Autumn pg 1 11-18-21
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Autumn's Last Hurrah
The leaves were leaping off the mountain ash tree and onto the picnic table --- thanks to high winds of late. More photos on page 4. Linda Lemmon photo.
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Farmers pg 1 11-18-21
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caption, page 5:
Last Market
Putnam Saturday Farmers' Market Manager Emily Barnes was dressed for the (Halloween) occasion at the last market for the season. Linda Lemmon photo.
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By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Records fell at this season’s Putnam Saturday Farmers Market and next season looks bright, according to Market Manager Emily Barnes.
“We had a fantastic 2021 market season, with record customer attendance numbers which included newcomers, as well as lots of new vendors. We had our highest attendance in August, with one Saturday reaching 521 total customers for the day!” she said.
That let her know that what the market does is working. The mask mandate being lifted before the season started in the spring allowed the market to “flip” back to its original layout — vendors along the outside edges of the pavilion on Kennedy Drive, facing inward, and shoppers being able to peruse the farmer, artisan and non-profits offerings under cover.
“We would not have been so successful without our fantastic vendors, who are really the most important part! I’d like to thank them for such a great year. And I’d also like to extend a huge thank you to our wonderful customers and the support from the Town of Putnam. Without both of them, the market simply would not be possible and it wouldn’t be the success that it is,” Barnes said.
“I’m very pleased with how this season turned out.”
Barnes, in her second year as manager, said: “supporting non-profit organizations is of utmost importance to me, so this year I was happy to welcome back a few local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops as well as EastCONN, Pluck-A-Duck, and other local organizations. The priority of the Market is to provide a place for local farmers and vendors to sell their products and goods, but we are happy to also assist with other missions of the community where we can.”
The market accepted payment in cash, debit cards, SNAP/EBT cards, FMNP, WIC, and IHSP Daily Bread coupons, “and our customers were thankful for those additional options for payment.”
Barnes added a few new items this year including raffle baskets for National Farmers’ Market Week, and limited-edition reusable tote bags. The bags were free the first Saturday of the season, and were available for purchase after that — the proceeds going to support future market operations. She said, “I’d like to offer similar programs next year, and would love to collaborate with local businesses to possibly offer more raffle baskets which will assist in their advertising.”
She said her favorite part of this market season was getting to know customers and vendors.
While the Putnam Saturday Farmers Market is in hibernation, many of the farmers sell their goods over the winter months, and some also sell at winter markets. If you’d like to contact a specific farmer or artisan, contact Barnes at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The market is also on Instagram and there is a newsletter with all the latest on the market’s website — www.putnamfarmersmarket.org. And while you’re counting the days until the market reopens in the spring, like the market on its new Facebook page — ‘Putnam Saturday Farmers Market’ (no apostrophe on Famers).
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Finer pg 1 11-18-21
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By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — The town's Municipal Complex is closing in on finishing the finer details.
While the complex’s “décor” committee is decorating for the holidays, plenty of outstanding projects are being ticked off the list, according to Town Administrator Elaine Sistare.
Library: The custom children’s librarian desk was installed this week and December is the best estimate for the end pieces and the “canopy” (top piece) of the shelving. The end pieces that face the modern tree mural wall will have three-dimensional tree designs that echo the mural, according to Library Director Priscilla Colwell. Additional children’s library tables and chairs are in place now.
Sistare said the architect is working on a plan to add more lighting in the children’s section of the library. Additional lighting was installed above the new children’s librarian desk.
The children’s librarian desk was first in line for custom furniture. Now that that is installed, Sistare said the conference table and credenza for the second floor community room are in production and are six to eight weeks away. The table is called “the boat table” because it is a huge oval.
Aspinock: Display cases and bulletin boards for the Aspinock Historical Society space are months out as they were ordered recently.
General: In a “few more weeks,” Sistare said, four inside doors are due in, replacing missing or temporary doors. The glass walls (i.e. between an office and the corridor) are now all in.
Library Roof: Up on the library roof, this week work was finished to secure the membrane. That roof was created to allow the town the option of adding solar panels, Sistare said. However since July 2020, the solar farm at the old landfill has allowed the town “credits” for the elementary school, the old town hall, the old library, the highway department and one of the Water Pollution Control Authority’s sites. The old town hall and old library credits are now transferred to the Municipal Complex (which includes the library). Silktown Roofing, which was the roofer for the complex project, this week put “rubber battens” over the seams on the membrane roof covering so the seams, not being held down by solar panels, will stay down. Having Silktown do the work keeps the town’s warranty intact. Sistare said the town still has the option of adding solar panels, if needed. That roof also has short lightning rods all the way around it and, according to Mayor Barney Seney, also has a water leak detection system.
Grand Foyer: In the grand foyer the town’s seal now graces the wall at the bottom of the grand staircase. It’s on a clear background and is installed a few inches from the wall, making it almost three dimensional. Across the foyer is the commemorative plaque from the Building Committee.
Flagpoles: Within the next week or so, two additional flagpoles will arrive, Sistare said. The existing flagpole carries the U.S. flag. One of the new flagpoles will carry the State of Connecticut flag and the other one will have a town flag with the town’s logo on it. Down the line, in 2022, Sistare said, the town may explore creating a new town flag, perhaps a contest.
Website: On the more ethereal side, the town’s website was completely redone. The only thing that didn’t change was the website address (www.putnamct.us). “It’s much more user friendly,” said Sistare. It is linked to the town’s Facebook page, too. Interactive categories include government, resident services, departments, business, education, happening now, Facebook, Twitter and “How do I …” The town will continue using Zoom for town board and commission hybrid meetings.
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MLK pg 1 11-18-21
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MLK mural
may have
found a home
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Fingers crossed — step one for a customized mural in Putnam for the Martin Luther King Jr mural project is on the cusp of being approved.
Muralist and Art Guild New England member Emida Roller said the first step — approval of a large and visible outside wall to hold the mural— is close.
The local group of artists have been working for months to find a business willing to host the MLK mural early next year.
Roller said the mural will be painted on about 18 8-foot by 4-foot panels and will be installed by Jan. 17. Closely following the OK for space for the mural, residents will be surveyed on what MLK means to this community. When the surveys come back the group will start the mural design based on the survey results.
The MLK project, conceived by RiseUP for the Arts Group, in conjunction with CT Murals, awarded Putnam $7,500 to create a mural reflecting this community’s take on the heart of Martin Luther King’s message.
Elaine Turner, president of the Arts Guild Northeast, said Putnam’s application was accepted several months ago. RiseUP will award $7,500 and it has to be matched by the town. bankHometown has donated $2,500. The rest of the match will be raised from individuals. The Sustainable CT rules for that call for 50 to 75 individuals to make individual donations to hit that $7,500 match total.
There is a GoFundMe site for donations:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/putnams-mlk39-diversity -and-equity-mural?fbclid=IwAR3IbeaqH1uW9UBdkiNGNFr_ StMFHG_Kzk1aG96V_Pf2FHakXWSCd_JH6qM
Roller said depending on the success of the fund-raising, the group hopes to start painting in December and she plans to call on the community to help with that.
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