Organizations

Volunteer Appreciation at Hilltop

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Torrential rain was not an auspicious start to Saturday, August 4, but the afternoon turned lovely for the Volunteer Appreciation Picnic hosted by The Friends of the Farm at Hilltop. Joan and Tom Heffernan of Suffield were honored as FOFAH’s 2018 “Volunteers of the Year.”

Joan is an amazing gardener! She takes care of the landscaping around the two historic farmhouses and has been a big help with the butterfly, hummingbird, and pollinator gardens. Joan and husband Tom have also taken on creation of the new “corn crib” garden on the east side of the farmstead. Last, but not least, Joan is quick to share the beautiful nature photos she takes around the farm and the open space.

Organizations

A Colorful Boat Parade

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It’s not the kind of parade with marchers in step, but the motif was Patriotism, and patriotic spirit was certainly evident with the splendid red, white, and blue trappings on many of the boats that circled Middle Pond on Saturday, July 7. This traditional event held by Citizens Restoring Congamond was bigger than ever this year. The event began at about 5:00 p.m. with music from the PA system to entertain as boats gathered at anchor in front of the performance stage at Babb’s Beach. Some headed in to tie up on the beach, carefully avoiding the half-dozen kids swimming. (Signs warned that no life guard was on duty.)

This being an Independence Day celebration, the event started with Kristina Perez, 12, singing “God Bless America,” followed by “America the Beautiful.” Kristina, from Avon, is the granddaughter of Scott and Ginny Graves.

Organizations

Arts Festival Off to a Good Start

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The wide-ranging presentations at the Suffield Arts Festival offered the town an opportunity to enjoy a free sample of local music, dance, drama, mime, comedy, painting, crafts and more. The Suffield Youth Theater (SYT), always adventurous, tackled this as their summer event on Saturday, July 14. There was much to enjoy. In addition to SYT regulars, there were performers from the Around Town Two singers, Red Door Theater, Springfield Drama Studio, Moxie Dance Center (West Hartford), Suffield High’s Improv Club, the “Time Was” trio and musicians and artisans and artists of various genres. Several large tents were set up, and as this was an all-day affair, SYT arranged for a variety of food vendors and other amenities.

Schools/Sports

Building Skills at Summer Camp

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The sound of almost two dozen basketballs being dribbled at once is something like quiet thunder. That’s what was going on in Suffield Academy’s parking lot off Mountain Road near the end of July, when Basketball World’s summer day camp was in session. Four sturdy portable hoops were set up on the lot, and Coach Scott Wissel was training a batch of enthusiastic boys of various sizes – generally 8 to 12 years old. Other campers were elsewhere on campus, being trained by Coach Paul Wissel, Scott’s brother, and several athlete counselors. Scott and Paul are the co-directors of the camp.

Schools/Sports

SMS Welcomes New Principal

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In early August, Mr. Ken Smith was hired as the new principal at Suffield Middle School. Smith, a graduate of UConn with a Masters in Secondary English, went on to teach seventh grade English in Portland, Conn., for eight years.

Schools/Sports

Local Coach Heading for Hall of Fame

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The Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame is proud to announce Heather (Waters) Casinghino, head field hockey coach at Suffield High School, is among those who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Aqua-Turf Club in Southington on Sunday, September 16.