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'55 Chevy 210
Jill Exley and Steve Gilman stand next to the 1924 Chevy Superior with their Best Pre-War trophy. The second car is a '30 Chevy Roadster.
1930 Model A. Expanded photo array Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photos.
Cruise -
ducks close
to record
breaking
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Perfect weather Aug. 11 brought perfect kid fun and perfect adult fun.
The Kids Zone for the Pluck-a-Duck fund-raiser was full of fun with games, crafts and the ever-popular celebrity dunk tank. The dunk tank raised more than $1,700 for Pluck-a-Duck. “Duck” tickets for the “drawing” from the secret pond sold smartly, too. Five years ago, according to chair Beth Markowski-Roop, there were 71 prizes. This year there was a record 130 prizes and final prizes. She added that 31 non-profits, in addition to the Make A Wish CT and the Putnam Business Association, were the beneficiaries of the raffle. The community really "rallied around" to support all the organizations, she said.
Also, in Rotary Park, alongside the Kids Zone and all around downtown Putnam, was the Main Street Car Cruise. Putnam Recreation Director Willie Bousquet said, conservatively, some 10,000 people attended — possibly as high as 15,000. “This rivals our top shows,” he said. He also estimated there were more than 2,000 vehicles taking part.
Putnam Police Department Captain Justin Lussier said the town used officers from Montville, Ledyard, Norwich, New London and Groton in addition to personnel from Putnam.
Trophies went to:
Best GM – Richy Bernardino; Best Ford Motor Company, Bert Berube; Best Mopar, Peter Reynolds; Best Non-Domestic, Geoff Dupont; Best Truck, Ben Maio; Best Paint, Ray Messok; Best Engine, Chad Chmura; Best Pre-War, Steven Gilman; Best Corvette, Bob Beaudry; Best Rat Rod, Donald Williams; Best Pro Street, Brett Chmura; Best Survivor, Chad Lamothe; Best Hot Rod, Shawn Densmore; Best Off Road, Richie Taylor; Best Truck Over 10K GVW, Harshaw Paving & Reclamation; Best Under Construction, Eric LeBeau; Best Jeep, Brent St. Louis; Most Likely to Outrun the Police, Jay Singer.
The winner of the Alan Joslin Award was John Cicerchia with a ’49 Ford coupe. The winner of the Tow Mater Award was Nelson Stalker.
The winner of the Mayor Award was Bob Fournier with a yellow 1956 Plymouth Belvedere convertible. Mayor Barney Seney said the restoration was spot on and he especially liked the spoke wheels. “Not too many do those anymore,” he said.
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Ana Gilchrist of the East Putnam Fire Department with an extrication tool. More photos on page 4. Expanded photo array Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photo.
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Top: Putnam FD. Right: E. Putnam FD peeling the roof back. Left: Tempered glass. More photos Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photos.
Job One: Get the victims out
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — It’s all about safe. Number one.
Getting the accident victim out of the crashed vehicle safely. And keeping the fire department personnel safe while they are doing that. That takes training.
The crowd at the recent Main Street Car Cruise watched the Putnam Fire Department and the East Putnam Fire Department demonstration of getting someone out of a crash vehicle. Two cars, donated by Mike “the Tow Guy” Paquin, were used, one for each department. The cars did not have “victims” in them.
Norm Perron, former assistant fire chief of the Putnam Fire Department, said the person trapped in the crash is the number one consideration.
The Putnam Fire Department’s Zach Belleville told spectators the departments would be removing the doors and the roof and pulling the steering wheel out through the windshield. “It won’t look like a car when we’re done.”
The process involves stabilizing the wheels, possibly flattening the tires. They break out all the tempered glass. Perron said if there were a real victim in the car, the person would be covered. Extrication tools would be used to pull off all the doors. Heavy cutting tools are used to cut through the roof pillars so firefighters can peel back the roof.
Often, he said, the victim is trapped by the dash/firewall. Therefore, personnel will use heavy equipment to push the firewall away from the victim so he can be removed.
Perron said a firefighter will be inside the car with the victim, stabilizing him. If there’s a bleeding wound, he said, a firefighter will try to stop the bleeding, “sometimes having to put a hand over it” until an EMT arrives.
East Putnam Fire Department Assistant Chief Rene Bates said firefighters never know what they will see. “You could roll up on something that looks easy and it’s not. Every situation is different,” he said.
“It could go from easy – a door pop to rolling the dash back.”
“It’s all about getting the people out,” he said. Considering all the variables presented, firefighters need to figure out the quickest way to get the victim out. That’s why they train.
Asked about the toughest accident he remembers, Bates said it was a fatal about two years ago. The driver had run into a bridge on I-395 and the firewall was all the way up against his chest. He was deceased. Crews had to roll the firewall away so they could remove the victim’s body.
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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.
July 30
Kara L. Cardinale, 34, Route 171, Woodstock; failure to respond to infraction.
Christopher M. Cardinale, 50, Route 171, Woodstock; failure to respond to infraction.
Melchor Jaimes, 46, Woodstock Avenue, Putnam; operating under the influence, operating without a license, operating without insurance, operating an unregistered motor vehicle.
July 31
Kimberly Dixon, 41, homeless; first-degree criminal trespass, interfering with an officer, assault on a police officer.
Edward Gauthier, 58, South Main Street, Putnam; creating a public disturbance.
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High Honors list
POMFRET — The spring High Honors list at Pomfret School includes: Carson Ames of Pomfret (2025), Audrey Bonaventura of Woodstock (2025, Mirabelle Cole of Brooklyn (2026), Robert Ellsworth of Eastford (2026), Mila Ganias of Woodstock (2025), Mia McCarter of Pomfret (2025), Matthew McClure of Woodstock (2025), Shepherd Wilcox of Pomfret Center (2025), Chloe Woodard of Pomfret (2025), Brody Zahansky of Pomfret Center (2025).
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