A Year in the Life of the Observer Trivia

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1. Thea Coburn, an active participant in Suffield concerns, was the subject of an article written by Jane and Sam Fuller in June 2003. What organization(s) was Thea instrumental in forming?

a. Suffield Land Conservancy
b. Suffield League of Women Voters
c. Suffield on the Green

2. Did the Boston Red Sox play in Windsor Locks? In April 2004, Mary Anne Zak wrote about the Southend Baseball Park, built by Peter Paganelli (Dorothy DeForge’s grandfather) in 1921, which could seat nearly 4,000 baseball fans. Yes or No?

3. Willis Seaver Adams was one of Suffield’s notable sons. Mary Anne Zak wrote about him in May 2004. Who was he?

a. A major league baseball player
b. A painter
c. A president of the University of Chicago

4. Did the original Sacred Heart Church built in 1886 have a steeple? A photograph of the old church was printed in the June 2004 issue. Yes or No?

5. Before the first Sacred Heart Church was built, how did Suffield/West Suffield Catholics worship, according to Mary Anne Zak in the July/August 2004 Observer? Select all answers which are correct.

a. Missionary priests from Windsor Locks offered Mass every 4 to 6 weeks in private homes.
b. Masses were offered in Academy Hall.
c. They attended Mass in other towns.

6. The historic Oliver Hanchett house, which was situated diagonally across from Spaulding School on Mountain Road, was the subject of an article written by Lester Smith in July/August 2004. What happened to the house?

a. It was demolished.
b. It was moved to a new location.
c. It was bought by a musician popular in the 1970s and 1980s.

7. Hawley Rising, whose ancestors arrived in Suffield in 1677, gave a priceless gift to the Suffield Historical Society when he moved to Florida according to Jane and Sam Fuller in September 2004. What was the gift?

a. The barn located behind the King House Museum
b. An account book of John Pynchon who founded Suffield.
c. Photographs of old Suffield.

8. Noting that there was a shortage of flu vaccines in a December 2004/January 2005 article, Lester Smith wrote about how Suffield fared in the flu epidemic of 1918. How many Suffield residents died from the flu during that time?

a. 21
b. 11
c. 31

9. Jan Brett, a popular children’s author and illustrator, became friends with Norm and Arlene Coulter who owned an award-winning farm at the corner of Hale and Taintor Streets. Brett also dedicated a book to the Coulter’s granddaughter, Bethany Fusiek. What was the cause of the friendship according to Lester Smith in February 2005?

a. Brett wanted to buy the property located next to the Coulter farm.
b. Brett bought two Silkey hens from the Coulters.
c. Bethany won a contest to be a model for one of Brett’s books.

10. In March 2005, Rick Stromoski, Suffield’s resident cartoonist, appeared in a photo sporting a tuxedo. What was the occasion?

a. He got married.
b. One of his cartoons appeared in the Observer.
c. He became the new president of the National Cartoonists Society.

Answers:
1. Answers a. and b. are correct.
2. No, the Red Sox were scheduled to play but the game was called off because of rain. It was to have been an exhibition game against local men in a champion Holy Cross team. The ballpark was located in the area where I-91 crosses Route 159 in Windsor Locks.
3. b. A painter. He was renowned for his 1876 portrait of Governor Rutherford B. Hayes, who later became president. The portrait was one of over 400 works attributed to Adams.
4. Yes, the original Sacred Heart Church had a steeple.
5. All answers are correct.
6. Answers b. and c. are correct. It was bought by Daryl Hall, one part of the Hall and Oats musical duo. The house was taken apart and reassembled in New Milford, New York. Lester updated the progress of the house in April and October 2005.
7. c. Photographs of old Suffield.
8. a. 21. Suffield’s flu mortality was about the same as the country’s: 21 dead out of a population close to 4000, or about one in 200.
9. b. Brett bought two Silkey hens from the Coulters. One of the hens, “Miss Rose” has appeared in several of Brett’s books.
10. c. He became the new president of the National Cartoonists Society. Rick published many of his cartoons the Observer.

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