When I was a child, vegetables seemed much more interactive than they are now. Even if we didn’t eat the vegetables that came directly from our garden, my mother bought fresh vegetables from farm stands, which were plucked, picked or harvested directly from someone else’s garden. For the most part, these vegetables were sold in big bins wherein consumers would fill up their baggies or baskets, have them weighed, and take them home to use in the evening meal. I can still remember strategically searching for just the “right” green bean that would make the scale tilt perfectly to a whole number. And when we got home, my mother always doled out the vegetable prep instructions fairly, making sure to rotate the duties of peeling, washing, destemming and shucking equally amongst myself and three sisters. Snipping the stems off the green beans was the most tedious because my mother insisted that the stem be removed with as little waste to the flesh of the green bean as was possible. Peeling carrots was sort of fun but required a tool which was sharp and, thus, had an imposed minimum age requirement. Conversely, shucking the corn was always the most desired activity because this was always done with a teammate and ALWAYS outside, away from a critiquing eye...
As anyone who has ever shucked corn can attest to, there is a real skill required in getting a (mostly) corn silk (hair) free, small-stemmed ear of corn that fits perfectly in the pot. Leaving the stem too long or too short results in uneven cooking and difficult eating, respectively. But leaving too much hair on the corn, results in being reprimanded and shamed by the corn eaters. In my family, the amount of hair which remained on the corn was always indicative of who did the shucking. My father was the messiest and hairiest corn shucker and my mother was the cleanest (duh!) so my sister’s and I always vied for the coveted #2 spot.
Fast forward to today, and I still enjoy a good corn shucking, self-imposed challenge. However, since my husband doesn’t seem to mind at all if there are hairs on his corn, I now challenge myself to see if I can leave behind as few hairs as possible… on my kitchen floor. As a result, I always shuck my corn INSIDE wherein I stand over the garbage tucked underneath my kitchen island. I usually peel back a few layers before appropriately breaking off the better part of the stem and discard it, along with most of the husk and hair, directly into the trash. However, despite my best and most tidy efforts, some of the hairs I then carefully pick off, always seem to land in various places around the kitchen or even on me, which then later fall off in random places that I discover only after stepping on it with my bare feet. It has been two days since I shucked 4 ears of corn and …
Three! Three!
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
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caption, page 1:
Moving Day
Donny DiCostanzo of Donny D Excavation (green shirt) and his crew start the Faces of Putnam obelisk on its journey from the Montgomery Ward building to the Putnam Elementary School. More photos on page 5. Courtesy photo.
caption, page 5:
In Place
The Faces of Putnam obelisk is in place at the Putnam Elementary School. From left: Donny DiConstanzo, Dot Burnworth, and Kaye Jakan and Meghan Wakely of Putnam Elementary. Courtesy photos.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Not your imagination. Yes you might have seen a 10-foot tall Faces of Putnam obelisk on the move in the back of a pickup truck.
The 300-plus pound piece of artwork was created during a First Friday in 2019, according to lead artist Dot Burnworth of Sawmill Pottery downtown. Folks painted “self-portraits” and more onto tiles and Burnworth finished the tiles in a kiln and then attached them to the obelisk. She said three sides were finished and then … COVID hit. The fourth side was finished during COVID as the obelisk sat on a landing inside the Montgomery Ward building.
Burnworth said the building was sold during COVID and the new landlord wanted the obelisk moved.
Economic and Community Development Director Carly DeLuca said her first week on the job last fall; Burnworth came to her and said the obelisk needed to be moved. DeLuca talked with Parks and Rec Director Willie Bousquet about potential spots for the art. She knew that any outside spot would mean deterioration. One spot suggested was the Putnam Elementary School.
Once school was out, the move was on. DeLuca said Donny D Excavation was kind enough to move the obelisk gratis. It had to be moved down stairs, down a hill and onto a truck for its move to the school.
It was moved into a common area at the school. Because of its height was settled into a spot with enough “headroom.”
DeLuca said: “Putnam is known for its arts and we’re happy to continue spreading art throughout town in any way we can.” She anticipated there would be “full-circle moments” when people would come back and see what was created – perhaps by their younger selves.
She said she considers one of her roles as a “conduit for artists.”
The picture is with Donny, Dot, Kaye Jakan and Meghan Wakely.
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captions, page 4:
from left:
Artist Dennis Stuart
Singer Lori Silvia
Artist Beth Johnston
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Despite the monsoons Putnam’s first Putnam Fine Arts and Crafts Festival is likely not its last.
Economic and Community Development Director Carly DeLuca said, “Support during the downpour was immense. People who arrived during that time were there as serious shoppers, and we couldn’t be happier.”
DeLuca, who serves as town liaison to the Putnam Arts Council, said the PAC decided about a year ago to take on a new event. The PAC consists of David Sullivan, chairperson; Laura Moorehead, vice chairperson; Jamie Soroka, Beth Johnston, Karen Osbrey, Julie Reid, and Elaine Turner. “Each member brought their own expertise to the plate to create this fantastic event,” DeLuca said.
She said at any given time there were 100 people at the event.
“Based on the turn-out,” she said, “we are hoping for this to be an annual event.”
Major sponsors were the Putnam Area Foundation, the Byrnes Agency, the Last Green Valley, and Sawmill Pottery. DeLuca added, “Special thank you to Chubby Dog Coffee, Henry’s Diner, and Grace Gourmet for keeping our artists and patrons well-fed! Northeast Opportunities for Wellness ran a children’s craft program. We had incredible support from the town’s Recreation, Facilities, and Emergency Management Departments as well as the Putnam Police Department.”
She added: “I hope this event exemplifies what the Putnam Arts Council is capable of. This is a fantastic step for the arts community of Putnam. I feel very grateful to have been a part of this team.”
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Roundup
Sorrentino
finishes 4th;
D’Alleva-
Bochain sets
school record
Woodstock Academy’s Bella Sorrentino had one last moment to cherish as a high school student-athlete.
The Centaurs senior, three days after graduating, put on a Woodstock Academy jersey for a final time and traveled the CIAC Heptathlon championship.
She placed fourth overall in the two-day, seven-event competition.
“The girl that won (Audrey Kozak of Shelton), I think is in the top three in the country which is ridiculous and (Meg Barnouw of Fairfield-Warde) is right behind her. She was facing nationally-ranked competitors so the fact that she was up in the mix with those kids is pretty amazing,” Woodstock Academy coach Josh Welch said.
Sorrentino finished with 3717 points, just 112 points behind the Woodstock Academy school record set by Emily Swenson in 2009.
The finish, however, is likely the best for a Centaur as Swenson finished sixth in the competition that season.
“She was shooting for third, shooting for the school record, she was just shy of those two things but to have everything come together in the course of two days is really hard,” Welch said. “She was a fierce competitor out there. Watching her run her last laps in the 800-meter (the last event of the competition), you could tell she was all in. It was awesome to see her end on a high note.”
Sorrentino was first among competitors in the shotput where she had a personal-best throw of 35-feet, 9-inches on the first day of the competition.
“It was fun to see her get that personal best and I think she got one in the 800 (where she finished 12th in 2:40. 19). It was a great spot (the shotput) for her to pick up a bunch of points,” Welch said.
Sorrentino was eighth overall in the 100-meter hurdles (16.36 seconds); ninth in the long jump (15 feet, 4.75-inches); 13th in the javelin (71-11); 15th in the 200-meter race (27.82 seconds) and 26th in the high jump (4-4.25).
Sorrentino will continue her track and field career at Southern Connecticut State University.
Junior Jillian Edwards finished 27th overall.
There was another highlight as freshman Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain, in her first attempt in competing in the CIAC Steeplechase, finished ninth overall and broke the Woodstock Academy school record in the event by almost four seconds.
“That’s a tough race to just jump into and try out. So, it was great to get a freshman on the hook and give this thing a swing. I didn’t have a whole lot of expectation there but I know she is a great competitor and was going to have a good time and it would be cool for her to have the experience,” Welch said.
D’Alleva-Bochain was seeded 11th in the slow heat, meaning 30-plus overall, and finished in the top-10 in 7 minutes, 54.48 seconds.
It was also her first-ever 2-mile competition in high school.
“It was cool and unexpected because I, honestly, did not have a two-mile time that was real. I just kind of went out and tried to have fun and see what happened because I only learned hurdles like five days before (the competition),” D’Alleva-Bochain said.
But, she now has motivation to continue.
She finished just about 25 seconds shy of qualifying for the national high school championship in the event.
“That is now a big goal to have happen by my senior year,” she said.
The hardest thing she found about the event was that the hurdles in steeplechase are a little more rigid than those in a normal hurdle event.
“You have to stay focused on every barrier. If you nick it, you’re down and there goes your race. That happened to a kid in front of me in the last 100-meters,” D’Alleva-Bochain said.
She didn’t immediately know that she had broken the school record previously held by Linsey Arends.
“I was texted by a teammate when I was driving home because no one realized it. I just started laughing because I thought it was funny because it was steeplechase and I had really expected nothing,” she said.
That won’t be the case in 2024.
“We’re going to plan to train for that a little in advance, too, to see if she can get to national level qualifying. It was a big surprise. I knew she would do well. I didn’t know she would do that well,” Welch said.
On the boys’ side, senior Liam Wilcox competed in the CIAC Decathlon and finished 30th overall with 3967 points.
His best finish was 10th in the pole vault where he cleared 10-feet and tied for 14th in the high jump where he cleared 5-4 ¼.
College Choices
A large group of Woodstock student-athletes announced recently where their next four-year adventure will be.
Thirteen members of the Class of 2023 gathered inside the Alumni Fieldhouse to make the announcement of where they will attend college and participate in athletics at the next level.
“I think of when you all got here as young, small children and how afraid you were and then the confidence and the growth that came because of your involvement with athletics. You learned how to be a good human being, worked hard individually and worked hard collectively, that’s what got you here. I appreciate everyone coming out for this ceremony which really represents hours and years of dedication to get where you are and we are very proud of all of you,” said associate head of school Holly Singleton.
Those who made the announcement included:
Morgan Bonin (Volleyball at Western New England University)
Evan Roy (Football at Nichols College)
Liam Wilcox (Track and Field at Nichols College)
Gabe Viau (Soccer at Eastern Nazarene)
Tessa Brown (Track and Field at Bentley University)
Keynila Hochard (Ice Hockey at Plymouth State)
Kaden Murphy (Baseball at St. Joseph University)
Carter Saracina (Football and Track and Field at Plymouth State)
Alyson Bunning (Field Hockey at Regis College)
Noah Page (Soccer at Eastern Connecticut State University)
Jared Eaton (Track and Field at Southern Connecticut State University)
Isabella Sorrentino (Track and Field at Southern Connecticut State University)
Zach Gessner (Lacrosse at Rivier University)
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
Senior Bella Sorrentino gets ready to make her run in the javelin competition at the CIAC Heptathlon championship.
Junior Jillian Edwards clears the bar in the high jump competition.
In his last high school athletic competition, senior Liam Wilcox competes in the shotput portion of the CIAC Decathlon championship.
Photos by Michelle Verilli/Woodstock Academy.
Senior Bella Sorrentino, fourth from left, finished fourth in the CIAC Heptathlon Championship. Photo by Josh Welch.
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