People/Business

The Social Network of Summer Running

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I have always thought of running as a solitary endeavor. Traveling around the beautiful roads of Suffield this time of year it is easy to spot runners and their telltale washboard abs. Believe it or not, I have even had some folks living under my roof who actually think running is fun. But I may be on to them as they seem most excited to strap on the running shoes and head out the door when it is time to wash the dishes, mow the lawn or squeeze the dogs anal glands. This summer I started to notice the signs around town about a running series held at Bruce Park on Tuesday evenings.

People/Business

Improving Lives — Locally and Worldwide

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In our very midst is a quiet, unassuming man who contributes to and improves our country, community, and the world. That man is Dr. Andrew Wakefield, a neurological surgeon at Hartford Hospital who graduated from our own University of Connecticut. We can all thank him for his service to our country as a Coast Guard Boatswain’s Mate. Suffield residents are certainly grateful for his service to our community as a past president and current board member for the Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association. Worldwide medical professionals appreciate the knowledge they receive at his annual hands-on spine course at the Cleveland Clinic.

People/Business

Cpl. Bixler Well Remembered

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On Memorial Day weekend, another big gathering assembled at the Sportsmen’s Cabin on West Suffield Mountain to honor our hometown hero, Cpl. Stephen Bixler, USMC, who lost his life protecting his Marine comrades on patrol in Iraq 13 years ago. As always, the annual picnic was an enjoyable affair, with plenty of good food, soda and beer, and happy sociability. And, more than ever, a tremendous number of raffle and silent auction prizes were laid out on a dozen banquet tables. Rep. Joe Courtney dropped in, as he often has, and both active duty and retired service members came, along with local folks honoring Steve and supporting the memorial fund his family created. The Bixler fund makes helpful grants to local charities and other deserving causes.

People/Business

Doyon Race Doubles the Net

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The second annual Dustin L. Doyon Memorial Road Race was held at Suffield Middle School on May 25. The main events began with a new 10K run up Hill Street almost to Halladay Avenue and back. The 5K Run/Walk followed, also up Hill Street and back, with its turn-around at about 764 Hill Street. This year, 163 participants finished the 5K Run/Walk, and 45 finished the 10K Run. T-shirts were given to the first 150 registrants, and prizes were awarded to the top three overall men and women.

People/Business

Connecticut High School Principal of the Year

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Joe Blake is a winner, in many ways. To begin with, the Suffield resident has recently received the Principal of the Year Award from the Connecticut Association of Schools. You might assume that such an award is given for curriculum advances, or for program development, or for the supervision of a building plan; for high-test scores or for winning athletic teams, or for some combination of those. Joe’s tenure was cited for many of those accomplishments, but the major factor that distinguished him from other candidates was the strength of his relationships with students at Coventry High School. Doesn’t every high school principal have relationships with students, one might ask?

People/Business

New Brewery in Home Stretch

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In late May the proprietors of the Broad Brook Brewery hung a big banner in front of the long-delayed construction project on South Street, announcing BROAD BROOK BREWERY COMING SOON. The foundation, steel framework, and exterior sheathing had been largely completed by April 2018, when the stop-work order was issued. As the Observer reported in May 2019, work resumed after a year’s delay. Arguments about how to satisfy questions about the foundation’s stability had been settled with a plan including exterior backfill with expanded polystyrene foam to reduce earth pressure on the foundation walls, along with exterior buttresses. In the first week of June, many large slabs of the designated foam, one foot thick by four feet wide and up to ten feet long, were carefully stacked up along about 100 feet of foundation wall, with a total thickness of four feet.

People/Business

CT Masters’ Games Track and Field Meet

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Three West Suffield competitors had perfect weather on May 18 for the Connecticut Masters’ Games Track and Field Meet at Veterans Stadium (Willowbrook Park) in New Britain. Sarah Seger competed in the 1500-meter race walk with a time of 17:55. Because she was the only 90+ female competitor, she finished first in her age division. Her next oldest competitor was age 67. Martha Oppenheimer (female 75-79) competed in four events.

People/Business

Rock’s Last Ride

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Rockwell Rookey, who died in West Suffield on May 18 at age 95, is carried past the Soldier’s Monument in Suffield Center at the head of his funeral procession to St. Joseph’s cemetery on Hill Street.