Teens raise
$11k to save
4-H pond
POMFRET — Since 1954, thousands of campers have enjoyed the jewel of the camp — the pond. It is the site for all the watersports programs and home to the fish campers catch and release every summer and the birds that swoop over it and do some fishing, too!
There is a problem though — issues with the long-term stability of the earthen dam, last repaired in the 1970s. It appears that this time around a new dam will need to be constructed. The fund-raising goal for this project is $1 million.
The kickoff event for this fund-raising challenge was held on Sept. 11, a “Dam-Aid Craft Fair & Family Fun event”. Camp teen leaders were offered the opportunity to help raise funds separately however by gathering pledges and camping out on the dam the night before. They needed to obtain at least $100 in pledges to participate. Twenty-nine teens accepted the challenge, raising $11,000.
They arrived Friday night, had dinner and s’mores by the campfire and spent a somewhat chilly night under the stars. The next morning, they were available to help vendors set up, spent time reconnecting with each other and helped with clean up at the end of the day.
Camp staff and teens also accepted a “big check” donation of $500 for the cause from the Pomfret Proprietors Association. This volunteer organization of business owners in Pomfret raises funds at the annual Town Wide Tag Sale event and has donated over $16K for community needs since 2006.
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caption, page 5:
The MLK mural for Bloomfield. The design is determined by the survey of the local residents. Photo by CTMurals.
Public art
not taking
winter break
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
The arts will be doing anything but hibernating this winter.
Artists of all types and members of the community will be working hard to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream a reality.
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 a few months ago. RiseUP will award $7,500 and it has to be matched locally.
Already, she said, $2,500 has been donated by bankHometown. The rest of the match will be raised from individuals. The Sustainable CT rules for that call for 50 to 75 individuals to make donations to hit that $7,500 match total.
Turner said the mural design will be very personal to the people here. Residents will be asked what Martin Luther King means to them. Unity? How to define civil rights? History? Prudence Crandall? Equality? Or?
Once the survey points toward a design, according to muralist Emida Roller, the community involvement will continue with “paint days” where community members come together, probably around November, to help paint the mural. “We want the community to be involved at every step,” Roller said. “I want people to come paint with me.” All levels of help will be welcome.
Roller said the mural is likely to be done in panels so that it can be taken down, moved, etc. They will be 8-feet by 4-feet and there will be 10 panels, she said.
The panels should be done before mid-January, Roller said. She will add the finishing touches and it will be ready to install around Martin Luther King’s birthday in February.
Planners are on the hunt for an involved building owner willing to have the panels installed on a very visible outside wall.
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POMFRET — In their first competitive performance since November of 2019, the Pomfret School boys’ varsity soccer team earned a hard fought victory over a talented Middlesex team. It was the team’s first victory over Middlesex since 2015, 2-1.
Just four minutes into the game, Middlesex earned a penalty kick and their talented #10 stepped up and took advantage. Down 1-0 just four minutes into the match it could have been easy for Pomfret to fold, but captains Ethan Forbes, Grant Maurer, and Eumir Rodriguez picked the team’s heads up and got back to work.
Just minutes later, Fred Coulibaly, Nate Watson, and Cole Castro tested Middlesex’s defense while Devin Walcott, Declan Chapman, and Maurer connected well around the pitch but came up short.
Defense also picked up as Gerald Gao, Forbes, Rodriguez, and Henry Cattell cut off channels and dealt with long balls effectively. Goalkeeper Austin Kendig commanded his box well and came up with some nice saves on long attempts by Middlesex. Caleb White, Nick Ferrucci, and Lawrence Viola played great minutes during the half.
Six minutes into the second half attaching efforts paid off as some nice combination play from Walcott, Maurer and Watson set Coulibaly into the box. His first attempt was saved by the keeper, but he was fouled on the rebound and buried his PK into the bottom corner. The game was tied, 1-1.
Hard work kept the game poised to end 1-1 but in the game’s final three minutes, Pomfret found something extra. It started with a Middlesex counter that looked dangerous, but a great sliding challenge by Rodriguez set Pomfret on its way down the field. Some quick passing in the middle allowed the ball to get out to the right flank where Maurer and Watson combined to find Ferrucci in space. He hit a hard driven shot on net that the Middlesex keeper pushed into the path of Chapman who finished off the move and scored with a final score of 2-1, Pomfret.
By Patrick Burke
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Bright & Shiny Farmers' Market
Two types of onions at the Putnam Saturday Farmers' Market. More photos on page 4. Linda Lemmon photo.
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