Letter to the Editor
Capital Project Management
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I’m compelled to share frustration with the management of capital projects. We’re asked to approve an additional $1.5 million for our Library – it’s a must do.
Suffield’s History and Notable People Honored
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Trees have both common and scientific names, such as Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus).
Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association Receives Prestigious National Honor
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.
Organizations
Halloween on the Porch
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Members are invited to come in costume to the King House Museum porch to help distribute goodies on Halloween.
Government/Town
SFD Deputy Chief Sworn In
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Along with members of the Suffield Fire Commission, many friends and members of the Fire Department attended a swearing-in ceremony in the Ratley Road fire station prior to the commission’s September 11 meeting.
Editorial
A Gift from the Creator
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When the French Jesuit priests first saw the native people (in the area now Canada and upstate New York) playing a game using a stick with netting, they called it Lacrosse because it looked like the staff a Bishop carries in religious ceremonies.
Churches
Church Quilt Now Safely Displayed
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Over a century ago, the ladies of West Suffield Congregational Church gathered, thimble and needle in hand, to sew an autograph bed quilt to raise money to expand their meeting house.
Suffield’s Pride
Suffield Pride – Austin Borg
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Not many folks can say that they have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail (AT). Since its completion in 1936, only about 15,000 have completed the roughly 2,200-mile trail, which stretches through 14 states and runs from Mt. Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia.
Schools/Sports
Suffield Educators Honored
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One of the happy items on the agenda for the September 4 meeting of the Suffield Board of Education was the announcement of this year’s Teacher of the Year and Paraeducator of the Year, chosen from nominations submitted from all four of our schools.
Columns
Where in the World is the Observer?
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The LaRochelle family took the Observer to the south rim of the Grand Canyon this summer.
People/Business
Student Supports Worthy Causes
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“Max” Bruce Maxwell Wilson is a senior at Suffield High School. He was introduced to the New Britain area by his grandmother, who developed Alzheimer’s while Max was very young. One of her neighbors, Kelly Nauss, often came over to help with yardwork at his grandmother’s home. Max was inspired by learning of Kelly Nauss’s personal struggles while watching him give to others in need at his Friday night dinners in St. Mark’s Church, where Max frequently volunteers.
Farming/Nature
Indigo Buntings, a Brighter Shade of Blue
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This is how the repartee unfolds as we get ready to hit the trails each week. There is a flurry of text messages, emails, and phone calls regarding all the wonderful places in town to stretch our legs. Ouija boards, spinners and rounds of rock, paper, scissors all become important tools in our decision making. It starts as a polite exchange, until I hijack the suggestions and begin to push my own recommendation with great gusto. The give and take builds to a crescendo when I pitch which piece of open space will best meet our needs (aka where I want to go).
Organizations
Sprucing Up the Island
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In one of their regular efforts to keep Suffield beautiful, a crew from the Suffield Garden Club tidies up the plantings on the traffic island at the start of Bridge Street.
Suffield Garden Club
Fall Nectar Flowers
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Monarch butterflies are unable to survive cold winters so they migrate, mainly in October, to the south and west. Monarchs need an abundance of nectar from fall flowers to support them on their journey from the eastern and central U. S. to the mountains in Mexico. Most butterflies live only a few weeks, but some monarchs will survive up to nine months before returning north in the spring. You may think your gardening endeavors are far too small to make a difference concerning the needs of butterflies, but that’s not true at all. Plant or do whatever you can do.
Government/Town
Curbing Installed on High Street, South
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In the Town’s ongoing pavement improvement program, a small crew from Rolocut Construction of Windsor Locks adds curbing in front of an antique house on the southern end of High Street.
Government/Town
Parks & Rec News
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It was an enjoyable summer at the Suffield Parks and Recreation Department with our many offerings for children and families.
Organizations
Rays of Hope: Walk & Run Toward a Cure
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The Rays of Hope Walk and Run toward the Cure of Breast Cancer will celebrate 25 years on October 21. Dr. Grace Makari-Judson of Suffield serves Rays of Hope as co- director with D. Joseph Jerry, UMass professor and scientist at the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute. Since 1994, Rays of Hope has been helping women and men in the fight against breast cancer by walking alongside them on their cancer journey. A joint initiative between researchers from Baystate Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the Insitute maintains its offices and laboratories within the Baystate campus. Describing their goals, Dr. Makari-Judson said, “Our vision was an ambitious one and at the time the first for a research data base with information from consenting Baystate breast patients that would link personal histories to medical records and tissue samples to related clinical data.”
In June 2018, the Institute’s registry reached an enrollment of more than 1,000 patients.
Government/Town
Old Home Week and Community Spirit
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Suffield High School class reunions inspire and expand community spirit. Planning their 55th Reunion, members of SHS Class of 1963 focused on Suffield on the Green on September 7, 8, and 9 as their centerpiece. Suffield on the Green celebrates Suffield every year by capturing a convivial old home week atmosphere and refreshing the community spirit. The Class of 1963 will launch its reunion on Friday night, September 7, with 5:30 dinner at the Oak Ridge Golf Club in Feeding Hills. On Saturday, September 8, alumni may happily wander around the Green to explore what Suffield is like today while surely running into friends and neighbors from the past.
Organizations
Car Show at NEAM
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The New England Air Museum will host its 2nd annual JETS & VETTES Car Show on Sunday September 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The show’s special theme is Chevrolet Corvettes through the Years, and awards will be presented to the Best in Show and Best Vintage.