caption:
Duck Race
A payloader lent by Rawson Materials dumped the duckies into the Quinebaug. Courtesy photo.
PUTNAM — The Arc Quinebaug Valley held its 21st Annual Rubber Duckie Race Aug. 19 and grossed more than $20,000.
More than 3,600 rubber ducks sold for this Duck Race and there were also event sponsors of multiple magnitudes and community donations.
“The Arc Duck Race has been a successful fund-raiser for our agency for over 20 years due to the overwhelming support of the community. Every year that passes continues to be an ongoing struggle for nonprofits with regards to funding, therefore, fund-raisers such as this, are extremely important. We are blessed to have the support of this wonderful community and appreciate everyone believing in our mission.” said Susan M. Desrosiers, executive director of The Arc Quinebaug Valley.
Major event sponsors for this event include Putnam Bank and Renewal by Anderson. Prize sponsors were Mutual of America, Roland H. Lupien, DDS and Spirol International. Other sponsors included 85 Main, Arnio Welding, LLC, Business Systems & Incentives, Inc., Foster Corporation, Jewett City Savings Bank, NE CT Healthcare Credit Union, Inc., Putnam Ford, Inc., Putnam Plastics Corporation, The Shopper-Turnpike Corporation and Titan Energy NE.
Rubber ducks were transported by a Rawson Materials payloader and released over the bridge after a countdown cheered on by the crowd of spectators.
“Words cannot express how thankful we are at The Arc for the generosity and kindness of this community. From the sponsors, donors and businesses that provided raffle items to all of our volunteers, we truly stand united as one in a common goal to provide the best quality of life for people with disabilities. We are thankful to everyone for the opportunity to have another successful event which will help so many in need.” said Crystal Simonson, The Arc’s Community Outreach coordinator.
As the ducks drifted down the Quinebaug River, Mayor Barney Seney awaited their arrival to begin his task of plucking the first 50 ducks to cross the finish line. A multitude of businesses donated towards the 50 prize packages for this event. The first duck to cross the finish line guaranteed their ticket holder a $500 VISA gift card prize. Winner of this prize was Wayne Magao of Danielson. The rest of the top 10 winners were: Judy Rovero, Paula Zadora, Ronald Jacques, Janice Smith, Susan Gray, Matt Desaulnier, William Wolfgang, Pamela Nachtigall and Keith Mattei.
“We hope everyone had fun at The Arc’s Duck Race and Putnam’s Car Cruise. A lot of planning goes into these merged events from many different people in the community, so it is a great feeling for all when everything goes smoothly. We are very happy to be part of such an amazing day in Putnam!” said Desrosiers.
All proceeds from this fund-raiser event help to enhance services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities at The Arc Quinebaug Valley.
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By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
WOODSTOCK — Years ago Scott Selmecki joined fellow Boy Scouts to work on projects at the Woodstock Arboretum.
“They were Scouts I looked up to,” said Selmecki.
Inspired by the arboretum, Selmecki has chosen building two stone patios for the arboretum as his Boy Scout Troop 27 Eagle Project.
The patios will help preserve the two historic log patio sets at the arboretum. He said that the project site is inadequate due to poor ground cover, excessive moisture and uneven surfaces.
“Not only will this aid in the preservation of the patio set, but it will re-gentrify one of the most popular areas on the grounds, preserving it for many years to come as well as increasing the enjoyment for the project,” he added.
He will need 80 feet of 2x6 pressure-treated lumber at a cost of $65; lumber screws – already donated; 176 square feet of patio stones at a cost of $600; 1 ton stone dust; 2.5 tons of crushed stone and a stone compactor rental of $50.
He is seeking $700 total and any extra funds raised will be donated to the arboretum, he said.
Monetary donations (put “Eagle Project” in the memo section) may be made to:
Friends of Palmer Arboretum
c/o Town Hall, 415 Rt. 169
Woodstock, CT 06281
He worked on many projects at the arboretum, he said, adding: “Now that it was my turn, I wanted to follow in their steps, back where I had volunteered so many hours for their projects.”
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Aspinock seeks
$15k for Cady Copp
and Boxcar
PUTNAM — The Aspinock Historical Society of Putnam recently announced its Annual Appeal campaign, “Preserving the Past and Planning for the Future”
The goal is to raise $15,000. Proceeds will be used to continue Phase 2 of renovating the Cady-Copp cottage to make it safe for the pubic to view and a step in creating a museum of Putnam’s oldest home. Continual maintenance of the Gertrude Warner Boxcar Children’s Museum is also a goal of the Appeal.
A number of local citizens have volunteered to serve on the Campaign Leadership Team. The General Chairmen are Fran and Willie Bousquet. Assisting Fran and Willie will be Marcy Dawley as division leader for Business and Corporate donors, while Romeo Blackmar leads the Organizations division. Paul Desautels will oversee the Professional donors—lawyers, doctors, teachers and bankers. Chairing the division for Community are Al and Joyce Cormier and Roger Franklin, the division for major donors. Diane Bates chairs the division for Society members and directors.
At the initial Leadership Team meeting, the Society thanked citizens who had conducted very successful Annual Appeals in the past—Marc and Tom Archambault, Greg King, Dick Loomis, Bob Garceau, Scott Pempek, John Miller, Liz Thompson and Nelson (Buzz) King.
Putnam’s Aspinock Historical Society was founded in 1972 when a dozen citizens recognized the need to preserve our past and educate people in the area about our rich heritage. The first public event was celebrating the 200th anniversary of the raising of the Liberty Flag on the Putnam Heights green, in 1974, at which then Senator Abraham Ribicoff spoke.
Later, the Society procured a boxcar and developed it into a museum dedicated to beloved local teacher and author of The Boxcar Children series, Gertrude Chandler Warner. Each year the museum receives visitors from all over the United States. Many interesting and diverse programs have been held through the years, featuring a vast variety of topics from major themes such as the Flood of 1955 to very specific events such as the Great Putnam CT Bank Robbery. In addition to research published on specific topics, a major contribution of the Society has been its “immigrant” series which documents the main groups who have immigrated to Putnam throughout the years.
Each year, members provide tours and talks to local schools, groups and the community. Members are also called upon by the Town of Putnam to provide historical information. Members often assist students in researching information from Putnam’s past and provide resources for teachers.
The Annual Appeal for funds will guarantee that the dedicated volunteers who provide these important tasks of preserving the local history and sharing it with the community will be able to continue and expand the services of the Aspinock Historical Society of Putnam.
Main Street Car Cruise
This is a 1952 Jaguar that was part of the annual Main Street Car Cruise. More photos on page 6. Linda Lemmon photo.