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

Interview with a Long-Time Suffield Native

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BAfter talking to Ed Chase, it is easy to believe that he is somehow descended from all 30 of Suffield’s original proprietors. On his father’s side, Ed can count back to seven generations in America, tracing them from Hampton, New Hampshire, the Connecticut River Valley, Springfield and then Suffield. Ed’s longer Suffield bloodline comes from his mother’s side. She was a clear descendant of Anthony Austin, an original proprietor, and she was also a descendant of lots of other Suffield families.  Marguerite Ford Chase, Ed’s mother, lived on what is now the Hastings Farm on Hill Street.

People/Business

Suffield Native Nominated for Academy Award

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Suffield native Greg Butler was just nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on “1917.” The film is nominated in a total of 10 categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Cinematography.

People/Business

Crumbled Foundations Replaced

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Connecticut news has been full of stories about all those crumbling foundations discovered under houses in eastern Connecticut. It turns out that some of the pyrrhotite-contaminated concrete found its way across the Connecticut River, and Suffield has identified about half a dozen cases of crumbling foundations in town. Here’s a story of one of the first to be repaired. It turned out pretty well, and Joe and Karen Kreuzer provided a very friendly interview for the Observer. Married 30 years now, the couple moved into their home on Austin Street in 2007 with their adolescent daughter and young son.

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.