MuralFest: Support soars for historic art project
PUTNAM — Funding support for a historic public art initiative coming to Putnam in 2028 has more than doubled since event organizers were awarded a project date two years earlier than anticipated.
With the most recently donations and pledges, MuralFest is already at 44 percent of its goal of $250,000.
MuralFest Putnam is a public art collaboration that will welcome “The Walldogs,” who will spend four to five days in June 2028 painting Putnam’s rich history in a series of privately funded, stunning, storytelling murals. These vintage-style murals mimic early 20th-century advertising, featuring hand-painted lettering and illustrations on brick buildings. They evoke nostalgia and often depict local history and historical brands with a high-detail, realistic “sign-painter” aesthetic.
In exchange for the donation of time and talent by The Walldogs, the town will host a multi-day festival celebrating public art, community spirit, town pride, and the people, places, and events that have shaped the town’s history. The original date was in 2030 but the MuralFest group convinced The Walldogs the area would be ready earlier and in January the date was moved to 2028. And they were off and running fund-raising.
In addition to fund-raising, the MuralFest Putnam Planning Committee is working on mural selection and locations, lodging, meals, transportation, legalities, and other logistical planning. Information is available at https://www.putnamct.us/departments/economic-and-community-development.
The official kick-off was in May 2025 and in a few short months, $45,650 in donations and pledges were raised.
And MuralFest Putnam Marketing and Communications Chair Linda Colangelo and Sponsorship Chair Laura Crosetti, in the last two months raised another $92,663, bringing the project total to date to $138,313 — 55 percent of the minimum goal of $250,000.
MuralFest Putnam sponsors to date include: Betty and Joseph Carlone Sr., Matthew Desaulnier and Family/The Hilb Group, Phyllis Emigh and Martha Lundgren, Erica and Larry Groh/Nikki’s Dog House, Jewett City Savings Bank Foundation, Leona’s Bakery, Linemaster Switch Corporation, Laura and Scott Moorehead, Nicole Ouellette Riegler and Family, Cherie Poirier, Putnam Area Foundation, Putnam Arts Council, Putnam Business Association, Putnam Economic Development Trust Fund, Eric Quinn and Family, Putnam Mayor Barney Seney, Steven and Marjolaine Townsend, and Elaine Turner.
“It’s going to be an unforgettable experience,” said MuralFest Putnam Community Coordinator Elaine Turner. “Everyone who wants to participate is welcome to join us. Over 30 other small towns that hosted the Walldogs can attest that the beautiful artwork elevates community pride, drives economic development, and boosts tourism. This is truly a project that will be one for the history books.”
“We typically meet with a potential sponsor for about an hour to provide a comprehensive presentation that visually does all the talking…and by that, we mean The Walldogs’ tremendous artistic talent speaks for itself,” said Crosetti. “It’s an engaging and emotional experience when people realize the magnitude of the project, the sense of community it fosters, and the opportunity they have to become part of the legacy it will be for future generations. It’s been compelling and convincing enough that everyone has said “yes.’”
To join the movement, contact MuralFest Putnam Community Coordinator Elaine Turner
Learn more about The Walldogs at https://thewalldogs.org/, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheOriginalWalldogs/.
More donations were announced at the March 19, 2026 meeting of the MuralFest Putnam Planning Committee. Here, Laura and Scott Moorehead proudly present a check representing a Mural Masters level donation to (l to r) MuralFest Putnam Community Chair Elaine Turner, Sponsorship Chair Laura Crosetti, and Marketing and Communications Chair Linda Colangelo.
Attorney Kate Cerrone, center, president of the Putnam Business Association, presents the first installment of a $10,000 Mural Master pledge for MuralFest Putnam to Marketing and Communications Chair Linda Colangelo, left, and Sponsorship Chair Laura Crosetti.
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A new ‘egg-cellent’ tradition
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
EAST PUTNAM — Ordinarily the fastest land animal is the cheetah — unless there are Easter eggs to be scooped up.
The East Putnam Fire Department hosted its first Easter Egg Hunt March 22 and more than 150 kids cleared the department’s lawn of 2,000 eggs in about three minutes.
Never mind it was a raw day threatening rain; kids and adults of all ages came complete with winter coats, patent leather shoes and bunny ears.
And if they didn’t have a basket, they brought store bags and even Halloween buckets.
Assistant Fire Chief Kyle Preston said one of the firefighters came to him and Chief Abe Walker about three weeks ago with the idea to have an Easter Egg Hunt, along with a Touch-a-Truck event.
The pair agreed and the firefighter, Ashley Jordan, was off and running. East Putnam resident Sandy Mayo donated some of the plastic eggs. And junior firefighter Evan Murphy loaded the eggs with candy.
Murphy said he took him a couple hours to fill the eggs.
Jordan works as the teen librarian at the Putnam Public Library. She comes up with the Teen Programs. She said she thought to herself it’d be nice to do something more for kids. She came up with the Easter Egg Hunt/Touch-a-Truck idea. She said kids and adults would be able to see the East Putnam Fire Department station plus the department’s trucks.
So the little kids wouldn’t get run over by the bigger kids, about 700 of the 2,000 eggs were put out first and the little kids lined up around the lawn. Whoosh! All the eggs were in the kids’ baskets.
A few minutes later, the rest of the eggs were put on the lawn and the bigger kids swooped through and the eggs were gone.
Kids of all ages also got a look at the fire trucks.
The firefighters know they have a new tradition and Jordan is already planning for next year. Possibly an Easter Bunny. Maybe she can find a bounce house.
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East Putnam Fire Department's first Easter Egg Hunt. More photos on page 5. Expanded photo array on Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photo.
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Top: Evan Murphy and Ashley Jordan. Above: Checking out the truck. Right: Xena Plante, 2. More photos Wed. night on our FB page.
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Aspinock Memories
A few more forgotten sayings from the old-time days
By: Terri Pearsall, AHS Curator
So here we are again exploring old sayings that have been used in the past and may or may not mean the same thing now as they did when they originated.
“Eating Humble Pie” – this saying goes as far back as the 17th century; the lord of an estate would give the umbles (the less tasty parts of an animal) to his servants. These umbles (sounds delicious doesn’t it) would be made into a pie and given to the servants to eat. This became associated with a lower social status. It means to be submissive or apologetic today. I don’t know about you but, I’d rather be apologetic than given umbles to eat.
“Resting on Your Laurels” – In Ancient Greece, laurel leaves were associated with high status and achievement. Athletes were presented with wreaths made from laurel leaves to show their prestige. Romans awarded wreaths to military heroes. They were known as “laureates” and allowed to retire because of their past achievements --- “rest on their laurels”.
“Show Your True Colours” – This saying goes back to the 18th century. During that time “Colours” referred to a ship’s flags identifying the ship. Pirate ships would deliberately lower their colours or display false colours to confuse other ships into thinking they were friendly. It was only when they got close enough to attack, they would show their true colours. The meaning today is to divulge your true intentions.
“Sleep Tight” – This saying derives from the Shakespearian era. In those days, beds and mattresses were secured with ropes that were pulled tight. This formed a solid base and led to a night of good sleep – sleep tight. Meaning today is about the same – have a good night’s sleep.
“You Son of a Gun” – When sailors took their wives to sea on long voyages, some of the women became pregnant on the voyage. The safest place to give birth was deemed to be between the gun cannons. So, a child born on the gun deck was known as a “son of a gun”. Today is a term of endearment.
“Spill the Beans” – In Ancient Greece during elections, voters would place a bean into a jar designated to the candidate of their choice. Sometimes before the voting was completed, the jar would be knocked over and the beans would spill out, revealing the result of the voting. Today it means to tell me your secret.
“Steal my Thunder” – John Dennis, a playwright in the 18th century, wanted an authentic sound of thunder to make his play more realistic. So, he invented a thunder-making machine. When his play flopped, he thought nothing of it, but later, he learned that someone had looked at his machine and made a similar one for their play. It was practically the same, but he was not credited with the invention. This person had literally stolen his thunder. Thus, the meaning today is to take the limelight away from someone.
“None of your Beeswax” – Originated in 19th century America. During that time, women used beeswax to cover up blemishes. When someone would inquire about their appearance, they would respond with “mind your own beeswax. Meaning today to mind your own business.
“Saving Face” – Again in the 19th century women used beeswax not only to cover up blemishes but to make a smooth, wrinkle free complexion once the beeswax hardened. Most houses were heated with a wood burning fireplace and gatherings were always held around the fireplace. These women would choose to sit as far away from the open fire as possible to “save their face” from melting and drooping.
“Three Sheets to the Wind” – Originates from nautical terminology, where “sheets” refer to ropes that control the sails on a ship. If three sheets become loose, the sails flap wildly, causing the ship to lose control, much like a drunken sailor. If you are extremely drunk or inebriated, with “three sheets” representing the highest level of intoxication, while “one sheet” indicates being tipsy. Although not used much today, the meaning still means being inebriated.
So, when you find yourself eating humble pie after resting on your laurels without showing their true colours, you will find it hard to sleep tight knowing that you are really a son of a gun, hoping that no one spills the beans about who stole your thunder even though it was none of their beeswax while they were more concerned about saving face even though they were three sheets to the wind. (Yes, I actually wrote that paragraph or run on sentence. Being in my head can be fun sometimes!) The source of my information this week was from searching the internet for popular old sayings, their origin and meaning. Well folks, that’s all she wrote for today.
Aspinock Memories graces the pages of the Putnam Town Crier to keep Putnam’s history alive.
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Roundup
Woodstock Academy's Winter Sports Awards Night
The winter sports season officially came to a close at The Woodstock Academy March 19 as the annual Winter Sports Awards Night.
While many of the awards from the ECC had been previously announced, one had not.
Woodstock Academy gymnastics coach Kasey Gagnon learned recently that she had been selected as the Domino’s ECC Coach of the Year in her sport.
All of the winter coaches also handed out Coach’s Awards to athletes who went above and beyond for their programs.
The Coach’s Awards recipients included: Unified Basketball: Mia Keman, Kyle Bain. Gymnastics: Emma Long, Rhea Desota. Boys ‘Hockey: Brady Hebert, Zack Tegtmeier. Girls’ Hockey: Ellary Sampson, Grace Lescault. Wrestling: Jameson Costa, Owen Hamilton. Boys’ Indoor Track:Varsity: Eli Manning, Owen Williamson; JV: Eean Sanborn. Girls’ Indoor Track: Varsity: Emma Weitknecht, Avery Plouffe; JV: Emme Langevin. Dance Team: Lavinia Ricotta, Mariia Oliinyk. Boys’ Basketball: Varsity: James Dong, Phillip Feaney Aleman; JV: Will Ellsworth; Freshmen: Eli Gray. Girls’ Basketball: Varsity Anna Hernandez, Elise Coyle; JV: Harper Simoneau; Freshmen: Payton Plasse.
Those who received Class M All-State and ECC All-Star recognition this winter season included: Class M All-State and ECC All-Star in girls’ indoor track: Avery Plouffe; Class M All-State and ECC All-Star in girls’ indoor track: Emma Weitknecht; Class M All-State and ECC honorable mention in boys’ indoor track: Eli Manning; Class M 2nd team All-State in gymnastics: Emma Long; Class M 2nd team All-State in gymnastics: Rhea Desota; ECC Division I All-Star in girls’ indoor track – Emme Langevin; ECC Division I All-Star in girls’ indoor track- Bella Amlaw; ECC Division I All-Star in girls’ indoor track- Claire Bruneaux; ECC Division I All-Star in girls’ indoor track- Teagan Maloney; ECC Division I All-Star in boys’ indoor track – Thatcher Patterson; ECC Division I All-Star in boys’ indoor track – Abraham McGregor; ECC Division I All-Star in girls’ basketball: Kaylee Saucier; ECC Division I All-Star in girls’ basketball: Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain; ECC Division II All-Star in boys’ basketball- Drake Abdullovski; Nutmeg Conference All-Star in boys’ hockey- Brady Hebert; ECC Division I honorable mention in girls’ indoor track- Lily Morgis; ECC Division I honorable mention in girls’ indoor track – Olivia Tracy; ECC Division I honorable mention in girls’ indoor track – Nova Almquist; ECC Division I honorable mention in boys’ indoor track – Collin Teal; ECC Division I honorable mention in boys’ indoor track –Jackson Durand; ECC Division I honorable mention in boys’ indoor track – Spencer Mayo; ECC Division I honorable mention in boys’ indoor track – Lucas Hecker; ECC Division I honorable mention in boys’ indoor track – Ronan Curran; ECC Division I honorable mention in boys’ indoor track –Sam Greene; ECC Division I honorable mention in boys’ indoor track –Liam Hewson; ECC Division I honorable mention in boys’ indoor track – Aiden Tyler; ECC Division I honorable mention in boys’ indoor track – Owen Williamson; ECC Division I honorable mention in girls’ basketball: Allison Camara; ECC Division I honorable mention in girls’ basketball: Vivian Bibeau; ECC Division II honorable mention in boys’ basketball- Xawier Matwiej; ECC Division II honorable mention in wrestling – Aidan Soukaloun; ECC Division II honorable mention in wrestling-Jake Henderson.
Those who received ECC Scholar-Athlete Awards included: Girls’ Indoor track – Olivia Tracy; Girls’ Basketball - Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain; Boys’ Basketball– Nate Couture; Gymnastics – Emma Long; Wrestling – Owen Hamilton; Boys’ Indoor Track – Eli Manning.
Those who received ECC Sportsmanship Awards included: Boys’ Indoor track – Harrison Durand; Girls’ Indoor Track – Kiley Elliott; Wrestling – A.J. Landreville; Girls’ Basketball – Elise Coyle; Boys’ basketball – Ryan Chabot; Gymnastics – Rhea Desota.
The girls’ basketball team received a couple of Winter Sports Awards night recognitions. The team earned the best grade point average over the course of the first semester, finishing ahead of the boys’ indoor track team.
The girls’ basketball team also narrowly edged out the gymnastics team for the title of Best-Dressed team for the evening.
Prep Soccer
Centaurs pick up win on home field
In a sure sign that spring arrived on Friday, the prep soccer team welcomed the new season with their first home match since the fall. The Centaurs prevailed in the friendly with Mount St. Charles School and posted a 3-1 victory in an extended-time match. Nico Ochoa, Arthur Masson and Haesung Kim scored for the Centaurs before the visitors put in a penalty kick late in the game to account for the final.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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Those who received Class M All State, ECC and Nutmeg Conference and ECC honorable mention awards during this past winter sports season were recognized during Woodstock Academy’s Winter Sports Awards Night.
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From left: Owen Hamilton, Emma Long, Olivia Tracy, Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain and Eli Manning were recognized as ECC Scholar-Athletes during Woodstock Academy’s Winter Sports Awards Night.
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From left: Rhea Desota, Harrison Durand, Kiley Elliott, A.J. Landreville and Ryan Chabot were recognized as ECC Sportsmanship Award recipients at Winter Sports Awards Night. Photos by Holly Singleton/Woodstock Academy.
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