cal pg 4 6-15-23
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
Sat. June 17
Art & Crafts Festival
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Fine Arts & Crafts Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 17 and 18, rain or shine at the Putnam Municipal Complex. It will feature more than 40 art vendors, demonstrations, live music, and more. Free parking and admission. PutnamCtArtsCouncil.com
Concert
POMFRET --- “Music in the Garden” will be offered from 6 to 8 p.m. at the exquisitely restored Gwyn Careg Inn. Musician Al Libera will perform. Hors d’oeuvres and a drawing. Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at the gate, and are available by calling or texting 860-214-9755.
Fri. June 23
Free Concert
WOODSTOCK --- Roseland Cottage and the Woodstock Recreation Department will present a Twilight Lawn Concert from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Bring a picnic or purchase food from the food truck.
Sat. June 24
Radio Field Day
THOMPSON --- The Eastern Connecticut Amateur Radio Association (ECARA) will be participating in the annual American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field Day June 24 and 25. The last full weekend of June is a field day to test the capability of the nation's FCC-licensed Amateur Radio operators to set up and operate stations under simulated emergency conditions to practice and demonstrate their ability to communicate during potential disasters. It has evolved into more than that; becoming part operating event, part social activity and part contest to see which stations and clubs can make the most contacts over the 24-hour period. ECARA will operate from Gawron Farm on Gawron Road in Thompson, and the public is invited to tour, observe and even participate. For info: ECARA.net.
Rabies Clinic
DANIELSON --- Pet Pals Northeast will hold a low cost rabies clinic from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Quinebaug Valley Veterinary Hospital on Rt. 12. $15 cash per animal. Preregistration and appointment is required. No walk-ins. 860-317-1720. This is the last clinic until October.
Sun. June 25
Concert
THOMPSON --- Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly will give a fund-raiser concert at 3 p.m. at Fort Hill Farms. Tickets: Benefits the Thompson Congregational Church, which is working to repair and restore its historic building which suffered a seriously damaging fire in 2016. $20 for adults; $5 for children. They may be pre-ordered by calling Fort Hill Farms at 860-234-1153.
Tues. July 4
Happy Birthday, USA!
Jamboree
E. WOODSTOCK --- The East Woodstock Congregational Church’s 67th East Woodstock Fourth of July Jamboree will start at 9 a.m. in the East Woodstock Common and feature old-fashioned fun, food and music and more.
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. For info: daykimball.org/treeoflife.
.
obit pg 4 6-15-23
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
Wallace V. Holder
N. GROSVENORDALE — Wallace V. Holder, 71, of Marshall St., died May 29, 2023, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. He was the husband of Donna L. (Adams) Holder. They were married Nov. 25, 1970, in Greenville, S.C.
He was born in 1952.
Mr. Holder worked for many years as a textile manufacturer and shoemaker.
Wallace was a devout member of the Hope Community Church in Putnam.
He was an active volunteer at TEEG, and enjoyed watching vintage black and white movies, baseball card and coin collecting, and antique cars.
He leaves his wife of 52 years, Donna L. (Adams) Holder of N. Grosvenordale; his three daughters, Justine M. Julian of N. Grosvenordale, Jessica L. Walker of Putnam, and Jacqueline A. Yargeau of Thompson; his grandchildren, Vincent Holder, John Demers Jr., Rebecca Julian, Jamie Chamberline, Joseph Julian, Marissa Duhaime, and Peter Yargeau Jr. and his great grandson Landin Thomas.
The Funeral Service was held June 3 at Valade Funeral Home & Crematory, 23 Main St., N. Grosvenordale, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery, Dayville.
.
former pg 5 6-15-23
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
Dan Porcic has always been about the grind. The behind-the-scenes stuff, the work-your-way-up mentality, it’s all right in his wheelhouse.
And that’s what makes him such a good fit as a new graduate assistant coach with the Southern Methodist University men’s basketball team.
The Putnam native and Putnam Science Academy graduate found out in early May that he was being offered the position at SMU, graduated from Mount St. Vincent in late May, and was in Dallas for his first day of work on June 1.
“It’s huge, it’s such a great opportunity,” Porcic said earlier this month. “It’s a great school to begin with, so the chance to get my master’s degree from there is incredible. Then when you talk basketball, I’m really looking forward to learning from coaches who have great experience. Working with them and learning from them…I’m just so excited for it.
“My main thing will be player development, so I know have to be available for the guys if they want to get extra work in outside of practice time. The good thing is my apartment is only five minutes from campus so I can be there whenever they want me to be. We practice in the mornings, but when I don’t have my own classes, I’ll be there to help them and put them through workouts and get the extra work that guys put in to get their game to the next level.”
Porcic was at PSA for his junior and senior years, plus a postgrad season in 2018-19. He was part of the first national championship team after, what else, working his way up from the Elite team.
“Dan is special to us,” PSA coach Tom Espinosa said. “It feels like he’s been around our program forever. He played three years with us, but when he was home from college on break, he’d always come up and work out at the school.
“He’s a great kid, great family. It’s not easy to find a grad position, it’s a big-time position for him. I’m real happy for him, it couldn’t happen to a better kid.”
Porcic had actually been talking with VCU about the same position there but when most of the coaching staff left for Penn State in March, that fell through. However, one of the VCU assistant coaches he had built a close relationship with had some connections at SMU, and recommended Porcic to them. He also credited Espinosa and PSA’s associate head coach Josh Scraba for helping out, along with his older brother, Dino, who was recently named the head coach of the Johnson & Wales women’s team.
Dan’s ultimate goal is similar.
“The next step is coaching but I want to stick on the men’s side,” he said. “I’ve played my entire life but I’ve come to my senses and the understanding that I’m not playing anymore. But I want to stay around the game. And this is a good stepping-stone opportunity for me to move forward in my career to be a coach one day.
“I understand you have to work your way up. I’m hoping I can get a D-I assistant coaching position out of this and then from there move up as much as I can. And then a D-II or D-III head coaching job. That’s the goal. But you know how life goes, everything changes. A month ago, I didn’t expect to be here. You just take it day-by-day and keep grinding.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
.
woodstock pg 5 6-15-23
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
captions, clockwise from left:
Seniors Jacob Jurnovoy, center, and Isabella Sorrentino, right, received the Centaur Awards, given to athletes who display academic achievement, athletic participation, leadership, citizenship, and sportsmanship. The awards were presented by Woodstock Academy assistant boys’ hockey coach Bob Donahue. Photos by Collin Hamilton/Woodstock Academy.
Senior Comeback Player of the Year was Braiden Saucier, right, Tyler McCarthy, who received the Athletic Trainer’s President’s Award, presented the Comeback Award to Saucier.
Senior Athletes of the Year, Magdalena Myslenski, left, and Jared Eaton, right, share the stage with Athletic Director Sean Saucier.
Senior Leila MacKinnon, left, was presented the Hannah Green Memorial Award. Presented by Woodstock Academy volleyball coach Adam Bottone.
The Woodstock Academy Senior Athletic Awards Night was held recently at the Loos Center for the Arts.
The annual year-ending event honored those seniors who excelled not only in their final season at the school but in the three years that preceded it.
The highlight of the evening came when the 2023 Senior Athletes of the Year were announced with Jared Eaton and Magdalena Myslenski receiving those awards.
“It’s unbelievable,” Eaton said as he was holding the gold cup that signifies the Athlete of the Year. “Since indoor (track), I’ve been waiting for this award. I really tried to work to earn it. I’ve put in so much work and this is amazing.”
Eaton played football for four years but was probably better known for his track and field exploits.
He owns the Woodstock shotput record with a throw of 53-feet, 9-inches. He finished 14th in the event in New England during the indoor track season and also competed in the Emerging Elite at the Nike Indoor Nationals in New York City where he placed fifth.
Eaton was the ECC champion in both the shotput and discus and was also second in the Class MM state championship meet which qualified him for the New England outdoor championships. He has also qualified for Nationals in the shotput before he heads off to college.
“I’m headed to (Southern Connecticut State University) to pursue track and field and I’m excited to be able to do that and keep going,” Eaton said.
Myslenski was also on the field for the Centaurs in the fall season as she was a member of the soccer team before heading to the track for the winter and spring seasons.
She competed in the Nationals is discus a year ago in Seattle and more recently, was the ECC Div. I and II champion in the javelin. She was second in the discus in that competition and was fifth in the pole vault.
She has qualified for Nationals in both the discus and javelin.
“I feel like Jared and I could not be more deserving of this because we have worked so hard over the course of the past four years in track,” Myslenski said.
She will be headed to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.
“I’m not committed to the track and field team but I may try to walk on. We will see where that goes,” Myslenski said.
Other award winners included: Unified Sports Awards: Athletes - Isabel Sumner, Mitchell Child. Partner-Gabrielle Couture; Bertrand Golf Awards: Shannon Cunniff, Roodney Yee; Spelman Tennis Award: Cormac Nielsen; Warren Soccer Awards: Grace Gelhaus, Noah Page; NFHS Awards of Excellence: Madison Martinez, Davis Simpson; Hannah Green Memorial Award: Leila MacKinnon; Sherman Sportsmanship Award: Joshua Hernandez; Weinmann Award: Carter Morissette; Suleski Memorial Golf Awards: Most Improved Senior Golfer-Landen Kuchy; Most Valuable Senior Golfer-Davis Simpson; Woodstock Academy Athletic Department Awards: Elizabeth Morgis, Owen Tracy, Lennon Favreau, Marcus McGregor; Centaur Awards: Jacob Jurnovoy, Isabella Sorrentino; CHSCA Scholar-Athlete Awards: Brian Jameson, Lauren Brule; CIAC Scholar-Athlete Awards: Braiden Saucier, Lennon Favreau; Comeback Player of the Year Award: Braiden Saucier; Centaur Nation Media Award: Aidan Soderman; Centaur Nation Person of the Year Award: Bradley O’Connor; Athletic Trainer’s President’s Award: Tyler McCarthy; Assistant Coach of the Year Award: Dave St. Jean; Coach of the Year Award: Josh Welch.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
..