Best of Waterbury 2019

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bserver The WATERBURY

FREE Take One

Summer 2019

Folkloric dancing at the annual Albanian Festival on Raymond Street in the South End of Waterbury.

Photo by John Murray

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Best Pawn Shop Best Place To Buy/Sell Gold

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Celebrating 33 Years in Business

Waterburyʼs Best Ice Cream!

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“Best of Connecticut,” Connecticut Magazine

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25 Years In A Row!

Big Dipper Ice Cream Pie Buy One Cone Get One Free and Ice Cream Cakes… of equal or lesser value Exp 8/31/19 over 200 flavors!

12-31-2019

One coupon per order and cannot be combined with any other coupon.

91 Waterbury Road Rte. 69, Prospect 203 758-3200

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Best Spa Middlebury Guilford Courtyard Waterbury Downtown 203-598-7525 www.visobello.com

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When Dave Iannone shows up for work every morning he looks at a photograph of his parents and feels their presence still inside Ann’s Deli.

“I feel them inside here all the time,” Dave said, “In the mornings I know they are checking in to see what time I’m getting to work.”

2015 was a tough year in the Iannone family as both Nick and Ann Iannone - the founders of Ann’s Deli in 1983 - passed away. Nick and Ann were fixtures in the Hopeville neighborhood, and both spent their entire lives in Waterbury.

After serving in WW II Nick returned to Waterbury to become a meat cutter and a grocer, both owning and managing markets in Waterbury and Cheshire. When Nick “retired” in 1983 he launched Ann’s Deli to give his wife a small business with better hours than she had been working.

Nick and Ann had five sons and a daughter and all of them spent time serving customers inside Ann’s Deli.

Dave worked side by side his father for decades. “We couldn’t keep him away from here,” Dave chuckled, “In his late 80s he would come in and sweep the floor, slice tomatoes or do anything that needed to be done.”

And Dave Iannone is not alone in feeling his parent’s presence, the Hopeville neighborhood feels it as well.

RTY GRINDERS • SANDWICKES/GRINDERS • DINNERS TO GO • PARTY PLATTERS

“In the Iannone household there was a creed; family, faith and food.”

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Best Deli Best Sandwich

Hours: Mon - Fri !7 - 5:30 s t r se Sundays s e Sat 8 - 3 • tClosed D a Gre

1595 Baldwin Street • Waterbury • 203-575-9051

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Best Hair Salon

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We’ve Relocated!

Dreaming of becoming a PrOfeSSiONaL cOSMetOLOGiSt? chOOSe YOur career PathS! Let us prepare you with the skills you’ll need to achieve Your Dreams! full time & Part time evenings classes Start every 6 Weeks! financial aid available call 203-528-3557

91 SchrafftS Drive Suite #4• Waterbury, ct 06705 203 591-9447 • www.dolcellc.com

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For More Info 203-755-2233 or info@latavolapizzatruck.com

For the past decade Nicola Mancini and Pasquale Salvatore have taken the Waterbury dining scene by storm. Their restaurant, La Tavola Ristorante, has repeatedly been voted the Best Restaurant and Best Fine Dining in greater Waterbury. Connecticut Magazine has named La Tavola one of the ten best restaurants in Connecticut, Nicola was the 2016 Chef of the Year in Connecticut, and La Tavola was choosen #1 in a survey of “10 Italian Restaurants In Connecticut That Serve Pasta To Die For.” As successful as La Tavola is, both Pasquale and Nicola decided to expand the business and take their talents on the road; catering weddings and serving artisan pizza out of a wood fired oven/food truck

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Let our culinary professional at La Tavola Ristorante help plan the perfect event for your catering needs. Host your occasion with some of our classic dishes from Lasagna Bolognese to our Chicken Francaise. Our pan catering is available for pick up or delivery. Delivery charge apply. La Tavola Ristorante also offers full service catering from set-up to staffing. Chef Mancini will work with you in planning your menu to ensure you and all your guests are satisfied.

For more information email robin@latavolacatering.com

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702 Highland Avenue . Waterbury .

203.755.2211 latavolaristorante.com

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203-757-6196 858 Lakewood Road, Waterbury | www.shop-lifestyles.com Exp 7/31/19

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Best Personal Injury Lawyer

532 Wolcott St, Waterbury, CT 06705 • (203) 574-5338

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Best Employment Agency 14 Years In A Row!

4HANK YOU

7ATERBURY /BSERVER READERS FOR SELECTING *ACI #ARROLL 3TAFFING AS "EST %MPLOYMENT Waterbury Observer readers for selecting Jaci Carroll StafďŹ ng !GENCY FOR as Best Employment Agency for 14 consecutive years.

It is a wonderful honor!

Thank You

OfďŹ ce/clerical, PC Operators, OfďŹ 7E RE HONORED BY THIS RECOGNITION ce Automation, Accountants, Marketing, Banking, Light Industrial, Packers, Information Technology, Secretarial, Administration, AND PROUD TO HAVE SERVED THE Data Entry, Bookkeepers, Records'REATER 7ATERBURY !REA Management, Product Demonstration, Management, Assemblers, Technical, Facilities

FOR OVER YEARS

www.jacicarroll.com

751 Straits Turnpike Suite 3000 Middlebury, CT 06762 203.574.4838 1 Torrington OfďŹ ce Park E. Main Street Suite 101 Torrington, CT 06790 860.496.0075

Since 1976

/UR "USINESS )S 7ORKING

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22 Years As The Best Bakery in Greater Waterbury

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How Sweet of You to Vote Us Best Bakery!

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Best Bakery Best Wedding Cake

203-755-3804 • 159 Manor Avenue • Waterbury www.sweet-marias.com

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Want a flexible fuel that gives you year-round comfort?

We offer automatic delivery of high-quality propane, installation, maintenance services, plus a full array of equipment including propane heaters and fireplace inserts, stoves, space heaters and pool heaters. So if you need propane, call us. We’ll help you stay comfortable all year long.

Licenses: B1-306393, S3-385748 S7-308682, HOD-192

860.274.3284 baribaultfuel.com 600 Main Street Oakville, CT 06779 TE WA RB

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Voted Best Fuel Oil Company Oil, Diesel, Propane, AC, Installation and 24-Hour Service GREATER

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Thank you Waterbury!

Oil, Diesel, Propane, AC, Installation and 24-Hour Service

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THANK YOU Summer 2019

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Voted Best Florist in Greater Waterbury for 22 Years!

Local Deliveries To Waterbury, Watertown, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Oakville, Southbury, Prospect, Wolcott, Cheshire, Thomaston, Plymouth, Woodbury & Bethlehem

One Chase Avenue Waterbury v

203.573.0690 www.orchidflorist.net

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Voted Best Physical Therapy in greater Waterbury!

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Thank you Waterbury for your continued support!

It is our privilege to be able to offer services to our community. Our staff’s experience is second to none with experience ranging from over 30 years to Doctoral level healthcare professionals. We are dedicated to providing the Naugatuck Valley area with the highest quality outpatient physical rehabilitation, health and wellness services for over 28 years.

Relieve.

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Renew. v Physical Therapy v Comprehensive Spine Care v Sports Medicine v Industrial Injury Care and return to work v Direct Access availability without doctor referral

500 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, CT Tel (203) 754-2266 • Fax (203) 591-8680

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THANK YOU AGAIN, Greater Waterbury, for voting us #1 GRINDER SHOP

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Voted Best Grinder Shop!

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A Taste of Tradition since 1922

Family owned & operated by 3 generations and still going strong!

From their humble beginnings on South Main Street in Waterbury to now multiple locations throughout the state of Connecticut, Nardelli’s Grinder Shoppe continues to satisfy the need for fast and delicious meals. You can count on quality ingredients, huge portions, and the same old school customer service.

THE GRINDER KINGS OF WATERBURY CIRCA 1944 - 1st generation - the three brothers (L to R), Anthony, Fred, and Joseph.

1979 - 2nd generation - Rina and Joe wait on customers in their Naugatuck store. Their son, Marco (3rd generation), is standing on a milk crate at the register, closing sales.

1983 - Joe and Rina are ready for the lunch hour rush.

1981 - Everybody works! Rina and Joe, with their 2nd eldest son, Anthony.

In 1914 Joseph, Anthony and Fred Nardelli emigrated from Italy to the thriving manufacturing city of Waterbury, “Brass Capital of the World”. They worked long hours in sweatshops and pooled the money they earned. Most of the money was sent home, to help their parents.

Working in these shops was dangerous, so they started working in a grocery store which eventually became Nardelli’s Grocery Store on South Main Street. The brothers took pride in the quality of their fruits and vegetables, which they bought in New York.

During one of their buying trips, they noticed long lines of customers at one of the store fronts, and a steady stream of customers emerging with something wrapped in butcher paper: grinders… torpedo shaped rolls that were stuffed with meat, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.

If grinders were so popular in NYC, why not Waterbury?

They started selling them out of their fruit and vegetable store to determine if there was sufficient demand. They were amazed at how well the grinders sold. Soon, people were coming from all over Waterbury to get a grinder. Some days, the line would wind all the way down South Main Street. It was obvious that the brothers had created the perfect balance of “over-stuffed” ingredients and attractive prices. Though they had other specialties, they became known as the “Grinder Kings of Waterbury”.

Voted Best Grinder Shop in CT for multiple years Connecticut Magazine GREATER WATERBURY LOCATIONS ~ WATERBURY ~ 540 Plank Road 203.754.5600 and 515 Watertown Avenue 203.753.7400 ~ NAUGATUCK ~ 87 Maple Street 203.729.9470 ~ SOUTHBURY ~ 385 Main Street South ~ 203.405.3250 ~ FARMINGTON ~ 345 Colt Highway ~ 860.674.9200 Also in Cromwell, Danbury, East Hartford, Meriden, Middletown, Milford, Oxford, Southington, Torrington, and Wallingford

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Best Garden Center Best Hardware Store

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www.schmidtsandserafines.com

All Weber Grills Assembled, Delivered, And Your Old Grill Removed For Free!

GARDEN & HARDWARE 203-754-5186 POWER EQUIPMENT 203-754-5981

464 CHASE AVENUE • WATERBURY

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O’Leary Seeking Historic Re-election

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Summer 2019

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Column By John Murray The worst kept secret in Waterbury burst into the open on February 27th when Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary declared he would seek an historic 4th term in office this November.

“I’ve had a couple of job offers, some recently,” O’Leary told 300 business people and community leaders attending the annual “Mayoral Luncheon” event hosted by the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce. “But I just have to tell you that I love it here. I love this job, and with your support I intend to run for mayor again in 2019.”

The news shocked no one in the room as O’Leary had hitched a cart before his horse by hosting a $1000 a plate fundraiser the night before in downtown Waterbury.

No fortuneteller was needed. A $1000 a plate fundraiser at Drescher’s Restaurant had already announced to the world that O’Leary would seek another four years as mayor. The chamber announcement was a mere formality.

If he wins re-election and finishes the four-year term, O’Leary would have 12 years in office and become the longest continuously serving mayor in Waterbury history. Michael Jarjura and Edward “Mike” Bergin both served as mayor for ten straight years, so an O’Leary victory, if he finishes the term, would be historic.

Which is all a bit surprising since O’Leary told the Observer in a tape recorded interview in September 2011 that he would not be a career politician. “I am not ten years in the legislature, ten years in the mayor’s office,” O’Leary said. ”I am not that guy and I won’t be that guy. I will not be in political life that long.....I’m a big believer in passing the wand. I’m not a big power guy.”

O’Leary vowed that if he were fortunate enough to win, and the electorate liked the job he was doing, he would serve six years in office (three two-year terms) and get out. But O’Leary had enough after four years and announced in July 2015 that he wasn’t seeking re-election. He was physically exhausted, and he was emotionally drained by the unexpected death of his close friend, Waterbury Police Captain Chris Corbett.

After four grinding years of chasing a hospital merger, securing millions of dollars in Brownfield funds, snagging a $14.4 million TIGER Grant, renovating the entire park system, expanding the grand list, changing the municipal healthcare plan, starting to build a new Public Works facility and helping to create the most culturally diverse festival in New England, Neil O’Leary was shot.

O’Leary’s announcement in 2015 that he was not seeking re-election stunned the political landscape. It was three weeks until the Democratic Party’s nominating convention and there was no replacement in sight. Private conversations with U.S. Senator Chris Murphy and Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy, the two most powerful Democrats in the state, convinced O’Leary to reverse his decision and climb back into the political ring.

O’Leary’s withdrawal at such a late date would have opened the door for former five-term Mayor Michael Jarjura – who had switched political parties in a showdown with O’Leary in 2011, and was now a Republican - to reclaim City Hall. Jarjura had universal name recognition in Waterbury, was independently wealthy, and also had the ability to raise money fast. Jarjura was also keen on developing projects in the East End of Waterbury, and not the Freight Street corridor or the Howland-Hughes project on Bank Street that Chris Murphy, Dan Malloy and Neil

O’Leary has more than a dozen major projects underway and is seeking re-election to manage them to fruition.

O’Leary backed. Neither Malloy nor Murphy had a good relationship with Jarjura, and with the possibility of their signature projects being derailed; they implored O’Leary to take one for the team.

And reluctantly, Neil O’Leary did.

In a three-way race that November O’Leary won 70% of the vote, and won the first four-year term in city history. There was widespread speculation in political circles that O’Leary would never finish the four-year term; he would become a state commissioner, he would enter into private business, or he would retire to Florida and fish with his buddies.

As Gomer Pyle used to say back in the 1960s TV sitcom, “surprise, surprise, surprise”; O’Leary is not only going to finish the four-year term, he’s going after another one.

Very few people I’ve spoken to in the past three years saw or felt this coming. The consensus was that Neil O’Leary was not going to seek re-election, and he would make that announcement at the last possible moment to shorten his lame duck period in office.

Having covered Waterbury City Hall for the past 25 years I can emphatically state that during that quarter century there was no mayor who worked harder

that Neil O’Leary did during his first four years in office. He demanded a lot from his staff and department heads, and demanded even more from himself, all of which led him – and others - to the brink of burnout.

O’Leary’s past three years in office have not been as vigorous as he eased off the accelerator and tried to find a balance in managing major projects, finding time to watch his daughter’s sporting events, unwinding in Florida, and stretching his influence into regional and state circles. In addition to being the mayor of the 5th largest city in the state, O’Leary is the president of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (comprised of all 169 elected officials from towns and cities in Connecticut), and is the chairman of the 19-town Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments. That is an extraordinary amount of influence locally, regionally and across the state of Connecticut.

O’Leary briefly flirted with the idea of running for Governor or Congress in 2018, but quickly concluded he had neither the passion or energy to mount a statewide or congressional district campaign.

Instead, Neil O’Leary loves Waterbury where he

The Waterbury Observer controls the political process as well as any mayor in recent memory. As the former police chief in Waterbury he has unusually strong connections to the leadership of the Waterbury Police Department, and O’Leary has insulated himself inside the Mayor’s Office by hiring old friends with life experience and loyalty to manage major projects, and keep the details out of his face.

Working for Neil O’Leary can be as thrilling as riding a Coney Island rollercoaster. He is demanding, he is funny and charming, he is intense. If he gets too intense some people decide to get off the rollercoaster, while others hang on and wait for a storm to pass. During his re-election announcement at the Chamber luncheon O’Leary paused during his speech to publicly acknowledge his staff, which he admits he doesn’t do nearly enough. “I was a cop for 30 years,” O’Leary told the crowd, “and during that time I might have been told I was doing a good job three times. You just did your job.”

O’Leary can get in your face and some political opponents have called him a bully and a dictator. He has bellowed at subordinates so loudly that visitors into Veterans Hall could hear his raised voice, and a few years ago the mayor almost came to blows with a local politician during a heated exchange inside his office.

In 2011 Neil O’Leary seized the Mayor’s Office away from five-term incumbent Mayor Michael Jarjura in one of the most contentious election battles in Waterbury history. The two political heavyweights threw left hooks and body blows at each other for months, and when the drama heightened 30 days before the election, they both crossed the line and hurled personal attacks at one another. It was an epic brawl.

Which brings us to the 2019 mayoral race in Waterbury, which is forecast to be more of a victory lap than a brawl.

Republican alderman Vernon Matthews has already announced his intention to be on the mayoral ballot in November, either representing the GOP, or as an independent. Other Republicans might step into the fray, and certainly there will be a mayoral candidate from the Independent Party (perhaps Larry De Pillo will run a 7th time?)

Democrats with ambition will stand down and support O’Leary as they have little chance to match his fundraising prowess, his experience, or his mastery of the local political chessboard. Neil O’Leary made his official announcement before a cheering and supportive crowd at the Chamber luncheon and said all the right things about working hard and hoping the voters like the job he has done, and that he hopes they vote for him again in November.

The reality in Waterbury is that barring some unexpected twist, Neil O’Leary will cruise to re-election. The only real political drama in Waterbury will begin when O’Leary ends his historic reign as mayor - most likely on his own terms - and there is no telling when that will be.

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O’Leary was fired up last Autumn when Jahana Hayes was elected to the United States Congress.

Facebook Reaction Nicole Jarjura Morgan - Waterbury needs consistency in order to see true change. His work isn’t done. Best of luck to Neil and his entire team.

Amy Swanson

stricter term limits.

- I think we need

Stan Durinski - Waterbury has become a city resembling a DMZ..are you kidding me right now?

A Turner Langdon III - $1000 a plate. Why? He will win regardless.

What a waste of people’s $$$$. He will win because no democrat will run against him and the citizens of Waterbury are, for the majority, democrats and outnumber republicans.

Janet Royal - A Turner Langdon III, It’s a way for a select group to cement their power in the area. Waterbury has always suffered from a high degree of crony politics.

Jim Johnson

- Politicians and underwear have one thing in common.

They should be changed often, otherwise they get dirty and stink. I think its time for him and many other politicians to go. Three full terms and Waterbury is still the same.

Orlando M. Figueroa - He should have run for governor

Sophia Florence -

#nomoreneil

Annette Gonzalez Martinez

His fat cat friends getting big bucks in City Hall doing nothing while we pay these high taxes.

One of O’Leary’s favorite days of the year is when he gets to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the local Irish community. He is seen here with Senator Joan Hartley.

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Jahana Hayes was voted Person of the Year by Observer readers.

Best Of Waterbury

Story and Photographs

By John Murray

This is the 25th year that The Waterbury Observer has conducted a readers poll, and we are thankful to report that people are still jazzed up to cast a vote for their favorite businesses and community leaders. As the Observer continues to transition more to a digital platform for reporting and advertising, our readers have followed along and we received ten times as many surveys filled out on our website as we did in print.

Times have changed, but our readers remain highly opinionated, and were especially eager to weigh in on issues facing the city. Let’s get to it....

The winner of Person of the Year is U.S. Congresswoman Jahana Hayes who leveraged her 2016 National Teacher of the Year award into a new gig in the halls of Congress. Hayes surprised the local political establishment when she announced she was running just a few days before the Democrat Convention was held in May. Hayes

River Brigade, I-84 Completion, Anamet Demo All Hailed

narrowly lost to Mary Glassman, but stormed back to handily win a primary and the general election.

When Hayes returned to Waterbury

City Hall to conduct a town hall meeting in the district earlier this Spring, she spent the first 15 minutes explaining what it was like being sworn into

Congress in the middle of government shutdown (disorienting and dysfunctional, and to talk about a progressive wave of young women that were elected to Congress last November and have garnered enormous media attention.

When Hayes was sworn in she was seated next to New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), and a few days later they were photographed for the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine together with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar for a story about “Women Shaping the Future.”

While sharing the experience with constituents inside Waterbury City Hall, Hayes was quick to distance herself from Ocasio-Cortez and Omar and told the crowd that while she is friendly with them, she does not hold the same points of views (Omar has repeatedly drawn fire for controversial remarks she made about Israel, and AOC has drawn fire multiple times a day since she was elected).

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Father Christopher Ford from the Immaculate Conception Church stood in contemplation after a backhoe punched a hole into the historic Trinity Episcopal Church. The decision to demolish the church was voted one of the “Worst Things To Happen In Waterbury in the Past Year.”

The vitriol aimed at AOC and Omar is of historic proportion, and Hayes has felt the wrath of internet trolls and cable television that she never experienced as National Teacher of the Year.

Being a target of hate by thousands of people with opposing political points of view is unsettling.

The photograph of the four women

on the cover of Rolling Stone seemed to imply they were fighting as one, and Hayes repeatedly stressed at the Town Hall meeting that she is the same girl who grew up in the Berkley Heights projects of Waterbury and taught for years at Kennedy High School. Hayes is married to Waterbury detective Milford Hayes and said, “I haven’t

changed,” she said, “I’m the same person you sent to Congress.”

Other individuals garnering votes for Person of the Year were Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary, State Representative Geraldo Reyes Jr., YMCA executive director Jim O’Rourke, community activist (now alderman) Michael Salvio, and Ziggy the Flagman (who

passed away on Christmas day 2018).

O’Leary was also the runway winner as the person Observer readers wanted to be the next mayor (there is a municipal election in November 2019), and handily won the title of Most Powerful Man in Waterbury for the 7th time in a row.

“People always tell me what they

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Summer 2019

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Mayor Neil O’Leary, middle, is seeking re-election this November and Observer readers overwhelmingly support his bid. think I want to hear,” O’Leary said.

“That can lead to incumbent arrogance and I’m fighting not to feel that way.

I’m going to keep my head down and keep moving forward.”

But it might be wise for O’Leary to keep his head up or he might trip over the dozen of projects his administration has launched in the past few years. There are so many projects underway in Waterbury right now that it’s hard for city residents to keep track of them all. Consider......

• Freight Street will soon be transformed into a beehive of activity as the massive and decaying structure of Anaconda Brass will be flattened in the coming months. An extension from Jackson Street in the South End will be to punched across Freight Street and connect to West Main and Thomaston Avenue creating a new way to bypass a congested city center.

• Library Park will be torn up this summer in a multi-million dollar upgrade that includes utilities and a new main stage funded by a million dollar commitment from Webster Bank.

• The railway station will have a

new paved parking lot with increased lighting and security cameras.

• The 17-acre Anamet site is being flattened in the South End of the city to make way for new development.

• Construction of a Food Hub in the South End along the west bank of the Mad River is underway.

• Plans are being finalized for a baseball field/park at the site of the former Nova Dye factory next to the River-Baldwin Recreation Center in the South End. • Construction just finished on the new Public Works Facility on East Auroa Street.

• Post University has relocated hundreds of workers into the former Howland-Hughes Building, energizing downtown.

• A $10 million dollar overhaul of 36 North Main Street (owned by the City of Waterbury) is expected to draw attention from both UConn and Post for further academic expansion in downtown.

• The Green was recently upgraded, and now has free wi-fi for the 1000 students attending UConn Waterbury.

• East Main Street from the Green to the Waterbury Police Department is about to be overhauled with new paving, new sidewalks, and much brighter lighting.

These many projects were noted as positives by Observer readers. Some other “Best Things in Waterbury in the past year” are; blight reduction, gang reduction, focus on opioids, the police department at full strength, the River Brigade, the Gathering, Post University coming downtown, Anamet being demolished, ongoing revival of Holy Land, and Howland-Hughes owner Hank Paine “being made whole”.

In the category of the “Worst Thing to Happen in Waterbury in the Past Year” there the familiar; taxes, potholes and blight. And there were new ones; the death of Ziggy “The Flagman” Berisha, a rash of car thefts, the demolition of Trinity Episcopal Church, the passing of Sam Beamon and Lisa Velez, the Pledge of Allegiance flap at the Board of Aldermen and Catholic Church issues (closing of S.S. Peter and Paul, the demolition of Trinity Church, and the decision to deconstruct the spires at St.

Anne’s Church.

Observer readers overwhelmingly voted to have food trucks and street performers in downtown Waterbury, and when asked if they supported “Orientation and Training For New Alderman” the answers ranged from yes, to absolutely, to “hell yes.”

The Most Effective Legislator is again State Senator Joan Hartley, and this year she was followed by State Representatives Geraldo Reyes Jr. and Stephanie Cummings. Hartley was also voted the Most Powerful Woman, followed by Jahana Hayes, Cathy Smith, Kristin Jacoby, Stephanie Cummings and Brenda Cotto.

Geraldo Reyes was voted Best Community Activist and was followed by Kevin Zak, Michael Salvio, Larry De Pillo and Stephanie Cummings. The Most Effective Aldermen is Steve Giacomi, followed by Chris D’Orso, Mike Digiovancarlo, Paul Pernerewski and Geoge Noujaim.

Other winners are listed in the pages ahead. Enjoy.....

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“The 3 Amigos” is an interfaith initiative to build bridges of peace amongst people regardless of their faith through joy, prayer, and spiritual reflection. The 3 Amigos are from left to right Gazmend Aga, imam of the Albanian American Muslim Community, Rabbi Eric Polokoff, middle, and Monsignor Joe Donnelly.

Steve Giacomi, the top Republican, was voted the Most Effective Alderman by readers of The Waterbury Observer.

The death of Ziggy “The Flagman” Berisha rattled the city.

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WATR is a part of the fabric of the community.

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Join us!

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We are very fortunate to have the clientele pass down from generation to generation! We are excited for the future and hope to continue for many more years in the East End. Thank you.

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Best Place To Spend St. Patrick’s Day

1900 East Main Street, Waterbury CT 06705 (203)841-6762

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203.573.0884 • www.highlinecarconnection.com

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Leading Edge Service ~ Old Fashioned Values

As a family-owned business, established in 1998, we employ ASE Certified Master Technicians. Every vehicle has a thorough safety inspection so you can buy with confidence.

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Browse our inventory, search for your preferred vehicles, read reviews and find forms and a credit application. Our website offers convenience; but we still like things the old fashioned way, face-to-face.

Please stop by and let us show you what great customer service is all about!

We specialize in auto finance

With an excellent credit history you will receive the best rates in the market. No Credit / Bad Credit? No Problem! We understand that bad things happen to good people. Our finance officers will make sure you drive away in a choice car.

– SHOWROOM HOURS –

Monday - Thursday 9am - 7pm Friday 9am - 6pm Saturday 9am - 5pm

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THANK YOU AGAIN

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for making us the

BEST CARPET STORE in the area!

Why are we still the largest store in the area? Why have dozens of carpet stores opened and closed in the last 63 years while we keep growing?

HONESTY • SERVICE SELECTION • LOWEST PRICE We’re YOUR Store! Always were... and always will be!

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ASSOCIATED CARPET SUPERSTORE

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After decades of neglect Holy Land is now in the process of being restored.

Adventures in Holy Land USA

By Carmine Capobianco How do you classify a mountain full of primitive art depicting stories and passages from the bible with cement, paints and mannequins?

People used to come from all over to see this. I lived on Pleasant St. and on weekends I would see bus after bus full of singing worshippers whizz by my home. Good Friday used to spook me as several processions would march up the hill. Naturally, it wasn’t the zealous marchers but rather the man with the fake beard dragging a cross, red corn syrup sprinkled on his back glistening in the warm April sun that spooked me.

I made a lot of memories at Holy Land USA. It was in my backyard and we referred to it as Pine Hill. If you climbed the little mountain in my back-

yard, you came out in the parking lot where the stairs led up to the “big cross” which was the one lit and visible from the highway.

“Where ya from?”

“Waterbury.”

“Ooooh. That town with the big cross.”

The town with the big cross – that’s us. Not the town that made the Mickey Mouse watch or the town where women licked radium infused paint brushes or the town that birthed Jimmy Piersall, Bob Crane, Rosalind Russell and me. Not even the Brass Capital of the World.

We were the town with the big cross. There was a little cross, too – a little white cross. It was big to us kids. And there was this other brown wooden beauty with Jesus on it as his Mother and John knelt at its base. And way over yonder, if you had no fear of a little climbing, we found the devil. He was tempting Jesus and being face to face with a life size demon as a kid was a little creepy. Jesus and the devil were eventually vandalized. They were repaired and put into a chain-link cage, an attempt to keep them safe, but somehow they were destroyed in the cage. Things were never the same after that.

We spent hours up there as kids. We knew what most of the quotes on the rough cement banners meant because we went to Catholic schools, however, that wasn’t the attraction for us. It was the blueberries, the climbing, the hiding, the jumping and the little stream that sometimes flowed. I found my first

fossil of a snail shell there, which I promptly lost.

We played hide and seek there, we played war there and we even filmed one of my first movies there with my Dad’s 8mm camera. And through it all, we respected the area. Not because it was “holy”, but because it wasn’t ours, we were guests and that was the right thing to do.

Then one Friday night, in the early 1970s, I went over to the dark side. Usually Fridays were reserved for movies down at the Colonial Plaza, a McDonald’s feast and some harmless shenanigans at Crazy Eight, an arcade that used to be open.

I would go with my cousin and our mutual friend and we were a trio of true fun-lovers who made each other laugh until we couldn’t breathe.

This particular Friday night, three other boys from Town Plot, Waterbury’s Little Italy, for some reason joined us. But these were the kids we other Italians referred to as “Guidos”. They wore less gold than their older counterparts and fewer velour sweat suits, but kings of phrases like “How youz doin’?” and an inability to pronounce the “h” in the word “three”. For example, “Dere were tree of dem.”

They wanted to go to the dance at the YMCA instead of the movies. We decided to give it a go and after about 20 minutes there, we all became bored.

I don’t remember why we wanted to leave, but no one danced and we just stood around like a half dozen, y’know, jamoches.

Although it was winter and there was snow and

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Holy Land founder, John Greco, left, in the 1960s.

ice on the ground and dark out, we decided a perfect adventure would be to walk from The Green to Holy Land USA. I don’t remember it being a particularly long walk or a cold one, but I was 13 with a full warm head of hair that I desperately miss. Although I was the youngest, I was somehow elected to lead this expedition consisting of my cousin, another friend and the trio of mumbling Jamoches. I knew Holy Land like the back of my hand so with great power came great responsibility, however my Spidey Senses was tingling.

The first thing I showed everyone was the thing that freaked me out the most – even in broad daylight. It was a photographic negative of the “real” face of Jesus from the Shroud of Turin.

Now, way back in 1971, not many people were aware of the shroud so when I put on my docent hat and announced that the first thing we were going to do was to look into the real face of Jesus, I saw ten eyes open wide in what I interpreted as fear. I led them to the crude white cabinet that housed all the photos about the shroud and pointed out the countenance of the Christ. There was enough moonlight reflected off the snow so the face was clearly discernable and for a total of fifteen solid seconds, there was complete silence save the icy wind that blew through my full head of hair. Have I mentioned that I miss that hair?

One of the Jamoches turned towards the direction of the Catacombs and asked me what was “over dere”. I explained that that was a replica of the Catacombs from Ancient Rome. He cocked his head quizzically like a dog does when you ask him if he wants to go for a ride. I explained that it was

a bunch of tunnels that went underground with little rooms where the Christians were buried. I told them that I have been in there many times and there are two mannequins of saints. One was Saint Lucy holding a platter with her own eyes on it.

She gouged them out herself because some guy kept telling her they were beautiful. The other was Saint Sebastian who was tied to a stake and shot with like a million arrows and covered in blood.

“Let’s go in,” someone whispered.

For a moment, no one responded and then everyone began talking at once. And the decision was made.

They wanted to get the bejesus scared out of them and what better way than to interact in the near dark with eyeless and bloody saints and dead Christians. I tried to talk them out of it, but the best I could do was to get them to agree to not damage anything.

I didn’t want to go in, but I thought I should to prevent a Jamoche from pulling out any arrows or pocketing one of Santa Lucia’s pupils. We began walking towards the Catacombs.

Now, allow me to explain that in the interest of 1971 fashion, I spraypainted an old pair of Beatle boots gold. I thought it would be pretty cool. Gold boots. Clark, the neighborhood bully always teased me about them and threatened to beat me up if I ever walked by his house again wearing them and I never did. Almost a quarter century later, I ran into Clark and asked him why he threatened me for my gilt footwear and he claimed he didn’t recall that and apologized, offering me free tickets to a hayride at a farm store that he managed. Anyway, because these boots were old, there was no tread left on them and

I could not climb the icy incline to the Catacombs.

“I can’t do this,” I blurted out with frustration. My cousin, who was easily spooked, offered to stay with me while the others had their adventure. I told him I would be fine outside by myself and through clenched teeth he said sternly, “I’m staying here with you!”

The crew found an opening in the fence in front of the Catacombs. As I recall, in the vestibule in the front before you entered through the antique looking door to the darkness that awaited you, there was usually a woman behind a tall counter in front saying things like, “four more”, and four more people would enter. I think there were two small urns there in a recess in the wall there that had a sign bragging that they contained either sand from the Catacombs in Rome or ground up Christian bones.

We watched as the boys chattered and grunted as they painfully squeezed through the opening in the locked gate. In a few minutes they were in and there was complete silence again. I was a tad worried that they were going to break something. I really didn’t like the idea of them wandering around in there. Neither my cousin nor I had any idea how long they would be gone so we started to stroll back to the photos of the shroud when we heard voices coming from the Catacombs. I heard mostly expletives as I assumed they walked into the roughly textured walls or encountered the bloody mannequin pierced with several pointed missiles.

We ran over to the exit and could hear laughing. I cupped my hands on either side of my mouth and bellowed authoritatively in the deepest voice I could muster, “What are you boys doing in there?” and/or “God hates you”.

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I don’t recall exactly. Their laughter died off suddenly and I heard chaos.

There must have been wailing and gnashing of teeth and it was clear that they wanted to come out as soon as possible. The words I heard were: police, trouble, parents, priest and many combinations of really dirty words.

My cousin and I began to laugh as we ran back to our original positions at the bottom of the incline near the entrance. Suddenly, the boys expelled themselves through that small opening like the last squirts from an old tube of toothpaste. They were breathless, one had a torn coat and another, a cut hand – all seemed terrified. They saw us and darted over.

“We heard voices!” one exclaimed.

“Someone else was in there!” another hoarsely whispered.

“Did you guys see anyone?” someone else asked us.

“Nope.” We both shook our heads.

We began walking back towards downtown and no one said a word.

As we came to my house, I asked my cousin and our mutual friend if they wanted to hang around at my house.

We went inside and bid farewell to the Jamoches.

We watched them walk down the street, one pulling his torn coat around him a little tighter, one holding his cut hand wrapped in a handkerchief and one with a slight limp. Whether he had that limp before the Catacomb adventure, I’ll never know.

And Holy Land USA, I am proud to say, stayed unvandalized that night.

Once in a while, I drive up to Pine Hill, to the entrance gates that are now locked. The Catacombs no longer exist and I thought I saw some of the white wood strewn about from the crude cabinet that housed the photos of the shroud.

So many of the charming miniature buildings are gone and those that were still there are broken, and destroyed by vandals. Many statues have been tipped over and I can’t remember the state of the Our Father Stairs.

Whether you were/are religious or not, you could appreciate the hours and hours that Attorney John Greco and his small crew put in to create this amazing shrine because of his deep love for God. Across the nation, people who have heard of our Holy Land have either found it charming, reverent or bizarre (as Stephen Colbert did on the Daily Show). There are postcards all over Ebay, videos on YouTube and I even have a very rare documentary on DVD from the late 1960s. Holy Land USA belonged to Waterbury and Waterbury belonged to it.

On one fairly recent visit, I spied a vandalized statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched, but with no hands.

It looked like he was sadly saying we were no longer welcome in Holy Land USA. Everyone knew that we were the town with the “big cross”. We still are with our brand new one that changes colors and is a backdrop for the 4th of July fireworks. We may have the big cross still, but Holy Land USA - at the moment - is now just a memory.

A really nice one.

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The Waterbury Observer

Summer 2019

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The Country Garden Preschool

opened its doors to the greater Waterbury community in September 1979. It is a nonprofit, state licensed preschool, which is owned and operated by the United Methodist Church of Waterbury, Inc. Country Garden Preschool supports the position of the National Association for the Education of Young Children that “a high quality early childhood program provides a safe and nurturing environment that promotes the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of young children while responding to the needs of families.”

We believe that with respect for young children and knowledge of acceptable practices in early childhood education, our school will prepare children to become confident in themselves and their ability to learn about the world around them.

Country Garden students enjoy special events.

Did you know that...

• Our teachers are experienced, warm and nurturing adults.

• Each class says a blessing at snack and meal time.

• Parents are invited monthly for special activities.

• We provide two healthy snacks each day.

• We provide a loving Christian environment and a place for children to be the wonderful and unique creation God made them to be.

Deborah W. Platt, Director The Country Garden Daycare/Preschool of the United Methodist Church of Waterbury

250 Country Club Rd. Waterbury, CT 06708 . 203-574-4981

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PERSONAL INJURY WORKER’S COMPENSATION CORPORATE LAW REAL ESTATE WILLS AND TRUST FAMILY LAW CRIMINAL LAW Waterbury Office:

64 Holmes Avenue

West Hartford

28 North Main St. Suite 201

Tindall Law Firm would like to thank all of our wonderful clients for voting us the #1 law firm in Waterbury in 2018 and now again in 2019. We greatly appreciate your support, and thank you for entrusting us to handle your important legal matters. Our objective in serving every client, is to provide high quality service and zealously advocate for his/her interests while upholding the highest level of ethical standards. Each client is treated like a member of our family, with respect and appreciation.

Thank you clients for allowing us to help you and your families. Without you, our success would not be possible. I also want to thank my amazing staff, Omayra, Maria, Janet and Megan, who play such a crucial role behind the scenes in helping to make our law firm successful. Without these hard working ladies, our firm would not be able to provide the excellent service that it does.

E-mail: tavis@tindall-lawfirm.com; facebook.com/TindallLawFirm; Twitter@TindallLaw; Linkedin.com/in/tavistindall;

www.tindall-lawfirm.com

Phone: (203) 755-0018

•

Fax: (203) 755-0036

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and the Winners are ...

GOODS & SERVICES Best Appliance Store All Star Appliance 1215 Thomaston Avenue Waterbury

Best Assisted Living Village at East Farms 180 Scott Road Waterbury

Best Bank Ion Bank

87 Church Street Naugatuck

Best Building Contractor Sullivan Brothers Remodeling

485 Main Street Watertown

Best Carpet Store Associated Carpet 828 Wolcott Street Waterbury

Best Cigar/Cigarette Shop Brass City Smoke & Vape

Best Dance Studio Sunshine Dance Center 34 Monroe Avenue Waterbury

Best Day Care Country Garden Day Care & Preschool 250 Country Club Road Waterbury

Best Dry Cleaners Mar-Vic Cleaners

Best Flooring Company Bill Wildman Floor Covering 1886 Watertown Avenue Oakville

Best Florist Orchid Florist 1 Chase Avenue Waterbury

Best Produce Market Jarjura’s Farm

25 East Main Street Waterbury

186 Grand Street, Waterbury

1 Market Square, Waterbury

Best Cosmetology School Belle Academy

Best Employment Agency Jaci Carroll Staffing

Best Fuel Oil Company Baribault Fuel

27A South Commons Road Waterbury

Best Credit Union FD Community Federal Credit Union 601 Watertown Avenue Waterbury

751 Straits Tnpke, Middlebury

Best Financial Advisor Coleman Financial Advisory Group 751 Watertown Avenue Waterbury

600 Main Street Oakville

Best Funeral Home Chase Parkway Memorial 430 Chase Parkway Waterbury

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Best Butcher Shop Watertown Meat Center

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Voted Greater Waterbury’s Best Chiropractor for 25 Years

What Is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is based on applying scientific fact to stimulating your body’s own remarkable resources. These important self-regulating and self-healing functions are controlled by your brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

When the nervous system is impaired through illness, injury or stress it can cause tissues and organs throughout the body to function poorly. Doctors call this degenerative chain reaction the vertebral subluxation complex. It is an underling cause of many health problems.

With chiropractic’s hands-on, drug-free health care approach, millions have found a healthier lifestyle through diet, exercise and maintaining proper spinal function.

Dr. Rosa

www.rosachiropractic.com

715 Lakewood Road, Waterbury • 203-573-0011

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Best Furniture Store Furniture Factory Outlet 127 Franklin Street Waterbury

Best Gardening Center and Best Hardware Store Schmidt’s & Serafine’s 464 Chase Avenue Waterbury

Best Gift Baskets Gift Baskets Galore 745 Highland Avenue Waterbury

Best Gift Shop Gifted

900 Straits Turnpike Middlebury

Best Glass Company Plymouth Glass & Mirror 142 East Main Street Thomaston

Best Health Food Store Nature’s Goods

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Best Hotel Courtyard By Marriott Waterbury Downtown 63 Grand Street Waterbury

Best Insurance Agency Martin & Rowland 16 Waterbury Road Prospect

Best Italian Market Cavallo’s Deli 1892 East Main Street Waterbury

Best Jewelry Store Sullivan’s Jewelers 403 Middlebury Road Middlebury

Best Latino Market Cherry Valley Marketplace 155 Thomaston Avenue Waterbury

Best Law Firm Tindall Law Firm 64 Holmes Avenue Waterbury

1-203-754-4238

www.waterburyobserver.org

Best Personal Injury Lawyer Carter Mario Injury Lawyers 532 Wolcott Street Waterbury

Best Criminal Defense Lawyer Leonard M. Crone, Esq. 27 State Street Waterbury

Best Men’s Clothing Store Ram’s Clothiers 579 Wolcott Street Waterbury

Best Neighborhood Market Key Food Marketplace 286 Fairfield Avenue Waterbury

Best Newspaper The Waterbury Observer P.O.Box 910 Waterbury

Best Party Supply Shop Party Plus 95 Wolcott Road Wolcott and 300 Oxford Road Oxford

Best Pawn Shop and Best Place to Buy/Sell Gold TC’s Pawn Company Jewelry & Electronics Exchange 503 Lakewood Road Waterbury

Best Pest Control Service Millette Pest Control 69 Knight Street Watertown

Best Pharmacy Bunker Hill Pharmacy 256 Bunker Hill Avenue Waterbury

Best Photographer Clay Johnson

Voted Best Breakfast For 25 Years!!

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Two Great Locations to Serve You OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!

900 Straits Tnpke • Middlebury 203.598.0166 Breakfast & Lunch Only

7 Poverty Rd • Southbury 203.264.9190 Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

The Waterbury Observer

105 Waterbury Road Prospect

Best Print Shop Minuteman Press 170 Grand Street Waterbury

Best Realtor Showcase Realty 216 Davis Street Oakville

Best Roofing Company DiGiorgi Roofing 33 Lancaster Drive Beacon Falls

Best Seafood Market Tony & Sons Seafood 639 Main Street Oakville

858 Lakewood Road Waterbury

Best Storage Facility Life Storage 433 Lakewood Road Waterbury

Best Thrift Store Red, White & Blue Thrift Store 650 Wolcott Street Waterbury

Factory Authorized WE’VE BEEN VOTED BEST MATTRESS RETAILER FOR 2019!

Thank You!

NOBODY, BUT NOBODY SELLS OUR MATTRESSES FOR LESS! WE GUARANTEE IT!

Mattress Sale

ADJUSTABLE BEDS COMPLETE Queen Size WITH A FIRM OR PLUSH MATTRESS by SERTA

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Best Trash Hauler Copes Rubbish 81 Di Nunzio Road Oakville

Best Travel Agency Synnott Travel 452 Meriden Road Waterbury

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105 Waterbury Rd (Rte 69) Located in the Prospect Country plaza

Prospect • 203-758-5100

Linda & Art Lano

OPEN: Mon, Tues, Thurs 10-8; Wed, Fri, Sat 10-5:30; Sun 12-5:30 the Observer - Quarter Page (4.9 x 6.9)

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Best Smoke Shop and Best Place To Buy Medical Marijuna Supplies and Best Body Piercing Lifestlyes

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Voted Best Alternative Health Center

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Waterbury Connecticut’s Independent Newspaper

Issues. PeOPle. evenTs. Project Clear Water October 24th

The Waterbury Observer

October 2016

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FREE Take One

October 2016

1-203-754-4238

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Best Liquor Store and Best Beer Selection in a Liquor Store and Best Wine Shop The Spirit Shop 657 Watertown Avenue Waterbury

The Gathering Waterbury’s Angie Vargas performed a traditional Peruvian dance, Valicha and Anaconda, at The Gathering on September 24th The Waterbury Observer

December 2016

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Civil Rights and Donald Trump Photograph By John Murray

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December 2016

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Project Clear Water Tackles Issues

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August 2016

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FREE Take One

June 2016

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Albania

A shepherd outside of Bilisht, Albania.

Photograph by John Murray

FREE Take One

August 2016

Thousands of ethnic Albanians fled the Balkan Peninsula in the past 70 years and have settled in Greater Waterbury. Here is a peek at where they came from, and why they left their beautiful homeland.

Home Run

Kennedy High School Teacher Jahana Hayes Was Selected National Teacher Of The Year

Photograph by Vanessa Cook

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Best Towing Company Town Plot Auto 332 Fairfield Avenue Waterbury

Best Bakery and Best Wedding Cake Sweet Maria’s Bakery 159 Manor Avenue Waterbury

Best Place to Buy a Wedding Dress The Wedding Embassy 1886 Watertown Avenue Oakville

Best Wedding Venue Aria 45 Murphy Road Prospect

Best Window Company J.C. Tonnatti 205 Bristol Street Southington

Hon. Neil M. O’Leary, Mayor

David Martin, Fire Chief

William Quinn, Director of Health

An Important Public Safety Message From:

Mayor O’Leary’s Opioid Task Force

FREE TRAINING FREE onsite Narcan training is available to businesses & community groups to help prevent fatal Opioid overdoses. The training is provided by a certified trainer from the Waterbury Fire Department. To schedule a training, call the Waterbury Health Department at 203-573-6679.

SAFE USE: Talk to your physician SAFE STORAGE: See the video “Proper Disposal of Unused Meds in Trash” on the “additional links” tab of the Fire and Health Departments’ websites by going to www.waterburyct.org SAFE DISPOSAL: Bring unused medication to your Police Department for incineration – Waterbury Police Department, 255 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06702-2301. Or call your community’s local Police Department for a Safe Disposal Site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: WWW.WATERBURYCT.ORG/OPIOID

Best Winery Hawk Ridge

28 Plungis Road Watertown

MEDICAL SERVICES Best Alternative Health Center Center for Natural Medicine

640 Main Street, Watertown

Best Nip/Tuck and Best Botox Dr. Stanley Foster

1625 Straits Tnpke, Suite 108 Middlebury

Best Chiropractor Rosa Chiropractic Center 715 Lakewood Road Waterbury

Best Dentist Dr. Luciano Marini Waterbury Smiles 26 E. Lakeside Blvd.

Waterbury

Best Dental Clinic Connecticut Family Dental

171 Grandview Ave #103 Waterbury

Best Pediatric Dentist MagicLand Pediatric Dental 815 Wolcott Street Waterbury

Best Eye Doctor Opticare

87 Grandview Avenue Waterbury

Best Foot Doctor Dr. McHugh and Associates 51 Depot Street # 202 Watertown

Best Healthcare Facility StayWell Health Care 80 Phoenix Avenue Waterbury

Best Hospital Waterbury Hospital 64 Robbins Street Waterbury

Best Pediatrician Pediatric Associates 160 Robbins Street Waterbury

Best Physical Therapist Ivy Rehab Physical Therapy 500 Chase Pkwy, Waterbury

Best Rehab Facility Apple Rehab 35 Bunker Hill Road Watertown

Best Veterinarian Waterbury Veterinary 515 Wolcott Street Waterbury

Best Walk-In Clinic Saint Mary’s Hospital Urgent Care 1312 West Main Street Waterbury

The Waterbury Observer

EATING OUT

Best Breakfast Leo’s Restaurant

Best Chef Nicola Mancini, LaTavola

900 Straits Tpke.

Middlebury and 7 Poverty Road Southbury

Best Restaurant, Best Italian Restaurant, Best Wait Staff, Best Desserts La Tavola

Best Brunch and Best Value Brass City Bistro

812 Hamilton Avenue Waterbury

702 Highland Avenue Waterbury

Best Tacos and Best Happy Hour 66 Church

Best American Art of Yum 146 Grand Street Waterbury

66 Church Street Naugatuck

Best Bagels Ami’s Bagels

2457 East Main Street and Colonial Plaza Thomaston Avenue Waterbury

Best Barbeque Big Franks

572 Watertown Avenue Waterbury

BEST OF WATERBURY 20189

Best Local Burgers G’s Burgers 1300 Main Street Watertown

Best Business Lunch and Best Dinner before a Show Signatures Restaurant 29 Leavenworth Street Waterbury

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Best Caterer and Best Pasta and Best Patio Dining D’Amelio’s Italian Eatery 718 Highland Avenue Waterbury

Best Chinese Buffet Royal Buffet and Grill

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Best Dominican Restaurant Via al Paraiso 384 West Main Street Waterbury

Best Donuts Brooklyn Bakery 464 Reidville Drive Waterbury

Best Chocolates Fascia’s Chocolates

Best Family Restaurant Pizza Castle Restaurant

44 Chase River Road Waterbury

143 Chase Avenue Waterbury

Best Coffeehouse and Best Hidden Gem Third Day Café

Best Farm to Table Restaurant Market Place Kitchen & Bar

119 Windsor Street Waterbury

641 Main Street South Woodbury

Best Deli and Best Sandwich Shop Ann’s Deli

Best Food Truck Los Garcia Mexican Fusion

943 Wolcott St, Waterbury

1595 Baldwin Street Waterbury

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The Art of Yum l Served in Many forms

146 GRAND ST. WATERBURY

203-527-4044 | www.theartofyum.com

836 E Main Street Waterbury

AMERICAN FUSION CUISINE Restaurant | Events Catering | Meal Prep

Voted by Waterbury Observer Readers

BEST AMERICAN RESTAURANT

2018 BEST NEW RESTAURANT

What is ARTEF? art•ef| / ärdEF/: a culinary artist; an artist chef With over 45 years of combined experience, The Art of Yum’s award-winning chefs are dedicated to creating an unforgettable culinary experience for everyone they serve.

CATERING & EVENTS From backyard BBQs to french cuisine, our experienced chefs have your event fully covered.

Weddings • Special Events • Corporate Catering RESTAURANT Breakfast & Lunch | Daily MEAL PREP Healthy meal prep service: 4 plans family | trim transformation | plant-based | performance

Chef Donte Jones and Chef Michone Denae Arrington

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Best Grinder Shop Nardelli’s Grinder Shoppe

540 Plank Road and 515 Watertown Avenue Waterbury and 87 Maple Street, Naugatuck and 345 Colt Highway, Farmington

Best Hot Dogs Frankie’s Hot Dogs

700 Watertown Avenue and 464 Reidville Drive and 348 Chase Avenue Waterbury

Best Ice Cream The Big Dipper

91 Waterbury Road, Prospect

Best Italian Pastry and Best Place for a Taste Of Italy and Best New Business Noochie’s Deli & Café

72 America Street, Waterbury

Summer 2019

Best Japanese Restaurant Sakura Japanese Steak House 544 Straits Turnpike Watertown

Best Latin Restaurant Mojo Nuevo Latino Cuisine 1812 East Main Street Waterbury

Best Late Night Dining La Cazuela 354 West Main Street Waterbury

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant and Best Salads Sultan’s Turkish Restaurant 586 Plank Rd Waterbury

Thank you to all of our readers who voted in this year’s “Best of Waterbury” poll!

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Most Romantic Restaurant and Best Fine Dining and Best Lunch in Downtown Waterbury Diorio Restaurant & Bar 231 Bank Street Waterbury

Best Lunch in Greater Waterbury and Restaurant with Best Appetizers Uncommon Grill 777 Echo Lake Road Watertown

Best Mexican Restaurant and Best Nachos Tequila Restaurant 733 Lakewood Road Waterbury

Best Neighborhood Restaurant Mary’s Diner

Best New Restaurant Vyne Restaurant & Bar 1365 Whittemore Road Middlebury

Best Pizza Overall and Best Pizza-by-the-Slice and Best Thin Crust Pizza and Best Place to Eat on a Budget Domenick & Pia Downtown Pizzeria 3 Brook Street Waterbury

Best Vegetarian Friendly Restaurant Greens & Proteins 750 Straits Tnpke.

Watertown

Best Portuguese Restaurant Lisboa Restaurant 19 Lafayette Street Waterbury

437 Watertown Ave. and 536 Meriden Rd., Waterbury

Voted Best Butcher Shop in greater Waterbury

485 Main St • Watertown • 860.945.MEAT (6328) • www.watertownmeat.org

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Mon ~ Fri 8am - 7pm Sat. 8am - 6pm Sun. 8am - 2pm

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22 Years Voted Best Health Care Facility in Greater Waterbury

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StayWell Health Care, Inc. is committed to providing high quality, community health care and social services, including preventive medical and mental health services to the underserved population of the Greater StayWell Health Care, Inc. is committed to providing high quality, Waterbury community. StayWell Health Care, Inc. has adopted a community health care and social services, including preventive medical, dental, andcommunity mental health services the underserved the comprehensive, basedtoapproach to population serving ofpeople by providGreater Waterbury community. StayWell Health Care, Inc. has adopted a comprehensive, community based approach to serving people services. by provid- All patients ing education, advocacy, and bilingual/bicultural ing education, advocacy, and bilingual/bicultural services. All patients are accepted regardless their ability toinsurance pay orstatus.” insurance status. are accepted regardless of of their ability to pay or

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47 years of providing quality healthcare services in Waterbury

Best Health Care Facility Best Dental Clinic

1302 South Main 203.597.9044 1302 South Main 80 Phoenix Ave. 203.756.8021 203.597.9044 80 Phoenix Ave. 95 Scovill St. 203.805.4930 203.756.8021 GREATER

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d l e Wine & Liquor fi r i Fa

Near Key Food MarKet towN Plot Neighborhood 296 FairField ave • waterbury 203.755.0058

HOURS Mon-Saturday 9am-9pm Sunday 10am-6pm

Wide array of wines & liquors ~ including your favorite local wines

Thank you Observer readers, for your many votes ~ it is an honor to be one of your favorite wine shops!

HUGE Selection of Local Craft Beers

We Welcome Special Orders of any size...

Call Now for your Parties & Celebrations!

Delightful Customer Service ~ Visit us once & we are confident you will return Most items priced at State minimum pricing ~ Ample off-street parking ~ Great prices!

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“You cannot share your life with a dog and not know perfectly well that dogs have personalities and minds and feelings.�

Jane Goodall

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The Spirit Sh The Waterbury Observer

Summer 2019

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Serving Waterbury For Over 70 Years

Current locatio

The Spirit Shop was opened at 2 Park Road in the 1940s and when it was put up for sale James De Rienzo took it over on August 2nd, 1979.

“It was a small shop (800 square feet) and the first day was tough,” Jim recalled, “the original owner came down to help. It took me a while to learn where all the product was.”

In 1983 The Spirit Shop enlarged by 400 square feet, and in 1995 the business moved across the street into the CVS Plaza and doubled in size. Fifteen years later the business was pushed out of the plaza as CVS expanded, and in 2008 Jim De Rienzo moved The Spirit Shop to 657 Watertown Avenue (the old Colonial Plumbing).

“That was a hard move because we quadrupled our size to 8000 square feet,” De Rienzo said, “and it took us a few years to expand into our new space.”

The Spirit Shop has been a family owned and operated business with Jim and his wife Karen managing the operation, and all three of their children Jim, Joe and Laura have worked in the shop.

Jim has owned the business now for 40 years and he said the time has gone fast. “The business has changed a lot,” De Rienzo said. “Back on Park Road I knew all the prices, but there is much more product now with craft beers and flavored vodkas and the prices change every month.”

The strength of The Spirit Shop has been customer service and community. “We’ve built our business around the neighborhood,” De Rienzo said, “and we special order what our customers want.”

Jim De Rienzo He is pictured

657 Watertown Avenu

hop

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o has owned The Spirit Shop for the past 40 years. d here in 1983 after the shop enlarged.

The Spirit Shop started at 2 Park Road (now TD Bank) and has moved twice, to the CVS Plaza, and in 2008 down to 657 Watertown Avenue.

ue • 203.753.9505

The Waterbury Observer

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Best Puerto Rican Restaurant Little Puerto Rico

1400 Thomaston Avenue Waterbury

Best Rice and Beans Brenda’s Kitchen 165 Highland Avenue Waterbury

Best Sushi Red Corner Asian Bistro 780 Lakewood Road Waterbury

Best Thai Restaurant Thai Bowl 515 Main Street Watertown

Best Take-Out and Best Wings Wing It On! 516 Frost Road Waterbury

NIGHT LIFE Best Bar and Best Cocktails and Best Bar Staff Highland Brass Co. 728 Highland Avenue Waterbury

Best Beer Selection Pies & Pints Restaurant and Brewery 1 Store Road Middlebury

Best Local Beer and Best Local Brewery Lasting Brass Brewing 1864 Watertown Avenue Oakville

Best Irish Bar and Best Place To Spend St. Patrick’s Day The Cave

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Best New Bar Drescher’s

25 Leavenworth Street Watebury

Best Live Music and Best Dance Club Shamrock Pub and Grill 210 Meadow Street Waterbury

Best Ladies Night Verdi 660 Park Road Waterbury

Best Neighborhood Bar Ordinary Joes 253 Buckingham Street Oakville

Best Sports Bar Triple Play Sports Bar and Grille 16 Straits Turnpike Watertown

PEOPLE & PLACES Best Local Musician Eddie Seville

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Best Body Shop Jake’s Auto Body

Best Barber Shop Brass City Barber & Salon

459 Meadow Street Waterbury

Best Car Dealer and Best Truck Dealer Shaker’s Family Ford Lincoln 831 Straits Turnpike Watertown

Best Foreign Car Dealer Shaker’s Kia 1230 Main Street, Watertown

Best Used Car Dealer Highline Car Connection 1833 Watertown Avenue Waterbury

Best Motorcycle Shop Doc’s Motorcycle Parts 1625 Thomaston Avenue Waterbury

Best Muffler Repair Shop Major Muffler 2098 South Main Street Waterbury

338 Middlebury Road Middlebury

Best Gym Steel Beach Gym 900 Main Street Oakville

Best Fitness Center Greater Waterbury YMCA 136 West Main Street Waterbury

Best Hair Salon Dolce 2457 E Main Street Waterbury

Best Massage Natural Balance Therapeutic Massage 755 Thomaston Road Watertown 250 Main Street South Southbury

Best Repair/Auto Service The Brake & General Repair Shop

Best Martial Arts Studio East Coast Training Systems

Business of the Year Ideal Fish

Best New Tire Shop Joe’s Tire Shop

64 Avenue of the Industries Waterbury

31 Thomaston Avenue Waterbury

Best Spa Viso Bello Day Spa

Best Reason To Go Downtown and Best Live Theater Palace Theater

Best Used Tire Shop Tony’s Tire

Best Tattoo Parlor Blue Owl Tattoo

Best Transmission Shop City Automatic Transmission

Best Yoga Classes Om Yoga Center

Best Local Band Berkley Heights Marching Band

100 East Main Street Waterbury

Best Cultural Attraction Mattatuck Museum

742 Lakewood Road Waterbury

2019 South Main Street Waterbury

140 Industry Lane Waterbury

520 Watertown Avenue Waterbury

900 Straits Turnpike Middlebury

715 Lakewood Road Waterbury

27 Siemon Co. Drive 107WS Watertown

63 Prospect Street Waterbury

Best AM Radio Personality Tom Chute Best Radio Station WATR One Broadcast Lane Waterbury

Injured At Work? Hurt in an Auto Accident?

PERSONAL INJURY LAW & WORKERS COMPENSATION

For a Free Consultation Contact Attorney Thomas Brayton Waterbury: 203.591.8689 | Bethlehem: 203.266.7100 | tombrayton.com

“I Am Jane Doe No More” The Waterbury Observer

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Waterbury Police Officer Renee’ Harvey Survivor Of Sexual Assault Column By Renee’ Harvey

Today is April 1st and for some, that means a few jokes and pranks of fools.

For me April 1st signifies the start of sexual assault awareness month.

Something that occurs daily but we take this month to spread knowledge and bring awareness to such a difficult and life changing tragedy.

Some who know me personally already know, but many have no idea that I am a survivor of sexual assault.

At the age of 14 I was sexually assaulted, not once but twice, by a “family” member who is 15-20 years my senior. I use the term “family” loosely because, although we may share the same blood line, he and I are not family.

For almost 30 years I tried to block it out and pretend it never happened.

I suffered internally with so much anguish, shame, hurt, fear and guilt that I turned that into anger. After the assault I felt like I had been abandoned by those who were suppose to protect me, so at the ripe old age of 14 I decided I am the only one I can trust to protect me and keep me safe from evil.

I wanted to get away from everyone and everything so I joined the Marines at age 16. I didn’t tell my Dad until I was in my late 30s because I’m certain he would still be in prison for murder if I had. I convinced my Dad to sign a release by telling him I was going at 18 anyway regardless of whether or not he signed the release. Why the Marines? Because I needed to be amongst the baddest and the toughest if I was gonna fend for myself.

I had to deal with this ordeal alone, as a 14 year old, and it was then that I became determined not to let that tragedy define me. Little did I know I was doing the exact opposite. I managed to keep my tragedy locked in a box in a deep dark crevice of my mind at least until the nightmares started in my late 30s. In that 25-30 year span I became the ice queen. I’ve probably pushed out and shut out more people from my life (and that’s just the ones lucky enough to have gotten in)... some warranted, some not... because I trusted no one to have my best interest in mind and make me feel safe.

I have lost friends, relationships and a lot of time because of an inability to let people beyond the barrier and reveal who I really am. I also made it a point to not only become mentally strong, but physically strong as well to keep from being hurt in such a way ever again. I’m certain it was that tragedy that guided me into policing.

Ironically my very first serious investigation less than a month after completion of academy and field training was an 11 year old who had been sexually assaulted and impregnated by her uncle. You can only imagine the flood of emotions... but I locked those emotions back up and did my job with vigor because I wanted justice for her.

It took me a very long time to come to terms with my own tragedy and then turn that into something positive. I found martial arts and through those connections I found Jane Doe No More. If you don’t know what that is feel free to look it up janedoenomore. org. JDNM gave me a forum to bring all those emotions to the surface, deal with them head on and then set them aside while at the same time using those emotions, my experiences and my tragedy to help others. JDNM afforded me the opportunity to actually cry and release that anguish amongst those I now call my family and who

have also suffered the same or similar tragedy.

I thought I was alone all those years... come to find out, sexual assault, particularly amongst family members, happens more often than you can imagine.

It is one of those crimes that gets buried or swept under the carpet because families are more concerned with the shame and embarrassment to the family if people knew than the effect on the actual victim.

I can tell you that it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders... JDNM gave me my power back.

Do I still struggle with the memory?

Yes. Do I still struggle with trust and feeling safe with people? Yes, it’s not easy and most times people never fail to disappoint when given the benefit of the doubt, but it gets better everyday because secretly I still believe (as a 14 yr old would) in the power of love and humanity.

JDNM has also given me a platform to share my experience with others in an effort to prevent or provide direction, empower and encourage those who may have suffered something similar.

Now I tell my story to anyone who wants or needs to hear it in the hopes that I can prevent someone else from putting themselves through what I put myself through for decades.

The purpose of this post is not for sympathy or shock value. I don’t need or want either. I wrote this because there is someone out there who has gone through it and feels lost, alone and afraid not knowing where to turn or what to do, just as I did. You are not alone. And if you know someone who has gone through this or suspect someone may be a victim, help them, guide them, get them to safety. You’ll be doing them a great injustice if you don’t.

I am a survivor.

I am Jane Doe No More.

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Summer 2019

1-203-754-4238

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The Berkley Knights, a long-time community favorite, were voted the “Best Band” in Greater Waterbury in the Observer’s annual readers poll.

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Ilmika Kulla was voted “Best Artist” by Observer readers.

The passing of community leader Sam Beamon was voted one of the worst things to happen in Waterbury in the past year.

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Lobster Rolls With A Spectacular View

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G. S. Regan Associates, Inc. Life, Health, Disability, Long Term Care, Medicare Insurance & Financial Services Quality Insurance Since 1980

Tune in to “Medicare and You”, Wed. 1pm-2pm on WATR 1320 AM, or www.WATR.com

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

BINGO Thursday Nights 7PM - 10PM Two Progressive Jackpots Two Winner-Take-All Games

DOOR PRIZES

Food & Snacks Sold FREE Coffee & Tea

645 Congress Avenue 203.232.6513

Michael Regan

447 Wolcott St Waterbury, CT 06705

(203) 757-6099

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2019 FREE Lakewood Labor Day Weekend

OLESKOOL COOKOUT Thursday, August 29th • 8pm - 1am

FREE ENTRY THURSDAY • Social Get-Together • 92 Bank Street Free Appetizers 8-10pm • 2 for 1 Chicken Wings • Drink Specials

Friday, August 30th • 6pm - 9pm

FREE ENTRY FRIDAY Presented by CD 101.9’s Al “DJ Act” Taylor Let’s Groove: Jazz night 146 Grand Street • 203.527.4044 RSVP

Friday, August 30th • 9pm - 2am

MEET & MINGLE • J’s Spot Bar & Lounge • 1980 E. Main Street $5 cover • Drink & food specials • Music provided by DJ Damedollar

Saturday, August 31st • 8pm - 1am

OFFICIAL OLESKOOL BLACK & WHITE DANCE PARTY

Our Lady of Fatima Hall • 2071 Baldwin Street • Music provided by DJ White Flash BYOB • $20 cover • Tables & setups available • RSVP 203-721-3693

Sunday, September 1st • 1pm - 7pm

FREE COOKOUT AT LAKEWOOD PARK

Music provided by Funky DJ Kenny Reeder • Menu includes: BBQ Ribs • Fried Fish Chicken & Shrimp Jambalaya • Grilled Cheeseburgers • Georgia Hots • Beef Hot Dogs Sweet Tea • Homemade Lemonade • Soda • Much More! Rain Date Monday, Sept. 2

Sunday, September 1st • 8pm - 1am

THE OFFICIAL OLESKOOL AFTER PARTY

at BK Supper Club, Downtown Waterbury’s newest upscale dinner & entertainment spot TWO floors of LIVE entertainment with the soulful sounds of Waterbury’s own

Timmy Maia + DJ

92 Bank Street • $10 • Doors open 7pm

IN DA CUT Party Room will be the

Friday, Saturday, Sunday late nite party spot

Timmy Maia @ BK Supper Club

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The transformative projects in the South End of Waterbury received a huge thumbs up by Observer readers. The demolition of Anamet, the building of a food hub, and a proposed baseball field at the site of the former Nova Dye factory.

The demolition of the Anamet buildings in the South End of Waterbury took a dramatic step forward as backhoes punched through the debris to create a visible opening onto South Main Street. The 17-acre property is owned by the City of Waterbury and is being remediated by the Waterbury Development Corporation in the hopes of redeveloping the site. One South End resident was thrilled with the development and said it was a huge psychological boost to the neighborhood and felt like, “the Berlin Wall was coming down.” Photograph by John Murray

Virginia Belliveau turned 107 years old this year and is the oldest person in Waterbury, and possibly in all of Connecticut. She was touted in a birthday celebration at the Village at East Farms.

Waterbury Fire Chief Dave Martin is retiring at the end of June. Martin has spent three decades in the Waterbury Fire Department, the past eight as chief, and begins a new job July 1st working for an emergency dispatch company that oversees Waterbury and several surrounding towns. Congratulations on the new job Chief Martin, and thanks for bringing a quiet dignity and grace to a difficult and important job these past eight years.....

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Several thousand Waterbury students dashed a mile through downtown Waterbury in late May to complete 26.2 miles of training for the Kids Marathon. The international running, fitness and nutrition program was launched a decade ago by New Zealand’s Rod Dixon, an Olympic runner, and the winner of the 1983 NYC Marathon. Dixon launched programs in Los Angeles, New Zealand, and brought the program to Waterbury in 2013. With the guidance of City Clerk Michael Dalton, YMCA director Jim O’Rourke, basketball star Ryan Gomes, and Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary, the city now runs one of the most successful programs in America. The Kids Marathon is one of the most positive events in the city every year. Kudos to everyone involved.

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The annual “Autism Speaks Walk” through downtown Waterbury raised $130,000 on June 1st as nearly two thousand marchers helped increase awareness. Pictured here are Quajay Donnell, right, and his cousin, Andrea Saunders, walking in support of Quajay’s son, Christopher, known as The Fry Guy.

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Wrapped in Black The Waterbury Observer

Summer 2019

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Story and Photographs

By John Murray The spires of St. Anne’s Shrine in Waterbury are now both wrapped in black netting as plans move forward to deconstruct the iconic structures compromised by years of poor maintenance and neglect.

As news of the the planned demolition spread through the community in April there were cries of protest, and a call by the Republican-American newspaper for the parish to seek a second opinion before tearing down the historic spires.

Communication from the Archdiocese of Hartford, and from leaders inside the All Saints Parish, has been poor. Many parishioners learned of the demolition from media reports, and efforts by Catholic leaders to include the Waterbury community in their decision making process has lacked transparency.

In late May the leaders at All Saints Parish held a meeting for parishioners and a presentation by the engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates explained why dismantling the spires was necessary.

The firm had conducted an inspection of the spires and concluded that due to water damage and mortar deterioration they “were not confident the spires could be repaired in place.”

The Republican-American editorial called for a second opinion and pointed out that alternatives to dismantling were not fully explored and that repairing the spires in place had not been ruled out.

The Republican-American and the Pape family that runs the paper have street cred in repairing and restoring iconic structures. The Papes used their own money a few years ago to repoint and restore the railroad station clock tower, which might be the most iconic structure in Connecticut.

The Observer commended the Papes in 2015 for investing in the clock tower repairs, and Rep-Am publisher Bill Pape wrote a letter to Observer publisher John Murray thanking him for acknowledging the investment.

“Thank you for the kind words about the Pape family and its responsibility for the tower. My father and grandfather were both proud to own the railroad station and its tower. When we bought the station in 1952, both were in their early middle age but are now 106 and in need of repair, a considerable burden given the decline of the newspaper business.

However, we understand the community’s pride in the building and will do our best.”

Is it too much to hope that the Archdiocese of Hartford and leaders inside All Saints Parish acknowledge that the spires have become a part of the collective soul of Waterbury?

It’s going to cost All Saints Parish nearly a million dollars to tear down the spires, but there has been no dollar estimates shared about repairing the spires in place, or in fully restoring them after repairs.

One expert on church restoration, John Ciaralli of New England Masonry, told the Observer that once the spires are dismantled he didn’t believe they would ever be restored. “We’re not talking Archdiocese of Hartford money,” he said, “we’re talking Vatican money. And finding someone with the skills to rebuild the spires would be nearly impossible.”

Community activist Andy Michaud has been the most outspoken critic of the spires being torn down.

His parents were married inside St. Anne’s, his mother was a teacher at St. Anne’s School, he was baptized inside the church, and he has made more than 100 posts on social media in the past three months imploring elected officials, including Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary, to get involved in saving the spires.

“The spires are part of the legacy of the city and are visible to hundreds of thousands of people who drive along I-84 everyday,” Michaud said. ‘The spires are a visible icon of Waterbury. In other places they use historic churches as tourist attractions. Everyone is crying about Notre Dame burning in Paris, why do they care and we don’t.”

For more than a month the only elected official who publicly took a stance on the spires is State Representative Geraldo Reyes Jr., who has called on the Archdiocese and the parish to hold a public meeting to fully explain the issue before the spires are removed.

Reyes cited the communication failure by Catholic leaders in demolishing Trinity Episcopal Church last October, and the abrupt and unexpected closing of St. Peter and St. Paul parochial school in the East End

as reasons why the Catholic Church needs to be more transparent.

“I’ve talked to people throughout the South End that still don’t realize the spires are coming down,” Reyes said. “The church is the gateway to the South End, and all I want is transparency and a meeting with the community explaining what is going on.”

In mid-June, with the spires already wrapped in black netting, Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary said he had been in contact with the Archdiocese of Hartford.

“I saw the reports and for safety reasons the spires need to be disconstructed,’ O’Leary told the Observer. “I have been assured by the Archdiocese that they intend to replace the spires in the future. How much will that cost? No one knows yet.”

The Waterbury Observer

O’Leary was clear that no taxpayer money will be involved in the restoration, but said he would personally get involved in helping raise the dollars needed to rebuild them.

Scaffolding is being erected at the church and the deconstruction will begin in late June.

The Observer asked its readers to weigh in on the issue, and here is a sample of the responses...

Vivian Da Rocha - I think it’s a disgusting abuse of power and money. They church has money and they elect to spend it to hide pedophiles and pay their own. They could save this church, but certainly won’t do so by dipping into their own pockets. So sad.

David Bellemare

BEST OF WATERBURY 20189

waterburyobserver@gmail.com

Charlie Beaudoin - Is there a plan to restore them

once dismantled ? Shouldn’t St Anne’s be considered a historic landmark and be spared no expense to be fixed to be enjoyed for countless more years ?

David Bigham

- Another potential travesty. No evidence that any alternatives have been investigated. In the last century short sightedness robbed many communities of beautiful architecture, sad to see not much has changed. Cities that preserve their heritage fare better in the long run. The City of Waterbury should engage the Archdiocese to look for alternatives.

Janet Edmunds - That is really sad they are com-

ing down with no second opinion. Now the church will have no spires and the clock tower looks nice but the clock doesn’t work. That’s terrible too.

- So much of what made Waterbury beautiful has been coming down. At least we have a beautiful new cross at the Holly Land site, and a restored Clock Tower. I can see why people want to move out of Waterbury. We destroy great architecture like Trinity Church which could have been repurposed, and charge ridiculous taxes to people that choose to own a house here.

Michael Yukon Laliberte - I went school there

Tricia Carlson

Kevin Braziel - Save the churches for the architec-

- The black spires looming over Waterbury are so symbolic- the decline of both the city and the Catholic Church. I am heartsick every day when I see them as I drive back and forth to work.

Bettejane Wesson

- Time has shown us that one can indeed “fight City Hall.” But recent times are showing us that the Archdiocese of Hartford is a steamroller in our town, and it proceeds on its path of destruction. I wonder what will be next in Waterbury? Nothing good, I will bet.

church there all things being of Canadian French descent this is so sad Waterbury will never look the same.

ture because these things can never be replaced. Sad loss of history.

Laurie Irene - So very sad that no one took care

of this Church. Same old story - don’t fix - just tear down..

Kathleen Zabit Kontout - it’s a shame. My grandparents brought us to “the french church for the 11 oclock mass, it was said in french. It’s a gorgeous church. The spires are very symbolic of Wa-

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terbury. I could cry everytime I go by and see them wrapped in the black cloth. If they are taken down they will never replace them..

Beth Chmielewski - I think it’s ridiculous that this city doesn’t have a demolition delay ordinance.

I can’t stand seeing those beautiful spires being draped in black. It casts a shadow on what’s wrong with this city and how it’s gone downhill.

Andy Mendoza - I grew up two blocks away from

this “iconic structure”. As far as I’m concerned this multi-million dollar fancy church that is surrounded by poverty and crime has not done anything for that community but host a few bingo nights. Teenage pregnancy, drugs, theft, and every other thing no one wants to grow up in, happening everyday all around it. Holy place? Pass me a sledge hammer, I’ll do the honors of the first swing and make sure to yell every friend’s name I’ve lost in that neighborhood with every swing.

Neil Shea - if the church didn’t have to spend 50 million in hush money - this wouldn’t be happening.

Among other reasons..

Ann Marie Brites - I think it’s despicable, lazy

and a cop out on the part of the parish and the diocese and city leaders. Let’s not forget the self serving nature of the Pape family whose investment in repairing the clock tower was essentially a deductible cost of doing business in a property they own.

Where is the old Waterbury money now? Why is no one pushing the parish to advocate for the repair?

Where are parish leaders who should be getting their own second opinion on cost of repair? Why is no one out there protesting?

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Jimmy Piersall One Of City’s Greatest Athletes

By John Torsiello One of the most vivid memories that remains from a childhood spent watching the love of my life at the time, baseball, was a catch that Waterbury’s own, the enigmatic Jimmy Piersall, made in Yankee Stadium.

I can’t be sure what year it was, probably 1959 or 1960. It was a day game at the old ballpark. Piersall was playing centerfield for the Cleveland Indians. The Yankees had a man on third base (Whitey Ford, I believe), and a Bronx Bomber hit a massive clout to centerfield that seemed destined to rattle around the monuments (there were three of them at the time and they were in play about 450 feet from home plate). Well, Piersall takes off on a bee line and runs for what seemed like 10 seconds when he looked up and made an over-the-shoulder basket catch of the ball as he approached the monuments. I remember Ford tagging and walking home from third base.

It was a stunning catch, still the best one I have ever witnessed in person or on television. All I could think of was Willie Mays’ famous similar catch off Vic Wertz in the 1954 World Series.

But maybe Piersall’s catch was better.

Apples and oranges.

Piersall, of course, was born in and grew up in Waterbury, attended Sacred Heart elementary school and Leavenworth High School, becoming a local baseball and basketball star along the way. He led Leavenworth to a New England basketball championship in 1947. He was especially proficient at baseball and was signed by the Boston Red Sox, who brought him to the Major Leagues in 1950 for seven games.

He had his official rookie season with the Sox two years later after spending a year in the minor leagues.

This June marks the second anniversary of the troubled star’s passing and we thought it would be a fitting tribute to look back at a fine ball player, an honest man, and a person who dealt with mental health issues in front of the entire world, rare for his time.

His life was the subject of two movies, “Fear Strokes Out” about his battles with mental illness and “The Truth Hurts,” the latter detailing his ouster by the Chicago White Sox organization. He died at the age of 87 on June 3, 2017 in Chicago.

Let’s first note that Piersall was a standout Major League player. According to The Baseball Reference, Piersall played in 1,734 Major League games, collected 1, 604 hits, including 104 home runs, 256 doubles and 52 triples. He batted .272 for his career, drove in 591 runs and scored 811. His best offensive season came with the Boston Red Sox in 1956 when he hit .293, had 14 homers, a league-leading 40 doubles, six triples, drove in 87 runs

and scored 91. The following year he scored 103 runs for the Red Sox, whom he played for from until 1958. He played three years in Cleveland, two in Washington, one year for the New York Mets, and five with and the Los Angeles/California Angels. He retired in 1967 after playing only five games.

He was a two-time All-Star and twice won a Golden Glove for his defensive prowess.

According to Mark Armour in a story on the Society for Baseball Research (SABR) website, Piersall may best known, rather unfortunately, for his nervous breakdown and hospitaliza-

tion during 1952, “an ordeal that led to a best-selling autobiography and two movies.”

Bob Carolla wrote for the National Alliance on mental Illness that on July 20 of 1952, newspapers reported Piersall would “take a rest” on the advice of his physician. “Two weeks later, Piersall woke up in restraints at Westborough State Hospital in Massachusetts. His official diagnosis was manic depression, what we today call bipolar disorder. He had received electroshock therapy and did not remember much of the previous year. His teammates visited him in the hospital,

and he received hundreds of letters from fans. “He thought his career was over,” wrote Armour, but the Red Sox brought him back for the 1953 season.

In 1954, Piersall told his story on a local television show in Chicago, leading to an outpouring of support. He expanded his disclosure in a two-part story in the Saturday Evening Post, entitled “They Called Me Crazy--and I Was”, which led to the publication of Fear Strikes Out, which he wrote with Al Hirshberg, in 1955. Two years later, the book was made into a movie with the same title, starring Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden. Piersall would adapt

The Waterbury Observer an attitude of laughing at his illness, and cultivated a persona based on “zany antics.”

Wrote Armour, “Few could have imagined in 1952 that Piersall would have 15 years of high-level baseball left in him, seasons filled with colorful incidents and episodes, or that he would be employed in baseball for 20 years after that. Whether he was arguing with an umpire, yelling at opposing players from the bench, hiding behind a monument in Yankee Stadium, or running the bases backwards, Jimmy Piersall made baseball fun for many years.”

Although Piersall mainly behaved himself during the six years in Boston after his recovery, he never stopped his on-field clowning with fans, fellow players, and umpires. “He was an entertainer,” wrote Armour. His antics began to draw attention during his years in Cleveland.” He was ejected from three games in 1959, once for charging pitcher Pedro Ramos with his bat. In 1960, in Chicago he was on second base when he began arguing balls and strikes with the home-plate umpire, causing second-base umpire Cal Drummond to eject him. After a violent “chest-on-chest” argument, Piersall retreated to the dugout and threw bats, balls, gloves, and hats out of the dugout. In the second game of that day’s doubleheader he caught the game’s final out in center field, and then threw the ball into the White Sox’ famous electronic scoreboard, shattering several bulbs.

Once, in Boston in 1960, Piersall was ejected for going into a “war dance” in center field to try to distract Ted Williams at bat. Piersall’s seven ejections that year remain the highest total for a player in majorleague history, matched only by the Braves’ Johnny Evers in 1914. In July of 1960 in New York, he hid behind the center-field monuments during a pitching change, and had to be coaxed out to get the game to resume. And, famously, when he hit his 100th career home run he circled the bases backwards.

In 1977, Piersall began a career as a broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox, working beside Hall of Famer Harry Caray. “Theirs was a very productive and popular pairing, but Piersall continually got in hot water with the team for his criticisms of the White Sox players and for his off-color commentary,” wrote Armour. The Chicago Sun-Times once ran a poll asking if Piersall should be fired. Instead he received overwhelming support and kept his job.

Piersall also worked as a part-time outfield coach with the White Sox, but manager Tony LaRussa and the players reportedly forced his dismissal during the 1980 season because of the way he was describing their play during games. What did they expect?

Soon after, reported Armour, Piersall attacked a local writer, Bob Gallas, grabbing him around the throat, apparently because the writer was interviewing players about Piersall. Mike Veeck, the son of the owner, later looked for Piersall in the broadcast booth, and the two had their own scuffle. Bill Veeck forced Piersall to visit a psychiatrist, but when he got a clean bill of health, he again held on to his job.

He worked games through 1982 before his constant bashing of the team caused new owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn to release him from his duties.

Piersall and his first wife, Mary had nine children.

He subsequently married two other times.

Armour opined that if Piersall is most remembered for his nervous breakdown and subsequent career as a clown it is most unfortunate. His two All-Star games, two Gold Gloves (though the award did not start until after his best defensive seasons), and long career “speak briefly to his on-field achievements; his memorable antics speak to his value as an entertainer. He often said that his breakdown was the best thing that ever happened to him--it made him famous. But it also led to his treatment, and six more decades of a remarkable life.”

One of Piersall’s daughters, Eileen Piersall Scherer, wrote on the Waterbury Observer’s Facebook home page that her father “was known as the Waterbury Wizard”, a name he prided in and that apparently irritated some of his Red Sox teammates.

Margarita Richardson wrote, “My father, George

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DeBonis, taught Jimmy Piersall math at Leavenworth High School. My dad would tell us when he came back to Waterbury he would come to see him at Leavenworth. One day he showed the kids the desk in the chair he sat in. He then showed them his initials carved into the wood. My father never knew he had done that. Then everyone wanted to get up and go look at this. My father said he always had kids trying to come in his classroom to see the desk that Jimmy Piersall sat in for math. He also came to our house to visit my family a few times at 187 Plaza Avenue. We all loved him. Mom and dad watched him play basketball and baseball.”

Debra Cappa said that while she did not personally know Piersall, “My mom told me she met him once. And he was one of the most handsome men she ever met.” A comment that was repeated several times on Facebook. By the way, an indication of just how good looking Piersall was that Hollywood icon, James Dean, was reportedly in line for the role of Piersall in Fear Strikes Out before Dean died in a motor vehicle accident prior to the final casting for the film.

Vincent Forte remembered that Casey Stengel called him the best center fielder he ever saw.

Delores Howard wrote that her husband, Richard Howard, was a classmate and close personal friend of Piersall. “For many years, we received Christmas cards from him and his growing family and spent a short time with him when he was honored at Municipal Stadium. I personally spent some time with Jim, especially after a basketball game when he would come to my home where my mom would make waffles for him and Ray Korbisieski , Bob Zinno, and Bernie Sherwell, along with a few of the other players. The family drove to Boston to see the team win the New England championship.”

Delores shared a personal recollection of the “The Waterbury Wizard. “ I was only a freshman at Cros-

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by High School and I will never forget the night Jim was my date at a sorority dance at the YWCA. The girls never stopped buzzing since they had a big star basketball player in their midst that night. At the time I did not know my husband, even though he was a member of the basketball team, and was not introduced to him until April 25, 1948. We are now married 68 years and still talk about that 1947 team as though it was yesterday.”

Armand Soliata remembers Piersall well. “When I was in the seventh grade, Jimmy coached the freshman team at Leavenworth for Bill Tracy. I was his batboy, as I hung around Hamilton and the other parks in Waterbury. Jimmy was my park supervisor during the summer. He coached us in baseball and track. I heard that when he was on the freshmen football team he ran for a 102-yard touchdown.

His father made him quit football because he didn’t want him to get hurt. I remember listening on the radio in 1947 when they won the New England Championship. I also remember his father hitting him fly balls until dark after a game. To me he was an idol.

I also remember him hitting a ball over the fence at Hamilton Park while playing in the city amateur league.”

Bob Carolla wrote, “Some might argue that Piersall perpetuated stigma through outrageous behavior and his embracing of language like `crazy’. But that is perhaps too easy to say now. At the time, going public with mental illness was like breaking the sound barrier. The sonic boom has echoed through the years.”

Piersall’s name is included on NAMI’s “Famous People” poster, which honors individuals whose mental illnesses have enriched our lives. Beyond his high school exploits, home runs, great catches and antics during games, that may be the most lasting contribution the Waterbury Wizard made to sports and society in general.

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My Brother’s Keeper

A powerful image of Waterbury Police Officer Gene Falcone assisting Waterbury Firefighter Tommy Ciarlo at the scene of a 1973 fire found its way onto social media and was widely sharedas been shared in police and fire groups.

The Observer posted it on its Facebook page where it was shared 700 times

and reached 99,000 people in two days.

Here is hoping this dramatic image continues to reach a larger audience in Waterbury. The Finest and the Bravest have incredibly dangerous and difficult jobs, and this image is a reminder that pulling together in the same direction makes us all stronger. Here are a

few of the comments that readers left, many which are directed towards the memory of Officer Falcone, who was deeply respected in the community.

Linda Burmeister - Love Gene Falcone - was great to nurses

John Farren - He was a great man.

Great family, many great memories.

Janessa M. Graves - This is my Grandpa! What a wonderful man. I wish he was still here.

The Waterbury Observer

Karen T Contadini Ciarleglio -

Wonderful man police officer and had a wonderful family. Took swim lessons every summer at the Am Ital civic club!

The best instructor.

Betty Basile - God bless them

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vet and Purple Heart recipient. He was also was a professional boxer with an impressive career. His family still lives here.

Greg Everett - Gene Falcone was a Great Man

Vita Tumkus Ciullo - Was a won- David Gray - I agree. We are all out derful policeman.

Michelle Riddle - Gene Falcone was a good man and a great policemen. My father was a Wtby. policemen with Gene. They were special.

Marie Corbo Humphrey - Gene Diana Ferrucci

Cindy Rosa Lawson - Gene trained

Tom Crowley

- Yes he was a good friend for many years, I miss him..

Jon-Paul Oldham

- I’m proud of how well the two department works together.

Katie Reilly Creem

- Wow, what a moving picture. There are no words to describe the emotion it triggers.

God bless all the men and women who serve their city.

Mike Angelillo

- Officer Falcone thought a First Aid class, when I worked at Two Guys, great guy

me in lifesaving skills in the pool at the Italian American Club in Waterbury.

Everyone loved and respected him.

Joe Cristiano

- Gene taught me how to swim at the Italian American club too. Probably late 60’s or early 70’s.

Colin O’Gillen - Any idea where the

fire was? Excellent picture

John Seman N.Main St.

Colin O’Gillen

Rick Gerlach - 1973, gotta love that rubber gear, brother. Those were the days...

Melissa Miller - Wow Mr. Falcone Tom Roach - Taught me Jr Life Sav-

was so brave. What a nice picture

Chris D’Orso - Tommy Ciarlo was just inducted into Waterbury’s Hank O’Donnell Sports Hall of Fame. In addition to a firefighter he was a WWII

Authentic African Stuff

Tom Roach - I saved my 3 children (one twice) and a woman at work with the mind set Gene Falcon instilled in me.

Michael Lawson - Officer Falcone always good with first aid

- he was a great

Lady Zaps

serving the public. Should be there for each other, always

was my dad’s best friend he was A great man

family friend.

waterburyobserver@gmail.com

ing @ Lakewood Park ... I’ll never forget .. seems like yesterday!!! Made me feel so important !!!!

Patrick Sweeney

orange fireball gloves

- Gotta like the

The Gathering September 21, 2019 Downtown Waterbury

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River Brigade

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In the aftermath of an environmental disaster on the Naugatuck River, Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary formed a River Brigade in the summer of 2018 to pull industrial debris from the watershed. A dozen teenagers were hired and were supervised by river champion Kevin Zak, and Querino Maia of the Waterbury Police Department. The program was run out of PAL on Division Street, and it was so successful, the River Brigade is back at it again this summer,

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By Carmine Capobianco I love living in the past. It’s probably not the greatest way to live one’s life but the past will always be with us. In the recent past, I typed, “I love living in the past.” (I love that that just happened.)

So that past fascinates me. I got chills when I held a Morgan Peace Dollar and thought about all the people before me that spent it on necessities or devil drink. I got excited when I helped my dad overturn the soil in his garden and I would uncover a blue Bromo Seltzer bottle and wonder who had a tummy ache and where did he buy this medicine? I loved coming across old Waterbury papers and looking up the theatre ads and imagining people dressing up and heading over to the Alhambra or the Poli and watching some now lost classic for a few cents.

A wiser person than I said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That was a quote from George Santayana, a Spanish-born American author (1863-1952).

What did he mean? He meant that we need to look at history, really study it so we don’t repeat the stupid mistakes we’ve already made. Of course, we didn’t listen to this because how many wars have we had? How many people still smoke cigarettes? How many people think Kim Kardashian is a true celebrity?

On the upside, some really remarkable things have happened here in the past that we really should repeat – or at least improve upon. Waterbury has had more checkers in its past than a red and white tablecloth at a cheesy Italian restaurant. I’m not here to bring up the horrible things that have happened here. This is mainly because you know most of them. There are some wonderful things that have occurred in Waterbury that maybe you don’t know.

And every once in a while, I’ll talk about a few of them.

Here’s a brilliant guy you may or may not have heard of but two things make him special to me: 1. He was born in my hometown, Waterbury, and 2. He invented the “Bristolphone”. His name was William Henry Bristol and he was born in Waterbury on July 5, 1859. It was the year that Billy the Kid was born and Washington Irving died.

James Buchanan was president and two years later, Abe would be POTUS. And yet, hardly anyone remembers Mr. Bristol.

First Talking Picture Summer 2019

He was brilliant. He had an engineering degree from Stevens Institute of technology and became a professor of mathematics in 1899. No slouch, this one. He patented quite a number of products like steel lacing for industrial belts and the pressure chart recorder – that thing with different color pens that move up and down. So he thought he should manufacture them. In 1889 William, his brother Franklin and his dad Benjamin founded The Bristol Company here in Waterbury.

Here’s how the cool thing started. In 1915, 12 years before “The Jazz Singer”, the first sound motion picture that opened in October of 1927, William invented the “Bristolphone”. This device was capable of recording voices and other sounds with motion in moving pictures.

Thus was born the William H. Bristol Talking Picture Corporation founded to develop the synchronization of sound and picture. The Bristolphone was used across the United States in nearly 100 movie houses. But, William didn’t stop there.

He invented the “Audiophone” which was a public address system used at Grand Central Station and Yankee Stadium which made it more difficult for bad parents to lose their children. He is also credited with developing and manufacturing Wlliam loud speakers, radios, phonograph recorders and power amps (way before Metallica needed them).

Two years after “The Jazz Singer” wowed audiences and other talkies were being made, MGM released “The Great Power”, an independent project that used the “Bristolphone” process.

It was booked into the Capitol Theatre in New York. A little independent with no stars was going to play in one of New York’s most prestigious theaters?

That was an incredible feat by MGM and unfortunately the movie smelled like feet and pretty much closed the same day.

Here’s the story. The movie was based on Myron C. Fagan’s play which was actually produced on Broadway in 1928. It opened on September 11 and ran for a whopping 23 performances.

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For this flop of a film, everybody in the play came to Waterbury to do the movie.

You would think that this play closing so abruptly would have been the end of “The Great Power” but nooooo!

A film was being planned - but not in Hollywood or any major east coast studio. It was going to be shot in Waterbury at W. H. Bristol Talking Pictures Corporation and they were going to use this new-fangled Bristolphone sound system.

The entire cast of the play came to Waterbury on Sunday, September 30.

They planned to start filming the next day. The production would have two directors, playwright Myron C. Fagan and a writer, actor, producer, director

Henry Bristol by the name of Joe Rock. Joe acted in one hundred shorts like “Chop Suey Louie”, “Little Red Robin Hood” and “Knights and Knighties”. He won an Oscar in 1934 for “Krakatoa”, a 23 minute documentary describing the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in the Dutch East Indies. But before all that, he did this. I guess he learned from his mistake.

Joe and Myron decided to film the play exactly as it was staged on Broadway but it looked horrible. The trade paper Variety got a sneak peak of the rushes and wrote that “the sets photographed flat…the players photographed too white.”

A whole week of filming this doomed production ended up in the trash and they rented a suitable set from MGM. Now, two weeks over schedule, they had eaten up $80,000. Do you know

how many bad movies my friends and I could have made for $80,000? Plus that was $80,000 in the early 20th century.

People were seeing ads for the Bristolphone and “The Great Power” by fall of 1928 in publications like Motion Picture News and in Exhibitors Daily Review. It wasn’t until mid-November that it was announced that the film was “nearing completion”.

Several months passed and other “talkies” were being released with bigger stars and better scripts. Producers of “The Great Power” were probably shaking a bit in their proverbial boots about selling the film to theaters. They had a film that was based on a play that ran on Broadway for merely 23 performances, had no real movie stars and other “talkies” by this time had improved sound.

Somehow the film got booked into the Capitol Theatre on Broadway on Saturday, March 23, 1929, probably because the theater was a flagship of MGM’s Loew’s chain.

You would think they would have had a premiere in Waterbury. Jeez.

So, here we have a play that bombed and they turned it into a terrible movie. Variety reported that “Complaints and disorders multiplied so rapidly that the house rushed in Buster Keaton’s ‘Spite Marriage’ to fill the gap.” Six showings and this film proved that it was the “Ishtar” of the 20s.

(I would have said “Gigli” but I was the only American that kind of liked that one.)

Although this fiasco really wasn’t Mr. Bristol’s fault, “The Great Power”, thankfully, wasn’t his claim to fame.

Or notoriety. In fact, it was no one’s claim to anything.

William Henry Bristol was awarded medals at expositions in Chicago in 1893, Paris in 1900, Saint Louis in 1904, San Francisco in 1915 and Philadelphia in 1926. The Franklin institute gave him two awards to honor his distinguished career. His recognition was worldwide and he made major advances in both pure scientific knowledge and industrial technology. He received almost 100 patents during his lifetime and died on June 18, 1930. William was a brilliant man and Waterbury should be proud of his accomplishments here.

He wisely left the movie business and it wasn’t until the late 20th century that films like “Stanley & Iris” and “Psychos in Love” put Waterbury back on the map as the little Hollywood it always should have been.

As always, if you have story ideas, questions or comments, please send them to movieguy58@hotmail.com.

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Welcome 2019 Mantle Series Column and Photographs

By Geraldo Reyes Jr.

As the Summer begins we start thinking of warm weather sports and today for many baseball isn’t one of those options. Things have changed in the past 25 years, there are many other sports to participate in and quite a few children have chosen to play video games, instead of outdoor sports. However, in the city of Waterbury there will be another baseball tournament out at Municipal Stadium, although this year it’s the Mickey Mantle World Series only because there aren’t enough committed teams to travel for the Roberto Clemente World Series.

From July 24-28 the city hosts the best 16 year-old baseball players from the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The teams that have been committed to play thus far are; DBacks from Dallas, TX, Deperados from TX, Champions from Puerto Rico and a host team from Greater Waterbury region.

The expectations are that the defending champions from 2018, Michigan will return to defend their 2018 MMWS triumph.

The plan has 12 teams participating in this year’s MMWS event out at the renovated stadium as the city is finalizing the complete locker room project and a completely renovated ball field, making it a showcase for the city. The opening ceremonies, VIP event and the feature ball game will be held on Wednesday, July 24. The players all arrive on July 23rd for a meet & greet and skills competition.

Everyone is invited and should come out and enjoy the finest U16 baseball in the country. Don’t miss your chance to see the stars of the future as they

compete to become the next Mickey Mantle World Series Champions.

The MMWS has had many talented players and future major leaguers come through at various times over the many years Waterbury has been the host. Players like Nomar Garciparra, Alex Rodriguez (ARod), Ken Griffey Jr and many more. The recent history of players drafted that participated in MMWS are the #2 MLB draft choice, Bobby Witt Jr., who turned down an Oklahoma scholarship and signed with the Royals for $7.8 million dollars. The Kansas City Royals selected the Colleyville Heritage High School (Texas) star shortstop No. 2 overall in the 2019 MLB draft.

Puerto Rico will be a showcase again after missing the tourney last year due to Hurricane Maria recovery efforts. The island was in disarray and sending baseball teams to USA was the last thought on their minds. It was devastating to the island and for many on the mainland here in CT, which has the largest percentage of Puerto Ricans in the USA. The entire process and tourney is a huge economic lift to the city of Waterbury, its businesses, hotels and restaurants. The Mantle & Clemente Series have always fared well in Waterbury and our city tournament leaders; Tony Santore and Ray Brown still wanted to host both, but it just didn’t work for the Clemente Series this year. That’s another blow to the Puerto Rican community who really thrive and enjoyed the 7-8 year olds from all over the country and Canada, especially the little guys from the 3 Champions from Puerto Rico (Juana Diaz 15, Ponce 16,

Carolina 17) who they saw win 3 straight Clemente Series Championships.

Puerto Rico didn’t get an opportunity to return in 2018 due to funding issues and the title went to a deserving New Jersey team. In a conversation with Ray Brown I remember him stating that it wasn’t the same without team Puerto Rico on the field and the attendance was softer than normal. The Waterbury community has strong ties to the Clemente & Mantle Series and sometimes gravitated towards the visiting teams from Puerto Rico, not rooting as strong for local team versus the visitors from Puerto Rico. At the end of the day, winning is great, but it’s all about a total experience for the children and young men who participate and will make life long memories, I met Bryan Garcia in Hartford who played on a California team in the mid 90’s, some years ago, and in a general conversation he said he played in Waterbury and was on the team the year after Nomar Garciparra and had a tremendous time in the city. Bryan Garcia donated to help out with team Puerto Rico expenses for this year. You never know how the dots connect in this world.

Our local talent as well as a variety of tremendous ballplayers from all over the country have shined on warm evenings in years gone by and no one knows when the next ARod, Nomar or Griffey Jr. is going to play at Municipal Stadium on Watertown Ave. Come out and support the players and you just might be watching a future major league superstar.

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Team Puerto Rico is back this year after being sidelined by Hurricane Maria.

A Note On The Wall

A handwritten note found on the wall in Mother Teresa’s room said; People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.

A Note On The Wall If you are successful, you will win some false friends, and some true enemies; be successful anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous; be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

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When Love Died The Waterbury Observer

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Chris Love Was Murdered 25 Years Ago. He Is Not Forgotten

Editor’s Note - Chris Love was murdered on Halloween night in 1993, three days after the first issue of The Waterbury Observer was published by John Murray and Martin Begnal. Murray has thought often of Chris Love the past three decades and wondered how Da Ghetto and an impassioned group of young men might have influenced political power in the city.

If Chris Love hadn’t been stolen from us at the tender age of 26 things would be different in Waterbury right now, and in a positive way. With a last name of Love, and on a mission to heal and help the local black community, Love would have rocked this city.

A group of his friends (including Susan Goodman, Warren Leach, David Love and Brian Mallory have organized a breakfast fund raiser in June to create a scholarship in Chris Love’s name, and the Observer is re-running an article we published in 1996 to bring awareness back to the promise of Chris Love, who was taken from us much too soon.)

Story by John Murray Chris Love was different than most people he grew up with in the North Square, but he would have been the last one to tell you that. He had a thirst for books and education that helped blaze a trail that brought him to the pinnacle of higher education – a doctorate degree from the University of Rhode Island.

And with a world of possibilities opening up to Love, he decided to come back home to Waterbury in 1993 to help launch a newspaper in the black community called Da Ghetto. He wouldn’t do it alone, of course, he had his friends and family involved too: Paul Maurice, Chris Hadley, Martin Hayre, Brian Mallory, Steve Saunders, Paul Yates and Mark Yates.

But Chris Love was the engine that was going to make Da Ghetto purr. In the first issue published in July 1993 Love wrote a front-page story entitled, “Five-O: Protector or Oppressor?” which examined whether, “cops are here to protect us or control us?”

Love wrote about Black Independence and the black community’s journey from slavery to welfare where “Massa” had evolved from plantation owner to policy maker.

In the second issue of Da Ghetto Love wrote about the misguided focus young black males placed on the game of basketball. “If one adds up all of the black men in the Waterburys, New Havens, Hartfords and Bridgeports across America there are at least hundreds of thousands of brothers being lost to the love of the game and the unrealistic pursuit of it as a career.”

It was real talk coming from an educated brother who was also a scholastic basketball star. Chris Love and Da

Ghetto were going to challenge and rock the black community of Waterbury. They men had big plans, but all that ended in one horrible instant outside Casa Mia Restaurant, October 29, 1993 during a fund raiser to buy a new computer for Da Ghetto. A bullet fired in anger silenced Chris Love and all the hope and vigor of this young and vital man.

Much has been written about the murder and death of Chris Love, but it was his life that moved us. It was a life filled with promise.

Chris entered into the world prematurely on March 31, 1967 weighing a tad over three pounds. He was the only son of Beverly Love and spent

much of his life with his grandmother, Hattie Love.

“Chris entered into the world struggling,” Hattie told the Observer in May 1996, “but he was a fighter, so full of spirit and energy.”

When Chris was three years old his mother enrolled him early into Headstart and he ended up earning two diplomas from the program. His love of education and diplomas started early.

Hattie Love had thirteen grandsons and three granddaughters. Most of the boys were older and bigger than Chris.

Many of his cousins played basketball and one cousin, Marty Hayre, was an all state, all-American player.

“He loved books and basketball,” his

cousin, John Roscoe said. “We were always playing basketball together and Chris loved to compete.”

Many of those games were played “in the back of the rec”, or behind the North End Recreation Center. Brian Mallory was one of Chris Love’s best fiends and they used to lower the rims at the playground and pretend to be Dr. J dunking the ball.

“Chris had a great jump shot,” Mallory recalled, “and was an excellent one-on-one player.”

The young men used to get in spirited games of one-on-one where ten guys would line up in a row. The first two guys would play one-on-one until the first point was scored. The loser would

The Waterbury Observer go to the back of the line and the winner would take on the next comer. The game would continue until someone in the line scored 11 points. Mallory said Love was especially adept at that game, always thinking things through, analyzing how he could take the next guy.

Chris graduated from Sacred Heart Grammar School and then he and his Mom moved to Ohio for a while. He eventually returned and attended Kennedy High School. His grandmother said Chris was always eager to study and learn, and seldom needed prompting in schooling. “He loved school,” she said. “It came natural to him.”

He was athletic too.

At Kennedy he was the star point guard and a popular classmate to his peers. A look at his 1985 Kennedy High School yearbook reveals that he was voted “Mr. Kennedy” in his senior year and voted “Most Flirtatious” by his peers. A picture of Chris in the class superlative section shows a happy young man surrounded by a group of swooning coeds.

Under his class picture Chris stated his ambition was “to live a happy life” and noted his favorite expression was “I should have stayed home.”

Ironically, if he had stayed home that fateful autumn night in 1993, Chris Love would most likely be alive today.

He would also have completed his doctorate studies at URI. “He used to walk around the house saying he was gonna be Dr. Love, I’m gonna be Dr. Love.” Hattie Love said. “He said, ‘Grandma, I’m going to make you so proud of me.”

After high school Chris went to Hampton University in Virginia but came home after a year. He didn’t like Virginia so he enrolled at Teikyo Post in Waterbury. While at Post he excelled academically and athletically and was the star point guard of the basketball team.

In his senior year, Chris led the team in scoring and finished his career with 999 points. He was one of the best free throw shooters in the nation, canning 60 out of 65 attempts. During one torrid stretch he hit 35 free throw shots in a row, 11 short of the national record.

In an article in the Republican-American newspaper written by P.J. Conway, Love was quoted saying “A lot of kids coming out of high school, especially athletes, want to go to so-called bigtime schools. My advice to them is look at college first for an education, and then worry about sports.”

At the end of his senior year Chris Love sat out the final regular season game in protest “for something I really believe in,” he told the RepublicanAmerican. As a consequence, he was suspended by coach Bob Freeman for a post season game and he ended his career on the side lines.

Love said at the time that he took a stand for the good of the Post program “now and in the future” and was on hand for the games to cheer his teammates onward.

Michael Mallory was a teammate of Love’s at Teikyo Post and recalled the incident. He said after one game the team boarded a bus and was missing out on lunch. Not only were they miss-

BEST OF WATERBURY 20189

ing out on school lunch, but the school wasn’t giving them any money to buy food on the road.

Chris was the captain of the team and he stood up on the bus and said it was unfair. He told Coach Freeman that the situation wasn’t right. The school was using the players.

“The coach agreed with him, but said it was out of his control,” Mallory said.

“But Chris told him if it happened again he was going to stand up and get off the bus. A bunch of players agreed with him.”

Well the incident happened again, and Chris took a stand and left the bus.

Two other payers followed him and all three were suspended.

“Chris took a stand,” Mallory said.

“It was very painful for him, but he did what he thought was right.”

“He did it for principal,” his lifelong friend Brian Mallory said. “It was total Chris.”

During the summers Chris always worked. He spent two summers working in Litchfield County at a Wilderness School. He was a graduate assistant counselor of multi-cultural relations at Naugatuck Community Technical College, worked with DCYS in East Hartford and was a social worker in Waterbury.

Chris Love was a man on the go.

When he was gunned down he was twenty-six years old. He had spent the last 23 years of his life in school. After Teikyo Post he went to Fairfield University and earned a Master’s Degree in applied psychology.

Twanna Marshall was a life-long

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friend and said she enjoyed hanging around with Chris. “I was always learning from Chris,” she said. “He would come home and talk about psychology and the history of African Americans. He enlightened us and nurtured us. He was a teacher.”

At picnics and gatherings people would listen to Chris Love talk about a wide array of subjects. “He had so much knowledge and insight,” Marshall said. “People would love to listen to him talk. We were all so impressed by him, so young and with so much education.”

Twanna said Chris enjoyed family companionship and had a lot of lady friends. “He always wanted to know how we women felt about an issue,” she said. “He was so interested in psychology and understanding how our minds worked.”

Da Ghetto

In January of 1993 Chris and Brian Mallory went out to a club, High Pockets, and had a life altering conversation. Both men were college graduates and wanted to do something positive in Waterbury.

“Then Chris broke it down to me,” Mallory recalled. “He told me he wanted to start a newsletter in the community.”

Mallory said okay, whatever. “If Chris Love was going to do it, I knew it would be good. He’d have all the professors at school involved and it would be wonderful.”

But that’s not what Chris had in

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mind. He didn’t want professors and academics to write the newsletter. He wanted community-based people, he wanted his friends he grew up with to help him start the newsletter.

“That was the beauty of his idea,” Mallory said, “He picked people from totally different circumstances. One was a family man, one was a working man and one knew the streets really well. He got together a whole bunch of different personalities.”

The idea continued to be bandied about by Chris and friends until an incident provided the catalyst to publish the newsletter now.

After graduating from Fairfield with his Master’s Degree, Chris decided to throw a party behind the North End Recreation Center. The building was also behind his grandmother’s home, so the location was ideal for Love and his friends.

“It was the party of the year,” Brian Mallory recalled. “It went for two days, there was no violence and everybody was peaceful, just enjoying one another’s company.”

That is until the cops showed up.

According to several witnesses the police showed up and ordered the party disbanded. There were no questions asked, only orders given. The party ended abruptly. The incident troubled Chris and inspired him to get his newsletter off the ground immediately.

Chris called a meeting with his friends June 7th and they began to seriously discuss the newsletter. The meeting took place behind Hattie Love’s apartment off North Elm Street. Attending the meeting were Chris Hadley, Brian Mallory, Paul Yates, Paul Maurice, Martin Hayre, Stevie Saunders and Mark Yates.

The meeting started casually and then Chris Love called the meeting to order. The group worked on a mission statement for their newsletter, which was going to be called Da Ghetto.

There were five points in the mission statement. 1. Distribute information to the people, 2. Enhance the awareness of the community, 3. Stimulation of African mentality, 4. Improve the quality of life, 5. Bring about unity in the black community.

Chris Love owned the computer used to produce Da Ghetto and he became editor and chief of the operation. The computer was in his bedroom in his grandmother’s apartment. It was to be the nucleus of the operation. Everybody was given different assignments and Chris helped guide and encourage his friends along. Chris inputted all the copy in his computer, laid out the newsletter and brought the mechanicals to a print shop.

On July 1st, 1993, the first issue of Da Ghetto hit the streets. And in the first issue Chris pulled no punches in recounting the police break-up of his party. “Imagine,” he wrote, “200 ‘Negroes’ in the same place, eating, drinking and enjoying one another without any trouble. None!!! That was something to celebrate in itself.”

He further went on to question if a similar party held along Highland Avenue in the Town Plot section of Waterbury would have resulted in the same

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police response. He said the police ran blacks out of Lakewood Park and wouldn’t allow them to part at Fulton Park.

“So where do we go, in the square part so ‘they’ can know where al the ‘niggas’ are in order to ensure ghetto control.” He ended his column asking if “the cops are here to protect us, or are they here to control us?”

Six hundred copies of Da Ghetto were distributed throughout the North End of the city. There were piles placed in barber shops, beauty salons and grocery stores. The reaction was mostly positive and the group met every week to discuss the newsletter and issues of importance. They were also trying to keep their ears on the street.

“We didn’t always agree,” Brian Murphy said. “But we always appreciated what each of us brought to the table.”

Fateful Party

Over the next few months the group published another issue of Da Ghetto, and according to Mallory, the group was becoming a tight knit family. In September, Chris went of to URI to begin his doctorate program. The other seven guys began planning a fund raiser so they could buy a computer. When Chris went to school he took his computer with him, so the group needed to raise money to purchase their own equipment.

On the night of the fund raiser, October 29, 1993, no one in the group expected Chris to be in attendance. But he delighted surprising people and he made the long journey home so he could show his support for the Da Ghetto. When he arrived at his grandmother’s house he showed her one of his new graduate school books and said he would be home early in the evening to study. He was planning to head back to URI the first thing in the morning.

He called some of the guys up and found out that they were wearing fatigues to the Halloween party at Casa Mia. Chris borrowed some clothes and dressed up like the other founders of Da Ghetto. He headed up to the party with some of his friends. Casa Mia was packed.

The fund raiser was so over crowed that the police had to break it up. One of the party goers, Derek Maia, was in a hostile, aggressive mood. His behavior was later described by State’s Attorney, John Connelly during the subsequent murder trial as “antagonistic, angry, in a rage like a typhoon.”

Maia punched Paul Yates in the face and was restrained by his older brother Andre Maia. Derek Maia was angry he paid five dollars for the fund raiser and there was no food or drink left.

The party was closing down. He was given twenty dollars and thrown out of the party.

What impact would this bright and vital man have had on the city of Waterbury? It’s a haunting question......

After being thrown out for his unruly behavior Derek Maia went to a friend’s house to get a gun. As Connelly stated in his closing argument, “Derek went back to the party to show everybody who the boss was. You don’t fool around with Derek Maia. He’s a tough guy. He’s going to be the big man and he returned to the party with an equalizer – a gun.”

When Maia returned to the party Chris Love was walking towards his car. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. He crossed paths with a typhoon. According to witnesses at the trial Maia walked up to Chris shouting “Whoa, C. Love, Ph.D. Love, where are your boys now?”

Maia pulled out the gun and from 18 inches away, shot Love in the face.

The bullet shattered Chris’s glasses, his right eye, and made a deadly slice across his brain. Chris Love collapsed to the ground unconscious. He died two days later at St. Mary’s Hospital.

“They took all my strength, Hattie Love said. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.”

Chris’s family and friends were devastated, but so was the community as a whole. Not just the black community

either. Love had touched the city with his message of hope. As the community struggled to come to grips with his senseless death an outpouring of goodwill swept across the footprints Chris Love had left in his path. Scholarships in his honor are now given out at Kennedy High School, Teikyo Post, Naugatuck Community College, Fairfield University and University of Rhode Island.

“Chris may be gone but his legacy will live on.” John Roscoe said. “He tried to help the community and help his friends. He pushed education and wanted people to know about the possibilities out there for us. Chris loved kids and would always talk to them about getting an education.”

Hattie Love said Chris’s life has had an enormous impact on youngsters in the black community. “Some of the little boys around here are trying to walk in his shoes,” she said. “They are studying hard. They are inspired by his life.”

During the months after his death the other members of Da Ghetto published two more issues, but the energy and focus was lost with Chris death.

“Everybody in the group has a dif-

ferent reason why we don’t publish anymore,” Brian Mallory said. “It’s a sensitive subject. But I think without Chris it was very difficult. It’s very hard to maintain someone else’s vision and there was some wear and tear with that.”

In 1996 Mallory told the Observer that he thought about Chris all the time and pondered what life would be like if he were still alive. “I know we’d have a computer and we’d still be publishing Da Ghetto,” Mallory said. “But I wonder what Chris would have said about the Simpson trial, the Million Man March and rap music.”

To many in the community it was more than Chris Love that was gunned down that night. “A lot of hope was gunned down too.” Mallory said. “It scared a lot of us that you could get killed for nothing. You can be the nicest guy in the world and somebody can put a bullet in your head.”

When talking about his friend, Mallory recalled watching a PBS documentary with Chris several years ago.

It showed Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. getting assassinated and showed leaders of the Black Panthers getting gunned down.

“Chris was overwhelmed with how young all these guys were,” Mallory said. “And he started talking about how life would have been different if they had all lived into their 70s and 80s.”

Mallory is haunted by that conversation. He finds himself wondering all the time about Chris and where his life was going. What positive things was the young doctor going to do in Waterbury, and beyond?

When pondering the same question the Love family takes solace in a poem written by Elizabeth Barret Browning.

Hattie Love has been reciting the poem since she was in the sixth grade back in 1927. It is a family favorite.

“If I can stop one heart from breaking.

I shall not live in vain. If I can stop one life from aching, or ease one’s pain, or help one fasting robin back to his nest again, I shall not live in vain.”

Hattie Love recited the poem in the living room of her home back in May 1996. Three days before, Derek Maia had been convicted of murdering her grandson. Maia will in all likelihood spend the rest of his life in prison. But Hattie Love wasn’t thinking about Derek Maia, or revenge. She was thinking about Chris and his life. Outside the wind whipped through the projects in the North Square. The rain pelted against the windows in Hattie’s apartment. After reciting the poem, she stopped for a moment to reflect. “His life wasn’t in vain,” she said. “In his short life he brought great happiness to many people. His life was not in vain.”

•

The Ungroup Society, the Love Family and the NVCC Foundation is organized a Scholarship Breakfast at NVCC on June 29th. Donations can be sent to NVCC Foundation, C/O Angela Chapman 750 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, CT 06708 and put Chris Love Scholarship on check or money order.

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Waterbury Student Wins Fulbright Fellowship

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The Waterbury Observer

Waterbury native Krysta Scriven had never traveled beyond the eastern United States before attending Western Connecticut State University as a freshman in 2015. Currently a senior preparing to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and a minor in Linguistics, Scriven has racked up plenty of frequent flier miles during her four years at WCSU with educational experiences that have included stops in Bulgaria, England, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Greece and Ireland.

Now, thanks to her receipt of a Fulbright Fellowship, Scriven will return to Bulgaria next September to serve as an English language teaching assistant at a top-rated high school in Vidin, Bulgaria. She is the sixth WCSU student in the past decade to earn a coveted Fulbright award.

Scriven, a graduate of Waterbury’s Kennedy High School, initially enrolled at WCSU as a science major, but soon switched her focus to writing and later, linguistics.

“I started with what I thought would make money and be practical,” she said. “I switched to what I like and enjoy.”

While at WCSU, Scriven participated in the university’s Kathwari Honors Program; had an internship in the WCSU Office of Publications and Design; and served as a Teaching Assistant, a Student Ambassador in the Admissions Office and is an RA in a residence hall. She’s also a member of the National Society for Leadership and Success and has won the Ronald K. Goodrich Award for Outstanding History Based Research Essay and the Peter Lyons Award for University Service.

As a professional writing major, she worked as a tutor in the university’s Writing Center in the Ruth A. Haas Library. It was there during her freshman year that she first saw a poster for a travel opportunity with Assistant Professor of Social Sciences Dr. Jeannie Hatcherson to volunteer over the summer to work at an orphanage in Bulgaria. Scriven said she saw the poster around the same time she was formally changing her major.

“I was in the midst of thinking about changing my major, and I was a little lost at the time,” Scriven said. “The trip cemented my career choice — working with children. It also led to the discovery that I’m really into linguistics. I taught myself Bulgarian so that I could better communicate with the children there and help them more.”

Hatcherson said, “I met Krysta as a 19-year-old freshman when she volunteered for the summer service learning trip to Bulgaria that I had organized through Corawill. Everything about international travel was new to her, so she booked a flight with Emilia, a well-traveled graduating senior of Polish descent, and the two shared a room throughout the trip.

“Since that first experience, I have watched Krysta blossom into an accomplished academic in the Honors Program; a peer leader and teacher, sharing her knowledge, guiding and creating overseas opportunities for other students; and an empathetic, compassionate volunteer caring for people and animals by volunteering in Bulgaria and Greece. That first trip ignited Krysta’s love for travel and languages. The next semester she studied abroad as part of the International Student Exchange Program in England, using her free time to explore Europe.”

Scriven also engaged in a sea turtle conservation experience in Greece, shepherding hatchlings into the sea.

Professor of Writing, Linguistics and Creative Process Dr. Patrick Ryan was one of Scriven’s writing instructors and authored one of her Fulbright recommendation letters.

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“Last summer, Krysta combined her compassionate impulse to help others with her deep interest in other cultures when she organized a trip for WCSU students to Vratsa, Bulgaria, where they volunteered

tantship in Vidin, Bulgaria, about an hour train ride away from the orphanage.

Scriven, of course, has already figured out how to visit the children she has come to love in Vratsa, which comes as no surprise to Hatcherson.

“I was very impressed that after the first year, she revitalized the Humanitarian Travel Club,” Hatcherson said. “After the summer 2017 trip, she worked with the Honors Club to secure funding for 20 students who traveled to Bulgaria in 2018. For the summer 2019 trip, she worked closely with this year’s sponsor, the WCSU Rotaract Club, and will again be an adviser for the group, making this her fourth trip with Corawill to Bulgaria.

At the Assen Zlaterov Social Home in Vratsa, Krysta is wonderful with the children. She is their champion, coach and English teacher.”

After her Fulbright year in Vidin, Scriven plans to head to Guatemala as part of another sea turtle conservation effort and to teach local children English.

From there, she plans to obtain a Master of Arts in Teaching in order to move to Dubai to teach English there.

“There are so many beautiful and fascinating countries,” Scriven said. “I want to be an English teacher all over the world. I want to be a nomad.”

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“There are so many beautiful and fascinating countries,” Scriven said. “I want to be an English teacher all over the world.

I want to be a nomad.” at an orphanage,” Ryan said. “Krysta engaged a native speaker of Bulgarian to teach her the language, an undertaking rendered more difficult by its use of the Cyrillic alphabet. In addition to studying Bulgarian, she took courses in Arabic, undeterred by current prejudices against Arabic culture. These are examples of what made her an ideal candidate for the Fulbright.”

Scriven’s fourth trip with Hatcherson to Vratsa, Bulgaria, will take place this summer. When fall arrives, she will begin her Fulbright Teaching Assis-

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Clay Johnson

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Best Photographer

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Spanish American League of Social Activities Men’s Softball League (Spring/Summer), High School Boys Pre-season Basketball League (Fall) Men’s Women’s, and Youth Indoor Soccer (Fall/Winter/Spring), Men’s Outdoor Soccer (Spring/Summer/Fall), High School Boys Baseball League (Fall)

South End Husky coaches were Byron Heron, Billy Finley, Victor Cuevas and Jessica Battista

For More InformationCall 1-203-574-8342

South End Huskies (8th Graders) 2019 Fairfield County Basketball League State Champions

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SHOWCASE REALTY

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for Voting Us Greater Waterbury’s

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12 Years in a Row!!

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We are locally owned and operated and we are dedicated to guiding each client through the process – from contract to keys!

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State Rep. Geraldo Reyes Jr.

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“Doggone it, quality and value does matter. That’s why Jake’s Auto Body is my shop of choice” Th

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“We thank the Brass City and its neighbors for again selecting Jake’s as Waterbury’s best.

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September 21st, 2019 Raindate September 22nd

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Working together, the organizations of Waterbury HEALTH are providing comprehensive, high quality care to our community. From primary and specialty medical care to acute and emergency healthcare services to home health and rehab services, Waterbury HEALTH offers a vast network of services to help keep you healthy and well and take care of you when you are sick or injured. That’s the Power of WE.

The Greater Waterbury Health Network is now...