PUTNAM — Decades in discussions, the iconic Coca-Cola mural in the heart of downtown Putnam is getting a complete facelift.  
And the restored mural will be celebrated at noon Oct. 15 — at the Great Pumpkin Festival — where The Coca-Cola Company will have its “Coke Hug Machine,” a modern twist on a vending machine that releases a Coca-Cola for payment of a hug. The company will also be bringing 500 vintage 8-oz. glass bottles that will be sold at 5 cents each. All proceeds will go to Daily Bread.
With effort and support from local businesspeople, plus support from the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Waterford and The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Putnam’s “ghost sign” is being restored.
This means Putnam has now joined the nationwide initiative of refurbishing these nostalgic, iconic pieces of history. Although there isn’t a lot of information about when the original sign was painted, it was believed to be circa 1915.   
“We are proud to serve the Putnam community for over 100 years, as Coca-Cola has been locally made in Connecticut since 1912,” said Rich Beaudoin, general manager of Coca- Cola Waterford. “As your local Coca-Cola bottler, Waterford Coca-Cola is honored to partner with our Putnam community and, with support from The Coca-Cola Company, bring this local piece of art and history back to life. We hope that it will refresh the neighborhood and inspire moments of optimism and happiness.”
Over the years, there have been multiple conversations and efforts put forth in restoring Putnam’s ghost sign and fortunately the timing was right in 2022. In networking with The Coca-Cola Company representative Doug Bedard, Bedard’s interest was piqued when Sheila Frost, owner of The Courthouse Bar & Grille, mentioned the faded Coca-Cola sign in their alley. The sign is on the brick wall of The Bradley Playhouse Building which is owned by Tom Borner.
Bedard told Frost that The Coca-Cola Company had earmarked funds to restore the ghost signs and was eager to get this project started. With the support of The Putnam Business Association President Gary Osbrey and the Putnam Area Foundation owner Tom Borner, estimates were sought and Jennifer Brytowski, owner of Jennerate, LLC, was awarded the project.
Brytowski has worked alongside Gagnon Sign of Danielson and its team of professional hand letterers to carefully research the history, logo and paint colors to ensure the integrity of the restoration project.
This project must be taken very seriously in order to be restored to its origins right down to the curve of the lettering, Brytowski said. Although this will be the 3rd time paint is overlaying the surface Brytowski and Gagnon plan to focus their efforts on recreating the original.
The refurbished ghost sign will brighten the backdrop of Putnam’s skyline and pave the way for more historical and influential mural projects as Putnam continues to revitalize the downtown and bring visitors in from near and far with their vintage feel, modern appeal – complimenting the antiques, arts, eats and uniques that Putnam has to offer, according to officials.
The first painted wall sign for The Coca-Cola Company was done in 1894 in Gainesville, Ga.  The concept quickly took off and by 1910, 25 percent of the entire advertising budget for The Coca-Cola Company was devoted to these signs. Roughly 16,000 signs became prominent features in cities and towns all across America.

It has been said that one of the original owners of The Coca-Cola Company once challenged the film industry that a motion picture couldn’t be made without capturing one of these signs.

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When it comes to high school athletics, coaches never know when they will get the call.
For Mark Smolak, it came over the summer.
That’s when Kevin Bisson, who had guided the Woodstock boys’ ice hockey program for three years, took a new position in Massachusetts and had to step aside.
“He called me to say he was stepping down and that he had recommended me for the position because of the way I worked the kids and my understanding of the game. I was kind of panicked at first because I had only one year of experience and had wanted to learn from Kevin for a couple of more years,” Smolak said. “Kevin has such a great hockey mind and sees the game so well. He sees it from a different perspective. Being able to talk and communicate with him and see how he sees plays develop, how he saw how our guys worked was really very beneficial for me to even feel comfortable about taking this next step.”
Smolak was the junior varsity coach under Bisson last season but it will be his program this winter as Woodstock elevated him to head coach of the program.
“There is a lot of young talent and some experienced kids coming back and I think it will be a good transition year for Mark. He’s been with the program now and really has a good handle of the pulse and the direction that the program is going. Kevin left it in very good shape,” said Woodstock Academy acting athletic director Brad Favreau.
Part of the reason for the different perspective from Bisson comes from where Smolak has played on the ice.
He is a goalie and worked with the Centaurs’ goalies last season as well as serving as coach of the JV program.
Smolak was a late bloomer in the sport.
He first put on the pads as a sophomore in high school in Everett, Mass., and his first year and a half was a learning experience.
“I got some reps as a senior with the varsity team but once I got out of high school, I start playing in high-level men’s leagues. I got pretty good at it after high school and was involved in a number of leagues in the Boston area,” Smolak said.
But he is not a one-trick pony.
Bisson was confident enough with Smolak last year to turn over the reins of the defense to him.
That happened despite the fact that Smolak feels more confident working with the offense.
“I actually have more of an understanding of the game offensively than I do defensively which is kind of weird. Having coach Bob (Donahue), who has been with the game forever, is a huge asset. Anything I have questions about, he has something for me. (Last year) He pulled out a bunch of plays written on paper and I looked at the date and it said, August of 1987. I was like, ‘Bob, this is a year and a month before I was even born’,” Smolak said.
Bisson also left Smolak with a lot to work with.
The Centaurs finished with a 15-7 record, played in the Nutmeg Conference Championship game and advanced to the CIAC Division II quarterfinals. As a bonus, the top four scorers, Noah Sampson (42 points), Don Sousa (32), Maxx Corradi (28) and Max Larkin (19) are all likely returning.
“The Blue line (Sampson, Sousa, Corradi), as we called them last year, was one of if not the best top line in the State,” Smolak said. “To have kids coming in as sophomores and freshmen and be that dominant in a Division II league is huge. We’re kind of spoiled because they’re going to stay a line, as far as I know, as juniors and seniors.”
The Centaurs are also blessed at goalie with senior Kaiden Keddy and sophomore Dante Sousa.
“We’re set,” Smolak said. “Dante came in as a freshman last year and really showed stuff. He was always calm and level-headed. Kaiden has taken a huge leadership role already. He is trying to bring everyone together and he looks really good in workouts. He’s been staying active, playing all summer. There are not too many teams in this division that can show you two No. 1 goalies.”
If there is a question mark, it will be on the defense.
Kyle Brennan, Brendan Hill and Shawn Wallace all graduated and junior Jared Neilsen is likely gong back on offense.
Jacob Jurnovoy is the only returning member of the group of top four defensemen from last season.
“I think we have six kids that I know about coming to compete for three spots,” he said.
He does, however, want to find a defensive-oriented mind take over as the Centaurs assistant varsity and JV coach.
“It’s going to be a young defense and having someone who has a solid base defensively can certainly help develop these kids,” Smolak said.
Smolak is also a social studies teacher at Woodstock Academy.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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Town of Putnam
Zoning Board of Appeals
Legal Notice

The Town of Putnam Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a hybrid meeting on October 18, 2022, at 7:00 P.M. on the second floor, Room 201, of the Municipal Complex located at 200 School Street, Putnam, CT.   A public hearing will be held on the following:

Appeal # 2022-002 CMG Enterprises on Park, LLC request for a variance to enclose an existing car port, construct a 10’ X 16’ canopy and 8’X 10’ vestibule an increase of the total expansion (existing & proposed) from 58.2% to 59.8%.  Property located at 146 Park Road, Town Assessors Map 45, Lot 018, Zoned Industrial.

Appeal # 2022-003  Brian Robillard request for a 22‘ front yard variance for a proposed addition for property located at 467 East Putnam Road, Town Assessors Map 24, Lot 4, Zoned AG-2.

Joseph Nash, Chairman.

Meeting information will be available on the Town of Putnam website prior to the meeting.

Oct. 6, 2022
Oct. 13, 2022

Town of Putnam
Zoning Commission
Legal Notice

The Town of Putnam Zoning Commission will hold a hybrid meeting on October 19, 2022 at 7:00 P.M. in Room 201 located on the second floor of the Municipal Complex located at 200 School Street, Putnam CT.   A public hearing will be held on the following:

Docket # 2022-05  WD Investments, LLC request for a Special Permit in accordance with Section 304, Table III-1 Schedule of Uses and Districts for general warehousing and storage.  Property located at 2 Furnace Street, Town Assessors Map 18, Lot 133, Zoned Industrial.

Patricia Hedenberg, Chairperson

All meeting information will be available on the Town of Putnam Website prior to the meeting.

Oct. 6, 2022
Oct. 13, 2022

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