Organizations

Enfield Loaves & Fishes

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Meals at Enfield Loaves & Fishes (Soup Kitchen) 28 Prospect Street, Enfield, are served free Sunday through Friday 4 p.m. until 5p.m. Saturday 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. For more information, please call Priscilla 860-741-0226. All are welcome. Please come in through the door on Thompson Court. 

People/Business

Lily House under New Ownership

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Lily House Bed and Breakfast, the only remaining Suffield B&B, has new owners as of November 2018. Lorraine and Mike Mancini sold their 15 year-old business to Suffield residents Tiffany and Camile Hannoush. The Hannoushes feel Lily House, on Bridge Street right in the heart of downtown with history dating back to 1720, is rich with charm, character, and uniqueness. Guests visit from all over the world and include Suffield Academy parents, business travelers, and folks just looking to relax at a place offering all the comforts of home. Lily House also hosts events and special occasions, including local business meetings, family showers, and even a book signing which is scheduled for March.

Organizations

Suffield Sings

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Suffield Sings will return with its second annual concert on Sunday, April 7 at 4 p.m. in the Suffield Middle School auditorium. Singers from Suffield Middle School, Suffield High School, Suffield Academy, First Church of Christ UCC, Sacred Heart Church, and Second Baptist Church will join together for a concert celebrating the joy of choral music in Suffield. Come join these choral singers of Suffield for an afternoon of great music and community. Admission is free and open to the public.

Government/Town

Activity on South Street

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When a new building is constructed, it always seems to be a long wait after the exterior appears complete before the whole job is finished, and for two projects near the airport on South Street (Route 75) that has been the case. Now one of the buildings is actually in use, and construction on the other has resumed after a long period of inactivity. Jeff Wasilewski’s new warehouse just north of Executive Parking was given its Certificate of Occupancy in January and is now in business, sorting and packing items for mailing to Amazon customers of the proprietor’s own business, Artisan Owl, marketed on line. A room in the front corner of the building is still being furnished for on-site Artisan Owl sales, along with a small café called Broadleaf. There is also some office space over the front offices and sales room that can be rented out.

Through the Looking Glass

Russian Math

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My grandchildren are taking Russian math. This was quite a surprise to me because, in my innocence, I had always believed that math would be the same in any country. It turned out that by “Russian math” people meant math taught the way that Russians teach it. Russian math assumes that children’s ability to think and reason is not innate but can be developed, and mathematics is the best tool for developing it. Students are taught to look beyond the numbers of a problem to the abstract relationships among them.

People/Business

Local Preacher Portrayed in New Film

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It’s not every day that you get to see yourself in a national movie, especially when Dean Cain (remember he was Superman and Teri Hatcher was Lois Lane?) gets to play you! Scott Seabury will tell you how it happened in a Kent Memorial Library program held at the Suffield Senior Center on Wednesday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m. Accompanying Scott will be Agawam resident Michael Tourville, the author of the book, A Promise to Astrid which set the stage for the movie. Both Scott and Michael attended the final days of filming the movie also called A Promise to Astrid in West Virginia last October. The phone call from Michael Tourville informing Scott about the movie and his part in it, was a total surprise to Scott. He knew that Michael had written the book.

People/Business

Local Equestrian Honored

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“I’m very proud of Gabriella and her horse. This is such a prestigious show and it’s an honor to qualify, much less to attend with your own horse and achieve so much together,” said trainer Danielle Barrasso, referring to her student, Gabriella Santaniello, a junior at Suffield High School who added the Premier Equestrian Award to her list of achievements at the 2018 International Friesian Show Horse Association World Show, October 2-7, in Springfield, Ohio.  Trainer Barrasso worked with Gabriella at the Sunny Hill Farm on North Street. In their very first IFSHA World Show appearance together, the Suffield teenager and her five year-old purebred Friesian mare, Rajasahara (Steffan-S x Senko Zon D), earned nine World Championships, 12 reserve championships, and a Top 5 in classes including costume, halter, (hunter and western) dressage, (hunter and western) equitation and pleasure, and showmanship. “She started riding at age five, and became my student when she was seven. She started out doing hunter/jumpers on my ponies before her parents bought Raja and waited for her to grow into her new horse.”

The wait, this Premier Equestrian Award winner has certainly proven, has been worth it.

Organizations

Chet’s Place Needs Help

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It is cold and snowy as I write this, but thankfully spring is right around the corner. In addition to the warm weather, blossoming flowers, and singing birds, across our country spring brings us the Great American Pastime of softball and baseball. I personally can’t wait…it brings back memories of catch with my dad…teaching my son to throw, catch and hit…memories that will last  forever. In our great town of Suffield, the tradition of softball and baseball remains alive and well; and can be witnessed spring and summer evenings at the Daniel K. Christian Field on Hale Street. Christian Field will soon be bustling with the crack of the ball striking the bat, the smack of the ball pounding the gloves, the kids cheering on their teammates, the umpires yelling strikes and outs, and the fans cheering on their teams. In addition to these sounds of the sport, we look forward to the amazing scent of the food of our pastime; the smell of, among other foods, popcorn and hotdogs.

Organizations

Bald Eagle Golf Outing Benefits Hilltop

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Make plans now to join The Friends of the Farm at Hilltop for our fifth annual Bald Eagle Golf Outing on Saturday, June 8. The event, to be held at the Suffield Country Club, is a major fundraiser for FOFAH. Proceeds will be used to pay for structural improvements to make it possible for the historic dairy barn to be open and accessible for public events. Registration and lunch for the 18-hole scramble format golf outing will begin at noon followed by a 1 p.m. shotgun start. Golf will be followed by a reception and dinner at the Country Club’s Sunset Tavern at 6 p.m.

For a $150 donation, each player will receive lunch, golf, reception, and dinner.

Farming/Nature

The Acrobatic Nuthatch

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Around this time of year my face is pressed to the window by our bird feeder watching the nuthatches scrabble up and down the tree trunks. The white breasted nuthatch is a fairly common visitor in these parts. I remember seeing them as a child, and, less commonly, the red breasted nuthatch which is smaller with a very cool eye stripe and, obviously, red on his breast. 

My mom hung a log sheet on our ice box, as dad called it. There we kept track of the bird species that we saw throughout the winter at our feeder. We all took this very seriously, but clearly some of our wisenheimer friends did not as they frequently added exotic species to the list.

Organizations

Local SGC Member Honored

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The Suffield Garden Club is proud to announce that Alice Dahms is the recipient of a Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut Tribute Award for her years of overseeing the Hazard Waste Collection Day in our town. Back in 1983, Suffield First Selectman Ted Brocket wanted to have a household hazardous waste collection day. His wife was a garden club board member at that time and Alice was chairing the Conservation Committee. The town had not budgeted for the collection and SGC made a large donation along with other town businesses. At this point it became Alice’s project to design and oversee.

Organizations

SGC Accepting Grant Applications

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If your town organization has a new or ongoing project which supports Suffield Garden Club’s purpose, we invite you to apply for a grant of up to $300. Projects which “stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening and the art of flower arranging; aid in the protection of trees, plants and birds; encourage civic beautification or instill a respect for the environment” are all eligible. In evaluating applications, priority will be given to projects that emphasize benefits to the community and/or community involvement and participation. Applications must be submitted through a non-profit organization. Scouts, students and teachers should apply through their troop or school.

Organizations

Help Your Trees Help Themselves

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The Suffield Garden Club will hold a monthly meeting on Monday, March 4 at 5:45 p.m. at the Second Baptist Church Fellowship Hall. Coffee, tea, a light fare and a short business meeting are followed by a guest speaker at 7 p.m.

Our guest speaker will be SGC Member, Mike DeSanto, originally from Pennsylvania. Mike attended Pennsylvania State University where he earned a B.A. in Landscape Contracting. He is an Arborist Representative for Bartlett Tree Experts in Simsbury, a Certified Tree Risk Assessor, a Board Certified Master Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture, a certified arborist in Connecticut and Massachusetts and currently earning his credential as a Registered Consulting Arborist. Mike’s presentation on trees include improving the root zone environment.

Suffield Garden Club

Do You Have a Girdle?

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Recently, I asked Rick to investigate a few inches below the mulch level of our trees to see if any stray roots had encircled the base of the tree’s trunk. Sure enough, one tree was victimized. See the developed girdling root in the photo to the right. Here are some causes of tree girdling to watch out for: roots may form in root-bound, container grown plants, girdling roots may begin when a tree is transplanted or develop as a tree grows. Deep mulch or compacted soil seem to encourage the development of girdling roots at the base of a trunk.

Schools/Sports

SMS Drama Club

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Suffield Middle School will be transforming into a “school of hard knocks”, proudly presenting this year’s musical production, Annie, Jr. Based on the book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Martin Charnin, the classic tale of Annie follows a spirited, redheaded orphan on her action-packed and emotional voyage from the daily doldrums of her hard-knock life, a step away from the dazzling streets of New York, to the fairytale-come-true setting of a billionaire’s art-deco mansion. This household-name musical includes more than 30 colorful characters, many heartwarming and a few, not so much. Our ensemble of scrappy orphans, charming rogues, and bustling servants are sure to keep you laughing and entertained. Annie, played by the shining 8th-grader Brynna Tinnirella, is certain to capture your hearts with her emotion-filled performances of “Maybe” and “Tomorrow.” Meanwhile, Miss Hannigan, the breakout role of eighth-grade superstar Sophie Collins, will have everyone quite thankful that they don’t live under the same roof with this sometimes playful but always underhanded, orphanage director. Be sure to come join our charming cast on a fun-filled winter’s visit to 1930s New York City.

Schools/Sports

Roses Forced at SHS

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Remember the Observer’s past story about turf being greened in February in one of Goodyear Nursery’s greenhouses? The turf was used in the annual Flower & Garden Show at the Connecticut Convention Center. This year a new crop has been added. Sixty-five rose plants were forced to blossom beautifully in the Suffield High School Agriscience greenhouse for the February 21-24 show. This was not only a convenience for a Suffield resident but a good educational opportunity for the Agriscience students.