The Plainville
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 11, Number 32
Plainville’s Only Weekly Newspaper
Food pantry launches back-to-school event By Crystal Maldonado The Plainville Citizen
The end of August means a lot of things – a close to summer, cooler weather and, for those with kids, a long back-to-school shopping list. Plainville Community Food Pantry can help. Since 1995, the organization has hosted an annual Back-to-School program. Students in need are given new socks, underwear, school supplies, a lunchbox, sneakers, a backpack and, this year, for the first time, a free haircut, provided by The International Institute of Cosmetology in Plainville. “I’m so excited to be working with the food pantry,” said Cristina Gugliotti, assistant director at the institute. “I met with Susie and they’re just so well-organized over there. They do great things.” Families can visit the institute Friday, Aug. 10, and Saturday, Aug. 11, for the
complimentary cuts, given by student volunteers from the cosmetology school. “We’re expecting around 70 kids, but we may get up to 100,” Gugliotti said. The idea came following a meeting between food pantry committee members and Gugliotti. “The haircuts are really just the frosting on the cake for the event,” said Plainville food pantry Executive Director Susie Woerz. “With a new haircut, they’ll just feel good about themselves.” Despite a $40,000 loss in funding, the items for this year’s event are set to be distributed Monday, Aug. 13, to anywhere from 100 to 145 children. “It makes the kids excited to go to school. They’re ready to learn. It’s a great self-esteem booster,” Woerz said. “They go back to school See Pantry, page 10
Braaaaaaains
Citizen photo by Crystal Maldonado
Why is Kaylie holding up a zombie head? Find out on p. 7.
www.plainvillecitizen.com
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Racing for the Moon Former racer Don Moon at work and play By Joy VanderLek Special to The Citizen As a child growing up in Plainville in the 1940s and 1950s, Don Moon used to watch cars go by the house on tow bars as they made their way to the racetrack. “I’m going to drive one of those cars going to the racetrack someday,” Moon said to his mother. Looking at her son with an amused, albeit skeptical expression, Moon’s mother would reply, “You’re just a young kid; you’re talking foolish.” Little did she know that her son would go on to have a lengthy racing career, and come to be considered one of the stars of the now legendary Joe Tinty’s Plainville Stadium. “It was a different time then,” said Moon, when he recently sat down with The Plainville Citizen. Back then, said Moon, you built your own cars. Also of note was Moon’s age. While it may seem unheard of now, back then, it was considered quite normal for a young kid, like Moon, to spend time working in garages, learning from racers with their cars. So by the age of 15, he decided he was ready. “I was 15½ when I drove the track. I built the car all winter, and I almost won the race.,” he said. “I got second, ‘cause my rightfront tire went flat.” That race made headlines., which caused excitement in town. Moon’s family, including his mother, started coming to his races.
Photo by Joy VanderLek
Don Moon is the owner of Don Moon’s Auto Repair on Newton Avenue in Plainville.
Photo by Phil Hoyt
Don Moon, number 9, was a race car driver who raced at Plainville Stadium. Plainville’s flat, ¼-mile oval track was a good place for Moon to advance in the circuit and polish his driving skills. “When I first raced, said Moon, I didn’t know what I was doing,” he said. But he raced fast and he raced to win. After a while, Moon said, “We ran pretty good.” He even claimed “Rookie of the Year” in the early 1960s. Moon relishes the
time he spent with his pit crew, made up of Bill Bailey, Tommy Zanolli, and Elliot Beverage, racing against the likes of Jimmy Smith, Dave Elkas, and Frankie Manafort, among others, he said. Plainville’s race track was the popular outing for thousands of fans, young people and families, the fans who filled the stands See Racing, page 26