Suffield Garden Club

Do You Have “Lion’s Tooth”?

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Taraxacum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. They are native to Eurasia and North America, but the two commonplace species worldwide, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum, were introduced from Europe and now propagate as wildflowers. Both species are edible in their entirety. The common name dandelion is from the French, meaning “Lion’s Tooth.” Like other members of the Asteraceae family, they have very small flowers collected together into a composite flower head.

Organizations

Suffield Woman’s Club Observes 125th Anniversary

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On Tuesday, June 11, the Suffield Woman’s Club gathered with special guests at the West Suffield Academy Hall to celebrate its 125th Anniversary. The Suffield Woman’s Club has a long history of taking a lead in community service, with giving back to the Town of Suffield always at the forefront. In 1894, 10 women gathered at a private home in town, to form the Woman’s Reading Club of Suffield. With programs ranging from reading, history, art and music, to lectures and community activities sponsored for the town, this small group of women also conferred through an appointed committee with Suffield’s First Selectman, and were among the first to contribute to the Emergency Aid Association since its establishment in 1903. In 1926, it was voted to change the club’s name to the Suffield Woman’s Club and to join the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs of Connecticut (GFWC/CT).

Farming/Nature

Listen to the Mockingbird – “tweet tweet”

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These days a few of my friends and I are participating in the Suffield bird census. We are clutching our lengthy list of birds hoping to check as many off as possible as we peruse all the open space we have here in our town. We rarely leave our houses without grabbing our binoculars, ears tuned to any bird calls which might reveal a new visitor hiding in the trees. More often than not, I have been hearing our mockingbird as he goes through his rendition of other bird calls, as they have been known to sing 200 different songs and when they exhaust their repertoire, they can even mimic car alarms. Many a birder has been fooled by his singing, but it wouldn’t seem right to have him silent. By this time of year, the mockingbirds are well-established in shrubs and thickets around town.

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.

Library

Friends of the Library Announce Book Collection Changes

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The final book collection at 61 Ffyler Place was held on June 1. The Friends’ monthly book collections will begin at the newly renovated library at 50 North Main Street on Saturday, July 6, from 10–noon. Donors can bring their book donations into the new entrance, where they will be met by volunteers. Book collections will continue to be held at 50 North Main Street on the first Saturday of every month except September. During the 4½ years that the library was located at Ffyler Place, book donors were permitted to leave book donations in that library lobby in-between book collections.

Library

Annual Book Sale Coming

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Once again Sacred Heart Church, 446 Mountain Rd., Suffield, has generously allowed us to use Father Ted Hall for the Friends’ book sale. This year’s sale will be held on Friday, September 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free on Saturday and Sunday; the admission fee on Friday evening will be $5, except for members of the Friends, who get in free. (You can join the Friends when you arrive at the sale.)

You’ll find great deals on books, DVDs, CDs, and puzzles and games. The approximately 30,000 donated books will be sorted into about 60 categories, from new fiction to art, cook books, history, mystery, science fiction, and war. No matter what you like to read, you’re bound to find something you’ll enjoy.

Library

Check out KML!

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The second decade of the new millennium was a tough period for the Kent Memorial Library, but the clouds have cleared, and if all went as seemed likely at the Observer’s press time, there would be a grand reopening on June 29.

Organizations

Volunteers Sought for Old House Photo Index

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Delphina Clark’s photo albums are a great resource for studying old homes in Suffield, but they aren’t easy to use.  The Suffield Historical Society is seeking volunteers to help correct that difficulty. Delphina (1892-1984) was a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture and became a long-time resident of Suffield, moving here about 1933. She lived first on North Street and then on Hill Street, each time restoring a great old house. An effective preservationist, she joined the Antiquarian and Landmarks Society and helped with the restoration of the Hatheway House in Suffield and two other Landmarks properties. Passionate about old homes, she assembled six photo albums of Suffield houses and typed eleven volumes of notes on Suffield land records.

Organizations

Suffield Teen is CEO-Ready

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Emily Brydges, 14, recently completed the winter session of an after-school entrepreneurship academy called Girls With Impact. She plans now to go into business with the program she developed. She participated in the 12-week program through 50-minute online classes at home, in audio and visual contact with local and global classmates and their coaches.  In a final online meeting, the students presented the business plans they had developed.  Emily’s virtual company was No Loose Ends, which would sell multi-colored shoe laces to runners, with all proceeds going to support Campaign for Female Education. In a statement prepared for the program, Emily said, “Prior to joining Girls with Impact, I did not have the courage or resources to take my passion and make it into something real. Now, having completed Girls with Impact, I can use my knowledge and experience to make a difference.” She plans to bring her company into reality this summer. 

Organizations

Two New Eagle Scouts Honored

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With their traditional candle-lighting ceremony on May 21 at Second Baptist’s Fellowship Hall, Troop 280 awarded the Eagle Scout rank to Jonah Berrien and John Killam, both of whom had crossed over from the Cub Scout program in March 2011. Both had earned various awards along the way, both were members of the Order of the Arrow and both had earned the required 21 Merit Badges and completed their Eagle Scout Public Service Projects. Jonah’s project was the renovation and improvement of the memorial garden next to the Old Center Cemetery behind the First Congregational Church. He led a team that replaced the path, constructed new benches, and installed new plants requiring minimal maintenance. John’s project concerned the plight of the Monarch Butterfly.

Organizations

Girl Scouts Earn Bronze Awards

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On June 1, 5th grade Girl Scout Troop 10975 built and installed benches at the Pollinator Garden at Stony Brooke Park. The troop consists of 12 girls who earned their Bronze Award through this project. In order to achieve this award, the girls needed to invest 20 hours towards their designated project. To decide which project we would complete, we narrowed our ideas from ten down to three. From the top three, we took a vote, and building benches received the most support.

Organizations

Athletic Hall of Fame Scholarships and Golf Tournament

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The Suffield Athletic Hall of Fame (SAHOF) is pleased to announce that the recipients of their 2019 scholarships are Sophie Lupone and Evan Mankouski. Each year since 2009, SAHOF has awarded scholarships to local student-athletes who are graduating seniors attending Suffield High School, or are residents of Suffield attending Suffield Academy. Sophie and Evan were both excellent students at Suffield High School who met the scholarship criteria, which includes treating people fairly, showing respect for everyone and displaying sportsmanship on the playing fields. To raise funds for these scholarships, as well as to help to defray the cost of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony that honors Suffield’s finest athletes and coaches, SAHOF will be holding the Fran Aniello Memorial Golf Tournament on Saturday, October 5. Fran passed away in 2015 after over 30 years as a basketball/golf/soccer coach and Athletic Director at Suffield High School.

Organizations

Hundreds Stomp for Alex

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Alex Scott is gone, a victim of childhood cancer. But her lemonade stands live on, raising funds to fight that vicious adversary, and a group of dedicated local women called Driving for a Cure held an event in Suffield on May 18 to support the cause. This year Driving for a Cure sponsored a Texas-style hoedown called Stomp Out Cancer. Like the first Stomp last year, a good crowd gathered at the Hatheway House Barn. Among those attending were Alex’s mother, Liz Smith, from Enfield, and Alex’s aunt, Sue Flynn of Suffield.