$4.95
• AUGUST 2022
Mashantucket festival Pequots gather to give thanks, celebrate first fruits
Back to school
Yes, it’s that time already
STORMS A-BREWIN’
Historic hurricanes, and forecasters’ predictions
legendary
LIGHTS Beacons still guiding ships home
Do you know how to play Wheel of Fortune? If you have a hearing loss, you do it all the time. The reason is that with all hearing losses, some speech sounds may come through quite well, while others are missed. For example, in the sentence,
L E __’ __ __ 0 __ L A Y __ A __ E __ A L L , __ R A N __ A __ ! All of the high frequency sounds have been hidden. This common pattern of hearing loss leaves the individual struggling to understand what the person said, grasping to fill in the missing blanks that their hearing loss doesn’t allow them to hear. This pattern of hearing loss, over time, can lead to a lack of attention and loss of listening ability. It can make one cognitively slower and literally a step behind everyone else in the conversation. Fortunately, this pattern of hearing loss can be greatly helped when “Getting my new hearing aids County Hearing and Balance treated by one of our Doctors of Audiology. In fact, our Doctors have had from was the best thing I ever did.” extensive, advanced training in learning about the acoustics of speech, how different patterns of hearing loss affect speech understanding, and extensive experience in utilizing today’s modern hearing aids to correct an individual’s hearing problems. The complete sentence above is“LET’S GO PLAY BASEBALL, GRANDAD!”. Isn’t it easy when you have the complete picture?
Now is the time to schedule a FREE Complete Hearing Consultation
FREE PROFESSIONAL EAR EXAMINATION
One of our Hearing Professionals will provide a professional examination of your ears and assess your hearing. Specialized testing will determine how well you understand speech, particularly in background noise.
FREE DEMONSTRATION In the event that you have a hearing loss, you will have the opportunity to evaluate hearing aids that have been accurately and professionally tuned specifically for your hearing loss. Your instrument will be chosen from several different brands based upon your specific needs, value, sound quality, and reliability.
County Hearing and Balance countyhearingandbalance.com
Waterford 167 Parkway North 860-443-6944
Old Saybrook 900 Boston Post Road 860-388-0022
Groton 495 Route 184 860-445-7476
Norwich 18 Oneco Street 860-886-6268
Madison 82 Bradley Road 203-245-1950
Middletown 198 S. Main Street 860-301-9984
Call one of our convenient offices to schedule your appointment.
JUST LISTED!
163 Butlertown Road, Waterford | $795,000
“SPECIALIZING IN UNIQUE AND DISTINCTIVE SHORELINE PROPERTIES”
Madeleine “Maddy” Mattson COLDWELL BANKER GLOBAL LUXURY SPECIALIST Top 3% of all Coldwell Banker Sales Associates Internationally
(860) 575-4344
Maddy.Mattson@cbmoves.com | maddymattson.com Old Lyme Office | PO Box 509/86 Halls Road | Old Lyme, CT 06371 | 860.575.4344 | ColdwellBankerHomes.com ©2022 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. A Realogy Company. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker Logo, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury, and the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury logo are service marks registered or pending registration owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Listing information is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed.
HOPE RIDES WITH US.
From Our Garage to Yours
ANTONINO AUTO
GROUP
antoninoautogroup.com
65
WINNER OF THE 2022 OUTSTANDING HISTORIC THEATRE IN AMERICA AWARD.
thedaymag@theday.com THE DAY PUBLISHING COMPANY
47 Eugene O’Neill Drive, New London, CT 06320-1231 860-442-2200 www.theday.com
President and Publisher
Timothy C. Dwyer 860-701-4379 t.dwyer@theday.com
Regional Advertising Director
Louvenia Brandt 860-701-4247 l.brandt@theday.com
Editor
Traci Neal tracineal110@gmail.com
Layout Editor
Barb Dunn b.dunn@theday.com
Advertising Sales
Gary Mullen and The Works perform One Night of Queen, a spectacular live concert, recreating the look, sound, pomp and showmanship of one of the greatest rock bands of all time. This show will ROCK you! Sponsored by Nutmeg Building & Remodeling LLC
ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN SUN., SEPT. 11, 2022 | 7 PM
Kristen Lennon k.lennon@theday.com Elle Rahilly e.rahilly@theday.com Rebecca Angelastro r.angelastro@theday.com Paul Blanco p.blanco@theday.com Cindy Cody c.cody@theday.com David Gellar dave@d2marketingsolutions.com Sarah Mazzio s.mazzio@theday.com Randy Murallo r.murallo@theday.com Jim Schiavone j.schiavone@theday.com Laura Carpenter l.carpenter@shorepublishing.com Lori Gregan l.gregan@shorepublishing.com Lisa Martin l.martin@shorepublishing.com
Advertising Design/Production
Kara Conlon, Jennifer Corthell, Chris Dobbins, Troy Hall, Patrick Santiague, Richard Swanson, Heidi Toala
Additional Contributions by
Kathy Archambault, Ann Baldelli, Jennifer Carmichael, Betty J. Cotter, Mary Ellen Fillo, Phil Hall, Jenn McCulloch, Erica Moser, G.A. Peck, Bridget Shirvell, Kitty Williams
THE CARLEANS SAT., SEPT. 17, 2022 | 8 PM
OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW
RESCHEDULED
Paint This Town Tour 2022
Local acoustic-based quartet, The CarLeans, takes the stage in the Oasis Room. Join us while they perform their mix of New Orleans funk, bluegrass, reggae, and Texas folk.
SAT., SEPT. 24, 2022 | 8 PM
Sponsored by the Michalowski Family
The Grammy Award-winning Americana folk/bluegrass string band, Old Crow Medicine Show makes their Garde debut.
Scan QR Code for more details and a full calendar listing: 325 STATE STREET | NEW LONDON, CT | 860.444.7373 6
magazine
© Copyright 2022 by The Day Publishing Company All rights reserved. Reproductions without the permission of the publisher are prohibited. ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS: This issue of The Day Magazine is considered one of The Day’s premium editions. You are receiving this premium publication for a fee equivalent to one issue of the newspaper; charged by moving your expiration date back by one day. If you would like to opt-out of receiving these publications please call Customer Service at 860-701-4400 or email memberservices@theday.com.
on the cover The iconic red-brick facade of Ledge Light stands at the mouth of the Thames River. photo by jack knox
this month 2 0 2 2
New London Harbor Light. p hoto courtesy of the New London Maritime Society
A U G U S T
48 HURRICANES ON THE HORIZON 56 PREPARE BEFORE A STORM HITS 62
LEGENDARY LOCAL LIGHTHOUSES
Three distinctive and historic beacons shine on today
august 2022 7
departments
13
CORRESPONDENCE 10 E ditor’s note 11 Catching up
IN THE SPOTLIGHT 13 Giving thanks,
celebrating first fruits
Pequot Festival of Green Corn and Dance honors tradition in August
PEOPLE & PLACES 21 A master at work
Martial arts instructor’s lessons are about much more than selfdefense
TASTE 27 Making friends and wine Group creates community while learning the art of winemaking
32 Idyllic setting, creative
menu make Breakwater a go-to spot on the water
38 The Spice Club
celebrates a decade in business
Brought to you by The Spice Club
39 Restaurant listings photo courtesy of chris pallatto
8
27
HOME & GARDEN 43 The house that Kate built
Hepburn’s legacy of land and home lives on at Fenwick “paradise”
43 photo courtesy of mashantucket pequot tribal nation
photo courtesy of william pitt sotheby’s international realty
LIFE CYCLES 73 Dental implants restore smiles Brought to you by Shoreline Periodontics
74 When kids are scared
How to talk to children about tragic events
78 Yes, it’s time to think about going back to school
Here’s how to make it as easy as 1-2-3
TRENDING 65 Angst, first loves & growing up
The best coming-of-age movies streaming right now
68 Turning pages
Books for stormy weather
70 Local finds
Shop unique. Shop local.
EXPLORATIONS 87 How to spend a perfect summer weekend in Lyme, Flanders & Old Saybrook
IT’S YOUR DAY 95 Maryam Elahi
President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut
Carpet • Wood • Laminate • Tile • and More Quality You Can See. Comfort You Can Feel. Value You Can Appreciate.
CLUFF
1 1 8 C ro ss Ro ad, Waterford CALL TODAY • 860-447-0383
CT State Lic. #545566
2020 2019 2017 2016 2015
82 Keep your vision clear and healthy
Thank You for making us the #1 Floor Company in Eastern CT! We look forward to helping you with ALL your flooring needs. For free measure and financing approval visit us online at CarpetOne.com
august 2022 9
correspondence | EDITOR’S NOTE
dear readers, Old Lyme. Photo by amanda lawrence
10
magazine
oldest and tallest lighthouse. Learn all about their history and the efforts to maintain them in “Legendary local lighthouses.” August a lso means it’s time to start thinking about head i n g back to s chool. Make sure to check out “Yes, it’s time to think about going back to school,” for lots of tips to help get back into a school-year routine and make the most of the last official month of summer. August is National Eye Exam Month. We’ve got the lowdown on the benefits of getting your eyes checked regularly in “Keep your vision clear and healthy.” Sundae has a list of ways you can keep your pet’s eyes healthy, too. This issue is packed full of things to do, hobbies to try and local places to explore. Learn about the Mashantucket Pequot harvest festival Schemitzun in “Giving thanks, celebrating first fruits.” Find out how to try winemaking with “Making friends and wine.” And discover the well-kept secrets that the towns straddling the Connecticut River have been keeping in “How to spend a perfect summer weekend in Lyme, Flanders & Old Saybrook.”
Barb Dunn, layout editor
Who the heck is this?
T
hings have been a little different here at The Day Magazine over the last month. Since we’re currently in the process of hiring a new editor (these things take time, and we’re picky!), I thought this might be a good time for your friendly neighborhood layout editor to chime in. As you’ve probably noticed, the headshot that I use looks suspiciously like a cat. That’s because it is my cat. I am more of a behind-the-scenes person, and I hate to have my picture taken. Plus, Georgie (who goes by Georgia Anne when she’s in trouble and is the inspiration for Sundae) is more photogenic, and let’s be honest, she’s way better to look at than a silly human. First of all, I want to thank all of the readers, contributors and advertisers for helping us take this ambitious idea and turn it into a project that we can be proud of. It means so much for us to receive your feedback, so please keep it coming. Tell us what you want to read about, what we’re missing in the community, and how we can get involved with our readers, through printed features and social media. Thank you for sticking with us as we figure out our next steps and continue to produce better and better content for you to read. One of the coolest things about summer is the opportunity to experience some of the incredible historic lighthouses that our region boasts. There’s Ledge Light, the iconic (and haunted?) landmark at the mouth of the Thames River, Race Rock Light, perched atop its dangerous and rocky foundation, and the New London Harbor Light, Connecticut’s
CATCHING UP
| correspondence
we want to hear from you!
Halloween will be here before we know it. For our October issue, we’d love to hear about the Halloween (or other late-October) traditions that our readers participate in. We’ll publish the best and most fun answers that we get!
What’s the funniest costume you’ve ever worn? What’s your favorite Halloween candy? Did you (or do your kids) have a house you were scared to go trick-or-treating at and why? What’s your favorite DIY Halloween costume? Would you rather make a Halloween costume or buy one and why? What’s the spookiest thing that ever happened to you? Does your town have any local unexplained phenomena? What’s the scariest movie you’ve ever watched and why? If you don’t celebrate Halloween, what kind of activities do you look forward to most in late October and early November?
@TheDayMagazine
@TheDayMagazine
@ thedaymag@theday.com
Be sure to include the question you’re answering, your name and the town you live in along with your response.
from our readers
Good Afternoon, The Day Magazine is outstanding! Each edition provides interesting, relevant, well-researched and well-written articles. I am interested in every topic. The writers connect with our community and cover what is important and fun: people, businesses, food, home & garden, explorations, trending--all great! And the layout and graphics are professional and beautiful! I will keep each issue. Thank you for your hard work! And please keep them coming! Betsy Perkins, new london
We want to hear from you! Send your questions, comments, suggestions, and ideas to thedaymag@theday.com. Or look us up on social media. You may even be featured on this page in a future issue. By getting in touch with us, you give us permission to reprint your comments.
august 2022 11
in the spotlight E N T E R TA I N M E N T
C U LT U R E
Mystic. photo by RICHARD DIXON
ARTS
honor pequot tradition at Schemitzun
12
magazine
in the spotlight
Giving thanks, celebrating first fruits PEQUOT FESTIVAL OF GREEN CORN AND DANCE HONORS TRADITION IN AUGUST
A
By Traci Neal s summer wanes and the corn gets higher in the fields, the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal Nation is preparing for its
late-August Festival of Green Corn and Dance, a Native American cel-
ebration of thanksgiving and the first fruits of the harvest. K now n as Schemitzun (pronounced Ski - MET - zen), the festival is the Mashantuckets’ biggest event of the year, attracting members of neighboring tribes and offering visitors a chance to learn more about the Pequots and their history, culture, food and traditions. COVID forced the festival to
Dancers participate in the grand entry at the beginning of the Festival of Green Corn and Dance. The festival takes place Aug. 27 and 28. Photo by J. Chavez
close last year to all but tribal members, but this year’s
Reels says the festival has been downsized since its
event is expected to draw crowds from Native American
first few years in the 1990s, when thousands of Native
tribes across New England and welcome the public back
Americans came to Connecticut from across the coun-
Aug. 27 and 28, rain or shine, as it has since the 1600s.
try and around the world for a four-day event to compete
For participants, “it’s a way for Native Americans to
for cash prizes in dance, song and drum competitions.
give thanks to the creator for our rich heritage while hon-
“Foxwoods Entertainment actually started the first
oring our ancestors, warriors, veterans and elders,” says
Schemitzun and it was an event that all the top stage
Wayne Reels, the tribal director of cultural resources and
entertainers in Indian country came to, but it was just a
a founding member of the festival committee, which was
musical folk festival, really,” says Reels of the early years
formed in 1992.
of the festival. At the same time, a committee from the
august 2022 13
in the spotlight tribe was planning an actual powwow, or a sacred social gathering. The following year, Reels says, the powwow committee reworked the festival, billing it as “Schemitzun, a Native American World Championship of Song and Dance.” It was intended, he says, to reach out to all the Native people who had festivals and powwows all over the country and bring them together. Over the next several years, the festival and competitions grew, bringing in world-class Nat ive A mer ica n si ng i ng groups and competitive dancers. With the help of Gov. Lowell P. Weicker, the event was moved to the Hartford Civic Center, Reels says. A rodeo was added and by 1996 the prize purse had reached in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. “We got every schoolchild in the state to come and we filled up the arena,” recalls Reels. “We wanted to give back to the people. It went on for a few years there until we moved it back here,” he says of the Mashantucket Pequot Cultural Grounds “in the heart of our community.” The celebration stems from the green corn ceremonies held by Native American tribes to ensure a good harvest, historian and anthropologist Eva Lutz Butler wrote in 1948. Butler’s work was the basis of the formation in 1965 of the Indian & Colonial Research Center, now called the Old Mystic History Center, located on Main Street in Old Mystic. Apparently even from the earliest times, Indians from other Tribes and Colonists enjoyed attending the various dances, Butler wrote. Today’s iteration offers fine Native American arts and crafts made by tribal members, including beadwork, baskets, textiles, wampum, paintings, weavings,
14
magazine
top left Mashantucket Pequot Fire Keeper James David “Fire Arrow” Walker, prepares the sacred fire at a past Schemitzun festival. Photo courtesy of Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation left A hand-painted banner announces the festival. Photo courtesy of Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation above Boys participate in the “Fancy Feather Dancers” dance at a previous Schemitzun festival. It is one of several categories of dance that take place at Schemitzun. Photo courtesy of Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
leathers, feathers, carvings, ceremonial items, silver, regalia, T-shirts, herbal teas, books, prints and more. A 17th century Eastern Woodland Village exhibit offers fascinating demonstrations of traditional Pequot cultural practices—including fire-pit cooking, wampum and fish net-making, loom beadwork and basketry. Authentic Native American cuisine prepared by celebrated New England Native chefs is sure to satisfy every appetite, says Reels. Offerings include hearty chowders, local fish, wild game and seasonal fruit beverages prepared the old ways, along with contemporary fare such as Indian tacos, burgers, fry bread, unique desserts and more.
UNDER CONTRACT 73 High Meadow Lane, Mystic $850,000 Representing the Buyers
Contact me to help you sell your home
860.235.2665 jacqueline.hoyt@cbrealty.com august 2022 15
in the spotlight The Mashantucket Pequots, a native Algon-
“We’re now able to do our pipe ceremonies,
quin people, achieved federal recognition in
the corn dance ceremonies, naming ceremo-
1983. Their reservation in southeastern Con-
nies and all the things that took place a long time
necticut was established in 1666, almost 30
ago,” says Reels, who grew up in the Narragan-
years after the tribe survived what’s known as
sett Indian community in coastal South Kings-
the “Pequot massacre,” a raid by the English on
town, R.I.
a Mystic Indian village that killed 500 tribespeople, including children.
young,” says Reels of the Pequot potluck dinners
Today, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
he attended with his family in southeastern Con-
owns and operates the Foxwoods Resort Casino
necticut. “Back then, for the Pequot side of my
and a variety of other enterprises, including the
family, their gathering powwow was really just
Lake of Isles Golf Course, Pequot Pharmaceu-
a potluck dinner.”
tical Network and the Spa at Norwich Inn. The
The Narragansetts, he recalls, had a larger cel-
tribe is one of Connecticut’s highest taxpayers
ebration called the August Meeting. “It started
and largest employers, and has contributed bil-
off as a dance and a gathering to keep our iden-
lions of dollars to Connecticut through the first-
tity alive. It was truly a family gathering,” he
of-its-kind tribal gaming revenue-sharing agree-
recalls.
ment, enacted in 1993.
16
“I came here a lot in the ’60s when I was
After relocating to Connecticut, Reels says
Since bringing the festival back to the res-
he approached the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal
ervation, Reels says it has become “the home
Council about forming a powwow committee.
powwow for the region,” allowing the tribe to
“I walked in and unanimously we agreed
perform many of the sacred ceremonies they
to have it,” he recalls. “I don’t think anybody
couldn’t when it was bigger.
thought we’d have the scale we did. That first
magazine
year it was known as one of the biggest events around, with a lot of Natives who traveled—some from the far reaches of British Columbia in Canada and others from across the map. Just the will to come across for that long of a journey to take part in it was exciting for us to see.” Whittling the festival down to just two days, he says, “allowed us to really focus on ourselves and our traditions.” There’s still plenty of dancing, he says, although instead of thousands of competitors, attendees may only see hundreds demonstrating and participating in dance ceremonies, like the grand entry, when dancers of all ages process into the festival grounds (Saturday at 6 p.m., Sunday at noon). “During the grand entry, dancers line up to enter the arena,” says Reels. “At that time we’ll have an honor guard, dignitaries, royalties and elders who line up with the dancers according to their category or their age.” They enter with the music of an entry song, he says, then a flag song and a victory song, to begin the dance ceremonies. Ceremonies include a flag-raising that honors veterans from the tribe who served, he says, “from the Pequot War to the present. … Each year we raise the f lag in their memory and announce their names. This is something that’s done across the Indian world. Veterans are always thought of as high as warriors, and always honored in our way.” Tickets are $15 for a one-day admission pass ($10 for age 55 and up and children 6-12, free for kids 5 and under), and $25 for a weekend pass. Parking is available at the Fox Tower Hotel, Grand Pequot Tower Hotel, Great Cedar Hotel and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center (handicap only), with a shuttle to the event site.
left Flags at Schemitzun. P hoto courtesy of Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation top right Miss Mashantucket Royalty representatives are chosen each year to honor what it means to be a strong Pequot woman. Photo courtesy of Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation right Chairman Rodney Butler, left, and Treasurer Marvin Reels participate in a ceremony at a past Schemitzun festival. Photo courtesy of Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
august 2022 17
ALL NEW EXPERIENCES, ALL NEW WAYS TO WIN Make August an unforgettable one with exciting events and gaming promotions— there is something for everyone at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
Foxwoods has more chances than ever to win this summer, with thrilling new gaming.
Extreme Mondays: Turning up the earnings every Monday! Receive up to 5X Rewards Points, 5X Tier Credits or 10X entries for the $300,000 Labor Day Loot Summer Sweepstakes!
Thrill Tuesdays: Win your share of $10,000 every Tuesday from 12PM to 6PM by playing our Tuesday Tier Status Hot Seat!
Winning Wednesdays: Swipe your Foxwoods Rewards Card at any Promotions Kiosk every Wednesday for your chance to win a share of $25,000 in cash and prizes each week with our $225,000 Summer Beach Ball Kiosk Game.
Thirsty Thursdays: Swipe in for your chance to win one of ten $1,000 Pequot Outpost gas cards given away each Thursday! You could win a 2022 Alfa Romeo® Stelvio!
Lucky Fridays: Play to win your share of over $300,000 in cash and prizes, including $15,000 every Friday in July and August! Plus, celebrate Labor Day weekend with $50,000 in cash and prizes on Friday, September 2, a 2022 Alfa Romeo® Stelvio TI AWD Sport Utility Vehicle on Saturday, September 3, and $50,000 in cash and prizes on Sunday, September 4!
Liquid Sundays continues every Sunday at The Fox Tower Hotel pool through September 4. As the Northeast’s only outdoor Vegasstyle pool party, Liquid Sundays features celebrity guests, the region’s hottest DJs and spectacular themed parties complete with a full-service bar, two 55-inch TVs, ping pong and beer pong, with upcoming parties themed around Mardi Gras, Electric Pool and the finale, All White Party. Grab your bathing suit, your towel and get your ticket to the hottest pool party this coast has ever seen.
If you’re looking for a fun Friday night, Foxwoods’ Bash On the Grass is a perfect destination for a fun night out with family and friends. Kick back on the Grand Pequot Tower Lawn as you dig into a delicious selection of food trucks, refreshing and creative summer cocktails, and local live bands. Bash On The Grass takes place every Friday night from now to the end of August.
Next, Green Gardens returns August 5 and 6, the first of two events taking place this year. This immersive garden fantasy—taking place at The Fox Tower Lawn & Terrace—is an over-thetop party with table-side mixologists, live DJs and roving performers, alongside delicious food and craft cocktails. Bungalows and Lotus Loungers are reservable, and perfect for dinner with family and friends or an intimate date night.
Finally, step right up to the second annual Cocktail Carnival at Foxwoods on August 20, a one-of-a-kind experience that will amaze and astound. Enjoy your favorite a-la-carte fair treats while you revel in unlimited samples and sip on a variety of whimsical cocktails and spirits. Go head-to-head with friends and family at some of your favorite classical carnival games under the Big Top, while firebreathers and stilt-walkers prowl around. And with an on-site tarot card reader, your future is looking bright.
C E L E B R AT E S U M M E R ’ S P O S S I B I L I T I E S W I T H FOX WO O D S For more information, visit foxwoods.com!
people & places ENVIRONMENT
FINANCE
PEOPLE
N E W & N O TA B L E
Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford. Photo by Antoinette Grady
BUSINESS
master karate at Black Dragon Martial Arts
20
magazine
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
| people & places
A master at work MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTOR’S LESSONS ARE ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN SELF-DEFENSE
By Mary Ellen Fillo photos courtesy of Black Dragon Martial Arts Academy
D
aniel Jenkins explains he was just a 14-year-old, 80-pound kid (90 if soaking wet, he adds smiling) when the harassment at school start-
ed. As the son of Norwich’s first black police officer, Jenkins too often found himself on the receiving end of taunts and badgering because of his race and his father’s history-making position on the force. A friend recognized Jenkins needed help to stop the torment, introducing him to the sport of martial arts. The rest, as they say, is history. Now 53, married with two children, and a very solid and fit 210 pounds, Jenkins owns Black Dragon Martial Arts Academy in Norwich, a martial arts studio where he teaches kids and adults what he learned—and it’s not what you might think. Defending oneself might seem to be the reason to study the ancient powerful moves of martial arts, but more importantly, says Jenkins, it’s about nurturing confidence and learning the value of respect, composure and control, skills that are often the best weapons when it comes to dealing with life’s obstacles and threats.
august 2022 21
people & places | BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT “I know the first thing people think of is that martial arts is about learning to hurt someone else, but that’s not it,” explains the soft-spoken Jenkins, a U.S. Army veteran and an award-winning eighth-degree black belt who specializes in the art of kempo karate, a self-defense art done on foot. “It’s about much more.” Jenkins explains that while initially he just wanted to defend himself against school bullies, the combination of studying the sport and of gaining maturity opened his eyes to the philosophy of the art. “I realized too often, you are fighting for the wrong reasons,” he says. “Hitting or kicking was not the point. I realized that kempo karate builds confidence that makes you more powerful as a person.” Self-worth, says Jenkins, changes how the world views you. “It empowers you not just physically but more so mentally,” he says. “And each time you earn another belt, and you enjoy another accomplishment, that confidence keeps building and others see it and respect it.” Admitting that video games and some mainstream movies may paint the sport in a more aggressive and sometimes violent manner, Jenkins is adamant that from the time his students come through the door, as young as age 3, the training focuses on the things parents ultimately want their children to learn: respect, discipline, tenacity, leadership and maturity. “I ask new students what their goals are,” he says. “And most don’t know, but this is an opportunity to teach them and help guide them to good goals. Accomplishing [goals] when life is tough is what I preach and that is a great life lesson.” Jenkins dismisses the too-common assumption that you have to be tough and mean to be an effective martial arts teacher.
22
magazine
New London are available Adult Education
Rug Decor LLC Traditional and Contemporary Antique & New Handwoven Rugs and Art
Earn your High School Diploma, or GED at New London Adult Education
Start your way on a path to a better future at NLAE Earn your High School Diploma, or GED at New London AdultCall Education Today Fall class registration 860-437-2385 Fall class registration
August 29 - September 2 9:00am - 2:00pm or August 29 - 30 6:00pm FallShaws classCove registration at Three
August 29 - September 2 9:00am - 2:00pm or August 29 - 30 6:00pm English forat Speakers ofCove Three Shaws
Classes begin September 6
Other Languages classes August 29 - September 2 Classes begin September 6 are available 9:00am 2:00pm English for Speakers of Other 29 Languages classes or August - 30 6:00pm areon available Start your way a path at Three Shaws Cove to a better future at
ALL RUGS 60% OFF ORIGINAL PRICES. Cleaning • Restoration • Appraisal 21 East Main Street, Mystic, CT
Call 860-245-5639 or email rugdecorbydavoud@gmail.com
Visit our website for NLAE September 6 Classes begin more info Call Today English for Speakers of 860-437-2385 Other Languages classes newlondonadulted.org arewebsite available Visit our for Start your way on a path to a better future at NLAE Call Today 860-437-2385
Start your waywebsite on a for path more info Visit our more info newlondonadulted.org to a better future at NLAE newlondonadulted.org
Call Today 860-437-2385 Visit our website for more info newlondonadulted.org
Start Your Career in
Professional Beauty
RIVER VALLEY ESTHETICS INSTITUTE
Offering Licensing Programs in Esthetics. Nail Technology and Lashes for CT & RI
Payment Plans Available www.myrvei.com august 2022 23
people & places | BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT “My wife calls me ‘Honey,’ my kids describe me as
Known for his contributions to the community, Jen-
a big teddy bear and I am a pretty gentle guy,” says
kins says his Norwich roots are deep, noting that in
Jenkins, who fine-tuned his karate skills in the Army
addition to his father being the first black police offi-
before eventually teaching and then opening his own
cer, his grandfather was the first black business owner
studio in 1994. “I am 100 percent Barney in a karate
in Norwich as well. “I do anything I can to help,” says Jenkins, a graduate
suit,” he jokes. “It’s intimidating to come into a karate studio, and I
of Norwich Free Academy, listing a variety of contribu-
know that,” he continues. “I want them to walk in and
tions to the town, including the back-to-school back-
see I am just a regular guy.”
pack program, holiday parties and community events.
Norwich mother, Teresa Makowski, says both her
During COVID, he developed an online program
daughter and son have been taught by Jenkins. Her
especially for his special needs students, so they would
son has been taking classes for six years and is now an
still have the classes they so looked forward to, mind-
assistant instructor at the studio.
ful of health and safety but wanting to make sure he
“I researched this a lot before I would let them go
didn’t let them down.
after they asked to take classes,” she explains. “As a
Admitting he had his own challenges learning how
parent, I was concerned because my son was being
to be a business-owner, he says he learned from his
bullied in school.”
mistakes and is thankful to those who helped him
“I know the first thing people think of is that martial arts is about learning to hurt someone else, but that’s not it.” DANIEL JENKINS Makowski says the discipline of the classes and the
along the way, including his wife, Shannon. His plan is
incremental successes they achieved in those classes
to continue to grow his business, adding, however, that
gave her children confidence.
while it is his livelihood, it is not what drives his pas-
“I think with that confidence came a new persona
sion as an instructor.
for my son and the subtle message was ‘just leave me
“The money is secondary. The philosophy and
alone,’” she says, explaining how the bullying stopped.
what I can do for my students is the priority,” he
“It turned him into a leader. The classes were about
says. “And over the years, as they have grown up
head, not hands.”
and come back to see me, I can see firsthand how
Her daughter, now in college, also walked away with
I helped them grow in life because of what they
that confidence and more—the ability to defend her-
learned and the encouragement they received here.
self if ever necessary.
And that’s a big reward.”
And for Makowski, now a blue belt herself, the classes
24
also added a fitness component, serving as a way to
Black Dragon Martial Arts Academy is located at 113
condition her body and get in better shape, another
Salem Turnpike, Suite 102, Norwich. For more information
aspect that has attracted many of Jenkins’ clients.
visit blackdragonmaa.com or call 860-892-5425.
magazine
august 2022 25
E N T E R TA I N I N G
R E S TA U R A N T S
FOOD & DRINK
Photo courtesy of breakwater
RECIPES
taste
tight knit winemaking
26
magazine
Breakwater’s creative menu features local ingredients
taste
Making friends and wine GROUP CREATES COMMUNITY WHILE LEARNING THE ART OF WINEMAKING By Ann Baldelli Photos courtesy of Chris Pallatto
W
In the spring, they focus on the Southern Hemisphere, with grapes imported from Chile,
hat do a landscaper, pathologist,
and in the fall, they do it all again, this time
federal prosecutor, retired fi-
with grapes grown in California and shipped
nancial planner, YMCA director,
across the country.
bartender, psychologist, two sur-
What t hey get for t hei r f ina ncia l a nd
geons, project manager, IT pro-
sweat-equity contributions is far more than a
fessional and two engineers have in common?
couple cases of wine each. It’s the camaraderie,
Usually, not much, but in this case, it’s
the bonding over the various steps required for
winemaking. The group of men, most in their 40s and 50s,
winemaking, and the sheer joy of hanging out with other men.
meets regularly throughout the year at the
Pallatto is the leader who started the Tight
Chester home of Chris Pallatto to make and
Knit Winemaking Group in 2018, when he
bottle their own wine.
fashioned it after a similar effort in the town
Winemaking grapes are inspected by members of the Tight Knit winemaking group. From left facing away from the camera, Gary Post and Jesse Nye. From left facing the camera are John Tressel, Teddy Nardizi and Bart Kenney.
august 2022 27
American Fusion Cuisine
fresh, local, organic, sustainable, artistically driven ingredients
Casual Fine Dining
inviting & contemporary bar atmosphere, seasonal outdoor dining
JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR!
4-6PM WEDNESDAY NIGHTS BAR ONLY
8 5 main “An outing to 85 Main can make you feel like you’ve been on vacation” - Worcester Telegram & Gazette
READERS’ CHOICE
BEST RAW BAR CO NNEC T I CU T MAGAZIN E
85 Main St. Putnam CT • www.85main.com • 860.928.1660 28
magazine
taste Some of Tight Knit’s bottled wine with custom-made labels.
of Prospect that he had participated in. That group had been going for more than 40 years and it inspired him. “The majority of our guys became friends through all of our kids going to preschool together and when I asked them, ‘Do you want to join me and make wine?’ they said, ‘Yes,’” said Pallatto. The group has evolved over the past five years to include a few new members, and there are 13 now, who all seemingly enjoy the easy banter, as well as the tasks and science involved in making quality wines. “The fun is that it gives us a reason to get together and we have become this tight-knit group, and then we end up with these amazing wines,” said Pallatto, the chief executive officer of the Connecticut & Rhode Island Alliance of YMCAs. In early June, seven of the members met to remove the stems and gently crack the roughly 1,400 pounds of grapes that had just arrived from Chile, to ready them for fermentation. They had bought 80 cases, and estimated they would make 90 gallons, or a few hundred bottles of red wine. Part of the initial process involves picking through the grapes to remove matter or material other than grapes, known as MOG, such as leaves, sticks and any decaying fruit. Then they take the grenade-shaped clusters and put them into the destemmer, which removes the stems and gently cracks the fruit. “Chris (Pallatto) is the one who really knows how to make wine, and the rest of us, we are the
“We all like the process, but even more, we like the chance to get together.”
workers,” said Greer Richardson, 52, a psychia-
CHRIS PALLATTO
and we riff off the wine talk and it’s a little like
trist now in private practice who said he enjoys drinking Manhattans more than wine but is in the group because he thoroughly enjoys both the labor and the friendships. “I’m not Dr. R when I’m there. I’m just a regular dude and I enjoy it,” said Richardson. “We throw on some classic rock, we listen to AC/DC,
august 2022 29
taste being in high school or college, but better because
On bottling day in September, they organize
there’s no angst or pressure. Everyone is friendly
a farm feast with families and everyone outdoes
and funny and relaxed. It’s just a good time and it’s
themselves with homemade dishes to accompany
good as gold to have this socialization.”
their wine. It’s always a celebration, and another
Ray Miller is a federal prosecutor who specializes in white-collar crime, but with the Tight Knits, he’s
friends.
the chemist. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he earned
“We are Tight Knit,” said Miller, of the winemak-
his Ph.D. in chemistry from the Massachusetts
ing group. “What it’s really about is camaraderie,
Institute of Technology and worked for a time at
about enjoying ourselves, and for me, meeting peo-
the pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb.
ple I normally wouldn’t have met.”
Now, he helps with all the tasks, but puts his
Richardson, the psychiatrist, was invited by his
chemistry knowledge to use on the science side
friend Mike Grisky, a landscaper, to join the group
of winemaking, consulting with Pallatto on the
two years ago.
pH and acidity of their wine and helping to make
“He came over one day and he gave me this
adjustments or additions, such as tannins or oak.
wine he made and it was fantastic, and he asked
Everyone brings their own personal expertise to
me if I wanted to be part of the group. So, I was a
the process, as well as their enthusiasm.
newcomer.”
The engineers have helped create equipment
Richardson credited Pallatto as not only being
such as the “chillinator,” a device that keeps wine
Tight Knit’s leader, but also a good teacher and a
at the appropriate temperature.
very good human being.
Members also work as a team to bottle and seal
“He is so socially gifted,” Richardson said. “You
their wine and they decide as a group on the name
can ask the same question three or four times and
of each vintage and the design of every label.
every time he answers. He never gets annoyed.
They produced Covid Crush in 2020, a blend of malbec and cabernet. The type of grape determines the kind of wine. Their first wine was bottled in 2019 and they called it, Tight Knit, with an explanation on the label, “Our encore performance. Just some dudes with a thirst, random advice from the internet, and a touch of dad’s wisdom.” They’ve made syrah, calling one Syrahsquash and another, made with Chilean grapes and oak, they call Syrahiously. And there is the Life is a Cabernet old chum. They just have fun, from picking up the grapes at a Hartford distributor, to prepping and pressing them for fermentation, to tweaking their blends, and bottling and labeling them. “Everyone has their lane,” said Pallatto, explaining the various tasks required every time the Tight Knits receive a new shipment of grapes. “We all like the process, but even more, we like the chance to get together. I think we all really like the social aspect.”
30
opportunity for conversation and laughs with
magazine
That’s why I go, it’s always a good time.”
left Chris Pallatto, the group’s organizer and leader, adds natural enzymes to assist in the extraction of color and tannins from the grape skins to enhance the wine’s appearance, flavor and mouthfeel. above The grapes from Chile arrive in very tight clusters. Here, Ray Miller and Bart Kennedy examine them. bottom left Part of the winemaking process is called removing the MOG, or material other than grapes. Here, the winemakers remove leaves, moldy clusters and other items that they don’t want in the wine. bottom right Ray Miller dumps grapes into the crusher.
august 2022 31
taste | RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT
Idyllic setting, creative menu make
Breakw a go-to spot on the water
32
magazine
By Jenn McCulloch photos courtesy of breakwater
A
and its boating activities, as well as Fishers Island, N.Y., and Long Island Sound in the distance.”
fter building a following at two Mystic
In the warmer months, the restaurant’s outside
restaurants that have become staples in
deck doubles Breakwater’s capacity. Inside, the seat-
the community—Steak Loft and Go Fish—
ing is split between a large bar and an open dining
Jon Kodama had the opportunity to expand
room. While patrons have always enjoyed the out-
in June 2015. When the waterfront proper-
ater
door deck, it was especially popular during the height
“Breakwater is located in an
once we were able to open in May of 2020, and even
idyllic New England shore-
ventured over to Go Fish when restaurants were
line enclave and, most sig-
closed down in spring of 2020.”
ty at 66 Water St. in Stonington became available, Kodama was excited to secure the “much sought after” space.
of COVID-19, Kodama said. In the early days of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, Kodama and his staff consolidated their operations, offering takeout from all three restaurants out of Go Fish in Mystic. Then upon reopening, the outdoor deck at Breakwater was more popular than ever as guests returned to in-person dining. “We are fortunate to have a very large outdoor seating area at Breakwater, which serves us well during the beautiful summer season and was a great benefit to us during COVID,” said Kodama. “We’re already set up to have ample space in our outdoor
“The property aligned with our other shoreline
area and our guest feedback was that they felt very
locations and we were drawn to the large outdoor
comfortable despite all the uncertainties of 2020 and
dining space,” said Kodama, managing partner
2021. The community—our regulars and beyond—
of Jetty Grille LLC, dba Breakwater.
were wonderful and returned to us in full support
nificantly, ex tends out
Now Breakwater is back in full force as both the
over the water, offering
staff and guests enjoy the summer days. In the sum-
open views of the sur-
mer season, Breakwater has happy hour in the bar
rounding waters of
with food and drink specials on weekdays from 3 to
Stonington Harbor
6 p.m.
Breakwater Fish Tacos: fried Atlantic cod, flour tortillas, cabbage slaw, cheddarjack cheese, pico de gallo and cilantro lime crema (also available on the happy hour menu).
august 2022 33
taste | RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT
above A view of the deck from the water. below left Pan seared striped sea bass over homemade potato gnocchi with garlic roasted mushrooms, crispy fried leeks and chive oil. below right Mini New York-style cheesecakes with berry compote, one of the desserts featured at a past Sip & Savor Wine Dinner.
34
magazine
Even though the patio is a key feature of the restaurant, Breakwater still has plenty to offer in the colder months.
from burgers and salads to tacos and steaks. Kodama noted that there is a “Pacific Rim influence” to the menu.
Around November, the restaurant launches its off-season
“We draw some inspiration and flavor profiles from the
specials, including a three-course prix fixe menu, Senior
countries and islands along the Pacific Ocean—a fusion of
Thursdays with a 25 percent discount for seniors, week-
ingredients and cuisines spanning Oceania and Asia to the
end happy hours, and the Sip & Savor dinner series, which
Americas, incorporating the flavors of Hawaii and South
offers dinner paired with wine, cocktails or beers.
Asia as well as those from Japan to California,” said Kodama.
No matter the season, Kodama said the restaurant
Some of the most popular menu items include the local
always looks for ways to incorporate local items, like veg-
dayboat scallops special with the chef offering a daily
etables, seafood, spirits and beers. Breakwater partners
special preparation, as well as the fish tacos, which can be
with Sea Well Seafood, a Connecticut fish supplier, and
served fried or blackened with cabbage slaw, fresh pico de
Behan Family Farms, a Rhode Island oyster farm, to bring
gallo and cilantro lime crema. For those looking for something different, Breakwater
the freshest seafood and shellfish to the menu. “We look to year-round local sources as well as sea-
often has specials for adventurous diners, including grilled
sonally available products to build a constantly changing
razor clams with a garlic herb butter and panko bread-
menu,” said Kodama. “In the off-season, our menus change
crumbs or a shrimp pappardelle with uni butter that was
weekly, and during the summer season, we feature daily
originally created for Breakwater’s Italian wine dinner. “Grilled razor clams are a treat that we bring in when we
specials.” Breakwater’s menu may be seafood-centric—featur-
are able to source them—they are not something we see
ing clam chowder, a raw bar, lobster rolls and a selection of
a lot on the menu locally, so it’s always a treat to add it
entrees from the sea—but there are offerings for every taste,
when we can,” said Kodama. “The pappardelle was mixed
MALLOVE'S
===JEWELERS===
LEADER OF THE BANDS
WWW. MALLOVEJ EWELERS. COM 4 HOLMES ST. MYSTIC, CT I 262 BOSTON POST RD. WATERFORD, CT august 2022 35
taste | RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT
with shrimp, sweet roasted tomatoes, cream and fresh herbs. Maine uni [sea urchin] was blended with butter and garnished on top of the pasta to add a depth of umami to finish.” Breakwater also offers a wide selection at the bar. Some of the local favorites include the blood orange margarita and the Breakwater bloody Mary. In the summer, frozen mudslides and painkillers are popular choices. One of the adventurous specialty cocktails is the blistered shishito margarita, a drink originally crafted for the Conversations & Cocktails event with The Day last Fall. “We infused local South County agave with fresh shishito peppers and mixed that with fresh-squeezed lime juice, grilled lime and blistered shishito peppers to create an herbal-infused margarita,” said Kodama. South County Distillers of Westerly distills the spirit from 100 percent blue agave.
36
magazine
Kodama has enjoyed watching Breakwater become woven into the fabric of the Stonington community over the past seven years. He is grateful to have the opportunity to operate a waterfront restaurant. “As one of the true waterfront restaurants in Stonington, Breakwater and its predecessors at this location have always been the go-to spot for locals to enjoy the beauty of our ‘backyard,’ or to entertain visitors and guests when in town,” said Kodama. “We like to think it’s our unique combination of waterfront setting, a reasonably priced, creative menu, exciting cocktails and spectacular sunsets.” 66 Water Street, Stonington, CT
top left A view of the dining room.
860-415-8123
bottom left Assorted grilled seafood—shrimp, scallops, calamari and Kvaroy salmon—with citrus butter and grilled baguette.
breakwaterstonington.com
above Grilled swordfish with sautéed haricot vert, crispy onion strings and pineapple salsa. below A beautiful sunset view off the Breakwater deck.
“We look to year-round local sources as well as seasonally available products to build a constantly changing menu.” JON KODAMA
august 2022 37
taste
SPONSORED CONTENT
The Spice Club celebrates a decade in business
F
Brought to you by The Spice Club
What they found to be the “recipe” for success is a great
or 10 years, The Spice Club has been serving South-
team, authentic fresh food, a great location and an over-
eastern Connecticut zesty, bona fide Asian fare at
all positive experience so customers want to come back.
a locale filled with a vibrant ambiance and relaxed
“Through the years,” says Ricky, “we have found con-
seating. Owners Tai and Ricky Au tapped into their
sistency to be key to running Spice Club. Most of our
backgrounds when crafting the menu, comprised of au-
team here has been with us for years, a few are still here
thentic family recipes from Thailand and time-honored
since we opened in 2012.”
dishes from Hong Kong.
“I always treat our customers as if they’re eating in my home,” says Tai. “We were the first Asian restaurant to come to Niantic and the locals really welcomed us and have supported us ever since.” Their 4-year old son, Ethan, is a frequent visitor to The Spice Club, Pink Basil and Samurai Noodle. He greets customers, tries new foods and watches his mom cook. His favorite dishes are chicken satay and spicy tuna sushi. The Aus look forward to celebrating the next decade at The Spice Club. Come try their wide variety of seafood and poultry noodle entrees, sushi, curry and vegetarian dishes at thespiceclubct.com.
The restaurant features homemade cuisine and cocktails prepared with incredibly fresh, locally sourced ingredients. A few of the most celebrated dishes include a Coconut Martini, Pad Thai, fried rice and drunken noodles. The Aus are thankful for their loyal customers and proud of their dedicated staff, some of whom have been with them since The Spice Club’s opening in 2012. In commemoration of its 10-year anniversary this August, The Spice Club has updated its menu and is eager for what’s in store as it welcomes a new chapter. The Aus grocery shopped in Niantic and loved the people and the area. “We felt so lucky to get that property and opened The Spice Club without any expectations. What an adventure it has been!” says Tai.
38
magazine
Brought to you by The Spice Club Open Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-3 pm and 4-9 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 12-9 p.m. 239 Main Street, Niantic, CT 860-451-8121 | thespiceclubct.com
RESTAURANT LISTINGS
ASIAN
| taste
FAMILY STYLE
GIULIANO’S BAKERY
PINK BASIL
GROTON TOWNHOUSE RESTAURANT
Hometown bakery known for crispy bread, rolls and pastries. Also serving breakfast sandwiches. Come see us for our large diverse variety of baked goods. Open daily 5 a.m.-8 p.m.
Our menu reflects the time-honored traditions of authentic Asian cuisine. With influences from Japan, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, our dishes can transport you around the world in one bite. Open Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 12-9 p.m.
284 Main Street, Niantic, CT | 860-739-5495 nianticbakery.com
27 Coogan Boulevard, Building 3B, Mystic, CT | 860-245-4470 pinkbasilct.com
BARBECUE
We are a family-style restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week. We also have a large assortment of freshbaked pies and cakes daily. Open daily 6 a.m.-9 p.m. 355 CT-12, Groton, CT | 860-449-0355 grotontownhouserestaurant.com
FINE DINING
NOBLE SMOKEHOUSE
85 MAIN
BAKERY
DEKE’S BAGELS
Deke’s Bagels sells fresh bagels, sandwiches, muffins, coffee, smoothies and more. Order online or come visit our Niantic or new Guilford location. Open 7 a.m.-2 p.m. 157 W. Main Street, Niantic, CT 1013 Boston Post Road, Guilford, CT 860-739-9509 | dekesbagels.com
WE LIVE, BREATHE, AND SMOKE BARBEQUE! With a culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University, our Chef Christopher Lusk is excited to present our unique sauces and flavors to you. Open Wednesday & Thursday 12-7 p.m.; Friday & Saturday 12-8 p.m.; Sunday 12-7 p.m.; Monday 4-7 p.m.; Closed Tuesday 4 Roosevelt Avenue, Mystic, CT 860-415-9564 | noblesmokehouse.com
Price range Online ordering Open late
Take out
Breakfast
Brunch
Delivery
Entertainment
Lunch
Outdoor dining
Cash only
Fresh, contemporary fare, seasonally influenced. Fresh seafood, steaks and locally grown produce. High quality sushi and full raw bar. Enjoy creative cocktails while dining on our patio, weather permitting. Open Sunday-Wednesday 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thursday 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. 85 Main Street, Putnam, CT 860-928-1660 | 85main.com
Dinner
Kids’ menu
Alcohol served Twitter
Call ahead Instagram
august 2022 39
taste | RESTAURANT LISTINGS JAPANESE
WOODFELLAS PIZZA
Retired Armed Forces Association
FRIDAY FISH FRY
SAMURAI NOODLE
Woodfellas opens second location in New London in the former space of 2 Wives! Serving quality food! Contact us regarding our Rolling Pizza Truck and New Mobile Salute Bar Cart! Open Wednesday-Friday 4-9 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 12-8 p.m.; Closed Monday & Tuesday
Authentic Japanese ramen noodle soup, Asian BBQ and sushi in downtown Mystic. Noodles are made fresh daily on-site. Happy hour 4-6 every day. Open Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 12-10 p.m.
The Velvet Mill, 22 Bayview Avenue, Stonington, CT 860-715-9663 | woodfellaspizza.com
135 Garfield Avenue, New London, CT 860-447-0055 | armedforcesretirees.org/home
27 West Main Street, Mystic, CT 860-415-9317 | samurainoodlemystic.com
SEAFOOD
J & R SEAFOOD
PIZZA
SPORTS BAR
184 PIZZERIA
C.C. O’BRIEN’S
Family owned and operated, located in the Haley Brook Plaza, on Rte. 184. Check out the GRAB & GO fridge - varieties change daily. Pizzas, grinders, sandwiches, wraps, calzones. Monday-Friday 10 a.m.- 7 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.- 7 p.m.; Closed Sunday
Friendly Irish sports cafe serving a variety of pub food. Award winning burgers and wings with sports on 23 TVs! Pool & darts. 28 draft beers. Serving food Tuesday 3-9 p.m.; Wednesday & Thursday 11 a.m.-9.p.m.; Friday & Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday 12-9 p.m. Bar open later
J&R Seafood market is much more than fresh seafood. Enjoy market-made chowders, prepared meals, and made-toorder food menu, catering options & raw bar events! Open daily 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
2440 Gold Star Highway, Mystic, CT 860-245-0800 | 184pizzeria.com
45 Williams Avenue, Mystic, CT 860-415-4656 | jrseafoodmarket.com
Price range Online ordering Open late
40
Open to the public every Friday. Enjoy chowder, lobster rolls, fish & chips and more! PLUS Join us on the second Saturday each month from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. for breakfast. Open Friday 3-8 p.m.
magazine
Take out
Breakfast
Brunch
Delivery
Entertainment
Lunch
Outdoor dining
Cash only
8 Mechanic Street, Pawcatuck, CT 860-599-2034 | ccobriens.com
Dinner
Kids’ menu
Alcohol served Twitter
Call ahead Instagram
THE STUMBLE INNE
W NOPEN O
THAI
THE SPICE CLUB
Relocated to 147 Water Street,
Great food, happy hour, live music, pool tables, darts, trivia, karaoke. Nominated for best burger! Open Monday-Saturday 3 p.m.-12 a.m.; Sunday 1-10 p.m. 90 Halls Road, Old Lyme, CT 860-434-2342 facebook.com/TheStumbleInne
Stonington Borough
We serve healthy, home-cooked Thai, sushi and Pan-Asian cuisine in a casual, familyfriendly environment. Open since 2012. Open Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-3 pm and 4-9 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 12-9 p.m.
Wine is our passion but being a part of this community is a lifelong commitment that we consider both a privilege and an honor.
239 Main Street, Niantic, CT 860-451-8121 | thespiceclubct.com
Join us Fridays for Tasting at the Cove! CALL FOR DETAILS
(860) 980-6069 To advertise your restaurant on these pages, email thedaymag@theday.com
2023
Stonington’s Best Kept Secret
WE OFFER FREE LOCAL DELIVERY!
Have you captured magazine-worthy photos of your hometown? We’re enlisting the help of our readers to submit their best snapshots from around southeastern Connecticut for a chance to be featured in our 2023 calendar. SNAP YOUR PHOTO(S)
Review our photo requirements at theday.com/calendarcontest
UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO(S) by September 18 to theday.com/calendarcontest
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES Voting is open October 1 - 16
VIEW THE WINNERS
The 2023 calendar will be included in home delivery editions of The Day on Thanksgiving day, November 24 (and available for purchase, $5/each at The Day’s front desk)
PRESENTED BY
Visit theday.com/calendarcontest for full details and to upload your photos! august 2022 41
home & garden GARDENING
DECOR
Jonathan Edwards Winery, North Stonington. p hoto by Mary Howe
R E A L E S TAT E
Katharine Hepburn’s local paradise
42
magazine
ADVICE
home & garden
The house that Kate built HEPBURN’S LEGACY OF LAND AND HOME LIVES ON AT FENWICK “PARADISE”
I
By G.A. Peck
Fenwick, now listed on the National Register of His-
t’s hard to imagine a more perfect, more tranquil set-
toric Places, is just 195 acres, not even half a square mile,
ting to spend one’s golden years than Fenwick—a bor-
with two historic lighthouses marking its shores. The
ough of Old Saybrook, where the Connecticut River
“inner lighthouse,” the Lynde Point Lighthouse dates
meets Long Island Sound.
back to 1839, and the “outer lighthouse,” the Saybrook
This place was called “paradise” by its most famous
Breakwater Lighthouse was commissioned in 1886.
resident, a star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Katharine
Marion Hepburn Grant—the late Connecticut historian
Hepburn, who’d traveled the world, yet chose to call this
and Katharine Hepburn’s younger sister—authored The
coastal Connecticut community home for much of her life, until her death here in 2003 at age 96. The Borough of Fenwick was created by a Special Act of the state legislature in 1899, and its quality, character and community have been preserved by residents and its Historic District Commission. The turn-of-the-century homes of the era represented an array of architectural styles, including shingle-style “cottages,” ornate Queen Anne Victorians, and simpler Craftsman-style bungalows.
above Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Borough of Fenwick in Old Saybrook is a peninsula, where the Connecticut River meets Long Island Sound. It’s home to two historic lighthouses and the oldest public golf course in the state. Photo by Gregory / adobe stock left Katharine Hepburn, an iconic movie star, lived in her beloved Fenwick until her death in 2003. photo by len tavares
august 2022 43
Fenwick Story for the Connecticut Historical Society in 1974, recounting how her family came to live here: Their father, Dr. Thomas Hepburn, founded the urology department at Hartford Hospital, and their mother was a passionate suffragette who ascended to the presidency of the Connecticut Woman Suffrage Association. Dr. Hepburn bought their “summer cottage” in 1912; he acquired several parcels and properties with Dr. Donald Hooker, his brother-in-law, who was married to his wife’s sister, Edith. Katharine, “Kate,” was born the second of six children. She was still a child when the family first came to Fenwick. It was here that she and the other Hepburn children learned to golf, play tennis and race sailboats. In 1896, the Fenwick Golf Course debuted, a nine-hole course that remains in operation today, making it Connecticut’s oldest public golf course, though there are some access restrictions and “season tickets” can cost upwards of $1,500. Kate became an avid golfer on that very course.
NANCY MESHAM HEIDI HOSS HILARY REID WENDY VISGILIO
In her 1991 memoir, Hepburn recalled June in Fenwick: “The weather was heavenly—golf, tennis, swimming. Sailing. Ever available. The family were there. They were all there, and it was fun.” The matriarch, Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn, known as “Kit,” reportedly held suffrage meetings at the cottage, according to Grant’s account. She developed an affinity for diving and practiced at the end of the neighborhood pier. In The Fenwick Story, Grant recounted an immodest moment for Kit Hepburn: “In those early days, ladies were expected to wear long black stockings and cover-up dresses for swimming. One warm day, Kit Hepburn horrified the community by walking down to the pier to dive without wearing the accustomed black stockings. … Many summer seasons passed before bare legs became the fashion.”
NANCY MESHAM (860) 227-9071 nancymesham.com
860.227.9071 | nancymesham.com | 86 Halls Road | Old Lyme, CT 06371
44
magazine
home & garden The actress sported pants in public before they were broadly accepted as suitable attire for women, and she defended her fashion choice to reporters who pressed her about them. Over the course of her career, Hepburn was awarded four Best Actress Oscars. She fell in and out of love along the way, marrying young. Her first husband was a businessman from Pennsylvania; the couple parted ways after just six years. She above The modest Hepburn cottage was rebuilt after being swept away in the hurricane of 1938. The much larger new home included a music room, formal dining room, five master bedrooms, and quarters for maids and chauffeurs. Photo courtesy of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty
famously dated eccentric magnate How-
below A pergola-topped patio looks out to the seawall jutting into Long Island Sound. Katharine Hepburn, who originally had the house built, referred to the setting as “paradise.” Photo courtesy of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty
wick legend has it that Hughes used to drop
ard Hughes, who taught her how to fly an airplane during their courtship. Local Fenin to see Kate and her family, landing his seaplane in the Long Island Sound and docking it right out in front of the house. Her most famous love affair was with her nine-time costar, Spencer Tracy, whom she never married—for Tracy was already inconveniently married with children, and Catholic. Still, her affection for “Spence” endured from 1941 until his death in 1967. About 10 years into her illustrious career (which spanned decades into the mid1990s), Kate was at the family cottage with her mother and brother Dick, when a monster hurricane ravaged the Connecticut coast and swept the entire house into Long Island Sound. The family narrowly escaped
Young Kate and her brother Richard—“Dick,” who would later
through a window and waded to safety.
become a playwright—were said to have hosted plays for their
“God sent the hurricane of 1938. The
friends and family at the cottage, acting out tales like “Beauty
house in Fenwick completely disappeared,”
and the Beast” and “Bluebeard,” with sets crafted of cardboard.
Hepburn recounts in the film Katharine
She later ventured off to college, attending Bryn Mawr Col-
Hepburn: Unintentional Trailblazer, a partly
lege, her mother’s alma mater, before pursuing her renowned
autobiographical virtual exhibit hosted by
acting career.
The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Cen-
According to Grant, “Dr. Hepburn was not too happy about
ter (katharinehepburntheater.org). The
the theatrical career of his eldest daughter, but Mrs. Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn Museum at The Kate
was delighted.”
opened in 2020.
She personified beauty and brains, with her thick mane, her
Anne Edwards’ biography, Katharine
set, angular jaw, expressive, piercing eyes and that unmistak-
Hepburn: A Remarkable Woman recounts
able, assured voice. She exuded confidence and independence.
how the actress walked into town during
august 2022 45
home & garden THE KATE OFFERS VIRTUAL HEPBURN EXHIBIT The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center’s
virtual exhibit, Katharine Hepburn: Unintentional Trailblazer is available on The Kate’s website, katharinehepburntheater.org. Through her own words, via narration from her autobiography and letters written to her family, plus items from the center’s collection, viewers can explore different facets of Hepburn’s life and cultural impact. The project is funded in part by a grant from Connecticut Humanities.
the storm to find a working phone, and placed a call to
Hepburn and members of her immediate family,
her father, who immediately inquired about his wife.
including her beloved brother, Dick, relished the home
“She’s all right. All right, Dad! But listen, the house—it’s
and their coastal perspective for seven decades.
gone—blown away into the sea,” his daughter replied.
Hepburn referred to the 7.17-acre Fenwick estate in
The pragmatic Dr. Hepburn responded, “I don’t sup-
her last will and testament. When the property was
pose you had the brains enough to throw a match into
sold off, several acres were designated as conservation
it before it went, did you? It’s insured against fire, but
land—the Hepburn Family Preserve, managed by the
not against blowing away!”
Lynde Point Land Trust.
The actress was famously photographed in Fenwick
Colette Harron, a broker with William Pitt Sotheby’s
after the hurricane. In one image, she’s seen sifting
International Realty in Essex, served as the listing bro-
through rubble, presumably for anything salvageable.
ker for the property more than once—including when
In another, she’s sitting on a porcelain toilet amid the
the Hepburn family sold the property after the actress’
debris, next to a claw-footed tub left behind, studying a
death and again for the most recent sale of the water-
document, perhaps a photograph spared by the storm.
front estate.
Someone thought to snap a photo of the actress as she dug through sand to salvage the family’s silver utensils.
of white-washed brick and cedar-shake roof.
On May 7, 1939, a Hartford newspaper reported that
The 8,368-square-feet of interior space has been
the movie star intended to rebuild at Fenwick, and
freshened over the years and completely renovated in
published a sketch of the home she proposed—a house
2005 by F.J. Sciame Construction, which included rais-
made of brick, painted white, with a cedar-shake roof.
ing the house by 5 feet and creating an upscale beach
John F. Wayne was the architect, and Robert B. Swain
house aesthetic among the interiors. In 2011, 10 Mohe-
was enlisted as the builder.
gan Ave. was listed for sale with an asking price of $28
Underneath the headline, the subheading read, “Pre-
million and sold to new owners in 2017 for $11.5 million.
tentious 21-Room Structure on Sound at Fenwick to
“Fenwick is magical,” Harron attested. “All the
Replace Father’s Modest Frame Cottage Razed by Sep-
houses are so special. They take you to another era,
tember Hurricane.”
and the historic commission has really tried to keep it
The article provided details of the home’s interiors,
that way.”
describing pine-clad walls, a music room, formal dining
Katharine Hepburn knew it was pretty special, too. In
room, and on the second floor, “five master bedrooms,
her 1991 memoir, Me: Stories of My Life, she wrote, “Fen-
three maids’ rooms, chauffeur’s room, a sleeping porch
wick is and always has been my other paradise.”
and bathrooms.”
46
Subsequent owners have retained Hepburn’s choice
magazine
THE ROAD CHURCH
First Congregational Church of Stonington Serving The Community for 350 Years
Worship Services 10 am Every Sunday At The Historic Road Meetinghouse 903 Pequot Trail, Stonington, CT 06378
Because Experience Matters
Rev. Norm Erlendson (860) 759-6720 www.fccstonington.org
Jackie Lefebvre Independent College Counseling
Popular Inspections ∙ Home ∙ Septic ∙ Well ∙ Water Quality
∙ Radon ∙ Termite ∙ Pre-Listing
Call (860) 445-1236 today!
• 20+ years as a college counselor and educator • BA/MA in English; taught freshman writing at Boston College and Fordham • Develop individualized college list and admissions strategy • College essay and application consultant • Athletes, artists, gap years and transfers welcome
Contact Information: jklconsult@missiontoadmission.com (800) 936-9594
Family Owned
Presents
2022 Thank you to all of the sponsors, vendors, bands, speakers and visitors who participated in Hempstock CT 2022. Donations for operations and “Staples for the Stable” and “Medical for the Mini’s” - Veterinary Care for the mini-herd and any other rescued animals residing on the farm.
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL
Landscape Appeal | Design | Installation | Maintenance
HEMPSTOCKCT.COM
scaping company land
2018
scaping company land
2019
Voted Best Landscaper 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021!
CALL TODAY for a FREE QUOTE 860-917-4873
SPICERSLAWNCARE.COM
Fully Insured HIC0645082
august 2022 47
LEGEN
cover story
local ligh
Three distinctive and historic beacons shine on today By G.A. Peck ighthouses are fascinating. Just ask some of the thousands of tourists who traverse the country each year to visit, photograph and tour them.
Perched on the western bank of the Thames River,
where the river meets Long Island Sound, is New Lon-
It stands to reason that the most passionate light-
don Harbor Light, a statuesque lighthouse that soars to
house fans appreciate them for different reasons.
90 feet and ranks as the nation’s seventh-oldest light-
The beacons are often historic, with centuries of lore
house. It’s painted white and free of embellishment—a
and fables attached to them. Architecturally, they are
structure intentionally designed for utility. Before there
intriguing for how they’ve been sited and constructed
was a lighthouse there, rocky shoals proved perilous to
to effectively fulfill their duty while also providing liv-
ships traveling in and out of the harbor.
ing quarters for their keepers.
48
NEW LONDON HARBOR LIGHT
In 1752, a Spanish ship—the St. Joseph and St. Helena—
Others may find lighthouses intriguing for what they
carrying chests of silver and gold and more than 500 bags
represent—a remote setting, an often solitary life, with
of indigo, began taking on water as it attempted to nav-
only the unpredictable sea as a constant companion.
igate the trip home from the Caribbean. The captain of
“People were often appointed to the position of light-
a passing brigantine ship, the Susannah, offered to help
house keeper,” according to Susan Tamulevich, execu-
guide the hobbled ship into New London Harbor. It sus-
tive director of the New London Maritime Society, which
tained more damage when it crashed into the shoals as
owns and maintains three distinctive lighthouses right
it made its way upriver. The ship remained in New Lon-
here in southeastern Connecticut. “It was sometimes a
don Harbor for three years while it underwent repairs.
reward for veterans who had either been wounded or
Today’s equivalent of $3.8 million in treasure was stolen
demonstrated great valor. It was an honorable position,
from the ship during its stay, according to historians at
with a lot of responsibility and dedication to the duty.”
ctdigitalarchive.org.
magazine
DARY
thouses
New London Harbor Light. p hoto by Terry Rice
august 2022 49
cover story “But what the local merchants and businesspeople in New London became keenly aware of from that point was that they had the best natural port between Boston and New York City, in the ‘bathtub’ that is Long Island Sound,” Tamulevich explained. The first iteration of New London Harbor Light was built in 1760, to make the harbor more accessible. In 1801, it was rebuilt and stands tall today as one of the region’s oldest and tallest lighthouses. “It’s a very significant lighthouse that has been publicly owned and maintained for most of its history,” Tamulevich said. Cross-sound ferries still use New London Harbor Light as a beacon to guide them into port.
LEDGE LIGHT
Ledge Light made its debut in 1909 at
the mouth of the Thames River, smackdab between the shores of New London to the west and Groton to the east. Two local construction companies were enlisted to build the structure for roughly $93,000. The original French-designed Fresnel lens served as the beacon, alerting ships with flashes of white and red light. Every lighthouse has its own distinctive “characteristic” and “period”—the pattern and color of light and the length of its repeating interval. The design of the Fresnel lens allowed for light to project as far as 28 miles away. In 1911, a fog signal was added. It had the good fortune of surviving the 1938 hurricane that devastated much of the southeastern Connecticut coastline. Ghosthunters are eternally fascinated with historic lighthouses, and Ledge Light has itself been the subject of TV shows like Most Haunted, Channel 3 Eyewitness News’ Haunted Connecticut and Ghost Hunters.
50
magazine
ABOVE Visitors to Ledge Light pose for a group shot. P hoto courtesy of the New London Maritime Society BELOW The New London Maritime Society offers limited tours of its lighthouses to families and lighthouse enthusiasts. Photo courtesy of the New London Maritime Society RIGHT A view of New London Harbor Light from above. The lighthouse has guided ships to safe harbor for centuries. Photo by Marcus Milukas
Float Therapy
Transport your mind. Relax your body. Enhance your sleep. 30 MINUTES | 60 MINUTES | 90 MINUTES
15 CHESTERFIELD RD., SUITE 213, EAST LYME, CT 06333 860-451-8040 | TRANQUILBALANCECT.COM august 2022 51
cover story
Ledge Light
Ledge Light is a welcome sight to submariners; when they see the iconic lighthouse, they know they’re almost home. Photo by G.A Peck
New London Harbor Light New London Harbor Light warns of the rocky shoreline along the coast. Photo by Marcus Milukas
52
magazine
In 2005, Race Rock Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Photo by G.A. Peck
Race Rock Lighthouse Aestheec Plasec Surgery and Medspa www.bethcollinsmd.com
Dr. Collins is an expert in body contouring. We offer both surgical and non surgical opsons to get you there. • LIPOSUCTION: Achieve a slimmer, more proporsonal physique by sculpsng away areas of excess fat. • COOLSCULPTING®: A nonsurgical treatment to rid yourself of stubborn, unwanted fat. • BODY CONTOURING: Breast Augmentason, Tummy Tuck, Breast lii and many others.
55 Willow Street, Myssc, CT 06355 Phone: (860) 572-6122 Mon-Fri 09:00am - 05:00pm 2614 Boston Post Road, Willow Hall, Suite 16C, Gu ilford CT 06437 Phone: (203) 689- 8828 Mon-Fri 09:00am - 05:00pm
august 2022 53
cover story
“When people see these iconic, evocative, historic landmarks, they’re intrigued by the history.” SUSAN TAMULEVICH
54
magazine
In truth, Ledge Light is hardly terrifying. Unlike conical-shaped lighthouses, its boxy architectural
We’re stewards for them, working on behalf of the local community and the whole country.”
design, capped with a mansard roof, allowed for liv-
Maintaining a lighthouse, which is subjected to
ing quarters that rivaled a home on land, and Tamu-
the harsh elements of sea spray and salt air, can be an
levich said it was likely that two families lived there
expensive endeavor, but fortunately, all three of these
quite comfortably. William Ivan Clark was Ledge’s
lighthouses are in exceptional condition, and when
last keeper, from 1954 to 1959. The U.S. Coast Guard
repairs become necessary, the community turns out
used it as a navigational station up until 1987, when it
to help.
was automated.
RACE ROCK LIGHTHOUSE
When Harbor Light required significant work, Tamulevich held a press conference. Two news outlets covered it—The Day and a local Patch reporter—and
At the entrance to Long Island Sound sits Race Rock
within 24 hours, the society fielded calls from local
Lighthouse. Imposing in its Gothic Revival architec-
trade unions and suppliers who donated their time,
tural style, the 1.5-story dwelling made of granite sits
expertise and materials, even the scaffolding, to the
on a deep foundation built atop Race Rock Reef, about
project, she recalled.
eight miles off the coast of New London in treacherous waters. The lighthouse was designed by Francis Hopkinson Smith, a Renaissance man of sorts—an engineer,
“When people see these iconic, evocative, historic landmarks, they’re intrigued by the history,” Tamulevich said. “New London is a city that loves history and loves its connection to the water.”
author and artist from Baltimore, Md., who also built the Statue of Liberty’s foundation. His design for Race Rock was constructed by Capt. T.A. Scott over the course of seven years, from 1871 to 1878, with a rotunda-like stone foundation, accommodations for the keeper, and a tower that soars to 67 feet above the water line. In 2005, Race Rock Lighthou s e w a s a d d e d t o t he National Register of Historic Places. Thanks to the efforts to preser ve them, the three lighthouses are fully functional today and available for public tours (hosted by the Maritime Society and limited by group size, time of year and weather). “These are such important landmarks,” Tamulevich said. “Even though we say that the Maritime Society owns them, we don’t think of it as owning them.
LEFT Race Rock Lighthouse, a Gothic Revival structure made of granite, sits on a deep foundation built atop Race Rock Reef in treacherous waters about eight miles off New London’s coast. Photo by Andy Champagne ABOVE Visitors to New London Harbor Light on Pequot Avenue take in the panoramic views of New London, Groton, the Thames River and Long Island Sound. Photo courtesy of the New London Maritime Society.
august 2022 55
monthly feature
Hurricanes on the
horizon C
By Phil Hall
onnecticut has been in the path of hur-
suggests a monstrous hurricane created massive damage back in the mid-14th century.
ricanes for centuries. And while damage
One of the earliest recorded hurricanes to
to the state has historically been less se-
impact Connecticut during the colonial era was
vere when compared to the meteorolog-
the August 1635 storm that grazed the south-
ical havoc inflicted on other East Coast
eastern corner of Connecticut while mostly
states, Connecticut residents have not been
impacting Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
spared from Mother Nature’s fury—and it ap-
Another hurricane in August 1685 affected
pears that more weather-induced punishment
Connecticut more directly and was reportedly
is on the way.
responsible for significant flooding.
There was no written history by the region’s
According to Lisa Park Boush, a professor in
indigenous nations prior to the arrival of
the Department of Geosciences at the Univer-
English colonists, so the quantity and sever-
sity of Connecticut, the state’s geography has
ity of hurricanes prior to the mid-17th century
long played an important role in mitigating hur-
is unknown—although geological research
ricane damage.
photo by Warren Rosenberg / adobe stock
56
magazine
“We’re looking at probably three to six storms that are going to be (Category) 3, 4 or 5, which means wind speeds higher than 100 miles an hour.” LISA PARK BOUSH
photo by Sasa Kadrijevic / adobe stock
august 2022 57
monthly feature “The last hurricane to [make] landfall was in 1985 with Hurricane Gloria,” she said. “If you look at a map, the Long Island Peninsula kind of buffers any kind of direct hit that we might get here in the state. However, that doesn’t mean that we’re not being impacted by hurricanes— we get a lot of precipitation and high winds.” Since Hurricane Gloria, Connecticut has seen a number of increasingly powerful storms that created acute property damage. According to Boush, this has been exacerbated by changes to the environment. “We see higher temperatures in the atmosphere and then higher temperatures in sea surfaces,” she said. “What you’re doing then is you’re fueling the engine—the frequency and the intensity will increase because it’s an add-on effect to the more natural processes that are happening to form hurricanes.” Indeed, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center in May forecasted above-average hurricane activity this year—the seventh consecutive above-average hurricane season. The center is expected to update its predictions for the Atlantic basin in August. NOAA’s May outlook for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which started June 1 and ends Nov. 30, predicts a 65 percent chance of an above-normal season, a 25 percent chance of a near-normal season and a 10 percent chance of a below-normal season, the agency said on its website. According to NOAA, the agency is forecasting a likely range this season of 14 to 21 named storms, which include winds of 39 mph or higher, of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher). It’s also forecasting from three to six major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5, with winds of 111 mph or higher). NOAA provides these ranges with a 70 percent confidence, it says. NOAA attributed the weather risks to “several climate factors, including the ongoing La
58
magazine
photo by light_magic / adobe stock
photo by Mitch / adobe stock
photo by drew / adobe stock
photo by Robert Wilson / adobe stock
photo by EvgeniyQW / adobe stock
august 2022 59
monthly feature Niña that is likely to persist throughout the hurricane
million settlement between the state and the utility Ever-
season, warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures
source for its storm response.
in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and an enhanced west African monsoon.” Boush acknowledged the potential for a calamitous summer and fall if the NOAA’s hurricane forecast is accurate.
60
Other damage defies monetary sums. Jennifer H. Mattei, a professor in the Department of Biology at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, observed that Connecticut’s shorelines have frayed as a result of continuous weather events.
“We’re looking at probably three to six storms that
“It depends on winds and currents in each particular
are going to be (Category) 3, 4 or 5, which means wind
area, but we’re definitely losing sand from beaches and
speeds higher than 100 miles an hour,” she said, adding
we’re losing marshes,” she said. “Where I work at Strat-
that NOAA was “pretty confident with these predictions.
ford, there’s a 100-year-old marsh that’s eroding away—I
So, we’re also going to be probably experiencing one of
have pictures from the ’80s and we easily lost 90 percent
the wettest years and one of the hottest years again, par-
of this one marsh area, and that leaves the coast vulnera-
ticularly in Connecticut. I think we’re going to be seeing
ble to hurricanes because the marsh grew up in the wave
these storms—we might not be getting a direct hit like
effects and also absorbs water. Now, it allows for more
we did in 1985, but we will be seeing the impacts that can
water to come onshore and ultimately hit the homes that
be just as severe.”
are built behind the marsh areas.”
For many people, the damage created by hurricanes
Mattei said that while “no one can really stop hurri-
can be measured in dollars and cents—2020’s Hurricane
canes,” she advocates using nature as a force to limit the
Isaias, which diminished to tropical storm status when
impact of the excessive weather events along the shoreline.
it reached Connecticut, left hundreds of thousands with-
“In my work, we’re involved with using natural habi-
out power for extended periods and resulted in a $103.4
tats or habitats that should be there to build resilience
magazine
Fresh Beer, Brewed Here!
in communities, but also build back biodiversity in our natural resources,” she said. “It's kind of a win-win situation where you’re restoring, for instance, oyster or shellf ish reefs, which used to be
STOP IN FOR A BITE, A BREW, & A GROWLER FILL TOO!
Willimantic Brewing Company Restaurant and Pub Brewery 967 Main St, Willimantic, CT 860.423.6777 • willibrew.com
everywhere in Connecticut— but you’d have to go back to the 1800s to see that. A lot of people are not aware that is a habitat we’re already missing—and that was just from human consumption. That would have been a way to mitigate hurricane damage, and we’re trying to demonstrate that at Stratford by putting in an artificial reef that will eventually be colonized by oysters and blue mussels.”
CTALERT OFFERS EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS The state has implemented CTAlert to notify residents of location-specific emergencies in real time. The system enables state and local 911 emergency communication centers to provide essential information quickly in a variety of emergency situations. Residents may sign up to receive alerts via text message, email, mobile app or phone that are specific to the ZIP codes they enter. Sign up by texting your ZIP code to 888-777, or create an account online at portal.ct.gov/CTAlert.
We’ve got you
covered
100% satisfaction guaranteed
Attention, Homeowners: The 6 reasons to have your roof replaced or repaired by The Roofing Store 1. Our phones are staffed by real people 2. Our “guaranteed appointments” mean we show up on time 3. We don’t make extra trips - we bring everything on our first visit 4. We have a large selection of roofing options for you to choose from 5. We have a worry-free financing program that allows you to plan ahead 6. The concrete guarantee. With us, you have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are unhappy for any reason, we will redo the repairs for FREE!
496 Norwich Rd., Plainfield 860-564-8300 www.roofingstorellc.com
Mention this ad for $500 off a complete roof renovation! august 2022 61
monthly feature
Prepare before a storm hits
T
By Phil Hall he good news is that hurricanes don’t descend on this region without advance warning—and forecasters’ abilities are continuing to improve year after year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration recommends that people who live in
yourself with its use. • Be aware of your surroundings. According to the American Red Cross, the best protection in a high-wind event is a “small, interior, windowless room in a sturdy building on the lowest level that
hurricane-prone areas prepare in advance so they’re
is not likely to flood.”
ready for the season, which began in June and extends
• Have supplies ready: nonperishable food, bottled
through November.
water, medicine for humans and pets, batteries,
Here are some crucial considerations to address ahead of the arrival of a potentially devastating hurricane. • In the event evacuation is necessary, plan in advance where you will go and how you will get there. Ensure that you are able to stay for an extended period if necessary.
phone chargers. • Ensure that personal records, like medical and financial paperwork, are safe and will not be damaged or destroyed. •H ave a battery-powered radio available. Internet and cellphone transmissions could be disrupted by a hurricane, but a battery-powered radio will
• If you plan to shelter at home, be prepared for the
offer a channel to the outside world when digital
likelihood of having to live without power, water,
communications go offline.
gas, phone and internet for an extended period of time.
62
the event of a utility-wide failure, and familiarize
•E nsure against property damage. Make sure your home is able to withstand an excessive weather
• If you have a private home, consider investing in
event that will create flooding and wind damage.
a generator that can provide you with power in
If there are trees surrounding the house that have
magazine
Assemble an Emergency Kit for Your Pet Keep items in an accessible place and store them in sturdy containers so that they can be carried easily. Your kit should include:
photo by SkyLine / adobe stock
• Sturdy leashes, harnesses and/or carriers to transport pets safely and ensure that they can’t escape. • Food, drinking water, bowls, cat litter/pan and a manual can opener if your pet eats canned food. • Medications and copies of medical records stored in a waterproof container. • A first aid kit. • Current photos of you with your pet(s) in case they get lost. Since many pets look alike, this will help to eliminate mistaken identity and confusion. • Information on feeding schedules, medical conditions, behavior problems, and the name and number of your veterinarian in case you have to foster or board your pets. • Pet beds and toys, if easily transportable.
Create an Emergency Plan for Your Pet
the potential to lose branches or even topple over, consult with an arborist on whether they should be removed. • Review your insurance policies. In the event of hurricane damage, don’t assume that you are automatically entitled to insurance protection. • Engage in a smart clean-up. After the worst is over and damage needs to be addressed, wear appropriate protective equipment including gloves, goggles and boots while cleaning up, and make sure to disinfect everything that got wet. The American Red Cross warns that heart attacks are a leading cause of death after a hurricane, so don’t over-exert yourself in restoring normalcy.
The best way to protect your household from the effects of a disaster is to have a disaster plan. If you are a pet owner, that plan must include your pets. Being prepared can save their lives. • Know a safe place to take your pets. If you have to evacuate your home during a disaster, the best way to protect your pets is to evacuate them too. If it's not safe for you to stay behind then it's not safe to leave pets behind either. • Know which hotels and motels along your evacuation route will accept pets in an emergency. Call ahead for reservations if you know you may need to evacuate. Ask if no pet policies could be waived in an emergency. • Most American Red Cross shelters cannot accept pets because of health and safety concerns and other considerations. Service animals that assist people with disabilities are allowed in Red Cross shelters. • Know which friends, relatives, boarding facilities, animal shelters or veterinarians can care for your animals in an emergency. Prepare a list with phone numbers. • Although your animals may be more comfortable together, be prepared to house them separately. • Include your pets in evacuation drills so that they become used to entering and traveling in their carriers calmly. • Make sure that your pet’s vaccinations are current and that all dogs and cats are wearing collars with securely fastened, up-to-date identification. Many pet shelters require proof of current vaccinations to reduce the spread of disease. • Consider having your pet “microchipped” by your veterinarian.
Credit: American Red Cross; redcross.org/get-help/ how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/pet-disaster-preparedness.html
august 2022 63
SHOPPING
APPS
FA S HIO N
BE AUT Y
The Old Mill, New London. Photo by Lee Edwards
BOOKS
trending
coming of age on-screen
64
magazine
turning pages book reviews
MEDIA
trending
Angst, first loves & growing up THE BEST COMING-OF-AGE MOVIES STREAMING RIGHT NOW
C
By Kitty Williams
oming-of-age movies have a certain charm that makes them easy to enjoy. What sets coming-of-age movies apart from the others is the specificity. They aren’t just about a kid who’s growing up, they’re about an Irish boy coming of age in the 1980s while simultaneously finding his passion for music and dealing with his parents’ separation, a boy in Miami coming of age while trying to understand his sex-
uality and his mother’s addiction, or a girl who is coming of age while having to deal with the embarrassing and life-changing consequences of her little sister’s actions.
Custom lightin g design for
Lighting, Decor, Unique Gift Ideas Home, Business, Interior, Exterior
25 OFF
$
Design Defined By Light
Any purchase of $200 or more Be the Light (860) 917-8640 Cannot be combined. Limit 1 per customer/transaction. Not valid on special orders or other offers. Some restrictions may apply. Expires 8/31/2022
195 Boston Post Rd - Waterford, CT
(860) 917-8640 • bethelight195@gmail.com
august 2022 65
trending 1. Sing Street (Free on Roku)
J o h n C a r n e y’s 20 16
3. Licorice Pizza (Rent on AppleTV+)
Paul Thomas Ander-
musical comedy-drama
s o n’s 2 0 2 1 c o m e -
is set in Dublin in the
dy-drama follows a
1980s, a time in which
teenage boy who is
our m ain charac ter,
desperate to be seen
Conor, is dealing with
as the mature adult
a dif ficult family life
he feels he is. He has
and school experience
the conf idence and
sim ultane ous to his
audacity to try to woo
becoming infatuated
a woman 10 years his
with a mysterious older
senior and also start
girl and embracing his
a business (and adapt
love of creating music.
his business when the
The film features numer-
1970s economy forces him to). The most endearing aspect
ous songs in their entirety—a rare treat in movies. Though
of this film is perhaps what inspired it: As a child, Anderson
the movie has a beautiful, unique and emotional ending,
had a crush on his art teacher, Donna Haim, who now has
the music will be what remains with you long after it ends.
three daughters, one of whom (Alana Haim) stars in Lico-
2. Moonlight (Rent on Amazon Prime)
Barry Jenkins directed and adapted the
rice Pizza as the object of the young gentleman’s affections.
4. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (Netflix)
s c r e e n p l a y f o r t h is
This Netflix Original
drama, which earned
movie adaptation of
him Best Picture at the
the books of the same
2017 Academy Awards
name by Jenny Han is
(after a troubling enve-
not just a teen roman-
lope mishap). It fol-
tic comedy. Our lead-
lows Chiron, a young
ing girl, Lara Jean, is a
boy who is carrying the
romantic at heart but
burden of his moth-
too shy to invite a real
er’s addiction and the
romance into her life.
uncertainty of his own sexuality. Though his childhood is
She wrote love letters
traumatic, he finds comfort in his father-figure, played by
to all the boys in her
Mahershala Ali. Chiron’s story is told in three parts: child-
school she’s crushed
hood, teenage years and adulthood. Each age is played by
on over the years,
a different actor who beautifully carries the heart of his
but never sent them. It was a harmless practice … until
character.
her younger sister, Kitty, sends out the letters without Lara Jean’s knowledge. After a popular boy in her school receives one of the letters, he and Lara Jean decide to have a fake relationship. But we all know how those pretend relationships end, right?
66
magazine
Naturali Home Call or Text (860) 615-7627
5. The Edge of Seventeen (Netflix)
Bulk Order Discounts Now Available for Naturali Home Soap & Candles
NEW!
Fairy Garden Workshops
787 Long Hill Road, Groton CT 06340
g n i t a r b e l e C We’re Hailee Steinfeld’s acting sets her apart in Kelly Fremon Craig’s directorial debut. In it, Steinfeld’s Nadine finds out her best friend and her brother are in a relationship. Beyond what feels like the loss of her best friend, she is also dealing with her personal frustration with how her own life is progressing, including a strained relationship with her mother
NOW – SEPT 2ND
CELEBRATE WITH US EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK MORE MONEY
CATCHIN’ RAYS
MONDAYS
TUESDAYS
On Mondays, Momentum members will get a chance to win their share of
Woody Harrelson plays her cur-
$10,000 Cash.
Every Tuesday, compete against others in your Status Level to win up to 1,000 Momentum Dollars.
mudgeonly English teacher who
WILD WINNING
THRILLS & CHILLS
after the death of her father.
greets her life crises with varying degrees of humor and compassion.
WEDNESDAYS
THURSDAYS
Every Thursday, just play your Double Status Points on table games, stadium games and in the Poker Room. Double Momentum favorite games and you could be Dollars on slots. Play our Kiosk Game for a chance to randomly selected to win prizes. win your share of $25K in Free Slot Play.
FUN IN THE SUN
LIVE
FRIDAYS
ENTERTAINMENT
Get a free Hot Summer Fun t-shirt* then catch the best free live tribute bands at Party on the Patio.
Don’t miss the biggest shows of the summer at Mohegan Sun Arena including Lorde, Sam Hunt, Rod Stewart, Santana and more.
HOT SUMMER
WINS
Dine, play, win and party all night
at your favorite hot spots like novelle and the massive new Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook.
MOHEGANSUN.COM/HSF
#HOTSUMMERFUN
GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1.800.GAMBLER
*To the first 1,000 Momentum members. Rules and restrictions apply. Proper I.D. required. Must be 21 or older. Visit a Player’s Club booth for details.
august 2022 67
trending | TURNING PAGES
Books for stormy weather
G
By Betty J. Cotter rowing up in southern Rhode Island, I found it hard to escape the history of the Hurricane of ’38. Both my parents had survived the storm—my father, a junior-high student who shepherded his friends along a treacherous route of fallen trees and wires, and my mother, coming home on the train from Providence, a six-hour ordeal. The trauma of the experience rubbed off on us. The lessons were many: The world could change in
an afternoon. The sea could not be trusted. Living on the shore was akin to building castles in the sand. My mother was especially vivid in her recollections. She lived about two miles from the ocean, and her father had a fishing shack at Weekapaug, R.I. Visiting in the aftermath, she wrote of the scene: “Our shanty, of course, was completely gone … Fifty feet of dune had been washed out by the tidal wave, and the water rushed like mad over the houses below.” Like most Westerly residents, my mother’s family knew many of those who were killed in the storm. “As I am writing now the old High School building is a morgue filled with dead bodies … Old Tom Hartley who used to sell clams outside of his little shack is dead,” she wrote. As a teen, I discovered the literature that sprang up in the wake of such storms. Some of these novels, like Harvena Richter’s The Human Shore, were based closely on real events. Richter fictionalized the harrowing story of the Moore family, who were swept away with their Watch Hill house but survived. Christopher La Farge’s The Sudden Guest, set in Rhode Island during a 1944 gale, was inspired by a story he’d heard about a woman who had turned away people during the Hurricane of ’38. Howard Breslin centered his novel, Autumn Comes Early, on hurricanes Connie and Diane, a one-two punch that struck Connecticut in the summer of 1955. The citizens “had been fooled the first time,” he wrote, and thought little of the next storm barreling in their direction. Human hubris is a frequent theme of hurricane literature, both fictional and true. August, deep in hurricane season, is the perfect time to check out some more recent books about these deadly storms.
A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America’s Hurricanes by Eric Jay Dolin (Liveright, 2020) Dolin’s comprehensive account is a good place to start your hurricane reading. From the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 to more recent disasters such as Katrina (2005) and Maria (2017), Dolin combines lively narrative with scientific fact to plumb the causes and impact of tropical cyclones.
68
magazine
Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A. Scotti (Little, Brown, 2003)
The late Rita Scotti wrote the most accurate account of the ’38 storm, which killed 680 people and caused damage that today would be measured in the billions of dollars. Following the stories of a Jamestown, R.I., school bus driver and his passengers, the actress Katharine Hepburn (who lived in the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook), a family on Long Island, and the Moores of Watch Hill, the book captures the personal drama as well as the official failures to forecast and warn of the storm.
Spartina by John Casey (Avon Books, 1989) Casey wrote his National Book Award-winning novel while living on an island off Wickford, R.I., and teaching at the University of Rhode Island. This story of the fisherman Dick Pierce, his extra-marital affair, and his Noah-like construction of a fishing boat can end only one way: with a storm of God-like proportions.
Hemingway’s Hurricane: The Great Florida Keys Storm of 1935 by Phil Scott (McGraw-Hill, 2006) To date, only a handful of Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall on the U.S. coast. The so-called Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 is one of them. Packing winds of 185 mph, the storm swept across the Keys, killing 485 people. The death toll was exacerbated by the government’s failure to evacuate veterans working on a highway construction project, a scandal Ernest Hemingway exposed in an article in the communist publication New Masses.
Under a Dark Summer Sky by Vanessa Lafaye (Sourcebooks
Landmark, 2015)
Lafaye’s debut novel sets the Labor Day storm earlier in the summer and on the fictional Heron Key. When a woman is severely beaten at a Fourth of July party, it ignites racial tensions between black World War I veterans at a work camp and their white neighbors. The audiobook (Recorded Books/Blackstone) is evocatively narrated by Karen Chilton.
august 2022 69
trending | LOCAL FINDS
Shop unique. Shop local. C
A
D
B
E
F G
A. STONINGTON BOROUGH JEWELRY
This unique souvenir of Stonington Borough is a oneinch stainless steel charm, which is available to purchase as a necklace, a bracelet or the charm alone. Beautifully designed by a former Stonington artist. Makes a great gift for a lighthouse lover, too! Mention this ad and save 20% on charms. Chain $14, Necklace $22, Bracelet $22 Carolyn Yost Estate Jewelry and Stonington Antiques Etc. 148 Water Street, Stonington, CT | 860-535-8422 carolyn-yost-estate-jewelry-and-stonington.business.site
B. NEAR EASTERN GRAYWARE VESSEL
This one-of-a-kind find dates back to the Middle Bronze Age circa 3000-2250 BCE and was relocated from Iran in the 1960s to a Virginia collector. It is 3” x 3 ½” in size. $1,100 CEL Fine Collectibles & Appraisers 321 Main Street, Niantic, CT | 860-333-4260
C. SAILOR KNOT WINE CHARMS
Looking to elevate your wine game? With 18 colors available to mix and match, these cotton sailor knot wine charms are a nautical way to keep tabs on everybody’s glass at your next gathering. Each charm measures about 1.5” across and includes a silver-plated ring for hanging. $4.15 each Mystic Knotwork, 25 Cottrell Street, Mystic, CT 860-889-3793 | mysticknotwork.com
70
magazine
This will make a cozy spot to slee p, before or after it's wa shed.
D. "SHOOTING STAR" PENDANT NECKLACE
Look up at the twinkling sky on any August night and you’re bound to see a shooting star. Connecticut designer Elizabeth Ostwald tapped into her love for science when creating this galactic piece from her collection of hand-painted jewelry inspired by the cosmos—including pendants, earrings and bracelets. $25 Swift Waters Artisans’ Cooperative 866 Main Street, Willimantic, CT | 860-456-8548 swiftwaters.org
E. MAPPING NANTUCKET TOWN
The historic harbor village streets of old town Nantucket are captured beautifully and authentically in this composition, along with wharves on the waterfront and hand-stitched ferry lines. New London artist Elizabeth Mador’s exclusive cloth artworks are interpretive maps inspired by her lifelong love of textiles and passion for data. $2,000 The Catherine Fosnot Art Gallery and Center 165 State Street, New London, CT | 860-523-2175 thecatherinefosnotartgalleryandcenter.com
We found some great stuff for August! Don’t miss out!
Keep an eye out for Sundae’s pawprint of approval on any item that might be purr-fectly suited for a cat (or other pets) to enjoy!
Contact thedaymag@theday.com to feature your product.
You’ll also find out why I like it!
Happy shopping! Check your tote s for stowaway e us u yo re befo . it. Just in case
I
H
H. NAVY ANCHOR OGUNQUIT BEACH TOTE
J
An iconic anchor applique is the perfect finishing touch for the world’s best beach bag. Exterior pocket keeps wet suits or sandy flip-flops contained. Three interior pockets keep keys, wallet, media and sunglasses organized. Water-resistant recycled sail cloth protects your gear and is easy to clean. $250 Sea Bags, 36 West Main Street, Mystic, CT 207-239-9907 | seabags.com
I. BERNETTE SEW&GO 1 SEWING MACHINE
F. EAST COAST AUTO CENTER CREW NECK SWEATSHIRT
The bernette sew&go 1 is a mechanical sewing machine. Clearly designed and easy to operate, it is perfect for beginner sewers. With 10 stitches it provides excellent basic functions at a very economical price. Free machine instructions are provided with any machine purchased from Shoreline Sewing Machine Co. $179 Shoreline Sewing Machine Co. 22 Bayview Avenue, Studio #9, Stonington, CT 860-338-1832 | shorelinesewingmachine.com
G. JAPANESE FURISODE DOLL
These polarized flower sunglasses from the Flower Child Blue Series Collection are virtually indestructible. They feature UV400 lenses and BPA-free frames and are recommended for ages 3-5. $36 Shades of Mystic, 3 Water Street, Unit 101, Mystic, CT 207-572-0081 | facebook.com/shadesofmystic
Represent your coast while staying cozy throughout the late summer nights with this vintage crewneck sweatshirt designed by local artist Klashwon, who has been developing his craft since the early ‘90s and considers each concept a unique arrangement of his environment. Klashwon also designs hoodies, T-shirts, accessories and more. $45 The Annex, 24 Bank Street, New London, CT 860-857-2968 | theannexnl.com
This antique Furisode doll from the turn of the 20th century features a porcelain head and hands made from oyster shells and is adorned with a beautiful silk dress. $1,775 CEL Fine Collectibles & Appraisers 321 Main Street, Niantic, CT | 860-333-4260
J. BABIATORS SUNGLASSES
august 2022 71
SENIORS
PETS
E D U C AT I O N
H E A LT H
WELLNESS
East Haddam. photo by Maria Angelopoulos
FA MILIE S
life cycles
talking to your kids about tragedy
72
magazine
get ready to go back to school
august is eye exam month
SPONSORED CONTENT
Dental implants restore smiles Brought to you by Shoreline Periodontics
N
life cycles
A f ter approx imately 4 months of hea ling, the
othing is more alarming to an individual than
implants have formed a “union” with the surround-
when they lose a front tooth. Our smile is the core
ing bone. This process, called osseointegration, allows
of the visual first impression, but with careful di-
the implant to absorb and withstand biting forces. The
agnosis, planning, and teamwork, the implant
gum tissues have also healed and matured around the
surgeon and restorative doctor can bring back architec-
temporary restorations. The patient’s restorative den-
ture and harmony to a smile, even in the highly critical
tist begins the final process of making the porcelain
“esthetic zone”.
crowns.
Our featured patient is an 18-year-old female with con-
Successful implant therapy results in restorations that
genitally missing lateral incisors,
blend with the surrounding teeth and
meaning her permanent teeth had
gum tissue, and are in harmony with
never formed. After a detailed anal-
the individual’s facial and oral fea-
ysis, we determined the patient was
tures. Gum tissues that frame the res-
ready for dental implants. We uti-
torations should mimic the scallop-
lize minimally invasive approaches
ing shape and contours of the gum tis-
to help preserve gum architecture
sue surrounding natural teeth. Most
BEFORE
whenever possible. Implant surgery without incision can be conducted
importantly, when our patients smile, the new implant teeth appear natural and pleasing to the eyes.
in appropriate situations to avoid the disturbance of soft tissue con-
Careful analysis and management
tours. In addition, the use of imme-
of the soft and hard tissues during
diate restorations can support the
implant treatment can lay the foun-
preservation of those tissues. This
dation for a successful result in the
is a critical benefit to the patient
esthetic zone. The restorative-surgi-
seeking the most esthetic result.
AFTER
Once the implants have been
cal team approach can offer patients the most advanced implant options including minimally-invasive sur-
positioned, temporary posts and crowns are made chairside and are seated immediately.
gery and immediate restorations. For more infor-
With this approach, the patient is able to leave the office
mation and patient testimonials visit our website at
with the first set of new teeth on the same day.
shorelineperio.com.
Brought to you by Shoreline Periodontics New London 860-443-2428, Westerly, RI 401-596-0000 shorelineperio.com Dr. Gregory Toback is a board-certified dental specialist in the field of periodontics and dental implants. Dr. Toback focuses on state-of-the-art treatments for gum disease, dental implant surgery, full arch rehabilitation, and esthetic soft tissue surgery. Treating patients with anxiety and apprehension holds special interest for Dr. Toback. He offers a variety of sedation options for his patients, who are treated in a calm, caring, and comfortable environment.
august 2022 73
life cycles
When kids are HOW TO TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT TRAGIC EVENTS
N
By Jennifer Carmichael
74
bu
rn
st
uf
f
a
it is to have
ews of war, school shootings and the on-
some of these
going COVID-19 pandemic is unsettling
conversations.”
and confusing for adults, never mind our
Karyn Hester,
children. It’s easy to feel an abundance
a school psychol-
of mixed emotions. So, it’s no wonder we
ogist and licensed
struggle with what to say to kids or how to help
pr ofe s s ion a l c ou n-
them cope.
selor, agrees. “It’s import-
Experts say that it’s OK to tell our children that
3/
ock e st
phot o by
scared
0 20
b do
ant for parents to take care of
we’re worried, too, but that we are doing every-
themselves during these times, maintain
thing to keep them safe. In fact, advice for worried
normal routines and engage in healthy living hab-
or uneasy parents is that it’s better to say something
its—eating, sleeping, exercise—for themselves, so
and struggle over words than to say nothing. Par-
they may work to regulate their own thoughts and
ents should understand that they may not have all
emotions surrounding events,” says Hester, who
the right answers, but even saying, “I don’t know,”
works at New London Public Schools in addition
is better than avoiding the conversation altogether.
to her private practice in Old Saybrook, where she
According to Melissa Santos, Ph.D., the division
counsels adolescents through older adults. “It’s OK
chief of pediatric psychology and clinical director
to share our emotions. In fact, it’s good to model
of the pediatric obesity center at Connecticut Chil-
healthy, emotional expression and self-regulation.”
dren’s Medical Center, it’s important to check in with
Parents can and should lead by example by lim-
yourself first. Then, talk about difficult topics with
iting their own television-viewing and social media
your children, always reassuring them they’re safe.
coverage of these events. It’s also a good idea to
“Kids learn from watching us, and what an oppor-
learn about the safety precautions that are taken
tunity we have to have kids see how we as adults
in their children’s schools and other places their
struggle, cope and work our ways through this,”
children go, and identify a trusted adult from those
notes Santos, who is also associate professor of
settings that their children may go to for support
pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School
if they are feeling unsafe or anxious, says Hester.
of Medicine. “I think the more that we can incorpo-
In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics
rate conversations about mental health and stress-
encourages parents, teachers, childcare providers
ors in the fabric of conversations at home, the easier
and others who work closely with children to filter
magazine
ph y l
SILICOSTUDIO STOC
ob ot
y BA
ph
b oto
izav
et ta /
adobe stock
K/ ad ob e st oc
ph o ot by
ju s tin _a n
d e rs o n / adobe sto
ck
“It’s much better for a child to hear from you what is happening than to find out elsewhere.” MELISSA SANTOS photo by Anatoliy Karlyuk / adobe stock
august 2022 75
k
life cycles information about the event and present it in a way that the child can understand, adjust to and cope with. No matter what age or developmental stage your child is, you can start by asking what they’ve already heard. Most children, no matter how young, will have heard something. Start by asking what questions they have and how they feel. “If your child is open to talking about the event, be sure to focus on the facts,” says Hester, noting to keep the facts age-appropriate. “Ask them how they feel about it, and most importantly, validate their feelings. All feelings are OK when a tragedy occurs. This will help keep the door open for future conversations and questions.” Santos adds, “Listen and reassure them,” noting that it is best to keep the dialogue straightforward and direct. “Their feelings are valid, and we don’t want kids to ever feel like their feelings are dismissed. It’s much better for a child to hear from you what is happening than to find out elsewhere. Keep it simple: ‘There was
photo by Africa Studio / adobe stock
something that happened, some people got hurt, but helpers are there to help and keep everyone safe,’ is one way for younger children.” Older children, teens and young adults might ask more questions, and may ask for and benefit from additional information, she says. With that said, some may not want to talk at all. “Every child is unique, and it’s OK if your child is not talking about an event,” says Hester. “Acknowledge that the event occurred and follow their lead with silence, but be present and available. Remember to be patient and meet your child where they are. Focus on being available, consistent, and maintaining
photo by globalmoments / adobe stock
TIPS: WHAT PARENTS CAN SAY OR DO
• Maintain normal routines and activities • Limit media, whether social media, television or online • Give kids age-appropriate information (you know them best) • It’s OK to say “I don’t know” • Keep it simple, but be straightforward and direct • Think of things to do together to help, which gives the feeling of control over actions. Offer an opportunity to share suggestions about how to make school or the world safer, and how to prevent tragedies 76
magazine
normal routines to instill a sense of support, security and safety.” Hester notes that it’s important to acknowledge that there is no guarantee that something bad will never happen, understanding that there’s a difference between the possibility of something happening and the probability that it will occur. Let kids know it’s normal and OK to be scared or worried about these events, but that we should continue living our lives to their fullest. The Child Mind Institute, childmind.org, is a good educational resource that she recommends for more information. In addition, she recommends the following apps to help develop coping strategies and improve self-regulation: Headspace, Calm, Insight Timer and Thought Diary. Santos and her division at Connecticut Children’s recommend a handful of books to help children cope. Something Bad Happened: A Kid’s Guide to Coping with Events in the News, written by child psychologist and best-selling author Dawn Huebner, guides children ages 6 to 12, and the adults who care about them, through tough conversations about national and international tragedies. For preschoolers, Santos says the board book, Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave, by Jessica Hische, includes language that indicates it is OK to not feel brave or strong. For ages 3-5, High Five by Adam Rubin offers some encouragement to “be silly,” while The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak, well-known for his work on NBC’s Emmy Award-w inning comedy series The Office, also inspires laughter. Once I Was Very Very Scared is geared toward elementary-aged kids, but could probably be comfort-
YOUR FURNISHED ROOMS OUR SPECIALTY
ing for a wider age range. Its
• Home Furnishings • Consultations • Project Management • Floor Plans • Space Planning
main character—a little squirrel, who announces that he was once very, very scared, finds out that he is not alone.
• Finish Selections • Color Coordination • Decor Placements • Window Treatments
designessenceinteriors.com
interior design and retail studio
860-388-5815 •100 Main Street • Old Saybrook
august 2022 77
life cycles
Yes, it’s time to think about going back to school HERE’S HOW TO MAKE IT AS EASY AS
A
By Bridget Shirvell
ugust arrives on a wave of mixed emotions. Summer’s not over yet, but
Gradually (re)establish a routine
While you’re soaking up summer, you
need to slowly get everyone back into a routine. Easier said than done, I know, but
the back-to-school rush
this last month of summer break is the time to start
looms. It’s daunting. Now
work. Think regular meal times, school night bedtimes,
(re)establishing everything that makes the school year
is the time to make the most of
and wake-up routines. In our May 2022 issue, I spoke
these last long, lazy days, but it’s
pital Sleep Center medical director. He told me a reg-
also the moment to prepare your-
with Dr. Amit Khanna, the Lawrence + Memorial Hosular wake-up time is even more essential than a consistent bedtime because it helps our bodies start to
self and your kids for the school
tell us when it’s time to go to sleep. So figure out when
routine. Here’s how to approach it
forget that a regular wake-up time means no longer
with effortless organization, ease and some well-earned fun. 78
1
1-2-3
magazine
everyone needs to wake up and set the alarm. Don’t staying in PJs until noon. Parents should start a consistent bedtime routine by the second week of August, say Valerie Kelsey,
executive director of special services at New Lon-
them those back-to-school nerves are entirely
don Public Schools, and Jennifer Hills-Papetti, vice
normal.
superintendent in New London.
While most kids transition from summertime to
Gradually easing into the school year routine
school pretty smoothly, it’s not unusual for it to take
should make the first weeks of school less of a shock
a month for them to get used to the new routine, say
for everyone.
Kelsey and Hills-Papetti.
2
Prepare your kids for change
Back-to-school jitters are normal
for everyone, but they can be especially tough on kids entering school
for the first time and those starting
new schools. New London Public Schools tries to ease the
3
Stock up on school supplies
Most schools send home a list
of suggested school supplies. New London Public Schools, for instance, sent such a list home in the spring.
Depending on your school, you can also likely
find this list online, so go ahead and check it twice
transition by having school staff teams of two visit
and add all those practical items to your carts.
every incoming ninth-grade student over the sum-
4
mer. New London also partners incoming sixth graders with older middle school students. If your child is particularly anxious, strategize a plan for the first day. Consider driving them to school the day before so they can see where the bus will drop them off and what door they’ll be using, or plan to meet a friend on the first day so they can go
Get your kids involved
While you’re busy adding pens
and pencils to your shopping cart, don’t forget that getting back into the school-year swing works best if
your kids are involved in the process.
Not only should you have them help you shop for
in together. Workshop some ideas to make them feel
those school supplies but talk through the bedtime
better about the first day, and don’t forget to remind
and wake-up routines, go over specific school rules,
august 2022 79
life cycles and decide as a family on an end-of-summer activity. “We have a no-video-games-in-September policy. says Jason Hine, a Stonington father of two schoolaged kids. “So I’ll say something like, ‘Have fun with them now. They’re going away soon.’ We’ve found it really helps them adjust to the school year, but you can’t spring it on them.” Talk school up. Ask them what they’re looking for-
Consider this your end-of-summer
homework; brainstorm something better to ask after school than “How was school?” Unless, of course, you have
the rare child that answers with more than one word like “Fine.” Try to ask something a bit more specific,
ward to and what they’re nervous about.
like, “What was the most surprising thing you learned
5
today?” or “What was your favorite part of the day.”
Make after-school arrangements
The end of the school day can
pose a challenge for many parents and caregivers. Keep a calendar, noting what’s happening after school; who is
playing what sport or taking part in which
8
Soak up these long, lazy days
Summer is magical for so many
reasons. “We don’t have a lot of structure but
we do have a family book club,” says Hine.
activity, what days they happen, and any carpool or
“We sit out on the porch, each with our own book,
pickup/dropoff arrangements.
jazz music playing, and read for 15 to 30 minutes a
6
day.”
Organize: a place for everything
Lean into whatever it is you love most about the season. If it’s the unstructured days, go ahead and let
Make sure your kids have a spe-
your kids stay up late at least once for an epic movie
cific place for everything they’ll need:
marathon or video game party. If it’s the ice cream,
a hook for their backpack, a floor mat
why not go crazy and let the kids have ice cream
for their shoes, a tray for school notices
for dinner one night? If you’re one of the lucky ones
or permission slips. While I can’t promise this
whose child does not have to be back at school until
means no one will be yelling, “I can't find my socks,” five minutes before the school bus arrives, it’s a step toward getting there.
80
7
Stop asking “How was your day”
magazine
after Labor Day, take that last-minute vacation. Your kids will cherish their summer memories; go ahead and make some.
Sundae’s
shopping list
BACK-T0-SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Divorce Mediation and Collaboration Real Estate • Personal Injury Wills and Estate Administration www.AttorneyAdamsct.com 1260 Boston Post Rd., Westbrook, CT 06498 • (860) 322-2030 Cheshire office by appointment • (203) 272-2010
Some of these items may not apply to all students, and it’s not a complete list, but it’s a good place to start.
arkers/crayons/colored M pencils No. 2 pencils Notebooks Glue sticks Folders
Binders
Backpack
Construction paper Lunch box or bag Erasers Ruler
Ballpoint pens
ssignment book/ A calendar Pencil sharpener Highlighters
Index cards Calculator White-out
Subject dividers Book covers
august 2022 81
life cycles
Keep your vision clear and healthy
A
By Jennifer Carmichael
before entering kindergarten. Unfortunately, most
ugust is National Eye Exam Month. Begun
children don’t find out they have visual problems
in 1989 by Sears Optical, an eye care and
until they start to have difficulty at school.
eyewear department found across Sears
“If a child wears glasses, make an appointment
stores before
once a year, otherwise,
a l l lo c at ion s
every couple of years
closed in 2020, the
is fine,” he says. “At age
month serves as a year-
40, that’s when changes
ly reminder to sched-
often come and glau-
ule your eye exam. Just
coma becomes more
as an annual physical
p r e v a l e nt . D e p e n d-
exam and routine den-
ing on a doctor’s find-
tal v isits assess your
ings, it would depend
health whether you are
on whether you would
feel ing s y mptoms or
go once a year or every
not, a n appointment
couple of years.”
with an eye care pro-
Dr. Renae Reynolds,
fessional, optometrist
a n optometr ist w ith
or ophthalmologist is
Norwich Ophthalmol-
essential.
ogy Group with three locations —Nor w ich,
Like anything, it is
Niantic and Groton—
always better to f ind problems before they
notes that eye exams
get bigger. Early detection is key. Vision deterioration
are important because there are a number of things
happens over time, so it’s difficult to notice your eye-
that could be affecting the backs of your eyes, even
sight changing. So, whether you wear glasses, con-
if your vision is a perfect 20/20.
tacts, have received LASIK, or have perfect vision,
“I’ve diagnosed people with diabetes who had no
you owe it to yourself to schedule a comprehensive
idea,” she says. “There could be freckles in the back
eye exam to protect your vision and your health.
of your eyes that can turn into something more dan-
August is a good time to add this to your calendar, especially for children, with back to school around
82
photo by Peakstock / adobe stock
gerous, like a melanoma. You could have glaucoma and have no idea.”
the corner. In fact, Dr. Anthony Romania, an oph-
The good news, Reynolds says, is that most eye-re-
thalmologist with Romania Eye Care of Groton, says
lated disorders, when detected in the early stages,
it’s a good idea for every child to have an eye exam
can be properly treated and mitigated. Detecting
magazine
amblyopia (lazy eye) early in children allows for the best prognosis. However, certain diseases, like glaucoma, have no symptoms to tell you something is wrong until it is too late. Dr. Keith Lemire, an optometrist with Shoreline Eye Group with offices in Old Saybrook and Water-
“Although there isn’t a cure for glaucoma or macular degeneration, early detection and management does help to preserve vision.”
ford says that some of the leading causes of vision
DR. KEITH LEMIRE
loss in adults include age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts. “Although there isn’t a cure for glaucoma or macular degeneration, early detection and management does help to preser ve vision,” says Lemire, who also notes that many diseases can
TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR EYES HEALTHY • Eat a Mediterranean diet with a lot of nutrients, including bright-colored and leafy fruits and vegetables • Practice general good health • Wear sunglasses • Use protective eyewear for sports and doing yard work • Don’t overwear your contacts or sleep with them in • Take your makeup off with an oil free cleanser photo by makistock / adobe stock
Scan QR code for Schedule
august 2022 83
life cycles manifest into ocular problems and many systemic
glasses, which can help mitigate eye strain, as well
conditions, including diabetes and hypertension,
as taking breaks and looking away from the screen
can be detected with a comprehensive eye exam.
every 20 minutes, which can help prevent discom-
“Cataracts are, in most cases, curable, and can be
fort before it happens. Computer use can also cause
removed with surgery with a very high success rate,”
dry eye, a common eye condition, which can be
Lemire says. “Wearing sunglasses with UV protec-
chronic. Treatment options include over-the-counter
tion may help slow the progression of cataracts, but
drops and prescription medications and treatments.
most of us will develop cataracts with age.”
“Computers wreak havoc with many people’s eyes,
A good rule of thumb—don’t ignore symptoms
not so much in a health-related way, but headaches,
such as flashes of light, floaters, vision loss or eye
dry eyes, eyestrain, is very often an issue,” notes Dr.
pain. Other reasons to be seen by your eye doctor
Dave MacDonald, an optometrist at Cartier Opti-
include blurry vision, eyestrain, headaches and com-
cal in Old Saybrook. “Proper eye care and eyeglasses
puter-related eye fatigue.
can reduce these annoying factors as well as using
Screen time strains the eyes for both adults
proper workstation ergonomics.”
and children. Doctors suggest blue-light blocking
photo by Andrey Popov / adobe stock
84
magazine
photo by Dario Lo Presti / adobe stock
Caring for your pet’s eyes Even though National Eye Exam month is geared towards humans, it’s a good time to be aware of your pet’s eye health. Here are some things you can do to keep your pet seeing clearly, and some things to keep an eye out for. (Get it?) • Research your pet’s breed for any predispositions to eye conditions (Pet DNA testing can also flag any potential health issues) • A void using irritating soaps or sprays near your pet’s eyes • Gently wipe discharge or mucus out of your pet’s eyes using a clean, damp cotton ball • When wiping your pet’s eyes, wipe from the corner and use a different cotton ball for each eye
•D on’t let your dog stick its head out the window while you’re driving. The wind can dry its eyes out, leading to irritation. Debris and insects may also fly into its eyes, causing pain and injury. Try rolling windows down partway •M ake sure your pet has a balanced diet, including important antioxidants that support eye health
• Keep hair trimmed around your pet’s eyes so their vision is unobstructed and to reduce irritation
Symptoms of potential eye problems:
• Create an area in your house that is free of artificial light
• Excessive drainage from the eyes
• A llow your pet access to natural light through windows or being outside • If your pet is often outdoors, make sure it has access to shelter and a shady spot
• Squinting
• Rubbing of eyes
• S welling around the eyes • Visible third eyelid
• Change in vision
• Change in eye color • Cloudy eyes
• Unequal pupil size
• Increased redness of the eyes
Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine: cvm.msu.edu/vetschool-tails/pet-eye-health
august 2022 85
explorations D AY T R I P S
G E TA W AY S
Old Saybrook. Photo by Lori Wadsworth
T R AV E L T I P S
take a day trip through Lyme, Flanders and Old Saybrook
86
magazine
DAY TRIP
| explorations
How to spend a perfect summer weekend in Lyme, Flanders & Old Saybrook Often overlooked for their more happening neighbors, these three southeastern Connecticut destinations have all the makings of a magical summer day
R
By Bridget Shirvell
aise your hand if you’re guilty of driving through Old Saybrook, Lyme and Flanders without a second thought. The towns and vil-
lages that straddle Middlesex and New London counties are often overlooked for their more happening neighbors. But
This railroad bridge across the Connecticut River connects Old Lyme and Old Saybrook. Photo by Lisa Bousquet
behind their exteriors are quirky spots that dreamily mix coastline and farmland, history and nature. Here’s
Front Building: (860) 391-8636 More Antiques in Rear (860) 339-5706 Thetroveoldsaybrook.com Thetrove@comcast.net
Now 8,500 Sq.Ft. Full of Antiques, Rugs, Jewelry, Furniture, Collectibles and Treasures!
how to spend the perfect summer day or weekend there.
1353 & 1383 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook, CT august 2022 87
explorations | DAY TRIP Forest bathing takes place in August in Banningwood Preserve, pictured. Photo by Sue Cope
GET CLOSE TO NATURE
Take a hike in some of the most beautiful nature preserves and pristine open spaces that the region has to offer. Lyme Land Trust regularly hosts guided walks and other events including an upcoming “forest bathing” session (Aug. 6), and stargazing (Aug. 26). Visit the Land Trust’s website for hiking maps and more information, lymelandtrust.org.
TOAST SUMMER AT SUNSET HILL VINEYARD Raise a glass of orange wine at Lyme’s Sunset Hill Vineyard, a family run boutique vineyard located on 12 acres. The vineyard’s bucolic setting is the perfect spot for a lovely summer afternoon. Check the vineyard’s limited edition Artist Series, a nod to the Lyme Art Colony, with labels designed by local artists. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the wine is donated to a charity chosen by the artist. The vineyard is open Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Sunset hill vineyard
88
magazine
STOP, SHOP AT BEAVER BROOK FARM
If you haven’t yet tasted Beaver Brook’s farmstead cheese, what are you waiting for? The aged sheep’s milk cheese with a slightly tangy kick is just one of the cheeses you’ll fall in love with here. You can visit them from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week. Don’t forget to stock up on some of their meats, too, like roasts, chops, poultry and lamb. P hoto courtesy of beaver brook farm
REST YOUR HEAD AT FLAT ROCK FARM
Have a bit of a southeastern Connecticut staycation by booking a night or two (or more!) at Lyme’s beautiful Flat Rock Farm. Say hello to the alpacas and other farm animals before heading out to explore the area. After a day hiking or just relaxing on the farm, you can retreat to the
LYME
quiet guest house and spend an evening roasting marshmallows over a fire. Flat Rock welcomes visitors for overnight stays as well as those who just wish to pop in for a visit or an afternoon.
P hoto courtesy of flat rock farm
august 2022 89
explorations | DAY TRIP
FLANDERS BIKING & MUSIC
While Lyme may have some of the best hiking trails, Flanders offers some great biking. Feeling ambitious? Start your ride in Flanders and do a 28-mile loop through East Lyme, Waterford and New London. If you plan your trip to town on a Wednesday or a Friday you’re in luck: Nearby McCook Point in Niantic hosts live concerts Wednesday and Friday evenings sponsored by East Lyme Parks & Recreation. For a list of shows, visit discovereastlyme.com.
SEAFOOD FOR HERE OR TO GO Maybe it’s the sun or the fresh air, but whatever it is, there is something about spending a summer day outside that can leave us famished. Before heading back to your town, swing by Flanders Fish Market for steamers or a lobster roll, or pick up the fresh catch of the day to grill when you get home. McCook Point Beach, Niantic p hoto by toni leland
90
magazine
& NIANTIC STOCK UP ON BAKED TREATS
Is there anything better than starting a summer day with a hot, homemade donut? I think not. So when in Flanders, get yourself to the family owned Flanders Donut & Bake Shop and choose between old-fashioned donuts (I’m partial to lemon glazed), yeast risen and jelly filled. Not into donuts? They also have bagels, pastries and breakfast sandwiches. Plus, coffee.
photo courtesy of Flanders Fish market
photo courtesy of flanders donut & Bake Shop
august 2022 91
explorations | DAY TRIP
MAKE IT A BEACH DAY
photo courtesy of Old Saybrook parks & Recreation
Check out the tide charts and plan a visit to Harvey’s Beach during low tide. This will guarantee you have plenty of room to explore. The beach, which is open to nonresidents, has lifeguards on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Harvey's also hosts a summer concert series on the beach.
THE KATHARINE HEPBURN CULTURAL ARTS CENTER If you’ve never visited The Kate, consider this your summer to-do. Housed in a striking Colonial Revival building, which is a work of art on its own, you can browse photographs of Katharine Hepburn and learn about her life, or catch one of the live performances. Find out what’s upcoming on their website: katharinehepburntheater.org.
photo courtesy of Katharine Hepburn cultural Arts Center
92
magazine
OLD
SAY HELLO TO CT’S EMERGING BEER SCENE
Whether you prefer your beer hoppy, sour or simply good-tasting on a hot summer day, Myrcene Ale Co. has a brew for you. Recently opened, Myrcene also makes hard seltzer and has a rotating selection of locally made hard ciders and wines available for the non-beer lovers. Spend an afternoon doing a tasting while perusing the work of local artisans at one of their pop up days (schedule available on their website) or simply stop by to discover a new favorite brew.
photo courtesy of myrcene Ale Co.
STROLL THE DOWNTOWN SHOPS
Stroll along Old Saybrook’s picturesque downtown and pop in and out of the chic boutiques. Hunt for new (old) treasures at Tova’s Vintage Shop, browse funky Old Glory and pick up a candle or a new kitchen gadget at Swag. Then stop for a bite at Penny Lane Pub, or a treat at Sweet Luna’s.
SAYBROOK
photo by peter m. weber
august 2022 93
it’s your day INFLUENCERS
Jordan Cove, Waterford. Photo by Joseph Buths
Q&A
get to know Maryam Elahi
94
magazine
Maryam Elahi
P R E S I D E N T A N D C E O O F T H E C O M M U N I T Y F O U N D AT I O N O F E A S T E R N C O N N E C T I C U T
A
By Erica Moser
s I went to interview Maryam Elahi one day in June, I realized that in my five years at The Day, I had never been to her office. Consid-
ering she is president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, photo courtesy of maryam elahi
it makes sense I had only ever seen her out in the community: at a talk with a women’s rights activist at the Spa at Norwich Inn, at a march for abortion rights in New London, at a “teach-in” with the Lyme-Old Lyme Partnership for Social Justice. But her office is a snapshot of the values that drive her work, with décor Elahi has collected and taken with her from job to job. There’s the Martin Luther King portrait with the quote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” There’s the image of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elahi’s hero. There’s graphic designer Milton Glaser’s “Images of Labor” print, with bound hands forming the
doesn’t work, and that’s reflected in how nimble the organization has been through the COVID-19 pandemic.
shape of a bird, and Nicola Sacco’s quote, “It is true,
The Community Foundation created the
indeed, that they can execute the body, but they
Neighbors for Neighbors Fund , raisin g over
cannot execute the idea which is bound to live.” And
$1.5 million. It convened nonprofit leaders and
there’s a Velvet Revolution poster featuring Czech
municipalities to make sure American Rescue Plan
opposition leader Václav Havel, an image Elahi said
Act funds would go toward three priorities: early
is “all about hope.”
childhood care and education, affordable housing
Elahi has been in her role since 2013, after working
and mental health and wellness.
for Amnesty International, establishing the first
“We don’t use the word charity; we use the word
undergraduate human rights program in the U.S.
justice,” Elahi said, referring to the generosity and
at Trinity College, and directing the International
graciousness of donors during the pandemic. “It is to
Women’s Program at the Open Society Foundations.
correct things so that there is greater equity, there
Elahi is originally from Iran but fled in the late-1970s
is justice, people have jobs, they can pay their rent,
during the Iranian Revolution. She went on to study
they can send their kids to school.”
at Williams College, Boston College Law School, and
Elahi talked to TDM about the work of the
the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts
Community Foundation, her background, and what
University, and now lives in Old Saybrook.
keeps her going. Here are some excerpts from that
She said at the Community Foundation, the
conversation.
attitude of “this is the way we’ve always done it”
august 2022 95
it’s your day | Q&A TDM: Can you talk about what the Community Foundation
Both my parents had been deeply committed to commu-
of Eastern Connecticut is and what you do?
nity social work and justice, so it wasn’t far-flung from the
ME: Our mission is to address the rights, needs and inter-
values I was raised with. I did get my biology bachelor’s, but
ests of the people in our 42 towns in this region, the eastern
I went on to law school and grad school with the intent of
third of Connecticut, and to work at building resilient, thriv-
doing human rights work, and so then I went to Amnesty
ing communities—communities where people feel their kids
International and did 27 or so years of work in the human
are going to great schools and they’re supported through
rights community.
our scholarships, where our grants support the nonprofits
After you see so much cruelty and injustice, there’s a
that provide mentoring and other services, that housing
part of you that just aches, and I was ready to move into
needs are addressed.
something where I felt there would be more of a chance of
We don’t change the system that really needs to be
putting down seeds, watering them and seeing it come up,
shifted so that people’s rights are better addressed. So
seeing your seeds [grow]. Someone mentioned to me that
much of that is at the state government level and federal
Community Foundation here was looking for a new CEO,
government level, so because of that, we are now leaning in
and so that’s that.
more to using—besides grantmaking—our other tools in the toolbox, which are advocacy and convening tools.
TDM: You grew up in Iran and came here at age 15. What was that transition like and how did it shape the work you’ve
TDM: In your nine years at the Community Foundation,
done throughout your career?
what do you think are the areas where eastern Connecticut
ME: My parents were part of the educated elite. My father
has made some of the biggest strides, in equity and justice,
was a scientist and my mother was a medical social worker
both before the pandemic and during?
and she was in Parliament. Overnight, we went from being
ME: It’s a better understanding of affordable housing. I
part of an educated elite to becoming refugees, and I
think that you would’ve had people who pushed back in
have tremendous empathy for our friends who come from
the past who’d say, “I don’t want this in my neighborhood;
Afghanistan, Syria, wherever it may be. They’re boxed into
it’s going to bring down the value of my home,” and blah
this refugee box, and people don’t really understand that
blah blah. And now, more and more people realize that if
this is a brain drain; these are people with tremendous skills
the person who works in your community—whether it’s at
and talent, and this country was built by people who fled
a McDonald’s or the local 7-Eleven or whatever, the hard-
persecution.
ware store—if they can afford to live in your community,
It was hard. It was hard to learn weekly about execu-
send their kids to the school, et cetera, they will do better,
tions of people who were family friends and people we
you will do better, and the community will thrive.
knew. It was hard to see a country that was home become something that I don’t recognize, and to feel that you’re in
TDM: How did you first become passionate about and
exile and there is no place to go back to. But I had gone to
interested in human rights and equity and justice?
an American school since childhood. If you take the emo-
ME: When I was at Williams College, I was a biology major,
tional side of what I was going through out, it was not a
and I was ready to go into being a neuroscientist. It was
culturally foreign transition. The way I dressed, what I ate,
the summer before my senior year, I was working at Boston
what I read, was exactly what I experienced here, going to
Children’s Hospital, and I walked into a lecture by a doc-
a school.
tor who’d just come back from Guatemala and Chile. He
96
talked about disappearances, and I had no idea that these
TDM: You’ve long been passionate about women’s rights.
sorts of things happened, that people who were in political
How has the field of advocacy for women’s rights changed
opposition in those countries that were led by military dic-
over the years?
tators, they would just pick up their opponents and disap-
ME: My first job at Amnesty International was as a consul-
pear them, kill them. And I was horrified and felt, “I need to
tant to help Amnesty with a project that was called Wom-
do something about this.”
en’s Rights are Human Rights, and at that time, Amnesty
magazine
hadn’t really been investing in gender-based violence work,
prize. I love music. I play the guitar, but I also love going to
so it was a recognition that there is a difference between
the Garde or Side Door Jazz Club or Musical Masterworks.
what men and women experience.
I think that music grounds me in the sense of beauty in the
What I saw is people understanding more and more the simple concept of women’s rights are human rights. Then,
world. My dad said, “Don’t ever forget to focus on the beauties in the world.”
the level of sexism that many of us experience in the work-
In many ways I left doing international human rights
place—even in human rights organizations—has shifted,
because I just couldn’t see the beauties anymore. I just saw
thanks to the “Me Too” movement. Now people are bet-
so much ugliness, the torture, the massacres. I came back
ter educated, more careful, more mindful of what sexual
from a trip in the Congo, and I looked at the marsh and
harassment is.
cove where I live, and I just couldn’t see anything beauti-
When I was in college, the writer that had the most
ful, and I realized I can’t go on like that.
impact on me, in my senior year, was Albert Camus. I remember reading The Myth of Sisyphus, and it helped me
TDM: What’s next? What’s in the works for the Community
really grasp an understanding of the absurdity in the world.
Foundation?
A lot of people get discouraged because they keep thinking
ME: Every week we put aside a couple of hours to ask ques-
they work on something and nothing drastic happens. The
tions. This is part of our strategic planning. It’s not with a
whole concept of The Myth of Sisyphus is that Sisyphus
consultant; we’re leading it ourselves. We are going through
is condemned by the gods to push this boulder up the hill.
various ways that we do our work, asking questions about
I think human rights workers are Sisyphi, and if you think
the how and the why and the who, and trying to figure out
about it, the more that there are of you pushing this boul-
ways of doing things differently. We’re then going to have a
der up the hill, it becomes a lighter boulder.
board retreat, and have our board review it, and the new leg-
You can’t afford not to be an optimist. You have to be
islative session coming up, we will have plans.
hopeful. You have to always think about the glass as half
We will together identify ways that we want to lean
full. You have to take self-gratification in the sense of
into the next legislative session. That is new. We’re sort of
“what’s in it for me?” out of the equation. You have to really
planning to hire someone to help with our advocacy work.
be thinking about community.
I think part of what is really important is recognizing and reinforcing the importance of humility and that together
TDM: How do you maintain that optimism and positive
we’re going to make a difference. You don’t move things
attitude at times when it may feel difficult?
solo; you need to have everyone at the table. No represen-
ME: I need to run. I need my endorphins, so days that I
tative is just going to listen to two people, no matter who
don’t, it’s more of a struggle. I have good colleagues, like
they are, saying, “You should do this differently.” But they
David Addams, who runs the Graustein Memorial Fund. We
will listen when 200 people from their district call and say,
help each other laugh and keep our eyes focused on the
“We’d like to see this happen.”
Where You Live The A Team of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty specializes in helping Buyers and Sellers find homes where they love to live. Contact us to find out how we can help you! ALLYSON COTTON | LIZ SQUILLACOTE | GARY SCHMID | CORY WINKELMANN
860.227.6016 | theateam@williampitt.com | theateam.williampitt.com TheATeamSothebys | TheATeamLyme | Old Lyme • Niantic • Mystic Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.
august 2022 97
StoneRidge: A community of seniors who are dedicated to supporting each other, learning from one another and where all are welcome.
A Life Plan Community
To schedule a visit, call 860-572-4494 or go to www.StoneRidgeLCS.com. 186 Jerry Browne Road | Mystic, CT 06355
BATHYMETRIC MAPS
Laser cut, hand stained and layered, and made of Baltic birchwood, these maps show the depths of land forms below sea level and all major roads, routes, highways, parks, beaches and towns are labeled. We can even personalize your map denoting locales with special meaning such as your home, where you were married or proposed to, where your boat is docked, etc, marking the location with a H or ª and even own logo, icon, etc. Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard & Newport also available as well as customized maps.
48 West Main Street, Mystic • 860.536.8339 • www.finerlinegallery.com
Great Smiles Start Here!
CALL US TODAY! THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT ! We pride ourselves on making world class dental care convenient & affordable. Our experienced team of award winning dentist and board certified specialists are devoted to restoring and enhancing the natural beauty of your smile using a full spectrum of general, cosmetic, surgical and sedation dentistry resulting in beautiful, long lasting smiles! Our entire team is dedicated to providing you with the personalized, gentle care that you deserve.
ALWAYS ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS! cleanings & prevention restoring a confident smile cosmetic dentistry • dental implants invisalign improve your smile teeth whitening • complete whitening sedation dentistry • relaxation dentistry
NEW PATIE NTS is coupon to re
Bring in th
$50.00
ceive
toward yo ur treatmendental t
Kenneth Nog ac Melissa Nog ek, DMD ocek Jason Camp , DMD Ross D. Sanfi bell, DDS lippo, DMD
Dr. Jason R. Campbell • Dr. Melissa J. Nogacek • Dr. Kenneth P. Nogacek • Dr. Ross D. Sanfilippo
177 Boston Post Road, Waterford, CT • 860-447-2235
www.waterforddentalhealth.com
Eastern Connecticut’s Automotive Leader for Over 39 Years
2022 HYUNDAI IONIQ 5
www.mjsullivanhyundai.com
CALL NOW
860.443.8432
BROAD & COLMAN STREETS NEW LONDON, CT