Rotary pg 5 11-10-22
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Rotary Honored
J. Scott Pempek, left, past president of the Putnam Rotary Club, recently received a Rotary District Citation for the club’s performance in 2021-2022. He is congratulated by Assistant District Governor Vin Marinaro. The Putnam Rotary Club is one of 15 out of 45 clubs in the district to receive the honor. The Rotary Citation is the highest award a club can receive from Rotary International. Courtesy photo.
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calendar pg 6 11-10-22
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Wed. Nov. 9
Art Exhibit/Sale
POMFRET --- The Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Center, Day Road, will present “Nature’s Colors – Art by Judy Doyle” exhibition and sale through Nov. 10.
Art Exhibit
THOMPSON --- The Friends of the Thompson Public Library will present, in its Art @ the Library series, “The Luminous Spiral of the Celestial Sun,” by Sarah Anderson through Nov. 21. A reception will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7. In the Display Case for November: “Researching Thompson History” by The Thompson Historical Society. 860-923-9779.
Thur. Nov. 10
Fund-raiser
PUTNAM --- The American Legion Post 13 will hold its Veterans Tribute & Guest Bartending Night from 5 to 9 p.m. at Marley’s Pub at the Black Dog Bar & Grille. Benefits the legion’s youth programs and veterans.
Sat. Nov. 12
Historical Program
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Historical Society will present “The Last Green Valley Notables & Notorious” by Bill Reid, TLGV chief ranger, at 10 a.m. at the Pomfret Community & Senior Center on Rt. 44. Free. More info on the town’s website.
Yuletide Festival
PUTNAM --- The Daughters of Isabella Yuletide Festival will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the St. Mary Church Hall. 860-928-5014.
Toy Collection
WOODSTOCK --- The Woodstock Volunteer Fire Association will hold its 17th annual Toy collection from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the firehouse on Rt. 169 and at the Community Fire company on Riverside Drive in Thompson.
Sun. Nov. 13
Concert
CHEPACHET --- The Music at the Meeting House concert series at Chepachet Baptist Church on Rt. 44 will present “75th anniversary of the end of WWII Commemoration” at 2:30 p.m. No charge but a freewill donation would be appreciated. Refreshments. www.chepachetbaptist.org.
Concert
PASCOAG --- Grace Note Farm and The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council will present Music at the Farm at 2 p.m. $30. 401-567-0345.
Sat. Nov. 19
Toiletries Drive
PUTNAM --- Troop 25 Putnam BSA will hold a toiletries Drive from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at WINY. Benefits Daily Bread Food Pantry. See This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more info.
Holiday Bazaar
N. GROSVENORDALE --- The Emanuel Lutheran Church on Main Street will hold a holiday craft, treasures and bake sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thur. Nov. 24
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving Dinner
PUTNAM --- The 9th annual Free Thanksgiving Dinner will be offered for those less fortunate from noon to 2 p.m. at the Putnam Elks Club on Emond Street. Donations welcome. RSVP by Nov. 17:860-928-3901 between 3 and 8 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 25
Santa’s Coming
PUTNAM --- Santa will light up Putnam at 4 p.m. at the Big Ornament at Rotary Park. WINY Radio will have a live broadcast and will supply the hot chocolate.
Wed. Nov. 30
Blood Drive
PUTNAM --- The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center. 1-800-RED CROSS.
Sat. Dec. 3
Concert
WOODSTOCK --- The Loos Center for the Arts and the Performing Arts of Northeast Connecticut will present the Ocean State Pops Orchestra at 6:30 p.m. at the Loos Center. Tickets are $27+. TheLoos.org
Sun. Dec. 4
Dazzle Light Parade
PUTNAM --- The Dazzle Light Parade will kick off at 5 p.m. from Grove Street and wind its way through downtown.
Santa Breakfast
PUTNAM --- The Albert J. Breault VFW Post 1523 will hold a Christmas Breakfast with Mrs. Claus fund-raiser from 8 to 11 a.m. at the post. $10 per person; $5 for 60 and older and veterans and kids under 11 admitted free. Gift Drive for TEEG.
Concert
CHEPACHET --- The Music at the Meeting House concert series at Chepachet Baptist Church on Rt. 44 will present “An American Christmas” at 2:30 p.m. No charge but a freewill donation would be appreciated. Refreshments. www.chepachetbaptist.org.
Sat. Dec. 10
Bazaar
THOMPSON --- Thompson Recreation will present the Snowflake Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the TMHS Auditorium. Admission is a nonperishable for TEEG’s Food Pantry.
Winter Fest
WOODSTOCK --- The Woodstock Recreation Department will present the third annual Winter Fest from 1 to 5 p.m.
Holiday Bazaar
PUTNAM --- The Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center will hold a Holiday Bazaar from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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obits pg 6 11-10-22
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Nancy Iris Simonds
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Nancy Iris Simonds, born Aug. 25, 1956, residing in Port St. Lucie, died in the early morning on Oct. 27, 2022.
Daughter to the late Nancy B. Blakely and Albert L. Simonds, she leaves her three children, Michael Egan, Colleen Warnick and Nicholas Hinderliter, as well as nine grandchildren; nieces and nephews.
Nancy Simonds attended the Rectory School and graduated from Woodstock Academy and Nichols College. She was a long-time employee of Linemaster Switch Corporation where she held several leadership roles.
Nancy was an avid lover of the arts, dancing, and most of all, live music. Animals always brought joy to Nancy’s life. She loved riding horses and being in the company of her feline and canine friends. Nancy instilled consideration and empathy for others, always enjoyed a good laugh, and will forever be missed, especially by her three loving children.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to the care of Yates Funeral Home & Crematory.
Marion 'Betsy' Sorel
THOMPSON — Marion (Betsy) Sorel, 90, of Thompson died Oct. 10, 2022.
She was born Jan. 7, 1932, in Putnam.
Her parents, Raymond and Marion (Mills) Wing, her twin brother Raymond (Buddy) Wing, along with her sisters, Susan and Carol passed years ago. Her youngest sister Bobby (Robert) and her family live in Florida. Betsy’s husband, Armand E. Sorel, passed away in 2007 after 56 years of marriage.
She leaves five children, Linda (Bob) Coolick of Rocky Hill, Karen (Thomas) Richmond of Pomfret, David (Karen) Sorel of Woodstock, Joanne Sorel of Putnam, and Cindy (Scott) Hale of Woodstock; 10 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren that will miss their “Gram.” She also leaves a large group of nieces and nephews including family from Sorel’s Garage in Brooklyn, along with many across the country in Washington state and California.
Betsy was a woman of many talents in and out of the home.
She put love into everything she did, knitting, crocheting, tatting, cross stitch, and, Oh the baskets she made! You wouldn’t be surprised to receive a handmade hat, scarf or slippers when you came to visit.
If you wanted to learn, she was more than willing to share her crafts.
She certainly had two green thumbs, her indoor plants, especially her African violets, thrived.
She enjoyed spending a lot of time in her gardens, growing fruits, herbs, and vegetables, canning, freezing and sharing her delicious dishes and recipes.
Their gentleman farm with a variety of livestock, cows, pigs, turkeys and chickens allowed them to feed their family with a lot of hard work.
Family gatherings at Gram’s will always be treasured memories. We will never forget her homemade pies, pickles, root beer, cider, applesauce, whoopie pies, grape juice and frozen pops. She was always up for a game of Scrabble, Rummy or a puzzle.
A visit to Old Sturbridge Village was a regular event. She had a jolly disposition, always had a smile or a laugh to share. Everyone left with a big hug!
A memorial service will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putna. Burial will be private, at a later date.
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putnam pg 7 11-10-22
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caption:
From left: Barkley. Simmons. Dioubate. Photos by Thomas Netzer.
Putnam Science Academy brings it after loss
Team loses lead Friday;
comes back with a
vengence Sunday
The vibe was different at the pregame meeting. Tom Espinosa could tell his PSA Prep basketball team was much more focused Sunday morning than it was two nights earlier.
The results showed it.
The Mustangs opened the 2022-23 season Friday night, first unveiling the banner for last year’s national championship team that went 38-0, but then failing to hold a 12-point, second-half lead in a 98-93 loss to Our Savior Lutheran of The Bronx, N.Y.
But as Espinosa said, the group locked in Sunday morning and downed an overmatched Thetford Academy out of Canada, 108-47.
“I think Friday night really upset some of these guys,” Espinosa said. “Thetford isn’t as talented as OSL but still…at the end of the day, we brought it Sunday. We could’ve been sulking, pouting, but they weren’t. They were ready to go.”
The Mustangs got plenty of offense all weekend. The defense was the difference though. The Mustangs want to be in your face, and pressure the ball while taking away the passing lanes. There was none of that Friday night, but more than enough Sunday. PSA came away with 14 steals plus forced at least another dozen turnovers against Thetford.
Darryl Simmons had 11 points, six assists, and four steals, Connor Dubsky hit five 3-pointers on his way to finishing with 19 points and also added four steals. Blake Barkley chipped in with seven points, six assists, four steals, and four rebounds.
“I was mad Friday night because the streak was over,” said Simmons, one of five returning players who were part of the championship team. “I think other people were upset too, and it helped a lot (Sunday) to see what we needed to improve and learn. We needed to play hard and keep momentum going and the same energy on both ends of the floor.
“We don’t want teams to run plays. We want to keep pressure on them so they can’t do anything they want to. We want to get turnovers and get to the other end and score the ball.”
Mouhamed Dioubate had his second straight double-double, charting 20 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
PSA led 22-12 about eight minutes into the game, then scored 18 unanswered points over the next four minutes to take control. The Mustangs led 70-29 at the half.
PSA led OSL 56-49 at the half Friday, and 87-75 with about eight to play.
But OSL tied the game at 88, then hit a 3 with 1:40 left to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way, handing the Mustangs their first loss since March 26, 2021.
Simmons had a career-high 27 points and added eight assists, but it was to no avail.
“We gave up 98 points,” Espinosa said. “That’s a killer. They looked comfortable on everything. Our halfcourt pressure defense wasn’t there.”
Barkley added 18 points and six rebounds while DJ Dormu finished with 16 points and six boards. Both were playing their first game with PSA. Dioubate recorded 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Muazibini Adamu grabbed 10 boards.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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