If you’re filling your countertop food scrap bin too quickly and making frequent trips to the town dumpster, Sustainable Suffield’s six-gallon pail with a locking lid could be the solution, according to Co-chair Anna-Kristin Daub-Murphy. It measures 13 ½” diameter at the top, 12 ¼” diameter at the bottom and 13 5/8” tall with the lid locked on. She suggested that you put it in your breezeway, garage or cellar and dump your countertop contents into it to reduce your dumpster visits. She said you can dispose of food scraps loosely, in biodegradable bags, or even in paper grocery bags. Free, three-gallon biodegradable bags for countertop bins are available from the library and from Colin Moll’s assistant, Kris Lambert, on the second floor of the Town Hall.
Homemade Cookies Day – October 1 “OCD- Obsessive Cookie Disorder” – Cookie Monster “A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.” – Barbara Johnson “I love watching keep-fit videos while munching chocolate chip cookies.” – Dolly Parton International Day of Non-Violence – October 2 “Non-violence is the summit of bravery.” – Mahatma Gandhi “In spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace” – Martin Luther King, Jr. “Nonviolence doesn’t always work – but violence never does.” – Madge Micheels-Cyrus World Teacher Day – October 5 “It’s the teacher that makes the difference, not the classroom.” – Michael Morpurgo “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” – B.B. King “Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers.” – Josef Albers “Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.” – Colleen Wilcox Eleanor Roosevelt born – October 11, 1884 “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss event; small minds discuss people.” – E. Roosevelt “I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity.” – ER “In all our contacts it is probably the sense of being really needed and wanted which gives us the greatest satisfaction and creates the most lasting bond.” – ER Farmer’s Day – October 12 “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower “My grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, and a preacher. But every day, three times a day, you need a farmer.” – Brenda Schoepp “Bailing twine turns every farmer into MacGyver.”
The first meeting of the Polish Heritage Society was held on Tuesday, October 24, 2007. The group was co-founded by Harry Kozikowski and Mary Anne (Kelly) Zak, with a lot of help from Lorraine (Kulas) Rapacki. The inaugural members of the group defined their mission to collect, preserve, and perpetuate the history and culture of Polish immigrants who began arriving in the Suffield area in the late 1890s. The Suffield Historical Society adopted the PHS as a subcommittee in the spring of 2007.In the early years, the PHS, predominantly comprising first-generation Polish Americans, made significant strides in documenting their family histories and interviewing others to gather more information about the immigrants who came to Suffield. These invaluable histories are now housed in the archive room of Kent Memorial Library.
ByBy Suffield Fire Department Captain Brian Gauthier |
REASONSStructure fireMobile property (vehicle) fireNatural Vegetation fireEmergency medical service (EMS) incidentCombustible/flammable spills & leaksChemical release, reaction or toxic conditionElectrical wiring/equipment problemService call, otherPerson in distressWater problemSmoke, odor problemPublic service assistanceUnauthorized burningDispatched and canceled en routeWrong location, no emergency foundSteam, other gas mistaken for smokeFalse alarm and false call, otherSystem or detector malfunctionUnintentional system/detector operation (no fire)TOTAL: 53# OF CALLS11122122221111142917
ByBy Suffield Fire Department Captain Ron Carlson |
The October National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Fire Prevention Week slogan for this year is “CHARGE into Fire Safety – Lithium-ion Batteries in Your Home.” Lithium-Ion batteries are used to power many kinds of devices including smart phones, laptops, e-scooters and e-bikes, e-cigarettes, smoke alarms, toys, cordless vacuum cleaners, power tools, vehicles, and countless other items. These batteries store a large amount of energy in a small amount of space. If not used correctly or damaged these batteries can catch fire or explode. Please consider the following safety tips:BUY only listed products• Purchase and use devices that are listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.• Many products sold online and in stores may not meet safety standards and could increase the risk of fire. CHARGE devices safely• Always use the cables that came with the product to charge it.• If you need a new charger, buy one from the manufacturer or one that the manufacturer has approved.• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.• Charge your device on a hard surface. Don’t charge it under a pillow, on a bed, or on a couch.
The Municipal Election will be held on November 4 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Suffield Middle School.Early Voting – In-person early voting will be held at the Suffield Town Hall from October 20 through November 2 (Monday through Sunday) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except on 10/28 & 10/30, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)”Absentee Ballot Voting – For electors who expect to be unable to appear in person to cast their vote because of active military service, absence from town, sickness, religious tenets or physical disability. Applications are available on line or from the Town Clerk.Voter Registration – For U.S. citizens who will be 18 years old by Election Day, In-person registration is available at Town Hall: (1) during regular business hours, (2) October 17 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and (3) on Election Day at Same Day Registration held in the Registrar’s office from 6 a.m. to 8p.m. Mail-in and on-line registration deadline is midnight October 17 (VoterRegistration.CT.Gov). To verify your voter registration on-line go to portaldir.ct.gov/sots/Look-Up.aspxPermanent Absentee Ballot Status – Voters with permanent disabilities may file an application with the Town Clerk, along with a physician’s certificate stating that they are unable to appear in person at their polling place due to a permanent disability. Once filed, the voter will automatically receive an absentee ballot for all elections, primaries, and referenda they are eligible to vote.Curbside Voting – Voters unable to enter the polling place due to a disability may request curbside voting assistance by calling860-668-3850Ballot Marking System
Accessible voting systems are available at all voting locations. It features a touch-screen display and offers alternative input options such as audio instructions, tactile keys, sip-n-puff, and a jelly-bean button.
Too busy to look up what’s going on in town? This article covers selected information from the minutes of various Town Boards and Commissions. If you want more details, it can be found by going to suffieldct.gov, Agendas, Minutes, Recordings. Board of Education – August 11Foreign Exchange Students for the 2025-2026 School YearSuperintendent Dunbar shared that the district would like to welcome three international students for the upcoming school year from Spain, South Africa and Germany. Each student has a host family in Suffield.
Every day the world seems more worrisome, so it’s important to remember that the way we treat others, the way we speak to and act around our kids, is an important model for them. Whether it’s the vocabulary we use, the emotions we demonstrate, the empathy we show or even the interests we practice, children imitate and learn from us whether we are aware or not. So, as a grandmother of five, I can fully appreciate the humor in the following short anecdotes. And thought you might appreciate them, too.How children perceive their Grandparents……from For Funny Grandmas
She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she’d done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, “But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!”