Have Toys Will Travel
June Ferraro and Sofia Thurber, Putnam Rotary Club Interact Club co-presidents, journeyed to the Boston Children’s Hospital Nov. 15 to deliver more than $400 worth of toys. The Interact Club raised $205 in donations at the Great Pumpkin Festival. Sofia’s mother, Anita Thurber and grandmother, Guiapka Kostovski, generously donated another $200 toward the purchase of the toys. Victoria Ashley, program coordinator Child Life Services at Boston Children’s Hospital, thanked the club for all the toys and was amazed that adviser Roberta Rocchetti drove the club members all the way from Thompson to deliver them. From left: Victoria Ashley, Roberta Rocchetti, Sofia Thurber and June Ferraro. For more information about the Interact Club contact Roberta Rocchetti 860-933-8603.
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Calling all angels ...
POMFRET — Christ Church in Pomfret invites all local youth to participate in its annual Christmas Pageant, at 10 a.m. Dec. 22, at the Tang Center at Rectory School. Rehearsals will take place on the first three Sundays of December and there will be a mandatory dress rehearsal Dec. 21.
Typically the youngest children portray angels and shepherds; elementary-aged students are cast as animals and Roman soldiers, and speaking parts and solos are assigned to older children and teens. Teens are also encouraged to play chimes or do narration.
For more information, contact Donna Bessette, Director, at
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Pomfret running 'Let it Glow' contest
POMFRET — Pomfret’s First annual “Let it Glow Contest” will be start Dec. 6 and run through Dec. 21.
The Recreation Department is asking the community to decorate their homes and businesses for a chance to win cash prizes!
Recreation Director Carrier Wolfe said “I remember growing up and my parents driving us around to look at people’s holiday decorations. I recall how excited I got as a child looking at all the bright lights and festive decorations. I want to bring that old-fashioned excitement back to the town of Pomfret!”
Contestants should register their home or business by Dec. 4 at www.pomfretct.gov/recreation.
There will be a link for an online voting poll that will be posted on the town website at www.pomfretct.gov/recreation and on the department’s Facebook page. There will also be a paper map available at the Town Hall and a paper ballot people can fill out and mail to the Recreation office if you do not have internet access. “The Recreation Department is so grateful to have the support from the Board of Selectman to roll out this fun contest. We want to see the community light up Pomfret with their Holiday cheer,” she added.
The cash prizes: Residential: 1st place, $100; 2nd place, $75; 3rd place, $50. Business: Best overall, $100. Elves will deliver the prizes on Dec. 22.
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Retiring the military flags
You know winter is not too far off when Alan Joslin and his comrades from the local American Legion Post #13 team up with the Town of Putnam to take down the flags on the Memorial Bridge on Rt. 44.
The flags were posted back in early May and they were retired on Nov 13. Willie Bousquet and Gene Palazzo from the Town of Putnam had a bucket truck to assist and Jim Crabtree was in the bucket. The tasks involved removing 16 flags and steel flag poles (about 10-feet long) from their cast iron holsters, rolling up the flags, and placing them in a truck for transport to a local storage facility. It usually takes about 30-45 minutes to do the job.
Post #13 members who volunteered included Alan Joslin, Dave Gilbert, Garry Brown, Larry Christy, and Victor Kratz. Joslin said: “We usually replace each flag once every two years. The contant exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the sun causes the colors to fade. The flags are purchased by the American Legion, and we usually spend about $650 dollars a year on new flags.”
The Memorial Bridge is a great source of pride for Putnam’s veterans. It was built in 1938 and restored in 2015. In addition to the flags, each side of the bridge has three bronze plaques honoring Putnam’s WWI veterans. The arched bridge is very ornate. Each concrete siding is acentuated with a couple of concrete pediments topped off with an obelisk bearing a streetlamp. At the center are three raised concrete tablets bearing the bronze plaques. The center tablet is topped off with a cast concrete eyebrow. The bridge was damaged during the Flood of 1955, and one of the bronze plaques went missing, but it was recently found and returned to to the town of Putnam. According to Putnam Mayor Barney Seney, “We would like to see if the plaque can restored and reinstalled. I am not sure if that is possible – but we are looking into it.”
Linda Lemmon photos
The town's Jim Crabtree helps the American Legion post members retire the flags from the bridge.
From left: Alan Joslin, Dave Gilbert, Garry Brown, Larry Christy, and Willie Bousquet
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