The Suffield Observer (https://thesuffieldobserver.com/page/247/)
Trees have both common and scientific names, such as Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus).
The Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association (SVAA) has been recognized on the national stage as the 2026 EMS Agency of the Year by the National EMS Management Association.
It was a luxury car, red, and had New York plates. It pulled up to me, and a couple – maybe in their mid-60s – were looking for the movie theater. They had lived in town years ago, and had come up from New York City to see what’s become of the place.
The Memorial Day ceremony and parade will be held on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, beginning with the parade at 9 a.m.
While everyone and his uncle is starting a Web site as a way to communicate with the world, two small groups of people are taking a more traditional approach: they are publishing newspapers.
I am relieved and delighted to announce that Kent Memorial Library will reopen its doors in June. This project proved to be my most challenging inheritance to date as First Selectman. The unforeseen polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) remediation catapulted costs far beyond original town approvals. These are the hazards we risk when renovating old buildings – no matter how significant or beloved. This is the lesson learned and to be remembered.
UL is the upper level conference room at Town Hall, otherwise Town Hall meetings are in the lower level meeting room. Check the Town’s website, suffieldct.gov, for schedule changes.
What would we do without The Suffield Observer? Many years ago, we could rely on Winnie Johnson, Eleanor Smith and Thea Coburn, who were local “stringers” for The Springfield Union, The Hartford Times and The Hartford Courant, to report local news every day as needed.
Suffield is a special place! A small town with family, friends and neighbors DNA.
Volunteering should be simple, shouldn’t it? Building off my Co-Editor’s May Observer editorial draft, with a shared desire to improve our community, I am dedicating this editorial to providing information and perspective about how and why to volunteer.
In last month’s issue, the Observer reached out to the community looking for people to write. For some time, finding people to get involved and commit time and effort has been an ongoing concern for this organization – as it has for many others in town. The Observer came to life in the spring of 1999. A significant number of residents were enthused about this grand endeavor of providing news of all the activities going on in Suffield that the city papers failed to notice. They reasoned that an informed town would lead to better public participation and better transparency.
Everyone has enjoyed receiving The Suffield Observer for 20 years, bringing us all important community facts, good news and current happenings.
Bob Warren served on the Editorial Board for the paper’s first issue and was Chairman of the Observer’s Board of Directors from 2001 to 2012.
The way I see it, it all started as we sat around the dining room table, my dad telling us stories about growing up while I was trying to hide my peas under my mashed potatoes. He was a good storyteller, and it was important to him that we knew what life was like growing up on the farm around the corner where he was the seventh generation to take his first steps on that patch of land.
Good news for SHS graduates: Kent Memorial Library has digitized all of the SHS yearbooks from years 1940 to 2014.
The Friends of Suffield’s “Welcome Spring” egg hunt and bunny visit on April 6 at Spaulding School brought baskets full of joy to local kids and their families. In addition to visiting the Bunny, little ones searched for treat-filled eggs, got to meet – and pet – a couple of real bunnies, enjoyed spring-themed games and much more. One of the day’s most popular activities was face painting, graciously provided by the artistic pros from The Suffield Players. These masters of drama turned out all sorts of magnificently decorated faces – it was no wonder there was a line the whole time for this activity. One young attendee, Cora Tini (5) of Suffield, ranked the face painting as her favorite activity, along with searching for eggs and getting her “spring nails” done.
Mark your calendars! Babb’s Beach will open on Saturday, June 22, beginning a summer of family fun at the historic landmark. Suffield Parks and Recreation has a full summer of fun activities planned throughout Town, and Babb’s Beach is an important part of those programs. Babb’s, as it is referred to by so many residents, is a great place to sit on the beach and just relax. However, if you are looking for a little more than sitting on the beach, there is swimming in the lake, the upper field area has a small pavilion for picnic lunches, and plenty of space to play games. We will continue to offer kayak and canoe storage convenience for residents at Babb’s Beach.
The Town of Suffield has announced a payment in lieu of dock fees agreement with Southwick. The payment covers costs for maintenance, policing and public safety associated with the use of Congamond Lake by Suffield residents. Congamond Lake is situated within the boundaries of both towns. The five-year memorandum of understanding includes a $2,000 annual fee (to increase by $200/year) paid by Suffield to Southwick that encompasses yearly licensing charges for Suffield residential property owners whose dock(s), swim float(s), mooring(s) or buoy(s) are located in Congamond Lake. While the agreed upon payment relieves Suffield owners from their dock fees, town leadership emphasizes it does not relieve them from their obligation to register.
“Chris Herren, a basketball legend from Fall River, Massachusetts, was an All-American, broke scoring records and was recruited by the nation’s top colleges. Herren realized his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA when he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1999 and then traded to his hometown team, the Boston Celtics, before losing his career and almost his family to the disease of addiction. A person in long-term recovery, Chris inspires people to start the conversation on wellness and educate themselves on the disease of addiction. It is his hope that strength will be found in the struggle and communities will come together to address the issue of substance use disorder, advocate for effective treatment and embrace the power of recovery” (Herren Talks). On May 2, Chris will be speaking with grades 8-12 during the school day and will return for an evening presentation for parents and community members beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the High School Auditorium.
Suffield Instrumental Music Directors Amy Wilson and Corey Killian are pleased to announce the dates of the third annual summer music camp that began with huge success just two summers ago.
