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Jeannie Benoit of the Aspinock Historical Society of Putnam, left, and artist Elaine Turner unveil the sheep in Rotary Park.
This side of the sheep shows what the Putnam Woolen mill might have looked like in the 1800s. It stood where Cargill Falls Mill is now. More photos Wed. night at FB: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger.
One side of the sheep shows what the carding room might have looked like at the Putnam Woolen mill. Linda Lemmon photos.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — From the town’s newest art installation, a wool sheep statue, it’s almost like an invisible strand of yarn crosses the Quinebaug — and the years — and connects to the former Putnam Woolen mill and Putnam’s textile history.
The statue, unveiled Nov. 25 in Rotary Park, began with Jeannie Benoit and the Aspinock Historical Society of Putnam months ago. Benoit said she had visited the Samuel Slater Experience museum in Webster and found out about the blank fiberglass Merino wool sheep statues that were being sold. Organizations and businesses bought the statues, had them custom painted and placed around Webster, Dudley and Oxford and beyond.
Benoit thought, considering Putnam’s textile history, that a sheep statue would make an excellent addition to the town’s burgeoning art displays. Parks and Recreation Department Director Willie Bousquet was enthusiastically behind the idea.
The total cost was about $4,000. The main sponsors are the Putnam Area Foundation and WIN Waste Innovations. Bousquet added that the town’s Public Works Department did some in-kind work including removing the old bell stand in Rotary Park and pouring a concrete base for the sheep. The Putnam Recreation Department was also involved in the project.
Elaine Turner of the Art Guild Northeast was asked by former Aspinock society president Bill Pearsall if she would be interested in customizing Putnam’s statue.
The effort started six-plus months ago. She thought since it was a Merino wool sheep statue that it made sense to tell Putnam’s story of wool. What is now Cargill Falls Mill was at one time a woolen mill, Putnam Woolen.
“It was a team effort,” Turner said. The committee worked together to come up with a design that best represented Putnam’s history. Turner said that Benoit asked about including carding machines. Being an Aspinock Historical Society project made things handy — blueprints, maps, descriptions, photos and more of the Putnam Woolen mill were right there.
“As a committee, we put it all together,” Turner said. “We told the story of the woolen mill over the years.”
Resident artist Dave Laab approved the design and Turner created it in her home studio. She had to finish early as Laab needed two weeks to put three layers of protective automotive coating on the statue. Turner said she could not use latex paint, she had to use acrylic.
A Nebraska company, Icon Poly, made 25 sheep for the Samuel Slater Experience museum in Webster. The sheep are made with fiberglass with polyurethane-binding resins which makes them durable. “Slater’s Sheep” are a community art project and a fund-raiser for the Samuel Slater Experience. Mill owner Slater is associated with textiles and because he established the first woolen mill in America, the museum picked a sheep.
At the dedication Nov. 25, Benoit said two plaques are still on the way. One describes the history of the mills and Merino sheep and the other describes the time capsule that shares the spot in Rotary Park with the sheep. That capsule will be opened in 2055.
Turner said she found herself inspired by the project. “Putnam always comes up with a way to celebrate its history, the seasons,” she said.
And there’s a wool tie that binds.
more photos on FB: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger
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Under Repair
While it’s under warranty, additional repairs were made to the new Putnam Public Library roof. Elaine Sistare, town administrator, said additional “batten” materials were adhered to the seams on the roof Nov. 21. They are likely to be continuing the work for a couple days. At least twice in the last year, she said, there has been a “noticeable leak” in the library. The roof material was heated and then PVC rubber batten material was adhered.
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Connor Dubsky came to Putnam Science Academy’s prep basketball team known as a shooter, and while he’s working on the other parts of his game, he always has that “let-it-fly” mentality.
“I think I’m the best shooter in the country,” he said. “I can call anybody out…Gradey Dick at Kansas (University), he can see me right now. I don’t care. That’s just my mentality.
“I’m confident in my shot, and I let it go. Make or miss, I am going to shoot the next one.”
Nov. 15, Dubsky had 13 big-moment points as the Mustangs survived a shaky first half then pulled away in the second for a 95-57 win over Commonwealth. PSA closed the first half on a 15-0 run to take a 14-point lead, then Dubsky had 11 of his points after halftime when the Mustangs put the game out of reach.
“I told him a week ago, ‘If you’re not going to shoot the ball, I’ll find someone else,’” coach Tom Espinosa said. “He’s shooting the ball now. And he made some big shots and got the momentum going.”
Tarique Foster added 14 points for the Mustangs, who also got a solid game out of DJ Dormu. He finished with 10 points, six steals, five rebounds, and three assists.
Duane Thompson chipped in with 11 points while Blake Barkley had eight points, six rebounds, and a pair of blocked shots for PSA.
Nov. 19, most of the Mustangs struggled mightily on offense, including Dubsky who finished with just two points. But he, Darryl Simmons (eight points), and Dormu (four points) spearheaded a defensive attack in the second half that led No. 2 PSA to a gritty 76-63 win over Fork Union (Vir.) at the National Prep Showcase held at Albertus Magnus College.
The Mustangs went on a 19-6 run over four-minute span midway through the second half to take a 59-46 lead. Full-court ball pressure from Simmons and Dormu made it difficult for Fork Union to run its offense, and Dubsky twice dove on loose balls on back-to-back defensive sequences that led to back-to-back buckets, energizing the Mustangs during that run.
The Mustangs needed that defense with their offense going the way it was.
Ben Ahmed had 13 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks, Barkley had 17 points, and Will Lovings-Watts finished with 11. That trio combined to make 17-of-22 shots; the rest of the team went just 12-of-37, and PSA missed all 14 of its 3-point attempts.
“Some days are like that,” Espinosa said. “You’re going to have good days; you’re going to have bad days. But a lot of guys did a lot of good things.
“I loved our defense in the second half. We always want to play hard on defense, it’s what we expect, no matter what we’re doing offensively. And we struggled on offense for sure. But the ball pressure, especially from Darryl and DJ, and the hustle plays from Connor, that gave us the energy and the lift we needed.“
PSA finished off its pre-Thanksgiving schedule with a second game at the National Prep Showcase, finding it difficult to score yet again Nov. 19, but nevertheless prevailing with a 64-61 win over Sunrise Christian Academy (Kan.).
“We won two games down here, and we didn’t shoot the ball well at all,” Espinosa said. “We’ve got some tough kids who stepped up and got it done for us.”
Like Saturday, it was another tight game in the second half before PSA’s defense sparked a run. The Mustangs were down one midway around the 10-minute mark when Mouhamed Dioubate made one free throw and Foster converted an offensive rebound off the missed second to put them ahead 49-47. A defensive stop and a dunk from Dioubate preceded two steals and scores from Lovings-Watts to push the lead to eight points and give PSA some breathing room.
Sunrise got as close as one point before trailing by three on the game’s final possession. That’s when the ball worked its way quickly from the right wing to the left corner for what appeared to be an uncontested 3-pointer. But Barkley raced from the right block to a step outside the left one, left his feet and leapt toward the shooter with his right arm extended, just getting enough of the ball to have it fall harmlessly short of its mark as the buzzer sounded.
“I knew I was going to get there in time with my length, so I went out there and blocked it,” Barkley said with a smile afterward.
Dioubate finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, and three steals, Lovings-Watts had with 11 points and five rebounds, while Thompson added 10 points for the Mustangs (7-1), who are now off for the Thanksgiving break and will next play on Nov. 30.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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The following charges were listed in the Putnam Police Department logs. The people charged are innocent until proven guilty in court. The Town Crier will publish dispositions of cases at the request of the accused. The dispositions must be accompanied by the proper documentation. The Putnam Police Department confidential Tip Line is 860-963-0000.
Nov. 15
Zoie Milhomme, 21, Mantup Road, Putnam; misuse of marker plates, improper display of number plates.
Nov. 17
Nathan S. Gilbert, 18, South Main Street, Putnam; second-degree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief, disorderly conduct.
Nov. 18
Cody Benane, 30, Pond Drive, N. Stonington; sixth-degree larceny.
Nov. 19
Tevin Pipkin, 28, School Street, Putnam; third-degree assault, disorderly conduct, third-degree criminal mischief.
Ellen M. Sullivan, 54, Fairview Circle, Pomfret Center; operating a motor vehicle under suspension, traveling unreasonably fast.
Nov. 20
Jennifer Henries, 33, homeless; first-degree criminal trespass, interfering with an officer/resisting, disorderly conduct.
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From left: Sophomore Liliana Bottone, senior Morgan Bonin and Sophie Gronski (3) and middle hitter Reegan Reynolds (10). Photos by Bradley O’Connor.
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Woodstock Academy volleyball coach Adam Bottone had tried to keep his young team at ease going into the Class L semifinal against top-seeded Joel Barlow Nov. 16.
“I don’t know if it was ,’Oh no, we’re playing the No. 1 undefeated team’ so we went into it with those nerves instead of staying loose and relaxed which is what we tried to get them to do,” Adam Bottone said. “But we struggled to receive the ball and because of that, we couldn’t get our offense going and sent a lot of easy balls over which put the defense back on its heels.”
And the Falcons took advantage of that. Joel Barlow finished with a straight set, 3-0, victory over the Centaurs to advance to the Class L championship match.
The Centaurs finished the season at 15-10.
Barlow quickly established itself as it rolled to a 25-11 win in the first set. The Centaurs thrown off kilter as much by the Falcons’ style as their talent.
“Going into this, we knew we had to play the best game we had all year if we wanted to hang with them. They ran a really fast offense which was tough for us to try and get up and block because we’re a fairly small team. Our reaction to the quicker offense was a little slow. Hopefully, it’s something our girls who are returning next year will learn from,” Adam Bottone said.
Woodstock did bounce back a bit in the second set but Barlow still prevailed, 25-17.
The Falcons finished up with a 25-12 win in the third set.
“We made a lot of great plays and some good digs. We did the best we could but when we weren’t able to get our offense going, we struggled. We really needed to side out on the first ball that came over the net and we had trouble doing that,” Adam Bottone said.
The Centaurs also didn’t serve any aces. On the good side, they didn’t have many service errors either.
“We served very conservatively to keep the ball in play, which is what we’ve been working on, but our serves weren’t difficult either,” Adam Bottone said.
Liliana Bottone had five kills and six digs for the Centaurs while Reegan Reynolds and Morgan Bonin had three each. Bonin and Sophie Gronski (12 assists) each had 10 digs.
The Centaurs won eight of their first nine matches.
The up-and-down play that occurred in the middle of the season could easily be attributed to a rash of injuries and illness. Instead of COVID this year, concussions were the largest trouble.
There were a couple of factors working in the coach’s favor.
He had a team that probably had the more depth and versatility than most of his past teams.
The Centaurs lose only four seniors, Bonin, Leila MacKinnon, Jade Desmond and Nunes to graduation.
“I have a lot of pieces coming back,” Adam Bottone said. “Obviously, Liliana and Sophie will be a big part of that; Cassidy Ladd is going to continue to improve. Reegan will be back. Mia Sorrentino will be a threat on the outside, too, so we definitely have a lot of pieces in place.”
Liliana Bottone finished with 250 kills, 213 digs and 54 aces this season. Gronski had 612 assists.
The biggest concern for the Centaurs will be replacing the middle hitter position which was occupied by MacKinnon (49 kills, 15 blocks) and Bonin (205, 27) this season.
“I think we will have girls playing club (in the offseason) and if that happens, it will be good. If the CIAC allows us to do some coaching in the summer - I’m crossing my fingers that will happen – it will help establish and build the basics we need to move forward,” Adam Bottone said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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