Polish Heritage Society’s 20th Anniversary

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.

Something New at the Windsor Locks Canal Trail Park

There is now a pamphlet that has information corresponding to the sixteen numbered and labeled signs along Windsor Locks Canal Trail. It explains why the canal was built, its multiple uses and the purpose of canal structures. Pamphlets can be picked up in two locations, on the back wall of the shed closest to the trailhead in Suffield and at the Windsor Locks entrance. Photo submitted by the author Sign at the canal Headworks

There are 15 points of interest and a “EN’ sign indicating an eagle’s nest observation point. Number 1 is found just inside the Suffield entrance.

Tunnel to Towers Golf Tournament

The 5th Annual Shute-N-Safe Golf tournament to benefit The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, hosted by the Shute family of Suffield, was held on September 11, 2025 at Crestview Country Club in Agawam, Massachusetts. The weather couldn’t have been better. The course had a full complement of 144 golfers. As usual the tourney started with a group photo, a prayer for the fallen on 9/11 and a moment of silence for the recently assassinated Charlie Kirk. Last year, the tourney raised over $26.5K.

Suffield Community Aid

What’s happening at SCA this Month? Photo by Mary Curtin Thank you to Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association (SVAA) for the backpack and supplies for our Return to School Backpack Drive. Pictured left to right: Lorianne Nutini, Jackie Guzie and Doug McIntos from SVAA. In-Person Bereavement Support Group Starts Oct. 10:Masonicare is partnering with Suffield Community Aid to offer a 6-week, in-person support group for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

The Joy of Growing Specialty Cut Flowers

The Suffield Garden Club is delighted to present Rebecca Sadlowski, founder of Rooted Flowers in Agawam, to present at the first SGC meeting of the season. Join us for a fresh look at how to design and grow a productive, beautiful cutting garden as Rebecca shares practical tips on garden planning, favorite varieties and planting strategies that maximize blooms through the seasons.What began as a roadside flower stand has grown into a year-round, farm-to-table floral business offering fresh flowers, events, workshops, and nationwide dahlia shipping. Rebecca and her husband Albert run the farm alongside their three young children. With a focus on only using home-grown flowers in their designs, Rooted Flowers is committed to seasonal stewardship, supporting local growers, and creating meaningful community connections through flowers. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Sadlowski Local farmer and floral designer Rebecca Sadlowski will present at the Suffield Garden Club’s October 6th meeting.

Local Artist Featured During October in KML Gallery

Since 2002, the Suffield Arts Council has provided displays of local artists’ work in the Pinney Gallery of the Kent Memorial Library, found in the center of Suffield. These shows have been arranged through the efforts of longtime West Suffield resident, Fran Milliken. Mr. Milliken volunteered for this job while serving as President of the Tobacco Valley Artists Association, a title that he held for ten years. He agreed to serve as a VP in the role of gallery coordinator. This is his 23rd year in that capacity.

West Suffield Village Improvement Association Meeting

There will be a meeting of the WSVIA on Monday, October 6th at 7pm at West Suffield Academy Hall, 1499 Mountain Rd, West Suffield. All are welcome. We are going to be discussing what direction our association needs to take concerning West Suffield Academy Hall. At this point we rent out the building for social events. The reduced number of rentals has forced us to look at our options.

Suffield Rotary Champions Global Effort: End Polio Now International Day

Each year on October 24, communities around the world unite for End Polio Now International Day, raising awareness and support for the ongoing effort to eradicate polio.Polio, a highly infectious disease that once claimed hundreds of thousands of lives annually, has been brought to the brink of extinction through decades of international cooperation, scientific ingenuity, and unwavering community engagement. Yet, until polio is eradicated everywhere, no child is truly safe. The Suffield Rotary Club joins Rotary International and partners worldwide in the historic mission to end polio forever.Polio eradication became Rotary’s flagship cause in 1985 with the launch of the PolioPlus program. At the time, polio paralyzed 350,000 children each year. Rotary envisioned a world where every child would be safe from this crippling disease and began a campaign to immunize children everywhere.Today, thanks to Rotary and its partners—including the World Health Organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and UNICEF—polio cases have been reduced by 99.9%.

Troop 66 Summer Camp

In July, Troop 66 went to summer camp at Camp Mattattuck where some kids from Troop 260 joined us. All the scouts got to work on getting merit badges. Some merit badges scouts worked on include kayaking, environmental science, sculpting and movie making. We also got to do other activities like swimming, archery, fishing and more.There was also a special challenge for us to do. We had a chance to join Captain Jordan Beard’s yacht club and get a patch by doing various things like catching a fish, sailing in a rowboat or finding a geocache in camp, etc.

The Suffield Players Launch Their New Season

As some of you may recall, in October 2017, an unidentified interstellar object passed through our solar system. It was first spotted by a telescope in Hawaii, and its name, ‘Oumuamua’ is Hawaiian for “a messenger from afar arriving first”. Its unusual characteristics, including its elongated shape, lack of tail, and unexpected acceleration, have led to much speculation about its nature: “What is that thing?” It is the rock that sails by. This very real event provides the basis for the Suffield Players upcoming show, “A Rock Sails By” by Sean Grennan. Suffield native Lisa Parker directs this compelling production.