestraand
what we’re known for when we’re
playing at the Bushnell.”
e program is almost entirely
selections by Mozart, including his
“Paris” Symphony and the Overture
from the opera “Don Giovanni.”
HSO principal cellist Jeffrey Krieger
will be featured on Haydn’s Cello
Concerto No. 1 in C Major. ere
will be fireworks after the concert.
e annual Celebrate America
concert with fireworks will be held
Wednesday, July 3. It has been a
yearly tradition for as long as the
festivalhasexisted.Localtroopsare
invited to attend, and the local foot
guard and color guard make an ap-
pearance. “ere you are along the
river; it just cries out for a big
Fourth of July with the fireworks,”
Hammond said.
HSO Music Director Carolyn
Kuan will conduct Celebrate Amer-
ica, which is always the most heav-
ily attended of the festival’s shows.
Hammond said the show usually
draws between 8,000 and 10,000
people.
“It’s a field full of people, with a
lot of them wearing red, white and
blue,” Hammond said. “It really
doesn’t get more American than
that, celebrating family and com-
munity.”
Hammond said that this year’s
focus is a Salute to American He-
roes, with musical pieces about
Abraham Lincoln and the Kennedy
brothers that include narration.
“is year, we really looked at
things like the success of the Lin-
coln movie that had come out, the
50th anniversary of JFK’s assassina-
tion and it’s the 150th anniversary
of the Civil War. We want to try and
highlight conversations or things
that people are already talking
about or feeling.”
e festival moves from stars
and stripes to Sinatra for Sinatra
Under the Stars Friday, July 12. e
HSO will be joined by guest vocal-
ist/trumpeterRobZappullaandhis
Big Band, paying tribute to some of
Frank Sinatra’s biggest hits. “Rob
Zappulla has a great Big Band and
has a Sinatra show that he’s put to-
gether,” Hammond explained. “He
channels Sinatra.”
e Movie Music of John
Williams will be the festival’s next
show Friday, July 19. Boston Pops
Conductor Jim Orent will be the
guest conductor. e HSO will per-
form some of Williams’ biggest
movie hits, including music from
“Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” “E.T.
the Extraterrestrial” and the “Harry
Potter” films.
efestivalclosesoutwithe
Rolling Stones Tribute, celebrating
the band’s 50th year, Friday, July 26.
GuestartistsWindborneMusicfea-
turing Brent Havens will join the
HSO in performing some of the
band’s biggest hits, including “Sat-
isfaction,” “You Can’t Always Get
What You Want” and “Ruby Tues-
day.”
Hammond feels itisimportant
to offer such a wide variety of pro-
grams within the festival to try and
appeal to as many people as possi-
ble. “We look at this as a great way
to bring people together to listen to
music. We think it’s really fun when
a grandparent wants to share a
piece that’s really exciting to them
with someone else in their family.”
e Performing Arts Center at
Simsbury Meadows is ideal for
reaching as many people as possi-
ble, Hammond said. “People are on
their feet, they’re dancing, they’re
running around.It’safunwaytosee
a lot of people and visit with your
friends and family. I think some of
the greatest stories I like to touch
on are the intergenerational fami-
lies that I see gather there year after
year.”
One thing the symphony has
enjoyed this year is the partner-
ships it has developed with Sims-
bury and the region, something
that Kuan is passionate about it
doing. Hammond said the HSO
works with the Simsbury Rotary
Club on field preparation as well as
providing volunteers. e HSO has
a presence at town events such as
the River Run, ArtWalk Simsbury
and Septemberfest. “We really
view ourselves as a partner to the
town and that space because it’s
one of the most beautiful perform-
ing arts centers around, and we
want it to be successful,” Ham-
mond said. “It’s important that
we’re out there talking about how
great it is and encouraging people
to come.”
Hammond said that ticket
sales are running about two times
what they were at this time last
year, which the HSO is excited
about. Tickets can be purchased for
the festival as a whole, or by indi-
vidual show. Both lawn and table
tickets are available, as is the popu-
lar Grass Pass option, where a set
numberofticketscanbepurchased
andthebuyerdecidesforwhatcon-
cert to use them.
For more information on the
Talcott Mountain Music Festival or
to purchase tickets, visit www.hart-
fordsymphony.org or call 860-244-
2999.
10 The Valley Press June 27, 2013
PRESSARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
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HSOaimstopleaseallaudienceswithTalcottMountainMusicFestival
A scene from last year’s annual Cel-
ebrate America concert the week of
the Fourth of July
“It’s a field full of people,
with a lot of them
wearing red, white and
blue. It really doesn’t get
more American than
that.”
-HSOPresidentandCEOCarrie
Hammondabout‘CelebrateAmerica’
Photo by Jennifer Senofonte
11. June 27, 2013 The Valley Press 11
860-658-3744
Call Freddi to schedule
a personal visit!
75 Great Pond Road Simsbury, Connecticut
“This is a wonderful
nursing home for people
who want to be treated
in a decent way.”
- Mr. Jack Bannan,
Simsbury Hometown Hero
and his son, John
Visit www.mcleancare.org/long-term-care to listen to our residents’ full stories.
At McLean, you can take comfort in knowing that your loved one will
be treated with exceptional respect, care and compassion, while receiving
individualized care that evolves as their needs change. McLean team members
strive every day to provide excellent, person-centered care for each of our
nursing home long-term residents and short-term rehabilitation patients.
Discover the McLean Home Long-Term Care Difference:
the Nation
o bt tto be tano wwanhw
emog hinng hsrrsnu
nThis is a wo“
detteaeearrebe ttr
ellepr peoopoffo
lfurrfuedde
and his son, John
Simsbury Hometown Her
. Jack Bannan,- Mr
yaay.t wwaneecin a ddec
nh
LMA
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GFWC/Farmington Valley
Woman's Club has once again
placed flags in Brooks Commons
in Unionville to commemorate
and honor military personnel.
is has become an annual
event for the club. e club
members prepare the oval gar-
den area, plant flower beds and
border them with the flags.
Club members Irene Engel
(left ) and Jenny Czyrko (right)
organized the sale of flags at the
Unionville Stop & Shop to sup-
port local projects such as the
Veterans Oasis at Tunxis Com-
munity College and the flag dis-
play on the Commons. e flags
were placed Memorial Day week-
end and will remain on display
through July. Information regard-
ing the Farmington Valley
Woman’s Club is available at
www.fvwomen.webs.com.
GFWC/FVWCplantsflags
e Simsbury Farmers’
Market opened last week. As a
local destination for shopping,
dining and entertainment, the
market is in need of a volunteer
crafts/activities coordinator for
its sixth season. e primary re-
sponsibility of the crafts/activi-
ties coordinator is to plan and
organize a series of crafts and ac-
tivities that are geared toward
young children for each week of
the market. Duties will include
pre-planning activities, shopping
and prepping for market days,
and soliciting volunteers. is
position is ideal for a college stu-
dent with a focus in education,
or for someone whose business
involves children. Involvement is
on a strictly volunteer base. If in-
terested, contact Anne-Marie
Regish, market master, at
sfm06070@gmail.com. Volun-
teers are also wanted for other
areas. If interested contact
Michelle Mudry, volunteer coor-
dinator at mudnyc@gmail.com.
ExecutiveDirectorJayJohnston
announces the appointment of
Sarah Kline Morgan to the position
of director, branch and children's
services for Farmington libraries. “I
am excited to have Sarah on board
in this key position and confident in
her capabilities and resourcefulness
to provide the leadership necessary
to steer children’s services to new
and exciting successes.”
Morgan returns to the Farm-
ington libraries after serving as
youth librarian at the Prosser Li-
brary in Bloomfield, where she was
the recipient of an Every Child
Ready to Read grant for early liter-
acy outreach. Morgan was formerly
the teen librarian at Farmington li-
braries, youth librarian at the
Cheshire Public Library and a chil-
dren's librarian at the New Britain
Public Library. Morgan received her
B.A. from Cornell University summa
cum laude and her MLS from Syra-
cuse University. She received the
2009 Connecticut Library Associa-
tion’sSpecialAchievementAwardfor
workwithteensandtechnologyand
was the recipient of the 2007 CLA
Excellence in Public Service Award.
She lives in West Hartford with
her husband and two young chil-
dren. “I am appreciative of this won-
derful opportunity to return to the
Farmington libraries. I look forward
to a productive and challenging year
with the excellent board, staff,
friends and facilities that make the
Farmingtonlibrariestheplacetobe,”
she said. Morgan will assume her
duties in Farmington Aug. 30.
Newdirectorofbranchandchildren’s
servicesatFarmingtonlibraries
Tunxis Community College
hosted the Connecticut Association
of Latinos in Higher Education’s
29th annual meeting, “Implications
ofPublicAct12-40Legislation,” June
14.
Keynotespeakerandeducation
consultant Dianne Kaplan deVries,
Ed.D., discussed the impact Public
Act 12-40 will have on remedial ed-
ucationanditseffectsonLatinostu-
dents and institutions of higher
education in Connecticut, particu-
larly community colleges.
“is topic is very important
because as we implement P.A. 12-40,
we need to ensure that the success
rates of our most vulnerable under-
prepared students improve and that
they complete the college education
they need to get good jobs to sup-
port their families and become pro-
ductive citizens,” said Tunxis
President Cathryn L. Addy, Ph.D.
TunxishostsCALHEannualmeeting
SimsburyFarmers’
Marketvolunteers
needed
Courtesy photo
12. 12 The Valley Press June 27, 2013
710 Hopmeadow St. • Drake Hill Mall
Simsbury, CT Phone: 860-658-2271
Fax: 860.658.2273
Pizza: 860-658-1210
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13. June 27, 2013 The Valley Press 13
PRESSNews
BRISTOL | CANTON | ENFIELD | FARMINGTON | GLASTONBURY | HARTFORD | HTFD HOSPITAL | KENSINGTON | WEST HARTFORD
Get the look of
SUMMER.
By Alison Jalbert
Assistant Editor
SIMSBURY – e members of
the Paw Meadow Dog Park com-
mittee are working to estimate the
amount of damage made to the
small dog park fence after it was
plowed into by a vehicle.
Committee volunteer Nikki
Perry said the damage occurred
sometime between the evening
of Friday, June 14 and when it
was reported at 7:30 a.m. on Sat-
urday, June 15. It was reported by
a patron of the dog park, who no-
ticed the damage. Simsbury Po-
lice had no prior report of the
damage.
Perry said there are no secu-
rity cameras where the dog park is
located, which is something that
Dog park fence damaged in hit-and-run
By Jennifer Senofonte
Staff Writer
GRANBY – Every resident
whose property abuts where a
new sidewalk on Salmon Brook
Street will be installed that at-
tended the public hearing June
17 expressed concerns about
the project.
e two residents at the
hearing who said they support
and are excited about having a
sidewalk connect the schools
and town center with Salmon
Brook Park do not live in the af-
fected area.
e sidewalk will extend
over 2,000 feet along the west
side of Salmon Brook Street to
the entrance of Salmon Brook
Park.
An extension of about 400
feet into the park and special
sidewalk lighting are being con-
sidered for construction at the
same time as the streetscape
project, but have not yet been
approved. If approved, these el-
ements would carry a separate
cost from the streetscape.
e sidewalk streetscape
was approved in a packaged
bond referendum last year. It
will be funded using a combi-
nation of local and federal
money. e total cost is
$585,000 and the local portion
is $94,000.
Kevin Clark, Granby town
Salmon Brook Street
abutters not happy with
streetscape plans
Residents
tripped up
by sidewalk
project
See STREETSCAPE on page 22
See DOG PARK on page 22
By Sloan Brewster
Senior Staff Writer
SIMSBURY – Valley towns
participated in a statewide drill
in preparation for bad weather.
Mid-morning on ursday,
June 20, a faux ice storm rolled
into Litchfield County, accord-
ing to Simsbury Director of
Emergency Management Kevin
Kowalski. In Valley towns, the
pretend storm was minor, but
other areas in the exercise sim-
ulated heavy damage.
With that in mind, Sims-
bury and other Valley towns in-
cluding Granby and Canton
stood by in case they were
needed to help out, Kowalski
said.
“We’ll be on standby to
provide support services as
they’re needed,” he explained
during the drill.
ingsthetowncouldhave
provided included fire trucks
See DRILL on page 20
Local towns
take part
in statewide
drill
Project will rid Burlington’s northern rail trail portion of roots
By Sloan Brewster
Senior Staff Writer
BURLINGTON – e town of
Burlington is working on getting rid
of roots on the two miles of the
northern portion of its rail trail, but
the work won’t be completed this
summer.
According to Director of Public
Works Scott arau, the hope is that
the project will be completed by late
fall or early spring.
Currently, the town is still
working with the state on finalizing
the plan, he said.
e project will be similar to a
small roads project – a reclamation
– arau said. Crews from the
town’s Highway Department will do
most of the work, which will include
grinding up the asphalt, removing
the roots, adding a root barrier and
then repaving based on current
See ROOTS on page 21
A vehicle struck the Paw Meadow Dog Park on the interior gate at the corner of the fence where the main fenc-
ing meets the double-gated entryway. The interior gate as well as fence posts and mesh fencing were damaged
by the impact.
Photo by Alison Jalbert
A photo taken last fall of the buckled asphalt on the rail trail in Burlington
Photo by Sloan Brewster
14. By Jennifer Senofonte
Staff Writer
AVON – As high school stu-
dents entered the parking lot for the
last time this school year, adminis-
trators and police officers left them
with a reminder to be safe when be-
hind the wheel.
e Orange Ribbon Campaign
took place the morning of Friday,
June 21 in the parking lot of Avon
High School. Every vehicle to enter
the complex was handed an orange
ribbon that read, “Safety First” to re-
mind them of the dangers of dis-
tracted driving and speeding.
“Wecouldn’tusegreenbecause
green is go. Orange is for safety,” Po-
lice Chief Mark Rinaldo explainedof
the color choice that morning.
He, along with fellow police of-
ficers Lt. Kelly Walsh, Sgt. Dave
Gannon, Capt. Jeff Blatter, Sgt. Lisa
Petkis, Superintendent of Schools
Gary Mala, Board of Education
Chair Peggy Roell and school ad-
ministrators gave out about 700 or-
ange ribbons to drivers that
morning.
“We’re trying to heighten
awareness,” Mala said.
Rinaldo noted that several ac-
cidents involving drivers under age
22 in town caused officials to take
notice.
According to a press release,
the police department researched,
reviewed and compiled statistics re-
garding the driving habits of drivers
underage22intownandfoundthat
during the past year in Avon, the
most frequent causes of at-fault ac-
cidents for drivers under that age
were the result of drivers following
too closely, failing to grant the right
of way and driving too fast for road
conditions.
According to the release, these
things are known to be contributed
toby“texting andattendingtoother
distractions while operating a
motor vehicle, aggressive driving
characterized by excessive risk tak-
ing and driving under the influence.”
Some facts laid out in a
brochure that accompanied the rib-
bons passed out Friday include,
“Five seconds is the average time
your eyes are off the road when tex-
ting. When traveling at 55 mph,
that’s enough time to cover the
length of a football field.”
Another fact: “A texting driver
is 23 times more likely to get into an
accident than a non-texting driver.”
e brochure also stated that
the number one cause of death in
teens is motor vehicle crashes.
“Hopefully, people will just lis-
ten to the safety message. We’re
going to follow up with some en-
forcement,” Rinaldo said.
e Orange Ribbon Campaign
will continue through the summer,
at Avon Day and again at school in
the fall to educate drivers, experi-
enced and new, that safety comes
first when behind the wheel.
14 The Valley Press June 27, 2013
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LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE TO TAXPAYERS
TOWN OF SIMSBURY
Notice is hereby given to all persons liable for payment of property taxes and sewer
use charges to the Town of Simsbury and Simsbury Fire District on the Grand List
of October 1, 2012, that said tax is due and payable July 1, 2013.
Town taxes for real estate and personal property (other than automobile) over the
amount of $100.00 may be paid in two installments; one half during July 2013 and the
other half during January 2014. All taxes due on automobiles are payable in full in
July 2013. Sewer use charges are also due and payable in full in July 2013.
If the tax due is not paid on or before August 1, 2013, interest will be charged from the
due date, July 1st, at the rate of 11
/2 per cent per month until paid, subject to a
minimum interest charge of $2.00 on both Town Tax and the Simsbury Fire District
Tax in accordance with Section 12-146 of the Connecticut General Statutes and Public
Act 80-468.
Payments may be mailed or paid at the Tax Collector’s office, which is open Monday
8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday thru Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Colleen O’Connor
Tax Collector
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Present your Meadows Concert Tickets
and receive 10% off Your Dining Bill
Excludes alcohol, tax and gratuity. Night of concert only.
Avon Police Lt. Kelly Walsh hands an orange ribbon to a driver entering the Avon High School parking lot June 21.
The Orange Ribbon Campaign was a joint police and school effort to educate young adults to drive safely.
Orange Ribbon Campaign encourages safe driving
Photo by Jennifer Senofonte
By Sloan Brewster
Senior Staff Writer
WEATOGUE - Ideas have
been coming in for ways to
transform the Weatogue section
of Simsbury into a village.
e town is conducting a
study on creating a village dis-
trict in that part of town, which
stretches down Routes 10 and
202 from Route 185 to Powder
Forest Drive. On June 19 it held
the second of three workshops
on the idea.
e workshops are much
like those for the 2009 charrette
in which town officials, consult-
ants and residents broke off into
groups to brainstorm ideas on
how to make desired changes
into a reality.
e plan, according to
HiramPeck,directorofCommu-
nity Planning and Development,
is to wrap up the study in July,
then draft a zoning regulation to
createthedistrictwiththeintent
for it to be adopted in the fall.
e result of the charrette
was much the same, with the
town creating and adopting the
TownCenterCodetogovernde-
velopment in the center of town.
Workshops
focus on new
potential
village district
See VILLAGE on page 21
CORRECTION
The legal notice to taxpayers appearing in the June
20th edition of The Valley Press had incorrect dates
in it. The correct notice appears below. The Valley
Press regrets any confusion this may have caused
our readers.
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Officials hopeful grant to fund SRO will be received
By Jennifer Senofonte
Staff Writer
FARMINGTON – ough
Farmington has applied for a COPS
Hiring Program Grant for several
years and has not been eligible,
Town Manager Kathy Eagen thinks
that, with a national push for po-
lice presence in schools, this could
be the year.
“We have not even come close
to receiving this grant in the past
because it always goes to cities,”
she said at the June 11 Town
Council meeting when council
members authorized her to apply
again this year. “With the new
push on community officers in
schools, I think we might have a
better chance.”
e grant would fund 75 per-
cent of the cost for a new school re-
source officer, or SRO, which Eagen
said is a $50,000 salary position.
Money for this new position is not
in the budget, so if the grant were
awarded, the town would have to
shuffle the budget to come up with
25 percent to fund it, Eagen said.
She added that the time frame for
receiving a grant is not clear.
“In speaking with the police
chief, it does look like our next offi-
cer will be one that we will be rec-
ommending to go into the schools,”
Eagen said, reiterating what Police
Chief Paul Melanson had previ-
ously expressed to her. Council
Chairman Jeff Hogan noted that
the schools are going through their
security audit, and this position
could be an outcome of that and
could be coordinated with the
grant money.
e United States Depart-
ment of Justice administers this
grant program and provides 75
percent of an entry level police
SRO salary and benefits, not to ex-
ceed $125,000, over the three-year
grant period. Additionally, the
town must retain the position for a
year after the grant expires.
“Our thoughts at this time are
that this position would be as-
signed to a new SRO who will be
stationed at [Irving A. Robbins]
and West Woods Upper Elemen-
tary schools, and they would de-
vote their time to all schools in the
district,” Eagen said.
By Jennifer Senofonte
Staff Writer
GRANBY – e Granby super-
intendent’s proposal to bring back
three new positions that were cut
from the original budget this year
was defeated by the Board of Edu-
cation in a 4-3 vote.
After the first Granby budget
referendum failed, the school
board cut its budget by $250,000
and among the reductions were
three new proposed positions for
the next school year. At the June 5
board meeting, Superintendent
Alan Addley made a recommen-
dation to use $168,000 in new rev-
enue from the Open Choice
program to reinstate three of the
cut positions: a new elementary
Spanish teacher, a new gifted and
talented program specialist and a
new math/science consulting
teacher.
On June 19, the school board
defeated the vote on the recom-
mendation because members
wanted to have a deeper conversa-
tion regarding the use of Open
Choice funds, which go into the
Quality and Diversity account.
Funds in that account are
meant to be used for supplemen-
tal programs that directly support
Open Choice and Granby stu-
dents, to pay magnet school tu-
ition fees, full-day kindergarten,
Mandarin Chinese and other en-
richment activities like Teen Battle
Chef and sign language.
“Some of them are not neces-
sarily against it,” Addley said of
Board of Education members who
supported the first proposed
budget that failed, but voted
against Addley’s recent proposal.
“ey are in favor of the positions,
but they wanted to have the full
discussion of Quality and Diversity
and the use of those funds before
deciding how to move forward.”
Earlier in June, he explained
that the legislature included an ad-
ditional $2,000 per Open Choice
student for districts whose choice
students exceed 4 percent of the
student population. In Granby,
there are approximately 80 stu-
dents from Hartford that attend
Granby schools through the Open
Choice program and the Quality
BOE defeats proposal
for position reinstatement
See PROPOSAL on page 24
By Alison Jalbert
Assistant Editor
FARMINGTON – Farmington
Police and firefighters are still
searching for a missing person in
and around the Farmington River,
but in a scaled-back manner.
Nasir Alam of East Hartford
has been missing since June 18,
when police received a 911 call in-
dicating that several people in the
Farmington River, had fallen off
their tubes and were yelling for
help. Emergency personnel re-
sponded to the area of Farmington
Avenue at Huckleberry Hill Road,
according to a release.
Six people in their early 20s
made their way out of the water
and were treated for minor injuries.
It was determined that Alam was
still in the water and was last seen
in the river somewhere near the
Farmington/Avon town line.
e banks of the river were
searched by Avon and Farmington
fire and police personnel.
On Monday evening, June 24,
a body was recovered from the
Farmington River in the back of
Tunxis Meade Park. As of press
time, police believed the body to
be that of Alam, but positive
Recent events prompt police reminder
about river caution
Nasir Alam went missing while tubing in the Farmington River last week. A body was recovered from the river
on Monday, June 24. As of press time, police believed it to be Alam, but positive identification was pending.
See RIVER on page 20
Photo by Jennifer Senofonte
16. By Sloan Brewster
Senior Staff Writer
BURLINGTON – A new civic
organization is blooming in
Burlington.
Resident and avid gardener
Donna Eriksen has started a gar-
den club in the town.
Eriksen, who spoke about
the club at the June 10 Board of
Selectmen meeting, said she
moved here 15 years ago and in
2007 became a master gardener.
After that, she was invited by a
friend to join the Cherry Brook
Garden Club in Canton.
“Over time, I realized how
great it was. I learned about bees,
good insects, how to arrange
things,” she said. “Plus, they’ve
done a ton of things to beautify
the town, so I thought, well, do
we have one in Burlington and, if
not, why?”
ere wasn’t one, so Eriksen
began talking to people and ask-
ing questions to see if anyone
wanted to start one. Before long,
she and a few others were hold-
ing an exploratory meeting at the
Burlington Library to measure
the amount of interest, which
proved to be substantial, she said.
At a second meeting, the group
named a treasurer and Jayne
Stocker, who maintains the town
green, joined. e group started
to talk about designs for local
beautification projects and, ac-
cording to Eriksen, is considering
following some of the trends
Stocker already utilizes on the
green.
Next, the group proposed
some bylaws, which were subse-
quently approved by the Feder-
ated Garden Club of Connecticut.
“We have lots of enthusi-
asm,” Eriksen said.
Horticulturalist Carl Salsedo
spoke about sustainable garden-
ing at the club’s June 20 meeting.
“It was wonderful. It was
well-attended, and he had so
much information and slides of
plants and ideas,” Stocker said.
At the meeting, the bylaws
were officially adopted and dues
were collected from the 21 mem-
bers that have so far joined the
club.
“People have a lot of ideas
about what we can do in town,
but we’re a limited town,” Eriksen
said at the Board of Selectmen
meeting. “We need more fund-
ing.”
Some of the ideas the club is
considering putting to action in-
clude beautifying areas around
local signs.
“We could take some of the
clumps of day lilies from the li-
brary and spread them around
[town],” Eriksen said, explaining
that there were copious amounts
of the flowers there.
One question that was
raised during the meeting was if
beautifying local signs was al-
ready something done by Boy
Scouts, but Eleanor Parente, who
takes the minutes of selectmen
meetings, said that while one
sign had been beautified by a
Scout, he was no longer doing
that.
Eriksen said the club would
likely look to work with the High-
way Department on certain proj-
ects.
“In Canton, we work very
closely with their Department of
Public Works,” she explained.
On another gardening note,
First Selectman Ted Shafer said a
local Eagle Scout candidate is
raising money to put a garden at
the Evergreens on ompson
Way, the town’s senior housing
complex.
“It’s going to be very, very
nice up there,” he said.
Anyone interested in learn-
ing more about the garden club
or joining should contact Erik-
sen at deriksen@snet.net.
16 The Valley Press June 27, 2013
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By Jennifer Senofonte
Staff Writer
e Farmington Town Council
signed the Clean Energy Commu-
nities Municipal Pledge, demon-
strating support and commitment
to energy efficiency and renewable
energy.
Bysigningthepledge,thetown
will strive to reduce municipal
building energy consumption by 20
percent by 2018 and have 20 per-
cent of municipal building electric-
ity from clean, renewable sources
by 2018. e town qualifies for and
will receive a $10,000 Bright Ideas
Grant for participating and striving
to reach the goals set forth.
To obtain 20 percent renew-
able energy by 2018, the town can
purchase renewable energy credits,
or RECs, at 95 cents per megawatt
hour. Because the town is mostly
runusing fossil fuels andothernon-
renewables, the RECs fulfill the
pledge to have 20 percent of the
town’s electricity from renewable
sources.
“ereisthepurchaseelement
just like before where the town is
guided toward purchasing some
green energy, but [with] this pro-
gram,theyarelookingintodifferent
ways that towns can meet that goal
without spending money,” Assistant
Town Planner Liz Dolphin ex-
plained at the June 11 Town Coun-
cil meeting when the Council
authorized the town manager to
sign the pledge.
e language in the BIG pro-
gram qualifications state that there
isnopenaltyandthemoneycannot
be taken away from the town if the
goals are not met, however, the
town may not be able to participate
in future BIG grant programs.
To track the progress in energy
use reduction, the town will use the
previous year as a benchmark. Dol-
phin explained that the Clean
Town qualifies for $10,000 Bright Ideas Grant
See GRANT on page 24
Residents join forces to clean
up home of neighbor in need
By Sloan Brewster
Senior Staff Writer
SIMSBURY–AyardinTariffville
is being transformed by neighbors.
Homeowner Heidi Meissner
said it shocked her that her neigh-
bors donated time and money to
help her, and called it nothing short
of a miracle, a word she used re-
peatedly to describe the effort.
“It’s a major miracle,” she said.
“I’ve been in tears that all these peo-
ple would come together and do-
nate money without [my] asking. …
It’s just indescribable. People think
stuff like that doesn’t happen. …
ey wouldn’t let me lift a finger. …
It’s a true miracle.”
In February, Meissner had a car
accident that caused her neurologi-
cal damage – following another ac-
cident that happened several years
ago and left her with nerve damage.
“So, I hadn’t been able to do
muchworkforacoupleofyears,”she
said. “It’s kind of a double whammy.
I’m 50 and I have never had a car ac-
cident, even a fender bender.”
Because it had been so long
since she could do any physical
work, Meissner’s yard was over
See HOME on page 24
Neighbors have come together to clean up this home in Tariffville after the
owner suffered neurological damage in a car accident and was unable to
maintain the yard.
Courtesy photo
17. Avon Public Library
281 Country Club Road, 860-673-9712,
www.avonctlibrary.info, library closed July
4
• Thursday Matinee Movies, 1:30 p.m.: June
27 “The Way We Were”
• Celebrate the Last Day of School Thurs-
day, June 27, 6:30-7:30 p.m., music by the
campfire presented by Girl Scouts, ages 3
and up, drop in
• Bee presentation Saturday, June 29, 11
a.m.-noon, by Howland Blackiston, all ages
• Mother Goose on the Loose Monday,
July 1, 8, 15, 22, Aug. 5 and 12, 10:15-11 a.m.,
ages 2-4 years, sign up
• Dig In: Sensory Play with rainbow
spaghetti Monday, July 1, 2-3:30 p.m., ages
2 and up, drop in
• Once Upon a Storytime Tuesday, July 2,
10:30-11:30 a.m., ages 3 and up, drop in
• Children’s Movie Matinee Tuesday, July 2,
2-5 p.m., “Monsters, Inc.”
• Pajama Storytime Tuesday, July 2, 6:30-
7:15 p.m., ages 3-6
• Civil War Exhibit, “Gettysburg: “nip and
tug right smart fighting” on display thru
August
Burlington Public Library
1 Library Lane, 860-673-3331,
www.burlingtonctlibrary.info
• T(w)een Craft Group Thursday, June 27, 5
p.m., decoupage tongue depressor
bracelets, register
• Storytime Picinic Thursdays, June 27-Aug.
22, 11:30 a.m., all ages, bring lunch
• Cuddles & Smiles Baby Group Fridays,
June 28-Aug. 16, 10:30 a.m., ages birth-9
months with caregivers
Canton Public Library
40 Dyer Ave., 860-693-5800, www.canton-
publiclibrary.org, closed July 4
• Saturday Book Conversations June 29, 1
p.m., “An Ordinary Man” by Paul Rus-
esabagina
• Geeky Crafts and Activities: Googly Eye
Crafts and a Bit of Googly Eye Bombing!
Monday, July 1, 4 p.m., for grades 2 and up,,
register
• “Story Makers: Celebrating Amazing Au-
thors and Inspiring Illustrators” Summer
Reading Program beginning Monday, July 1
thru Aug. 12 – children and teens partici-
pate to earn prizes, treats; summer reading
prizes for adults and teens beginning July
1
• Camp NaNoWriMo Tuesday, July 2, 3
p.m., workshop for aspiring writers, grades
6 and up, register
• Drop-in Story Time: Stories from Melanie
Watt including Scaredy Squirrel Wednes-
day, July 3, 10:30 a.m., ages 2 and up with
parent/caregiver
• “Ships, Seascapes and More: The Paint-
ings of Art Chouinard” in the gallery in July
and August
• Accepting donations for book sale thru
Aug. 24 – no VHS tapes, magazines, ency-
clopedias or textbooks
• Library seeking reliable, detail-oriented
individuals for position of library page 3-
6 hours per week plus every third Satur-
day for 3 hours, must be at least 16 years
old, applications at circulation desk or
from town’s website, one or two candi-
dates to be chosen
• As of July 1, patrons required to show a
valid library card to use public comput-
ers
Farmington Library
6 Monteith Drive, 860-673-6791,
www.farmingtonlibraries.org
• Afternoon at the Bijou Thursdays, 2-4
p.m.: June 27 “The Bride Comes Home”
• Accepting passport applications on be-
half of U.S. Dept. of State by appt. only
Children’s/Teen programs
• Magic: The Gathering Club Friday, June
28, 3-4:30 p.m., grades 7-12
• Teen Space Xbox Tournament Wednes-
day, July 3, 3-4 p.m., NBA 2K13, grades 7-12
• Book Buddies Friday, July 5, 10:30-11:45
a.m., ages 5 and up, register
• Growing Readers Fridays, 9:30-10:15 a.m.,
3, 4 and 5 year olds, register, July 5: Tops and
Bottoms; July 12, The Diggers; Aug. 2, The
Great Fuzz Frenzy
Cossitt Library
388 North Granby Road, 860-653-8958
• Planting Party Saturday, June 29, 10 a.m.
• Kids Chess Club Thursdays, 4 p.m.
• Libraries closed July 4 and 5
Simsbury Library
725 Hopmeadow St., 860-658-7663
• Art work on display thru June: Marianne
Flynn and Amy Conover in program room;
Jan Warren in lower hallway West Gallery;
Simsbury Camera Club in lower hallway
East Gallery; Robert Scalla, display of
model cars in display case
Children’s/teen programs
• Teen Book Club & More Wednesdays, 6-
7 p.m., sign up, July 3: discuss “Graphic Nov-
els” by Doug Tennapel
June 27, 2013 The Valley Press 17
checkitoutTo submit an event for the calendar, e-mail Sally at sedwards@thevalleypress.net
Avon calendar
The Avon Senior Center, 635 West Avon
Road, 860-675-4355:
• Caregiver Support Group Thursday, June
27, 2:30 p.m.
• Foot Care Monday, July 2, 9 a.m.-noon, $40,
call 860-677-7272 for appt.
• Closed Thursday, July 4
Avon Congregational Church/West
Avon Congregational Church joining to-
gether for summer worship, Sunday morn-
ings at 9:30 a.m. in July at West Avon, 280
Country Club Road, with worship services
led by the Rev. Martha Chenault, pastor of
Avon CongregationalChurch; August wor-
ship will be at the Avon Congregational
Church, led by Dr. Brian Hardee of West
Avon church
Avon public schools’ Summer Theater Pro-
gram, Junior Theater Workshop for grades
1-6, July 8-19, 8:30-11:30 a.m., with a per-
formance of “Annie, Kids” July 19, for info go
to www.avonsummertheater.com
Avon Historical Society’s Pine Grove
School House, 3 Harris Road, and Derrin
House, 249 West Avon Road, open for the
summer tourist season every Sunday from
2-4 p.m. thru September
Burlington calendar
Center School, the one-room schoolhouse
near the green on George Washington Turn-
pike, open to the public the last Sunday of
the month thru September, June 30, July 28,
Aug. 25 and Sept. 29, 1-3 p.m., learn what it
was like to go to school 100 years ago
Parks & Rec summer programs, 860-673-
6789, ext. 7:
• Summer camps Sessions 2-7 of Little Ex-
plorers, Camp Adventure, Camp Burlington
and Teen Adventure Camp
• Summer Diamond Kings Baseball Camp
for ages 7-12 July 8-11, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.,
Nassahegan Rec Complex, $125, registration
deadline July 5, for info: 860-584-1386
• Session III of Get Golf Ready Wednesdays,
July 10, 17, 24, registration deadline July 8
• UK International Soccer Camp July 22-26,
ages 4-6 and 7-14, registration deadline July
12
Confirmation of voting residence form
extension to July 1 to return to registrar’s of-
fice, if not returned by that date, persons in-
volved put on an inactive voter status
Canton calendar
Senior & Social Services resuming sum-
mer office hours Thursday, June 27 from 9
a.m.-5 p.m.
Save the Frogs, Betty Kleiner Memorial
Lecture by Michael Starkey, Friday, June 28,
7:30 p.m., at Roaring Brook Nature Center,
70 Gracey Road, $3/$5, 860-693-0263
Member/guest show at Gallery on the
Green, corner of Dowd Avenue and Route
44, thru June 30; Peggy Dembicer’s show
“Cross Purposes – Challenging the Media”
in second floor gallery; and Karl Lund’s
“Angry Robots Vaporized My Mind” in
Spotlight Gallery (www.galleryonthe-
green.org)
Free VNA blood pressure screenings:
Tuesday, July 2, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at Town
Hall, 4 Market St., Collinsville; Wednesday,
July 3, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at Community
Center
Canton Parks & Rec summer programs
registration, 860-693-5808, www.Canton-
Rec.org: College workshop July 11 and Aug.
6
Warrior Basketball School summer
camp July 15-19 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Can-
ton High School, with before and after
camp care option available from 8 a.m.-4
p.m., registration includes T-shirt, space lim-
ited, contact www.cantonrec.org, 860-693-
5808
Farmington calendar
Free VNA blood pressure screenings:
Monday, July 1, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at the
Farmington Senior Center, 321 New Britain
Ave., Unionville; Wednesday, July 3, 9-11
a.m., Farmington Library
At UConn Health Center,
263 Farmington Ave.:
• Free Hospital Maternity Tours Saturday,
June 29, 2:30 p.m., main lobby, call 1-800-
535-6232 to register
• “From Prenatal to Parenting” free program
Tuesdays, July 2-Aug. 27, 6-8 p.m., Exchange,
Building 4, offered by Nurturing Families
Network, register at 860-679-4114
• Nutrition for a Healthy Heart Wednesday,
July 3, 2-4 p.m., Dowling North Building, reg-
istration fee $30, 1-800-535-6232
First Church of Christ, Congregational
1652, 75 Main St., inviting the public in air
conditioned worship in Amistad Hall start-
ing June 30 thru Labor Day; the historic
Meetinghouse available for special services
and events throughout the summer
St. James Church Vacation Bible School
July 15-19, 9 a.m.-noon, pre-register at
www.stjamesfarmington.org, $25 per child
3-part series on downsizing at Village
Gate, 88 Scott Swamp Road: July 5, 2 p.m.,
Selling Your Home; July 11, 5:30 p.m., Dine
& Discuss: What’s Up with downsizing?; July
27, 2 p.m., Senior Living open house, for
more info call 860-676-8626
Girls Basketball Academy with Coach
Russ Crist and Farmington High School girls
basketball team for girls entering grades 2-9
at FHS July 29-Aug. 2, visit girlsbasketballa-
cademy.com for details
Granby
Free VNA blood pressure screenings
Tuesday, July 2, 9-10:30 a.m., Farmington Val-
ley YMCA
Art exhibit featuring Jim Lee and Walter
Kendra in the Tasting Room at Lost Acres
Vineyard, thru June 30; James Magner &
Robert Noreika exhibiting July 5-Aug. 5
Granby Farmers’ Market open Tuesdays,
3-6:30 p.m., thru Sept. 10 at the Farmington
Valley YMCA, 97 Salmon Brook St.
Simsbury calendar
“Living with Alzheimer’s Part II: End-Stage
Connection & Communication,” Thursday,
June 27, 5 p.m., sponsored by The Atwater,
at McLean, 75 Great Pond Road, register,
860-658-3786
Senior Center at Eno Memorial Hall, 860-
658-3273, closed Thursday, July 4:
• Ice Cream Sundae Bingo Thursday, June 27,
1-2:30 p.m., $1, sign up
• Friday Lunch Café June 28, 11:30 a.m.-1
p.m., turkey wild rice soup, seafood salad or
egg salad sandwich, $2 per sandwich, $2 per
soup, eat in or take out
• Wellness: footcare Monday, July 1, 1-3 p.m.,
sign up; massages Wednesday, July 3, appts.
starting at 10 a.m., $10, sign up
• Stretch & Tone with Marie Tuesdays and
Thursdays, July 2-Aug. 29, 9-9:45 a.m., drop-
in fee $3
• Wednesday Lunch at Eno July 3, noon, cod
Italiano, sign up the Friday before by noon,
$3/$4
• Hot Dog BBQ Tuesday, July 9, 11:30 a.m.,
south side lawn, $2, sign up by July 3
Free VNA blood pressure screenings:
Monday, July 1, 1:30-3 p.m., Simsbury Li-
brary; Wednesday, July 3, 11:45 a.m.-2:15
p.m., ENO Fit, 754 Hopmeadow St.
Second Chance Shop of Simsbury, 12 Sta-
tion St., gigantic sale July 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, with
everything 50 percent off those days, shop
closed July 4, summer hours: Monday-Sat-
urday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Simsbury Community Band Summer Se-
ries Concerts: Thursday, July 4, 7 p.m., Sims-
bury Farms Ice Rink, 100 Old Farms Road
Parks & Rec adult and junior tennis pro-
grams, register at www.simsburyrec.com or
call Bill Donahue at 860-836-5406: adults
July 8-Aug. 14 at Simsbury Farms; Simsbury
Farms Tennis & Golf Camp (ages 7-15) July
8-11, 22-25 and Aug. 5-8, Monday-Thursday,
9 a.m.-2 p.m.; Quick Start Tennis Camp (ages
5-7) July 15-18, July 29-Aug. 1 and Aug. 12-
15 at Simsbury Farms, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Fun
Unlimited Tennis Camp (ages 7-15), July 8-
Aug. 15 at Farmington Valley Racquet Club;
Fun Unlimited Junior Tennis Clinics begin-
ning July 8 ages 5-10 1-2 p.m. and ages 11-15,
2-3 p.m.
Artists and crafters wanted for Simsbury
Woman’s Club Arts and Crafts Festival to be
held Sept. 14 and 15, contact Jean Sumner
at 860-658-4493 or Shirley Barsness at 860-
658-2684
The Simsbury Farmers’ Market in
Simsmore Square, Hopmeadow Street,
opening Thursday, June 20 from 3-6 p.m.
and continuing thru Oct. 3 (www.Sims-
buryFarmersMarket.com) – help needed
working info booth, as craft coordinator,
dressing as Nellie the Cow and more, go to
mudnyc@gmail.com
The Valley and beyond
Westfield State University offering Col-
lege for Kids program for ages 5-16 with
classes running July 8-Aug. 2, morning ses-
sion 8:30 a.m.-noon and afternoon session
1-4:30 p.m. register at 413-572-8557 or col-
legeforkids@westfield.ma.edu
Young Adult Al-Anon Tuesdays, noon-1:30
p.m. at the University of Hartford University
Commons Building, Connections Health
Education and Wellness Center, basement
UC Room 116, 200 Bloomfield Ave., West
Hartford, an anonymous 12-step program
Music Together of West
Hartford and Farmington
Valley six-week special Ba-
bies Class July 10-Aug. 14 at
Congregation Beth Israel, 701
Farmington Ave., West Hartford, registration
required: www.musictogetherWHFV.com
Michael C. Rosano Invitational Golf
Tournament dedicated to Dr. David Hull
July 21 at Blue Fox Run Golf Course in Avon
hosted by LifeChoice Donor Services and
Rosano,l a recipient of a life-saving kidney
transplant, register at www.golfdigestplan-
ner.com/22268-Lifechoice
at the library
“Cabaret” at Playhouse on Park, 244
Park Road,, West Hartford, thru July 12,
Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30
p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.,
and Sundays at 2 p.m., tickets range
from $32.50-$42.50, call 860-523-5900,
ext. 10 or go to www.PlayhouseOn-
Park.org
At Infinity Hall, Rte. 44, Norfolk, toll
free 1-866-666-6306: June 27 and 28, 8
p.m., Rusted Root; June 29, 8 p.m., Big
Al Andersen and the Floor Models fea-
turing Jim Chapdelaine, Lorne Entress
and Paul Kochanski; June 30, The Blue
Hill Troupe performing Gilbert & Sulli-
van’s “The Mikado”; June 30, 7:30 p.m.,
Aaron Carter; July 3, 7 p.m., Open Mic
Night
Save the Frogs program Friday, June
28, 7:30 p.m., at Roaring Brook Nature
Center, 70 Gracey Road, Canton, 860-
693-0263, $3/$5 – current threats to
amphibians and what can be done
about it with Michael Starkey
At Bridge Street Live, 41 Bridge St.,
Collinsville, 860-693-9763: June 28, 9
p.m., Roger Salloom (poet, singer-song-
writer) featuring Charles Neville and
Jessica Freeman; June 29, 7:30 p.m., The
James Cotton Blues Band w/Jr. Krauss
and The Shakes
At Maple Tree Tavern, 781 Hop-
meadow St., Simsbury, 860-651-1297,
8:30 p.m.: June 28, The Colby’s; June 29,
Carrie Johnson
‘Music at Saint Cyril’s’ Saturday, June
29 5:15 p.m., at SS. Cyril and Methodius
Church, 55 Charter Oak Ave., Hartford,
featuring Albanian violin prodigy
Brunilda Myftaraj performing music by
J.S Bach and Ysaye, free-will donations
United States Coast Guard Band,
Saturday, June 29, 7 p.m. at Summer-
Wind in Windsor, free – U.S. military
veterans and active duty receive prior-
ity seating
Farmington Bank Community Con-
cert Series featuring Simply Swing, a
10-piece ensemble specializing in
music of Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington
and Count Basie, July 2, 6:30 p.m., Nor-
ton Park, Plainville
At Mark Twain House & Museum,
351 Farmington Ave., Hartford, 860-
280-3130: June 27, 7 p.m., Heloise in-
troduced by Brini Maxwell; June 28
and 29, Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours, 6,
7, 8 and 9 p.m., call for reservations; The
Art andCraft of Storytelling with Tom
Lee Tuesdays, July 2, 9, 15, 23 and 30, 6-
8 p.m., register; writing workshop with
Hillary Rettig Tuesdays, July 2-Aug. 6,
5:30-8:30 p.m., register; free admission
of active duty military and families
thru Labor Day
Summer Concert Series at Elizabeth
Park, Asylum Ave., West Hartford, July
3, 6:30-8 p.m., Mighty Soul Drivers
Hartt Community Division Summer
Latin Jazz performance Sunday, July
7, 3-4:30 p.m., Millard Auditorium, Uni-
versity of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield
Ave., West Hartford, 860-768-4228
Art Design of Georgian Forms, chil-
dren’s artwork from 11 different coun-
tries at Pump House Gallery, 60 Elm St.,
Hartford, exhibit runs thru July 12
Coming
Attractions
