The Suffield Observer (https://thesuffieldobserver.com/author/lester-smith/)
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.
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.
Suffield’s Kate Butler taught in Manchester briefly after her studies at Eastern Connecticut State University (Class of 2017) focused on education and history, but she decided to follow in the family footsteps and is now a “fourth generation crime fighter.” That’s the inscription in the nice shadow box her father, Matt Butler, presented to her shortly after her graduation from the Hartford Police Academy as a new hire of the Hartford Police Department. The centerpiece of her father’s shadow box was his own badge as a Special Agent of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, from which he had retired as Agent in Charge of the NCIS Training Academy in Georgia after a long career in responsible NCIS positions all over the world.
The project to renovate the present Town Hall is moving forward, and the Request for Qualifications and Proposal was published on February 22. Actually there were two closely related RFP’s issued, one for the architectural and engineering design work (A/E) and one for a “Construction Manager at Risk” (CMR).
Old timers in town will remember Little Orphan Annie from her radio program and her long-running comic strip, and many will remember at least one of her several movies and the popular musical play, Annie, as well as Annie, Jr., the adaptation for a young cast offered to Suffield in 2012 as the first musical play produced by Suffield Middle School. Annie, Jr. came to town again for three performances this year at the end of February and the start of March, and the town was delighted again.
The Suffield Middle School’s yearly Wax Museum is a two–morning program that’s been one of this reporter’s favorite assignments. All the sixth graders are asked to choose and learn about a prominent non–fiction figure from a biography and other sources.
Aces High, Team 176, our local collaborative FIRST Robotics team, got a great start in their initial meet this year at Wilby High in Waterbury on March 7-9. They had worked hard in the last few weeks, and their robot seemed ready.
Excellent voices, great dancing, an impressive set, enjoyable music by an immensely popular group, and a hilarious story of modern life in an attractive Mediterranean location — what more could an audience want, especially those in the audience whose kids were on stage.
The grand opening has not yet been scheduled, but progress in the Kent Memorial Library building was reported to be “moving right along,” and the goal has been set for the building work to be complete by the end of April or early May so the librarians can complete the job of moving back from Ffyler Place.
This was not the first time that Boy Scout Troop 260 has had several Eagle Scouts in the same family, but the Court of Honor on February 26 was the first time the brothers were awarded in the same ceremony. Michael Sattan and Stephen Sattan both received their coveted awards that evening, with a packed Fellowship Hall at Second Baptist to applaud.