Churches

MLK, Jr. Remembered

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This year’s interfaith service at the Third Baptist Church honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, January 21, was held almost five weeks later on February 24, and that was two years after the last such observance in town – both delays having been caused by weather problems – but the event made up for the delays with its enthusiastic spirit and the forcefulness of the messages offered. The little church was close to full when Suffield’s Interfaith Choir and members of Third Baptist marched slowly in with the customary powerful opening spiritual, We Come This Way by Faith. Portions of the service were led by representatives of three Christian churches plus the Islamic, Jewish, and Baha’i faiths, including readings significant to the occasion. Hana Saleh of the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts summed up the spirit of the occasion with one of King’s excellent quotes and added “Let’s work together to fulfill Dr. King’s Dream!”

The main message of the afternoon was delivered in a traditional manner by Third Baptist’s new pastor, Rev. David E Penn, with the expected enthusiastic response from his audience. Perhaps in deference to the interfaith audience, his address was not overlong, but he had time to make strong points about the need to overcome hatred and intolerance, likening the task to David’s task against Goliath.

Suffield 350th Anniversary Committee

Be a 350th Sponsor

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The 350th Committee has lots of exciting events, programs and projects in the works for Suffield’s anniversary celebration, and we need your financial support now to make them a reality. Please consider becoming a 350th Sponsor. There are multiple levels of sponsorship available with recognition at events and in promotional materials. To learn more about sponsorship levels please check www.tinyurl.com/Sponsor350, send an eMail to Suffield350@gmail.com or leave us a message at 860-758-0115. Thank You!

Suffield 350th Anniversary Committee

What’s Your Suffield Story?

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One plan for Suffield’s 350th anniversary celebration is to republish Robert Alcorn’s book, The Biography of a Town, along with a Volume 2, which would be a compilation of Suffield stories from the last 50 years that brings us from the late 1960s, when Alcorn’s book left off, through the past 50 years to 2020. Our tentative idea is to call it 50 Stories for 50 Years. We are looking for residents (or former residents) who have a story to tell. The stories might be about growing up in Suffield, about the farming community, about your church, your committees, your non-profit group, education, real estate, development in town, etc. and how these stories have evolved over the past 50 years from the 1960s to now.

Suffield 350th Anniversary Committee

Suffield 350th Trivia Quiz – April Questions

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1. A man born in Suffield, although ordained as a minister, preached a popular vegetarian “religion.” He urged his listeners to eat dark, coarse bread and crackers and abstain from meat. Who was he? a. Virgin Graham

b. Lindsey Graham

c. Bob Red Mill 

d. Sylvester Graham

2. In 1841, President Benjamin Harrison named Francis Granger of Suffield to be the Postmaster General of the United States.

Farming/Nature

Bee Boxes Built

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In recent years, the news has spread that our local flora, including essential food crops, is threatened by the shrinking population of pollinating bees. So on March 3, about 50 people interested in doing something about it gathered at the Second Baptist Church at 3 p.m. in a program sponsored by the Green Team of the church, the Friends of the Farm at Hilltop, and the Suffield Land Conservancy.

Government/Town

Officer Osowiecki Retires but Keeps Teaching

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Officer Peter Osowiecki has retired from the Suffield police force, but he has not retired from duty—not at all. On the contrary, his career has morphed into a new phase. Now he has the time and energy to pursue his greatest passion, which is the training of police dogs for the K-Nine Corps, something he has been doing here in Suffield, and also on a larger scale, since 2005. At the moment he has three highly trained dogs that serve the Suffield police but live at Osowiecki’s home. Officer Osowiecki is certified by the North American Police Work Dog Association as a master trainer, one qualified to teach others this important skill.

Suffield Observations

You can come home again

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There was this place in my hometown of Monroe, N.Y., that one summer was the rage among the “in-crowd.” By “place,” I mean an outdoor bar in the middle of a dusty parking lot, and by “in-crowd,” I mean the stereotypical popular types.