southington residents try to beat the heat main street … 2012/07_13_2012.pdf · 3 on siding &...

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Membrino captures checkered flag atStafford Motor Speedway, Page 36

Southington residents try to beat the heatin the pool in our scene page, 9

Main Street Foundation awards grants toseveral Southington groups, Page 3

The Town Councilrejected a $720,000 federalgrant received by theSouthington FireDepartment that wasmeant to bolster staffinglevels in the Milldale sec-tion of town. The officialswere uncomfortable withpotential costs the grantcould leave behind andfrustrated that they hadbeen kept out of the loop.

The money was cour-tesy of a Department ofHomeland Security“SAFER” grant whichwould have been distrib-uted over the next twoyears. Southington was

one of over 1,200 appli-cants for the SAFER(Staffing for Adequate Fireand Emergency Response)grant. The Hartford FireDepartment, whichreceived $3,380,856, wasthe only otherConnecticut departmentto receive funds.

The grant money wasslated to hire four newweekday daytime firefight-ers for Company 3 onClark Street. The staffingbreakdown would haveincluded three firefightersand a lieutenant.

“This will reduceresponse time in that sec-tion of town,” saidSouthington Fire Fighter

Eric Heath, one of the fire-fighters who worked onthe grant application, inan interview beforeMonday’s meeting. Headded that the town hasapplied for the grantunsuccessfully in pastyears.

Speaking before thecouncil, Fire Chief Harold“Buddy” Clark said thegrant was an ideal chanceto expand the depart-ment’s daytime roster,which he described asinadequate for a town ofSouthington’s size.

“The fundamentalreason for government isto protect the people it

Council rejects SAFER grant

The Town Councilunanimously selected ProGrass, LLC to install the artifi-cial turf field at SouthingtonHigh School, following anannouncement that their bidamount had been significant-ly reduced.

Pro Grass was alreadythe lowest bidder out of theseven companies thatexpressed interest in takingon the project, with a pro-posed bid of about $918,000.At Monday’s council meeting,Town Attorney Mark Sciotaannounced that the compa-ny had agreed to bring downtheir bid to $875,000.

“This comes without anyreduction in terms of whatwe receive,” Sciota said. “Thisis definitely the best group towork with at this particularpoint.”

This amount is closer tothe original predictions of the

Turf Committee, which esti-mated a cost of about$890,000. It also means thecost will stay under $1 mil-lion and will not go to a pub-lic referendum vote.

Committee ChairmanMichael DeFeo said he waspleased with the result andadded that the warrantypromised by Pro Gross wouldalso cover drainage concerns.“This is a big step forward,”he said. “After tonight, it willno longer be a football field.It will be a community field.”

While the turf field willbe constructed on what TownManager Garry Brumbackreferred to as an “aggressiveschedule,” the council hasnot determined which of theproposed methods of fund-ing the project it will choose.

The Council had alreadyendorsed the idea and a pro-posal to bond the project at$960,000, but a day later theBoard of Finance came up

with a plan to pay the majori-ty of the expected costs usingfunds that are currently avail-able in the budget. The BOFrecommended using$609,642 from the Self-Insurance account (the resultof savings) and $310,358 fromthe town’s contingency fund.This adds up to $920,000 andthe BOF is hoping the Boardof Education will contribute$40,000.

Some councilors sug-gested that they preferred thebonding option, althoughSciota told them that a deci-sion on the method of fund-ing did not need to be madebefore selecting a bidder andthat it would not hold up theconstruction of the field.

The council will addressthis question at a futuremeeting. “The project itself isnot a concern, but that[method of funding] is,” saidTown Councilor ChrisPalmieri.

Council selects turf bid for high school

TAMMI KNAPIK

Southington’s Farmers Market opened last week on South Main Street. Many areafarmers have their crops for sale. Above, Christian Dietz of Lewis Farms stockssome cucumbers while Amiri Airey picks through the tomatoes.

The Police Departmenthas concluded its investiga-

tion of a confrontation thatoccurred betweenSouthington Fire ChiefHarold “Buddy” Clark and

volunteer firefighter StevenBull, but the matter is nowbeing examined internallyat Town Hall and membersof the Board of FireCommissioners are seekingmore information about theincident.

“Our investigation wascompleted and no chargeswere filed,” said PoliceSpokesman Sergeant JeffDobratz, who stated that acopy of the report was sentto Town Hall.

Town Attorney MarkSciota confirmed that hisoffice was conducting aninternal investigation.

The alleged altercationoccurred between Clarkand Bull shortly after a fireon Darling Street early lastmonth. Bull has been sus-pended since June and

No charges against fire chief

See CHIEF, page 14

Fire dept. looked to increase staff

Farm fresh produce

By ROB GLIDDENSTAFF WRITER


See GRANT, page 14

TAMMI KNAPIK

Paige, Kyle, and Ema Kinney set up a stand infront of their house last week to offer resi-dents a refreshing glass of lemonade to com-bat the heat.

Young entrepreneurs


2 Friday, July 13, 2012To advertise, call (860) 628-9645 The Step Saver/ The Observer

Mulberry Gardens ofSouthington held itsannual Mrs. SeniorMulberry Pageant andcrowned Faith Simonoko,a resident at the commu-

nity, this year’s Mrs. SeniorMulberry Queen 2012. Theevent, in its third year, hasbecome a huge successwith residents, adult daycenter members, families

and staff participatingtogether in a fun-filled,one-of a-kind pageant.

Proceeds from theevent benefit activitiesfunding for MulberryGardens residents andadult day center membersat both Southington andMarian Heights locations.

The pageant’s firstrunner-up was awarded toFlorence Lecuyer andSecond Runner-Up wasRosa Coppola.

Other winners of thepageant were, BettyParenti, who won the titleof Mrs. Sunshine (BestSmile Award), MarthaWitkins, winning the Mrs.Friendship (CongenialityAward), Gloria LaQuerretaking the title of Mrs.Young at Heart (SpiritAward) and IngridMarcoux winning the Mrs.Sweet Heart award.

The event’s contest-ants, all residents andadult day center membersof Mulberry Gardens andMarian Heights, werejudged by three localwomen, Kristen Cusato,former co-anchor ofWTNH News 8 GoodMorning Connecticut whocurrently serves as theSouthwest RegionalDirector of the CT Chapterof the Alzheimer’sAssociation, Kathy Faber, anationally known dress

designer who has been fea-tured in many women’s

magazines and newspa-pers and NBC-30 CT

Morning Co-anchorYvonne Nava.

Faith Simonoko is crowned Miss Mulberry

This year’s movie lineup, along with their spon-sors, is as follows:July 13 - Friday the 13th (R), Lions ClubJuly 14 - Poltergeist (PG-13), Rotary ClubJuly 20 - Free Willy (PG), Junior Women’s ClubJuly 21 - Cars (G), STEPSJuly 28 - Closed - No movie due to the ItalianFestivalAug. 4 - Escape to Witch Mountain (PG), Sorelled’ItaliaAug. 11 - Lady and the Tramp (G), Mill FoundationAug. 18 - The Goonies (PG), Southington KnightsTravel FootballAug. 24 - Caddyshack (R), UNICOAug. 25 - The Wizard of Oz (PG), Kiwanis Sept. 1 - Sandlot (PG), Bread for LifeOct. 27 - Monster House (PG) and Halloween (R),Drive-In Committee

Mrs. Senior Mulberry Queen 2012 Faith Simonoko,left, with 2011 Winner Dorothy Rizzi, 101 years old.

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Our Town

Foundation awards grants to area organizationsThe Main Street

Community Foundation hasawarded grants to numer-ous organizations inSouthington and Plainvillewhich are intended toimprove the communities insmall but significant ways.

The foundation servessix towns – Bristol,Burlington, Plainville,Plymouth, Southington andWolcott. A total of $67,427 infunding was given out to 27organizations during thisgrant cycle. While somerecipients were chosenbecause of their potential tobenefit all the towns in thearea, many others were spe-cific to the towns.

In Southington, a$3,655 grant was given tothe Family Resource Centerto help it establish a perma-nent home at HattonElementary School. Whilepopular since it debuted in2008, the center has beenmobile and this limited the

amount of families it couldserve.

“Now they will have apermanent home at HattonSchool,” said Susan Sadecki,president and CEO of thefoundation. “Over the sum-mer, that classroom will betransformed into the newFamily Resource Center.”

The Southington YMCAreceived $2,500 meant for itsStrong Kids Campaign, anannual effort to help localyouth with various needsand opportunities, includ-ing attending Camp Sloper.

“We’ve been good part-ners with the Main StreetFoundation over the yearsand they have supportedmany of our initiatives, butthis was still a great sur-prise,” said YMCA ExecutiveDirector John Myers.

Also in Southington, a$1,000 grant was given toNutmeg Big Brothers BigSisters to support the men-toring of a local student.

The Plainville FoodPantry received $1,500

towards their holiday basketprograms. ExecutiveDirector Susie Woerz saidthis donation was especiallyuseful since the pantry hasbeen dealing with $49,000

worth of revenue losses thisyear.

“They have been greatand we really appreciatethem and their help,” shesaid. “We’ve seen losses thisyear in other funding so thishelps us maintain pro-grams.”

The foundation alsogave $1,655 to an orchestralmusic program for fifth-grade students in Plainville,and $345 to PARC to financethe purchase of the fitnessgame Wii Fit.

The giving in Plainvillewas overseen by a specificcommittee chaired by DollyChamberlain.

During the process,nonprofit organizationsapply and the foundationconducts detailed visits andinterviews.

“We felt very goodabout it,” Chamberlain said.“We were able to give some-thing to everyone [fromPlainville] who applied. Wewould love to give more, butthere’s only so much money

to work with.”Sadecki said the foun-

dation selected 27 of the 38organizations that applied.

“All these applicationsare great, but it comes down

to which ones are the mostappropriate to fund in eachparticular year,” she said.

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The countdown is on forSouthington’s Logan West,the reigning MissConnecticut Teen USA.

On July 28, she will beon stage at Atlantis, ParadiseIsland, waiting to find out ifshe will be the next Miss TeenUSA in the competition thatis part of the Miss USA/ MissUniverse pageant system.

The recent graduate ofthe Greater HartfordAcademy of Arts caught upwith the Observer viaFacebook to talk about MissTeen USA, as well as hersend-off celebration thisSunday at Hawk’s Landing inSouthington.

Observer: First of all,what’s going through yourhead as you think about theupcoming competition?

Logan: With the compe-tition only about three weeksaway, I’m filled with bothpride and a hint of anxiety. Iam competing for a title only51 girls can attempt to cap-ture each year. I am incredi-bly excited to represent mystate at the Miss Teen USApageant in the Bahamas, andI am working hard to getConnecticut noticed in theworld of pageantry. I am trulylooking forward to therelaxed, fun-oriented envi-ronment the Miss UniverseOrganization works hard toprovide as well as takingadvantage of all of the oppor-tunities this organization hasto offer. You don’t have to winin order to get the benefits ofwinning. Between workingout, shopping, packing, andjust overall preparation, Ihave found little time to bestressed, and a lot of time toappreciate the amazing jour-ney I have embarked upon.I’m just ready to get downthere already.

O: What are you doingto prep yourself physicallyand mentally to the compe-

tition?L: The Miss Teen USA

pageant consists of threephases of competition; inter-view, swimsuit, and eveningwear. I have been workingwith an interview coach, see-ing a personal kick boxingtrainer, working with mygown sponsor to find myperfect dress, and meetingwith a runway expert tomake sure my walk is fashionweek ready. But beyondworking on the phases I willcompete in, I have made sureto take time focusing on me.Preparation can be like a tor-nado, your life is picked upand spun around for a year,but staying grounded iswhat’s most important to me.Being the real me, and stay-ing 100 percent true to whoLogan is, is what has gottenme to where I am today. Ihave made a conscious effortof never losing sight of the“big picture” and knowingthat if I win, it’s because I didit on my own terms, no oneelse’s.

O: Have you had achance to meet the otherMiss Teen USA contestantspreviously and are you look-ing forward to reconnectingwith some of them?

L: I have had the oppor-tunity of meeting the othercontestant twice so far. Themajority of us met initially ata Christmas party photogra-pher Fadil Berisha held for allof the contestants in NewYork City. Not everyone wasable to make it, but I got tomeet a few more contestantswhen we attended theStandOut retreat in Virginia.We spent a weekend togetherdesigned to help us create lifelong friendships, as well asget all of the inside informa-tion needed to compete atour absolute best. We hadclasses in nutrition, fitness,interview, and overall presen-tation as well as a ropecourse at the end that

brought us all closer together.While away, I became closewith Utah’s Teen,Massachusetts’s Teen, D.C.’sTeen and Vermont’s Teen.Thankfully, my roommate atthe competition is D.C. and Iam truly looking forward tospending time with her- sheis honestly one of the sweet-est girls I know.

O: What are you mostlooking forward to for theexperience?

L: I am most looking for-ward to actually being in theBahamas. I have never beenbefore and looking at pic-tures of the Atlantis makes

me wish I was there already. Iam also looking forward tothe evening wear portion ofcompetition. I have foundmy perfect dress and I amready to strut it on the MissTeen USA runway.

O: For those not familiarwith Miss Teen USA, howdoes that competition work?

L: This competition isquite similar to the Miss USAand Miss Universe competi-tion. We first compete inswimsuit, then evening wear.The next day we compete inpersonality interview wherewe are given a two-minuteinterview with two panels of

judges. From there, the top16 is selected, and thosemoving forward re-competein swimsuit and evening-wear. When the competitionis cut to top five, those stillstanding will have an on-stage question. From there,they crown a winner.

O: How has the pastyear been for you as MissConnecticut Teen USA?

L: My reign as MissConnecticut Teen USA hasbeen an amazing journeythus far. I have continued mywork with my program“BullyProof; EmpoweringChildren Today to PreventBullying Tomorrow.” I havenow spoken to over 20,000students. I have also workedvery closely with BestBuddies and the SpecialOlympics, two organizationsI now consider close to myheart. I feel truly blessed tohave this opportunity, and Iplan to live it to the fullest.

O:Your younger sisterSydney just competed—andplaced second runner-up—in the Miss Connecticut’sOutstanding Teen competi-tion (part of the MissAmerica Organization.Logan previously held thetitle of Miss Connecticut’sOutstanding Teen). Howhave you both helped eachother in prepping for yourrespective competitions?

L. My sister and I havebeen extremely close all ourlives. When it comes topageantry, we are even closerbecause no one knows us likewe do. We can correct andadjust each other openly andfreely and work together tomake ourselves the best wecan be. As I said earlier, I ama firm believer in staying trueto who I am, and Sydney isthe exact same way. Ratherthan transform ourselvesinto what we think the judgesare looking for, we have themsee the image of a winner inus. We have given each other

mock interviews, cheeredeach other on at the gym,and, most importantly, beenthere for each other whentimes get stressful.Competing is no easy task,but having someone therefor you every single step ofthe way, through the ups anddowns, makes it a whole loteasier. Plus sitting in theaudience watching not onlyyour sister, but your bestfriend give it her all, is a feel-ing that can never bereplaced.

O: Talk to me aboutyour upcoming send off cel-ebration... I understandthere’s more happening thanjust hugs, kisses, and bonvoyages... what is going on?Why did you decide to dothis?

L:. My send off celebra-tion is more than just a typi-cal send off. Yes, I will besharing my wardrobe andpreparation over dinner, butthe morning of my send off Iwill be hosting the first annu-al Miss Connecticut TeenUSA Extravaganza Pageant.Boys and girls ages 0-13 willcompete for the titles ofConnecticut’s Preemie, Petite,Junior and Preteen, and thewinners will be crowned thatevening. I chose to do thisbecause I wanted to offer thesame life changing opportu-nity I have been given, to theyouth of our communities.They will have the chance togo on appearances with meand use this as a mentoringopportunity. I am incrediblyexcited to share such a spe-cial day for me, with hopefulyoungsters.

Logan West’s send off isSunday, July 15. It will be anight full of entertainmentand dinner, as Logan sharespreparation and wardrobe forthe pageant. It will be held atHawk’s Landing ofSouthington, 201 PattonwoodDr., Southington from 6 to 9p.m. Tickets are $30.

Southington teen ready to take on nationBy MIKE CHAIKEN

EDITIONS EDITOR

MIKE CHAIKEN

Logan West leaps for joy last year after learning shewas the new Miss Connecticut Teen USA. She willheading to the Bahamas this month to compete inthe Miss Teen USA pageant.

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Jared A. Haddock, 18, of41 Muir Terrace, wascharged on July 1 with sec-ond degree breach of peaceand second degree assault.He was held on a $2,500bond for a July 2 court date.

Ryan M. Haddock, 20,of 38 Rourke Avenue, wascharged on July 1 with sec-ond degree breach of peaceand second degree assault.He was held on a $2,500bond for a July 2 court date.

Steven A. Fernandes,51, of 152 Southshire Drive,was charged on July 1 withDUI and failure to maintainlane. He was held on a $500bond for a July 9 court date.

Police Blotter

Southington’s HistoryWith the aid of the

Southington Library’sonline archive of his-toric Southingtonpapers, we will give youa look back at some ofthe town’s history thisweek.

75 years ago thisweek…

Officials ConsiderQuestion

Town officials may askthe state highway depart-ment officials to make Weststreet a part of the statehighway system. It isbelieved that this is a prop-er step to take in view of thelarge number of motorists

who use the highway goingto and from Bristol.

-The SouthingtonNews


Renewal Foes NearSuccess In Campaign ForReferendum

Opponents of anurban renewal survey ofSouthington center are inthe final stages of theircampaign to force a refer-endum on the issue.Petitions bearing thenames of more than 1,000person who favor a refer-endum were ready for apresentation today to the

Board of Selectmen.-The Southington

News


Vo-Ag for ROPE pro-posal

Superintendent ofSchools Louis Saloom hasendorsed SuperintendentEmeritus John Pyne’s pro-posal to put alternate highschool and junior highschool programs into theformer vocational-agricul-ture building behindCentral ElementarySchool.

-The SouthingtonObserver

Man thought to have robbedthe same TD Bank twice

Southington Policebelieve that the one suspectis responsible for the tworecent bank robberies at theTD Bank on Main Street.

Police were called to thebank on Tuesday, July 3,responding to a hold upalarm. An investigation ledpolice to believe that thesuspect was the same manthat had held up the bankon June 18.

The police describedthe suspect as a black male,with short black hair, stand-ing between 5’8” or 5’10”.

At the second robbery,he was wearing a navy bluet-shirt, dark pants, and darkshoes. He had what appearsto be a silver loop near hiswaistline and was wearing avinyl style glove on the righthand.

The suspect was hold-ing a dark coloredscarf/cloth (possibly a t-shirt) over his nose andmouth which he held withhis left hand.

He was also holding awhite plastic grocery bag inhis left hand and was wear-ing glasses with dark lensesand possibly silver sides orframes.

The man demanded

money from the tellers andthen fled the bank. He waslast seen walking in a south-ern direction from the bankon Main Street.

The suspect did not dis-play, nor imply having aweapon at either robbery.No one was injured duringeither robbery.

Detectives are lookingto speak with anyone whomay have seen this malebefore and/or after theserobberies.

Contact DetectiveWojenski or Detective Bealat the Southington PoliceDepartment 860-378-1644or 860-378-1645.

The Observeris now onFacebook.

Knights of Columbus set toestablish Squires Circle in town

The SouthingtonKnights of Columbus isestablishing a Squires cir-cle in Southington.Squires, the official youthorganization of theKnights of Columbus, is aleadership developmentprogram for youngCatholic men who are 10-18 years of age.

The Squires programis designed to developyoung men who under-stand their faith, whohave a commitment to thechurch, and who are will-

ing to pattern their lifeafter the young Christ.

Squires have fun,meet new people, travel,play sports, and socialize.

Squires are seriousminded, too, and involvethemselves in promotingvocations, supporting theunborn, feeding the hun-gry, clothing the poor,helping in the SpecialOlympics, and countlessother activities to helpothers.

The Squire Circle is anathletic team, a youth

group, a social club, acivic organization, a lead-ership training model, anda spiritual developmentprogram all rolled intoone.

If you are interestedin joining or in moreinformation aboutSquires, please contactDan Valente at [email protected] or callhim at 860-384-5097 orcontact Kylle Ayer [email protected] or callhim at 860-426-9943.

6 Friday, July 13, 2012To advertise, call (860) 628-9645

•From the Chief’s Desk.......page 8

•Neighbors............page 9


Our Views

A long, slow court journeyThere is an old saying that the

wheels of justice turn slowly and thiscould not be more evident in theSmoron controversy.

Valley Spring Farm was owned bythe Smoron family for decades andownership has been in dispute sincethe death of Josephine Smoron in2009.

In the 1990s, Josephine Smoronhad a dispute with her brother,Stanley Smoron, about the future ofthe farm. He intended to will the landto local churches, but JosephineSmoron intended it to remain asfarmland. She prevailed in the dis-pute and would go on to change herwill to designate “absolutely and for-ever” Sam Manzo, longtime farmcaretaker, as heir to the land.

More trouble started when localattorney John Nugent, a courtappointed conservator, created twotrusts claiming that the land was“relinquished” to three churches –The Immaculate Conception RomanCatholic Church in Southington, theHoly Cross Roman Catholic Churchin New Britain, and the Sacred HeartRoman Catholic Church, also in NewBritain.

This outcome was approved byformer Southington probate judgeBryan Meccariello. Meccariello wascensured for the handling of theestate in 2010.

The Smoron controversy began

in 2010 and it was named a top storyof the year in The Observer. Sincethen the wheels of justice have beengrinding along, however slowly.

A few weeks ago, the StatewideGrievance Committee ruled that localattorney John Nugent violated ethiclaws in his handling of the JosephineSmoron estate. The committee, whichoversees the conduct of state lawyers,released its decision on June 18.

In its eight-page decision, thecommittee said Nugent sought to“intentionally deceive and defraudMs. Smoron,” by ignoring her will thatleft the estate to Manzo. Manzo filedthe complaint with the committee.

“Since this reviewing committeeconcludes that the respondent[Nugent] knew that Ms. Smoron hada will leaving her estate to the com-plainant [Manzo], we are compelled

to conclude that the respondent’saction in transferring the assets ofMs. Smoron’s estate into two truststhat left her state to the threeCatholic churches was also unethi-cal,” the decision read. “The fact thatthe probate court approved the cre-ation and funding of these trusts doesnot exonerate the respondent.”

The decision was stayed, asNugent is appealing the decision.

This was the first major decisionto come up in some time.

Back in 2010, a New Britain pro-bate judge declined to intervene inthe ongoing dispute and Meccariellowas censured by the state’s Councilon Probate Judicial Matters.

Also of note is a sports complexthat both the Planning and Zoningand Conservation Commissionsapproved for the site in 2010, thoughthe ownership of the land remains indispute. Probate matters are nottaken into account in these situa-tions.

It is understandable why thedevelopers would like to put thecomplex on the property. It is in closeproximity to I-84 and developing thecorridor area has been a priority fortown officials and developers inrecent years.

There has not really been anynews regarding the complex since theSmoron issue has been tied up incourt.

Ed HarrisThoughts around town

Look out for lap lookers on the road There’s been a lot of talk lately

about people who I call “lap look-ers.” Various news reports usuallyrefer to these people as “drivers dis-tracted while text-messaging.” I sup-pose the folks who have beenmaimed on the highways by thesepeople call them, “Stupid blankin’blank-blankers.” (I think you cansuccessfully fill in the blanks. But ifnot, just sit near the UConn benchand you’re sure to get some helpfulpointers on colorful language fromCoach Jim Calhoun.)

It seems there’s at least onenews story each day about a caraccident caused by a driver who wasdistracted while text-messaging.There were a couple of serious acci-dents just last week. There was astory last month about a trial wherethe victim’s attorney wanted to suenot only the offending driver, buthis girlfriend too, because eventhough she was not in the car, shecontinued to text him when sheknew he was driving. And recently alocal man was sentenced to manyyears in prison because the accidenthe caused killed the other driver. Ineach case the crash was due to thedriver being distracted while typingon a cell phone with his or herthumb.

If it seems like this has becomean epidemic, well, it has. Trust me, Idrive a lot for work, and I see laplookers out there all the time!

A trained eye can tell when a

driver is text-messaging. Since theactivity is illegal, he will keep hisphone out of view, which causeshim to repeatedly look down at hislap. Now, there are other reasonswhy a driver might look at his lap. Ifhe spills his coffee he’ll definitelylook at his lap — but not in thesame way. A coffee spiller will lookdown, but he’ll also start wigglingaround and flailing his arms, tryingto keep some of the spilt coffee fromseeping into his clothing. And if thecoffee is really hot (and if you canread lips), you’ll notice he also willshout, “When ahh you blankin’ guysgoing to staht playing some blankin’defense?!” Oh wait, I’m sorry. That’swhat Coach Calhoun shouts. Thedriver shouts, “Ow, blank! That’sblankin’ hot!”

A driver also will look at his lapif he drops doughnut crumbs. Butagain it’s different. You’ll see one of

his arms forcefully moving as hetries to brush the crumbs from hislap onto the floor.

The text-messaging driver has avery distinctive lap looker behavior.He keeps one hand on the wheel ashe drives, and periodically looksdown without moving any other partof his body. He looks forward outthe windshield, then he looks down.Forward, down, forward, down.Sometimes he looks down for, say,two seconds, but then other timeshe looks down for four or five sec-onds — plenty of time for the car infront of him to come to a completestop, or for a light to turn red, or fora school bus filled with kinder-garteners to turn into his path.Scary stuff.

I don’t want to seem prejudiced,but the vast majority of lap lookersare young drivers, usually teenagersand early 20s. It’s not that my fellowmiddle-agers and I are especiallylaw-abiding, but we have difficultytext-messaging while sitting on acouch, let alone in a moving vehicle.Those cell phone buttons are simplytoo blankin’ small.

So be careful. There are a lot oflap lookers out there. Also watch outfor drivers like me, the ones who aredistracted because we spend toomuch time looking at lap lookers.

Bill Dunn is a freelance writerwho resides in Torrington. He can bereached via his website at:www.boomertrek.com.

Bill DunnLaugh or Death

ED HARRIS editorEstablished in 1975

Published weekly by The Step Saver, Inc.213 Spring St., Southington, CT 06489

editorial: 860-621-6751advertising: 860-628-9645circulation: 860-628-9438

fax 860-621-1841e-mail [email protected]

All editorials are intended to reflect the position of the publisher and not that ofany individual editorial writer. Signed columns, on the other hand, reflect the positionof the author and not necessarily those of the publisher.

www.SouthingtonObserver.comwww.StepSaver.com

The governor was in the area last week visiting LakeCompounce as a way to bring attention to the state’s newtourism campaign.

After numerous years of zero funding for tourism, thestate “found religion” and realized that Connecticut was losingtourist dollars to states willing to cough up the bucks to touttheir attractions. So, now, they have realized their sin and putmore money back into its marketing efforts.

So, this is a good thing.But, let’s play critic for a moment, the chosen campaign,

“Connecticut Still Revolutionary,” is a dog.Just from a pop culture and a tourist point of view, it’s a

dog.The campaign is supposed to place emphasis on the

state’s roots in the Revolutionary War and the fact thatConnecticut had a role to play in breakthroughs in technologyduring the Industrial Revolution as well as the arts.

From a pop culture point of view, the emphasis on ourhistorical significance is a yawner. The American Revolution,as important to the nation’s history as it is (there wouldn’t be anation without it), isn’t one of those historic moments thatelicits any kind of passion in today’s America. Yes, you mightargue that it’s a sad statement on American education that anintegral part of our nation’s history doesn’t register in the con-sciousness of most Americans. And for most young people, thePatriots of New England is a football team. But you’re not like-ly going to change the situation because you make it a point ofpride in a tourism campaign. If you want to fix it, take it upwith the Department of Education.

The other issue is that even though Connecticut shouldhave some pride in its role in the American Revolution, therearen’t many remnants of this “revolutionary” past, especiallycompared to what other locations offer. For instance,Charleston, S.C. has an extensive historic district with homesdating back to that era. And in the surrounding areas ofCharleston, there are numerous plantations with ties to thatera.

Let’s face it, Connecticut, in its rush for progress, prettymuch plowed through its Revolutionary War artifacts.

The governor’s office can’t even cite anything physicalthat ties us to the American Revolution or even our IndustrialRevolution. In a press release touting the new campaign, thegovernor’s office touts “(the) Essex Steam Train, the iconicGillette Castle and Goodspeed Opera House” as the state’smost prominent tourist attractions. Nice as they are, they don’tfit the theme. Even Lake Compounce, where the governor tooka detour to promote the campaign, hardly ranks as: A. ARevolutionary War relic; B. As “revolutionary,” if you’re talkingin terms of innovation.

In other words, the state is trying to stuff a square peg in around hole to sell its tourism campaign. They’re trying to jus-tify the cash they spent on a dog, that— forget about the factthat it offers no “sizzle” to attract tourists— it’s also misleading.

The state government was penny-wise and pound-foolishwhen it decided for many years to forego promoting tourismin Connecticut. But the current publicity campaign, for whichus as taxpayers must foot the bill, is plain pound-foolish.

We know “Still Revolutionary” was someone’s baby, butthis is one baby that should have been tossed out with thebathwater.

We give this tourismcampaign zero stars

7Friday, July 13, 2012 To advertise, call (860) 628-9645The Step Saver/ The Observer

Your Views

“Vanilla.”

What is yourfavor flavorof icecream?

"Black raspberry" “Chocolate.” “Mint chocolatechip.”

"Pistachio."

Photos by Tammi Knapik

Southington says

Roger Fillion Southington

Nancy Carlson Bristol

Mikayla Carlson Southington

Mallory Carlson Southington

Ken Paprzyca Southington

All concerts onWednesday evenings from7-9 p.m. on the towngreen.

Any rain dates are forthe following Thursday.

July 18, “Eight to theBar,” sponsored by BaronRealty Group LLC.

July 25, “The SamVinci Orchestra,” spon-

sored by The Unico Club ofSouthington and The Sonsof Italy.

August 1, “ShadedSoul,” sponsored by BillyCarlson Heating & AirConditioning LLC.

August 8, “Gunsmoke,”sponsored by TD Bank.

August 15, “DennisPolisky and the Maestro’s

Men,” sponsored by TheSouthington Polish FalconsNest #307.

August 22,“Primetime,” sponsored byRichard Chevrolet.

August 29, “NicoleFrechette and the MontheiBrothers,” sponsored byThe Southington LionsClub.

Music on the Green

State officials back civil suitCathy Ludlum

(Connecticut Association ofPersonal Assistance orCTAPA, Inc.), Maria Nelson(Childcare ProvidersCoalition of Southington),Sen. Joe Markley(Southington), Rep. RobSampson (Wolcott/Sou-thington) and Fergus Cullenof the Yankee Institute forPublic Policy, along withAttorney Joe Summa(Waterbury) presented theircase against the State ofConnecticut and GovernorMalloy’s Forced UnionizationExecutive Orders 9 & 10 inHartford Superior CourtThursday, June 28. The exec-utive orders set up theprocess for the forced union-ization of day care providersand personal care attendants.The legislation merely grant-ed the new but illegitimateunion representatives thepower to bargain with thestate.

Cathy Ludlum, who hasspinal muscular atrophy,employs a team of 11 person-al care attendants. “We’revery concerned that badthings are going to happen tous or our personal care atten-dants,” she said.

The plaintiffs sayExecutive Orders nine andten are a violation of bothstate and federal labor andconstitutional law. They alsoclaim that Governor Malloyusurped the power of the leg-islature after membersrefused to consider the mat-

ter during the 2011 regularsession.

“Our side presented astrong argument and wehave a good case,” saidSenator Markley. “Personalcare attendants are not stateemployees. I have spoken tomany who share a goodworking relationship withtheir employers. They neitherrequested nor desire unioninvolvement.”

The Civil Lawsuit wasfiled in Waterbury SuperiorCourt March 23. “A lot wasdiscussed in court todayabout how the legislationthat passed somehow ratifiesthe executive orders. This ismisleading and untrue,” saidRep. Sampson. “The execu-tive orders were and remainan overreach of authority bythe Governor. The executiveorders set up the process for

the forced unionization ofday care providers and per-sonal care attendants. Thelegislation merely granted thenew but illegitimate unionrepresentatives the power tobargain with the state. Youcan’t begin to make scram-bled eggs unless you have theeggs to start with.”

Attorney Joe Summa ofWaterbury says he will filewith in the next few weeks anamended complaint toaddress the new legislationpassed during the 2012 leg-islative session that codifiesthe Executive Orders.Attorney Summa will also befiling by the end of themonth, a challenge to theExecutive Orders with thestate labor board.

Judge James Grahamsaid there is no timeline for adecision to be made.

Shake up on Calendar House panelA new ordinance will

have a major impact onhow the Calendar Housesenior center is operated.

Under the new ordi-nance, Calendar Housedirector Bob Verderame willreport directly to TownManager Garry Brumbackrather than the SeniorCitizens Commission.

The current SeniorCitizens Commission ismade up of nine appointedmembers. The ordinancewould maintain this board,although it would have lessauthority and serve a moreadvisory role.

Some current membersof the senior commissionexpressed opposition to the

idea at a past public hear-ing and said it was impor-tant for the Calendar Houseto have the additional over-sight.

The Town Councilpassed the new ordinanceunanimously during itsJune 25 meeting. The coun-cil will review the ordinancein a year’s time.

Send us your letters!We welcome letters to the editor from all of our readers. Send your letter to editor EdHarris at [email protected]. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday for the followingweek’s edition. The editor reserves the right to edit all letters for length or grammar.

Cathy Ludlum, Plaintiff and founder of ConnecticutAssociation of Personal Assistance speaking withreporters outside Hartford Superior Court.

Representatives from the Southington Lions Club and the Y display a new ban-ner that will be hung in the Y’s Health and Wellness Center. This banner pub-licly thanks the Lions Club for their support of the health of our community’skids and families. The Southington Lions Club has been serving theSouthington Community since 1942 with the mission of empowering volun-teers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peaceand promote international understanding. Pictured, from left, are Ed Ebert,Lions Club president, Donna Ayer, YMCA community development director andJoe Krajewski, Lions Club Director.

SUBMITTED

Lion’s share of support


Skylab was still inorbit. Steinbrenner hadowned the Yankees forless than a year. Nixonhad just ended theVietnam War. Gas was 44cents a gallon and, tomost Americans, OPECwas simply four lettersstrung together. TheWatergate wasn’t just a DChotel anymore. More thana half dozen currentSouthington career fire-fighters had yet to beborn.

It was October, 1973.One evening that

October a youngSouthington residentnamed Neil Casarellabecame a volunteer fire-fighter in Company 3 inMilldale, beginning nearlyfour decades of service toresidents of this commu-nity. On August 11, 2012Captain/Deputy FireMarshal Casarella willhang up his bunker gearfor the last time, bringingto a close more than 38years of dedicated servicewith the Southington FireDepartment.

Captain Casarella wasappointed as a career fire-fighter four years after hejoined the department.Long a fervent believer inpublic education and fireprevention, he was pro-moted to the rank ofInspector in August, 1998,and later toCaptain/Inspector inAugust of 2000. In 2009he was named the DeputyFire Marshal.

There have beenmany high points in his 38year career. Early on,while still a firefighter, heassisted Captain (ret)Dave Mikosz in deliveringa baby. For years CaptainCasarella has worked oncoordinating and judgingthe Southington entriesfor the Connecticut FirePrevention PosterContest. Each year theseentries from Southington’sfourth and fifth gradersare lined up in the train-ing room and agonizedover as Captain Casarellaand on duty firefighterstry to pick the bestposters from amongdozens of entries, many ofwhich are incredibly welldone.

There have been thefires, dozens of them, overthe decades. The PopularRestaurant in ’91, the

Beecher Street houseexplosion in ‘96, Beatonand Corbin in 2003,Lombardo Court a littleover a year ago. Every firebrings its own memories.Some leave significantimpacts on the town.Lombardo Court forexample is talked aboutextensively in public edu-cation programs.

There has been thesatisfaction of workingwith Local 2033’sFirehawks program, whichworks with juvenile firesetters to educate themon the danger of fire andto hopefully prevent themfrom continuing toengage in destructive andpotentially deadly behav-ior.

This past December,when a stolen car collidedwith and ignited a gaso-line tanker, CaptainCasarella initially was theonly firefighter on thewest side of the incident.As firefighters workedfeverishly to gain controlof the tanker fire, CaptainCasarella and SouthingtonPolice Officer SteveSalerno hurriedly evacuat-ed residents and businesspatrons west of the crashscene. That day is one ofthe most memorable ofhis career.

Unfortunately, overthe course of a long careerin the fire service thereare also inescapably hardtimes. Captain Casarellastill remembers the horrif-ic Center Street fire onMarch 5, 1987, when amother and three very

young children perishedin a fast moving blaze,despite heroic and non-stop efforts to rescuethem. The Center Streetfire has had a deep impacton our department, and istalked about in the fire-house to this day.

Firefighters save livesin many ways. Some areovert, rescuing someonefrom a crushed car orburning home. Some areharder to distinguish. Thefire that doesn’t happenbecause of a fire safehome or the people thataren’t trapped becausethey knew to have a meet-ing place, these are livessaved by firefightersteaching public educationclasses, or by inspectorsensuring that a buildingcomplies with the LifeSafety code.

Captain Casarella hasspent much of his careeradvocating for the impor-tance of public education,coordinating fire safetyclasses for the more than3,000 Southington stu-dents educated by fire-fighters each year, andconducting safety inspec-tions in day care facilities,apartment buildings, andbusinesses. The impactsof these public educationand safety activities arejust as important as anyother duty firefightersperform.

And now, after almostfour decades, it is time fornew experiences. Neiland his wife Cheryl will besplitting time betweenSouthington and visitingtheir son Jordan, his wifeAshley, and their family inNorth Carolina. They arelooking forward to spend-ing time with their twoyear old granddaughterKamdyn, and are anxious-ly awaiting the arrival of asecond grandchild laterthis summer.

Neil has made a pro-found impact on ourdepartment and our com-munity since that Octoberevening in 1973 when hebegan his fire servicecareer. His easy going,friendly manner will besorely missed. Both theuniformed and civilian

members of theSouthington FireDepartment fondly wishhim a long, happy, healthyretirement.

A retirement party tohonor Deputy FireMarshal Casarella will beheld July 19, 2012 at630pm at the Aqua Turf.

Tickets are $30 per personand are available at FireHeadquarters. Tickets willnot be available at the

door. This column was writ-

ten by Firefighter GlennDube.

Glenn DubeFire DepartmentNews and Notes

Honoring Fire Captain Marshal Casarella

Captain and Deputy Fire Marshal Casarella

SUBMITTED

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•Southington Listings.........page 15


•Sports............Page 36

Our Friends

TAMMI KNAPIK

James DiMello

How long have youbeen connected toSouthington?

My whole life. I grewup across the street fromRec Park. Both of my par-ents are involved in theschool system.

What do you like aboutthe town?

I love the communityof people. I like to see thenew faces everyday throughmy work and what I do. Ilike meeting all the newkids in town.

What is your favoritemovie?

I like the Harry Potterseries. I have been readingthe books since elementaryschool.

What is the best pieceof advice that you haveever received?

Choose your friendswisely, you would ratherhave four quarters than onehundred pennies.

If you could meet any-one in the world, wo wouldyou like to meet?

My relatives in Italythat I have never metbefore. They are fromPratola.

Each week we interview a ‘regular person’ like you forour Faces in the Crowd. This week we meet tennisinstructor and Rec Park pool employee James DiMello.

Choose friends wisely

Faces in the Crowd

SUBMITTED

The Wicked Stick Tavern recently celebrated itsgrand opening of its new restaurant at Pine ValleyCountry Club on Welch Road. Owners Jim McCabe(holding certificate) & Kevin Hyde (right) welcomeschamber members and the town officials in the rib-bon cutting ceremony. McCabe also owns McCabeMovers and Hyde owns the Hydeaway Café.

Wicked Stick Tavern opens

The following eventswill take place at theCalendar House in thecoming weeks.

The ComputerLearning Center is planninga late August registrationand a September start tothe Computer LearningCenter @ Calendar HouseFall 2012 Session.

Information regardingclasses to be offered will beavailable in the AugustNewsletter and on the

The Digital Photo Clubmeeting will not be heldthis month.

For more informationregarding the ComputerLearning Center @Calendar House please

email [email protected].

Bagel Breakfast“Nutritional Workshop”Tuesday, July 17 at 8:30 amwith Ann Russo, RD call860-621-3014 to reserve aspace.

Indian cuisine cookingdemonstration Thursday,July 19 at 1:30 p.m.

Note: VNA Foot Clinicat Calendar House is sus-pended until further notice.

For more aboutCalendar House activitiespick up the July newsletterat 388 Pleasant Street orvisit our website and signup for a monthly emailcopy of the newsletter -www.calendarhouse.org.

Calendar House Notes

Two Southington stu-dents recently made dona-tions to SouthingtonCommunity Services.

Aidan Reilly, KellySchool, asked his friendsto bring school supplies tohis tenth birthday party inlieu of gifts. Aidan thenpresented these schoolsupplies to Mark Fazzolari,

assistant director atSouthington CommunityServices, to be used in theback to school program.The back to school pro-gram assures that allclients’ children return toschool with a backpackand school suppliesappropriate for their agegroup.

McKenzie Pelletier,from Southington HighSchool, recently celebratedher confirmation. Insteadof gifts, she asked her fam-ily and friends to donatebaby clothing and diapers.She presented these itemsto Mark to be given out tofamilies with infants.

Mark commented,

“We are always grateful foritems that are donated tous for client use as theneed is great. Donationsfrom children who give uptheir own gifts to help oth-ers are especially appreci-ated. These children putthe needs of other aheadof themselves. It is a trulyselfless gesture.”

Students donate to Community Services

Valencis is Artist of the MonthStan Valencis, a local

artist, is the SouthingtonLibrary Artist of the Month.He will have his paintingson display at The Gallery atthe Southington Libraryduring July.

He is a self-taughtartist who enjoys being cre-ative in many mediums,including carving wood andslate, sculpting wire, creat-ing art works with pastels,acrylics, colored pencil andink.

Valencis moved aroundthe country giving himmany locations for inspira-tion.

His favorite subjectsare seascapes in motion.

Stan has displayed his workas a member of theSouthington Arts and Crafts

Association and the NewBritain Museum ofAmerican Art. He is vice

president of theSouthington Arts and CraftsAssociation.

SUBMITTED

Two Southington students recently donated to Community Services. Above left, Aidan Reilly with MarkFazzolari, assistant director at Community Services. Above right, McKenzie Pelletier with Fazzolari.


My motto is “littlethings mean a lot.” I try tolive this every day. Likeanyone who tries to live bya motto, sometimes I falloff the cart and need a lit-tle reminder. I would liketo share this greatreminder that came to mevia an email newsletterthat I subscribe to calledHelpOthers.org. This cameto me in my email on a daythat I really needed areminder that little thingsreally do make a differenceand reminded me to keepthe small things at theforefront. A small thinglike a compliment or asmile can change your day

and who knows where thatone smile can lead.

“Yesterday I went toour local grocery store. Ioften go to their deli

counter, and I understandthat it can get a little hecticfor the workers. So nor-mally none of them evertake the time to smile orseem overly friendly. Butyesterday it was complete-ly different. I was pleas-antly surprised to be greet-ed with a very welcomingsmile by the young manbehind the counter. Henever sighed heavily orslumped back and forth(like some of the workersdo) like he didn’t want tobe there. He was all byhimself and there wasquite a long line. But notonce did he act concernedabout it. He just did his

job efficiently and actedvery kind the entire time.

I was so impressedthat I approached themanager, who was workingnearby. I explained to herthat I often visit the delicounter and I have neverbeen greeted with suchkindness. She agreed withme that he was a wonder-ful person and she thankedme for sharing my feelingswith her.

As I was walking away,I could hear her approach-ing the young man with, “Ijust got a wonderful com-pliment about you.” Icouldn’t hear everythingshe was saying, but I know

that she did thank him. Icouldn’t help but smile! Iworked in a grocery storemany years ago, and it isn’teasy work! I rememberhow good it felt when youwould hear nice thingsfrom a customer and man-ager, because it was a rareoccurrence.

Later I realized that Ihad forgotten to getonions, so I had to pass bythe deli counter. There wasno one there, except thediligent young man. Hedidn’t say anything, he justsmiled at me. I realizedthat I hadn’t done a hugedeed that day, but thatsmall deed made a small

difference to someone. Ilove seeing people smile!It’s amazing how good I feltafter that.

So, friends, the nexttime you are in a grocerystore, retail store, restau-rant, or anywhere thatsomeone is working hard,letting them know in someway can mean so much. Ihope you get a smile out ofit like I did!”

For more informationon different ways to helpbetter your communitycontact Donna Ayer,YMCAs CommunityDevelopment Director [email protected] 860-426-9510.

Our Healthy Lifestyles

Donna AyerSouthingtonYMCA

The power of a simple compliment

It can happen virtuallyanywhere, whether it’s in acar, at work, or at home. It’sthe way many peoplespend a majority of theirday and it can cause severepain to the body – sitting.We sit for long hours of theday. As we sit, the back,spine, and neck can allbecome compromised frompoor posture.

Prolonged periods oftime spent in a seated posi-tion, staring at a computeror driving in the car, can bedetrimental to our muscu-loskeletal health. As theclock begins to wind downat work, or during a longroad trip in the car, itbecomes more difficult tomaintain proper posture. Aslouching posture in thechair feels good for a while,

but it might not be con-ducive for preventing long-term problems.

An MSNBC articlestates, “When strain isplaced on the spine, thespinal disks start to moveand misalign.”[1] Imagine a

strained spine foreight hours a day –the effects can bedetrimental on thebody. The head andneck bend forwardto the computer,the eyes squint, andthe spine archesforward – leavingus in pain at theend of the day.

Add an unevenfoundation intothe mix, such as alarge leather wallet

in the back pantspocket – which can causesciatica or potentially a her-niated disc. Sciatica is acommon ailment that caus-es sharp low back pain andfrequently causes employ-ees to stay home withdebilitating pain.

With time, poor pos-ture from sitting will dis-rupt the parts of the mus-culoskeletal system, leavingthe body to tell you its painand anguish.

If your spine couldspeak with words, it would:Advise against overly lean-ing forward at your deskwhile staring at a computer,remind you to remove yourwallet from your backpocket whenever at work,or in the car and recom-mend having your feetfirmly planted on theground, your entire backresting against the seat ofyour chair, and your eyeslevel with your computerscreen

Your spine would alsotell you to get a new chairwith a backrest if you do

not already have one,advise you to get up everyhour from sitting andstretch or go for a walk andgive your eyes a rest fromthe screen and of coursesuggest exercising thebody’s core muscles group– strong core muscles canhelp prevent our bodiesfrom developing poor pos-ture.

Unfortunately, thespine cannot actually talk.So, it is up to you to takesteps toward avoidingimproper posture at alltimes.

Proper posture canrelease pressure off of thespine and reduce thechances of developing sci-atica and other muscu-loskeletal problems.

It is important to visit

your chiropractor regularly,as their expertise of spinaland musculoskeletal healthcan help you stay out ofharm’s way. Don’t wait tohear from your spine aboutthe complications of lowback pain, be proactive!

[1] Goudarzi, Sara.(November 11, 2006). Toease back pain, don’t sit upstraight.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15939377/ns/health-health_care/t/ease-back-pain-dont-sit-straight/#.T-IxJPGoqGp

Dr. Carol Grant, a localchiropractor, does notintend this column to sub-stitute for medical advice.She urges you to alwaysconsult with your personalphysician before changingany current program.

Dr. Carol GrantAlternativelySpeaking

Sitting can compress your spine and cause problems

Enjoying the summer and planning for the fallOur June speaker for the

monthly Speaker Series,sponsored by ConnecticutLight & Power and YankeeGas Services on Tuesday June12 was Shannon KearneyMeGee, with the CT DEEP-Wildlife Division.

Shannon gave a fasci-nating talk on chimneyswifts, these tiny birds areonly five and a half incheslong and perch vertically onsurfaces, especially on theinsides of chimneys. Theyare often mistaken for batsand fly headfirst into thechimneys.

Currently the chimneyswifts are losing their nestinghabitat of old chimneys.New chimneys are nowinstalled with a metal sleevewhich prevent the birds from

holding on to the interiorand a cap that prevents thebirds from entering thechimney altogether. Whenolder chimneys need repairthey are required to upgradeto meet current buildingstandards.

Each year the chimneyswift makes a new nest out oftwigs and saliva used as gluefor the nest and to adhere itto the chimney wall. Thenest is about four incheswide by one inch tall. Andthe swift usually lays two toseven eggs.

These amazing creaturescan fly from 5,000 to 10,000feet in the air catching bugsas they fly. They eat up to athird of their body weightdaily in bugs. Like manyother species their reproduc-tion is instinctively bases onthe abundance or scarcity offood.

Shannon is working withother like-minded people tofind a replacement habitatfor these birds. To help sup-port Shannon’s efforts with

chimney swifts you can pur-chase Wood Duck stampsfrom the US Post Office. Thefunds above and beyond thecost of the stamps will go tomigratory birds.

The MidsummerCelebration invites everyoneto enjoy the best summer hasto offer by being outside toexperience the beauty of thegarden, being out in thewoods or on the water andlearning about nature andthe environment. All pro-ceeds from this event willsupport the QRWA’s Butterfly& Bee Garden.

Again we are pleasedand proud to partner withthe Central Connecticut CivicYouth Orchestra’s fabulousmusicians as they performtheir finale to their summermusic program. We haveseveral wonderful and sum-mer related speakers, tours ofthe Butterfly & Bee Gardenand family friendly fun, somark your calendars! We aresoliciting for vendors andvolunteers for this great sum-

mer time event. Please con-tact Lisa Phillips [email protected] or203-213-5971 for more infor-mation. Please visitwww.qrwa.org for moreinformation.

A Civil WarEncampment Committeehas been busy planning andpreparing for this once-in-a-lifetime event. Kathy Orzechhas designed our logo for theEncampment as well as theRemembrance Concert. Shealso created at blog,www.MeridenCivilWar.word-press.com, which will postarticles about the upcomingevent, everything from park-ing to performers to a sched-ule of events. Feel free to visitoften as we plan to updatequite regularly. Also we’vesent up an email,[email protected] for event specific corre-spondence.

The Meriden Arts Trustis busy working on theRemembrance Concert andhas enlisted the assistance of

several local musical groupsfor the musical preludeincluding the Meriden PopsOrchestra, Calamity Sisterand Friends, Baptist GospelChoir and the MeridenCommunity Chorus.

With the assistance ofCommunity Police OfficerFred Rivera the traffic andparking plan are well inhand. Parking for re-enac-tors and volunteers will be atWilcox Tech and the generalpublic is asked to park atPlatt High School andLincoln Middle School.

We anticipate 1,000-2,000 visitors. Crafts, bever-ages and food will be avail-able for purchase.

Anyone wishing to getinvolved can contact theQRWA at (203) 237-2237 andleave a message.

Upcoming QRWAEvents: Sunday, July 22 12noon – 5 pm. Second AnnualMidsummer Celebrationsponsored by ConnecticutLight & Power and YankeeGas Services. Guest speakers

are Cathy Zbuska withHeirlooms Seeds vs.Genetically ModifiedOrganisms - New is NotAlways Better and Wallingfordresident, Steve Lazarus, onHiking Maine’s Hundred MileWilderness in Early Winterand a performance from theCentral Connecticut CivilYouth Orchestra.

Be sure to visit our website at www.qrwa.org to con-firm information, cancella-tions and details for upcom-ing events.

QRWA provides wateractivities, events in education,outreach, advocacy, scientificmonitoring, conservation,restoration, recreation andpublic access to the watershedarea. The Quinnipiac RiverWatershed Association(QRWA) is a not-for-profit501c3 organization whosemission is to restore theQuinnipiac for the health andenjoyment of all citizens andcommunities along its reachand to educate everyone to beinformed stewards of the river.

Life along the Q River

HAPPY BIRTHDAYin

SOUTHINGTON2 Lucky Birthday

Winners Each Week

HAPPY BIRTHDAYin

SOUTHINGTON2 Lucky Birthday

Winners Each Week

To enter, call, email, fax or mail name, age and birth date of your special person from Southington to:

Southington Observer • 213 Spring St., Southington, CT

Phone: (860) 628-9645 • Fax: (860) 621-1841

Email: [email protected] must be received prior to birth date. 2 winners will be drawn at random from

all entries. All birthday entries will be listed. Winners will be contacted by phone.

26 Bristol St., Southington, CT(860) 426-9890

Believe in Miracles213 Spring St., Southington, CT

(860) 628-9645www.stepsaver.com

Cake (Value up to $10)

courtesy of

$25 Gift Certificate courtesy of

CONGRATULATIONS:

Miracle CreativeHair Design

HAIR SALON WINNER!

Jennifer MozzerJuly 17, age 40

BIRTHDAY CAKE WINNER!

H. Rob RobertsJuly 14, age 90

Rachel MaryStumpf

July 11, age 7

JohnFillion

July 14, age 49

RichardMachowskiJuly 16, age 52

FayeCarbone

July 19, age 97

DavidDiBenedettoJuly 10, age 60

RosemarieMachowski

July 12

JonathanDoty

July 15, age 14

AbigaleMoses

July 18, age 7

ConnorMozzer

July 12, age 3

KimDaly

July 15, age 43

JennaUba

July 18, age 14

TomPetro

July 19, age 45


Our Milestones

The following eventswill take place at theSouthington Library in thecoming weeks.

Relaxation, rejuvena-tion and reading

Branford Hall Instituteand the SouthingtonLibrary invite you for anight of “Relaxation,Rejuvenation andReading” with a Free chairmassage provided byAdvanced MassageTherapy Students ofBranford Hall 6-8 p.m. onthe mezzanine.

Dates of the free chairmassages will be July 17,July 24, July 31, August 14,August 21 and August 28.The session are open tothe public on a first come,first serve basis. No specif-ic times will be scheduled.There is no age restriction.Infant/child massage willalso be offered (Parentsmust be present duringthe time of massage foranyone under the age of18).

Sessions are approxi-mately 15 minutes in

length, will be held on themezzanine and the clientremains fully clothed at alltimes. Modifications canbe made to those who areuncomfortable or areunable to properly sit in amassage chair.

Women ofRenaissance Venice:Wives, Nuns, andCourtesans WednesdayJuly 18, 6:30 p.m. withWaterbury native MaryDonnarumma Sharnick

Author MaryDonnarumma Sharnick

paints a colorful depictionof the limited roles for17th century Venetianwomen in her recently-released novel, Thirst.Sharnick’s novel intro-duces us to patricianwomen whose lives werepredetermined byRenaissance customs, reli-gion, love, lust, murderand intrigue in the Veniceof 1613.

Copies of Thirst willbe available for purchase($20.15) and signing.(www.fireshippress.com).

Library Notes

Douglas Phinney andStephanie Gauthier haveannounced their engage-ment.

Douglas is the son ofEdward and Theda Phinneyof Plantsville.

He is a graduate of theUniversity of Connecticutand is an independentinsurance adjuster at EDPAdjusting LLC.

Stephanie is the daugh-ter of Denis and ElizabethGauthier of Bristol.

She is a graduate ofSouthern Connecticut StateUniversity and is a due dili-gence investigator at CheckFund Manager LLC.

The couple becameengaged at Fort ZacharyTaylor Beach in Key West, FLon April 27.

A 2014 wedding isplanned in Connecticut.

Gauthier to wed Phinney

At right, Douglas Phinneyand Stephanie Gauthier.

Louis and TheresaRagozzino have announcedthe engagement of theirdaughter Stephanie Rago-zzino to Kyle Colasanto.

Kyle is the son of Elliottand Darlene Colasanto.

Stephanie graduatedfrom the University ofConnecticut in 2010 with adegree in biological sci-ence.

She is currently pursu-ing a degree in nursing.

She is a pharmacytechnician at Yale NewHaven Hospital.

Kyle graduated fromDaneil Webster College in2005 with a degree in flightoperations.

He owns and operatesImage Aviation ServicesInc. as a pilot and flightinstructor.

He also teaches avia-tion science at NaugatuckValley Community College.

An October 2012 wed-ding is planned.

Ragozzinoto wedColasanto

Kyle Colasanto and Stephanie Ragozzino

Edward and ElaineAriola have announced theengagement of their daugh-ter Jennifer to MichaelTrinks.

Jennifer graduatedfrom Southington HighSchool in 1993 and fromJohnson and WalesUniversity in 1997.

She received a master’sdegree in teaching fromSacred Heart University in2009.

She works as a graphicstechnology teacher at HenryAbbot Technology School inDanbury.

Michael is the son ofPaul Trinks of Harwintonand Kathy Rago ofNewington.

He is a 1993 graduate ofConard High School andreceived a Bachelor ofScience degree in account-ing from the University ofConnecticut in 1998.

He works as a CPA as asenior manager withFiondella, Milone andlaSacracina LLP in

Glasonbury.An August 11 wedding

is planned at Tower RidgeGolf Course.

Ariola to wedTrinks

Michael Trinks and Jennifer Ariola

ItalianFestival

seeks singerThe Southington

Italian American Festival,which will be held Friday,Saturday and Sunday July27 thru July 29, is lookingfor young performers tosing at the festival onSaturday afternoon, July28.

Singers may performin Italian or Englishand noexperience is necessary.

The program is part ofour Young PerformersShow and anyone highschool age or young mayparticipate.

There are no auditionsor rehearsals, but perform-ers are requested to bringtheir own pre-recordedsound tracks.

All other equipmentnecessary will be furnishedby the sound engineers L &M Sound Systems.

For Further informa-tion call Joe LaPorte at 860628-2227 .


Southington High Schoolhas released its honor roll forthe fourth marking period.

Grade 9, First Honors:Alexandria Abacherli, RyanAbouchacra, Megan Albert,Meagan Asklar, AlexandraBarmore, Kyle Barry, ZacharyBauer, Kayla Beaupre, ErikBergland, Jonathan Blain,Tiffany Blancato, MelissaBorysewicz, Tyler Brinton,Alicia Brocki, Kaitlyn Budrow,Michael Burek, ZacharyBylykbashi, CassandraCamilli, Lauren Carney,Kayley Carrier, MadisonChapman, Caroline Charlton,Rong Chen, Bridget Clark,Elizabeth Costello, Erin Cova,Tyler DiTunno, SebastianDoughty, Kevin Drexler,Matthew Duszak, Olivia Ende,Lauren Estell, ChristopherFalk, Julie Falk, MichaelFazzino, Nicole Fischer,Miranda Gazaferi, JessicaGoralski, Julia Granato,Amanda Hamel, AntoineHarris, David Harrison,Abigail Heller, BenjaminHerms, James Hoder, AbigailHodges, Aubrey Jalbert,Connor John, Meghan Kelley,Chandavy Kim, Colin Kochol,Haley Kolesnik, Sharon Kwok,Jessica Lee, Ellie Lefkovich,Emily Lippincott, KristenLoose, Catherine MacKay,Erin Martin, Marissa Mayo,Taylor Mazeika, GwynethMcFall-Gorman, AdalainMeier, Katherine Mellitt,Margaret Mellitt, HaleyMessenger, Vincent Milardo,Jacob Molgano, JenniferMonte, Zachary Murillo, JackMyers, Rachel Nardi, DanielNormandin, Zaya Oshana,Ryan Padden, KathrynPalinkos, Sarah Palko, PriyaPatel, Lee Ann Pelletier,Mckenzie Pelletier, EmilyPestillo, Bailey Potter, IanPowell, Cassidy Race,Jonathan Rappi, Julia Reilly,Anthony Renzi, Nicole Ricker,Caroline Rodman, MaryssaRomano, Raquel Romano,Isabella Russo, Jacob Semmel,Ryann Snodgrass, MatthewSorrentino, KathleenSpagnoletti, Marilyn Sporbert,Victoria Swartz, MichaelTaylor, Christian Testa, JuliaTinyszin, Matthew Torrisi,Christina Trovato, RebeccaTsangarides, JonathanTumolo, Elizabeth Veilleux,Veronica Viturale, AdamViviano, Vedant Vyas, JakeWallach, Colleen Walsh,Nicole White, Jeanette Wiese,Daniel Williams, AdamWilson, Caitlin Young, LaurenZazzaro

Grade 10, First Honors:Alex Angelillo, AustynArmbruster, Austin Atashian,Michael Aylett, GabrielleBaker, Stephen Barmore,Samantha Becotte, MeganBelcourt, Andrzej Bielecki,Michael Bielecki, GabrielleBoudreau, Paula Calandra,Quinton Carmichall, NicoleCarrier, Christa Case, NicholasCianci, Daniel Connolly,Rachel Conte, Kevin Cop,Austin Cormier, OliviaCorriveau, Marissa Cusano,Joseph Daigle, JuliaD’Alessandro, JordanD’Andrea, SamanthaD’Angelo, Luke Davis, SarahDiBenedetto, BrendanDonahue, Mara Dubnicka,

Lauren Durand, AlexisDziubek, Margaret Fagan,Joseph Fazzino, MeganFazzino, Sydney Ferrante,Rachel Flodquist, Eric Flood,Michaela Gee, ElizabethGeorge, Anna Golos, RyleeGothberg, Abigael Guthrie,Elizabeth Gwara, AbigailHarris, Diane Hassanieh,Lilian Herman, Quoc Ho Lam,Andrea Hoyt, NicholasHubeny, Daniel Kane,Carolynn Keal, Rachel Klem,Krzysztof Konopka, StephanieKrar, Michael Lange, HeatherLeClerc, William Lefkovich,Nicholas Legere, AndrewLevin, Nicole Lidzbarski,Sarah Lippincott, MatthewListro, Alicia Maffiolini,Alexander Martin, CarissaMirando, Sarah Mongillo,Amber Morelli, MichelleMorris, Colin Murphy, ValerieMurphy, Sylvia Nguyen,Natalie Nyerick, Sara Oakes,Stephen Peccerillo, AmandaPerriello, Olivia Premus,Alexander Queen, JosephRivera, Dylan Roach, MichaelRogalski, Olivia Roth, WesleyRushing, Kylie Sarantides,Annalisa Sega, DavidShaughnessy, Jian Siadat,Steven Sica, Kyle Sposato,Lindsey Starr, ElizabethStearns, Tyler Sweetman,Silvana Tellerico, AlexanderThomas, Zoe Tyz, NoahViolette, Amanda Vollaro,Samantha Welch, StephanieWhelan, Elana Wojenski,Anisa Xhurxhi, Carolyn Zesut

Grade 11, First Honors:Jennifer Accuosti, Bryan Adie,Maria Albini, KatherineAmnott, MonikaArbaciauskaite, Howard Asal,Hannah Berg, SamanthaBlazek, Sabrina Boodley, BenBoucher, Nicholas Brino,Brandon Brush, Erica Buehler,Renee Burdon, ChristopherCadrain, Mary LouCastiglione, MaeghanChapman, DanielleCharamut, NicholasCharnysh, Damian Chuchro,Elizabeth Correia, JohnCorreia, Ryan Daigle, JessieDavidson, Bryan Davis,William DeBarba, ElizabethDel Buono, Mika Derynioski,Nicole Dietzel, WhitneyDiMeo, Caitlin Downes, JamesDoyle, Meg Gallagher, AustinGentile, Kaylie Giammatteo,Alicia Gomez, Sofia Gonzalez,Andrew Goralski, LoriGuernon, Kevin Hannigan,Jessica Harris, Ember Hayden,Sarah Hurley, Megan Jasunas,Danielle Kaminsky, VladislavKiveliyk, Katlin Klein, RebeccaKlem, Jordan Lafland,Jonathan LaFollette, CharlotteLefkovich, Austin Lemoine,Weronika Lewkowicz, ChloeLupton, Erin Malone, ClaireManente, Arlind Mara,Stephen Mierzejewski,Nicholas Monteleone,Kathleen Mulhearn, MaryNadeau, Elizabeth Ogren,Anthony Oliva, KatelynOttalagana, RebeccaPappalardo, AndreaPascariello, Kathleen Penta,Ryan Perez, Jilian Pesce,Thien-Long Phan, KaileyPisko, Kathryn Pistilli,Alexander Pokorski, MollyPotter, Danielle Rasmus, TylerRoaix, Jaclyn Ruszczyk,Brandon Rycki, JosephSalzillo, Edward Shaw, Ian

Sherwood, NathanielShurack, Stephanie Sowa,Laura Spagnoletti, MichaelSullivan, Rebecca Swol,William Thompson, MorganVasile, Nicole Wershoven,Maja Wirkijowska, KevinWormer, Samana Zaidi,Alexander Zajda

Grade 12, First Honors:Diana Abouchacra, UroojAhmed, Alyssa Aligata, ElenaBabineau, Nicole Baker,Angelica Beerbaum,Benjamin Bernard, AmyBoglarski, Meghan Bowes,Danielle Brennan, VictoriaBuddle, Ashley Cain, LoganCarlson, Jessy Carmichael,Kendal Cassada, CassidyChamberland, ChristinaCharette, KarolinaChrzanowska, Allison Cisz,Lindsay Clavette, ShannanColon, Meghan Condren,Ashley Coppola, MichaelCreely, Jordan Crowley,Megan Cunningham,Shannon Cunningham, KaylaDaigle, Matthew Daigle,Jasmin D’Andrea, Ricky Davis,Micaila Dean, Grace DeFeo,Monique Defosse, BrookeDeGumbia, MatthewDownes, Jenny Drozd,Brandon Duffany, AlyssaDumphy, Emily Durocher,Kayla Egan, Alexandria Ende,Margaret Feltz, Ryan Fischer,Jacquelyn Ford-Cooperman,John Foti, Nicholas Frega,Sarah Gagne, Emily Gardella,Kristi Gardner, Emily Gerrish,Alexia Gialelis, AlejandraGimenez, Lauren Granato,Monika Hansen, DeirdreHermann, Sarah Hoder, SarahJackie, Samantha Jones, BrianKaminsky, David Karwowski,Julia Kaseta, Jennifer Keen,Marissa Kerns, BrittanyKnowles, Jacob Kohlberg,Angela Lawrence, NathanLeclair, Matthew L’Heureux,Nicholas L’Heureux, RachelLiquindoli, Danielle Macioci,Kyle Macri, Lauren Mahon,Candy Makowski, SarahMariani, Megan McLaughlin,Samantha Newman,Stephanie Norman, CecelyOgren, Nicholas Oropallo,Meghan Parks, JeffreyParsons, Robert Pedrak,Nicholas Perez, Leon Peschel,Kayla Petro, Micayla Plante,Caitlin Powers, Miranda Pratt,William Queen, AndreaRasimas, Alex Richardson,Deven Riddick, AlishaRobarge, Nicole Rossitto,Alyssa Rubin, DestinySanchez, Rutvi Shah, AlexaShubert, Michael Smigelski,Amanda Snow, Emily Socha,Nicholas Solomon, KateStarzyk, Victoria Szulczewski,Monika Tasak, Anna Terrill,Edyta Tomaszewska, NicholasTosta, Lindsey Vaillancourt,Yulia Vasilenko, HaotianWang, Skye West, LauraWilcox, Jordan Williams,Richard Williams, AshleyZerbe, Sarah Zimmerman,Tiffany Zysk

Grade 9, Second Honors:Danielle Ahern, Alaina Albino,Annelise Alfieri, MassimoAngelillo, Hayley Arduini,Rachel Babon, Mitchell Baker,Katherine Baldwin, AndrewBarmore, Caroline Barry, LilyBernabe, Kyle Borawski,Michael Botsacos, NickolasBrazil, Matthew Briscoe,Daniel Cammuso, Timothy

Carrier, Bailey Carter, BertCasale, Jenna Casey, KristianaCeta, Ashley Christensen,Cameron Chubet, JennaChubet, Nicole Chudy, SarahColston, Emily Csuka, DakotaCurtis, Brett Daigle, JamesDanielson, Kyle DeAngelo,Ryan DeAngelo, Troy Deltano,Andrea DiCesare, BreannaDiDomizio, Nick DiFusco,Helen Dinnan, Rachel Dirck,Kateri Downes, Michaela Falk,Marissa Feeney, KayleighFlanigan, Erika Florian, KaylaFolcik, Alexandra France,Kendra Friedt, JaredGavronski, Melissa Geffken,Mack Golos, Elena Gomez,Alexander Gorr, SzymonGorski, Natalia Grosfeld,Adriel Hernandez, JosephHewins, Shane Holley, RaeganHonyotski, Mark Horanzy, AliHussain, Alexander Jamele,Thomas Judd, Bailey Kahl,Kunal Kataria, Kayla Kearney,Nathan Keen, Arooba Khan,Sana Khan, Devin King, LeahKligerman, BenjaminLandrette, Megan Langdeau,Sarah Leahy, Jared Lentini,Natalie Liquindoli, RachaelMacken, Sara Magnanini,Joshua Marcil, DavidMassabni, Nicholas Mauriello,Matthew Maxwell, EricMinton, Evan Misiorski, JakeMoise, Talia Nanfito, FloraNardi, Catherine Natelli,Jessica Nelson, MichaelPagano, Megan Palumbo,Jarod Pappas, Suhail Pathan,Kristina Patterson, ColbyPelletier, Lucas Pfanzelt, PeterPino, Evan Pokorski, ChristianRaczka, Erin Reilly, JonathanRichards, Kailey Richardson,Alyssa Romano, AlexandraRothstein, Courtnie Roy,Rebecca Ryan, GaetanoSabino, Jacob Sansone,Amanda Scheffler, LouiseSchutz, Autumn Sheffy, AndiSkenderi, William Smith,Daniel Smolinski, NatalieSoto, Matthew Steeves,Rianna Susco, Alexa Taylor,Michael Theriault, ShelbyThurston, Curtis Topper, TylerTrzcinski, Abigail Wadman,Nicholas Wells, ElizabethWoods, Chase Yurgaitis,Maghen Zagryn, AngelikaZajac, Jolanta Zajac

Grade 10, SecondHonors: Samantha Aberizk,Matthew Albrecht, KayleyAlfano, Rachel Andelin, AliciaAnop, Cody Backus,Christopher Baker, AndreaBaldick, Alyson Baribault,Josef Barry, Kaycee Belanger,Kayla Belanger, MatthewBennett, Deven Bernaiche,Malik Blackwell, Justin Blake,Joy Blanchet, Jessica Bocek,Paige Braziel, ConnorBrennan, Caroline Burke, KyleBurleigh, Rachel Carmody,Brandon Carney, KaylaCarrier, Desirae Casiano,Antonia Cavallo, DevonneChandler, Jimmy Chen, PeterChristiano, Lisa Cianciolo,Courtney Clavette, BrookeCochrane, Conor Combs,Kelly Craven, ShaniaCrawford, Taylor Curran,Martin Cusano, MakennaDaly, Maria DaRocha, TaylorDeBishop, Gisella DelBuono,Amanda DePonte, NishiDesai, Megan DeSorbo,Nicole DiMasso, Taylor Elliott,Kaylyn Fagan, Shane Florian,Patrick Freer, Amanda Gagne,

Matthew Gerrish, FinnGordon, Hannah Guilmette,Allison Hammersley,Courtney Hedges, BiancaHilerio, Michael Hoffman,Carolyn Hricik, ChristopherHupper, Tyler Hyde, AiminIftikhar, Ian Jacobs, ClaudiaJaslowski, Tia Jones, DenisKelolli, Ryan Knight, VisoudKong, Samantha Kowalczyk,James Kritz, Nicholas Lamb,Erika Landino, Mary Lunn,Brian Mahon, VanessaMarchewka, Megan Martin,Melissa Martin, AmandaMastroianni, ZacharyMaxwell, Katherine Miller,Brian Minahan, AlexaMitchell, Allison Morris,Susan Murphy, AlexanderNappe, Samantha Palacios,Stefanie Pellerin, JosephPetruzzi, Francesca Picone,Victoria Plante, SamanthaPotter, Megan Power, RyanPrushinski, Gabriela Pulaski,Sierrah Purvis, Dalton Quint,Elizabeth Ragozzino,Samantha Ramey, JosephRusso, Madeline Sadlowski,Mackenzie Shea, JulianSherwood, NicholasSiarkowski, Jaime Simard,Zachary Skarzynski, JocelynSkurat, Kala Slade, AnthonySmith, Sarah Smith, DeanaSobilo, Igli Spahiu, DylanSperry, Erica Stanhope,Megan Steele, Connor Steen,Kyle Summa, Valerie Szmurlo,Joseph Taglia, IsabelleTedeschi, Marissa Tedeschi,Shawna Toppi, Kyle Torres,Justin Truong, Connor Tynan,David Valentukonis, JamesWallace, Tanner Walsh, ImaniWalton, Anna Williams,Cassandra Wneta, LiannaWodzicki, Anna Wyluda,Sarah Wysocki, Alyssa Zaorski,Jacob Zimmerman

Grade 11, SecondHonors: Kristina Albiach,Danielle Albino, RebeccaAllard, Michaela Barnes, EliseBean, Gary Beaumont, JobiBieluch, Carley Blitz, KristinaBolovis, Alex Borofsky,Samantha Buchalter, AlyssaBurek, Sarah Caisse, AndrewCaponegro, Sarah Carangelo,Kevin Casserino, ElainaChambrello, Hannah Chamis,Jilliana Ciamarra, Travis Clark,Mark Costanzo, HannahCunliffe, Breanna DeGumbia,Matthew DiNello, DavidDiNeno, Kristina Donza,Rachel Dorsey, AaronDouglas, Karen Falk, JennaFerreira, Allyson Frazier,Carmella Frosceno, TaylorFurgalack, Thomas Gallagher,Eileen Germain, JoannaGorski, Elijah Grenier, JaimieGrzesczyk, Haley Gustavson,Elizabeth Gutowski, CareyHilliard, Drew Hudick, OliviaKalmar, Jamie Kane, KristinKearney, Zachary Kligerman,Oliver Kochol, Allan Kolesnik,Sarah Krzesik, Andy Kwok,Timothy Langland, AshleyLeVasseur, Erick Luise,Samantha Magnanini,Shahzeb Makhdoom,Meaghan McFall-Gorman,Jordyn McNamara, MelissaMiller, Jonathan Moise,Kristin Moller, MitchellMolleur, Melanie Mongillo,Jordyn Moquin, RachelMorin, Cody Morrissey,Luxhina Mullaj, RebeccaNiland, Vincenzo Nunziante,Ji He O, Jordyn O’Hearn,

Stephanie O’Keefe, MorganOuellette, Zachary Palmer,Lauren Panella, DanielPappalardo, Gabriel Pelletier,Andrew Pennell, Toni Penta,Shannon Perry, Jenna Pesce,Paul Petracca, NicholasPowell, Julia Premus, KatelynRagozzino, Meghan Ramsay,Kyle Riedinger, KimberlyRodriguez, Vincent Romano,Amanda Russman, NicoleSalmon, Trevor Savage,Amanda Seamon, EmilySheehan, ChristopherSherwill, Shrey Sheth, NicoleShorette, Melissa Shuster,William Simeonidis, WilliamSimms, Matthew Sirois,Autumn Skwiot, BrittneySmith, Audrey Snyder, NathanSolomon, Nicholas Spitz,Jennifer Sprengelmeyer,Brandon Staschke, AshleyStephenson, Kaylee Storm,Richard Suleski, NicoleSzwelicki, Aleena Tanveer,Marissa Theriault, HannahTillman, Cody Topazio, TroyTrovato, Katina Tsangarides,Nicole Verrilli, SamanthaVitale, Kayla Viviano, JeffreyWalker, Mariah Washer,Givone Williams, DanielWivell, Heidi Woodbury,Nicole Woodruff, CynthiaWoolley, Michael Wysocki,Tyler Young, Nichole Zappone

Grade 12, SecondHonors: Nicole Ali, KennethArnold, Ahmad Badr, KaitlinBellis, Dylan Bird, SamanthaBottaro, Victoria Broytman,Jessica Cahill, Carla Calandra,Daniel Carbone, Ryan Carney,Lindsey Carrier, Emilie Chho,Paulina Chlopecka, KaylaCima-Yarnell, Kyle Connolly,Marissa Cranney, RobertCugliari, Joseph Cusano,Cherraine Davis, ChristopherDeJohn, Sarah Dirck,Matthew Dolan, KaylieghDzioba, Rachael Fabian,Sarah Feltz, Kayla Fitzgerald,Austin Florian, FarrahFontano, Daniel Gagnier,Michael Gargano, KyleGraham, Kyle Hamel, PatrickHamel, Sean Hammell,Rachel Hayes, Jaydan Hilke,Nicholas Irizarry, RhiannonJacobs, Hanna Jacques, MarkJaffer, Crystal Jensen, LaurenJones, Lukasz Konopka, RyanLangdon, Tyler Lemoine,Samantha Licursi, RachelLyles, Paul Majewicz, DanielManware, Kyle Martin,Danielle Massicott, MarkMauriello, Haley McClure,Tyler Mirando, Amy Mocci,Maria Molina, MitchellMueller, Emma Myers,Susanne Nelson, BridgetteNormandin, Lindsay Novak,Allison Palmieri, Deep Patel,Laurel Pehmoeller, NathanPetropoulos, Thuy-Linh Phan,Diana Piotrowski, VictoriaPisano, Chloe Pratt, CourtneyRace, Sankar Ramesh, MelissaReid, John Ricciardone,Krystelle Rolling, Zara Saqab,Julie Scott, Angelica Serrano,Noah Sheffy, Kathryn Sikoski,Brianna Skurat, VeronicaSzymczyk, Alyssa Thompson,Kayla Thomson, JessicaTopper, Hannah Traver,Janelle Tyminski, Devin VanPatten, Andrew Walowski,Megan Weiler, DanielWestbrook, Ashley Wheeler,Jason White, AmandaZambetti, Diana Zysk

SHS Honor Roll


Real estate agents aren’tjust members of the localbusiness community. Theyare your neighbors andmembers of your communi-ty They also help build com-munities by helping peoplebecome homeowners. Eachweek, we are going to intro-duce you to local real estateagents—your neighbors—who are “Real People.”

Sometimes a seeminglyordinary event can be thething that changes it all.

Lisa Rinaldini ofColdwell Banker PremiereRealtors had been workingin a physical therapy officefor years when she put herfirst-born son into daycare.

“In 2000, I went to getmy real estate licensebecause it was somethingthat always interested me,”Lisa said. “I kept my officejob and did real estate parttime and then I had my firstson. I thought I had it allfigured out. I would havehim in daycare and work. Ihad him in daycare for oneday, and the next day I tookhim out and gave mynotice. I wanted to be inreal estate because it wasflexible and didn’t want tomiss any of his importantmoments.”

Being there for otherpeople is Lisa’s driving forcebehind being a realtor. “Ilove helping people findtheir dream home or even

sell a home. I just love help-ing them make their move.I want to take the stress outof that part of their livesand make it as smooth aspossible.”

The physical side ofmoving is just one compo-nent that can cause somestress for people. Buyersand sellers also have toconsider that the financialaspect won’t always go asplanned. Lisa is preparedfor that, too. “I had thiswoman call me and she waslooking for a rental. Shewas in her late 40s and hadnever bought before. Shetold me she thought shecouldn’t buy because hercredit wasn’t good enoughand she had recently gonethrough a divorce. She did-n’t get approved for a mort-gage at first but I did someresearch and found a mort-gage company that wasmore lenient and she gotapproved. In 45 days, shewas in her new house. Shehad a great job and it was agood financial decision forher.”

Lisa loves her home-town of Plainville and beingpart of her children’s’ lives.“Real estate gives me anopportunity to be involved

at my sons’ school. Theyare 6 and 9. I’ve grown upin Plainville and we choseto stay here to raise ourkids because it’s a smallcommunity where every-one seems to know every-one. It’s conveniently locat-ed to the whole statebecause of the easy high-way access.”

Being an agent hasbeen a great career for Lisa.

She hopes to continuegrowing in it, too. “Twoyears ago, I decided to getmy broker’s license. I tookthe courses. I wanted theopportunity to eventuallyrun my own business.Coldwell Banker as a com-pany is very supportive.They always give us coursesto take to keep updated onwhat’s going on in theindustry so we can keep thecommunity updated.”

Lisa is a member of theMidstate Association ofRealtors. In 2011, HartfordMagazine voted her thetop-selling Realtor inPlainville. She’s alsoreceived the InternationalSterling SocietyDesignation for ColdwellBanker associates who haveachieved a significant levelof excellence in sales. In achanging industry, Lisa hasstayed right up-to-date. “Iam constantly attendingreal estate courses to keepmy information up to datefor my clients.”

She said ,“I’m a certi-fied E-Pro for knowledge

and expertise in usinginternet sales. I can usetoday’s technology foronline exposure in sellingand marketing clients’home.”

There is one thing thatstands out when Lisa thinksof finding a great home.“The neighborhood isprobably number one. Youcan always change thehouse but you can’t changethe location. I see so manyhouses and there are thingsabout every house thatinterest me. I do like openfloor plans. It just feelsmore airy and flows betterfor me. And it is great forentertaining. My favoriteroom in the house is thekitchen. I even decoratecakes as a hobby. I’ve donecompetitions before.”

“If I had a dreamhome, I would definitely beon the beach. I’d have somekind of contemporaryhome with lots of windowsand stay in Connecticut.That’s my dream. It’s sopeaceful there.”

What it all boils down

to for Lisa and her career inreal estate is simple. She isable to pass along a positivespirit and attitude to herclients. “It’s all because I’mdoing something I trulylove,” she said and smiled.“I’m a firm believer thatpositive thinking leads topositive outcomes,” saidLisa “All our dreams cancome true, if we have thecourage to pursue them.”

Lisa Rinaldini ofColdwell Banker Premierecan be reached at (860)810-8444 or by email at [email protected] orthrough her website atwww.cthomesonline.com

Sarah Johnson is a cor-respondent with TheObserver.

Are you interested inbeing featured in ‘RealEstate: Real People?’Call Sarah Johnson at(860) 462-3196 oremail Mike Chaiken [email protected].

Sarah JohnsonReal Estate:Real People

SARAH JOHNSON

Lisa Rinaldini of Coldwell Banker Premiere.

Turning real estate transactions into smooth sailing for her clients

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Grant: Council unsure of future fundinggoverns,” Clark said. “I’mfully aware of how difficult adecision it is to add newpersonnel, but this is ourbest opportunity to protectour citizens. Rejecting thisgrant would hobble the FireDepartment for years tocome.”

He and other fire offi-

cials claimed that hiring newstaff members would havethe potential for significantreductions in overtime costs,and the two year grant time-line would allow the townand the department theplanning time to ensurethese savings are maintainedafter the grant funds areused.

The council chambers

were filled with firefighters,although not all of them hadwords of support. Severalvolunteer firefighters saidthat while they were in favorof the grant, they were criti-cal of its planned imple-mentation. The councilorsthemselves were also waryof a potential cost burdenfor when the grant expiresand the town is left with

new staff to support.“I appreciate all the

effort that has been put in,but I’m just not comfortablewith the potential liability tothe town,” said Vice-Chairman Peter Romano.

Another sticking pointwas that the FireDepartment had applied forthe grant without discussingthe matter with the council.The officials said they werenow in an awkward positionof turning away money thetown’s federal representa-tives had already worked for.

Former Town CouncilorDavid Zoni, now a candi-

date for StateRepresentative, saidCongressman John Larson(D-1) had spoken with prideabout the SAFER grantwhen the two last met.

“When you ask aUnited States Congressmanor Senator to bring moneyinto Southington, youshould accept it,” he said. “Ifyou’re not going to accept it,you shouldn’t ask for it. Thatmakes us look foolish as atown.”

The vote to reject thegrant was 7-1, withCouncilor Dawn Miceliabsent and Councilor Dr. Al

Natelli casting the dissent-ing vote. He said the addi-tional fire fighters were aninvestment that was worth-while.

The officials discusseda potential new policy thatwould require departmentheads to notify the councilbefore seeking grant oppor-tunities.

“If we had knownahead of time and were fullybehind it, that would havebeen a different story,” saidTown Councilor ChrisPalmieri.

*Editor Ed Harris con-tributed to this article.

From page 1

there has not yet been ahearing on the incident.

Clark did not return anemail request for comment.

Fire Commissionersexpressed relief that Clarkwould not be faced withany charges, but also saidthey were unnerved by howlittle information they hadabout Bull’s situation.

“I would like to knowhow this affects the suspen-sion,” said CommissionerAnn Dandrow, who addedthat “we don’t have anyinformation around here.”

Commissioner DoloresLongo said that the end ofthe police investigation didnot mean the end of theboard’s inquiries into theincident.

“We as commissionersneed to know what hap-pened and why,” Longo

said. “I would hope that mycommission would ask for ameeting where we couldmeet with [Bull]. We’ve only

heard one side of the storyso far.”

Editor Ed Harris con-tributed to this story.

Chief: Commissioners question suspensionFrom page 1

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SATURDAY JULY 14SOUTHINGTONTAG SALE. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. atthe historic South EndSchoohouse at Rec Park onSouth End Road. Organizedby the Southington HistoricalSociety.

SUNDAY JULY 15SOUTHINGTONMILITARY HISTORY. 1 p.m. atthe Southington Historical

Society. “History in yourhands,” by Ron Turcott, mili-tary historian and expert.Members and veterans arefree, small fee for guests.

MONDAY JULY 16SOUTHINGTONRTC BBQ AND LIVE MUSIC.6-8:30 p.m. at the pavillion atthe Southington Drive-in.Sponsored by the SouthingtonRepublican Town Committee.

$15 tickets. Call 681-2357 or860-302-3399 for tickets.

TUESDAY JULY 17SOUTHINGTONRETIREMENT INCOME EDU-CATIONAL WORKSHOP.4:30 p.m. at Maccio Financial

Group, 31 Liberty Street.Hosted by LPL FInancialPlanner Michelle Maccio.

SOUTHINGTONBAGEL BREAKFAST: NUTRI-TION AS YOU AGE. 8:45-10a.m. at the Calendar House.Registered dietician Anna

Russo will talk about howaging changes our nutrionalneeds. To reserve a seat call621-3014.

SUNDAY JULY 29SOUTHINGTONWW II PROGRAM. 1 p.m. at

the Southington HistoricalSociety. “The personal side ofcombat: Life on teh front,” byRon Turcott, military historianand expert. Members and vet-erans are free, small fee forguests.

Miscellaneous listings

JOHN ATASHIAN

Southington native and Southington High School2010 graduate Jordan Devin, stage name Jitta onthe Track, is shown performing on stage at theComcast Theater in Hartford on Tuesday, June 11.He opened the show for headliner Drake.

On the right track

Obituaries

Eugene Palmieri, coached many sports

Gertrude Fournier, devoted to family

Shirley Jean(Oberempt) Phelps, 89, ofPlantsville, died peacefullysurrounded by her familyon Friday June 29, at theSouthington Care Center.

She had been the lov-ing wife of the late CharlesH. Phelps for 52 years.

Born January 1, 1923 inSouthington to the lateArthur and Pearl (Welton)Oberempt, she had been alifelong Southington resi-dent. SHe was a member ofthe First Lutheran Churchall of her life.

She is survived by her

daughter Marcia Phelps andher partner Debra Munsonof Plantsville, 2 sons JeffreyPhelps and wife Ellen ofEllington and Robert Phelpsof Bristol, four grandchil-dren, Aubrey Phelps, KaitlynPhelps, Joshua Phelps andWilliam Phelps, one great-

grandson Logan and severalnieces and nephews.

Phelps was prede-ceased by her 2 brothersCharles and GeorgeOberempt.

Services will be heldprivately and at the conven-ience of the family.

Shirley Phelps, was a lifelong town resident

Gertrude (Zablocki)Fournier, 84, ofSouthington, passed awaypeacefully on July 1, atWalnut Hill Care Center inNew Britain. She had beenthe loving wife of the lateOliver Fournier for 49years.

Born March 19, 1928in New Britain to the lateBronislaw and Helen

(Bobinski)Zablocki, shehad been alongtimeSouthingtonresident.

Fournierworked formany years atSouthington

Bank & Trust where shewas known for her wel-

coming smile and quickwit. She was deeply devot-ed to her family, mostespecially her grandchil-dren whom she lovinglycared for in her retirement.

She is survived by herfour children, LoriAvitabile (Larry), MarieGuest, Steven Fournier(Michelle) and PatriciaSmolinski, all of

Southington and ten cher-ished grandchildren, Larry,David, Adam, Nicole,Christopher, Jonathan,Victoria, Daniel, Olivia andBryce who will alwaysremember Friday nightsleepovers with Pappa andMimi.

She was predeceasedby her brother and foursisters.

Eugene LouisPalmieri, 70 of Belmar, NJand formerly ofSouthington, passed awayon Friday June 28 atCentra State MedicalCenter in Freehold.

Palmieri was a HistoryTeacher at H.C. WilcoxHigh School in Meriden,where he also coachedsoccer, baseball and track.

He was a1963 gradu-ate of Mount Saint Mary’sCollege in Emmitsburg,MD.

He also earned an MAin Education from CentralConnecticut State College.

Palmieri is prede-ceased by his parents,Gene and Anita Palmieriand his aunt HarriettCaesar.

He is survived by hisloving wife of 46 years,Karen A. Palmieri, hisdevoted children and theirspouses, Michael J. andJeanne Palmieri ofNewtown PA, Maureenand Joseph Petillo ofHightstown NJ and Paul J.and Diane Palmieri ofHunt Valley MD, hisbrother and sister in law,

James and JoannePalmieri of Southington,and six grandchildren,Matthew and DrewPalmieri, Nicholas andNatalie Petillo andMadison and TimothyPalmieri.

In lieu of flowersdonations may be madeto the National MultipleSclerosis Society.

Fournier

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BRISTOL"A Must See" This Meticulous Cape Cod home is impeccable, featuring new roof, windows, driveway, furnace and electrical, three bedrooms, one bath, living room with fireplace hardwood floors refinished within the last five years, beautiful landscaping surrounds this home. $179,900

BRISTOL"Come & View" This lovely 2 family home, live down stairs, rent the upstairs, completely refinished and is A Must See, this nostalgic four bedroom, two bath, very well maintained property could be your new home or best investment. $159,900

SOUTHINGTON"Exquisitely Articulated" This Colonial built by D&J builders, set on 2.5 acres featuring four bedrooms, four baths, the master bedroom with 2nd fireplace, eat in kitchen with pantry, family room with fireplace, 2nd stairway to upper level, three car garage. $849,900

NEW BRITAINSeller to pay first 6 months Real Estate taxes, oversized BI level home has "In Law Potential" 2 baths, 2 fireplaces, finished lower level with full bath, newer kitchen with appliances, 3 bedrooms, elevator to main level, 3 car garage, heated slope on driveway. $254,900

ACREAGE

SOUTHINGTONSet on an acre of private land this home has it all, spectacular great room 23' x 18', stunning kitchen with modern features, 2nd floor loft, hardwood floors, four bedrooms, two full baths, 29 x 36' garage. $319,900

SOUTHINGTONNew price on this 2 bedroom, Townhouse, set in a quiet location with walking trails nearby, convenient to I-84, the living room with fireplace, 1.5 baths, 1 car garage, this home would be a perfect starter home or down sizing, FHA approved. $154,900


Our Reviews

Styx, REO Speedwagon,and Ted Nugent haven’t beenat the top of the music chartsin the MP3 era… or even theCD era.

Artists like Lady Gaga orKaty Perry were mere twin-kles in theeyes of theirmothers’and fathers’eyes whenthis trio of Midwestern actswere last causing top 40 radioto swoon.

But here it was July 5,2012, and the three bandswere playing a sold out showat the Mohegan Sun inUncasville.

Not only were they sell-ing out the arena, they wererocking out the arena. Allthree bands put on a showthat would have put to shameacts a third of their age.

However, none of thisshould be a surprise to thegray hairs in the audience.Years before they finally brokethe top 40, Styx, REO, andNugent made their names byworking their asses off inclubs and then arenas. Theyplayed everywhere inAmerica. They played theheartland. They reached outtheir fans. They honed theirshows to the point where fansknew if they headed out to aStyx, REO or Nugent show,they were going to get theirmoney’s worth.

The hits came becausefans bought their recordsafter seeing them in concert.

And the fans ofConnecticut certainly gottheir money’s worth lastThursday at the casino. It wasa night of classic album rockand top 40 hits stoked withforgotten gems by these threeacts.

You knew Styx had to do“Too Much Time On MyHands.” But who would havethought Styx would trot outits first ever hit, “Lady,” fromthe mid-1970s. And no oneprobably expected to hear“Man in the Wilderness,” adeep cut from “The GrandIllusion.” Both gems got thecrowd roaring and pumpingfists.

You knew REO wouldperform “Keep On Lovin’You.” But most fans were sur-prised when REOSpeedwagon pulled out“Golden Country” from itsreally early albums or “LikeYou Do” from its days as a lit-tle old bar band in the collegetown of Champaign, Ill.

And Ted gave the crowdearly faves like “Hey Baby”from his self-titled debut soloalbum.

Nugent definitely got thenight off like a rocket when hestormed onto stage as theopener. I saw him in the1980s when his commercialstar was fading and I remem-ber not being too impressed.But jump forward umpteenyears, Nugent crackled withenergy. And his band, includ-ing long-time vocalist DerekSt. Holmes, was a well-oiledmachine that pummeled thecrowd with Motor City-stylehard rock.

Just when you thoughtNugent was going to let youdown by starting to slack, orby simply dialing back backthe energy level a notch, hecranked it back up even high-er.

REO had a tough act tofollow after the Motor CityMadman. But REO had asecret weapon, lots of top 40hits. Songs like “Take It onThe Run,” “Don’t Let HimGo,” and “Can’t Fight ThisFeeling” got the crowd hum-ming and feeling good. Andthen the fists got pumpingwhen REO pulled out theirhigh energy arena rockers,“Roll with the Changes,”“Time For Me to Fly,” and, themust-have REO track, “Ridingthe Storm Out.”

On a bill like this you feelyou’ve got your money worthif two of the three acts soar.But Styx helped the eveningbat 1,000. Although Styx hadits share of top 40 hits, priorto their Top 40 assent, theywere a credible album act,building Midwestern sym-phonies such as “Come SailAway,” and “Lorelai.” And atthe Mohegan Sun Arena, theyoffered the fans a fun eveningof remembering late nightssitting in a darkened bed-room, listening to album ori-ented stations coming in onthe FM frequencies, withsongs that took away toanother time and space.

The band’s energy quo-tient seems to have beenupped considerably com-pared to when I saw them acouple of years ago. That’sprobably because they’vetaken the leash off of key-boardist/ singer LawrenceGowan.

The last time I saw Styx,the focus was put on the tworemaining members of theband from its heyday, James“J.Y.” Young and TommyShaw. Gowan stepped intothe vacancy left by DennisDeYoung, and there was akind of sheepishness on thepart of the band in shiftingthe spotlight to him followingDeYoung’s departure.

But, by now, Gowan hasbeen in the band longenough to have become a fanfavorite and he’s a master

showman. And the band waswise to let him loose on theaudience. He offered a funcounterpoint to TommyShaw, who anchored theother front man spot for thistour.

One of the most funmoments of the night waswhen Gowan took the stageby himself. He then began todemonstrate his love for clas-sic rock by pounding outsome classic keyboard riffs,such as the coda on “Layla”by Derek and the Dominoes,or singing a capella snippetsof “Goodbye Ruby Tuesday”by the Stones or “AnotherBrick in the Wall” by PinkFloyd.

Although all three bandsare up there in age. All ofthem were in fine playing andsinging form. It was amazinghearing Tommy Shaw sound-ing just the same as he did inthe 1970s. The same goes forKevin Cronin, who still hasthat sweet tenor he used onthe band’s earlier records.And Derek St. Holmes fromNugent’s band reminded mehow great a rocker he was.

I also have to take noteof the professionalism of thewhole night.

This was a “show” with acapital “S.” I was given go-times for when each bandwas expected to hit the stage.Dang, if the bands didn’t hitthe mark each time.

I remember concertswhen a 7 p.m. start time wasa fairy tale told by promotersto get you to the show early todrink beer and buy t-shirts.This wasn’t the case wherethings ran as efficiently as amilitary operation. These trioof bands treated the fans withrespect.

And the fans respondedin positive fashion.

•Observing the Arts........page 17

•Southington Scene......page 19

•Tasty Bites.......page 20-21

From the top, REOSpeedwagon’s BruceHall, left, and KevinCronin; Styx’s RickyPhillips, left, James ‘J.Y.’Young, and TommyShaw; and Derek St.Holmes.left, and TedNugent. The three bandsperformed July 5 at theMohegan Sun.

MIKE CHAIKEN

70s rockers still got itBy MIKE CHAIKEN

EDITIONS EDITOR

★★★★

Concert

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Matt Dyer will bringhis poetic folk sound toJitters Cafe this weekend.

Dyer, a singer-song-writer, melds elements offolk and rock, country andCeltic traditions to createhis memorable melodiespaired with intelligentlyrics.

He will be performingSaturday at 8 p.m.

Dyer has been com-pared to Gordon Lightfoot,an “angry” John Denver ora “cowboy singingShakespeare.” He has per-formed at various venuesin the region.

Dyer, who is also alocal attorney, began hisperformance career inmusical theater. Since thedebut of his first album,“Coming Home,” he hasbeen sharing his sound andtruth with audiencesaround Connecticut. He iscurrently back in the studiocreating his second albumfor release early next year.

Jitters Cafe is locatedat 1273 Queen St. in

Southington. For moreinformation, visit www.jit-tersclub.com.

AFTERNOON CON-CERT: Phil Rosenthal willplay “A Little Night Music”at 1 p.m. July 26 at theManross Memorial Library.Rosenthal, the 1994Connecticut StateTroubadour, will performselected pieces of folk,country and bluegrassmusic.

Refreshments will beserved. The program isfree, but registration isrequired.

The ManrossMemorial Library is locat-ed at 260 Central St. in theForestville section ofBristol. For more informa-tion, call (860) 584-7790.

A REALLY BIG SHOW:Waterbury’s own Bobbi“Funkeeboy” Tammaroand Leila will take the stagefor a special concert onAug. 19 in Milford.

The concert, whichwill feature a full band,dancers, eye-catching cos-tumes and a meet-and-greet following the show,will be at Studio 8, 215Pepe Farms Road, Milford,at 5 p.m. Aug. 19.

The all-ages perform-ance Latin soul and jazzwill be an uplifting, posi-tive concert celebrating thediversity of cultures andrhythms.

Tickets are $25 and$30. For tickets, visitwww.eventbrite.com/event/3632807826. Use promocode “Leila” for a 10 per-cent discount.

ENCHANTEDEVENING: Contemporaryfolk/pop duo Edwin and

Juan will bring their vocalharmonies to the BristolLibrary on Monday.

The pair will treat theaudience to melodicfavorites like “SomeEnchanted Evening” from“South Pacific” as well asBilly Joel’s “Lullabye(Goodnight, My Angel)” inaddition to original com-positions. Edwin willaccompany on keyboard,while Juan plays percus-sion. For more informa-tion, visitwww.edwinkotchian.com.

The free concert willbe at 6:30 p.m. in thelibrary’s lower levelMeeting Room 1. Thelibrary is located at the

intersection of High andMain streets in downtownBristol. For more informa-tion, visitwww.BristolLib.com or call(860) 584-7787.

FOURS ARE WILD:Comcast Theatre inHartford is hosting a valuespecial linked to the num-ber 4. The venue is offeringbeer for $4 at every show,and Live Nation is offeringa limited number of four-pack ticket bundles forselect shows.

Music fans can pick upa four-pack of tickets forthe price of three tickets tosee O.A.R. on Aug. 2, theRockstar Energy DrinkMayhem Festival on Aug. 5,

Toby Keith on Sept. 20 andthe KISS-Motley Crue dou-ble bill on Sept. 23.

For more information,visit www.livenation.com.

NEW SHOW:Legendary sister act Heartwill visit the MGM GrandTheater at Foxwoods ResortCasino in Ledyard this fall.Tickets for the Oct. 6 showare $35, $45 and $55 andare currently on sale.

The show will featurehits that sister Ann andNancy Wilson have madefamous during their three-decade career, including“Crazy on You,” “MagicMan,” “Barracuda” and“Straight On.” This tour is

in support of “StrangeEuphoria,” the group’scareer-spanning box set.

For more information,log on towww.foxwoods.com, callthe box office at (866) 646-0609 or Ticketmaster at(800) 745-3000.

COUNTRY PRINCESS:LeAnn Rimes will perform atthe MGM Grand atFoxwoods Resort Casino onOct. 12. Tickets are $20, $35and $45 and are on sale now.

Rimes burst on to thecountry music scene at age11 with her hit “Blue.” Shewas the youngest person toever win a Grammy Awardand was the first countryartist to win the Grammy inthe Best New Artist catego-ry. Her other hits include“How Do I Live” and “Can’tFight the Moonlight.”

Her most recent album,“Lady & Gentleman,” fea-tures recordings of some ofthe most beloved malecountry music artists,including songs by countrylegends Waylon Jennings,Kris Kristofferson andGeorge Jones. Rimes inter-prets each song with astrong female point of view.The first single, JohnAnderson’s “Swingin’,”earned Rimes a Grammy forBest Female Country VocalPerformance.

For more information,log on towww.foxwoods.com, callthe box office at (866) 646-0609 or Ticketmaster at(800) 745-3000.

Send your entertain-ment news and arts hap-penings [email protected].

Kellie LambertMcGuireObservingThe Arts

Local attorney croons at Jitters; Library offers up ‘A Little Night Music’

Matt Dyer performs Saturday at Jitters Cafe in Southington.

The SouthingtonRecreation Departmentannounced the season forthe 2012 Summer YouthTheater program.

The Spotlights pro-gram will present themusical “Curtains” onFriday and Saturday, July20 and 21 at SouthingtonHigh School.

Performances areFriday and Saturday at 7p.m. with a Saturday mati-nee at 1 p.m. Admission is$8.

Based on the originalbook and concept by PeterStone, “Curtains” is a

send-up of backstage mur-der mystery plots, set in1959 Boston, Mass. andfollows the fallout whenthe supremely untalentedstar of Robbin’ Hood of theOld West is murdered dur-ing her opening night cur-tain call. It is up to a policedetective who moonlightsas a musical theater fan tosave the show, solve thecase, and maybe even findlove before the showreopens, without gettingkilled himself.

There is some innuen-do and mature content soparents are advised. The

show is directed by KristySmith of Bristol and fea-tures students enteringgrades 9 through 12.

The Footlights pro-gram will present themusical “Once On ThisIsland, Jr.” on Friday andSaturday, July 27 and 28 atSouthington High School.

Performances areFriday and Saturday at 7p.m. and a Saturday mati-nee at 1 p.m. Admission is$8.

“Once On This Island,

Jr.” is the story of a peas-ant girl on a tropicalisland, who uses the powerof love to bring togetherpeople of different socialclasses.

The show is directedby Alyssa Fontana and fea-tures students enteringgrades 7 and 8.

For more informationcontact the Parks andRecreation office at (860)276-6219.

Summer Theater programs present performances

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At the June 18 art eventdubbed Raw Hartford:Solstice, Southington’sShelly Castiola had a cornerof the space at the RussianLady.

Her pen and ink draw-ings-- black, white, andred-- quickly caught the eyeof patrons with depiction ofchildren with exaggeratedheads and bug-eyes hover-ing over diminutive bodies.

Castiola’s stylized artwork was in stark contrastto some of the other art-work around her. But it stillmined a modern feel, andyet offered up a sweet inno-cence.

The innocence of herwork makes sense whenyou speak to her about herwork.

Castiola, who worksthese days in the academicsports center at TunxisCommunity College inFarmington, is a trainedschool psychologist. Givenher professional back-ground, it would not seemas if an artist was lurking inher background. AndCastiola said she neverwent to school for art.

But Castiola said herinterest in art—and penand ink drawings, in partic-ular—goes a long way back.

“I got my first calligra-phy set at 6. Ever since, Iloved drawing pen and inkand black and white,” saidCastiola. Castiola remem-bered how when she wasyounger she would drawthe same thing over andover again because shewanted everything perfect.

Castiola said she lovedworking with pen and inkbecause she enjoys thedetails it can create. “I lovedthe detail and contrast.”

Given her passion forit, Castiola said, in hind-

sight, “I don’t know why Ididn’t go to school for(art).”

Instead, Castiola wentto college and trained to bea school psychologist, aposition she held for eightyears before moving over toTunxis. “I didn’t realize howmuch I loved art until I wasdone with school and thenfelt it was too late,” saidCastiola.

Castiola is a mother ofthree young children-Madeline, Chace, and Josh.And her offspring play arole in her art.

In fact, Castiola saidher current series of draw-ings with the girls, whichwere featured at RawHartford, was the result of aconversation with herdaughter.

Castiola said hergrandmother passed awaytwo years ago at the age of100. Castiola said beforeher grandmother passed

away, Castiola brought herdaughter Madeline to visit.After the visit, Madelinetold her mother she shoulddraw 100 girls doing differ-ent things as a tribute toher grandmother. But, thedaughter told her mother,the girls in the drawings allshould have these “wildeyes.”

The eyes were particu-larly significant, explained

Castiola, since her grand-mother was blind in oneeye.

So Castiola went towork. She began drawingthe girls doing things thatreflected what was going onin her own children’s lives.Thus far, she has drawn 30of these girls.

Although the drawingsreflect things in her family’slife, she said she’s reluctantto share the stories depict-ed within to her viewers.Instead, she said she wouldprefer that they fill in theirown details as to what ishappening.

This has helped broad-en the drawings’ appeal,said Castiola. At the RawHartford event, for exam-ple, she said people from all

walks of life were findingsomething to connect to inher work.

Castiola said a newmother and father wantedone of the drawings to hangin their baby’s nursery. Thewoman was Mexican andthe drawings reminded herof artwork associated withthe Mexican Day of theDead. The father wasRussian, and he thoughtthe drawings looked likeRussian dolls.

Castiola said a tattooshop owner also stopped byduring the show and want-ed a drawing for his shopbecause they looked liketattoo art.

Another woman, a col-lege student, stopped byand was drawn to a partic-

ular piece. “That looks likeme,” the woman toldCastiola.

“It’s nice to see peoplefrom totally differentworlds (drawn to mywork),” said Castiola

And, she said, “Theysee what they want to see.”

As for her ambitions inthe field of art, Castiolasaid, first off, she wants tofinish her series of 100 girls.Then she would like tomove onto another con-cept.

Additionally, Castiolasaid she would like to tryher hand at illustrating achildren’s book.

Castiola said her influ-ences run from film direc-tor Tim Burton (“EdwardScissorshands”) to Dr.Seuss. It would seem theedgier Burton would be outof place as an influence foran illustrator of children’sbooks. But Castiola said shehas noticed that children’sentertainment has beengetting edgier. There defi-nitely is a market for storiesthat are cute and frighten-ing at the same time.

Beyond all of that,Castiola is looking to sellmore prints via Etsy.com.And given the positive feed-back she received at theHartford show, she is look-ing for more opportunitiesto show her work.

Raw Natural Artistspresents another arts show-case, dubbed this time“Mixology,” at the RussianLady on Ann Ucchello Streetin Hartford on Wednesday,July 18.

For more information,go to RawNaturalArtists.org/Hartford

MIKE CHAIKEN

Southington artist Shelly Castiola poses beside some of her work inspired by her grandmother. The workblossomed after Castiola had a conversation with her daughter.

By MIKE CHAIKENEDITIONS EDITOR

Her career is in education, her heart belongs to art

SUBMITTED

One of the pen and inkdrawings created byartist Shelly Castiola.

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Southington Scene

Beatingthe heat

The mercury has been rising and residents have beenflocking to the pools to beat the heat. Here are some shotsfrom the pool at Memorial Park.

Photos by TAMMI KNAPIK


Greenhouse Café, aroadside café nestled in thetiny town of Burlington, ishosting its second lobsterand clambake of the seasonSaturday, July 14.

The dinner includesGreenhouse Café’s signa-ture chowder, lobster,clams, corn, salads andmore. There will be a cashraw bar. The New Englandstyle lobster, Clambake is$45 per person. There is akids menu for guests under10 years old. The eventbegins at 5:30 p.m. with acash raw bar and chowderand dinner begins at 6 p.m.Reservations are required.Guests must pay in advanceby going to www.Greenhouse-café.com andclicking on reservations or

by calling 860-673-8111.Greenhouse Café is an

open-air restaurant featuringfarm-to-table fare, includinglocally grown fruits and veg-etables. Most meals are pre-pared with vegetables andfruits grown on-site. Fresh,sustainable seafood harvestedoff the coasts of Connecticutand Rhode Island.

Greenhouse Caféguests dine al fresco, along-side a small pond and beau-tiful gardens. TheGreenhouse Café offersweekly specials and on

Tuesday evenings, the caféfeatures live music by localartists.

The Greenhouse Café isopen Sunday throughThursday from 11:30 a.m. to8 p.m. and Friday andSaturday from 11:30 a.m. to9 p.m. The cafe is located at511 Speilman Highway inBurlington. The popularFrozen Gnome ice creamshop is located next door.

For more information,visit wwwgreenhouse-café.com or call (860)673-8111.

Each week, TheObserver hits up the localrestaurant scene, offeringyou an inside look at theculinary delights in centralConnecticut.The Basics

Pop’s Burgers andFries

Dine-in or take-out.Open 7 days a week from11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

979 Meriden-Waterbury Tnpk.,Plantsville

Phone: (860) 426-9998

www.popsburger-sandfries.com

The BuzzPop’s Burgers and

Fries is the official vendorof the Southington Drive-in. Place an order at thedrive-in or call and theorder will be delivered tothe concession stand atthe drive-in. OnWednesdays from 4 to 8p.m., kids will receive afree kid burger when an

adult burger is purchased.Sunday night is CruiseNight from 4 to 8 p.m.

The SceneThe inside of Pop’s

Burgers and Fries is remi-niscent of a diner from the‘50’s. Fifties and 60s musicplays over the sound sys-tem. Movie posters fromclassic films fill the brightgoldenrod walls and thefloor is blue and white in acheckerboard pattern.

In Your GlassFountain soda, bot-

tled soda, coffee, bottledwater, milkshakes, androot beer floats.

On your PlateHamburgers made

with Angus beef andserved on a ciabatta roll,Hummel hotdogs, veggieburgers, grilled cheesesandwiches, freshly cutFrench fries, and salads.

The WalletBurgers start at $4.99

for a turkey or Angus beefburger and go up to $5.99for a bacon cheeseburger.The following toppings arefree: mayo, lettuce, pickles,tomatoes, grilled onions,grilled mushrooms,ketchup, mustard, relish,onions, hot peppers,sauerkraut, green peppers,A1 Sauce, BBQ sauce, andhot sauce.

Hot dogs range from

$3.59 for a 10 inchHummel hotdog with freetoppings to $4.49 for a 10inch Hummel hot dogwith bacon, chili, andcheese.

Kids’ burgers start at$3.49 for a plain hamburg-er and go up to $4.49 for aplain bacon cheeseburger.

If you’re interested inbeing featured in a future“Tasty Bites,” [email protected].

Tasty Bites Photos and text byStacey McCarthy

A hot dog with Chili at Pop’s Burgers and Fries. A chocolate milk shake at Pop’s Burgers and Fries.

Pop’s Burgers and Fries

SATURDAY, JULY 14PLAINVILLEGE PASTA DINNER IN SUP-PORT OF PETIT FAMILYFOUNDATION. 5 to 8 p.m.Family fun, activities and food.Precedes the GE 5K Road

Race. GE’s Industrial Solutionsparking lot, 41 Woodford Ave.,Plainville. $5. Children 12 andunder. (8600 747-7641.

SATURDAY, JULY 21

OTHEROLD FASHIONED BLUEBER-RY PANCAKE SUPPER. 4:30to 7 p.m. Held by the Ladies ofthe Plymouth CongregationalChurch. Blueberry pancakes,sausage, beverage and

dessert. PlymouthCongregation ChurchFellowship Hall, 10 Park St.,Plymouth. $6 for adults, chil-dren under 10, $3.

ONGOING

BRISTOLBREAKFAST FOR VETER-ANS. 8 to 10 a.m. on the sec-ond Thursday of each month.15 percent discount for all vet-erans. Friendly’s, 497Farmington Ave., Bristol.

PLAINVILLEFARMERS MARKET OFPLAINVILLE. Fridays from 3 to6 p.m., rain or shine. PlainvilleHigh School on East Street,Plainville.

Dining listings

Greenhouse Café guests dine al fresco overlooking a charming pond and colorfulgardens.

Restaurant hosting lobster, clambake July 14

Advertise in ‘Tasty Bites’each week.

Call an ad rep today. (860)628-9645


Buster’s Drive-inPicnic area and take-

out. Buster’s is openMonday through Saturdayfrom 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. andSunday from noon to 9p.m.

884 Terryville Ave.,Bristol

Phone: 860-589-7509Buster’s Drive-in

serves Martin Rosol’s hot-dogs and the hamburgersare hand-pressed. TheMichigan Sauce (meatsauce for chili dogs) andsauerkraut are made freshin house. The clam stripsand hand cut onion ringsare breaded to order.

Hot dogs start at $2.99and include the followingfree toppings: Buster’sSweet Pepper Relish,honey mustard, spicybrown mustard, onions,ketchup, sweet green rel-ish, and horseradish sauceand go up to $4.25 for abacon and double cheesehotdog.

Hamburgers rangefrom $1.99 for a juniorburger to $4.99 for a dou-ble burger with cheese.

Café Buono562 Farmington Ave.,

BristolPhone: (860)582-2233cafebuonobristol.comVoted Best Italian in

Bristol from the BristolObserver in 2012. CaféBuono hosts an advertisedspecialty night once amonth. Past specialtieshave been a Polish nightand a Spanish night. Everythird Wednesday is LadiesNight featuring a three-course meal (salad, entrée,dessert, and glass of winefor $18.) On Thursdaynights, there is a keyboardsing along with BrunoCerati.

Chef-created dinnerspecials featuring local andseasonal ingredients whenavailable. The vinaigrettedressing and pasta saucesare house-made. Italian-American dishes such asShrimp Scampi, ChickenMarsala, Veal Saltimbocca,and Penne alla Vodka.

Gateway CafeDine-in and take-out.

The kitchen is open on

Monday from 3 to 9 p.m.,Tuesday through Saturdayfrom noon to 10 p.m., andSunday from 12 to 8 p.m.

211 Riverside Ave.,Bristol.

Phone: 860-516-4601www.thegatewaycafe.c

omwww.facebook.com/ga

teway.bar.7Gateway Café hosts

several charity eventsthroughout the yearincluding the Ride andRoast for Autism Speaks inJune and a Bikini BikeWash to benefit BristolYouth Services in July.Karaoke starts at 9 p.m. onWednesday night and localbands play on Friday orSaturday night.

Over 16 bottled beersand Bud, Bud Light, andNaughty Nurse on tap.They also have an alco-holic smoothie maker (fla-vors change frequently)Gateway Café is known forits burgers. The ground sir-loin is from South SideMeat Market in Bristol andthe rolls are from HarvestBakery in Bristol. The pick-les and sea salt are fromTwin Pines Farm in

Thomaston. Produce ispurchased locally when inseason.

Tonio’s Italian PizzeriaDine-in, take-out, and

free delivery. OpenMonday through Thursdayfrom 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.,Friday from 11 a.m. to 10p.m., and Saturday from 12p.m. to 10 p.m.

5 Stillwell Dr.,Plainville

Phone: (860)793-0003http://www.toniospizz

eria.com/Antipasto with cherry

tomatoes, peppers, onions,black olives, salami,Cappicola, Provolone, andpeppercino peppers, hotand cold grinders. Tonio’sserves an Italian plum panpizza, classic style panpizza, and specialty pizza.They also serve hot andcold grinders, calzones,and pasta dinners.

Grinders range from$1.99 for a small veggie to$7.99 for a large meatball.

Pizzas start at $7.99 fora small Napolitano (plum

tomato and basil) and goup to $21.99 for a classic-style Meat Lovers.

Salads range from$4.75 for a house salad to$9.95 for Buffalo chickensalad.

Club 19 Restaurant atHawk’s LandingCountry Club

201 Pattenwood Dr.,Southington

Phone: (860)793-6000www.hawksland-

ingcc.comClub 19 Restaurant’s

executive chef is TomNardi (formerly fromNardi’s Old Mill). Therestaurant features aHappy Hour menu all thetime. Customers canchoose a wine and anappetizer for $10. The wineoptions are: Emerald BayCabernet Sauvignon, StellaMerlot, CardiffChardonnay, Stella PinotGrigio, and Mountain ViewWhite Zinfandel. The appe-tizer choices are: antipasto,fried ravioli, cheese andcracker plate, artichoke

and spinach dip, andshrimp cocktail. They alsohave a draft beer andchicken tender special for$5. Mondays are Beer BashNight with beer tastingsand giveaways. Wednesdaynight is WinedownWednesday with wine tast-ings and live entertain-ment. There is live enter-

tainment on Friday nightas well. Appetizers such asthe beef chili and nachos(tomatoes, black beans,and red onion over nachoswith a creamy house madecheese sauce). The burgersare made from Black Angusbeef. They also serve saladsand wraps with housemade sauces and dress-ings.

Straight FromMaine Seafood

Seafood market. OpenMonday from 12 to 8 p.m.,Tuesday through Saturdayfrom 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., andSunday from 10 a.m. to 4p.m.

864 Farmington Ave.,Bristol

Phone: (860)585-7000www.straightfrom-

maineseafood.comwww.facebook.com/st

raightfrommaineseafoodThe market is decorat-

ed with a nautical theme. Fresh fish and seafood

are delivered every one totwo days. The following areusually available: sushigrade tuna, Grade A sword-fish, yellowtail flounder,king salmon, haddock,codfish, oysters, littlenecks, steamers, mussels,king crab legs, shrimp,stuffed clams, stuffedflounder, scallops, clamchowder, lobster bisque,and lobster. Call to checkavailability.

Tasty Bites... Second Helping

A cheesy veggie wrap served up at The Dining Room at Bristol Adult Resource Center. The Dining Room isopen for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Dining Room is at 621 Jerome Ave.,Bristol. (860) 584-0043

STACEY MCCARTHY

A brief encounter with restaurants that previously had been featured in ‘Tasty Bites’

By STACEY MCCARTHYCORRESPONDENT

973 Meriden Waterbury TurnpikePlantsville, CT 06479

Tel.: 860.276.8888Fax: 860.276.3333

www.SushiHouseSouthington.com

Mon to Thurs 11am-10pm • Fri & Sat 11am-11pm • Sun 12:30-9:30pm

JAPANESE CUISINES U S H I & S A S H I M I

ALL YOU CAN EAT

Monday to Thursday $19.95 • Friday to Sunday $21.95

Excluding Lunch & All YouCan Eat. Expires 07/31/12



$3 OFF$20 or more

$5 OFF$30 or more

$10OFF$50 or more

OR

Homestyle Italian Cooking...Like Mom Used to Make!

THIN OR THICK CRUST

BRICK OVEN PIZZA

• Seafood • Steaks• Chops • Pasta

VOTED BESTItalian Restaurant in Bristol

240 Park St. (Rte 72)

Bristol • 860-582-5766

DailyLunch & Dinner

Specials

Catering& Private PartyRoom Available

OUR ENTIRE DINNER MENU IS AVAILABLE FOR TAKE-OUT!

Cannot be combined with anyother offers or discounts.

Expires 7/20/12

PICK UP ONLY

2 LARGE PIZZAS1 ITEM

$1695

50% OFFLUNCH OR DINNERWith This Coupon • Dine In or

Take Out • Food Only

Buy 1 Lunch or Dinner & Receivethe Second of Equal or Lesser Valueat 50% Off. Entrees Only. Not Validwith Other Offers. Expires 7/20/12

www.sabinosrestaurantct.com • Closed Mondays

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FRIDAY, JULY 13OTHERSINGLES HAPPY HOUR. 5p.m. Held by SocialConnections. ButterflyRestaurant, 841 FarmingtonAve., West Hartford. No charge.(860) 582-8229.

JULY 13 and 14OTHER SCREENING OF THE FILM,‘WE STILL LIVE HERE.’Pequot Museum and ResearchCenter, 110 Pequot Trail,Mashantucket. (800) 411-9671.PequotMuseum.org

JULY 13 and 14OTHER‘GET A CLUE’TOUR. Fridayand Saturday, 7 to 10 p.m. .Members of Sea Tea Improvportray the suspects. MarkTwain House and Museum, 351Farmington Ave., Bristol. $20,$16 for members. Reservations.(860) 280-3130.

SUNDAY, JULY 15PLAINVILLEFIFTH ANNUAL GE 5K ROADRACE. Benefit for the PetitFamily Foundation. 9 a.m.Registration 7 to 8:30 a.m.General Electric, 41 WoodfordAve., Plainville.PetitRoadRace.com

BRISTOLJACOB’S JOURNEY. 8:30 a.m.Motorcycle run, pancake break-fast fund raiser. BPOE 1010,126 South St., Bristol. (860)202-9518.

MONDAY, JULY 16BRISTOLTHE 2012 MAYOR’S CUPGOLF OUTING. Presented bythe Boys and Girls Club andFamily Center of Bristol. 11a.m., registration. Lunch 11:30a.m. Shotgun start, 12:30 p.m.Award dinner and raffle aftertournament. Scramble format.Contests and prizes.Chippanee Golf Club, MarshRoad, Bristol. Sponsoringopportunities. (860) 583-4734.

TUESDAY, JULY 17OTHER

HARTFORD DREAMERS ANDDOERS: LEGACIES OF A VIC-TORIAN CITY. 1:15 p.m.Barney Library, 71 Main St.,Farmington. Register. (860)673-6791, ext. 2.

PLANNING MEETING FORTHE NEW BRITAIN HIGHSCHOOL CLASS OF 1960REUNION. 11:30 a.m. Papa’sDodge, 185 East Main St., NewBritain. Interested in attending,email Joan (Mancini) Noyes,[email protected]

FROM HULA HOOPS TOHIGH FASHION: G. FOX INTHE 1950S. 7 p.m. Presentedby the Farmington Libraries andthe Connecticut HistoricalSociety. Farmington Library, 6Monteith Dr., Farmington. (860)673-6791,farmingtonLibraries.org.

THURSDAY, JULY 19BRISTOLTROLLEY SERVICE IN BRIS-TOL. 7 p.m. Bristol HistoricalSociety president Tom Dickauwill discuss early public trans-portation provided in theGreater Bristol area by Bristoland Plainville TramwayCompany from 1895 to 1935.Light refreshments. Admissionis free. Bristol HistoricalSociety, 98 Summer St., Bristol.Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

JULY 20, AUG. 6OTHERJAZZ DANCE BOOT CAMP.Weekdays 1 to 4:30 p.m. forfive classes. Get in shape. Forages 12 to adult. Playhouse onPark, 244 Park Rd., WestHartford. $200 for one week perstudent, $350 for two weeks.PlayhouseOnPark.org, (860)523-5900, ext. 10.

SATURDAY, JULY 21PLAINVILLEBALLROOM DANCING. 7:30to 10:30 p.m. Rockwells DanceHall, 161 Woodford Ave.,Plainville. BYOB, casual dress.DJ. Beginners welcome. $10per person. [email protected], (860) 793-9800.

SATURDAY, JULY 28

BRISTOLHOGS FOR HORSES. RIDEFOR A CAUSE. Register at10:30 a.m. Cruise for CluesRide at 11:30 p.m. 1 to 5 p.m.,food raffle, 50/ 50 and music byMarshall Law. Benefit for theShepard Meadows TherapeuticRiding Center, Inc. BristolSwedish Social Club, 38 BarlowSt., Bristol. $20 for riders and$15 for passengers in advanceif pre-registered atShepardMeadowsTR.Org. Add$5 for passengers day of event.Non-riders admitted for $15.(860) 841-9568.

SATURDAY, AUG. 4BRISTOLPOP UP PIAZZA FESTIVAL.Noon to 8 p.m. Vendors, enter-tainment, arts, crafts, culture,community, games, restaurants,and more. At 9 p.m., nightcapconcert. Depot Square Site (for-merly the Centre Mall) concen-trated toward the Main Streetand Riverside Avenue area ofBristol. Riverside to High aswell as Riverside Extension willbe closed till 10:30 p.m.

14TH ANNUAL PAUL KAR-VOSKI GOLF TOURNAMENT.6:30 a.m., registration. 7:30a.m., Shotgun start. Scrambleformat, breakfast and lunchprovided at noon, followed byawards and raffle. Proceedsbenefit Saint Francis CancerCenter in the name of the PaulKarvoski Memorial Fund.Karvoski was a Bristol residentwho passed away at young agefrom brain cancer. Blue FoxRun, Avon. $150 per player,$50 for buffet. (860) 919-2700.

THURSDAY, AUG. 16BRISTOL‘GOOD VIBRATIONS.’ Tributeto the music of the Beach Boys.St. Stanislaus Travelers Trip.Aqua Turf, Plantsville. $70 perperson which includes family-style lunch and the show. Drivein is on your own. (860) 589-5597.

SATURDAY, AUG. 25BRISTOL12TH ANNUAL HEATHERBAILEY/ REED AND STE-FANOW OPEN. 11 a.m., shot

gun start. Benefits the HeatherBailey Memorial ScholarshipFund. Cedar Knob Golf Course,Somers. $130, includes 18holes with cart, closest to pincontests, lunch, long drive,roast beef buffet. Fees must bepaid by Aug. 10. Mail toHBMSF, PO Box 9008, Bristol,CT 06011-9008. (860) 585-5157.

SUNDAY, AUG. 26OTHERNEW BRITAIN HIGH SCHOOLAND PULASKI HIGHSCHOOL ‘CLASS OF 65 ATAGE 65’ REUNION. 1 to 8 p.m.Farmington Club on Town FarmRoad, Farmington. If you knowwhereabouts of classmates,[email protected] , (860)673-2904 for NBHS or [email protected] or (860)589-2775 for Pulaski.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 7BRISTOLBRISTOL HIGH SCHOOLCLASS OF 1948 64THREUNION. Noon to 4 p.m.Chippanee Golf Club, MarshRoad, Bristol. Rita Kenyon,(860) 583-8440,[email protected]

SATURDAY, SEPT. 22OTHERST. ANTHONY HIGH SCHOOLREUNION. For all graduatesand attendees. 6:30 p.m. tomidnight. Aqua Turf, Plantsville.(860) 589-0598, Mike Ptasynski(860) 582-4388.

MONDAY, SEPT. 24SOUTHINGTONANNUAL FASHION GALA. 6p.m. Held by the Hospital ofCentral Connecticut BradleyMemorial campus Auxiliary.Featuring local residents in

clothes from Coldwater Creek,Kathy Faber Designs, andModern Formals of SouthingtonProceeds benefit BradleyMemorial campus services andprograms. $50 for dinner andshow on sale starting BradleyMemorial Hospital, campus giftshop, 81 Meriden Ave.,[email protected]

SATURDAY, SEPT. 29BRISTOL43RD RUNNING OF THEMUM-A-THON. 7 a.m. to 8:30a.m., race day registration. 815a.m., Kid’s Fun Run. 8:30 a.m.,5K Road Race and 5K FitnessWalk. Immanuel LutheranSchool, 154 Meadows St.,Bristol. $18 registration. $20after Sept. 20 and on race date.Kids’ Run Run is $5. Hosted byBristol Sports Hall of Fame.CTMumAThon.com

Area miscellaneous listings

AmericanLegion Post 72

Southington 6,Unionville 0

(Game One)Sunday, July 1At Southington

UNIONVILLEPlayer ab r h biKozak, cf 3 0 0 0Spracklin, 2b 2 0 1 0Schweighoffer, 3b 3 0 0 0Kerlejza, rf 3 0 2 0Crispino, lf 3 0 1 0Molpeter, ss 2 0 0 0LeBlanc, 1b 2 0 0 0Rappaport, c 3 0 0 0Pacheco, dh 3 0 1 0Totals 24 0 5 0SOUTHINGTONPlayer ab r h biShaw, ss 2 1 0 0Palladino, 2b 3 0 0 0Lee, c 4 0 0 0Sirois, 3b 1 2 0 0B.Nichols, 1b 2 1 1 1Gray, lf 2 1 0 0Santovasi, rf 3 1 0 1Fusco, cf 3 0 1 2Stearns, p 0 0 0 0Goralski, p 2 0 1 1Totals 22 6 3 52B—B.Nichols. BB—Kozak, Molpeter,LeBlanc, Shaw, Sirois (2), Stearns.HBP—Shaw, Palladino, B.Nichols,Gray. SAC—Spracklin.

Unionville 000 000 0 — 0 5 2Southington 203 001 x — 6 3 2

UNIONVILLE IP H ER BB KMorin, L 7.0 3 5 4 2SOUTHINGTON IP H ER BB KStearns 2.3 1 0 2 0Goralski, W 4.7 4 0 1 2

Record—Southington, 11-4.

Unionville 7,Southington 0

(Game Two)Sunday, July 1At Southington

UNIONVILLEPlayer ab r h biKozak, cf 2 1 0 0Spracklin, 2b 3 2 1 0Schweighoffer, 3b 3 3 3 2Kerlejza, rf 2 0 1 2Crispino, p 3 0 2 3Molpeto, ss 3 0 0 0Pacheco, c 3 0 2 0LeBlanc, 1b 2 0 0 0Rappaport, lf 2 1 0 0Totals 23 7 9 7SOUTHINGTONPlayer ab r h biShaw, ss 1 0 0 0Santovasi, lf 2 0 2 0B.Nichols, 1b 3 0 0 0Sirois, 3b 3 0 0 0Palladino, c 2 0 2 0Gray, p 0 0 0 0J.Nichols, rf 1 0 0 0Susi, rf 1 0 0 0Mehmel, p 1 0 1 0Fusco, cf 2 0 1 0Dalia, 2b 2 0 1 0Totals 18 0 7 0BB—Kozak, Kerlejza, Shaw (2).HBP—Gray, Rappaport. SAC—LeBlanc.

Unionville 102 40 — 7 9 0Southington 000 00 — 0 7 1

UNIONVILLE IP H ER BB KCrispino 3.0 4 0 1 2Spracklin 2.0 3 0 1 2SOUTHINGTON IP H ER BB K

Gray, L 3.7 9 6 2 3Mehmel 1.3 0 0 0 0


Southington 14,Wolcott 0Tuesday, July 3At Southington

WOLCOTTPlayer ab r h biForenteau, ss 3 0 0 0Cyr, lf 3 0 0 0Monroe, 1b 3 0 1 0Begley, 2b 3 0 0 0Gambino, cf 3 0 0 0Pastore, rf 3 0 1 0Ciccio, 3b 3 0 0 0Iles, c 2 0 0 0Bruni, p 2 0 0 0Totals 25 0 2 0SOUTHINGTONPlayer ab r h biShaw, ss 4 3 3 1Santovasi, rf 3 1 1 2Sirois, 3b 4 2 1 1B.Nichols, 1b 5 1 2 6Goralski, dh 5 1 2 0Gray, lf 5 1 2 0Palladino, c 4 3 3 0Fusco, cf 4 0 2 0J.Nichols, 2b 2 2 0 0Totals 36 14 16 10HR—Shaw, B.Nichols. 3B—Shaw.2B—B.Nichols. BB—Santovasi (2),Sirois, J.Nichols. HBP—Shaw,J.Nichols.

Wolcott 0 0 0 000 0 — 0 2 2Southington 2101 100 x — 14 16 1

WOLCOTT IP H ER BB KPitchers, L 6.0 16 12 4 2SOUTHINGTON IP H ER BB KStearns, W 4.0 1 0 0 0Dalia 2.0 1 0 0 0Lee 1.0 0 0 0 1


Southington 4, Avon 4(Suspended)

Thursday, July 5At Avon

SOUTHINGTONPlayer ab r h biShaw, ss 3 1 1 1Palladino, 2b 4 1 2 1Lee, c 4 1 1 0B.Nichols, 1b 4 0 0 0Sirois, 3b 4 0 1 2Goralski, dh 3 0 0 0Gray, lf 3 1 1 0Santovasi, rf 2 0 0 0Fusco, cf 3 0 0 0Totals 30 4 6 4AVONPlayer ab r h biHahn, ss 3 0 1 0Sanderson, 3b 5 2 2 0O’Connor, cf 5 1 0 0Con.Doyle, 2b 5 1 3 1Koenig, p 3 0 1 2Cod.Doyle, c 4 0 2 1Nurisso, 1b 3 0 0 0Lombard, rf 4 0 3 0Williakson, lf 1 0 0 0Castellani, p 3 0 0 0Totals 36 4 12 42B—Palladino, Sanderson, Con.Doyle, Cod. Doyle. BB—Goralski,Hahn (2), Koenig, Nurisso. HBP—Gray. SAC—Shaw, Santovasi, Koenig.

Southington 112 000 000 — 4 6 2Avon 010 020 100 — 4 12 3

SOUTHINGTON IP H ER BB KSusi 8.0 12 4 4 6Gray 1.0 0 0 0 1AVON IP H ER BB KKoenig 3.0 4 3 0 1Castellani 6.0 2 0 1 8

Notes—Game was suspendedafter 9 innings due to darkness. Gamewill be resumed prior to the July 12contest at Southington.

Southington 5,Torrington 0

Friday, July 6At Southington

TORRINGTONPlayer ab r h biYousefzadeh, cf 2 0 1 0W.Austin, ss 3 0 1 0Shurberg, 1b 3 0 1 0Kindred, c 3 0 0 0Shugrue, lf 3 0 0 0Marfyak, dh 3 0 0 0Binkowski, 3b 3 0 0 0Canny, rf 2 0 0 0Neller, 2b 2 0 1 0Totals 24 0 4 0SOUTHINGTONPlayer ab r h biShaw, ss 3 2 0 0Santovasi, cf 3 1 2 1Lee, c 2 1 0 0Sirois, 3b 3 1 2 2B.Nichols, 1b 3 0 1 1Goralski, p 3 0 0 0Gray, lf 2 0 0 0J.Nichols, lf 1 0 0 0Palladino, 2b 3 0 0 0Dalia, rf 2 0 1 0Totals 25 5 6 4

2B—Sirois (2), B.Nichols. BB—Yousefzadeh, Dalia. HBP—Canny,Shaw, Lee.

Torrington 000 000 0 — 0 4 4Southington 310 010 x — 5 6 0

TORRINGTON IP H ER BB KP.Austin, L 6.0 6 3 1 4SOUTHINGTON IP H ER BB KGoralski, W 7.0 4 0 1 6


Zone I StandingsAs of Monday, July 9

Team W L PCT*Avon 17 4 .810*Southington 15 5 .750Unionville 13 7 .650Bristol 13 7 .650Simsbury 12 9 .571Winsted 10 11 .476Burlington 10 11 .476Torrington 10 12 .455Wolcott (E) 3 19 .136Terryville (E) 2 20 .091

* Qualified for state tournament.(E) Eliminated from postseason.

Stafford

MotorSpeedway

SK Light DivisionCoors Light SKModified 100

Friday, June 2920 laps at Stafford Motor Speedway

1, Tony Membrino Jr, BayCrane, Cadillac; 2, Zach Aszklar,Beecher & Bennett Funeral Svc,Chevrolet; 3, Frank Cardile, Top RungInspection & Testing, Chevrolet; 4,David Webb, Webb Racing,Chevrolet; 5, Joey Ferrigno, BrothersPool-RK Machines, Oldsmobile; 6,Jay Goff, Goff Motorsports, Chevrolet;

7, Dylan Kopec, Kopec’s Auto & TruckService, Chevrolet; 8, Tyler Hines,Gunsmoke Stables Racing, Ford; 9,Bob Charland, Shark Cycle, Pontiac;10, Harry Wheeler, Blastech, Pontiac;11, Rick Williams, Williams Racing,Dodge; 12, Shawn Brule, BruleMotorsports, Chevrolet; 13, PaytonHenry, Tavern House Grill, Chevrolet;14, Ronnie Williams, AdviceOne,Chevrolet; 15, Nick Salva, Team EffortMotorsports, Chevrolet; 16, RickDyer, Dyer Racing, Pontiac; 17, JoeBoivin, Ford of Northampton, Ford;18, Dylan Campbell, CampbellRacing, Chevrolet.

SK Light ModifiedXtra Mart Xtra D

Friday, July 625 laps at Stafford Motor Speedway

1, Zach Aszklar, Beecher &Bennett Funeral Svc, Chevrolet; 2,Dylan Kopec, Kopec’s Auto & TruckService, Chevrolet; 3, Joey Ferrigno,Brothers Pool-RK Machines,Oldsmobile; 4, Tyler Hines,Gunsmoke Stables Racing, Ford; 5,Bob Charland, Shark Cycle, Pontiac;6, Payton Henry, Tavern House Grill,Chevrolet; 7, Jay Goff, GoffMotorsports, Chevrolet; 8, TonyMembrino Jr, Bay Crane, Cadillac; 9,Harry Wheeler, Blastech, Pontiac; 10,Rick Williams, Williams Racing,Dodge; 11, Frank Cardile, Top RungInspection & Testing, Chevrolet; 12,Ronnie Williams, AdviceOne,Chevrolet; 13, Tony Santangelo,Jake’s Way Back Burgers, Chevrolet;14, Joe Boivin, Ford of Northampton,Ford; 15, Paul Tommasino,Tommasino Landscaping, Chevrolet;16, Nick Salva, Team EffortMotorsports, Chevrolet; 17, ShawnBrule, Brule Motorsports, Chevrolet;18, Frog Fate, Cutting Edges Signs &Shirts, Chevrolet; 19, DylanCampbell, Campbell Racing,Chevrolet.

SK Light DivisionPoints StandingsStafford Motor Speedway

As of Friday, June 29Race 8 of 21

Driver Pts W T5 T101, Kopec 334 4 4 72, Aszklar 334 0 6 73, Membrino 314 1 4 64, Charland 314 0 3 75, Goff 300 1 3 66, Williams 300 0 3 77, Wheeler 276 1 1 28, Hines 268 1 3 59, Henry 264 0 1 610, Ferrigno 260 0 2 4


SUBMITTED

The American Gymnastics Level 4 girls team rallied to a first placefinish at the State Cup in Old Saybrook on Saturday, June 2. Front,from left, Dorothy Madancy, Tia Guay, Katherine Drechsler, andNatalie Reeves. Back, Katie Kubisek, Carlie Kubisek, Megan Crean,Felicia Mendez ( Woodbridge), Ariana Caucci (Bristol), Olivia Donis,Mychele Vaillancourt, McKenna Neeman ( Wallingford), KaylaPaparazzo ( West Hartford), Gabriella Miller (Meriden), KaylahSchnitzer (Cheshire), Isabella DiMaria ( Wolcott), and Katelyn Hick(Cheshire).

American Gymnasts win cup

Scoreboard

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was unfolding in front ofhim. He never trailed, andhis opponent never threat-ened. It capped an easy runto his second straight divi-sion title, but he still seemshaunted about missing thepin. Perhaps it’s because fewwrestlers ever managed toavoid one.

“For my money he wasthe best kid that I’ve everseen wrestle,” said BlueKnight wrestling coachDerek Dion. “He was justabout as strong and fast akid as I’ve ever had. Nobodywith his size could hangwith his strength or hisspeed. There were kids thatwent on to have better col-lege careers, but we’ll neverreally know how his collegecareer would have pannedout [if he didn’t get injured].When you look at highschool wrestlers, he’s one ofthe best that I’ve ever seen.”

As the last centurycame to a close Lee explod-ed onto the scene but it wasa long journey just to steponto the high school mat.Lee was a proven soccerplayer at a private school,but he longed to wrestle. Hisfather was Southington’sfirst captain in 1974 and 75.

Lee switched to home-schooling as a freshman totry to qualify for the highschool team. When that did-n’t work because of newrules changes, Lee con-vinced his parents to enrollhim in the public schools. Itwas his first win as a highschool wrestler.

“I knew that he was thetype of kid that you couldbuild a program around,and we did that,” said Dion.“You make one kid better,and it seems to make every-one around them better.They go on to make every-one else around them bet-ter, and it made us a prettysuccessful program for awhile.”

Lee was an instant hitas a sophomore, and fin-ished his career without asingle regular season loss.He amassed an incredible122-6 record that still standsas No. 17 on the all-time listof state wrestlers. He won 67by pin and 15 by forfeit.Most of his matches wereover in seconds.

“He wasn’t really one tomake mistakes,” said Dion.“It was difficult to get good

matches for him because hewas so dominant. Everyonejust tried to get away fromhim. Sometimes, I would tryto weigh him in at a weightclass above and wrestle himup to the weight class abovethat just to try to get himinto a match that could gethim ready for a state tourna-ment. He seemed to pin ortech fall just about everyonehe wrestled.”

Lee credits his prepara-tion and aggressive attack.He started his day withthree-mile runs beforeschool. He finished his prac-tices with five-mile runs orlong trips on the bike. Sincemost of his matches finishedso quickly, his drive had tocome from within.

“You have to be disci-plined, but that’s one of thethings that’s great aboutwrestling,” he said. “Wheneverybody else is chowingdown on garbage, you haveto eat that salad. You mightreally want to eat that cook-ie, but you can’t have it. Ittakes discipline to go to bedat 8:00 at night when yourfriends are going out, butthat’s because you have torun at five in the morning.It’s all about discipline.”

It paid off. His first var-sity loss came in the ClassLL quarterfinals in his soph-omore year. His second losscame at the state open in a2-1 decision against anopponent that went on tothe finals of the New

England championships.His third loss came as aresult of an injury defaultthat ended his state openrun.

Over his three year var-sity career Lee’s only lossescame in postseason boutseven though he found him-self battling against biggerwrestlers, state champions,and New England powers.Two losses were concussion-related. One was a disquali-fication for an illegal slam ina bout that he was dominat-ing. One came against theeventual state open champi-on. Another came against aNew England finalist. It wasonly his last one—the sixthone—that was avoidable.

“It’s very rare that youget a kid that comes in andis that dominant at such anearly age, and he was domi-nant all the way through,”said Dion. “It was a combi-nation of strength or speed,but it was mainly his posi-tioning. You just couldn’t gethim out of it. There are kidsthat are strong in the weightrooms, but he wrestledstrong. He did that withgood position.”

It also came from aniron will. As a junior Lee saidthat he was more tentative,consciously guarding hisundefeated season, but hemanaged to cruise into thepostseason as the No. 2 seedin the 152-pound weightclass. He cruised to thefinals and captured his firstof two division titles with a36-second pin in the cham-pionship round. He went onto the semifinals at the stateopen, losing to New Fairfieldwrestler Jeff McAveney in a6-5 decision.

“I wrestled him threetimes in high school, and itwas always at the stateopens. He was the one that Ilost my first match to, and itwas a close match in myjunior year, too,” said Lee. “Itwas tied with something like40 seconds left in the third. Iwas on top, and I let him up.I wanted to take him down,but he was able to fight itoff.”

McAveney and Leeremained as arch-rivalsthroughout their careers.Lee avenged the state openloss with an overtime win inthe New England tourna-ment during a campaignthat carried Lee into thefinal bout of the regionalmeet. At the time, Lee was

just the second Blue Knightto win a bout at the regionalmeet and his second placefinish still remains as thebest for any Southingtonwrestler.

Lee was just gettingstarted. As a senior, he dis-patched his regular seasonopponents with relativeease. He cruised through thebrackets to win his secondstraight Class LL title, and hezeroed in on McAveney fortheir final match-up in thestate open championshipbout.

“At that point, I didn’tthink that my career meantanything until I won theopens,” he said. “There werea lot of guys that fell in thefinals. I wanted to be thefirst one. I didn’t think itmeant anything unless Idid.”

This time, Lee left noquestion. He tossedMcAveney all over the mat,nearly pinning him twice toearn an 11-5 win before heleapt into the arms of hiscoach. The state open titlewas the first by anySouthington wrestler.

“We had workedtogether, one-on-one, quitea bit to try to develop a shotto add to his upper bodyassault,” said Dion. “Hewent out there and hit itimmediately. He got himonto his back for five[points]. He did it again a

few minutes later, and gothim onto his back for fivemore and pretty much dom-inated from there on out. Itwas a fun night. It was oneof the best nights that we’veever had as a coachingstaff.”

Lee was never able toduplicate that 1999 run. Hewas upset in the openinground at the New Englandchampionship. He went onto Sacred Heart University,worked his way on to thevarsity roster as a freshman,and battled to an early 5-5record before ending hiscareer with yet another con-cussion on the mat.

But he never strayedtoo far from the sport. Hereturned to the SouthingtonHigh School gym as a prac-tice opponent and movedinto the coaching rankswhere he’s served since2002. Now, he tries to instillhis sense of discipline andgoal-setting to the next gen-eration of Blue Knightwrestlers.

“It doesn’t matter whatkind of wrestler theybecome. It matters whatkind of men they become,”said Lee. “I want them tohave a good head on theirshoulders and know how towork hard. That’s what I gotout of this sport, and that’swhat I want for them.”

Perhaps that’s why theSouthington Sports Hall ofFame selection committeechose Lee as the youngestmember to be inauguratedthe local sports hall of fame.On Thursday, Nov. 8, he willbe honored in an inductionceremony at the Aqua TurfClub in Plantsville.

“I’m still excited aboutit because it means some-thing,” said Lee. “I’ve seenthe guys and the teams thathave been inducted beforeme. You know the names.You know what they did. Tohave only two classes aheadof me, to be in the third one,is pretty incredible. I’mextremely honored.”

For tickets, contact JimVerderame, (860) 628-7335.To comment on this story,contact sports writer JohnGoralski at jgoralski@southingtonobserver. com.


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Hall of Fame

From page 36 Southington Sports Hall of Fame

Inside the NumbersOverall record 122-6

•Dual meet record 87-0 (Finished undefeated in the regular season).

•67 pins, 15 forfeits•Career winning percentage of .953

(School record and currently ranked 17th in the state of Connecticut).

•Class LL champion (1998, 1999).•State Open champion (1999).

•3 varsity letters (1997, 1998, 1999).•All-Conference (1997, 1998, 1999).

•All-State (1998, 1999).•All-New England (1998).

•Highest finish at New England meet for anySouthington High School wrestler (2nd, 1999).

1996-1997—(145 pounds). Went 40-3. Lost in Class LL quarterfinals.

Lost, 2-1, in second round of the state open tothe eventual New England runner up.

1997-1998—(152 pounds). Went 44-2.Won the Class LL championship.

Placed 3rd at the state open championship.Placed 2nd in the New England championship.

1998-1999—(152 pounds). Went 38-1.Won the Class LL championship.

Won the State Open championship.Lost in the first round of the NE tournament.

College•Wrestled at Sacred Heart University.

•Went 5-5 as a freshmen before suffering career-ending concussions.

CoachingAssistant coach at Southington High School

(2002-present).

Bill Lee: 2012 Sports Hall of FameI knew

that he was the type of kidthat you could

build a programaround,

and we did that.

“

“

Derek Dion,SHS wrestling coach

SHS CAMPSThe following camps are not run,sponsored, orendorsed by theSouthingtonPublic Schools orthe SouthingtonBoard ofEducation.Brochures are available atwww.southingtonsports.com.

BLUE KNIGHT FUTURE SOCCER STARS CLINIC—Mondays and Wednesdays, July16-July 25, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.,at DePaolo Middle School. Opento boys and girls entering grades3-7. SHS coaches Dave Yanosyand Sal Penta will focus on thedevelopment of technical skillsand basic tactical concepts. Costis $120 ($30 per session).Contact: Dave Yanosy, (860) 836-7741 and [email protected], or Sal Penta, (860) 919-3423 and [email protected].

BLUE KNIGHT ADVANCEDSOCCER TRAINING CLINIC—Tuesdays and Thursdays, July17-July 26, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.,at DePaolo Middle School. Opento boys and girls entering grades8-9. SHS coaches Dave Yanosyand Sal Penta will focus on thetechnical and tactical skills need-ed at the high school level. Costis $120 ($30 per session).Contact: Dave Yanosy, (860) 836-7741 and [email protected], or Sal Penta, (860) 919-3423 and [email protected].

BREAK THROUGH LACROSSECAMP—Monday, Aug. 13-Friday,Aug. 17, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., atSouthington High School. Opento girls entering grades 3-9. LadyKnight lacrosse coach Amy Clarkwill focus on the skills and funda-mentals needed to succeed atthe game of lacrosse. Cost is$150 per player. Contact: MattShea at [email protected].

REGISTRATION2012 SHOPRITE NUTMEGSTATE GAMES—Registration isunderway for the annual NutmegGames, July 21-29, in NewBritain. Team sports includebaseball, basketball, flag football,fastpitch softball, field hockey (7vs. 7), football, hockey, lacrosse(7 vs. 7 and 11 vs. 11), rollerhockey, rugby 7s, soccer, andWiffleball. Individual sportsinclude archery, cycling criterium,fencing, figure skating, golf, gym-nastics, jai alai, judo, shooting,squash, swimming, tennis, track& field, wrestling. Registrationforms available at www.nut-megstategames.org.

SVMFL FOOTBALL, POWDERPUFF, CHEERLEADING—Registration is Saturday, July 14,9 a.m.-noon, at the RecreationPark Field House. Tackle pro-gram costs $152 per person.Flag football costs $122. PowderPuff program (girls enteringgrades 5-8) costs $122 per play-er. Cheerleading (grades K-8)costs $97 per player. Maximumcost per family is $282. Onlineregistration is available at

www.svmfl.org.

PARKS & RECRegistration for the followingclasses andprograms,unless other-wise noted, canbe made at theSouthingtonParks &Recreation Department at (860)276-6219. Checks should bepayable to Town of Southington.To learn more check out theactivity schedule atwww.southington.org.

SWIM LESSONS—Registrationfor Recreation Park Pool lessonswill be held on Wednesday, July18, 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m., at the Parks& Rec office in the basement ofTown Hall with lessons beginningon July 23. Registration forMemorial Park Pool lessons willbe held on Monday, July 23, 5:30p.m.-8 p.m., at the Parks & Recoffice in the basement of TownHall with lessons beginning onJuly 30. Program is open toSouthington children aged 5 orolder. Proof of residency isrequired. Parents should bringthe child’s swim card from lastyear, if available, and the child’sbirth certificate if they are regis-tering for the first time. Classeswill begin on July 23, and classtimes will be determined at regis-tration. Beginners classes areoffered on M-W-F. Advancedbeginners classes may beoffered either M-W-F or T-Th.Intermediate and advancedclasses are offered on T-Th. Costis $50 per child ($125 family ratefor 3 children or $150 for 4 chil-dren). Class size is limited.

TENNIS LESSONS—Registration is underway for theannual summer instructional pro-gram open to Southington resi-dents aged 4-18. Session III: July23-Aug. 2. Session IV: Aug. 6-16,at the SHS tennis courts. Eachtwo-week session runs Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.(ages 4-6); 9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m.(ages 6-7); 11 a.m.-noon (ages8-9); 12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m. (ages10-18) with Fridays open for raindates if needed. Cost is $60 persession, and a smaller, light-weight racquet will be providedfor children aged 4-9.

TENNIS MATCH PLAY—Session III: July 23-Aug. 2;Session IV: Aug. 6-16, 8 a.m.-9:30 a.m. (high school students)or 9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m. (middleschool students), at the SHS ten-nis courts. Open to Southingtonresidents only. These two-weekprograms are for experiencedtennis players to play againsteach other in an organized set-ting with guidance from SHS ten-nis coach Tony Mauro. Cost is$25 per session.

SLAMMA JAMMA MULTI-SPORT CAMP—Session II(ages 4-9): Monday, July 23-Friday, July 27, 8:45 a.m.-noon,at Recreation Park. Session III(ages 7-12). Open to boys andgirls. Campers will learn about

fundamentals of each sportthrough individual and group skilldrills, games, contests, andspeakers under the direction ofBob Ruderman, former basket-ball coach at Naugatuck ValleyCommunity College. Contact:Bob Ruderman, (860) 628-0337or at [email protected].

SLAMMA JAMMA BASKETBALL CAMP—SessionI (ages 7-12): Monday, July 30-Friday, Aug. 3, 8:45 a.m.-noon, atRecreation Park. Campers willlearn fundamentals under thedirection of Bob Ruderman, for-mer basketball coach atNaugatuck Valley CommunityCollege. Contact: BobRuderman, (860) 628-0337 or [email protected] SOCCER REGISTRATION (FALLLEAGUE)—Registration throughFriday, July 13. The SouthingtonYouth Soccer League is open toSouthington boys and girls bornin the years 1997-2006 (ages 6-15 as of Dec. 31). Season con-sists of seven Sundays, begin-ning Sept. 9. Cost is $50 perplayer ($75 per family) andincludes t-shirts and socks for allplayers. Registration forms areavailable at the SouthingtonParks & Recreation Dept. or onthe website at www.southing-ton.org.

PARKS & REC TRIPSRegistration for the followingclasses and programs, unlessotherwise noted, can be made atthe Southington Parks &Recreation Department at (860)276-6219. Checks should bepayable to Town of Southington.To learn more check out theactivity schedule atwww.southington.org.

SARATOGA RACE COURSE—Saturday, Aug. 4 at Saratoga, NY.Cost is $70 per person andincludes round-trip motor coachtransportation, admission, hotdog, soda, program, andreserved seating at the horseraces.

RED SOX VS BLUE JAYS—Sunday, Sept. 9 at Fenway Park.Cost is 115 per person andincludes round-trip motor coachtransportation, tickets (boxes 94and 95). A tour director willaccompany the trip.

SOUTHINGTONYMCA

Registration for the followingclasses andprograms,unless other-wise noted, canbe made at theSouthingtonCommunityYMCA Member-ship ServicesDesk at (860) 628-5597 or on-line at www.southington-cheshireymca.org.

PRESCHOOL & YOUTH GYMNASTICS—For childrenages 16 months and up in astate-of-the-art facility located at

26 Putnam Place, Plantsville.The programs are designed toenhance the child’s strength, flex-ibility, hand eye coordination, andsocial and listening skills. TheYMCA also offers a competitivegymnastics program where par-ticipants compete in YMCA andUSAG meets.YMCA instructorsencourage and support childrenand serve as positive role mod-els. Contact: Nancy Bauman,(203) 272-7688.

TOURNAMENTS2012 WAYTON OPEN TENNISTOURNAMENT—Fridays-Sundays, July 20- 29 at the SHStennis courts. Proceeds benefitthe Wayton Open ScholarshipFund. Cost is $10 for singles and$20 for doubles. Each playerreceives a tournament t-shirt,player handbook, player sched-ule, tennis balls, and water forevery match. Prizes are awardedto 1st and 2nd place in all divi-

sions (Men’s Singles, Women’sSingles, Men’s Doubles, andWomen’s Doubles). Registeronline at www.waytonopen.comuntil July 14.

KIWANIS GOLF TOURNAMENT—Wednesday,Aug. 1, 9:30 a.m. shotgun start,at the Southington Country Club.Registration will begin at 8:15a.m. The tournament will be ascramble format with hole-in-oneprizes offered on all par 3 holes,including a $10,000 prize on the7th hole. Cost is $125 per golferand includes lunch and a ban-quet dinner at Manor Inn.Contact: Tom, (860) 621-3931 orLen, (860) 621-3792.

KENNY HILL JR MEMORIALSCHOLARSHIP TENNIS TOURNAMENT—Aug. 25-26 atthe SHS tennis courts. Cost is$35 per person ($20 for juniors,$15 for each additional event).

Proceeds benefit the Kenny HillJr Memorial Scholarship fund.Deadline for all entries is Aug.17. Contact: Ken Hill, (860) 276-8179 or at [email protected]

MISCELLANEOUSTHE SPEEDWAY LINEREPORT WITH GARYDANKO—Mondays, 6 p.m.-7:00p.m., April-November, on WATR1320 or on-line at www.speed-waylinereport.com. The call-inradio show focuses on the worldof auto racing with in-studioguests. Southington’s GaryDanko leads the discussion andprovides results from local tracksand periodic vintage historicalshows. Call-ins: (203) 757-1320.

If you would like to your eventannounced in The Observer,please e-mail information to [email protected] Observer reserves the rightto edit for content and space.


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• Karen Lainas,Runner:Completed the Red Dress 5K Run forWomen in 25:54 to finish 9th in her divi-sion and 93rd overall.

TOP FEMALE PERFORMANCES• Brenda Woznicki,Runner:Completed the Red Dress 5K Run forWomen in 25:38 on July 7 in Hartford towin her division and finish 85th overall.

Maggie Meehancrossed overher dribble

and darted past a defenderas if she was rooted to thefloor. All that was left wasthe easy layup, but Meehansaw a teammate in positionto score. She skipped a per-fect pass, and they bothcheered the basket.

“She’s an unselfish kindof player and a special kid,”said Lady Knight basketballcoach Mike Forgione. “She’snot only a great athlete, butshe makes the playersaround her better. She seesthe floor, and she’s just agreat kid on and off thecourt. That’s what I’m reallylooking for at this camp.”

Meehan was one ofdozens of girls to flock to thehigh school for the recentBlue Knight Girls BasketballClinic, and she epitomizesthat kind of athlete thatForgione is looking to devel-op. He’s looking for goodbasketball decisions, not justathleticism. That’s whyForgione loved Meehan’spass under the basket.

“I've seen her in thetravel leagues over the lasttwo years, and I know that she's the kindof girl that loves to play,” said the coach. “Ilove to see the passion that she bringsevery day.”

Forgione said that Meehan wasn’talone. He was impressed with the talent,the athleticism, and the teamworkthroughout this year’s camp.

“I think this is good for the town andthe community,” he said. “It’s good to seethe girls having fun and learning the gameof basketball. We want them to learn thegame and have fun.”

It’s not just about scoring.For her outstanding athletic accom-

plishments, Meehan is our highlightedfemale athlete of the week.

Maggie MeehanBlue Knight Girls Basketball Clinic

8th Grade

The Week Ahead in Southington Sports

Athletes of the week

• Andrew Goralski,Post 72 American Legion baseball team:Earned one shutout win and contributedto another team shutout, allowing noruns in 11.7 innings on the mound.

TOP MALE PERFORMANCES• Bryan Wilcox,Runner:Ran the 5k course at the East HartfordRiverfest in 16:48 to place second overallon Saturday, July 7.

Tony Membrinoslid in behind theleader’s rear

wheel and waited for hischance to strike. On Friday,June 29, Membrino was aim-ing at his first victory. Hedidn’t have long to wait.

With less than 10 lapsremaining, the leaderflinched. He edged too far tothe wall on a turn, andMembrino moved quickly.He cut back on the throttle,steered low on the course,and shot out into the lead.From there, it was off to theraces.

“It was a long time com-ing,” said Gary Danko, theradio host of The SpeedwayLine Report on WATR 1320AM. “He’s got a good racecar.Even going back to last year,you knew that he had a goodracecar. You knew that a winwas right around the cor-ner.”

Membrino charged tothe finishline and movedinto a tie for third place inthe division standings just 20points behind the top car.With 12 races to go, it’s any-body’s game, and Dankosaid that Membrino couldbe one of the favorites down the stretch.

Now in his second season in the SKLight division, Membrino has becomeknown for his grace under pressure.

“He definitely has the talent. There’sno question about it,” said Danko. “He’s avery patient driver, and he knows when tomake his move. He’s not one of those ones

that sort of goes banzai into the middleand takes himself out, somebody else out,or causes a great mess. He’s very methodi-cal in the way that he goes about his driv-ing.”

Look out. Here he comes.For his outstanding athletic accom-

plishments, Membrino is our highlightedmale athlete of the week.

Tony Membrino, Jr.Stafford Motor Speedways driver

SK Modified Light

American Legion Post 72 at Simsbury (JrLegion-5:30). Southington Shock vs. WestHartford Thunder (7:00).Thu

American Legion Post 72 at Wolcott (SrLegion-7:45). American Legion Post 72 atBristol (Jr Legion-5:30). Southington Shock vs.Simsbury SaberCats (7:45).Wed

American Legion Post 72 at Burlington (SrLegion-5:30). Southington Shock vs.Glastonbury Arrows (7:00).Tue

American Legion Post 72 at Burlington (JrLegion-5:30).Mon

No games scheduled.SatAmerican Legion Post 72 vs. Winsted (SrLegion-7:45). American Legion Post 72 vs.Unionville (Jr Legion-5:30).Fri

Do you want to advertise onour Athletes of the Week page?Contact our ad rep at (860) 628-9645

No games scheduled.Sun

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Photos by JOHN GORALSKI

The love of the gameLocal girls swarmed the courts from Monday, June25 to Friday, June 29 for the annual Blue KnightGirls Basketball Clinic. Southington girls enteringgrades 4-9 studied the game of basketball from LadyKnight varsity players and local coaches under thedirection of Lady Knight coach Mike Forgione.

Below, ninth grader Gabi Napoli, left, and seventhgrader Sarah Minkiewicz battle for a rebound.

Southington Sports Scene

Above, Lady Knightcoach Mike

Forgione offerssome tips at the

morning meeting.

At right, KaitlynFeeney (6th grade)

hones her skillsduring a

practice drill.

Below, seventhgrader Mackenzie

Beaupre uses abetween-the-legsdribble to avoid a

camp coach.

At right, sixth graderCaitlyn Kesilewski tracks

down a rebound.

At left, Jacqueline Izzo(4th grade) practices herdribbling.

Above, seventhgraders MaddieBelfonti, left,and HartleeMeier squareup in a campscrimmage.

At left, JessicaLamb (6thgrade) zeroesin on the basket.

Below, JanetteWadolowski(7th grade)makes a layup.

At left, DePaolo Middle School coach Val DePaolooffers a shooting tip for Jessica Carr (4th grade).

Membrino said. “I just sortof stalked the leader, and Ikept pressuring him. I washitting him on the backbumper and trying to messhim up a little bit to seewhat he would do.”

The gamble paid off. AsCardile careened aroundturn three, Membrino sawhis opening. He cut back onthe throttle, moved under-neath him, and came out ofthe turn as the new raceleader. Over the next 10 lapsMembrino opened up a leadof 10 car lengths, and hecruised to his first open-wheeled victory.

“I convinced myself thatif I could get out front, I wasgoing to win the race,” hesaid. “That was my game-plan. I wanted to get out infront because I knew I couldstay there. It wasn’t until thelast few laps that I reallystarted to get excited, and itwasn’t until I was goingdown the backstretch in thelast lap that I knew I had it.”

The victory was the firstof the season for Membrinoand it pushed him up to a tiefor third with 314 points inthe division standings. Hetrails Dylan Kopec (334) andZach Aszklar (334) by just 20points with 12 races remain-ing.

“It was a long timecoming,” said Gary Danko,the radio host of TheSpeedway Line Report onWATR 1320 AM. Danko is anexpert on Connecticut’sshort track racing, and hehas kept track of Membrino’srising career. “He’s got agood racecar. Even goingback to last year, you knewthat he had a good racecar.You knew that a win wasright around the corner. He’sbeen knocking on the door,and he’s been pretty consis-tent.”

Membrino comes fromone of the state’s racingdynasties, but he’s carvedout a name for himself onethe Stafford course. Two sea-

sons ago, he won the pointstitle as a DARE stock driver.That’s when he made theleap to the open wheeledmodified cars last season.

“At first it’s a big change.The DARE stock was obvi-ously a full-fendered racecar.It had less horsepower andless efficient handling, butthe biggest thing was thatthe DARE stock had auto-matic handling,” he said.“Now, I have to actually shifton restarts and be a little bitmore cautious with the openwheels. There’s more horse-power and handling under-neath you. You have a lotmore in your hands, but themodifieds are built to turnleft. They have 15-inch tires,and it’s all handling.”

In his first season withthe SK Lights, Membrinosaid that the focus was onfinishing races with a smallfamily-owned vehicleagainst a field that was evenmore experienced with ahandful of opponents withcorporate backing. Onceagain, he proved that a fami-ly-owned team could com-pete.

This season, he’s look-ing to make a run at the title,and he hit the ground run-ning with a third place finishat the Spring Sizzler on April28.

“I really thought that Ihad a chance to win,” hesaid about the April race.“We were in contention, butI made contact with anothercar. That set us back a cou-ple of spots, and I had tofight my way back to get intothe top three. It was a prettyquick race. There was onlyone caution, so I didn’t havemuch of a chance to getback up to the leaders.”

On the other hand, helearned quickly that his carcould compete. So far thisseason, Membrino has fin-ished six races in the top 10with four top 5 finishes. Hesurvived a bad crash in theseason opener, and he’srebounded well. As theynear the season’s midpoint,

Membrino has become alegitimate threat in thepoints standings.

“He definitely has thetalent. There’s no questionabout it,” said Danko. “He’s avery patient driver, and heknows when to make hismove. He’s not one of thoseones that sort of goes banzaiinto the middle and takeshimself out, somebody elseout, or causes a great mess.He’s very methodical in theway that he goes about hisdriving.”

Membrino continuedthe momentum into lastFriday’s race, coming outwith another top 10 finish.The car was tight in the firstpractice round, rotated bet-ter through the corners inhis second attempt, and bat-tled back from contact withanother car to finish fourthin his heat race.

He went on to finisheighth in the featured event.

“I clicked off the fastestlap of the race, but I didn’thave the forward bite Ineeded to put the moves onpeople,” he said. “The leftrear tire had a lot of laps onit, and it just wasn’t digging.If I got by myself I was fast,but I couldn’t really dice itout with people unless Iroughed them up a little bit.”

In the upcoming weeks,The Observer will trackMembrino’s pursuit of thedivision title. Could this bethe year?

“I think we do havesome more wins in us. Idon’t know how soon they’llcome, but we’re right back incontention for points,”Membrino said. “Anythingcan happen. We can lose allof it or we can be leadingpoints after the next race.I’m just going to take onerace at a time and try to winas many races as I can. I’ll letthe points fall where theymay.”

To comment on thisstory or to contact sportswriter John Goralski, emailhim at [email protected].


Our Athletes

Membrino: earns first victory with SK lightsFrom page 36

COURTESY OF DRISCOLL MOTORSPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

No. 44 Tony Membrino, Jr. makes his move during a SK Light victory atStafford Motor Speedway on Friday, June 29

SUBMITTED

With a 1-0 win over Berlin in the tournament finals, the SouthingtonSoccer Club snatched the title at the CIT Cheshire tournament. Thelocals went 3-1 over the weekend. Front, from left, Anthony, Daniel,Thomas, Jared, and Andrew. Back, Coach Carlos Silva, Joseph, Daniel,Ian, Nicholas, Brian, Jake, Curtis, Jake, Sean, Noah, and Evan.

U-16 wins Cheshire tourney

The wins are beginningto look bigger. The losses arebeginning to feel morepainful, but this year’s teamhasn’t had to worry aboutlosses as they continue tochip away at the top spot anddistance themselves from therest.

The Southington Post 72American Legion baseballteam is on a roll in recentweeks. They split a doubleheader at the start of theweek and posted two lop-sided shutouts at the end.

The only question

remains an unfinished gameagainst the zone’s leader thatSouthington will finish thisupcoming week. The team is13-5 with just two weeksremaining, and that’s justwhere their Coach MarcVerderame expected to be.

“The players are startingto realize that, if we execute,our team is hard to beat,”Verderame said after a 5-0win over Torrington thatpushed his team to 13-5. “It’sright there for the taking.”

Splitting UnionvilleSouthington won the

first one, but Unionville wonthe second. On Sunday, July1, Post 72 opened the weekwith two games in the heat.Once again, it came down toexecution.

In game one, it wasSouthington. The locals wereheld to just three hits in thecontest but manufacturedfive runs in the first threeinnings to cruise to a 6-0 win.

Ben Nichols drove intwo runs with a double in thefirst inning after walks by TedShaw and Matt Sirois. In thethird inning, Southingtonadded three more as Sirois,Nichols, and Jordan Grayloaded the bases with a walkand two hit batsmen during athree-run rally that put thegame out of reach.

Even Santovasi’s insur-ance run in the bottom of thesixth was started by aUnionville error and a stolenbase.

All six of Southington’s

scoring rallies were startedwithout hits.

“We bunted. We had asuicide squeeze. We got keyhits, and we played a com-plete game,” said Verderame.“That’s what we have to do.”

Andrew Stearns threw 21/3 scoreless innings to startthe contest, and AndrewGoralski closed out the gameto get the win. the pair com-bined to allow just five hitsand three walks to get theshutout.

“They threw strikes, andwe executed, and that’s thename of the game,” saidVerderame. “When we exe-cute we win. When we don'twe lose.”

That became obvious ingame two. Southington hit-ters stranded 11 runners onbase as Unionville returnedthe favor with a 7-0 decision.

Matt Santovasi and DavePalladino both went 2-for-2for the locals, but they could-n’t plate a run.

“They threw [Michael]Crispino at us, and he over-powered us,” said Verderame.“He’s a great pitcher, and theybeat us at our own game. It’stough to win them all.”

Wolcott SweepIn the first inning, Post

72 batters collected three hitsand a 2-0 lead. In the secondinning, Southington sent 16batters to the plate during a10-run rally that put thegame out of reach.

On Tuesday, July 3,Southington brushed pastWolcott for the second timethis season with a lopsided,14-0 win. Shaw went 3-for-4with three runs and camewithin a double of hitting forthe cycle with a triple and ahomerun. Nichols went 2-for-5 with a homerun, a dou-ble, and six RBI.

On the mound, AndrewStearns pitched four score-less innings. Trevor Dalia (2innings) and Chris Lee (1inning) combined for threeinnings of scoreless relieve,and the trio combined toallow just two hits and nowalks.

“This is a confidencebuilder,” said Verderame.“Stearns has about 10 score-less innings for us so far. Thisis a guy who was gettinggarbage time in the begin-ning of the year, but now he’sgetting quality starts. Trevorpitched well, and Chrispitched well. That’s whatwe’re going to have to do thisyear with a couple of guysdown. It’s all hands on deck

right now.”

Unfinished BusinessShaw led off with a sin-

gle and came around toscore. Gray added anotherrun in the second inning,while Palladino and Leescored in the inning that fol-lowed.

On Thursday, July 5,Southington took a 4-1 leadover the zone leader in Avonbefore almost letting it slipaway. Avon pulled within onerun in the bottom of the fifthinning, and forced extrainnings in their final at bat.Both team played for twoscoreless frames before dark-ness descended on the Avonfield.

The game will beresumed in the top of the10th inning on Thursdaywhen Avon comes toSouthington for their finalmeeting of the season.

“If we executed the waywe should have, there’s noquestion that we would havewon this one already,” saidVerderame. “It was there forthe taking.”

Brett Susi anchored thelocals, scattering 12 hits andfour earned runs over eightinnings.Gray pitched oneinning of scoreless relief and

is available when playresumes.

Southington trails Avonby one game in the loss col-umn, so two wins onThursday could put thelocals atop the zone stand-ings.

Torrington shutoutGoralski returned to the

mound the following day asSouthington regrouped athome with a 5-0 win overTorrington. Goralski allowedjust four hits over seveninnings and struck out six toget the win.

“He had a little hiccup inthe first inning, but he got outof it,” said Verderame. “He’s 3-0 for us, and I can’t sayenough about him. He goesup there and doesn’t try to dotoo much. He trusts hisdefense, and he’s been pitch-ing great for us.”

At the plate, Santovasiand Sirois both went 2-for-3to pace a five-run attack.Southington scored threeruns in the first inning andheld on for the win.

“This was what we werelooking for all year,” said thecoach. “We got great pitch-ing, great hitting, and ourdefense played the way theyare capable. I told the guys

that this is what I expect. Wecan come out and dominateteams if we do everythingright. When we play to ourpotential, we can be the bestteam in the zone.”

Now, the team will try toprove it. Southington willstart the week with a doubleheader at Terryville beforefacing Bristol, Avon, andWinsted by week’s end. Theoutcome could determinecourse of the season.

“It’s another judgementweek for us,” said the coach.“We’ve got three gamesagainst teams that are rightaround us. That means thatwe sort of control our owndestiny. We’re going to take itone game at a time and seewhere it takes us.”

Summer is heating upfor Post 72.


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Our Athletes

Bringing the heatLegion team continues to racethrough the summer schedule

JOHN GORALSKI

Post 72 second baseman Junior Nichols charges after an infield ball.

By JOHN GORALSKISPORTS WRITER

Baseball

July 1 (Game One)Southington 6

Unionville 0

July 1 (Game Two)Unionville 7

Southington 0

July 3Southington 14

Wolcott 0

July 5 (Suspended)Southington 4

Avon 4

July 6Southington 5

Torrington 0

It’s another judgement week for us.We’ve got three games againstteams that are right around us.

That means that we sort of control our own destiny.

We’re going to take it one game at a time and see where it takes us.

“

“

Marc Verderame,Southington Post 72 baseball coach


Our Athletes

•Athletes of the Week...page 32

•Girls Basketball Camp Photos...page 33

•American Legion Baseball...page 35

Open season

Avideo camera capturedBill Lee in a close-up ashe walked off the

championship mat at the 1999state open, and its grainy imagecaptured the key to theSouthington grappler’s success.

Lee had just dismantled hisopponent in the final bout to cap-ture his second consecutive divi-sion title. He scored his first pointsin the opening moments and spentthe next few minutes chasing hisopponent around the mat like akitten playing with a ball of yarn.

When the officials signaled theend, Lee earned a 17-2 win andanother state title, but he can beseen on the video shaking his headin obvious frustration.

“I just couldn’t finish him,” hesaid with a hint of disappointmentmore than one decade later. “Inever let a guy off his back, but Ijust couldn’t pin that kid. It wasweird. It took no effort to get him to

his back, but as soon as his shoul-ders hit he was a wild man.”

Lee still remembers the matchvividly. He can recall every play,every move, and every point as if it

Bill Lee was the first tocapture the state crown

FILE PHOTO

Bill Lee wrestles New Fairfield wrestler Jeff McAveney onhis way to capture the 152-pound title at the 1999 StateOpen championship. With the victory Lee became thefirst Blue Knight to win at the open meet.

Membrino wins

Tony Membrino, Jr. neverhad a chance to stepout of his racecar as

friends and family scurried aroundhis vehicle, trying to make lastminute adjustments. Chaosreigned all around him as peopletried to adjust the sway bar on hisSK Light car and he tried to barkout answers to each of their ques-tions.

Suddenly, a familiar facepoked into his side window. “Justdrive the car,” said his mentor, localracing legend Ed Flemke, Jr., andMembrino managed a smile.Overhead, his name crackledthrough the loudspeaker above thedin of roaring engines.

“As soon as I pulled off thetrack for the heat race, they werecalling us back for the feature. I wastrying to break down what it wasdoing, and we were all trying toadjust it. We just made it,”Membrino said. “I knew that it waseither going to be really good or

really bad, but it was really goodright from the drop of the greenflag.”

It’s been over two seasonssince Membrino celebrated his lastvictory as a DARE stock driver.Since making the leap to the open-

wheeled SK Lights, the Southingtonracer has been learning the ropesagainst even tougher competition.On Friday, June 29, he finallyearned the checkered flag, fightingback from the sixth-place positionto overcome a field of 18 finishersin the 20 lap race.

“It was really fulfilling. Tocome back from what we did in theheat race just 15 minutes earlierand run such a great race was pret-

ty awesome,” he said. “I’ve beencatching a lot of heat for the winsthat I had before this because Istarted first in each one of thoseraces. Some people think that it’salmost a gimme, but I had to reallywork for this one.”

Right off the start, Membrinomade his move toward the front,and by the second turn he hadalready passed two opponents.Halfway through the race, he had

battled his way into the third posi-tion before moving up to secondon a restart.

From there, it became a two-man race with Frank Cardile.

“The car was handling awe-some. It was the best it had been allyear. The car went on the outside,the inside, or wherever I put it. Itstuck and went really well,”

Local driver grabs the checkeredflag at Stafford Motor Speedway

SUBMITTED

On Friday, June 29, Tony Membrino Jr. celebrates his first win in the SK Light divisionat Stafford Motor Speedway. With the victory Membrino moved into third place in thedivisional points standings.


Car Racing


Hall of Fame

For my money he was the best kid

that I’ve ever seen wrestle.

He was just aboutas strong and fast akid as I’ve ever had.

“

“

Derek Dion,SHS wrestling coach

See LEE, page 301999 SHS YEARBOOK

You knew that a win was right

around the corner.He’s been knocking

on the door, and he’s been

pretty consistent.

“

“

Gary Danko,Radio host

See MEMBRINO, page 34

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