People/Business

A Thanksgiving Memory

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A number of Thanksgivings ago my family had all gathered at my house for that special dinner. My children had small children at that time, so, although they tried to help, most of the preparation fell to me. We over-ate, rested awhile, and then we all went for a walk. When we got back it seemed to be time for the little ones to eat again so, while the mothers got to work on that, I decided that I would take some time to rest. Off to my room I went with the morning newspaper, knowing I would probably doze after a few lines of news.

People/Business

New Owner at K&P Flowers

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K & P Flowers has been in Suffield for quite a few years, but for almost a year now has had a new owner. She is Erin Fletcher, who grew up in Bloomfield and now lives in Hartford. Erin’s interest in flowers started at an early age. She went to Bloomfield High School, where she was in the VoAg program and in Future Farmers of America. As a hobby she was arranging wedding flowers; at her first job at Moscarillo’s in West Hartford, her mother had to drive her to deliver the flowers to the wedding since she was only 15.  She went on to UConn, and received a degree in horticulture. 

She has worked at flower shops all over Connecticut.

People/Business

Welcoming a New Business to Suffield

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If you ask James Thomson, owner of NFP Sports, why he moved his business from Manchester to Suffield, he’ll tell you that he wants to plant roots and support the local community. He has a vested interest – James, his wife, and three sons live in West Suffield. James’ participation in high school/college sports and past professions led him to a business that is focused on enabling athletics opportunities. The benefits of athletics extend beyond health to problem-solving, teamwork and increased self-esteem:

1. Tightly-stretched funding can make it tough, with costs nearly doubling over 10 years through 2017

2.

People/Business

Promenading and Dosey-dos-ing through History

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To say Ralph Sweet danced his way through UConn School of Engineering would falsify. But there were mornings when instructors could not wake him up because he had been out square dancing the night before. A 1946 freshman at UConn, Ralph Sweet joined the 4H Club because “…they featured square dance lessons after meetings, which I skipped…” Connecticut’s 4-H sponsored a state square dance festival with callers who submitted their calls in advance “…so kids could practice them before the festival which was held on the football field, all marked out in lime in 12 foot squares. All live music…” Ralph exulted, “…and all singing squares!”

“At public square dances no teaching was done… You just dove in and scrambled around until you ‘got it!’ Square dancing thrived but centuries- old contra dancing was becoming extinct in New England. Hearing about a small, private Connecticut contra group, Ralph learned contra calls and “…itching to call to live people…” he went to Ekonk, Connecticut: “… two chicken farms, two houses, and one Grange Hall…” and called for the group.