third pg 5 6-1-23
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At the boxcar museum
At the Municipal Complex
3rd graders visit
'old and new'
PUTNAM — After months of planning third-graders enjoyed a trip through the old and the new.
Organized by a committee at the Gertrude Chandler Warner Boxcar Children’s Museum, students on May 23 and 25 went on a field trip from Putnam Elementary School to the Municipal Complex. There they had a tour of the library, the Aspinock Historical Society’s museum, the mayor’s office and then went on to the boxcar museum.
There, according to Pat Hedenberg, the students made their own boxcar bookmarks, took a walk to see Warner’s home and discussed what the town looked like 100 years ago.
Inside the boxcar, she said, they played detective, finding Benny’s pink cup, Violet’s work bag and Henry’s fishing pole.
Said Hedenberg: “Gertrude would have loved it!”
At the end of the tour each child received a new Boxcar Children’s book presented by Jewett City Savings Bank.
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cal pg 6 6-1-23
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Fri. June 2
'Nuts'
PUTNAM --- The Theatre of Northeastern Connecticut at the Bradley Playhouse will present Nuts at 7:30 p.m. June 2, 3, 9, and 10 and at 2 p.m. June 4 and 11. Tickets are $23 for adults; $20 for seniors, students, veterans and first responders. Mature audiences. Reservations: www.thebradleyplayhouse.org.
Nonperishables Needed
bankHometown will be collecting food donations at all its Connecticut branches starting today June 2. This drive will support Veteran’s Base Camp in Chaplin, an organization that provides transitional housing for veterans in need, as well as a food pantry for local veterans. Nonperishable items needed include local store/grocery store gift cards; gas gift cards for food bank pickups; condiments, baking supplies and sugar substitutes; pasta, tuna peanut butter; jelly; macaroni and cheese; toilet paper; paper towels; baby wipes and diapers; and pet food.
Sat. June 3
Open House
WOODSTOCK --- Free tours of Roseland Cottage on Rt. 169 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last tour starts at 3), in celebration of Historic New England’s Open House day.
Sun. June 4
Fishing Derby
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Recreation Department's 23rd annual Fishing Derby will begin at 8 a.m. at the Pomfret Rod & Gun Club. For boys and girls ages 5-15. $5. Register at www.pomfretct.gov/recreation.
Open House
WOODSTOCK --- Ferncroft Wildlife Rescue on Rt. 171 will open its doors to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and its resident opossums will be ready to meet and greet you. Programs throughout the day. A donation of $10 per person age 9 and over is suggested. Preregistration is required because of limited parking space.
Poetry
WOODSTOCK --- The current Connecticut State Poet Laureate (2022-2025), Antoinette Brim-Bell will read from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Roseland Park barn, along with other poets. Free (ages 14 and up). To take part in open mic later: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Sat. June 17
Art Festival
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Arts Council (PAC) will be hosting the Putnam Fine Arts and Crafts Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 17 and June 18 at the Municipal Complex. It includes all the arts plus live music. Rain or shine. Free.
Sun.. July 9
Touch-A-Truck
WOODSTOCK --- The Bungay Fire Brigade will host Touch-A-Truck from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Roseland Park.
Sun. Aug. 27
Cruise Fund-raiser
THOMPSON --- DKH will hold its Cruise, BBQ & Brew - Motorcycle & Car Cruise at 10 a.m. at the Thompson Speedway and The Black Dog Bar & Grille in Putnam. Benefits the NECT Cancer Fund of Day Kimball Healthcare. $35 registration. daykimball.org/cruising.
Fri. Sept. 8
Golf Classic
PUTNAM --- The Day Kimball Hospital Centreville Bank Golf Classic will set off at 7:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Connecticut National Country Club. For info: daykimball.org/golfclassic.
Sat. Sept. 30
BBQ
WOODSTOCK --- The Bungay Fire Brigade will host its fall 2023 Chicken BBQ from 4 to 6 p.m. www.bungay.com.
Sat. Nov. 11
Dueling Pianos
THOMPSON --- The DKH Dueling Pianos fund-raiser will be held at 6 p.m. at the Raceway Restaurant and Banquet Hall. Benefits Day Kimball Healthcare At Home services of HomeCare, HomeMakers, and Hospice & Palliative Care of Northeastern Connecticut. Food, drawings and more. Tickets $45, must be purchased in advance. daykimball.org/pianos.
Sun. Dec. 3
Tree of Life
The DKH 34th Annual Hospice Tree of Life Ceremonies will be held at 5 p.m. in 11 towns throughout northeastern Connecticut. The purchase of memorial lights on each community's Tree of Life benefits Hospice & Palliative Care of Northeastern Connecticut. For info: daykimball.org/treeoflife.
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obit pg 6 6-1-23
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Rita J. Fauteux
PUTNAM — Rita Jeannette Fauteux, 92, formerly of Sabin Street, Putnam, died May 20, 2023, at Brookdale on Eddy Pond in Auburn, Mass., where she had resided since March 2021. She was the wife for 53 years of the late Gaëtan Fauteux, who died Aug. 20, 2006. Born in 1931 in Ste-Catherine de Kateville P.Q., Canada, she was the daughter of the late Wilfrid Lamoureux and Germaine (Choquette) Lamoureux.
Rita and her family immigrated to Rhode Island in 1966 and moved to Connecticut in 1969. She worked as a seamstress for many years. She was a member of the Putnam & Plainfield Senior Citizens Club, the Quinebaug Senior Center in Brooklyn and was a communicant of St. Mary Church.
She leaves her daughter Lyne A. Grillo (Jean-Pierre) of Putnam, her brother Gilles Lamoureux of Magog P.Q. Canada, her twin sister Gamma Lavallee of Longueuil P.Q. Canada, her sisters Cécile Fontaine of Longueuil P.Q. Canada, Armelle Doucet of Magog P.Q. Canada and Bernadette Vaillancourt of Magog P.Q. Canada; her sister-in-law, Denise Lamoureux of Magog P.Q. Canada and her goddaughter Sandra Fontaine of St Jean-Sur-Richelieu P.Q. Canada; a special friend Alice Smith. In addition to her husband, Rita was predeceased by a daughter, Dominique J. Fauteux on April 7, 2020, and by her brothers, Ivan Lamoureux and André Lamoureux.
The family is planning to celebrate Rita’s life with a funeral mass in Canada and at St. Mary Church of the Visitation in Putnam. Dates and time will be updated when available. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery, Putnam. Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
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for pg 7 6-1-23
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Hailey Johnson, who last week graduated as Putnam Science Academy’s class salutatorian, was at peace with playing club-level basketball at St. Bonaventure.
Though her dream was to play college basketball, she had come to terms with what was happening. After all, she was going to college for the academics.
When she visited St. Bonaventure in early spring, she really liked the campus (and the financial package they were offering) so she decided that was where she would go, find a major that she liked, and just play basketball for a club team there. In late April, Johnson’s mom put the deposit down. And then…
“Maybe 30 minutes or an hour later, I got an email from the Lasell University women’s basketball coach (Kelley Sundberg),” Johnson said. “Literally, it was right after we put the deposit down at St. Bonaventure. She said she saw some of my film on a website, which I hadn’t been on for a year. All of the recruiting videos on there were from last year. But she reached out and asked me to contact her.
“I called her back right then, we set up a time for me to go visit, and I loved the campus. She was really excited to have me, I was really excited to be there. I pretty much decided when I saw the campus that I was going to play for that team.”
For Johnson, it was a dream falling into place.
“College basketball was something I really wanted to do,” she said. “I was so excited that a coach reached out to me, especially at a school that I really liked. I had applied there because of their Forensics program, which is what I really wanted, too.”
Johnson spent two years at PSA after transferring from nearby Tourtellotte Memorial High School after her sophomore year.
She played on the second team in her first year, then was a reserve player on the Prep team that finished in fourth place at the national tournament this season.
“Coming to PSA, college basketball is the goal,” she said. “I was somewhat content at Tourtellotte, playing and starting, but coming to PSA, I knew I was probably going to be at the bottom of the barrel and was going to have to work my way up. Fortunately, I did that.
“But then I figured going to St. Bonaventure, I thought I was going to be right back where I started, playing for a club team. It’s so exciting to know that a coach saw me in probably my worst basketball year of my life and still wanted me to play for them.”
Lasell is a Division III school located just west of Boston. The Lasers struggled to a 6-19 record this past season, but all but two of the 11 players on the roster were either freshmen or sophomores.
Johnson believes she can jump right in and make a positive impact as one of just a handful of true post players. How this all unfolded for her gives her reason to believe.
“(Sundberg) reaching out was just euphoria almost,” Johnson said. “Then meeting her, she was so much more excited than I thought she was going to be. It’s all just so crazy how it worked out.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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