People/Business

Andrew Returns

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As closing time approached and the crowd dwindled, Suzy and Jim Irwin had a chance to chat with Suffield’s popular cartoonist, Rick Stromoski, who offered his original art work at the SMS Christmas Boutique on December 12. Among other projects, Rick is now offering Andrew’s Journal, an online publication of “Special insights into a special little boy.” Remember Andrew in Soup2Nuts?

People/Business

Unique Floral Shop Has New Owner

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“Ebullient” is a word that describes Sarah Parlos, the new owner of Pentimento, the floral shop on South Main Street. The word means, “cheerful and full of energy.” This was the clear impression I had during our recent interview. As owner of another floral design business in Avon,  Sarah  has both  design experience and business savvy.    Nevertheless she plans to maintain the same ambience with which customers are acquainted. Former owners Paula Gallo and her sister Tamara Pezzente, were able to spend time with Sarah, describing the vendors used, accompanying her on a weekly trip to the Boston Flower Market for the very best blooms, and demonstrating the special and unique floral style for which Pentimento has been known. Pentimento’s new owner, Sarah Parlos, pictured here with white roses, intends to maintain the special spirit of the South Main Street shop.

People/Business

Good-bye Creamery

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Suffield’s old creamery, built in 1888 and pictured with a historical reminiscence in the December-January Observer as a small apartment house, stands vacant in early 2020, about to be torn down.

People/Business

A Folk Song for the 350th

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Lou Sorrentino of East Windsor was wandering as a minstrel through Suffield on the Green last September, singing with his guitar just for the pleasure of the experience, when Caroline D’Otreppe, a member of Suffield’s 350th Anniversary Committee, saw him and had an inspiration. She found that he enjoys entertaining, both for hire and volunteering, and he also occasionally writes ballads on demand. After some discussion, Lou agreed to put something together about Suffield. This experienced, multi-talented volunteer (who is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor often appearing in court as an expert witness) gets nice balance from his love of music.  He set out to learn about Suffield, and his volunteer performance at the 350th Brew Fest included an evocative ballad full of references to elements of Suffield life over the years. It was a diverse compendium: eagles, cigars, farms, Graham crackers, canals, immigrants, and lots more.

People/Business

Music for the Holidays

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Many folks of a certain age may have owned a Walkman, but probably not an ear bud or two and they no longer spend much time with their hi-fi’s (if any such survive), but they still enjoy music. And when the December holiday season comes around, they delight in the opportunities in town to be part of great music. The seasonal music started this year with the Christmas tree lighting on the Green at the end of November, missed by this reporter, but it certainly must have included a carol or two, and the a cappella group “Time Was” performed at the Kent Memorial Library. First Church joined Second Baptist on Sunday morning December 8 for their “Advent Breakfast and Carol Sing,” and that afternoon a small contingent of hardy folks gathered in the unheated First Baptist Church for the very traditional carol sing there, followed by hot cocoa by the stove in the anteroom. On December 12 following a school concert, the Middle School Elite Singers visited that school’s Christmas Boutique for an impromptu concert.

People/Business

Music is a Unifying Element

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Rituals at holiday times enrich all our lives, and Suffield has lots of them. None are more joyful than the Christmas Concert at the Second Baptist Church, which is scheduled for Saturday, December 14, at 3:00 p.m. (snow date December 15). The concert in its present form began life 16 years ago, when Evelyne Battle arrived as the church’s Minister of Music. Following an unusual, if not unique, career path, Evelyne had worked in international banking with a position as head of a loan department in what she terms a “boutique bank,” one that funded projects in sub-Saharan Africa. She left the banking industry in 2004.