100-Year-Old Hastings Farm Honored by State

Members of the Hastings family went down to Hamden on August 7 to attend Plant Science Day at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station’s Lockwood Farm, near Sleeping Giant State Park. This is a big, yearly event, with lectures and demonstrations and meetings with experts, but this year’s highlight was when the family’s well-known Suffield farm on Hill Street was presented with the 2019 Connecticut Century Farm Award. This is a significant award, given each year to “a farm that has been in family operation for more than 100 years and has great potential to be successful for at least another 100 years.” The recipient is selected by the Connecticut Agricultural Council. This is the second time that the 70-year-old award has been given to a Suffield farm – the Coulter Farm earned it in 1998. Only one other Connecticut town has had two winners; that was Wethersfield.

Assessor Office News

Veterans of any declared war period and current active duty military having not previously filed for an exemption must provide an original or certified copy of their Honorable Discharge or current orders or affidavit to the Suffield Town Clerk by September 30 to be eligible for a minimum exemption of $3,000 deducted from the assessed value of real estate or a motor vehicle.

Suffield Auxiliary Donates $80,000 to The Village

The Suffield Auxiliary of The Village for Families & Children has outdone itself! This year, the completely volunteer-run Auxiliary contributed $80,000—a new record for their group—to The Village through sales at its Second Chance Shop.

Masons ID Kids Again

On July 20, members and family members in partnership with the K-9 Olympics held a CT CHIP (Connecticut Child Identification Program) event. Every year the Corrections department of Connecticut holds a K-9 Olympics competition. State Police, local police and correction departments from all over New England travel to the corrections facility in Enfield for this importatnt event. This year must have been one of the hottest on record; the heat index was over 100 degrees. That did not stop the participants, dogs and trainers, from doing their best.