Organizations

Genealogical Workshop

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A workshop for lineage research, which is open to the public, will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 28 at the Second Baptist Church, 100 N. Main Street. The workshop is sponsored by the Sibbil Dwight Kent Chapter of the Daughters of The American Revolution. It will be conducted by Jolene Mullen, a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and Field Genealogist of the National Society of the Daughters of The American Revolution. Mrs. Mullen will direct how to research individual genealogical lines and will answer questions from the participants. She will have reference materials available.

Library

Science Saturday Begins

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Wendy Mitzel, part-time Teen Outreach Coordinator for the Kent Memorial Library, has opened a program of Science Saturdays for middle and high school kids. Library Director Jackie Hemond said she hopes to offer the program monthly, on the first Saturday of each month. The first session, on March 3 at the Suffield Senior Center, lasted three hours in mid-day, with lunch provided. With the help of a grant from the Friends of the Library, Wendy was able to buy two iPads and two Sphero Minis, plus enough imaginative accessory material to make two five-by-seven-foot obstacle courses and one smaller course. When the free app is installed in an iPad, the action of the Sphero Mini (a clever, app-enabled robotic ball a bit bigger than a golf ball) can be controlled with finger motions on the iPad screen.

Library

Action Again at KML

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This report will be brief, as Town officials have chosen to provide a monthly update on the library project. Readers will find the update on the followng page of this issue. During some months recently, there seemed to be little happening at the old library on Main Street, the place that Library Director Jackie Hemond likes to call “the Big House.” But important planning was going on in offices elsewhere. There was a spurt of activity at the start of February when a quantity of books exposed to PCB contamination were removed. Then in the first few weeks of March, Suffield carpenter Brian Doyon removed attached wooden shelving, exposing the walls to allow the planned PCB remediation.

Director’s Corner

The Times, They are A-Changing

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Dutch sailors ate so many dodos that the dodos became extinct. Will librarians also become extinct? Extinct, not by Dutch sailors, but by Google? It is true that some librarians should vanish. They are the ones who sit behind an imposing desk, serving as gatekeepers to the library, forcing everyone to adhere to strict rules of conduct.

Organizations

Polish Heritage Meeting

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The April meeting of the Polish Heritage Society will be held on Wednesday, the 4th, at 10 a.m. in the Suffield Ambulance Center at 205 Bridge St. The guest for that meeting will be Susan Urban of West Springfield. Ms. Urban is a Polish artist who creates intricate designs called “Wycinanki”, the Polish word for paper-cut designs. According to the artist, this type of art originated in Poland during the early part of the 18th century and served as an inexpensive way for Polish peasants to decorate their homes. The original designs had no sketch or stencils to use.

Government/Town

Suffield Police Rescue Another Quarry Climber

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On February 27, at approximately 4:48 p.m., the Suffield Police Department received an emergency 9-1-1 call regarding a person who had fallen off a rock formation in the Suffield Quarry located on Quarry Road at Phelps Road. This area is located in West Suffield near the Granby town line. The property, which is privately owned, is a location that is familiar to Suffield emergency services as the site where numerous similar emergency rescues have been conducted in the past. The top of the mountain is about a half-mile hike from the intersection of Quarry and Phelps roads. It is covered with trees, and the cliff facing the intersection is covered with sharp, ridged rock from past quarrying.

Through the Looking Glass

PorcFest and the Free State Project

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Several years ago a friend who supports the Libertarian Party invited me to come along to a weekend gathering of libertarians in New Hampshire. It was called the Porcupine Freedom Festival – PorcFest for short. It was, generally speaking, a happy gathering of people who shared the political view that less government would make life better. Its name derives from the mascot of the Libertarian Party, the porcupine. It was only the second or third time this event had taken place but there was a good crowd of about 100 people staying in a local motel or camping out in trailers and tents using the bathroom facilities provided by Rogers Campgrounds in Lancaster, NH.

Organizations

Conservancy Spring Programs

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Suffield Land Conservancy’s Annual Spring Programs are a wonderful opportunity to connect with the outdoors, discover wildflowers, explore the forests and uncover different species of birds that are right in your very own backyards. Open to the public, please join us for each of these outdoor adventures with your friends and family members. Annual Wildflower Hike will be held on Sunday, April 29 at 2 p.m., rain or shine. Please meet at Sunrise Park where we will gather at the pavilion. Come discover over 30 beautiful spring wildflowers.

Organizations

Donations Sought For Soup Kitchen as Number of Guests Increases

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The Enfield Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen is once again beginning its Springtime Challenge, our principal fundraising drive that keeps our doors open. The Soup Kitchen is seeking monetary donations through April 30. Letters were recently mailed to past benefactors, and area schools and churches, in an effort to raise money and supply food items to enable Enfield Loaves & Fishes to feed the ever-increasing number of needy people in Enfield and surrounding towns. The Soup Kitchen, located at 28 Prospect Street, served 140,211 meals in 2017, including meals to hungry children and 108,115 snacks served to children participating in after school programs of Educational Resources for Children (ERfC). Another 46,259 meals were provided for home consumption in emergency situations.

Now and Then

Growing Up at 89

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Ordinarily I bypass the perpendicular pronoun. But wished happiness as I recently celebrated my 89th birthday, I thank in first person all happiness wishers! Their wishes came true! Judging by photo albums, all birthdays have been happy! The 18th was especially so.

Government/Town

Democratic Candidate Forum

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Democratic Town Committees from Suffield, Bloomfield, Windsor and Windsor Locks have joined forces to hold state office candidate forums this spring. Suffield will host the forum for the ten (or more) Democratic candidates for governor on Thursday, April 5 at 7p.m. in the auditorium at Suffield Middle School, 350 Mountain Road, Suffield. Each candidate will be given the opportunity to discuss his/her background and policy plans and to answer questions from the audience. The Bloomfield DTC will be hosting the forum for Democratic candidates for Attorney General, Secretary of the State, and Treasurer.

Organizations

Earth Day at Hilltop Farm

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The Girl Scouts of Suffield will be hosting an Earth Day celebration at Hilltop Farm on Sunday, April 22, 2018 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Girl Scouts and FOFAH invite families to three separate STEM based activities. Participants can come build, color, and fly their own kite. Learn how a kite uses air as lift to stay in flight. The second activity is geocaching. Use your phones to find the Geocache box hidden on the property.

Churches

First Church Events

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First Church of Christ, An Open and Affirming Church, is hosting the following events in April. All are welcome to attend. Worship on Sundays at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary- – All Are Welcome! April 1: Easter Sunday! 6 a.m. – Sunrise Community Service at Sunrise Park

10 a.m. – Easter Celebration Service

April 2, 9, 16 at 10 a.m.  – Qi Gong continues in the Chapel, $10 per class

April 3 at 10 a.m. – Prayer Shawl Ministry Meeting in the Ebenezer Gay Room

April 4, 11, 18 at 10 a.m. – Reformation Bible Study in the Ebenezer Gay Room

April 4 at noon – Communion Luncheon in the Ebenezer Gay Room

April 19 at 7 p.m. – Women’s Fellowship Intergenerational Game Night in Fellowship Hall

April 26 at 7 p.m. –Cabi Clothing Party in the Ebenezer Gay Room

April 28 at Revitalize CDC GreenNFit Springfield, MA.

Churches

WSCC Spring Rummage and Bake Sale

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The West Suffield Congregational Church will be holding its Spring Rummage Sale on Saturday April 28th from 9-2pm. Donations can be dropped off at the church April 24 – 27 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. or by appointment. The church is located at 1408 Mountain Rd, West Suffield. All items are taken with the exception of large household furniture or appliances. Call (860) 836-0660 with questions or to schedule a donation drop off.