Organizations

Seeking Winter Coats

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MyKoats4Kids, a nonprofit organization and proponent of providing winter costs to children in foster care in the Pioneer Valley Area is seeking donations of gently used or new winter coats for children of all ages. Cassidy, Ben and Cam Begley, siblings and students at Suffield High School, started the organization in 2017. The family has collected over 100 coats with the goal of doubling the collection each year. The Begley family hopes to provide children in need with a warm coat for the winter. 

Please contact the Begley family at koats4kids@gmail.com to arrange pick up or drop off for any donations. For more information, visit MyKoatsForKids.org.

Organizations

Don’t Miss Fire and Ice!

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Preparations for the Suffield Foundation for Excellent Schools (SFES) dinner dance auction gala to be held on Saturday, March 23, beginning at 6:00 pm are well under way and you can be part of the fun! This year’s theme is Fire and Ice and with lighting from Dave Camera’s Shoreline AV, a platinum sponsor, the ballroom at the Sheraton at Bradley promises to be magical. Chris Kellogg, of 94.7 WMAS Kellogg Krew fame, will handle the DJ/ emcee activities for the evening and auctioneer Tom DeCosma, will keep the bidding fast and furious during the live auction. Mobile bidding for the silent auction items will be used for the first time and promises to be a lot of fun as the competition for the many desirable items heats up. Patriots tickets, jewelry, dinners, firetruck and police car rides to school as well as front row seats to graduation and concerts and a 6 month flower subscription to Feather & Bloom are just a few of the items that will be offered.

Organizations

125 Years and Counting

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Women in Suffield have a proud history of taking the lead in community service. This is certainly true for the Suffield Woman’s Club (SWC). Whatever the century, giving back to the town and beyond has always been a priority. In 1894, 10 women gathered at a private home to form a reading club, with programs ranging from history, art and music to lectures, some of which were sponsored for the town. In the early 1900’s, according to minutes and written history of the club (compiled by Connie C. Upson in 1976), there was some “…community activity such as a small contribution to the Emergency Aid Association then being formed…and a committee appointed to confer with the Selectman about putting rubbish cans in the park and enforcing their use.”

In 1920, the club provided a float for the Sesquicentennial parade at a cost of $1750.

Organizations

Ice Harvest

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The annual ice harvest sponsored by the Historical Society, Suffield Land Conservancy and the Noble & Cooley Museum will take place at the Mill Pond on Water Street in Granville on Saturday, February 2 from noon to 3 p.m. (providing there is ice). Storm date is February 3. Dress warmly and learn how to cut ice. Call Bob Stewart at 860 668-2928 for ice conditions.

Organizations

Another Eagle Flies at Troop 260

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Sometimes it’s not easy to find a workable date to celebrate a new Eagle Scout’s achievement, and Mickey Barron’s Eagle ceremony had to wait for Christmas break at Emmanuel College, in Boston, where he’s beginning another long achievement trail: he hopes to go to medical school and do some good for humanity from that vantage. The Eagle ceremony was held on January 8 in Fellowship Hall at Second Baptist. In Cub Scouts and as a youth leader in Boy Scout Troop 260, Mickey did quite well, reaching the roles of Senior Patrol Leader and Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. Younger Scouts regarded him as an example to follow, and he won just about every special award the Troop can offer. His 39 Merit Badges for individual topics totaled almost twice the number required for the Eagle rank.

Organizations

Ever Dream of Editing?

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Editors of the Month meet with the editor in chief to determine the type of material to seek that month. Many submissions arrive through an originator’s own initiative, but the editors often call seasoned writers and request articles on key issues or topics. Between the 8th and 16th of the month, the editors read and edit all submissions, typically in two-hour sessions. The editors of the month have the option to write an editorial and to help select front page material. 

Contact inbox@thesuffieldobserver.com if you are interested in joining our team of volunteers. 

Suffield Garden Club

Christmas History Facts

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Greetings, friendly reader! May your Christmas season be filled with joy and light! The first recorded display of a decorated Christmas tree has been traced to Riga, Latvia, in 1510, and the custom proliferated in Germany in the 1600-1700’s, as Protestant elites bedecked their homes and guildhalls with pines and firs garnished with nuts, dates and apples. Christmas trees grew in popularity in Germany throughout the early 1800s, and German immigrants to the United States brought the yuletide tradition with them to their new homeland. In his book, The Battle for Christmas, Stephen Nissenbaum writes that, in spite of claims that Hessian soldiers fighting for the British during the Revolutionary War erected the first Christmas trees in America, it was the Pennsylvania German community, likely after 1820, who first brought the custom to the United States.

Organizations

Phelps-Hathaway Tea

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The ladies of the Phelps-Hatheway House and Garden cordially invite you to a tea in honor of Jane Austen’s birthday! On Sunday, December 16 (which marks her 243rd birthday) indulge in savories, sweets and teas popular in the early 19th century. The afternoon includes a dramatic reading of a favorite Jane Austen passage and a tour of the festively decorated Phelps-Hatheway House, all the way up to the third floor, designed by Old Hill Gardens. Tickets are $25 per person, $20 for CT Landmarks Members. Reservations are required as space is limited.