The People's Press September 2008 Issue

Get Happy With It!

By the People . . . For the People Serving Central Connecticut www.peoplespressnews.com

Wallingford Flower & Gift Shoppe

190 Center Street. 203.265.1514 September 2008 • Volume 8, Issue 106

I took a wonderful picture early one morning a couple of weeks ago and entitled it Promise of a glorious day. The sun was starting to come up behind the clouds and I had to run quickly to get the camera to capture this true kodak moment. Eileen Hunter

The Central Connecticut Civic Youth Orchestra!

Young musicians,e-mail to audition today!

Blue Hills Orchard in Bloom - Watercolor by Peg Robison My Buddy, Lazan

By George Arndt When my brother was four years old, I was an adventurous young lad of seven years.

He would always be in my way…tagging along wherever I would go, and pestering me to let him do what I was doing. Dad had named him Edward Lazan, but we just called him Lazan. And then one day, just before he turned five, he was adopted by a couple from Ohio. I was able to visit with him only once, shortly after he left our home.

Silently, the years slowly tiptoed by. And then, in 1982 after 32 years, I was able to wrap my arms around my brother, hug him, shake his hand, and say, "Boy, it's been a long time since I last saw you." Yeah, what else is there to say at a time like that.

Over the past 26 years he has come to my house for a visit…numerous times, indeed.

meridenartstrust@yahoo.com

We've done a lot of things together over the years, gone to various places, visited relatives and friends…many a good times, for sure. When he visited me this past July, we paid a visit to our favorite seafood restaurant…aaaah, that's the ticket.

When we got back to my house, while I was in the process of parking the car, he took hold of the sun visor and tried to re-position it the way it had been…then, SNAP. I thought I heard a wary voice say, "Ooops" He just sat there holding that sun visor in his hand looking at me, and with a sigh he said, "I'm sorry."

For an instant, a blink of an eye, I went back through time to the day he was waving goodbye, and whispering, "I'm sorry, but I have to go away for awhile." I just looked over at him sitting there holding that doggone old sun visor, and with a smile said, "Hey, you're my brother…I forgive you."

Page 2 September 2008

WALLINGFORD FAMILY

We make your Health, Wellness and Vitality Dreams Come True!

Find out what we are all about at

Wallingford Family Day! Sponsored by the Wallingford Family YMCA, Youth Services Bureau, and Wallingford Park and Recreation

Saturday, September 13th * 11-3pm Open House & Member Appreciation Day

* Fantasy Faces by Ruth * Ronald McDonald Show- “Get up and get moving * Storytelling and games sponsored by the Wallingford Public Library Show” * Educational Information by the Conservation * Sand Art Commission and Wlfd. Land and Trust. * Many Family Games * Amber Alert by Wallingford Rotary * Fishing and more!

PLUS a Drawing for a free year family membership. Sign up for a * Emergency Vehicles membership from September 1-13th & receive no joiner’s fee. * Curious Creatures Events taking place at Family Day * Family Games located at Doolittle Park * D.J. Music by Jock in the Box Entertainment * Big Daddy Racing * Live Music by the Blue Agaves and more! * Inflatable Games Events taking place at the YMCA Open House:

81 So. Elm Street, Wallingford 203-269-4497 www.wallingfordymca.org

Page 3 September 2008

By Eileen Cahill Horton

To Advertise in The People’s Press call 203.235.9333.

Summer Traditions and Transitions

Looking back over the past 21 years of being a parent, I can't help but reflect on the differences between past summers and the present.

Time changes so much, yet some things remain the same. Planning for summer vacation used to involve scheduling time for friends and family for bar-b-ques, going to fairs, trips to the beach or neighborhood waffle ball games in the backyard. The summer seemed like endless days of swimming, hiking, biking, basketball, camps, ice cream and yes, trips to the library to stock up on books to while away the inevitable rainy days. How wonderful it seemed.

I thought these days of togetherness would last forever, but then came the pre-teen years when I found myself driving the children to their friends' houses for pool parties and actually dropping them off and leaving them there! After the initial fears of something terrible happening to them subsided, (yes, I was that Mom who had to meet the supervising adult and make sure they knew the kids allergies and emergency numbers), my thoughts started turning to the future and the changes in attitudes that I knew were around the corner. This "free time" wasn't very liberating as there was always more scheduling to do since the kids were becoming more independent as the summers passed.

When they became teenagers, I loved watching their social skills develop as they became more involved with others and less with me. It was exciting and rewarding to watch them use the lessons I taught them in their dealings with others. After surviving driving lessons and the driver's tests, my pride in their abilities was equal to the realization that another momentous change was occurring. Now I had young adults who were not real keen about staying home and baking cookies with their mom. There was a big world outside of the backyard that they needed to explore.

Although much less time was spent together as a family, it became very important to stay connected as proms and graduations too precedent. We shared some extremely exciting and happy moments through those years. The joy of watching your children develop into responsible and caring adults was a new and enlightening experience for me.

Although our time together is very limited now due to jobs and social obligations, the spirit of fun and love is still with us. Our family has grown over the years to include many of the childrens' friends who are just like family, son instead of empty nest summers, there are more activities involving everyone. This summer has seen my youngest move to her own apartment and my son become the "man" of the house.

Yes, many things have changed, but I just received a text message from one of the children that said, "I love you Mom and I love our family". What more can I say? Life is still great!

Simple tips to conserve energy

Mike Gannon Most people are trying to save a little energy these days, both for the good of the planet and for their wallets.

Here are a few simple tips, though they may take a little courage in spots: (1) Ask at your coffee shop, if you don't brew your own, and especially if it's locally run, if you can leave a mug there and save a paper cup a day from that. One coffee shop lets me do this.

(2) Ask yourself, or your friend or son-in-law, if it's possible to use the drive-up as little as possible. Certainly people with small children in the car, and certainly in really inclement weather, it makes sense. On most days, and with most people, however, it could save a lot in the long run if we got out of our cars and got our coffee and/or breakfast or cashed check done inside. I see lots of one- person cars idling in the line daily at McDonald's, and it's painful to see, especially if there are ten or eleven cars that are waiting. In a month or year, just this one habit can effect a lot of gasoline saved.

(3) Check at home to see that lights get turned off when rooms are not being used. It didn't used to make a big difference, but with electric bills climbing….

(4) Speaking of electric bills, Wallingford now has a way for residents to support something other than wealthy middleeasterners with their energy dollars. We can contact the Electric division and indicate a willingness to pay just a little more and encourage the development of alternative energy sources, such as wind or solar. (It doesn't have to be a big sacrifice, but it can be important.)

(5) This one takes courage. Once in a while at the YMCA, when I am cleaning up after a workout, I see someone who is still letting the water run at full bore while shaving. When I'm up to it, I try to kiddingly jog the person into realizing that it's pretty wasteful to do this. Almost every time the person realizes that he doesn't need to use as much water as this to get the job done.

Good luck and thanks for reading this.

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AN INVITATION TO ARTISANS, CRAFT PEOPLE AND SCULPTORS FOR CELEBRATE WALLINGFORD 2008 Wallingford Center, Inc. is inviting artists to participate in Celebrate Wallingford 2008 which will take place the weekend of October 4th and 5th. The 22nd annual street festival will be located at Fishbein Park and surrounding neighborhood in downtown Wallingford. Celebrate Wallingford 2008 applicants will be juried by a select group of professional artisans to provide the public with the finest and highest quality art and crafts. For information and applications call Wallingford Center, Inc, 203-284-1807 or by email wallingfordcenter@sbcglobal.net.

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The deadline for our Oct. issue is Sept. 27th for all Stories, Events, Photos and MORE! If you have an upcoming event in Oct., Nov. or December send it in - we will repeat it in all upcoming issues AND we send out each week’s events in our weekly email newsletter to our on-line subscribers to give you even more exposure. Sign up - it’s free! Go to www.peoplespressnews.com and click subsribe!

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Page 4 September 2008

What is the Meriden Early Childhood Blueprint?

Vision All children will come to school ready, willing and able to succeed.

Mission The Meriden Blueprint creates a comprehensive plan to promote learning for our young children and families. The Blueprint engages our diverse community to build upon our current strengths to improve health, safety and learning from children from birth to eight years old.

How did the Blueprint start in Meriden, and who is involved?

A team of Meriden parents and community leaders was convened in January 2008 by Meriden Children First and the Meriden School Readiness Council with support from a grant from the Governor's Early Childhood Cabinet and the Graustein Memorial Fund. Meriden's Blueprint Leadership Work Group is representative of the major institutions, parents and others who live and work in our community and share an interest to improve the lives of young children.

Why is this project important?

Did you know that more than 50 babies will be born in Meriden over the next month? They will join more than 7,000 other young Meriden children, infant to eight years of age. What does the future hold for them? And are we as a community ready for them?

How is the Blueprint work being done?

We have identified three areas of interest, including Family Involvement and Economic Success, Early Childhood Education, and Health.

The leadership Work Group and consultants have been collecting information to better understand what is affecting families in Meriden and how our early childhood system works. Some of the work performed: * Analyzed existing needs, including updating the 2007 well-being report by Children First. * Collected available information in all four areas from a variety of Federal, State and local sources. * Made an inventory of Meriden early childhood services in the three areas, including a fiscal scan to determine resources devoted to early childhood. * Interviewed hundreds of stakeholders to gain additional perspectives, including results of focus groups and surveys.

What's Next?

With input from a May 29th community meeting attended by more than 70 people, the Leadership Work Group will work over the summer to write a plan of action.

The final Blueprint will be unveiled at an Early Childhood Summit planned for Wednesday, September 24th at 6pm at John Barry Elementary school. Local and state elected leaders will be asked to endorse the Blueprint and to work with the community to make early childhood priorities come to life. If you would like more information about this project of would like to become more involved, visit www.meridenchildrenfirst.org or contact David at Meriden Children First, 203.630.3566 or email dwradcliffe@juno.com.

PROGRAMS GALORE AND MORE @ WPL! Wallingford Public Library has had quite a summer! The July circulation figures were up 33% from last year and all records were broken on July 7th when over 1800 people visited the library. We hope everyone was able to participate in one of our summer reading programs and a safe and happy summer was enjoyed by all.

Leaving summer behind won't be too hard once you explore the many September happenings at the library. First of all, Saturdays are back! Our new Fall hours are Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Go online and check out our newly designed website: http://www.wallingford.lioninc.org/. You will still be able to search our catalog and find some great links from this site. In addition, link to the calendar of events and keep current on all our events.

And speaking of events, September is chocked full of great programs.

Our children's department will continue its popular Mother Goose programs, Itty Bitty Babies, preschool and bilingual drop-in storytimes in addition to some special programming. Call the Children's Library at 284-6418 for more information.

After a Rock and Roll summer, the Teen Department is going full steam ahead with more special events and regularly scheduled programs. The ever popular Ninteno Wii will continue to be featured in a Guitar Hero Tournament on September 10th. Like graphic novels? Try our Anime Night: Ranna ½ on the 16th. The library's Teen Club and Mother Daughter Book Group will be back on the schedule too. Call the library and ask Jen Nash, Wallingford Public Library's top teen librarian for more information.

Adults too will find September to be an exciting time at the library. Our featured author on September 18th is a special appearance by Sichan Siv, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and author of the recently published, Golden Bones: An Extraordinary Journey from Hell in Cambodia to a New Life in America. Mr. Siv's memoir is a moving account of his life in Cambodia and his daring escape from the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge to a refugee camp in Thailand. From Thailand Mr. Siv came to Wallingford, CT where he was welcomed by a local family. A truly inspiring story of hard work, hope, and perseverance; Mr. Siv will share his life experiences and discuss his new book. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase at the conclusion of his presentation.

Here at the library we know that sometimes we need help to become inspired and the flux of our lives may seem out of balance. Sound familiar? Many people are turning to a "life coach" to help them through life's transitions. Curious about what that means? What is a life coach anyway? Come to our "What is a Life Coach and Do I Need One?" program on September 11 at 7:00 p.m. and meet Karen Caplan, MSW, CEC. Ms. Kaplan will define and explore ways to achieve the ultimate goal of a balanced life lived in alignment with one's deepest values, and with a powerful sense of clarity, purpose, and fulfillment.

A popular topic that warrants programming is healthy living and fortunately the library has been able to establish a partnership with Masonicare to once again bring the ever popular "Lunch and Learn" series back to the library. In addition, MidState Medical Center has offered to participate with the library and offer evening programs on select health topics. Watch for more information on both!

Not just back to school, the month of September is in the throes of Hurricane Season and the library has renowned meteorologist, Art Horn coming to present Hurricane: the ultimate storm. Join us on September 25th at 6:30 p.m. and find out why these storms happen; is climate change affecting their frequency and power? Don't miss out on this informative and enlightening program.

The library is a great place to explore new ideas and learn new things.

Whether it's learning how to use computers or how to program computers, landscape your backyard or build a new home, the library offers an array of materials and programs to assist you in your quest for knowledge. Come and visit us, we are your information network and we are eager to serve you! All library programs are free and open to the public. Due to space constraints, some programs may require advance registration, please contact the library at 203-265-6754 for more information.

CITY OF MERIDEN EVENTS MERIDEN ELKS SOCCER SHOOT The Meriden Elks Lodge #35 will present the local Meriden "Soccer Shoot" on Sunday, September 7th at Baldwin Pond Park. Registration for this free event gets underway at 12:00PM with the competition to follow at 12:30PM. Boys & girls ages 13 & under are invited to test their ability in such soccer skills as kicking, dribbling, & throwing. All participants will receive shirts & refreshments.

Dribbling & throwing winners will receive medals, and goal shooting winners will get trophies and the right to participate in the district championship.

PUNT, PASS, & KICK COMPETITION Boys & girls ages 8-15 are invited to test their football skills at the local Meriden competition of the 2008 NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass, & Kick Program. This free event will be held at Falcon Field on Monday, September 15th. Registration/warm-ups will be from 5:00-5:15PM with the competition to begin at 5:15PM. Entrants must wear sneakers and have a parent/guardian complete a waiver form to be eligible for advancement. All participants will receive certificates and winners will qualify for the state championship in October.

WASHINGTON PARK JUNIOR DRUM CORPS The Washington Park Junior Drum Corps is looking for new members ages 10 & older. No experience is necessary and instruments are provided. There are openings for fifes, bells, trumpets, baritones, color guard, and drums. Members learn to play an instrument, read music, march in parades, and take part in competitions. Meetings are at John Barry School on Wednesday nights from 6:309:00PM during the school year and at the SMVFD during the summer. All recruits, experienced or not, are welcome. Stop in Wednesday night or call 2941430.

MERIDEN SKATEPARK The Meriden Skatepark, located on the corner of Coe Avenue & Hamilton Street, has the following hours of operation(weather permitting): School Days 2:00PM-Dusk Non-School Days 11:00AM-Dusk CASTLE CRAIG The vehicle access road to Castle Craig is open daily from 10:00AM-4:45PM, weather permitting, through October 31st. The entrance to the road is located under the eastern Interstate 691 overpass in Hubbard Park.

If people are coming to work excited . . . if they're making mistakes freely and fearlessly . . . if they're having fun . . . if they're concentrating doing things, rather than preparing reports and going to meetings - then somewhere you have leaders. - Robert Townsend We know nothing about motivation. All we can do is write books about it.

Page 5 September 2008

What I did this Summer‌ Kimberley Linstruth-Beckom I have been doing editing work on a book that is due out some time later this year or early next, called "The Guardians of the Dragons". It is a fantasy novel that is written by Vincent Brock, a new and upcoming author who lives here in Connecticut. He has been writing fantasy for a little over fifteen years now and is looking forward to publishing his first novel. I have a bit about Vincent's book on my blog (myspace) and will eventually post an interview with the author on there as well. All details can be found on my website. www.kimberleylinstruth-beckom.com

What did I do this summer - and what is The Miracle Place?

By Ernie Larsen

When I saw this question I thought well, you know, the usual stuff, planted a garden, hosted a party for my son's wedding rehearsal, and the next day witnessed my son exchange vows with a wonderful woman; had the upstairs bathroom remodeled, went for cataract removal surgery, visited friends on the Cape, traveled to the Connecticut shore to visit my daughter and her family at their rental cottage, went out to dinner a few times, did some shopping at the outlets and company stores, read a few novels, not as many as my wife‌..I reckon the usual stuff. Pretty much things you do when the weather gets warm every year, well except for the wedding, which was a couple of years in the planning; the other stuff could happen anytime.

I got to thinking and while talking with my brother and other friends, started recollecting what we, as children, did during the summer. The number one thing I remember growing up is we PLAYED OUTSIDE! Then I saw an article in AARP magazine about what was done by children Then & Now - Here are a few comparisons: THEN - eating wild berries in the woods - NOW - eating lunchables on a play date THEN - climbing trees - NOW - allergy tests THEN - stickball/Wiffle ball - NOW - Xbox THEN - 'be home by dark' - NOW - 'answer you cell phone when I call' THEN - summer camp - NOW - fat camp THEN - skinned knees - NOW - carpal tunnel THEN - jumping on a trampoline - NOW what's a trampoline?

Gets you thinking, right? I see a lot of kids around the city park where my office is located, playing basketball, and a variation of a baseball game on the tennis courts and just plain old riding bikes, skateboarding and hanging around.

Also, I know that many parents today, unlike when I was growing up, are both employed outside of the home making it necessary for them, pretty much, to plan their children's summer activities. Well, for the most part that is, there of plenty of kids, I'm sure, who are left to their own devices and that is another story. It starts in April or so, parents calling the Parks Department office asking about summer activities, camps, programs and I'm sure when they finish with us they're on the horn to the Boy's and Girl's Club, the YMCA etc. It's got to be tough for some people in this day and age to make sure their children are involved in activities that are worthwhile and offer a safe environment. Not that I'm one for rigid planning, our children went to the Y camp, Girl Scout camp, but for the most part hung around with the neighbor children. Sort of like what my wife and I did during our summers in the 'hood'.

Seeing the boys and girls in the park everyday is what jogged my memory, or what's left of it, into retro mode, what DID we do during summer school vacation? Well, for one, bicycles were involved and we rode everywhere, even to the West side of town, uncharted territory for us from the mysterious East, Atkins Street/Converse Avenue/Baldwin pond area. One particular summer what tickled our interest in the West side and took up a good part of our school vacation, was our neighbor, Mrs. Steele. She owned the house next door and her grandson was one of our buddies, he played hockey with us at Baldwin's pond in the winter but lived further over East and used to come and visit his grandmother and us on Atkins Street, he was a couple of years older, but still enough of a kid to hang around with us.

Anyway, we found out from him that his grandmother was being taken over West to pray at a spot where the blessed Virgin Mary had (allegedly) appeared, or it could have been Jesus, not sure of that, but whomever it was, it called for a trip on the old Columbia's. Now these bikes were not very sophisticated, one-speed, with a New Departure coaster brake. So, off we went, not really sure of the route but somehow we got to 'upper' Coe Avenue to the spot we now dubbed "The Miracle Place". Back in those days, we had no helmets, water bottles, cell phones, IPods, PDA's and for the most part went out in the morning and had to be home for dinner. Lunch was pretty much an option, but it seemed we were always around the house at lunchtime; it really was an informal check in before we went out for the rest of the day, so we never really missed a meal. Getting back to the Miracle Place, it kept us busy during that summer vacation, sometimes we rode over every day, then two or three times a week, once a week and then the fascination vanished. I remember a couple of years after it was 'discovered' we trekked over and lo and behold, The Miracle Place was moved across the street. A developer had started to build apartments on the corner of Coe Avenue and Centennial to house the burgeoning population of the 'Silver City'. Someone told us they graciously agreed to relocate what some considered hallowed ground across the road. It's still there now, as a matter of fact there are two sites and the house adjacent, I've been told, is owned by a religious group. Just travel up Coe Avenue, cross Centennial at the light and look to the left after the first couple of houses directly across from the apartments. You'll often see people there praying, I guess it's still a Miracle Place to some.

During our numerous visits to the area, we never saw anything but a couple of big rocks - no apparitions, sightings, revelations except the time Jan U. got light headed and stomach sick smoking a cigar he nicked from his father. All in all, The Miracle Place provided us with a summer's worth of activity. And best of all, nobody got hurt!

Nowadays, kids are less apt to have adventures and stuff to do as we did - values and interests now are so complex - some children really don't know how to make their own fun, it's sad but a sign of the times of course - some children have more freedom and are more street wise than others, but the world as it is today with some of the 'wackaoodles' on the loose you can't be too careful. However, I'm glad that this question was put forward, it gave me a chance to recollect and share some past history of our unique City with the readers, hope it jogs people's memories back to their youth, I know it did for me.

Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing. - Harriet Braiker

Certified Life Coach, Karen Caplan Presents

Who Needs a Life Coach? at Wallingford Public Library Thursday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m., the Wallingford Public Library will present a program by certified life coach, Karen Caplan, MSW, CEC, on what a life coach does and what a life coach might do for you. With over 20 years experience as a psychotherapist, Karen currently specializes in coaching individuals who are in transition, either by choice or circumstance. Life coaching provides individuals with the tools to identify their individual potential and make the necessary changes in their lives to achieve that potential. "The ultimate goal is a balanced life lived in alignment with one's deepest values, and a powerful sense of clarity, purpose and fulfillment," says Caplan when asked to sum up her focus in providing life coaching services. During the course of her hour long program, Caplan will address issues that inhibit personal growth and present alternative ways of thinking to encourage positive change.

Please join us in the Collins Meeting Room for this free program.

Seating is limited, reserve your seat today. Please contact the library at 2656754 to make your reservation.

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Page 6 September 2008

AT THE HEART OF IT ALL!!

What a fitting title for this article! The Augusta Curtis Cultural Center (ACCC) is in the heart of so many and is located in the heart of Meriden. We are known as the heart of the Community with so many that utilize our space and attend our events. The ACCC is here for everyone to enjoy and to share. Throughout the years many programs, exhibits, and events have attracted thousands to the Center, have you been one of them and if not, why? We want your input and suggestions for programming and events. Let us know what you would like to see and what you would like to attend. Since the ACCC began we have been able to finish our lower level by painting, tiling the floor, installing arts/crafts sink & cabinets, and installing a catering kitchen. We have also installed a wireless microphone & PA speaker system with radio/CD player. Now that the Center has three completed levels for use we would like to find uses for them all. The lower level has a community room, arts & crafts room, and catering kitchen. The main level has a glass floor, marble fireplaces, and coatroom. The beautiful Rotunda is our upstairs room that has a stage and capacity for about 80 to 90 theater style. Outside improvements include the new Rosa Ponselle Garden & performance stage. All these improvements have been made to enhance the ability to do more events and to be able to make the Center more marketable. Did you know you can have your own special event at the Center? The ACCC is available for rentals as well as the garden area. In order to be able to continue to provide artistic and cultural programming at little or no charge we rent the Center. All proceeds go back into the running of the Center and our programs and events.

We have hosted many weddings, receptions, fundraisers, business meetings , holiday parties, family parties and many more over the last 8 years and are hoping to continue hosting those types of events in the future. The Center is funded primarily by rentals, memberships, fundraisers, grants, and donations. This fall we are going out to area businesses to ask for their support in sponsoring programs at the Center. If anyone has a business or knows of a business that would like to sponsor something at the Center, let us know. Partnerships are important to the success of the Cultural Center and this summer we have forged a wonderful new collaboration with the Hartt School Guitar and 20/20 departments in Hartford. The school is a part of the University of Hartford and is Conncecticut's Julliard. There are 5 performances scheduled to take place between October and April. We are bringing the best of the best musical students to the City of Meriden and hope that you all will come and enjoy. Don't forget that we will only be as good as our community makes us. Are you a member, would you like to be? The ACCC sponsors groups such at the Augusta Curtis Concert Band, The Central Connecticut Civic Youth Orchestra, and The Summer Youth Musical Theater Camp just to name a few The Center is here for all, right in the Heart of Meriden. The website is a great way to keep up with what is going on "At the Augusta" so check it out at www.curtisculturalcenter.org or give us a call at 203-639-2856. Anyone wanting to instruct classes, join a committee, use the Center give us a call we need groups or individuals with their hearts in the arts!!

the club and its' objectives with energy and enthusiasm. Their activities range from community volunteering, to supporting children's scholarship and campership.

The Tri-Town Golden "K" Club is a member of Kiwanis International.

Guiding the club this season are the following officers (plus an active Board of Directors): Joanne Leahy, President Jean King, First Vice President Tom Freeman, Second Vice President Anne Schaefer, Treasurer Dorothy Carter, Recording Secretary

Celebrations of Life and Home Good Luck to our Freshman...........

Samantha.

Class of 2012 Lyman Hall Love Mom, Dad and Rebekah Celebrations of Life and Home

Kiwanis Club of Tri-Town Golden "K"of Meriden again presents its' semi-annual PANCAKE BREAKFAST. This will be held at the First Baptist Church, 460 Broad Street, Meriden on Saturday, September 20th from 7 to 10am.

The menu includes pancakes with maple syrup, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, biscuits and croissants with butter and jam - juice, coffee, and tea. Cooked and served by the members of Golden "K", it has become famous for the delicious home-made cuisine. Also featured is a silent auction raffle with many beautiful and useful prizes. This is their major fund raising effort of the season in their mission to support and donate to local charities. The tickets are $7 per person - call a member to purchase and make a reservation.

The club meets for lunch at Sans Souci Restaurant every Wednesday throughout the year, with an educational and enjoyable speaker invited from the community. Composed of 28 members, mostly seniors, all of whom loyally support Continued on Top Right

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Hunter have a super birthday! Luv, your Auntie Ka-Ka!

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You’re gonna love it!

Early Birds Drink Champagne at the Four Points by Sheraton Meriden! Book your holiday party before September 30th, 2008 and your entire party will enjoy a complimentary champagne toast to celebrate the holidays!

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Page 7 September 2008

MAYOR'S CORNER WALLINGFORD Dear Friends: Ah, September is upon us with shorter days and cooler nights. "Good sleeping" weather is a term often heard. Much better than the heat of August. It does begin a debate which has occupied a place in conversation for probably thousands of years.

Two travelers became embroiled in a debate at a small inn. According to written accounts, one fellow, late at night, loudly proclaimed that it was better to sleep with the window open because fresh air did wonders for your health. The other fellow was just as obstinate that the night air was cool and would make a person sick. The argument was accompanied by the noise of window opening and closing. Other guests did not appreciate the subject of the debate, the decibel level in which it was expressed, or the banging of the window in its frame. The inn keeper had to ask the two fellows to quiet down at midnight, and three more times after that. Yes, even John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were caught up in the good sleeping weather debate. September is here. Is everybody in good voice? Let the debate begin!

Sincerely, William W. Dickinson, Jr. - Mayor

MAYOR'S CORNER MERIDEN

It's hard to believe that summer has almost passed us by and fall is upon us. What a busy summer in Meriden - grand openings of the One Stop Employment Center on West Main St., the official opening of the Season's Credit Union in the newly developed "green" center on East Main St, two events at the grassy Hub site Neighborhood Block Party and the Health Fair. This year's National Night Out event at City Park under the direction of Lt. Sal Nesci and Neighborhood Association President Dave Swedock was a record breaking success pulling together community residents, the Meriden police department, faith communities and local civic organizations to promote and celebrate safe streets and neighborhoods.

We are finally making progress on Colony Street with the long overdue demolition of the Wilcox building to make room for much needed downtown parking and some promising plans for 19 Colony St. which has been an eyesore for over a decade.

I will be continuing the Mayor's Forum on Government Channel 14. This broadcast will highlight and showcase individuals and organizations that have made a positive contribution to the Meriden community. We will be taping the "Mayor's Mic" twice a month and the shows will air just before the City Council Meetings on Channel 14. As part of the "Mayor's Mic", we will also feature Meriden city officials who will report on timely and interesting city initiatives, activities and events happening in Meriden.

We expect a busy fall as our city plan of conservation and development will receive a thorough review by the public and council committees. This plan will chart the future land use of Meriden.

The new Falcon Field complex will officially open on Wednesday September 10th. The first game at this new stateof-art facility is a Maloney High School game on September 11th and Platt High School will play their first game of the season on Friday September 12th. More upcoming events include a dedication and unveiling ceremony for the new street signs honoring Albert Owens. This event will be held in the Library parking lot on September 12 at 5p.m.

I am looking forward to honoring a man who spent a lifetime of unselfish devotion to better the lives of others. I hope to see you there.

This year's Back to School Expo was an enormous success this year. Over 1100 book bags were distributed to Elementary and Middle School students. Thank you to Beat the Street, the Meriden Wallingford NAACP, the Meriden Rotary Club, and everyone who made this event possible. Without your help many of our children would not have the opportunity to begin the school year outfitted with a new book-bag filled with school supplies.

And finally, please remember "Safety First" as school opens the week of August 25 in Meriden. Parents, grandparents, and caregivers, please talk to your children about safety especially when walking and biking to school as well as school bus safety. Meriden is fortunate to have an organization lead by Gwen Samuels that works with the Meriden Public schools to educate Meriden's children about safe walking and bicycling within the community, and to and from school. You can contact Gwen at www.meridenkidsafe.org with any questions or concerns.

All the best. Mike Rohde - Mayor of Meriden

ADULT CIVIC EDUCATION CLASS SEPTEMBER 10 AT MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Knowledge is power! Join us at 6:30 pm on September 10 at the Meriden Public Library and get to know more about how the state and federal governments affect our daily lives. Volunteer attorneys will facilitate a two-hour workshop in which participants will engage in discussions of real-life legal scenarios and small group activities. The material will come alive for participants as they immediately see its impact on their daily lives. Issues such as wiretapping, the death penalty, the right to die, and eminent domain will be discussed. This enrichment program is sponsored by the Connecticut Bar Association.

This program is free and all are invited. Contact the Meriden Public Library Community Services Department at (203) 630-6349, email us at comsvc@hotmail.com or visit our website at www.meridenlibrary.org and click on Adult events to sign up for the program.

J o h n A LW AY S O F F E R S t h e b e s t i n S e r v i c e & I S A LW AY S H o n e s t !

PLAY SCRABBLE AT MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY The Meriden Public Library will be hosting sessions in the fall for people to come and play Scrabble.

Come alone or with a friend to learn or practice the game. The Scrabble sessions will be held on Mondays at 2:00 pm in the Friends Room on the following dates: September 8 September 22 October 6 October 20 November 3 November 17 December 1 December 15 Contact the Community Services Department at 630-6349 if you have questions.

I've always felt it was not up to anyone else to make me give my best. - Akeem Olajuwon

Sandman Gallery Music on the Patio for September 39 W. Main St. Meriden, Ct. 06450 All Friday Musical events are free on the patio rain or shine. Sit under the awning or out on the grass or bring a blanket and spread out on the lawn.

Refreshments are available at the café. If there are any questions please contact Steve at 686-0000 September 5 Dennis Grady sings a smooth Gospel sound with additional appearance by Michael Johnson and the Spoken Word during the break.

September 12 Always a crowd favorite, Jazz the Ripper brings its killer Jazz sound to the patio.

September 19 The gallery is pleased to bring to the Patio for the first time the rocking sound of Arlene "WoW" Tessman. Popular in the Middletown and shoreline clubs Arlene will keep you looking for more.

September 26 Carlos and Roy round out the September lineup with their unique sound of soft and hard hitting popular tunes.

Visit us on the Web for information on the October 3rd music performance after the Downtown Brew Fest. www.sandmangallery.com The best morale exist when you never hear the word mentioned.

When you hear a lot of talk about it, it's usually lousy.

- Dwight D. Eisenhower If you would lift me up you must be on higher ground. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Page 8 September 2008

What I did this Summer…

Linda Nordgren WE WENT TO WALT DISNEY WORLD IN FLORIDA. WHILE DOWN THERE WE ALSO WENT TO SEAWORLD. UNFORTUNATELY, THE WEATHER WAS NOT VERY COOPERATIVE WHILE WE WERE THERE. NO LITTLE, SHORT SHOWERS! WE DID MANAGE TO DO MOST OF WHAT WE WANTED TO DO AND SEE. THE FLIGHT WAS GOOD BOTH WAYS, MANAGED TO TAKE SOME REALLY NEAT PICTURES OF SOME WEIRD LOOKINGCLOUDS FROM THE PLANE WINDOW! WE HAD A GROUP OF 14 ALL TRAVELING TOGETHER. WE RENTED 2 HOMES TO STAY IN THAT WERE GORGEOUS WITH INGROUND POOL, GAME ROOM,COMPLETELY FURNISHED AND ONLY ABOUT 20 MINS. FROM DISNEYWORLD AND MY FAVORITE CHARACTER-MICKEY MOUSE! I HAVE BEEN AN ADVID COLLECTOR OF MICKEY ITEMS FOR MANY YEARS, NEVER SEEM TO OUTGROW THAT PART OF MY GROWING UP. LIKE THEY SAY,"IT ALL STARTED WITH A MOUSE" I AM SO GLAD I WAS ABLE TO BE WITH MY GRANDDAUGHTER, JUSTINE ON HER VERY FIRST TRIP TO FLORIDA ABOUT 8 YEARS AGO. IT WAS ALSO BOTH HER AND MY FIRST TIME ON AN AIRPLANE! I WILL NEVER OUTGROWN THE "MAGIC" AT DISNEYWORLD! EVERYBODY SHOULD RELIVE THEIR CHILDHOOD BY VISITING THERE. IT WAS ALSO GOOD TO GET BACK HOME TO OUR PETS WHO WERE EAGERLY WAITING AT THE DOOR WHEN WE CAME IN. ONLY ABOUT 15 MINS. FROM DISNEYWORLD.

What I did this Summer…

Carole Golitko Bob & I (Golitko) have been at the Wallingford Gardeners market every sat. making breakfast sandwiches. We did food demonstrations for 4 years & by request began breakfast. If you have not

The deadline for the next issue of The People’s Press is Sept.

26th for all submissions, stories, news and more.

Email to: dawn@ peoplespressnews.com Call 203.235.933 if you have any questions.

PRAYER TO The Blessed Virgin: Never known to fail. Oh most beautiful power of Mt. Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh Star of the Sea, help me and show me that you are my mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth, I humbly seek you from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity. (Make your request). There are none that can withstand your pwer. Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times).

Say this prayer for three consecutive days and then you must publish it and it will be granted to you. Grateful Thanks. S.B.

PRAYER TO The Blessed Virgin: Never known to fail. Oh most beautiful power of Mt. Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh Star of the Sea, help me and show me that you are my mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth, I humbly seek you from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity. (Make your request). There are none that can withstand your pwer. Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times).

Say this prayer for three consecutive days and then you must publish it and it will be granted to you. Grateful Thanks. J.E.B.

come down to the Green to be a part of this finely tuned operation you must. Our closing date is Sept 13th.We have grandchildren close by & spend time in the pool with them. This is Bob's last summer to work he's retiring & everyone is thrilled for him. We enjoy our home & friends from Wallingford what could be better.

What I did this Summer…

Hunting for Pirate Treasure. - The Gopoian Family

Summer at the Lake House:

Mary Fazzino I went to my lake house by myself (my husband stayed home) and I had a dinner with the "girls" next door, bought kitchen cabinets without arguing (my husband stayed home), went swimming with the neighbor lady on my noodle in the lake without having to get out and fix dinner (my husband stayed home) watched entire TV programs without channel switching (my husband stayed home), and for once, thoroughly enjoyed the quiet of the lake (my husband stayed home). I realized life is really going by too quickly, summer is now gone and my husband is back (but that's OK, I enjoy his company, most of the time).

PS Humor is important in life!

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

- Frank Outlaw

Page 9 September 2008

YOUR DREAM..... OUR MISSION The motto of the Arc of Meriden-Wallingford.

The Arc of Meriden-Wallingford began over 55 years ago by a group of parents who had children with disabilities.

Over the 55 years, we have been providing quality services for those with special needs.

Today our agency provides variable services such as employement options, school to work transition, day service opportunities, residential alternatives, recreational programs, individualized services, and advocacy. These services will enable individuals who are developmentally disabled the opportunity to reach their highest potential. With just a little extra help they can live on their own, attend college, have a job in the community, give back to their community through volunteerism, have fun, and just live life to the fullest.

The Arc of Meriden-Wallingford strives to help individuals access avenues of life that most of us take for granted.

Without our assistance, many would never know these options exist.

As a non-profit, we rely on fundraising to assist us with the rising costs in our economy. Every year we plan one major fundraiser for the agency, and this year it is a Motorcycle Poker Run. The event will take place on September 13th at 200 Research Parkway in Meriden. Registration will run from 10am to 11:30am and riders will receive a mapped route of stops. The event will end in the same location with a picnic for all participants. The picnic will begin about 3pm and include food, beer, wine, and a live Neal Young tribute band. The cost for the ride is $30.00 for the driver and $20.00 for a passenger. If you do not ride, and want to assist in making this event a success, you can join us at the picnic for $15.00.

For more information or ways to contribute, contact Fran Pagano at 237.9975

BEGINNER KNITTING CLASSES AT MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Have you ever wanted to know how to knit? If so, join us on Tuesday, September 16, October 14, and November 18 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm at the Meriden Public Library. Instructor Mary Ann Reyes will show you how to get started and knit a simple project. You will need to bring your own supplies one pair of size US 8 knitting needles 10 or 14 inch lengths and a skein of Redheart Super Saver yarn, worsted weight, any ounce or color.

Ms. Reyes is a resident of Meriden and has been knitting since the age of 8.

She enjoys sharing this timeless craft with others and hopes you will join her for a fun evening. Class size is limited. Contact the Community Services Department at 630-6349, email comsvc@hotmail.com or go to our webpage www.meridenlibrary.org and click on "Adult events" to reserve a place.

Draw a crazy picture Write a nutty poem Sing a mumble-gumble song Whistle through your comb Do a loony-goony dance 'Cross the kitchen floor Put something silly in the world That ain't been there before. - Shel Silverstien

Meriden Humane Society's Annual Tag Sale Lori Peck, Dedicated Volunteer Its that time of year again. It's time for our annual tag sale. Where one mans junk, is another mans treasure. Best of all, all proceeds benefit the animals. So, if you've got the urge to purge some of those things cluttering up the house or yard, please donate them to our tag sale. We are accepting donations until Friday, Sept. 12th, for the tag sale, which will be held Sat. Sept. 13th & Sun. Sept. 14th. I'm sure there will be something for everyone. We will also have a Bake Sale table and Hotdogs for purchase, if you're hungry.

While you're there, please come visit our animals. All of our animals are special to us, but some of them require a little extra T.L.C. , which the right home can provide. If you met one of these animals, I'm sure they'd steal your heart.

Flurry, a beautiful 4 yr. old female white cat, was found on the side of the road with blunt force trauma to her face.

She had to have her bottom jaw reconstructed and can only eat wet food. She has been a staff favorite since we rescued her, a little shy, but so sweet.

Delilah is a 3 yr. old sweet, shy tabby, who was found in Hamden and brought to our shelter. She has tested positive to FIV, but is just as healthy and deserving of a good home as any other.

Russell Crow, a male 3 yr. old white/tabby, that is also FIV positive, was taken in due to an eviction. He's a handsome, gentle cat and has many years of loving.

Marge is a spunky senior, diagnosed with hyper-active thyroid, which is easily maintained with mixing a pill a day in her wet food. She's a calico cutie!

Sophie is a chow/shepard mix, about 5-7 years old and was rescued in Meriden.

She's like a fluffy teddybear, but needs you to go slow and let her get to know you.

All of these animals and many more have each had some kind of hardship or sad story. You could give them a loving home for the rest of their lives. Even the FIV cats can live long healthy full lives. Remember they have nine!

The Meriden Humane Society is also selling shopping passes for Macy's Shop for a Cause, which will be on Sept.

20th. Tickets are $5.00 and can be purchased at the shelter. This allows you to receive a 10-20% discount all day and all proceeds from the tickets go to the M.H.S. We will also have a table set up from 1- 4 at the Meriden Macy's.

If you would like to view our animals online our website is www.meridenhs.petfinder.org or contact us by calling (203)238-3650. Our facility is located at 311 Murdock Ave. in Meriden. See you at the shelter!

Meriden School Readiness Are you looking for affordable quality preschool programming for your 3 or 4 year old? Look no further.

School Readiness offers full-time and part-time care in several child care centers throughout Meriden.

Family weekly fees are calculated using a sliding fee scale, based on family size and gross annual income.

The weekly family fee may be reduced if the family has more than one child that needs child care services.

School Readiness is for children between the ages of 3 and 5 who are Meriden residents. For more information, contact Jessica Stewart, School Readiness Facilitator at 203630-4236.

Did You Know?

There are many potential sources for water leaks in the basement or utility area of a home. But have you considered the central air conditioning system? These units feature a drainage system that allows condensation to flow out of the unit's collection pan and into a sewer, floor drain, sump pump pit, or to another area recommended by your local building codes. If the drain isn't functioning properly, you have the potential for a few gallons of standing water to accumulate in and around the central air conditioning system. That poses the problem of property damage and presents a breeding ground for bacteria and other microorganisms, which can affect air quality. Consult a trained heating/cooling specialist for condensate drain questions.

The best morale exist when you never hear the word mentioned.

When you hear a lot of talk about it, it's usually lousy.

- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Store Hours: Thursday-Friday 10-6 Sat 10-5 Sun 11-4 Consignment Hours: Thursday-Friday 10-5 Sat 10-4 Sun 11-3

Way to go Rebekah!

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The National Superkids Soapbox Derby took place in Akron Ohio on Friday July 25, 2008 with the final 6 racers racing for the top six places (on Saturday July 26, 2008). They along with the All-American Soapbox Derby Racers.

There were approx. 48 racers racing on Friday from all over the USA, it was an amazing time for everyone involved. This event allows children with special needs to truly participate and enjoy this great sport.

Rebekah Pavlick from Meriden took fourth place overall in the races, here she is with her trophy with is almost as big as she is. Rebekah and her best friend Amanda Estridge of Wallingford (they were truly in the spirit of the race).

David Gordon (not pictures) from North Haven took third place (his trophy was even bigger), boy was he happy.

Rebekah would like to thank everyone involved plus her sponsor (Meriden Rotary Club) and a special Thank You to Kevin Curry for all his hard work and devotion to the Soapbox Derby circuit.

Page 10 September 2008

Body Temple Fitness

Terrace Johnson is owner and operator of Body Temple Fitness in Meriden. Having been interested in physical fitness and personal health since his youth, Terry has been a certified personal trainer for eight years. Terry began as a facility trainer. He then moved on to do free lance and in-home training. Being guided by the Creator, Terry opened his own personal training studio. Body Temple Fitness is the first and only fitness and nutrition studio in Meriden. He also provides in-home training for individuals who prefer it. Due to the success of his clients and overwhelming referrals, Terry has added four certified personal trainers to the Body Temple Fitness family. Body Temple Fitness has incorporated an apprenticeship program for three of its up-and-coming trainers.

With the support of Shelly, his wife of 13 years, Terry's vision of providing the residents of Meriden and surrounding areas with fitness and nutrition training has become a reality. Terry's passion for assisting clients to reach their personal best health has enabled individuals to increase their quality of life: mind, body, and soul. He stresses the importance of taking care of one's body, which is the temple of God. Being very involved in his local church, Terry often offers fitness training to members of his congregation and other churches throughout the community of Meriden. CALL US YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT WEIGHT. Terry has trained over 100 clients with a large variety of goals ranging from losing weight, to increasing tone and flexibility, building muscle, and simply maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Clients desiring to improve their fitness ability and nutrition will find the wide range of available activities motivating. Terry's clients have benefited from the use of treadmills, circuit machines, free weights, kick boxing, and core balance movements to achieve their personal goals.

Many clients also seek assistance with their rehabilitation after surgeries or injuries. Terry provides training to clients of all ages and will be beginning a program in September for youth and their families. The goal of this program is to equip them to live a healthy and productive life. Terry strongly believes in the effectiveness of personalized exercise and nutrition programs tailored to each individual. All of his clients' programs are modeled after this principle.

Body Temple Fitness is not a gym. It is an individualized personal training studio where clients work one on one with a trainer in a private, professional setting for all ages and budgets. Whether your goals are weight management, body sculpting or body building, Body Temple Fitness provides each client with the motivation, instruction, guidance and coaching that is required to build confidence to not only achieve your goals, but allow you to maintain them for life.

For more information about programs, pricing, hours and services, please visit our website: www.bodytemplefitness.us or call (203) 213-6369 to receive a free fitness evaluation ($65 value).

100th Anniversary of the Evangelical & Reformed United Church of Christ In 1908, the Grand Canyon National Monument was created to become a National Park. New York City passed a law, the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public- only to be vetoed by the mayor. The Wright Brothers patented their aircraft. Women competed in modern Olympics for the first time. The first Model T Ford built.

U.S. presidential candidate Republican William Howard Taft defeats William Jennings Bryan, Democratic candidate in his third and final nomination. Mother's Day is observed for the first time. The Evangelical and Reformed Church was created in Wallingford, Connecticut.

One hundred eight people poured their heart and soul into establishing a church that to this day, one hundred years later, is still rich in spirit and tradition.

On January 19, 1908, a group of Hungarian immigrants responded to an offer from the mother church of the Reformed tradition in Hungary to send them a missionary, the Pastor Istvan Borsos, who was given an annual subsidy of $500.00 to supplement his salary. This was the beginning of an independent Hungarian Reformed Church.

The church was partially financed by its parishioners, who were asked to donate $.25 per individual and $.35 per family, each month. Many of the members worked in factories during the winter, but during the spring, they worked on farms.

On September 7, 1908 the church building was completed. The cost was $4,158. In 1913 a parsonage was built at a cost of $3,500.

In 1917, the news came from the mother church in Hungary that it could no longer afford to financially support the church. The State of Connecticut discouraged a Hungarian church due to the fact that Hungary was at war with the United States. A group of dedicated and devoted parishioners worked tirelessly to raise money to keep the church alive.

In 1921, a decision was made to join the Reformed Church of the United States of America.

In 1965, while the sanctuary was undergoing new construction to enlarge it, the wooden frame collapsed, thereby ruining the structure of the church. A new church was built in 1966.

Desiring to be more connected to its Hungarian roots, the church decided to join the Evangelical and Reformed Church, which in 1957 came together to create the newly formed denomination, The United Church of Christ.

At one point, the church had 100 children enrolled in Sunday School. There were more children than space allowed, so the garage was converted into a Sunday School classroom! The choir consisted of a mulitude of talented musicians, so much so that a record was made of some of their music.

Until 1989 weekly services were offered both in Hungarian and English.

Currently, a Hungarian service is offered once a month. A Spanish Congregation, Alpha & Omega, meets twice a week in the church.

On October 12, 2008 at 4:00PM the church will hold a worship service celebrating the anniversary of the church. At 5:00 there will be a dinner held at the Hungarain Club. The event will be catered by Brothers Restaurant.

Hungarian specialty dishes will also be served. The cost will be $40.00.

Reservations must be made to the church by September 15. We will be putting together a booklet which will contain memorials. A full page will cost $100.00, one half a page, $50.00 and a third of a page, $35.00. Please mail check to The E&R, UCC, 105 South Cherry Street, Wallingford, CT 06492.

For more information, please call 203-269-4827.

Super Sale

35-70% OFF Select Items During September!

Stop By & Save!

Rose Flowers and Gifts Gifts, Gourmet Baskets and of course our famous Flowers

232 West Main Street in Meriden 203-235-5759 www.roseflowersgifts.com Delivery to all of Central Connecticut

TERRY JOHNSON, OWNER OF BODY TEMPLE FITNESS & MAYOR MIKE ROHDE PUSHING FOR A HEALTHIER MERIDEN

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Page 11 September 2008

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Page 12 September 2008

Keeping You Healthy: Meriden Health Department September Events Total Cholesterol Screenings September 15 and 25, from 1:00-3:00 both days. Screenings are held at 165 Miller Street. The cost is $10.00, and includes the screening and cholesterol tracking card. Call 630-4234 to make your appointment Stress Management and Your Heart Health Tuesday, September 16, 2008, from 6:00-7:00pm at the Meriden Public Library, located at 105 Miller Street. Mary Beth Rolan, from Midstate Medical Center, will be the presenter. A free stress ball will be given to all attendees. Healthy snacks will be available. This event is free and open to the public; call Lea Crown, Community Health Educator, at 6304238 to RSVP. Meriden Family Day 2008 Saturday, September 20, 2008, at the Quinnipiac River walking trail (at the corner of Oregon Road and Route 70 in South Meriden) from 10:00am to 12:00pm. The event is sponsored by the Meriden Health Department, Meriden Linear Trails Committee, and the Meriden Kids Walk Safe Coalition. Families will enjoy a scenic walk down the paved walking trail. Pedometers and walking logs will be distributed to families and bicycle safety bells to children who arrive on a bicycle (first come, first serve). Fresh fruit and bottled water will also be available to enjoy. Call 630-4238 for more information.

Healthy Cooking Demo The Center for Successful Aging and MidState's LaPlanche Clinic invite you to attend a Healthy Cooking Demo on September 23, 2008 from 10:30-11:30am in the mezzanine of the Max E. Muravnick Meriden Senior Center, located at 22 West Main Street in Meriden. Laura Fault will be the presenter. This presentation is free and open to the public. For more information please call Rita Kowalchik at the Meriden Health Department, 630-4222.

NATURE AS A MIRROR CALENDULA Bright golden blossoms Smile and wave us a greeting Waiting for Autumn.

The Calendula (English Marigold) is a hardy annual whose bright orange or yellow flowers turn to follow the sun as it moves through the day. For this reason, it has been called "husbandman's dial". In the language of flowers, calendula means "winning grace". Throughout the centuries it has been brewed into teas and made into lotions for skin irritations. The root was even used as a love potion. Today the flowers are sometimes used in soups and salads. The pungent scent of the plant is favored for its ability to discourage insects from the garden. For this reason, the calendula and various varieties of marigolds are often planted as borders of gardens.

In the summer and early autumn we admire the bright glowing beds of the Marigold family with their richness of color, fragrance and form. There will be the low-growing French marigolds with ruffled red-gold petals, the Scotch marigolds and large Calendulas of orange and yellow flattened petals, and the lemony-yellow puffs of the tall African marigolds. There is also the Marsh marigold that grows in the marshy soil of bog gardens and whose petals once were used for dying yarn.

The family of marigolds in their diversity is like our family and community who have a wide diversity of gifts and talents. When we each use our God-given talents for the benefit and growth of our community and the world, it will bloom, and God's grace will be found in abundance. We, like the Calendula, may be known as 'wining grace'; hardy, long blooming and of benefit to mankind.

Dorothy Gonick - August 22, 2008

Temporary Food Service Permit Requirements Please be advised that if your organization serves/sells food to the general public, you must obtain a Temporary Food Service Permit at least 10 days BEFORE the scheduled event as per the Code of the Town of Wallingford, Chapter 122.

No home-cooked food is The only exceptions are events held at licensed food establishments, stand alone bake sales, church pot-lucks, food provided is from a licensed caterer or events at private facilities NOT open to the general public. If you advertise your event and do not specifically state "members only" then it is deemed open to the public.

Please complete the enclosed application and return it PRIOR to your scheduled event. The Health Department must review and approve all temporary food events. Based on the type of food prepared, an inspection will be conducted.

Proper food handling and cooking are essential to preventing a foodborne illness.

Please call 294-2065 if you have any questions.

Respectfully, Eloise Hazelwood, RS, MPH Wallingford Director of Health

We are proud to be celebrating our 104th year in the fruit growing business! 1904-2 2008 Find out why by stopping by!

Coming in September

Stop by TODAY for our own Tree Ripened Peaches, Plumbs and Nectarines 141 Blue Hills Rd., Wallingford

Fresh Veggies now at the Country Store.

Native Corn, Tomatoes, Squash and more.

Also Frozen Pies, Jams, Pickles, Jellies, Maple Syrup, etc.

Pears Bartlett & Bosc Apples Gala McIntosh Cortland Honeycrisp Macoun Opalescent Empire Red Delicious

LAST CALL FOR THE GARDENERS MARKET The Wallingford Garden Club and Wallingford Center Inc presents the 2008 Gardener’s Market Saturday mornings 9:00-12:00 now to Sept 13th at the Railroad Station Green, routes 5 and 150. Offered are locally grown fruit and veggies, flowers, plants, unique crafts, baked item and food.

Gardening advice and plant clinic are available.

Check the website at www.wallingfordgardenersmarket.com. for detailed information.

Brand New Vendors are: Produce: Pete Hazelwood with eggs and pumpkins Crafts: Beverly Bassoli of Moments In Images has notecards and framed photos; Doris Findlay has decoupage pictures and cards; Cheryl and Joe Florentino have sweet breads; Lorna Palazzi has silk flower arrangements and hand painted wood objects Come for Breakfast with Carole and Bob Golitko who will be serving special sandwiches with locally produced and grown ingredients. Check the other baked goods vendors for their specialties: Florentinos with sweet breads; Larry Macri from Bittersweet Bakery; Mary Ann Simmons with mini pies, breads, jams; Bettina Vossbrinck with pies and breads; David Walker from Goldilocks Deli with stuffed breads and pastries; Ernie Trumpold with herb breads. Specialty Foods: Roberta Whalen of Gourmet Cupboard, Donna Passaro of Coffee And‌, Diana Hotchkiss of Tastefully Simple, Josie Eschweiler of Pampered Chef and Lisa LaPlante of Tupperware.

We are run by volunteers from Wallingford Center Inc and Wallingford Garden Club.

Picture: jams/jellies by Mary Ann Simmons Photo by Liz Landow

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Page 13 September 2008

Wallingford Park & Recreation News and Events

Your News!

Our Fall 2008 Brochure and Program Guide was recently mailed to your home. We hope you take advantage of the many programs we offer to all of you. To view the brochure online go to http://www.town.wallingford.ct.us/WLFDPRFall08.pdf.

Message from the Director

Looking ahead to the fall, our program calendar is full of benefits waiting for you and your family to discover!

The superb after school fine art and crafts program makes a return this fall to all 8 elementary schools. Rashmi Talpade, our Fine Arts Coordinator and her staff once again have an excellent fine arts program for your children to enjoy right at the school they attend.

The Health Fitness program has added some new trendy programs with high impact Zumba and low impact Belly Dance both great at providing you with an innovative way to get fit!

Family Day Sept. 13th will prove to be a wonderful time spent with the family. Join us at Doolittle Park the New location! The day will include family activities both interactive and fun co-sponsored by Youth and Social Services and the YMCA. The Blue Agaves will headline the day's musical entertainment.

Help beautify our town parks and take part in the First Annual Park Serve Day. Our parks are important to residents.

I know people are extremely busy all year round but to give a few hours would be beneficial and greatly appreciated by all who utilize the parks. On Sunday Oct. 5th starting at 8am join us at Community Lake Park and Linear Trail for a morning of planting, pruning, raking and cleaning with the hopes that this project will continue to be a worthwhile annual event in caring for our green spaces and spread to other park locations.

Park planning and improvements are always going on and in various stages.

Finally, I hope your visits to the David Doherty Center have been positive experiences. Our staff works hard in providing you with quality programming. Our office is always open for suggestions and ideas.

The entire Parks & Recreation Staff wishes you a joyous and fun filled fall and holiday season.

John Gawlak CPRP Director of Wallingford Parks & Recreation

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY HUNTER PAGEAU!!!!

Wishing you a day full of fun and surprises sweetie!!

Love You So So Much Hunter, Auntie Dee-Dee

Programs and Leisure Activities for Youth

Hip House Dance Series The most popular middle school program is back for the 2008-09 school season. To ensure that you are able to attend all of the dances, you must purchase a photo ID pass. NEW FOR 2008-09 Dances…..KEEP YOUR PASS FROM THE 2007-08 SEASON AND WHEN YOU REGISTER WE WILL PLACE A 2008-09 STICKER ON YOUR ID. The dance pass allows you entry to the dance. No passes will be sold in the schools or on the day of the dance. Photo ID's went on sale June 1st for $25.00. As of July 1st, all dance passes are $40.00. We encouraged everyone to take advantage of the discounted price.

For the safety of participants entering the dance, YOU MUST PRESENT PHOTO ID WHEN ENTERING DANCE. PARTICIPANTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER WITH OUT DANCE PASS. IF PASS IS LOST, A $5 REPLACEMENT FEE IS CHARGED FOR A REPLACEMENT PASS. NO PASSES OR REPLACEMENT PASSES SOLD ON DAY OF DANCE. HIP HOUSE DANCE SCHEDULE Back to School Bash - September 12 Halloween Havoc - October 24 Jingle Ball - December 12 Jump Off - January 23 Valentine's Day Vibe - February 20 Spring Fest - April 17 Last Blast - May 22 4263.300 Kids off Road Triathlon This fun-filled day includes swimming, biking, and running for kids ranging from ages 7-14. Each participant will receive a T-shirt as a souvenir. There will be two distances for the event.

Ages 7-10 participate in a 50 meter swim in the pool, 1.2 mile mountain bike, and .5 mile run on trails and fields. Ages 11-14 complete the distances of 100 meter swim, 2.2 mountain bike, and .75 mile run. All participants will be required to ride fat tire bikes (tires should grip loose gravel) and wear a bicycle helmet. The course will be monitored and closed to traffic. All finishers will receive a medal for their efforts. Finishing places will not be awarded and the event will not be timed. Kids will need to bring a swimsuit, towel, goggles (suggested), bike helmet-mandatory for participation, a bike and running shoes. Refreshments and a free raffle will follow the event!

Participants will be separated in different heats by age: 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 3-14 When: Sunday September 7th at 9:00am Location: Choate Rosemary Hall Fee: $20 Sign up soon - space is limited!

Voyagers

EATING YOUR WAY "TROO" BROOKLYN Saturday September 20th Bus Departs Recreation Department at 7:45am Returns 6:30pm Fee $59 Great Food in four neighborhoods….all in one fun day! Knowledgeable area guide leads coach bus through each neighborhood to shop and sample your favorites. The four stops include: Atlantic Avenue for delicious Middle Eastern……Malko Karkanni Brothers, Damascus Bakery, Sahadi's Importing Company…..stuffed spinach and meat pie pastries, specialty coffees, cheeses, fruits, nuts, olive oils. Cobble Hill…. Italian food Heaven……Mastellone's Deli, Court Street Pastries, Caputo's Bakery, traditional pastries, cheesecakes, cookies, homemade Italian sausage, fresh pasta.

Sunset Park - Brooklyn's Own Chinatown….exotic fruits, veggies, fish, rices, oriental herbs, pork and duck. Borough Park at 16th Ave…….Swartz's Appetizer, Korn's Kosher Bakery, Hungarian Catering: appetizers dips, herrings, breads, pastries, sweet kugels.

IMPORTANT: TOUR DIRECTOR WILL SHARE TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS AT EACH NEIGHBORHOOD. FOOD COSTS NOT INCLUDED. EACH PERSON PAYS FOR OWN PURCHASES. PARTICIPANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BRING CONTAINERS OR COOLERS TO STORE PURCHASED ITEMS.

Special Events

Family Day at NEW LOCATION!!!!!

Doolittle Park Saturday, September 13th, 2008 11:00-3:00pm Dogtober Festival Saturday October 18th 2008 1:00-3:00pmatDoolittle Park Doggie Lovers Unite. Join us for a fun filled afternoon of doggie activities. Paws n' Effect of Hamden will set up an agility course to allow dogs to practice their jumps, tunnel runs and various talents. Also local dog obedience experts, trainers, dog bakeries, vets, pet stores, pet spas and more will be available for questions and purchases. This event will not be judged however; - participants are welcomed to dress their dogs in their favorite costumes. All dogs not participating in the agility and Frisbee event must be leashed.

A Goblin Gathering- Friday October 24, 2008 6:45P.M. A gathering for all Wallingford Goblins! Gather in front of the Wallingford Town Hall for an evening of fun activities, disc jockey, monster mash music and ghoulish games by "Jock in the Box," pre-bagged candy, cider and donuts.

Activities to include art projects, glow necklaces for the first 500 children and more. This event is sponsored by the Wallingford Public Celebrations Committee and the Wallingford Parks and Recreation Dept.

First Annual Park Serve Day Our parks are important to residents. I know people are extremely busy all year round but to give a few hours would be beneficial and greatly appreciated by all who utilize the parks. On Sunday Oct. 5th starting at 8am join us at Community Lake Park and Linear Trail for a morning of planting, pruning, raking and cleaning with the hopes that this project will continue to be a worthwhile annual event in caring for our green spaces and spread to other park locations.

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Page 14 September 2008

Send in a Story!

Send in a Picture!

Send in a Poem!

Send in a Drawing!

The Kids Press!

Send to: The People’s Press Kids Press P.O. Box 4459 Yalesville CT 06492 sierra@peoplespressnews.com

What’s The Difference?

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Kids Coloring Contest Send in yours for your chance to win a great book collection from Storey Publishing!

Name:________________________________ Address_____________________________________Age:______ The deadline for entries is September 23rd. Please be aware that this is a random drawing. We believe that as long as you try you are a winner and that you have a chance to win.

Send your entry to: The People’s Press P.O. Box 4459, Yalesville CT 06492

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9/30/08

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Page 15 September 2008

Memories of Summer Fun By: Maggie Griffin - your famous Realtor - before she was a Realtor When Andy of People's Press asked me to write an article about my Summer Fun, I thought to myself this is a sign, he asked me to write an article on 3rd year anniversary of my Father's Passing. So I feel in my heart to write about events of Summer Memories growing up dedicated to My Father in his memory. Therefore, what would the best way to describe Summer Fun this year is incorporate it into Summer Memories.

Sometimes Summer Fun doesn't always mean that you have to take a vacation to have fun. What it means is being together and simply doing what families and friends love to do best. In my case, joking laughing and being with family.

I have to honestly admit, having teenagers now, I came to realize the apple does not fall far from my family tree when it comes to "fun". And in the family of which I was raised, being the youngest of 6 children "more fun" always happened in the summer.

So I am going to take my Summer Memories that does reflect my two apples from my family tree because what I am about to write happened in the summers of the past. So many things are fond memories, but I am going to give a picture of a few.

Growing up as the 6th child in the DellaRocco Family: My Oldest Brother - he learned to drive in the summer time back in the 70's. But he just could not determine when to hit the brakes. One day, my Father bought my mother a new car. So he asked my brother to get in the car, drive it up the driveway behind his car. Then suddenly it happened - boom! My Father picks up the phone, calls my mother and tells my mother he has good news and bad news. The good news is her new car is in the driveway. The bad news is her son just totaled it.

Back in the 80's, my brother started to lose his hair. Again, it started falling out in the summer. So he decided to buy a hair piece. Now, this I thought was strange, but I had to do it. Every night he would take his hair piece off his head and put in on a Styrofoam head. And every night I went in his room and took his hair piece and put it on the Dog's head. How he would get so mad. So then I stopped because I got yelled at. Until one day, while in the car with my Mother, sitting in the front, my brother in the back and the dog in the way back of this buick station wagon, the dog started to take his nose and lift my brother's hair piece. My brother accused me of telling the dog to do that, but what he didn't realize is the dog wore it so much, he thought it was his.

Back to the the 70's - My Sister, the oldest one - My Mother was sick one day, so this sister of mine made lasagna for dinner. Before I continue, she was the type that was never hungry, she would just pick and it always had to be off of my plate. Anyway, she made this dinner to help my mom. But something suddenly was wrong. As she served it to everyone, we all suddenly became full. Then my Dad said how the lasagna was really good, so good it was the first time he ate so little and felt so full. Not understanding, I blurted out "I didn't do it!". But later that night, that McDonald's Happy Meal was the best meal I ever ate and I was happy.

Brother # 2 - he is very special for many reasons. We always got along. He was the one that would race me in swimming in the pool, taught me how to dance to the song Grease Lightning from the movie Grease, really protected me. He calls me "babe" because I am the baby of the family, and he gave out the rules.

Older sister #2 - Everything to her was her hair. God forbid if we touched her hair. She was so vein. Until one day she took a walk on a warm day and a bird messed on her hair. She ran home so fast, I had to take a picture, it was worth being framed!

Sister # 3 - She decided to take a class to learn life saving in a pool. I still cannot figure out how she passed that class because when she practiced saving a life in the water, she nearly choked me. Then she would tell me there was a wasp on my head when in the pool. Of course I would panic, but there was never a wasp, she just wanted to hit my head. This is where what comes around goes around. One day there really was a wasp, but it was on her head. She said to me "yeah right". So I said "ok, don't believe me". She got stung and itched for weeks.

But I have to admit, we did things together as a family and playing jokes. The jokes was all a part of the fun, no matter where we were, home or on vacation, the jokes and pranks just was a natural thing in my family.

Then we all grew up, had kids of our own and as I said before, the apples don't fall far from the trees. I think it is nature's way of saying "this is what you get for not behaving when you were a kid".

To my two teenagers - I am going to tell you the same thing my Dad told me. I was once your age and I am the master of the pranks. But remember one thing, FAMILY stands for "Father And Mother I Love You". You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family.

My Mom is the Best Cook in the World. Thank God I made copies of her famous recipes (that she kept in the untouchable draw of the dining room hutch and had to make copies without her knowing before I moved out over 20 years ago.)

From youngest (me) to oldest. - I am the youngest and I will leave it at that.

Annie - I am sorry I use to cut the hair off your Barbie dolls. I wanted to be a hair dresser back then.

Jo Jo - I still will never forgive you for what you did to my wild life treasury kit.

Mary Lou - Some day you will make the best lasagna in the world. I wish you all the best when you marry your third husband as well.

Sal - You know I love you. I love you so much, you were the best body guard a sister can have, and the best brother in the world. I always will be proud of you when you were in the spot light of the Special Olympics. That's My Brother!!

Dom - I like you hair now, it's shiny, round and the color of your skin. And I didn't convince the dog to take your hair piece. But I did train the bird to land on your head. I wanted you to have scalp therapy and trained Tweety to do this for you out of love.

Mom - I love you. 78 years old and has more energy then an energizer battery, and she drives a sports car. Mom is dedicated to people in general. She always knew when to tell us "Don't tell your father what you did, you'll give him a heart attack." So she is a life saver because her advise saved our lives on many occasions and even my Dad's.

Dad - I miss you always, You were the master of all. When you said you hope my kids do to me what I did to you, that was NO JOKE! I have a bunch of nieces and nephews and I am a great-aunt too. My family roots are that of the DellaRocco , DeLucia , Valentino, Longabardi, Pappa, Fusco families and More - the list goes on.

I learned as a child The Italian after dinner Mint is a piece of garlic. I can't believe I actually believed that for years.

And I am full blooded Italian. And those pool parties with the extended family members, the family was so large, there was never a dull moment and there didn't have to be a reason to have a summer fun party. I guess that is why I like to have gatherings once and a while, even without reason, togetherness is a gift and laughter relieves the soul.

That's just how it was and still is today.

My Dad, Dom DellaRocco, loved throwing a party. He was a Police and Fire Commissioner and Political Figure in his day when raising us kids. I have to admit, a man of his statue kept my driving record clean. Especially when my Dad let me drive home the day I got my driver's license on my 16th birthday many years ago, and I turned right, right onto the sidewalk (again in a summer month). He took it upon himself to revoke my license for 4 months and he drove the rest of the way home.

Memories begin every second that passes in every season, everyday. Summer Memories were and still at the best.

My Children are passing on my legacy, we always have fun. With a daughter going into her Junior year of High School, I see myself in her, I call her Paris Hilton because she wears those big white sun glasses laying on her solar raft in the pool until my son flips the raft over.

With my son going in his last year of Middle School, let's just say I am on a first name basis with the principles of his school and I honestly feel they have my number on speed dial. He is a real live Yankee Doodle Dandy, born on the 4th of July and he certainly earned the title "fire cracker".

I am a Proud Parent no matter what they do, unconditionally. They are my life bringing me the gift of every fun memory in all four seasons of every year.

Enjoy the rest of the warm weather. Remember School is Now in Session. Please drive safe and go the speed limit.

Andy of People's Press - you are the best!

Regards to all ad to all enjoy the rest of the summer.

Maggie Griffin

Brian David Ash Fire Memorial Fire Prevention Fund

This September 5th, 6th and 7th The Brian David Ash Fire Memorial Fire Prevention Fund will hold its twenty-second fundraiser at Stop & Shop on East Main Street in Meriden. The fund was created in memory of our son Brian, who perished in a house fire twenty-five years ago. We decided to establish a fund in his name to promote fire safety education. We had learned that we couldn't just give money to the fire department, because it would have to go into the city's general fund, and probably wouldn't find its way to their budget.

On Friday, October 14, 1983 my heart was ripped right from my chest. My son, Brian, age 7, had died in a fire. In a single moment, I went from being the farther of a bright and beautiful child to childless. My wife Roberta and I had no local families, and we were in total despair. We did in deed have to take the long journey through the valley of grief. As I look back from the edge of the brighter side, I realize it is possible for life to go on.

In the beginning, Brian was in my thoughts every waking moment. Today, only things that would remind me of him bring me to think of him. Since his loss, we have had a daughter, Elizabeth, who is now twenty-three. As a family, we speak of him often, but our life continues today as we are now, and not dwelling in the past. It almost seems callous, but it is true, life does go on.

Shortly after our loss, my most difficult question was, do your have any kids or how many children do you have? Oh, what a great chance to dump your grief on someone else's shoulders. Of course if you don't mention the child you lost you would be guilty of denying their existence on this earth.

How do I answer that question twenty- five years later? That depends on who asked and why. It's usually small talk from someone who really doesn't know you. As a driving instructor, my students frequently ask me if I have children.

I do tell them I have a daughter who is a college student. This is very relevant to my relationship with students. I generally will not mention the child I lost years before they were born because it's not relevant, and my relationship with them doesn't need emotions.

So much has changed over the past quarter century that I am not the same person I was when I lost Brian. Life does go on, and I have to live out the one I have now, even with the fond memories of the past. I look to the future when my daughter graduates from college, enters the career of her choice, gets married, and gives me grandchildren I can spoil and send back home with her.

Don't worry, I will tell my grandchildren about the uncle they never met.

Michael G. Ash If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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Page 16 September 2008

Haircuts and more to benefit charity

It's that time of year again, where all of Jennifer's House of Hair's employee's participate in the annual Cut-A-Thon.

The Cut-A-Thon is our annual charity event, in which we raise money for local organizations in need of support. We look to the community for help, whether it is with items to raffle off at the event or just spreading the word. This year has been very hard for people, and we feel that it is important for communities to come together and to not give up on giving. The salon has given us the avenue to be in contact with people that we know can help and will try to make a difference. This year Jennifer's House of Hair has selected a couple of organizations to donate to. Here's the low-down on all the charities: Our Companions: Our Companions is a nonprofit organization that believes no pet should ever be homeless. Every pet is a beautiful, blessed creature that deserves life and love.

Yet, in Connecticut, healthy pets are destroyed every day. Some animals facing euthanasia have behavior problems that are easily corrected. Others have health issues that can be resolved in a caring home. Most just need the right treatment and a loving human companion.

The staff, animal experts, and volunteers at Our Companions believe there's a proper home for nearly every pet.

We're working to create homes for the state's most abused, most neglected, most needy pets. Today we offer dog training classes, one-to-one pet consultations, community education, and many other services.

To find out more about this organization and how you can help, visit the web www.OurCompanions.org Scholarship Fund for Meriden High Schools: Jennifer's House of Hair is setting up scholarship funds for Platt, Maloney and Wilcox High schools. This scholarship will be awarded to the "B student". Someone who is very hardworking, apart of a club or sport, may or may not have a job, and not financially ready for college. You can say its a little help from the community.

Chrysalis for Meriden/Wallingford: Meriden-Wallingford Chrysalis, Inc provides a safe emergency shelter and services to women and their children who must flee their own homes because of domestic violence. The Chrysalis can house up to fifteen women and children in a confidential location for up to sixty days. During this time, a woman has the opportunity to plan her next move without the fear of abuse.

The staff at the Chrysalis provides daily one-on-one counseling sessions and works with the woman on short and long term goal setting. Weekly support groups are held with trained facilitators, and peer-counseling, anger management, and self-esteem development are critical issues that the staff work on daily with the women and children.

Mission Statement: The Mission of Meriden-Wallingford Chrysalis is to offer safety and alternatives to violence to women and children, to validate their worth by promoting a philosophy which empowers women and children to take control of their lives by making their own choices and decisions WITHOUT the fear of abuse.

Jennifer's House of Hair is hosting their 4th annual Cut-A-Thon to benefit the Meriden/Wallingford Chrysalis for Women and Children, and Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary. Jennifer's House of Hair will also set up a scholarship fund for Platt, Maloney, and Wilcox High Schools. The event will take place on Saturday, October 4, 2008 from 9:00a.m to 3:00p.m at the salon, which is located at 437 Broad Street, Meriden. Wash and Cuts will be $15; 15 Minute Chair Massages $15, Mini Manicures $10, and Mini Pedicures $15. All services will be available on a first come, first serve basis with a sign up sheet available. While you wait everyone is welcome to enjoy the festivities.

There will be a DJ, Food, Refreshments, Animals, Face Painting, Raffles and much more. It will be a great family event! All money collected will be donated 100% to the chosen organizations.

If you are interested in donating refreshments, have any items you wish to raffle off, or if you just any questions please call the salon at 203.235.3166.

Get a haircut and help a great cause!

Tradition Golf Club - Ladies 18 hole league - Tournament Results Congratulations to the 2008 Tradition Golf Club at Wallingford, Women's Club Champions! Club Champion - Mary Bachinsky Second - Traci Canavan 1st Flight Champion - Carol Welch Second - Mary Lou Calamita 2nd Flight Champion - Claire Brunetti

Your Eyes Matter To Us!

Dolphin fall swim clinics September 15-October 9, 2008 Pre-Team Clinic This clinic is designed to provide an introduction to the swim team experience. Swimmers currently in swim lesson levels Ray, Starfish, guppy & minnow: this is the clinic for you. Coaches will introduce competitive swimming strokes as well as starts and turns. This clinic is for the enthusiastic water lover who can continuously swim 25 yards of the pool.

M or th 4:45-5:30pm Family member $25 youth member $35 program member $50 Strokes &Turns Clinic This clinic is designed for swimmers with some swim team experience in either Purple 1 or Purple 2 or swim lessons levels Fish and above. Coaches will break down each of the 4 competitive strokes in order to improve efficiency and technique. Swimmers will be placed in appropriate groups for their skill level.

M & w 4:15-5:30pm T & th 4:15-5:30pm Family member $60 youth member $70 program member $115 Advanced Endurance Pre-Season this clinic is designed for competitive swimmers who want to be ready for competition before the season begins. Clinic will concentrate on endurance, technique, starts, turns and other essentials. Great for the h.s. swimmer and usa swimmers. All current Dolphin junior and senior swimmers are encouraged to register. Other interested swimmers should contact the Dolphin coaching staff for proper clinic placement.

T w th 7:15-8:30pm Family member $70 youth member $80 program member $150 203 269 4497 x 30 or www.wallingforddolphins.org Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around you, but your dream will not.

Responsibilities need not erase it. Duties need not obscure it.

Because the dream is within you, no one can take it away.

- Unknown

Experience the Wonders of India Fly into Delhi, from there to Agra and the Taj Mahal, to see this palace of beauty at sunrise, and in moonlight. (the colors change at different hours of the day and different seasons). Travel by train to Ranthambore National Park, a wildlife sanctuary where tigers are the park’s pride.

NOVEMBER 6–19, 2008 105 Hanover Street in Meriden 203.634.3500 1.800.624.3516 Email: ktwinc@aol.com www.kingtravelways.com

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Page 17 September 2008

NIGHTS IN THE CITY Spend Two Evenings With Good Friends For Good Causes Thursday, October 2 and Friday, October 3, 2008 Downtown Meriden, 50 West Main Street, Meriden, CT (Next to the Police & Courthouse Complex) RAIN or Shine!

For the third year in a row, the City of Meriden, Valencia Liquors, Drust Family Shop-Rite, the Lions Club and Rotary Club of Meriden, and The Meriden Arts Council come together for two fabulous evenings of fun, food, wine, beer and fine art. Other participating sponsors include: Meriden Civitan, Meriden Unison, Tri-Town Golden Kiwanis, Meriden Masons and Ivers & Associates Advertising.

MAIN & VINE: Thursday, October 2 o 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Kicking off the festival on Thursday night will be a Wine Tasting sponsored by Valencia Liquors. Along with The Drust Family Shop-Rite, who caters the event with gourmet samplings, the evening helps to support multiple local charities through ticket sales sold by multiple non-profit organizations. With over 25 Imported and domestic wines to try, and a FREE complimentary wine glass to take home, you will also be entertained by a live band the will perform during the evening. What if you don't like wine? There will be 12 beers to sample if that is your preference. This is a 21 years or older event and photo ID or Driver's License must be on hand for age verification.

Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at door. Contact your favorite Meriden Charity or Non-Profit Organization or log on to www.valencialiquor.com. You can also call 203-235-4825 or purchase tickets at Valencia Liquor, 1231 E. Main St., Meriden, CT in Lowe's Plaza. This is a great way to help the charity of your choice while having a great time sampling some great wines, good food and enjoying live music.

THE MAIN ARTERY: Thursday, October 2 o 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Meriden's Main Street Celebration of the Arts Sponsored by The Meriden Arts Council, this year's Fine Art Show will take place within the gates of Main & Vine.

What better way to view artwork by our local artists than to enjoy this visual gala while listening to live music and sampling good wines and gourmet food! This is a juried art show that will surely be a feast for the eyes. The arts are alive and thriving in Meriden and artists from Gallery 53 and Sandman Gallery will be participating in this year's event.

Landscapes, portraits, still-life paintings, and others will be presented in both traditional and contemporary styles. From Oils and Pastels to Watercolors and Sculptures, it will be an event not to be missed. Representatives will be on hand from The Meriden Arts Council to talk to anyone who might be interested in joining the group in order to further promote the arts in Meriden.

With the purchase of a ticket to Main & Vine, you are able to view the art exhibit free of charge. For more information about the show you can log on to info@meridenartscouncil.org or call Lynn at 203-235-6270 after 6 pm.

THE 9th ANNUAL SILVER CITY BREWFEST: Friday, October 3 o 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

This Rotary Charitable Event is a great way to spend some an evening while helping The Meriden YMCA. You will be able to sample over 25 international and micro-brews all why enjoying FREE hamburgers, hotdogs and live music! If you don't like beer, there will be a selection of 25 wines to sample. Again, you must be 21 years or older to attend and a driver's license/photo ID will be required.

Included in the evening's events will be a COOKOFF competition of some of our local restaurants and chefs. The restaurants will be making soups, chowders or chili's to compete against other restaurants. The winner will receive a trophy and recognition in the local newspaper. The best part is that you get to sample the dishes and cast your vote for your favorite fare.

The proceeds from this year's Silver City Brewfest will be used to enhance our aquatic department. The aquatic department provides a wide variety of programs for all ages including; water aerobics, swim lessons, lifeguard and CPR training, swim teams and adaptive aquatics. The proceeds will help to provide necessary tools and equipment to ensure the best environment to teach our children, youth, teens and adults.

The Meriden YMCA is open to all regardless of race, creed, gender, or financial status. Membership in our YMCA represents a commitment to its philosophy and mission. Founded in 1876, the emphasis of membership continues to be one of developing the whole person, mind, body, and spirit. The Meriden YMCA seeks to become a "master link" in our community, connecting needs to resources, people to programs, possibilities to potentials and to enhance the quality of life for all people who live and work here.

Tickets are $20 per person or $25 the day of the event and can be purchased at: Valencia Liquor, 1231 E. Main St., Meriden, in the new Lowe's Plaza Zorba's Restaurant, East Main Street, Meriden PiesOns Restaurant, Colony Street, Downtown Meriden Sandman Gallery, West Main Street, Meriden

THAT WEEK!!!

The week between Christmas of 2006 and New Year's Day, 2007, was outstanding for the problems it brought.

On Christmas Eve the oven blew up. I was only heating up some bagel slices at a low temperature, but pouf!, up it went. A busy week, we did not even have time to consider whether to replace the stove or have the oven fixed.

A few days later the hot water tank gave out, although we didn't realize it until a few days after that. We did not remember if we owned the tank or rented it from the United Illuminating Company.

What happened in the bathroom was almost unbelievable. About a dozen tiles jumped off the shower wall into the bathtub! Some in the family thought we'd have to have a new bathroom installed at a cost of several thousand dollars.

It gets worse. The hole in the kitchen ceiling began to leak steadily. I had purchased a beautiful cut glass bowl at a church rummage sale for a dollar and we placed that on the table directly below the hole. It was a week of many visitors, so I was glad to use that lovely bowl instead of a pail.

I laughed out loud and spoke to the Lord. "It will be interesting to see how You're going to solve all these problems," I said. "I know I can't fix any of them."

A call to the UI assured us that we rented the hot water tank and a new one would be sent out and installed that very day. They were as good as their word and a few hours later we had hot water again. And that was on New Year's Day. Ray, God bless him tackled the tiles in the bathroom, cleaning up all the rough edges of old dried-up glue on the ceramic tiles. He was not well, getting ready to start dialysis in a few weeks, so he could only clean a few each day.

But he worked at it faithfully and soon proved what my grandmother used to say: "Do a little each day and eventually the job will get done." A neighbor provided a patch of wallboard and some glue and Ray was ale to restore the shower wall back to its original usefulness and beauty. Well, almost - it is 60 years old.

Our daughter Robin and son-in-law John, who are our next-door neighbors, went to Vermont for a New Year's Eve celebration with friends, spending the night there. As they were leaving for home on New Year's Day, their hosts asked, "Do you know anyone who needs a stove?" They just happened to have John's truck with them, as a precaution for bad weather, so they loaded the stove onto the truck and headed home. By that afternoon we had a new-to-us stove that fit perfectly into the space the old stove vacated and was exactly the same cream color as the hood above it. The oven door is black glass, exactly the same as the front of our dishwasher.

There's more. A neighbor came to the door and offered to fix the leak in the kitchen ceiling. He went home to get his ladder and then proceeded to climb up to the second floor bedroom and close the window that had not been shut tightly enough. That slight opening had created a path for rain and snow to somehow make its way to the addition to the kitchen. We no longer need the use of a pail or a crystal bowl or anything!

When God answers prayer, He does it all and He does it right!

From One Woman's Journal By Audrey C. Linke

Exhibits Open At Easel Works Easel Works is pleased to announce the opening of two exhibits at their 2 Quinnipiac St. Studio & Gallery.

Flower Whimsey - Watercolors by artist Ernest Trumpold shows the lighter side of the world of flowers and takes the viewer away from the intricate details of each bloom and on a journey into the beauty in simplicity. Paintings will be exhibited August 25th. through October 5th.

"On The Edge Of Reality" - by artist Ramon Jimenez, amazing graffiti art that is controversial, thought-provoking and on the edge. This exhibit truly shows the effects of the world around us. Show runs through October 5th.

Brenda

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Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care Welcomes New Staff Sister Suzanne Gross, FSE, Administrator, Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care, is pleased to announce that Marie Laffin, RN, has assumed the position of Clinical Director, and Ellie Embler, RN, Nursing Supervisor.

Both Marie and Ellie have held positions in home health care for a number of years. Marie is a resident of Wallingford and Ellie lives in Berlin.

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Page 18 September 2008

MY YOUTHFUL DAYS FISHING

BY Francis W. Lappert I was twelve yrs. old and my young brother was ten when our father told us to catch a can of night crawlers and he would take us bullhead fishing at Meremere Reservoir. We did so and he rigged up several tarred drop lines, as he didn't have any fishing poles. We took off and walked to the north end of the reservoir, as this was his favorite spot to catch a mess of bullheads. We followed a path down the west side until he came to his favorite spot. Each of our lines was about sixty feet long with a two-ounce sinker on the end to help us throw it out. Our father who was an expert with the line caught the first fish, a nice one about twelve inches long. After dealing with several tangled lines my brother and I got the hang of it and managed to get several fish,

added to what our father caught we quit when we had a dozen. Our mother fried them up the next day for supper. After a few more trips with him he let us go by ourselves. At that time Meremere had a great quantity of smallmouth bass. We asked our older brother who was an expert fisherman what would be the best bail to catch them. He told us small green frogs or crayfish. He said the best place to catch the frogs was in the swamp for their food. The crayfish we could get in the reservoir by lifting up flat stones along the shore. We both supplied our family with many a fish dinner. I've got to mention the fact that the park seemed to be a breeding ground for the copperhead snakes. We killed many of them even where the swimming pool now stands.

Quite a few years later, when fishing by myself on the west side of the reservoir among the huge rocks on the shore, I had a dozen small frogs in my bail pail. I had just landed a nice two pound bass and was reaching for the pail in back of me for another frog to bait the hook My hand froze in mid air for there in back of the pail was a large copperhead. I reached for a nearby rock but he saw me move and slithered down among the rocks. Needless to say I got away from there fast. The area between Hubbard Park and the south end of the reservoir seemed to hold most of the snakes. I have never encountered a rattle snake in all my hiking in these woods but my sister Rose killed a forty two inch rattler while walking in the woods near the half-way house we call Fair View. It had eight buttons.

I recall in later years someone introduced large mouth bass and also pickerel to Meremere reservoir. The fishing improved tremendously. I once caught a seven pound twelve ounce bass on a black jitterbug plug fishing at night.

I would like to mention also that Peregrine Falcons used to nest on the crags on the west side of the reservoir and once saw one carrying a large snake in its talons back to its nest on the cliff.

There also used to be the Red-tail hawks that were always trying to get one of our chickens in the backyard, but our father chased them away with his twelve-gauge shotgun.

A final note: Meriden has five water supply reservoirs, two of them teeming with fish, Meremere and Broad Brook. It's tragic not one of them is available to local fishermen.

Come and Celebrate Wallingford!

October 4th -- 11AM - 7PM Fishbein Park at the railway station green Entertainment provided by: DeNovo / Noon - 3PM Eight to the Bar / 3:30PM - 6:30PM "Taste of Wallingford" food court Juried Arts & Crafts show and sale Activities for children & teens / Petting Zoo & Pony Rides 1PM - 4PM Civic & Non-profit Groups Police, Fire, Public Utilities demonstations / "Touch A Truck"

Uptown on South Main Street: CT Street Rod Assoc. Car Show / 2PM - 5PM

October 5th -- 11AM - 6PM Fishbein Park at the railway station green Entertainment provided by: Moxie / Noon - 2PM The Whiskey River Band / 3PM - 6PM "Taste of Wallingford" food court Juried Arts & Crafts show and sale Activities for children & teens / Petting Zoo & Pony Rides 1PM - 4PM Civic & Non-profit Groups Police, Fire, Public Utilities demonstations / "Touch A Truck"

Join us and have a great time Celebrating Wallingford!

Wallingford Hybrid Passenger Car and High Mileage Vehicle Exemption Pursuant to Ordinance 556, the Town of Wallingford has enacted a Hybrid Passenger Car and High Mileage Vehicle exemption in the amount of a $5000 assessment reduction. The ordinance shall be effective commencing with the October 1, 2008 Grand List and shall terminate on July 1, 2010.

A. Hybrid Passenger Car - A new passenger motor vehicle purchased on or after October 1, 2004, and prior to October 1, 2008, that has a United Stated Environmental Protection Agency estimated highway gasoline mileage rating of at least forty miles per gallon that draws acceleration energy from two onboard sources of stored energy, which are both an internal combustion or heat engine which uses combustible fuel and a rechargeable energy storage system that is certified to meet or exceed the tier II bin 5 low emission vehicle classification.

OR B. High Mileage Motor Vehicle - A new passenger motor vehicle purchased on or after January 1, 2008, and prior to July 1, 2010 that has a United States Environmental Protection Agency estimated city or highway gasoline mileage rating of at least 40 miles per gallon.

INSTRUCTIONS 1. A one-time application must be filed in the town Assessor's Office for every hybrid or high mileage vehicle. A new application is required for every newly acquired vehicle.

2. Applicant must provide ownership and purchase date documentation for the vehicle. (motorcycles and scooters are not eligible).

3. Applicant should provide documentation with the application supporting the claim that the subject 4. Vehicle qualifies for the exemption. The Environmental Protection Agency hosts a web site www.fueleconomy.gov where you may access this information.

5. For the regular motor vehicle Grand List an application must be filed on or before December 31st Following the assessment date for which the exemption is requested.

6. For the supplemental motor vehicle Grand List an application must be filed within 30 (thirty) days Of the purchase of the vehicle.

7. Failure to file an application within the required filing period will result in a forfeiture of the Exemption for the applicable Grand List year.

Page 19 September 2008

MUSINGS……..

by Ernie Larsen Think about it……………..

I subscribe to a weekly news magazine aptly named The Week; if you are familiar with Time, Newsweek, it is that type of publication. However it is vastly different in its content as it accepts very limited advertising; it takes its content from worldwide news and wire services, newspapers and offers sections written by staff.

It always has stories, snippets and facts that you will not see elsewhere. An issue, dated June 27, 2008 had a sidebar on the main stories page which I'm going to quote verbatim: When 18-year old Lukasz Zbylut arrived in New York 5 years ago, he barely spoke English. But he's obviously a quick learner: He finished high school this year with an A+ average, served as editor of his school newspaper and founded the debate team. This spring, Zbylut was accepted by 18 colleges, including seven in the Ivy League. He's decided to attend Harvard. "I applied to all these great colleges thinking, Why not? "he said. "I took a shot in the dark and apparently, I hit the jackpot" Why is it that eastern Europeans, Asians and children of Asian or children of middle-eastern and other foreign born ethnic groups do so well in our educational system? In this case, with no available details, we don't know if his parents pushed or should I say encouraged him, or does he just have a natural ability to learn.

Stories of this type surface at this time of year, the end of the school year with all those HS seniors heading off for the ivy covered halls of university.

Remembering just a couple of months ago, the Scripps-Howard spelling bee was being televised and here was visual proof of who were the best spellers.

Out of the 12 finalists, 8 were non-Caucasian; not being sure if these 8 were born in the US to parents from other lands or came here at an early age, no one can make any accurate prediction why they excel in spelling and I'm sure other academics in which they participate.

People say that happens in other places, well not really, on a personal note, friends of mine have two adopted Korean children, both of whom were in the top ten of their HS graduating class and accepted at prestigious universities with generous scholarships. They are not biological siblings, yet they just seemed to 'get it'. Their parents were involved in their education, not to any degree that would be called excessive or hovering, the children knew they had to study, were encouraged to become involved in extracurricular activities and that they did. One has graduated and is very gainfully employed, the other doing very well and will also be entering the work force in a couple of years and will surely become an asset to society.

Every time I see a story like this or think about these two children whom I know personally, it gets me wondering; and this time enough to share my thoughts with readers of this publication. Someone who is in the 'States for a mere 5 years, starting out knowing limited English, excelling academically and now has to reject college acceptances which others would welcome with open arms.

Look at the reality show 'Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader', where normal folks (mostly working class adults) fail miserably in the academic arena against 10 and 11 year old students, quite embarrassing, I'd say.

Is our academic system to blame? Hard to say, yet I bet that these smart children have a lot of parental support, giving them certain goals to achieve, or possibly these whiz kids take it on themselves to make their own mark, as I mentioned, you never know. As for being smarter than Miss Jones favorite 5th grade student who early on in the show had to convince a 30 year old sheriff's deputy that Hawaii was not on the east coast of the United States; this is the point I stopped watching the show - come on, this was pathetic, embarrassing.

Yet it is commonplace, I just heard some statistics about a college geography course, these students did not have a clue as to where places were in their own state, much less the United States or, heaven forbid, the World.

Perhaps there should be a "reality show" with a bit more substance than the lot that is currently out there, hosted by people like Lukasz or maybe a group of spelling bee winners; or the top students in high school graduating classes; let them share some of their secrets of mastering our language, their study habits, their 'secret' to learning; something along the lines of "How to be as smart as Me" Think about it!

INTERFAITH VOLUNTEER CARE GIVERS NEED VOLUNTEERS Interfaith Volunteers Caregivers of Greater New Haven needs volunteers to be a friendly visitor to an elderly resident, or help shop for or with an elder.

Volunteers also transport people to and from medical appointments or provide for respite care for families needing support as they care for a loved one. All that is required is a loving heart and two or four hours a week. A two hour training event will provide you with the information and basic skills to make a difference in someone's life. The next training events are September 18th 6:308:30 P.M. at the Hamden Senior Center, 2901 Dixwell Ave, Hamden, September 21st 2-4 P.M. Center Church on-the-Green, 311 Temple Street, New Haven and September 25th 10 A.M.-12 Noon at Woodbridge Human Services (Senior Center) 11 Meetinghouse Lane, Woodbridge. Please call Interfaith at 230-8994 for information or to register for one of the training events.

Winter Concert

The Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords( a 90 member community vocal group) will resume their weekly rehearsals in preparation for their Winter Concert to be held on Sunday afternoon December 7, 2008. They will begin on Tuesday, September 2nd, at 7:00 p.m. at the Rev. Msgr. M. Davitt Fox Parish Center, St. Francis Church, Elm St., Middletown. Gina Fredericks, of Middlefield, is the musical director and Joyce Ghent, of Portland is the founder and chairperson.

We are looking to add to our Bass and Tenor sections but all voices will be accepted. If you want to lift your spirits share your love of music, be part of a "family", and contribute to the community, then we extend a warm welcome to join us. Please call 860-342-3120 for more information. No auditions are necessary, you do not have to be a hospital employee and new members from Central and Southern CT will be accepted until September 16th.

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Page 20 September 2008

What I did this Summer.

By Lisa A. DiMichele Most of the summer, like many others, I worked with weekends to enjoy. Recently, my family and I went on a trip up to Damariscotta, Maine and stayed at Lake Pemaquid campground for a week. I can tell you it is beautiful up there.

The lake is crystal clear and clean filled with beautiful fish of different sizes, shapes and color. It had lily pads with beautiful white lillies growing on them and the daily visits from the group of ducks that came to visit us each day. We rented a 3-bedroom house on the other side of the lake across from the main campground in which we had access to all the amenities it provided, such as the large pool, 4 Jacuzzi's, mini golf, skateboard park, basketball courts, horseshoe pits, playgrounds and many different boats. They also had a general store, arcade and entertainment nightly.

There are 7 of us that includes 3 boys and 2 girls ages 16 to 6. The beautiful thing about being up at Lake Pemaquid in that house was everyone had space and there was a variety of things to do for all ages. The 16 year old boys were always fishing while the 12, 11 and 6 year olds were splashing in the lake right off the private dock off the back of the house. The house faced the lake with all large picture glass windows in the large kitchen, living room and master bedroom that gave you the most spectacular views each and every day.

My favorite memory of that vacation was the afternoon I laid on the hammock on the back deck swaying side to side, relaxing while the beautiful breeze from the lake breezed over me. It was peaceful and quiet and I was alone when all of a sudden to my surprise a magnificent American Bald Eagle flew right over me and swooped over the lake looking for fish. I was in such awe and called everyone to see. I have never seen a bald eagle that close in flight and it was beautiful. The eagle was sighted by my oldest son again that week. We felt blessed to be surrounded with such beautiful country and wildlife.

The nights were cool, requiring jackets and we enjoyed ourselves around a campfire on the lake toasting marshmellows and making smores. Yummy! The night sky was dark filled with bright twinkling stars as the moon rose and reflected over the lake. You can hear all the night creatures as they come alive.

The best part of my summer was being surrounded by my beautiful family with smiling faces, hugs and laughter as we enjoyed and appreciated God's beautiful country.

Gil Simmons to Host American Red Cross Dinner The American Red Cross announced today that its annual dinner benefit will be held at the Four Points by Sheraton in Meriden on Friday, September 26, 2008, at 6 p.m. Gil Simmons, News Channel 8 Meteorologist, will serve as Honorary Chairman.

"I am thankful to be involved with a group that makes such a difference on a global and a local level. I appreciate working with such great people who impact so many lives in a positive way. I am honored to host the dinner for such a fine organization." said Simmons.

Simmons will host a "Dancing with the Stars"-themed audience interaction dinner produced by Sound Spectrum Entertainment. As in the hit TV series, six professional dancers will team with guests who will get a lesson in salsa, disco, hip-hop and other dance styles. Simmons will also present the branch's Board of Directors' Awards of Appreciation to the event's sponsors: CYTEC, Lane Construction Corporation, RDM Financial Group, Record Journal, Wadsworth Investment Company, Inc. and Wal-Mart.

In addition, a silent auction and a 50/50 cash drawing will be held. Tickets are $60 per person and include a threecourse dinner. All proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross. For tickets and information, please contact the Wallingford office at (203) 265-6721.

The Wallingford/Meriden Branch of the American Red Cross is a regional office of the South Central Connecticut Chapter, serving the towns of Cheshire, Meriden, North Branford, North Haven and Wallingford. The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by 650 local volunteers. Our mission is to provide relief to victims of disaster and to help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Some thoughts from Kimberly…

Kimberley Linstruth-Beckom Gas prices have sky rocketed for everyone and this is starting to make people think twice about how they are spending their dollars, this includes businesses and industries. One industry in particular that is looking to make a drastic change in the near future is the traditional publishing industry.

For many years, in fact, since the Great Depression, publishers would print up hundreds or in some cases, thousands of books by an author, some known and some unknown, in hopes of selling them to retailers like Barnes and Noble or Borders. These retail stores would order the books and put them on their shelves in hopes of selling them to consumers who read. If the titles did not sell on the store shelves, the retailers had the opportunity to sell the unsold books back to the publisher so the retailer could recoup lost sales. The publisher in turn would try and sell these unsold books to other retailers who carry books. This plan sounds great in theory, but what about in real life?

Well, it isn't working very well in real life at the moment, "The returns are actually down right insane." stated the CEO of Barnes and Noble and this is making people in the industry see this practice of returns as costly because approximately 25% of books sent out, will be returned, that's a 1 out of 4 book ratio. The amount of daily orders placed is, for one warehouse, 15,000 titles. So, costly, it is, starting from the sale of the book to the retailer, to transporting the books, to the processing of the return, transporting the book back, to finally selling it to another retailer, which in some cases, may be the same one that returned the book in the first place. This for obvious reasons is a waste of books, time, gas, and payroll, which really boils down to a waste of money. We also shouldn't forget how badly this effects the environment with unneeded transports, as well as the fact that these books were a tree or two once upon a time.

Too add fuel to this fire (pardon the pun), some books in earlier days were actually burned because they weren't in a good enough condition to be resold. Some warehouses would use these books as a way of heating their buildings during the cold winter months. Thankfully, they are sent off to be pulped today and then probably reborn into yet another book title that may find its fate the same.

With all of the cost factors to consider, it's no wonder that the publishing industry wants some things to change, but how to change, is not so clear cut. Some of the leaders in the industry want to go as drastic as producing less copies of a particular title. And yet, others want to cut out returns all together.

Both of these ideas, though practical, may wind up hurting the actual author with sales, and that may be in all honesty, the best case scenario for well-known authors. The unknowns may not get a second look if the editors have to look at production and sales as factors before they okay a new proposal.

With these factors in mind, some people are looking to print on demand (POD) as an alternative, but with sales only being one tenth of one percent here in the US; it is highly unlikely that that will spark a huge amount of interest here.

It is, however, popular enough in the UK for bookstores to consider a pilot program called "Espresso Book Machine" (EMB). This machine will print up books while the customer waits in the store. If it is a successful pilot, the UK is looking to have 60 or so of these EMB machines in bookstores around the United Kingdom.

Something else that may be considered a great idea is the world's first pocket reader called the Readius. This will be out some time next year as "the Cadillac" of electronic pocket devices that can download e-books for the consumer to read on the go. Thomas vander Zijden who is the Vice President of marketing is very optimistic of its launch in the US, and we shall see.

I think, given the economy, that it is still really too soon to tell if any of this will have an impact on the readers of today. Readers have access to so much more than just Borders. Yes there is POD and e-books, but there are also a lot of writer's groups popping up on the internet too. I think reading has changed since the Great Depression and whatever the traditional publishers can do to catch up with that will only benefit everyone involved.

Author, Publisher, and Founder of Writers With Chronic Disease Kimberley Linstruth-Beckom www.kimberleylinstruth-beckom.com Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think, what if I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn't seem quite so funny. - Jack Handey

7th Annual Soy Unica! Soy Latina!

Mother-Daughter Community Celebration October 18, 2008 at Washington Middle School The 7th Annual Soy Unica! Soy Latina! Community celebration hosted by the Meriden and Wallingford Substance Abuse Council and sponsored by Cox Communications is scheduled for Saturday, October 18, 2008 at Washington Middle School in Meriden from 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. This year this exciting event will bring keynote speaker Elizabeth Torres: 20 year-old poet, painter and motivational speaker from Roselle Park, New Jersey. Elizabeth has been writing poetry since the age of five. She has six published books and three audio recordings. Elizabeth has experienced a lifetime's worth of international travel, speaking engagements, and art showings all highlighting her abilities to speak, create, and develop new motivational concepts.

This Mother/Daughter event is for girls ages 9-14 and offers workshops, prizes, and food all free of charge. The program helps girls and their mothers/caregivers to communicate and have a healthy relationship. We are also looking for financial support of this wonderful program. If you as a business or individual would like to support this important event, please contact Christelle Aube at the Meriden and Wallingford Substance Abuse Council 203-294-3591. Every little bit helps!

The Book Seller

The Book Seller, a cozy new book shop located in the Library's lower level, features used books, CDs, DVDs, etc. in excellent condition. Stop by for a visit and browse the shelves for a novel to read, gifts for the kids, or a new CD to play on your way home.

Regular hours are Monday and Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.; and Friday 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

SPECIAL $50 SYNAGOGUE MEMBERSHIP

Temple B'nai Abraham, a Conservative, Egalitarian congregation, announces a special membership rate for new Temple members.

The membership will run until June 2009. High Holiday tickets included in the membership. Offer is open to singles and families.

The Temple offers a wide range of programs:Innovative Religious School (Pre-K through bar/bat Mitzvah)* Shabbat * Holiday and Festival Services * Yahrzeit Minyanim* Jr. Congregation * Adult Education * Social Action * Cultural and Social Events and Congregational Dinners This offer is not open to current or past members.

Call (203) 235-2581 for more information.

The Temple is located at 127 East Main St., Meriden.

Catering for all occasions at Rosa’s Deli

Many choices of Pasta dishes, Meatballs, Sausage & Peppers, Chicken, Party Subs, Cold cut platters and so much more. Visit our website for even more selections.

Visit our website at

rosasdeli.com

Rosa’s Italian Deli, LLC imported and domestic foods party platters • hot and cold subs to go

Open Monday-Saturday 830-6 closed Sunday• Tel: 265-1487 • 57 North Colony Street, Wallingford, CT 06492 •

Page 21 September 2008

Celebrations of Life and Home

Happy 10th Birthday Sierra! You are the sweetest girl in the whole world and we know this will be your best year yet. Love, Mom, Dad, Joshua and Shaunessy.

Exhibition

The Arts and Crafts Association/Gallery 53 will be hosting an exhibition for artists Bruce Raven and Chris Ivers September 6th - 26th. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, September 6th from 2:00 to 4:00PM and is open to the public.

The Arts and Crafts Association of Meriden/Gallery 53 has been serving the community for over 100 years, it is a non-profit organization, committed to promoting and encouraging appreciation of the arts by means of educational programs, exhibits, workshops and lectures. The Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday, 12-4 pm, and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 pm. Events are free and ample parking space is available across the street. The Gallery is easy to reach from I-91 and I-84. Visit our website: www.gallery53.org or call (203) 235-5347 for directions.

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh - W. H. Auden

Beautifying the Shelter

Emerson & Cally Grandchildren of youth chair Carole Golitko. Perennials & annuals planted as a project for The Wallingford Garden Club.These guys are good gardeners. Submitted Carole Golitko

Meriden High - Class of 1943

The Meriden High School Committee Class of 43 (Rhoda Huwitz and Helena Perino Ingraham) shown above working hard on the 65th Reunion which will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2008 at the Sans Souci Restaurant located at 2003 Berlin Turnpike in Meriden. Invitations and reservations forms have been mailed to all classmates. Returns have to by received by September 15th. The Reunion Committee is trying to locate the following classmates: Irence Banaszewski Wollschlager, Robert Barnhard, Arthur Beniot, Irene Buchko Matyas, Phyllis Cawthray Rice, Jane Colle Armstrong, Dorothy Cooper Gregory, Gloria Darin Dubuc, June Dennison Schripritt, Dorothy Dickinson Johnson, Mary France Reynolds, Elizabeth Kubek Bellemore, Robert Leary, Eleanor Luft Wade, Dolores Martancik Pusanz, Jeannette Petit, Rudolph Ravasio, William Roberts, Anna Rolf Anderson, Virginia Spear, Bernice Sundberg Nurczyk, Jane Wendover, Jeanne Bergeron Ferreri, Max Dybic, Muriel Greenhouse Zimmer and Elliott LaMontagne. Any information as to current address or phone number - please call David Wodatch at 203-237-0880.

by Gregory M. Simpson

"Sheltering an Animal's Perspective"

The number one reason why someone donates to a charity is simple. It's because he or she is asked. So, I'm asking.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 48 municipal shelters, 15 private shelters, and another 145 non-sheltered animal welfare groups in Connecticut. They all have one thing in common. They all could use your support.

Americans love their companion animals. For 2007, Americans were expected to spend 48.7 billion dollars on them, according to Packaged Facts, a consumer research company. This exceeds the gross national product of about 120 nations. Yet there are thousands more animals awaiting homes in Connecticut's animal shelters.

A donation to a shelter of unrestricted funds is always appreciated as it allows an animal welfare group to spend as needs arise. Restricted funds, such as for spay/neuter, are also gratefully accepted, as an estimated 80% of the kittens born annually come from feral and stray cats. Another way to contribute is to remember a shelter in one's will and estate planning.

The greatest gift of all is to give of oneself. Volunteers see their efforts as labors of love and the opportunities to volunteer are as varied as one's talents, interests, and available time. Animal welfare groups need adoption counselors and volunteers for animal care, rescue, dog walking, cat socialization, transportation, and grooming. Volunteers are also needed for fund raising, such as grant writing, soliciting at stores, and organizing events. Also helpful are office tasks such as phone work, keyboarding, filing, web-site maintenance and correspondence. Animal shelters will train on these responsibilities. Or organize your own tag sale or bake sale to benefit a shelter. Foster homes are always needed and invaluable, especially for non-sheltered animal welfare groups. Regardless of what you choose, become a dedicated volunteer who commits to consistently and competently fulfill a responsibility.

Public education is another vital role. Perhaps your contribution can be to educate through the media. Write a letter to the editor, an Op. Ed. piece, or a magazine or newspaper article. Place your name on an e-mail list to be alerted for legislative or other advocacy. Appear on radio or television, organize a petition drive, or help publish a shelter's newsletter.

Set a good example for youth. Research has shown that young Americans will volunteer if they have a parent who does. Seeing respected peers volunteer is also motivating for teenagers.

If you would like to donate something tangible to an animal shelter, consider the following: dog and cat food or treats, cat litter, blankets, towels, cat and dog toys or bedding, dog collars and leashes, latex gloves, kitten milk replacement (KMR), and heating pads. For a shelter's laundry and cleaning needs, consider giving laundry detergent, bleach, fabric softener, paper towels, garbage bags, tissues, laundry baskets, hampers, disinfectant spray, and dryer sheets. A shelter's office could use postage stamps, envelopes, copy paper, and other stationery supplies.

True concern for animals needs to be demonstrated through commitments of time and donations. Volunteer work and contributions are at the core of charity work for animals. Shelters could not survive without both.

In the 1700s, Connecticut's Noah Webster defined a volunteer as a person who enters any service of his own free will. So, I'm asking. The animals in shelters all want the same things that each of us wants - to love and be loved, have a home, and live a life without pain and misery. They do not ask for much, but give unconditional love in return.

Will you please help a Connecticut animal shelter through volunteering or making a contribution today? Homeless animals are waiting. To find a shelter or rescue organization near you, visit petfinder.com or pets911.com. Thank you in advance for whatever support you can provide.

For the animals, Gregory M. Simpson Gregory Simpson's animal welfare involvement spans over 25 years, having provided leadership for several Connecticut organizations, as well as having served as state advisor to the national Friends of Animals. Currently a Board member of Protectors of Animals, Inc., he was chosen by CAT FANCY magazine as one of the ultimate cat lovers in the U.S. He is also a member of the Cat Writers' Association.

You laugh at me because I'm different, I laugh at you because you're all the same. - Unknown

Page 22 September 2008

The People’s Press - Get Happy With It! www.peoplespressnews.com Celebrations of Life & Home HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY TO MY BUD, HUNTER!!!!

LOVE YOU LOTS, MITCH

Find out if your child has a vision problem that will impact his or her education.

Make an appointment today to be sure!

Wallingford Senior Center News

SEPTEMBER IS . . . . National Biscuit Month, National Jazz Month, National Coupon Month, Mold Awareness Month, AND, Senior Center Month! Sponsored by the National Institute of Senior Centers, the theme of this year's celebration is "Senior Centers Work!" The Wallingford Senior Center works to keep our members active, healthy, informed, and happy Our senior center works!

VARIETY SHOW on Thursday, September 18, 7 PM - A night of great local entertainment is in store for you on September 18. Our show this year features song, dance, magic, comedy, and more, provided by town officials (guess who), members of the community, and senior center members too! Tickets are $5.00 per person and the proceeds will benefit Holiday for Giving. Don't miss out - buy your tickets today!

A TASTE OF RETIREMENT LIVING on Wednesday, September 24, 10 AM-12 PM - Join us for a special program featuring the culinary skills of local retirement and assisted living facilities' dining services. Brunch items will be available for your tasting delight. In addition to the great food, representatives will share information about the services and amenities each community offers. Information, food, and door prizes await you! Register today by calling 2657753.

CLASS REGISTRATION WEEK of September 8-12, 2008 - Registration for all classes is on a first come, first served basis. Sign up between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, September 8-12. Present your Senior Center ID card when registering to get the membership rate. Special note: Computer Class registration will be held September 9, 9:30-11:30 AM, and September 10, 1:00-3:00 PM. ASK YOURSELF: DO I . . . use my arms to get out of a chair? . . . have difficulty reaching up into my kitchen cabinets? . . . struggle with grocery bags? . . . notice that my balance isn't what it used to be? If you answered yes to just one of these questions, you probably could benefit from one or more exercise classes. Our fitness programs are designed to help you engage in your daily activities by strengthening your bones and muscles, increasing your flexibility, energy and endurance, and improving your balance. Sign up for the fitness classes that are right for you.

IDENTITY THEFT: DON'T BE A VICTIM on Monday, September 8, 1:30 p.m.- Following a press conference given by the CT Department of Consumer Protection at the Senior Center on September 8, at 1:00 p.m., Commissioner Jerry Farrell, Jr. will offer a short program on identity theft. Learn how your identity can be stolen and how you can protect yourself and your assets. Shredding your unneeded junk mail, documents, and personal papers is essential!

SHRED IT DAY on Saturday, September 13, 9:00 a.m.--1:00 p.m. - The CT Department of Consumer Protection and Shred-It are teaming up to host September Shred 2008. Bring up to three (3) large boxes or heavy duty trash bags of your unneeded personal papers to be shredded to the blue and white Shred-It truck at the Senior Center between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. This free service is offered on a first come, first-served basis.

DIGITAL TV: WILL YOU BE READY? On Wednesday, October 8, 10:30 AM - Are you uncertain about the new federal law concerning the February 17, 2009 switch to digital television broadcasting and how it will affect you? A speaker from the Federal Communication Commission will give a presentation on why the switch is being made, what we can expect and how we can prepare for the transition to digital television broadcasting. He will be available to answer your questions and address issues you may have. Sign up at the front desk to attend.

TURN YOUR HOME EQUITY INTO CASH on Wednesday, September 17, 10:00 a.m. - If you are 62+, you can turn your equity in your home into cash with monthly or lump sum payments to meet unexpected medical expenses, to meet long-term care needs, or to make home improvements. You do not need to repay the loan as long as you live in the house and keep the taxes and insurance current. You can never owe more than your home's value. Hear more at this FREE seminar. Please register by calling 265-7753.

CELL PHONE TRAINING on Monday, September 15, 1:00-3:00 PM - Here is your chance to learn all about cell phones. Representatives from the local AT&T Mobility Store will teach you all the basics of using a cell phone (any make or model). Topics will include: making and receiving calls; voice mail; storing numbers in the address book; speed dial; and more. There will be hands-on demonstrations and one-on-one instructional support. Bring your own cell phone or use one of the practice phones. Come with your questions to this free program that will also feature handouts and give-a-ways.

SOCIAL SERVICES CONNECTICUT ENERGYASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CEAP) WHAT? Money to heat your residence if you heat with oil, kerosene, electric, or gas.

WHO? People whose income and assets fall within the guidelines.

HOW? FOR OIL HEAT ONLY: Call 235-0278 starting Monday, September 15, 2008 for an appointment. (Gas and electric can call beginning in December.)

WHEN? November 1, 2008 is the first day fuel deliveries will be paid by the CT Energy Assistance Program.

Struggling to Pay Monthly Bills?

BENEFITS SCREENING Tuesday, September 16, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon RSVP of South Central CT will offer free benefits screenings to individuals age 60 and older to determine benefits eligibility. Benefits QuickLINK is private, free, and confidential! Supporting documents not required, but please bring the following information with you to the screening: 1.

Monthly income (social security, pension, dividends and interest.

2.

Monthly expenses (heating, fuel, gas, electricity, water, telephone, rent or mortgage payments and medical expenses not covered by health insurance.)

3.

Asset information (savings, estimated value of home and car, life insurance benefits.)

4.

List of all current prescriptions.

Pre-registration required for Benefits Screenings by calling 265-7753.

CONNECTICUT'S NEW AFFORDABLE CHARTER OAK HEALTH PLAN "For the first time, Connecticut residents who are not able to get health insurance through their jobs now have access to decent, affordable coverage," said Governor Rell on July 1. The new Charter Oak Health Plan is affordable health coverage geared to Connecticut residents employed by small businesses, people between jobs, young graduates, early retirees and people too young for Medicare. Monthly premium and annual deductible depends on household income.

Individual premiums range from $75 to $259 and annual deductibles range from $150 to $900.

Get details at 1-877-772-8625 or visit Charter Oak'swebsite at www.charteroakhealthplan.com.

ANGEL FOOD MINISTRIES Where can you go to get $70-$75 worth of food for $30? The answer is Angel Food Ministries, based out of Good News Christian Church in Wallingford. This great program has been a huge success in helping families "make ends meet" all over the country. Angel Food Ministries offers restaurant grade food without meeting income qualifications or completing applications. Food Stamps are accepted. Look for menus and information at the senior center on the Member Interest Table.

DAILY ACTIVITIES FOR INDEPENDENCE Do you have a loved one in need of socialization and guidance throughout the day?

The Daily Activities for Independence Program is a small, structured environment designed for Wallingford residents, age 60 and over, who may be experiencing memory loss, physical and social difficulties. With appropriate support, these individuals can continue to be highly active and independent. D.A.I. provides the following: *Recreation *Nutrition *Exercise *Companionship *Health Services *Transportation Clients must be able to participate in activities and self-administer medications. Those who are prone to wandering, anti-social, or violent behavior will be referred to other programs. The program operates Monday through Friday, 9:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Transportation is provided for Wallingford residents. If you would like to learn more about the D.A.I. program, contact Melinda Welch, D.A.I. Coordinator at 203.265.7753 Ext. 205. Space is limited.

HOW DO I GET THERE?- A revised edition of the "How Do I Get There?" Transportation Guide is now available.

Call 265-7753 for a free copy, or stop by.

Call for Meriden Area Artists...

The Main ARTery, Meriden's Main Street Celebrations of the arts sponsored by the Meriden Arts Council. Fine Art Show & Sale Thursday, October 2, 2008 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Meriden Courthouse Plaza. Along with a Wine Tasting hosted by Valencia Liquor and a Gourmet Chef Demonstration/Food Tasting sponsored by The Drust Family Shop-Rite. For a prospectus or more information, please contact Lynn Fisher at 203-235-6270 or info@meridenartscouncil.org. Open to all Meriden Fine Artists working in the mediums of Oils,Watercolors, Gouache, Egg Tempera, Pastels/Oil Pastels, Textile/Fabric, Photography, Sculpture, Graphics (charcoal, etching, woodcuts, silkscreen, intaglio, original illustration in traditional mediums such as ink or graphite, etc.).Work may be traditional or non-objective. Entries must be artist's own work. Deadline for entries is September 1, 2008.

Seniors Have Dreams Too, Inc On Saturday, September 13, 2008 a bottle and can drive will be held to benefit the non-profit foundation Seniors Have Dreams Too, Inc. The drive will be held at M&M Redemption Center on Route 68 (Church Street) in Wallingford from 9 A,M. to 1 P.M. Thank you, Sally F. Smith President

Page 23 September 2008

MAX E. MURAVNICK MERIDEN SENIOR CITIZENS' CENTER The Max E. Muravnick Meriden Senior Citizens' Center is open to all Meriden residents age 55 and over. Membership is free of charge and new members may sign-up any weekday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. by presenting a driver's license or other proof of age. New members receive an information package about senior services and a coupon entitling them to one complimentary lunch in our Senior Community Café. Sign-up today and find out about all that is offered for Meriden seniors at the Max E. Muravnick Senior Center!

Move & Soothe with Dr. Susan Sandel will resume on Tuesday, September 9 at 12:30 PM on the lower level of the Senior Center. This creative movement, exercise and relaxation program has been quite popular in the past and we hope that interested people will attend to welcome Susan back for the next quarterly session of Move & Soothe at the Senior Center!

On Wednesday, September 10 at 10:30 AM Meriden Center will sponsor a "Home Safety Tips" program in the first floor meeting room at the Senior Center. The speaker will focus on steps you can take to make your home and yard safer to avoid falls, accidents and other mishaps. Attend this free program to learn valuable safety tips to protect yourself and continue living at home as long as possible! Light refreshments will be served. To register call Victoria at Meriden Center, a division of Genesis Health Care, at 238-2645.

The next program sponsored by the Meriden Triad to help protect Meriden seniors from fraud, scams and other crimes will be "Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft" with Tina Gabriel, Director of Crimes Investigations for Corporate Security at People's United Bank in Bridgeport. According to Ms. Gabriel, during 2006 more than 670,000 cases of fraud and identity theft were reported in the United States. The most common frauds were credit card fraud (25%), phone or utilities fraud (16%), bank fraud (16%) and employment fraud (14%). The average victim loses $5,900 and spends 600 hours recovering from the crime, often over a period of years. Learn how to avoid being a victim of fraud and identity theft by attending this program on Wednesday, October 8 at 10:30 AM in the first floor meeting room at the Senior Center. The program is sponsored by the Meriden Triad. Sergeant Darrin McKay is Chairman of this local partnership between the Meriden Police Department and the Senior Center to help prevent crimes against the elderly. Refreshments will be served.

The Connecticut AARP Tax-Aide program is seeking volunteers to provide one-on-one help in the preparation of income tax returns. Computer literate volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. Tax Counseling for the Elderly is a free, confidential service run by volunteers who prepare Federal and Connecticut tax returns. The service is offered by appointment on the mezzanine level of the Senior Center on Wednesdays from February to April each year. If you would like to join the Meriden AARP Income Tax Team to help in this rewarding volunteer work, please call Meriden Tax-Aide Coordinator Frank Spinelli at 237-6978.

Sign-ups are now being accepted for the next session of the AARP Driver Safety Program at the Senior Center on Wednesday, November 5 and Friday, November 7 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Class participants will learn defensive driving techniques, new traffic laws and much more in this 8-hour course. Successful completion of the classroom course also entitles you to a discount on your automobile insurance premiums. The course fee is $10 and reservations can be made in the front office or by calling the Senior Center at 237-0066.

The Meriden Public Library Bookmobile will visit the Senior Center again on Thursday, September 4 from 10:00 11:30 AM in our front mini-bus parking area. The Bookmobile carries a variety of books including large print, best sellers and books in Spanish so please take this opportunity to see what the Bookmobile has to offer for you!

There is still time to sign-up for the $300 economic stimulus checks ($600 for a married couple) being distributed this year. If you had more than $3000 in Social Security benefits in 2007, not including SSI, and have not filed an IRS 1040A tax return to receive your stimulus check please see me in the office and I will be glad to complete your tax return on my computer. The deadline to sign-up for the stimulus payment is October 15.

The deadline for elderly and disabled people to sign-up for the State of Connecticut Rent Relief Program is September 15. The program gives eligible renters money back on their 2007 rent and utilities. For more information or to arrange for us to visit a homebound applicant, please inquire in the front office or call the Senior Center at 2370066.

John F. Hogarth - Senior Center Director

October Art Festival

"Art On The Wall" & Art Walk Easel Works invites you to join in the fun at their 14th anniversary celebration of "Art On The Wall" & "Art Walk, Saturday, October 4th, 2008, 10:00am to 6pm in Wallingfords Historic Center Street Cemetery. Art work by Easel Works adults and young artists will be displayed along the pathways throughout the cemetery. Hands-On art project tables will offer the opportunity for all to put their creative talents to work. Some of this years offerings: Button Christmas Tree Ornament, Hand Decorated Herb Pouches, The Silver Pinecone & Its Legend, Spiced Pinecones, Wind Lanterns, Hanging Power Symbols and a few added suprises.

Guests Artists will also display their works. These special tables will include: Digital Art by Charles Jones, Mixed Media by Nelson Ford, Mixed Media by Lauri Mack, Mixed Media by Marion Gravel, Mixed Media by Ernest Trumpold, Mixed Media by Brenda Trumpold A Special Exhibit of Pencil Drawings and Watercolors commemorating the 325th anniversary of the Historic Wallingford Center Street Cemetery will also be displayed.

There is no charge for projects tables. They are courtesy of Easel Works and the Easel Works Art Committee.

Attention Retirees!

It's almost that time of the year again…BACK TO SCHOOL TIME! Being retired, this probably doesn't affect you that much. But back to school time also means that the Senior Buddy Readers program is beginning to sign up volunteers for the 2008-2009 school years. "What is Senior Buddy Readers," you ask?

It is an intergenerational literacy program where retirees volunteer to help first and second graders improve their reading skills. Last year, Senior Buddy Readers celebrated its sixth year, with seventy two volunteers helping over two hundred children in five Meriden elementary schools. So if you are a retiree who has one hour a week to share with a child, don't you think it's time to volunteer as a Senior Buddy Reader? For more information or to sign up, please contact David Radcliffe, Director of Meriden Children First Initiative located at the Meriden Public Library (203) 630-3566. Or you can check out the Senior Buddy Readers link at Children First's website www.meridenchildrenfirst.org. Make a difference in the life of a child…become a Senior Buddy Reader!

Indian Summer! Cool down your car NOW at Rousseau’s!

Want to save money on GAS? Get your car tuned up at

East Haven $289,900. A great home with 10 yrs of history. With all the updates and large rms and lots of storage. Come see what this house has for you. 2 staircases leads to an open den area and 3 BR, Lg. FR on LL. 3 car gar with el., and work stations. So much more. Barbara 203 804-6142

East Haven $324,900. Mint ranch on prvt. corner lot. Finished LL including an additional 600 SF w/FR, Fr. Pl. & 4th BR. Gleaming HW Flrs, new appl included. Nothing to do but unpack & move in. Prvt. fenced-in yd w/pool & gazebo. Truly a must see. Loriann X303.

New Haven $269,900. Well maintained 2 Fam on NH/EH Line. Each unit has 3 BR's, updated kit & bths. HW flrs, newer furnaces & CA, repl.

Wndws., 2 car gar, sep util. Low maint. Perfect for owner occ. Or investor. Chuck Scalesse 203-988-2594.

North Haven $424,900 Location, Location! Entertainer's delight. Priced right! Open flr plan, stunning 600 sf remodeled kitchen w/fpl & granite tops leads to new patio, pool. New bath, new septic, finished LL w/possible MBR or in-law set-up. Public water. No updating needed. Dom Tata 203214-8049.

North Haven $299,900. 2 full baths, newly remodeled cape style home nestled on less than ½ acre w/trec decking and hot tub. What a beaut!!. Maggie Griffin 203-668-9162

Rousseau’s Auto Repair

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235-2561

203.466.7653 Toll Free, 1.866.281.4956 232 Main Street, East Haven

Page 24 September 2008

To advertise with Wallingford and Meridens Community Newspaper, The People's Press - Call Andy Reynolds at 203.235.9333

Your News!

Tanzania Trails

We can’t pass up another African safari this winter, and have designed our 2009 TANZANIAN TREASURE TROVE. Visit Arusha, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park, Lake Ndutu and Lake Manyara. If this is a first, you owe it to yourself. It is a MUST! Call for brochure!

January 31 - February 11, 2009 105 Hanover Street in Meriden 203.634.3500 1.800.624.3516 Email: ktwinc@aol.com www.kingtravelways.com

PRAYER TO The Blessed Virgin: Never known to fail. Oh most beautiful power of Mt. Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh Star of the Sea, help me and show me that you are my mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth, I humbly seek you from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity. (Make your request). There are none that can withstand your pwer. Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times).

Say this prayer for three consecutive days and then you must publish it and it will be granted to you. Grateful Thanks. C.J.

PRAYER TO The Blessed Virgin: Never known to fail. Oh most beautiful power of Mt. Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh Star of the Sea, help me and show me that you are my mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth, I humbly seek you from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity. (Make your request). There are none that can withstand your pwer. Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times).

Say this prayer for three consecutive days and then you must publish it and it will be granted to you. Grateful Thanks. S.B.

Pick Your Own Apples and Pears Now!

and take your pick from the freshest veggies and more at our farm store.

Open Tuesday-Friday 12pm-6pm Sat-Sun 10am-5pm Closed Mon.

Platt High School Graduates Unite for Music and Charitable Giving in first annual "Music for a Summer's Night Gala" The Immanuel Lutheran Church in Meriden was the site for the first annual "Music for a Summer's Night Gala" on August 16, 2008.

Presented by the Q. Walter Peabody Foundation and the Meriden ArtsTrust, Inc., the evening began with a lovely appetizer reception and accompaniment by Ms. Elisha Bettencourt on harp. Ms. Bettencourt is a second-year member of the Central Connecticut Civic Youth Orchestra, and a student of Susan Knapp Thomas, harpist with the Hartford Symphony.

Ms. Bettencourt also provided music for the post-concert dessert reception.

Mr. Christopher Wm. White, Vice President of the Peabody Foundation was the organizer of the musical program. Mr. White is a doctoral student in Music Theory at Yale University, and a graduate of Platt High School.

The Q. Walter Peabody Foundation is a charitable project of several graduates of Platt High School in Meriden ; the foundation currently administrates the Zack Weston Memorial Scholarship.

Mrs. Katrina S. Axelrod, President of the Meriden ArtsTrust Board of Directors and Administrator for the Central Connecticut Civic Youth Orchestra, served as administrator for the event.

Students from the Yale University, UConn and Syracuse University Music Departments entertained with a wide-ranging program of music, utilizing the Immanuel Lutheran Church's beautiful organ, piano and acoustics.

Mr. Jon Garcia, a Platt High School graduate and now a sophomore in the UCONN Music Department, provided an unaccompanied piece in the Classical repertoire.

The very effective Jazz set was headed by Mr. Will Valenti, a Music Student at the University of Syracuse, NY, also a Platt Graduate.

The Broadway genre was well represented in Edmund Bagnell's renditions of "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's and "Those Magic Changes" from Grease.

Wonderful vocalists sang music ranging from from an early English sacred a cappella quartet to a Schumann Lied to jazz standards, such as Fats Waller's classic "Ain't Misbehavin' " and Johnnie Mercer's "Falling Leaves".

Please see the music program below for the full range of exquisite musical offerings of the Music for a Summer's Night Gala". * indicates Platt High School graduate.

1) Praeludium in C, BuxWV 137 -----------Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) La Verbe -------------------------------------------- Olivier Messian 1908-1992 "Dialogue" from Ave Maris Stella--------Nicholas De Grigny (1672-1703) Christopher Wm. White, organist* 2) "Fantansie Brilliante" ------------------------------J. B. Arban (1825-1889) Jon Garcia, Trumpet* 3) "Ave Verum Corpus" ------------------------William Byrd c. (1534-1623) "Ave Maria"------------------------- ---------Josquin de Prez c.(1450-1521) Esteli Gomez, Soprano Esther Morgan-Ellis, Alto Noah Horn, Tenor Chris White, Bass 4) "Variations sur un theme de Clement Janequin" -------Jehan Ariste Alain (1911-1940) "Finale" from Symphony VI -------Louis Victor Jules Vierne (1870-1937) Noah Horn, Organist 5) Fugue in A Minor , BWV 543 ---------------------- J. S., Bach, (16851750) Noah Horn and Josiah Armes, Organ 6) Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 76 No. 7 ----Johannes Brahms 1833-1897) Capriccio in C major, Op. 76 no. 8 --------------------------------- Brahms Chris Brody, Pianist 7) "Ganymede" -------------------------------------Franz Schubert (1787-1828) Esteli Gomez, Soprano 8) "Moon River"----------------------Lyrics by Johnnie Mercer (1909-1976) Music by Henry Mancini (1924-1994) "Those Magic Changes" from Grease---------------------Jim Jacobs (1942- ) Warren Casey (1935-1988) Edmund Bagnell, Tenor 9) "Ain't Misbehavin'" ---------------------------------Fats Waller (1904-1943) "Autumn Leaves" -------------------------------Joseph Kosma (1905-1969) Lyrics by Johnnie Mercer "Lullaby of Birdland" -------------Music by Sir George Shearing (1919-) Lyrics by George David Weiss (1921-) Esteli Gomez, Voice Will Valenti, Trumpet* Alissa Wendelschaffer, Piano The second annual "Music for a Summer's Night Gala" fund raising concert is planned for late Spring, 2009, when the Q.W. Peabody Foundation and the ArtsTrust will again raise money for a continuing Music and Arts Scholarship program as well as funds for "Orchestra Summer", a mutual program of the Peabody and Meriden ArtsTrust, to provide a summer Music experience for the area's young instrumentalists.

Musicians may inquire about playing opportunities and Sponsors may inquire about participating in the second "Music for a Summer's Night Gala" by sending e-mail to: meridenartstrust@yahoo.com with "Summer's Night Gala" in the title of the e-mail or call Mrs.Axelrod at (203) 235-7445, Meriden ArtsTrust, Inc., for more information.

Special thanks go to Pastor Peter and Mrs. Sally Beaver of the Immanuel Lutheran Church for their gracious welcome and indispensable production assistance!

Thanks for Sponsorships go to: The Branding Company, Prentis Printing Solutions, Edible Arrangements, and Stop & Shop of West Meriden.

Page 25 September 2008

CHIPPER AND CHELSEA Stork Ticket

Welome Morgan James McCarthy. Born 7/31/08 6 pounds 10 oz 19.75 inches. Parents are Mike and Maria. Grandparents are Rosarla & Miguel Gonzalez and Rich & Judie McCarthy.

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By Sil Patterson A whimper and one small bark came from Chipper as he looked out the window.. Cathy opened the front door as Paul stepped out of his red Taurus and Chipper ran to him and then circled the 100 feet of the front lawn with a whirling force over and over again. It was delightful to see such an exhibition of love and joy. Eight years have passed since Paul found this dog and his welcome is always the same.

It was springtime in the year 2000. Paul and Tom set up their tools in New Britain for a cellular tower survey when they heard a small bark. The sounds of a highway with heavy traffic muffled the dog's call but Paul looked up the bank and pointed to a pile of chips. Tom joined him as he ran up the hill to pick up a scrawny young dog. Chips of wood stuck to his feet: "Chipper," Paul spoke to the dog, "Where did you come from? How long have you been here?" Both boys were moved by the dog's friendliness. They placed him in the truck away from the busy highway.

As Tom petted the dog he noticed Chipper's ribs were protruding. "He must be starving." Paul found a plastic container, poured some water from the cooler and opened a can of sardines, and that's all it took to become Chipper's best friend.

Neither of the boys could take the dog to their apartments. So Paul thought of his Mom who already had Chelsea, a springer spaniel, and a fenced in back yard. "We'll find the owners soon, don't worry . No-one would let this wonderful dog stay lost." he exclaimed. But no-one responded to the lost and found ads and Chipper stayed.

Dr. St. Claire at Meriden Animal Hospital gave Chipper a complete physical but postponed the usual immunizations and treatments for a few months since Paul had no idea of the dog's past medical history. "He looks like a German Shepard mixed with beagle hound and from his bone structure, I guess he's about five months old." Dr. Joseph St. Claire called to his son, Dr. James (St. Claire) and both of them agreed. "He's a little shaky but appears healthy. Feed him the same dog food you give Chelsea (Natural Choice) and let me see him again in two weeks. By then those prominent ribs will be well covered." This was true, and never again did Chipper appear under weight.

Chelsea was different. She acted out! Unlike Chipper, she was a thoroughbred Springer spaniel, papers and all, and Cathy paid $1000 for her. Cathy and Tanya kept her in their home from the time she was seven weeks old until they went on a Carnival cruise in April, 1998. Chelsea was four months old when Mom and Dad took over her care.

Chelsea had rages. She couldn't sit still in the car when a bicyclist or a large truck went by-she would run from one window to the other barking. Dad placed a cage in the car to stop the dog's bad habit but Chelsea never seemed at ease when riding. The TV was literally attacked when any fast moving thing went across the screen-horses, cars, runners.

Whenever Mom or Dad sat in the reclining chair and pressed the lever to raise the foot stool, Chelsea jumped like a startled stallion into the air and had to be stopped from attacking them. Worst of all, she bit when excited or controlled. As a puppy some of this behavior seemed tolerable but Chelsea didn't respond to discipline as she grew older.

Perhaps Chelsea knew that her new master was ill and she didn't like it.. Dad became much weaker by January 1999 from melanoma; everyone who visited left in sadness. "Come on Chelsea," he would say, "Lie next to me." Chelsea would jump up on the couch with him and cuddle next to his feet. Perhaps, it would have been easier on such a sensitive animal if she could talk it over with someone, but instead, she witnessed Dad's decline until he went to Hospice in July, and died one month later.

Eight months later, Chipper moved in. Chelsea and Chipper liked each other. They played in the backyard, loved their walks together with Mom, Paul or Cathy, loved to swim together and even ate off separate plates without fighting.

Each dog slept independently in cages next to each other and often napped on the living room rug close together.

Chipper had a sweet nature but Chelsea continued to be aggressive and neurotic. Chipper followed Chelsea's leadership but seemed to understand when the "alpha" dog, Chelsea, became too aggressive. Chelsea was spayed when she was eight months old and Chipper was neutered before his first birthday. The years went by and Chelsea continued to react to noise, such as the sound when raising the base of the lounging chair. She yelped and often lunged toward the chair and anyone in her way. Chipper interrupted these actions by prancing around Chelsea and astonished us by attempting intercourse. However, Chelsea never changed.

Cathy and Mom always searched for advice in helping their beautiful pet, Chelsea, to live with them without turmoil.

In her first year of life, she attended beginner obedience classes. Her playful nips became serious bites and she could not be trusted to be left alone with the grandchildren. When Cathy or Mom attempted to stop her from adverse behavior or remove ticks, she turned on them.

In the year, 2002, three interventions were attempted. Chelsea's first four years were chaotic and both Mom and Cathy thought this could change. A young woman from ABC Obedience Training in Guilford came to the house four times and walked both dogs, advising Mom to use a gentle leader collar on each dog that would correct the dogs' pulling, She asked that Mom try the clicker, a tool to give the dog more confidence. Many of her suggestions changed the actions of Cathy and Mom. No longer would they allow the dogs on any of the comfortable chairs in the house.

The trainer asked that Chipper join a group of dogs for an evening social but she didn't want Chelsea there.

During this time a friend advised the family to see Dr. Harlan Gustafson who specialized in dog behavior. This veterinarian agreed with the advice of ABC Obedience Training but suggested that Chelsea might benefit from medication.

Mom couldn't get over how Chelsea reacted to this man. The dog allowed him to give her a complete physical and never showed any aggression. "Dr. Gustafson was truly a dog whisperer," Mom said later to Paul and Cathy, However, the thought of medicating Chelsea did not appeal to the family.

Two months later Chelsea turned on Mom when she pulled a stick from her mouth. The bite on Mom's hand became infected. Just a short time before this Cathy needed an emergency room visit for a painfully deep bite on her hand.

One day Chipper and Chelsea encountered a Labrador retriever on their daily walk and it was all Cathy could do to pull Chelsea off the retriever. None of the advice they received stopped Chelsea from biting.

One last try: a trip to Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Massachusetts. Chelsea hid under the chair as Leslie Anderson, assistant to Dr. Moon, tried to assess her. Leslie diagnosed Chelsea as having dominance aggression with a strong fear component. Leslie mailed her report to Mom along with a detailed list of instructions that she and Dr. Moon had collaborated on. Mom and Cathy followed through on most of the suggestions but had difficulty in declaring one word commands. They purchased a basket muzzle and used it frequently; they let pet groomers keep Chelsea clean and brushed; they avoided bones and raw hide and continued to keep both dogs off high furniture; they tried a long leash and gentle leader collar in the house to change the dog's aggression toward visitors and noise; the easiest advice was to let Chelsea run for 30 minutes because she and Chipper ran like gazelles in the woods.

There was not enough money to build a separate pen to keep Chelsea away from children until a year later. Quentin, a teenager, witnessed his grandmother's dog, Chelsea, dig furiously and yelp without stopping that first short time in the new pen. "That dog is crazy," he said. When Chelsea again took a nip at Grandma, both Gram (Mom) and Cathy took Chelsea to Meriden Animal Hospital where the veterinarians all agreed that Chelsea should be put to sleep ( September 13, 2003).

Mom, Cathy and Chipper grieved over the loss of Chelsea. Even now, five years later, Chipper runs to his cage when he sees anyone in the family sit on the recliner in the living room. Every time he walks around the block with Mom or Cathy he looks for the Labrador retriever and pulls on his leash when he sees her. There is a big difference: Chipper reacts to the commands of his masters; he seems to be at peace in this world . Chelsea never was!

Page 26 September 2008

True Treasures

By Diana Lewis

Chapter 3 Jake did bang on the wagon at 5:00 the next morning.

Jonathan moaned when he heard it. He woke up still holding Elizabeth. He kissed her and she woke up.

"Time to get up, Sweetheart. Time's a wasting." he said gently. Elizabeth moaned.

"I'd rather sleep," she answered turning over. Jonathan grabbed his clothes and started getting dressed.

"I don't think you could sleep in a jostling wagon, because that's the way it would be when we get started." he laughed. She just looked at him and started to sit up.

"I'll start the fire and go feed the horses then we'll be back for breakfast." he left the wagon. She watched him. She sat there for a minute or two and then sighed. Then she reached for the dress she had put out the night before to wear that day.

Elizabeth has the coffee made when Jonathan came back.

"Don't cook breakfast for us yet. We won't be moving today.

The Carters lost one of their horses and we going out to help find it. I hope to be back before dinner." he took the cup of coffee she handed him.

"Can't you eat first?" she asked.

"We want to get out and find it and get back. We'll see you soon.." He reached over and kissed her and turned and left. She watched him until she couldn't see him no more. Then she turned back to the fire and made her own breakfast.

Jonathan and the men did not return until almost dinner time.

They did find the horses but one of them they had to shoot because it had a broken leg. The Carters had to consolidate their wagons and only take one wagon. Mrs. Carter cried because she had to leave her grandmother's dresser behind. There was no way they could fit it with everything else they did need to take.

Elizabeth felt bad for her and wished they had room to take it for her but they didn't. Both their wagons were full too.

Elizabeth tried to keep herself busy so she wouldn't think about their son. She went to help some of the other mothers who had young ones. It gave her something to do. She even had small talk with Rebecca Chambers and met her husband, Henry. They invited her over to their wagon that evening but Elizabeth politely refused making some excuse that Jonathan had to work on harnesses that were fraying. They invited them to come anytime.

Elizabeth said she would talk to her husband and let them know.

But deep down she wasn't sure she wanted to meet with them.

The next day they were on the trail again. The wagon master wanted to put in a few more miles in that day to make up for some that they lost yesterday so they would be traveling until dust that day. It was a long dusty day for all. They were ready to stop when they finally did. Elizabeth quickly fixed supper and cleaned everything up and they retired for the night. She did not dream that night, she was so tired.

The next morning she woke up but she felt like she hadn't slept at all, even though she knew she had. She fixed a hurried breakfast so they could get an earlier start. They traveled about an hour and one of the wagons lost a wheel and they had to stop.

The wagon master wasn't too happy about the delay and told Mr. Fontaine to hurry up and fix it so they could get on the trail again. But the wheel wasn't fixable and the family had to double with other families and they had to leave the wagon behind.

They took the necessities like food and what clothing that they could but everything else had to be left behind. The Fontaines had six children ranging from six to sixteen. Some were sent with some of the other families and Elizabeth took two of the smaller children and Mrs. Fontaine in her wagon and Jake took a couple of the older boys with him in their other wagon. Jonathan

and Mr. Fontaine slept in blankets outside of the wagon, while the other children slept with other families.

Elizabeth and Emily Fontaine kept busy with the children during the day. Elizabeth enjoyed Emily's company and they became close friends.

Each evening after supper, Emily gathered all her children and some of the other children on the train and told them Bible Stories or read Scripture to them. One evening while I was finishing up the dishes, Emily was gathering the children together and her young daughter, Sarah asked, "Mama, can Miss Elizabeth join us for the stories tonight?" Emily looked at Elizabeth and she shyly looked away.

"Well, Sarah, you could ask her if you want to?" she said.

"Miss Elizabeth, could you join us for our stories tonight?" she asked sweetly. Elizabeth just stood there. She really didn't want to be involved in this. She liked Emily but she felt cornered. She quickly thought of an answer that wouldn't hurt the child. Finally she answered the child.

"Maybe another night, Sarah. I'm kind of busy tonight." She hoped she didn't hurt the child by saying that," You promise, Miss Elizabeth?" she asked. Emily touched the child's arm as if to say not to pursuit it.

"I promise some night I will, okay?" Elizabeth answered. Sarah smiled. Elizabeth went back to finished the dishes from supper.

She poured the hot water into this dish pan that she had boiling on the fire, and adding some cold into it to cool it down. She had let the water on the fire a little longer than she intended. Emily was reading from Romans that night.

"For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life," she read.

"Mommy," asked Martha, Emily's oldest daughter of 11, "What does wages mean?"

"Well, here "wages' means punishment for our sins." she answered..

"So we could die because of our sins?" she asked.

"Yes, but listen to the rest of the verse, 'but the gift of God is eternal life.'"

"So how do we get eternal life and what is eternal life?" she asked. The other children were very attentive.

"Eternal life is spending eternity with Jesus and in His glory, and we get this eternal life by accepting Jesus as our personal Savior and receiving His forgiveness for our sins." She turned to another verse in the Bible and read the verse.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteous."

"What does confess mean, Mommy?" asked Sadie, Emily's 9 year old..

"It means that if we tell Jesus that we are sinners He will forgive us and cleanse us anything that is wrong that we do." answered Emily.

"What is sin, Miss Emily?" asked one of the other children that joined them that night. It was one of the Colby girls.

Elizabeth and Emily had met Martha Colby when they were walking.

"Sin is anything we do wrong," answered Emily "Like what?" asked her 6 year old son, John.

"Well, it could be disobeying your parents, lying, stealing, anything like that."

"You mean, Jesus doesn't like us to disobey our parents?" asked Sarah.

"That's right," answered Emily. "Is there any other questions?" The kids were quiet. She could tell that some of them were thinking about what she had said.

Elizabeth was just finishing the dishes. She was half listening to Emily and the children. She tried to shove it all from her

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Remember to apply for your Absentee Ballot for the upcoming Presidential Election!

Waiting until the last minute may result in your vote not counting! Come into the Wallingford Town Clerk’s Office to apply. We are located in the Wallingford Town Hall, Room 108, 45 South Main Street.

Call 203.294.2145

mind. She put the dishes away for the night. Emily was dismissing the children for bed. She tucked in the two that stayed in Elizabeth's wagon first and listened to their prayers, which was the nightly routine and then she went to the other wagons to do the same to her other children. She came back about forty-five minutes later. She looked more tired than she did earlier.

Elizabeth was saying good night to Jonathan and Emily's husband, Matthew. She said good night to Emily when she arrived.

"I'll be in in a minute," she told Elizabeth. Elizabeth smiled and climbed into the wagon. Emily said good night to her husband and climbed into the wagon. Elizabeth had just finished changing into her nightgown and was folding her dress. She grabbed her bag and put the dress into it and brought another one out for the next day, while Emily changed. They were trying to be quiet so they wouldn't wake the children.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Emily asked Elizabeth. Elizabeth looked at her in surprise. It was hard to see with the little lamp light they had.

"Sure.......I guess so," answered Elizabeth timidly.

"I think I'm expecting another child," she said quietly.

Elizabeth looked at her. She knew it would be hard for her on the trail carrying a child.

"That's wonderful. I think," answered Elizabeth.

"I know I have heard of women who have lost babies on the trail, but I am confident that God will take of it."

"Does Matthew know?" asked Elizabeth.

"Not yet. I haven't had time to tell him. I may tell him tomorrow if we can get some time together alone."

"I know that is hard the way things are right now."

"Yes, but we will manage with God's help. We better get some sleep," she turned over and went to sleep. But Elizabeth didn't go right to sleep. She kept thinking about Emily had said and read from the Bible.. She finally drifted off to sleep and had a dream. She dreamed that she was in front of this bright light and a man came out from the light in a white robe and he was holding the hand of her son and He asked her if she would repent of her sins and come clean before Him. She woke with a start and sat up. It woke Emily too.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concerned. Elizabeth was breathing hard. She looked at the wind up clock setting on the suitcase. It read 3:30. She reached for her clothes and started dressing. She had to get out of there.

"Elizabeth, what's the matter?" asked Emily.

"Nothing, I just need some air," she quickly answered. She didn't want to discuss the dream with her or anyone for that matter. She was quickly dressed and quietly climbed out of the wagon. She found Jonathan and Matthew just rising too.

Elizabeth looked pale.

"Beth, are you alright? You look pale," asked Jonathan.

"How can you tell in the dark?" she snapped, really not meaning to.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently taking her into his arms.

She fell into them. She was shaking and his warmest calmed her some.

"It's okay, I'll be fine after I eat something" she answered, not wanting to discuss the dream. Emily came out of the wagon then.

"Elizabeth, are you okay?" she asked. Elizabeth slipped from Jonathan's embrace and went to start the fire for breakfast.

"I'm fine," she answered all to quickly. Emily looked at Jonathan and Matthew with concerned eyes.

"Why don't you let me cook the breakfast?" asked Emily.

"We can both cook the breakfast if you like," answered Elizabeth. She really didn't want help but she didn't want to discuss anything else with anyone, especially not the dream.

Scientists are complaining that the new Dinosaur movie shows dinosaurs with lemurs, who didn't evolve for another million years. They're afraid the movie will give kids a mistaken impression. What about the fact that the dinosaurs are singing and dancing?- Jay Leno You grow up the day you have your first real laugh - at yourself. - Ethel Barrymore

Wallingford has a State Champion...

While this summer featured family vacations, camps for kids and trips to Lake Compounce for many 10 year old girls, there was one very special time had by 14 special young women. The Wallingford Girls Fast Pitch Softball 10 year old All-Star team advanced to the State of Connecticut finals where they beat Waterford South by the score of 9-2 to secure the final banner in their impressive three banner run. The girls managed to win District 5, Section 1 and the ultimate goal....the State Final...! They went 12-0 through the Little League tournament. Congratulations Girls...!

Team members include the following...

Players - Mikaeyla Daddio, Shannon Bissell, Samantha Forster, Meghan Gavin, Emily Gersz, Ashley Haskell, Nicole Kiernan, Rebecca Marks, Melissa Pereira, Kimberlyn Petit, Sara Pisanelli, Katlin Reed, Makayla Ricci, Rebecca Souza.

Coaches - Dan Daddio, Michelle Ricci, Mark Bissell

When he reached the New World, Cortez burned his ships. As a result his crew was well motivated. - The Hunt For Red October

Your News

17th Annual Oktoberfest Slated For Sept. 27 & 28 At Quassy The 17th Annual Oktoberfest Celebration Sept. 27 & 28 at Quassy Amusement Park, Route 64 here, will feature entertainment and great ethnic food as the lakeside facility starts to wind down its 100th season.

Oktoberfest will be held noon to 6 p.m. at the Fieldside Pavilion with German music, food and dancing both days. Admission to the park and Oktoberfest are free. Parking is $5 per vehicle (buses $35).

Quassy’s rides operate both days from noon to 6 p.m. The complete 17th Annual Oktoberfest Celebration schedule is as follows: Saturday, Sept. 27 Amusement rides operate noon to 6 p.m.

“Fire House Polka Band” performing Oktoberfest music in the pavilion starting at 12:30 p.m.

“Harugari Junior Schuhplatters” youth dancers of Hamden, Conn., performing in the pavilion starting at 1 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 28 Amusement rides operate noon to 6 p.m.

“The Fire House Polka Band” featuring accordionist Erik-Hans Vagen performing Oktoberfest music in the pavilion starting at 12:30 p.m.

“Alpenland Tanzer Dancers” of West Haven, Conn., performing in the pavilion starting at 1 p.m.

Super Sale

35-70% OFF Select Items During September!

Stop By & Save!

Rose Flowers and Gifts Gifts, Gourmet Baskets and of course our famous Flowers

232 West Main Street in Meriden 203-235-5759 www.roseflowersgifts.com Delivery to all of Central Connecticut

Dear Housewives - Central Connecticut's Know It All Gals

Dear Readers, Do you have a question regarding family life, budgeting, customer service issues, DVD or book reviews, or home organization? We will give you our candid advise from a family perspective. Contact The Peoples Press by e-mail or phone with your confidential question and we will answer it in the next issue.

Hope you all enjoyed your summer. Back to school is here, we hope you are all ready. - June and Flora Dear Housewives, My husband likes to watch the news while we eat dinner but I think the violent and bad news is not something our kids should hear.

What do you think? We have decided to do what you say. No news is good news in Meriden JUNE: Dear News, I think dinner time should be about the family talking to each other about their day and not about catching the news. Much of what is on the news is bad and scary to little kids. You didn't say the age of your kids but I think you should turn off the television and turn on the conversation. Bon appetite.

FLORA: I agree 100% with June. Table time is talking time for any age. I would avoid the news with young ones at all times. They over sensationalize stories and can and will frighten them. TV off. You can go around the table and ask what the best part of the day was.

Dear Housewives, I hate when people wear shoes in my house. When my mother in -law comes to visit she wears them all the time. I have a baby that crawls on the floor. How can I tactfully ask her to take off the shoes? got no soul in Meriden FLORA: Just say to her: "I feel uncomfortable asking you this but, would you mind taking off your shoes when you come over? I can buy you a special Grandma Slippers for when you come by or we can shop for a pair together."

Having the slippers will make it more special. I hope she respects your request.

JUNE: I too have little ones on the floor and do not like the shoe in the house idea. People, when you are out one day, remember to look down and see what you are standing in. I bet you wouldn't touch the floor when you are out so why bring those germs onto your carpet and floors? Studies have confirmed that we bring in much bacteria on our shoes.

Kindly tell your mother in law that you don't want shoes in the house due to the danger to her grandchild. It is a preference like not allowing smoking in your home.

Also, buy some cheap slippers for people to wear around your house.

Dear Housewives, My hairdresser opened her own shop last year. I was brought up that you do not tip the salon owner. Is that still the case. It costs a fortune for the wash, cut and color and to add 15-20% more is breaking the bank some months. To Tip or not To Tip, that is the Question Flora: We must have been brought up in the same family because I was told not to tip the owner too. I would probably tip though. If you feel close enough, ask her if it is customary. June? This is a tough one...

JUNE: I can't believe we got this question because I am having the same issue now. I returned to a hairdresser I went to when she worked somewhere and now she is the owner. I don't tip though. I feel funny because I am used to tipping but that is what I thought the general rule is. Of course, you can tip if you want but I feel they get the profits and make the salary they give themselves whereas the hairdressers that work for them get a low base pay and people make up the difference with tips. I would not tip unless you want to if it is the owner.

JUNE: What is the deal with the whole tipping thing anyway? Why is the consumer on the spot to "help" pay the salary of waiters/waitresses, hairdressers and so on. Why don't the restaurant owners pay the waiters a proper and not let us help them pay their workers. For a family to go out to dinner it is expensive enough and to add 20% really hurts.

Enjoy back to school kids and especially parents.

IT MAY BE TIME TO HAVE THE TOUGH TALK WITH AN ELDERLY PARENT Sometimes We Need to Ask for the Keys For most of us, our parents were always there when we needed them. They fed us. They clothed us. And they tried to teach us everything they knew - including driving.

But as recent headlines in Santa Monica, California show, there can be deadly consequences to continuing to drive when it's no longer feasible. Statistics show that younger drivers, from 16 of 24, still have by far the most crashes of any age group, but the problem of drivers with poor eyesight and slow reflexes is just going to get worse. In 1995, 1 of every 11 drivers in the United States was over 65. By 2020, 1 of every 5 drivers will be over 65, according to the National Institute on Aging. So how to take away your parents' car keys without them resenting having their independence taken away? Comfort Keepers offers these tips: o Build a case. If you feel safe doing so and haven't done so in a long while, take a drive with your parent, where you're the passenger, and get a sense for whether your intuition is right or not. It may turn out that your parent is a safer driver than you suspected; but if your hunch bears out, you'll have at least one reference point to go to, when you have your discussion. If driving with a parent isn't feasible, talk to likeminded relatives, who may have anecdotes of near misses and fender-benders that shouldn't have happened. o Steer the conversation towards recent headlines-national or local-that involve an elderly driver as the cause of the accident. Get a sense of what your parent thinks. You might want to ask when they plan on giving up driving. You may get an answer like, "Oh, in five or 10 years," which will help you know what you're up against. Or your shrewd parent might know exactly what you're up to. Either way, the conversation has been started. o The guilt factor. Don't be afraid to use it-ask your parents how they will feel if they end up on the news for injuring a pedestrian. o Be gentle but firm; try not to be insulting or confrontational. If you make your parents angry or hurt, which may be impossible to avoid, they're more likely to stubbornly cling to the idea that they should be on the road. o Rely on experts. Realize that it may be difficult for your parents to agree with you. Suggest that they visit their doctor or ophthalmologist to get an assessment on their reflexes or eyesight. Give them material from publications about older drivers. For instance, you can get this one for free, "Drivers 55-Plus: Test Your Own Performance," AAA Foundation," by writing 1440 New York Ave. N.W., Suite 201, Washington, D.C. 20005. o Most importantly, offer solutions to giving up the car, like volunteering to take your parent to church every Sunday or to the bookstore on Saturday mornings. And since you can't always be there, consider turning to a professional caregiver and companion service. Your parent might not be that depressed about relinquishing the car keys, and might even be relieved, to know that when you're not available, around the clock, there are companies like Comfort Keepers, which specialize in providing in-home care for the elderly with companion-caregivers. Bonded and insured, a Comfort Keepers caregiver can provide a variety of services from light housekeeping and meal preparation to grocery shopping or even taking your parent to a doctor's appointment.

Did You Know?

As homeowners across the country scramble to find ways to save on rising energy costs, ceiling fans could be a homeowner's best friend when it comes to cutting costs during the cooler months of the year. HVAC systems are often the culprit in rising utility bills, so supplementing central heating usage with a ceiling fan can save substantial amounts of money while also keeping people warm. The ceiling fan blade rotation can be changed to direct warmer air down where homeowners need it, and also circulate warm air throughout the house. That allows homeowners to lower the heating thermostat.

Bobbie's Bevy of Beauties In less than four weeks autumn will be arriving and it can bring some very pleasant days with it. But then comes that nasty season which as much as I despise some love it. Where did spring and summer go? Seems like the kids have been out of school for only a week or two. Here in Meriden the public schools begin classes on Wednesday, August 27th. Our youngest granddaughter Izzy-Bella enters kindergarten at Ben Franklin, her sister Abby 7th grade at Lincoln and sister Emmy "MeO" begins her first year at Platt on her 14th birthday. Wishing them a successful year.

My flower beds are still pretty much in bloom. The turtle heads are just starting to open up. Almost any place that sells plants have the autumn favorite chrysanthemum in stock now. Mine probably won't give a showy display until the end of September. The butterfly bushes are full of very fragrant blossoms. And along with the blooms are the many beautiful butterflies.

The hummingbirds are also fond of this flower as well as my Echinacea, (Cone Flower), and thrive on my black and blue salvia. There are many kinds of salvia. Annual as well as perennial. This is an annual and one of my favorites. Has grown to at least three feet. Produces many small, narrow flowers on each stem. The buds are black and turn to a royal blue when fully open. There aren't too many plants that are blue in color. Give them a try next year I'm sure you'll be very pleased with them. The autumn joy sedum is starting to turn red. Not as many dahlias this year. Guess some of the older tubers have had their time. Will buy some new ones next spring.

Many complaints about the veggies this season. So late in ripening. And a lot of them died out before they did much producing. Out of six or seven cucumber plants Jimmy would get a picking of over four hundred cukes. This year maybe a hundred plus. He planted mostly Roma tomatoes. A few big boy and cherry. They all did very well.

Any of you who read my articles know my love for the tomato. They finally turned red and I've been eating them like they are going out of style. But I've noticed I haven't gotten any hugs from Jimmy since I've been consuming this particular vegetable. I asked him why and he told me he was afraid to squeeze me because I would turn into tomato juice.

That might just happen with the amount I've devoured.

We have a great front lawn man. Carl sometimes alone or with one of his adult sons help with the mowing and trimming. But for some unbeknownst reason one of my white and purple trumpet lily plants gets hacked off along with the weeds by them. I do have many of this particular flower so they do get replaced. This is not a particular favorite of Jimmy's so needless to say this doesn't bother him in the least. You do have to keep them under control or you will have fields of them. Of course then you wouldn't need to mow your lawn. After a few lessons of show and tell I think Carl and his sons have finally come to recognize the lily for what it is, a "flower" and not a weed. Other than this little quirk of the family…they are top notch.

Including a photo of one of our old wood burning stoves sitting in one of my garden beds with pots of begonias resting on top.

Will close for now.

Flowerecerely yours, Bobbie G. Vosgien P.S. Love always and best wishes to our oldest granddaughter Emmy "MeO" who turned 14 on August 27th. We're so proud of all the awards you have received. During your four years at Platt we're sure there will be more coming your way. Good Luck! Grammie Bobbie and Gump Jimmy P.S.S Happy 26th wedding anniversary to my brother Ted and sister in-law Linda on August 28th. Love Bobbie and Jimmy

A Summer Ends

By Carol Carbutti A chill lingers in the morning air and that same chill returns as the daylight retreats earlier than the day before A quick glance of colored leaves on certain trees, getting a head start on the fall season Anticipation on children's faces as they ponder their new school experience and decide on their wardrobe This summer rushes by, leaving flashes of moments and experiences that echo precious memories The family picnic with children playing and laughing, friends talking and smiling, sister's, brother's and cousin's catching up The outdoor cafes, long warm walks on neighborhood streets, fairs and festivals and weekend mystery trips The sandy beaches that capture your days, also remind you of your childlike pursuit of pure fun Fresh harvested luscious fruits and vegetables lure you to eat well and search for the best recipes and restaurants People outside everywhere moving in a slower rhythm, smiling more and communicating Summer slips away so quickly but nature softens the blow by the slow unveiling of the promises and colors of fall The knowledge that summer will return excites my sense of being and promotes my desire to plan for next years festivities

Puns Intended Submitted by Stacey Miller 1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

2. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, 'I'll serve you, but don't start anything.'

3. Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.

4. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm, and says: 'A beer please, and one for the road.'

6. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: 'Does this taste funny to you?'

7. 'Doc, I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home.'

'That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome.'

'Is it common?' ¡Well, 'It's Not Unusual.'

8. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to Dolly, 'I was artificially inseminated this morning.' 'I don't believe you,' says Dolly.

'It's true; no bull!' exclaims Daisy.

9. An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at either.

10. Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.

11. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day, but I couldn't find any.

12. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, 'Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs!' The doctor replied, 'I know you can't - I've cut off your arms!'

13. I went to a seafood disco last week...and pulled a mussel.

14. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

15. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says, 'Dam!' 16. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft.

Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

17. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel, and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office, and asked them to disperse. 'But why,' they asked, as they moved off. 'Because,' he said, 'I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer.'

18. A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt, and is named 'Ahmal.' The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him 'Juan.' Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, 'They're twins!

If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal.'

19. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him a super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

To advertise with Wallingford and Meridens Community Newspaper, The People's Press - Call Andy Reynolds at 203.235.9333 or email him at andy@peoplespressnews.com. Experience the power of positive for the readers and writers you will sponsor as well as the return on your investment. Check out the paper in its many forms at www.peoplespressnews.com!

For Special Days, Birthdays and Holidays

Free Photo Form It’s Free. It always has been!

Celebrations of Life and Home Welcome Dominic Joseph Civitelli Born 8/20/04 7lbs. 19.5” Jeanine & George Grandparents: George & Phyllis Civitelli and Fred & Christina Pucci

Message: ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Due to space - messages are limited to the 2 lines above.

Your Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Phone # _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Signature: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ If you would like the photo returned to you, please enclose a self addressed stamped envelope! We do not publish the last names of any photo submissions. Send to:The People’s Press, P.O. Box 4459, Yalesville CT 06492

Deadline for our October issue is September 23rd.

Now is the time to book Ruth for all of your Autumn Parties and Events!

Page 29 September 2008

AQUAPHOBIC?

Barbara's Bountiful Bouquet

AFRAID TO LEARN TO SWIM BUT REALLY WANT TO? THINK YOU'RE TOO OLD TO LEARN TO SWIM? NOT SURE IF YOU CAN AFFORD SWIM LESSONS? The Wallingford Family YMCA with the support of the United Way of Meriden/Wallingford has just the class for you!

This class is for adults age 18-99 (or even 100!) who have never learned to swim or have had a bad experience with swimming. The 14 week class will meet every Monday night from 6:30-7:15PM beginning Sept. 8th 2008. It will be limited to five students with one instructor and will meet in our more private therapy pool. Students will work on the skills in the American Red Cross Level 1 curriculum and will receive individual attention to meet and overcome their specific concerns and fears. Each student will receive a pair of goggles to help them feel more comfortable in the water.

The cost of this program is $5 for the 14 week session. A simple scholarship application must be completed in order to assure that those in financial need are accepted into the program. This form can be picked up at the YMCA or mailed to interested adults. It can also be printed from the YMCA web site www.wallingfordymca.org.

We know from State of Connecticut statistics and from articles in our local papers that adults drown here at unacceptably high rates. The abundance of water sports here in Connecticut makes learning to swim essential. This opportunity to learn something that not only is fun and an aerobic activity, but also life saving, is now available thanks to the United Way. Don't miss out! Call today to have information mailed to you. 203 269 4497 x 20 Pam VanderWeele, Wallingford Family YMCA Aquatics Director.

by Barbara Sherburne Hi, everyone. I feel like this was kind of an odd year for the garden. We had such divergent temperatures, so cold in May, very hot the first part of June, then lots of rain and cooler temps, and August has been the most surprising of all with temperatures dropping into the 60s and sometimes the 50s overnight. I do not remember any August being like this. Tomatoes like hot weather, so although I picked my first ones on July 11th, it did kind of wind up being again mid-August before they were really flourishing. I have tons right now, and I am still ahead of many other gardeners who still have green tomatoes. It seems that my mismarked six-packs of tomatoes are almost all yellow, nonacidic tomatoes, and they are almost sweet tasting. They are very good, but I do miss my cherry tomatoes. I have been giving lots and lots of vegetables away to my friends and neighbors, who do appreciate it. I have more basil than I know what to do with, but that is basically the case every year. I decided to give a bunch of it to a young fellow who owns a pizza restaurant next door to where I work. He was so grateful that to my amazement he brought me a vegetarian pizza to the convenience store I work at with some of my basil on it. Boy, that was good!

Out of six artichoke plants, one actually produced artichokes, seven. I had no idea when to pick them, and I think I waited too long because the outer skin is pulling back, and that is not how artichokes look in the store. They just were not very big, so I kept thinking I should wait a little longer until they grew larger. Hmmm. I'll see what happens next year as they are supposed to be perennials. I have seen no artichokes at the Community Garden even though I remember one fellow saying he was going to plant them from seed when we had a garden meeting in March. Maybe the seeds didn't take. I got my artichoke six-pack at Cheshire Nursery on Route 10, and maybe that's the only place that carries them. I know I have never seen them before anywhere else Although I did have miniature corn plants again this year, quite unbelievably they did produce corn, roughly half the size of an ear you would buy in a store. I picked quite a lot of them, ate some, gave some away, and still had a lot to go, and it was about that time that the raccoons got wind of my crop, and they had a field day. But that's okay. I believe in sharing.

My cucumbers fizzled out at the Community Garden in early August, and it was about that time that they started to grow here at home on the trellis. Go figure that one out. I just picked two today, August 26th. I got very little produce from the zucchini or the yellow squash here, but I still have lots of blossoms. I don't know if they will produce anything more at this point. Cleomes popped out from nowhere here at home too, what an odd little invasive flower, and I had to pluck many of them out too, and then three sunflowers popped up from nowhere as well. They are not giant ones, but little ones, and I did not plant cleomes or sunflowers here this year. So whoever said that they are annuals, well, not really. And one little marigold flower bloomed outside of my garden area here at home, just an few inches from the edge of the garden, about seven feet away from marigolds I planted, and I was like, "What?" You just never know.

Back to the Community Garden, my marigolds, zinnias, sunflowers, lilies, and Black-Eyed Susans are doing well.

What I personally get a bit discouraged with every year is how many people prepare their plot, plant things, and then realize you have to weed and water, and disappear. Many plots are all seven-foot tall weeds now, including one that abuts me. I am constantly keeping their weeds at bay because I don't want them in my garden. I am not sure what people are thinking when they first plant a garden, but if you are not prepared to do a lot of work, it is kind of useless to start a garden. And then there are the gardens that are attended to for part of the summer, and yet now I see things rotting and not being picked, particularly tomatoes and peppers, and then I see zucchini and squash that get to be the size of a baseball bat and no one is there to pick them. I don't get that.

I have already started to do the haying down process for the season at the Community Garden. I feel this season is going to come to a close sooner than usual due to these rather chilly overnight lows. I doubt the basil or marigolds will last as long as they normally do. Okay, I have the blahs because I hate to see this season end. I love to garden and love the summer, and it seems to come and go so quickly. There really will not be much more to report in the next issue as I think I will just be putting the garden to rest. I'll see what happens. But for all of you who have gardens or who enjoy reading about mine, I wish you a very good September. I always call this time of year "The rush to Christmas." I kind of coined that phrase a long time ago, but time itself seems to speed up at this point in the year, and the next thing you know, Halloween has come and gone, Thanksgiving, and then Christmas. Maybe it's a sign of getting older. Not sure about that, but time has continued to fly more steadily as the years have been running by. Oh, my, but I don't like to see summer go.

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. That is where they should be. Now put the foundation under them. - Henry David Thoreau

Your News!

Wallingford student meets Gov. Rell Christopher Bevins of Wallingford met Gov. M. Jodi Rell when she visited Quinnipiac University Aug. 8, 2008, to observe students filming a short film in high definition on the final day of the Connecticut Film Industry Training Program. Bevins was a student in the month-long program for Connecticut residents who want to learn basic film production and pursue entry-level freelance work. Bevins is a junior majoring in communications at Quinnipiac.

Barbara Sherburne barndt49@yahoo.com

MidState Medical Center's Cancer Survivors' Day to be held at Hubbard Park The Cancer Center at MidState Medical Center announces its annual Cancer Survivors' Day to be held on Sunday, September 14, 2008, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. This year the event will be at Meriden's historic Hubbard Park near the band shell. The event has grown tremendously since its inception, and MidState is fortunate to have a new location that provides ample open space for the 150-plus attendees and their families who will join in the carnival-themed celebrations this year.

Cancer Survivors' Day is a family-oriented event complete with all the offerings you'd find at a carnival-face painting, balloon animals, caricature drawings, refreshments and more. Survivors can even treat themselves to a relaxing chair massage. Music will be featured by hospital staff members, with opening performances by survivor and local Meriden musician, Joe Cadena.

While Cancer Survivors' Day is a national event commonly celebrated the first Sunday in June, MidState chose to celebrate the day in September to set it apart from all of the fundraising events that take place during that month, including Race for the Cure and Relay for Life.

Staff at the Cancer Center wanted the day to have only one focus: "This is a celebration of life," said Kathy Clements, MidState's Breast Care Coordinator.

The day is truly one designated to celebrate and honor the lives of so many individuals who are living with the physical and emotional challenges associated with cancer. To complement the carnival theme, the Cancer Center is using the tagline, "Survivorship: The Ride of Your Life" to signify the ups and downs of the cancer experience.

Cancer Survivors' Day was initiated in 1993 when MidState was known as Veterans' Memorial Medical Center. It wasn't until 2003 that the event returned annually thanks to Kathy and MidState's Oncology Social Worker, Diane Lafferty.

Kathy commented on the way Cancer Survivors' Day has grown since its inception saying, "In 2003, we had 40 people in the cafeteria. In 2006, we had 150 people. Last year we had close to 200."

Many people living with cancer come out to hear the inspirational messages delivered by the day's guest speakers. Both cancer survivors and caregivers, as well as Cancer Center physicians and staff take part.

"Caregivers are especially encouraged to attend," said Lafferty. Their tremendous support and advocacy for the patient are great contributors to the healing process, and they, too, should take part in the celebration of life.

For more information or to register for Cancer Survivors' Day, please contact the Cancer Center at MidState, 203-694-8353. Registration is preferred.

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

The slogan, 'Press on,' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race - Calvin Coolidge

Page 30 September 2008

To advertise with Wallingford and Meridens Community Newspaper, The People's Press - Call Andy Reynolds at 203.235.9333

Celebrations of Life and Home

Don't Wait - Vaccinate!

Meriden Health Department Immunization Program As our attention turns to getting our children ready to go back-to-school, the Meriden Health Department's Immunization Program would like to remind parents and guardians about making sure their child is up-to-date on their vaccinations.

Children get vaccines (or "shots") not only keep them healthy, but to keep other children healthy as well. Vaccines protect children from diseases that could make them very sick. In fact, by keeping children up-to-date on their shots before age 2, we can protect them against 14 different diseases!

The Meriden Health Department's Immunization Program can help parents and guardians make sure their child is up-to-date on his/her vaccines. Through a program called CIRTS (Connecticut Immunization Registry and Tracking System), we keep a record of your preschool-aged child's shots ever if you move away or change doctors. We can also give you a copy of your child's vaccine records if needed.

Remember these tips: " Talk to your child's doctor to make sure their shots are up-to-date and that all doses were given. " See if you can combine shots - this means less pain for your child, and less hassle for you! " Never skip shots! Your child needs protection now. " Make up missed shots. Talk to your doctor if your child has missed a shot. " Keep a record of your child's shots. Bring it with you every time your child goes to the doctor.

For more information on the Meriden Health Department's Immunization Program please call Ana Guajardo, Immunization Action Plan Coordinator, at 630-4251.

Love them. Protect them. Immunize them.

"THE BASICS OF EBAY SELLING" CLASS AT MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Happy 3rd Birthday to the Light of our lives! You are a gift to us everyday, Hunter! All our love, Mommy and Daddy

SILVER CITY COIN & STAMPS COLLECTIBLES

STAMPS • COVERS • COINS • TOKENS PAPER MONEY • POSTCARDS • HOBBY SUPPLIES A GREAT GIFT SELECTION FOR AUTUMN!

41 COLONY STREET, MERIDEN, CT 06451

(203) 235-7634

This edition of “The People’s Press, Your Town, Your News, Your Views” serves the needs of the communities of Wallingford and Meriden, Connecticut. For safety reasons we do not publish the last name of artists/writers under the age of 15. 5% of all annual net proceeds are donated in kind or in financial donation to local charities and organizations.

This newspaper is not affiliated with any other newspaper.

Publishers:

Andrew& Dawn Reynolds peoplespress@peoplespressnews.com Managing Editor Dawn A. N.-Reynolds dawnwork@peoplespressnews.com Copy Editor Dawn A. N.-Reynolds dawnwork@peoplespressnews.com Advertising Andy Reynolds andy@peoplespressnews.com Web Site Web Solutions, LLC Writers YOU WRITE IT....WE PRINT IT!!!

“The People’s Press, Your Town, Your News, Your Views” publications are published by: DNA, LLC P.O. Box 4459, Yalesville CT 06492 peoplespress@peoplespressnews.com www.peoplespressnews.com • Phone (203) 235-9333 Advertising (203) 235.9333 • Fax Number (203) 294.8808 The People's Press,Your Town, Your News, Your Views and all versions or portions of said name are ©Copyright DNA,LLC. 1999-2008 All Text, Logos, Images and other content in print, web or in any way or form are ©Copyright DNA, LLC 1999-2008 All Rights Reserved The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher and DNA, LLC. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisements or submissions. All items contained herein, including advertisements or portions thereof, may not be reproduced in any way, shape or form without the written consent of the publisher. All submissions whether by mail, fax, email or any other means become the property of The People’s Press and DNA, LLC and may be used in any media it so chooses. By submitting to this paper you agree to these terms and release The People’s Press and DNA, LLC from any financial obligations or notifications for any future use of any of said submissions.

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The Meriden Public Library will host "The Basics of eBay Selling" a two-part class by Cheryl Adamo on Saturday, September 27 and October 4 at 1:30 pm in the Griffin Room. In the class, you will learn how to set up an eBay and Paypal account, create a listing for your item you are selling, how to monitor the sale, and what to do after you have sold your item. There is a limit of 20 people for the class. To reserve a seat, contact the Community Services Department at (203) 630-6349, email us at comsvc@hotmail.com or visit our website at www.meridenlibrary.org and click on "Adult events" to sign up.

Cheryl Adam started to sell on eBay in January 2004. In three months she and her husband obtained Powerseller status. Cheryl became an eBay Education Specialist in July 2004 and can teach you everything she knows to help you become an eBay user and Powerseller.

FENG SHUI PROGAM SEPTEMBER 17 AT MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY Join us at the Meriden Public Library on Wednesday, September 17 at 7:00 pm in the Griffin Room for "Feeling Fantastic with Feng Shui" presented by Ned Farrell, certified Feng Shui consultant. With a little Feng Shui help, we can work with our surroundings to make ourselves feel better, feel happier, accomplish more, live with less stress, even become wealthier!

The program is free and all are invited. Contact the Community Services Department at (203) 630-6349, email us at comsvc@hotmail.com or visit our website at www.meridenlibrary.org and click on "Adult events" to reserve a seat.

Page 31 September 2008

"Hey Nonno, Now can we cool off with some Italian Ice. I willl take Strawberry!"

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Page 32 September 2008

Y O U A LW AY S S A V E M O R E E V E N W I T H O U T C O U P O N S AT

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RED OR BLACK CEDAR MULCH, 3CF, 3 FOR $12.99 *With this Coupon. All specials expire 9/30/08 or while supplies last. Cannot be combined with any other offer.

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MIRACLE-GRO POTTING MIX 2CF - $9.99 *With this Coupon. All specials expire 9/30/08 or while supplies last. Cannot be combined with any other offer.

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SCOTTS SEEDING SOIL 1.5CF - $4.99 *With this Coupon. All specials expire 9/30/08 or while supplies last. Cannot be combined with any other offer.

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LIFE-STAGES LAMB & RICE DOG FOOD 40LB - $26.99

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PRACTICAL PET DOG FOOD 40LB - $16.99 *With this Coupon. All specials expire 9/30/08 or while supplies last. Cannot be combined with any other offer.

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