SGC Receives Grant

The Suffield Garden Club announced the receipt of a grant from the Fred and Astrid Hanzalek Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The good news was shared at the club’s November meeting held at the Suffield High School with students in the Agriscience Program. Our long-time member, Astrid Hanzalek, attended this event and was warmly thanked by all our members. The grant is for the special care of a few trees on Main Street, two of which are in front the King House. Included is treatment for the prevention of the Emerald Ash Borer.

Correction

 In the Observer’s November issue, an editorial on Page 2 misstated the amount of land in Suffield that has been preserved from development. (The “237,000+ acres” stated would be almost ten times the area of the town.) In the Town administration’s presentation to the October 10 Town Meeting, the amount preserved by the Town was listed as 1,373 acres, about five percent of the town’s total area. The Observer reported that number on Page 8 of the same issue in an article about a decision at the October 19 meeting protecting 43 acres of farm property on Hill Street. Including property protected in some other manner, a little over half the land in Suffield is preserved from development. 

100 Years Ago in Suffield

Selected from the pages of the Windsor Locks Journal and lightly annotated by Town Historian Lester Smith. December 6

A large touring car ran into an electric light pole at the corner of South Main street and Kent avenue Sunday morning tearing off the right rear wheel, smashing the top and windshield and badly damaging the body of the car.  . . . on their way from Worcester, Mass., to Bridgeport .

Insert It in The Observer!

Did you notice the “Christmas in Suffield” insert that went out in the November issue of The Suffield Observer? An insert is a great way for an organization to reach out to the 6,900 households in Suffield and West Suffield that receive The Observer. An insert is a special service that The Observer makes available only to nonprofits. Their charge is $200 to help cover the cost of having Turley Publications “insert” a brochure, newsletter or postcard into each copy of The Observer when it is printed. The main cost of doing an insert is printing the brochure.

15th Annual Community Christmas Concert

The Second Baptist Church of Suffield is pleased to announce the fifteenth Annual Community Christmas Concert. This annual event will take place Saturday, December 15 at 3:00 p.m. at the church at 100 N. Main Street. The Community Christmas Concert has become a town tradition over the years and will once again be coordinated by the Director of Music Ministries, Evelyne Battle. Expect additional local musicians, vocalists, and school groups to share their talents with the town during this event to celebrate the Christmas season. While there is no cost to attend the concert, there will be a free-will offering to benefit the Fuel Bank administered by the Suffield Community Aid Association.

FFA Delegates Attend Agri-science Convention

In November, 15 delegates from the Suffield High School’s FFA Chapter traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana for the 91st National FFA Convention and Expo. These students had the opportunity over five days to learn about different aspects of agriculture from varied booths and exhibits, as well as from other FFA members. There was at least one delegate from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The students had the opportunity to learn about ways that other states run their programs in order to bring back helpful strategies to SHS’s own FFA chapter. The students got the chance to visit booths designed to showcase college agriculture programs, and where students could get information about these colleges and what they offered.

A Town Treasure: Suffield Academy

Dear Editor,

As a proud resident of Suffield (since 1970), I am writing to detail the positive impact that Suffield Academy has had on my children and other children who went through the Suffield Public school system. I coached travel basketball for boys and girls, grades 5–8. Gym space in Suffield was always limited. Not only did Suffield Academy allow us to practice in their gym, but the Academy staff and students were always welcoming. The teams I coached were able to practice in a better facility for longer periods of time and extra days during the week.

A Moment in Time: Old Photos Invited from Our Readers

A quiet scene in West Suffield Center is shown in this old postcard, postmarked 1906. On North Grand Street a one-horse carriage approaches the intersection passing a two-horse wagon, where two men walk toward the Terrett House hotel. At the porch next door, three men idly watch. The luggage on the porch suggests they are waiting here in the shade for a train at the depot just east of the corner.

Free Service Creates Personal Calendar Feeds

The Town of Suffield announces the launch of a community events platform in partnership with Burbio.com. Burbio offers a free website iOS and Android app that organizes town happenings in one place. Residents select calendars to follow, create and sync a personalized feed to their Google or Apple calendar, and receive notifications of schedule changes. Streaming through Burbio is free for residents and nonprofits. The Burbio link can be found on the Town of Suffield website (www.suffieldct.gov/community/calendar).

Crowds Come to Honor Vern

Vern Taylor laughs at First Selectman Melissa Mack’s tales on the special day held for him at the temporary Kent Memorial Library. Before his stroke, he had been a loyal and very helpful library volunteer for several decades. His wife, Dorian Taylor, left rear, laughs along with him. (She retired from the library recently; his daughter, Wendy, is children’s librarian.) As many as 50 friends at a time crowded the limited space to honor Vern. Many wore funny T-shirts in his honor; his read, “Follow in my footsteps and you’ll eventually reach the library.”