Monroe Courier 9.1.11

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Due to the impact of Hurricane Irene, the printed edition of The Monroe Courier will be delayed this week.

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- Established 1962 -

16 Pages

Volume XLVIII. No. 35

Newsstand price $1

Thursday September 1, 2011

Will the
school year
ever start?
By Brad Durrell
Editor
The new school year is starting off a
bit like the last one, with acts of nature
playing a major role in adjusting the
approved calendar.
Last year, it was the frequent snowstorms that made the changes necessary. This year, it’s a hurricane that
has caused major power outages in
Monroe and many other Connecticut
towns. And it’s only the beginning of
the school year.
On Wednesday late morning it
was announced that Monroe schools
would not open until Tuesday, Sept. 6.
Monday is Labor Day.
Schools had been scheduled to start
one week earlier on Tuesday, Aug. 30,
before Hurricane Irene came along
and shut off power to four of five public schools; caused extended power
- see Schools on page 2A

Above: A tree limb hangs on a utility wire on East Village Road on Sunday
afternoon. Right top: Tom Leandres, right, of TLC Home Remodeling in
Monroe and an assistant cut up downed trees on Bug Hill Road on Monday.
Right bottom: Vehicles drive past downed trees being cut by men with chainsaws on a Monroe road on Sunday afternoon.
(Photos by Brad Durrell)

Powerless against Irene’s fury
By Brad Durrell
Editor
Gin Rummy or Monopoly by
flashlight, anyone?
How about an outdoor barbecue?
Yes, again!
Perhaps it’s time to head to the
in-laws two towns away for another
shower visit.
Or cozy up to the neighbor who
has that big generator. While it may
have seemed a bit over-the-top when
he brought it home last winter, it’s
looking pretty smart right now.

That’s been the banter around
town for much of the past week,
since Hurricane Irene paid a visit late
Saturday into Sunday afternoon.
And the most common refrain —
come on, you know it all too well
— has been, “When is our power
coming back on?”
It’s been a trying week in Monroe,
no doubt about it. Being without
power might have charm for a day or
two — all right, one day maximum
— but for 72 hours or even longer?
Forget about it.
“People are starting to get a little

more irritable,” Police Chief John L. the same boat.
Salvatore noted Tuesday morning at
He also had utility wires strung
an emergency management meeting. across his front lawn. A large tree
branch had fallen on a telephone
Change in routine
pole across the street from his house,
Without electricity, Russ Reith and snapping it in half and knocking
his family started going to bed earlier down a transformer.
than usual. “There’s little to do once
Some of the utility wires that were
the sun goes down,” Reith explained on the pole were soon lying on the
while standing in front of his Pepper ground in his yard as well as on
Street home on Monday afternoon.
the street, where vehicles routinely
Reith had no phone, no cell phone passed over them.
coverage, no lights, no TV, no comStill, the family made the best of
puter, no stove, no water...well, you the situation. “We put the barbecue
get the picture. Many people were in grill on the porch and have been

Riding from Canada
to Mexico for a cause
By Robin Walluck
Staff
Even Robert Giannini
thought riding a bicycle from
the Canadian border to the
Mexican border was a little
crazy. After all, the trip would
last more than two weeks;
traveling thousands of miles,
sometimes going days without
seeing another person.
But once he learned more
about the Tour Divide and

On The Web

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THIS WEEK ONLINE

See items not in the paper
Tour the town’s old mines and mills
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cooking outside, and had filled up
buckets with rain water,” he said of
adjusting to the primitive conditions.
“We’re making do.”
Many trees felled
Hurricane Irene, a tropical storm
by the time it reached Connecticut,
knocked out power to more
Connecticut homes than any storm in
modern history, including Hurricane
Gloria in 1985.
This taxed the ability of util- see Hurricane on page 2A

‘Big Italian cookout’
attracts many at St. Jude

found a cause to ride for, he
was game. From June to July
he rode his bike, and to date
he has raised nearly $6,000
for the Children’s Miracle
Network. He is still accepting donations on the Web site,
divideforchildren.com.
“It’s a self-supported bike
race,” said Giannini, 29, in
a phone interview from his
home in Athens, Ga. “You Former Monroe resident Robert Giannini

during his charity bike trip through the

By Brad Durrell
Editor
Shannon O’Meara and
Alexandra Moleski were about
to eat some of their favorite
festival foods.
Both from Monroe and
about to begin the ninth grade,
Shannon was holding a chocolate mousse while her friend
Alexandra had a large pretzel Ava Wacha, 5, of Monroe pre-

- see Bike on page 6A Rocky Mountain region.

Tax exemption deadlines

Deadlines are approaching for paperwork to be
filed at Town Hall for some partial property tax
exemptions. Military veterans must file original
honorable discharge papers with the town clerk
before Oct. 1, and military veterans with VA
Disability Statement should submit this document
until age 65 annually to the assessor. Also, farm
and forest land owners need to submit information. Learn more at MonroeCourier.com.

Energy assistance

pares to bite into a pizza fritta

- see Italian on page 16A at the Italian Festival.

Project Warmth, a Monroe Social Services
Department-administered program that provides
energy assistance to local residents in need, is
accepting donations. The program has helped 134
families in the past two years, with private donations being added to state and federal energy assistance funds. The money is distributed directly to
vendors. Send donations to Monroe Senior Center,
235 Cutlers Farm Road, Monroe, CT 06468.

Education ﬁlm

Race to Nowhere, a film about the cheating epidemic in schools and ways to help
youth handle it, will be shown Wednesday,
Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Masuk High School
auditorium. A discussion of the film will follow the screening. Advance tickets are $10
at http://rtnmhsamonroe.eventbrite.com;
tickets also sold at door for $15. Proceeds
go to the Masuk Parent Teacher Council.

THE MONROE COURIER, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

PAGE 2A

Health inspectors checking food safety
at establishments after power outage
By Brad Durrell
Editor
The Trumbull Monroe Health District
(TMHD) issued “a blanket order” early
this week that no restaurant in its twotown service area could open without
first having its food inspected. There
are about 100 such establishments in
Monroe and Trumbull, according to
Patrice A. Sulik, TMHD health director.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene,
Sulik said inspectors would visit all
food-serving establishments to make
sure any perishable food being served
after the power outage was delivered
after the electricity went back on.
“I can’t begin to express my concern
for someone cooking food that’s been
unrefrigerated for 24 hours,” Sulik said
at an emergency management meeting
Tuesday at Monroe Town Hall. “It’s
really a risk.”

Sulk said the concern “is a significant issue” in Monroe because all — or
almost all — of the town’s food-serving
businesses lost power for at least 24
hours. From a public health standpoint,
she said, “any food that requires refrigeration or a freezer [now] is unable to
be eaten.”
Four Monroe food establishments
had to be temporarily closed Monday
because they were serving food without
an inspection, she said.
“They’re opening without talking to
us,” said Sulik, noting part of the problem is due to communication limitations
caused by the storm and the uncertainty
about when and where power would
come back.
Restaurants will have to show health
inspectors a receipt proving the food
was purchased after the storm “or they
will have to throw it out,” Sulik said.
While she understands the economic
impact of this policy, she said it is

necessary to protect public health. “It’s
a hard line to take, but we’re talking
about an enormous risk,” she said.
Any person who has eaten at a foodserving establishment in Monroe or
Trumbull after the storm and before
power began returning should be cognizant of any unusual health issues that
arise, Sulik said.
She said it’s important the TMHD not
show any priority for one establishment
over another. She said the inspectors
also will have to check food kept at
the schools. “We need to confirm the
schools are throwing things out, too,”
she said.
As for other public health concerns, Sulik said Tuesday her office
had received few calls from the public
about septic system backups or well
problems, but that could change in the
coming days. “Our biggest issue is food
safety,” she said.

Hurricane –
Continued from page 1A
ity companies — including
Connecticut Light & Power,
which serves Monroe — to
restore power quickly. People
were told it could be three days
to a week until all power was
restored.
“The damage from this storm
was unprecedented and the restoration process may take a
week or longer in some areas,”
Jeff Butler, CL&P president,
said at the time.
Trees came down throughout
Monroe, blocking roads and
bringing down utility wires.
Some main roads were partially
closed for a day or two, and
cul-de-sacs for longer.
Most businesses were closed
Sunday and Monday. Many
people didn’t go to work
Monday because their workplaces lacked power. Town
offices were closed Monday
due to the lack of working
phones and e-mail.
Flooding generally was not a
problem in Monroe. The wind,
combined with the saturated
ground, caused the severe tree
damage. Monroe received an
estimated 7.5 inches of rain.
Soon after the storm stopped,
people flocked to the Stevenson
Dam to get a look at all the
water being released from Lake
Zoar into the Housatonic River
below.
Three fire stations had been
kept open during the storm as
emergency centers, and the
Monroe Senior Center was
opened as an overnight shelter. A handful of people stayed
there Saturday night.
First Selectman Stephen J.
Vavrek had declared a state of
emergency in the hours before
the storm’s arrival, urging people to stay off the roads until
at least Monday. Most people
stayed home Sunday.
Town public works crews
then began coordinating with
CL&P crews so tree debris
could be removed and damaged
utility wires repaired.
“Everyone is working,
but there’s a lot of stuff to
do,”`Public Works Director
Doug Arndt said Monday.
“There are localized areas
in town where a substantial
amount of trees fell.”
By Tuesday, town facilities
were being opened for public
showers and to provide water.

small branches and raking
leaves. The sound of chainsaws also could be heard, for
those who had large branches
or complete trees come down
in their yards.
While most roads were open
to traffic by then, yellow police
tape and detours signs could
be found around town in spots.
Lights weren’t working at intersections, so temporary stops
signs had to be put up.
One place where there was a
sigh of relief after the hurricane
was on Flint Ridge Road. Flash
flooding has become a frequent
problem on the road, near West
Maiden Lane, and they were
prepared for the worse. But it
wasn’t that bad.
“I think it’s because the rain
was spread out over a period of
time,” said Flint Ridge Road
resident Bill Lennon, who lost
the asphalt in part of his driveway to flooding earlier this
year.
Lennon is waiting for the
town to come up with a plan to
solve the drainage problem on
the street.
Dave Cusa was out raking up
debris in his nearby yard, with
help from daughter, Lillian, 8.
“We had a big one split in the
back,” said Cusa, pointing to
a damaged tree in the woods
behind his house. “I heard it
crack at 3 a.m.”
“Be patient”
As the week moved on, more
people began getting their
power back. About 90% of the
town had been without electricity in the hours immediately
after the storm.
Vavrek said while the situation
was difficult for people without
electricity — this included his
household — everyone needed
to keep in mind that the power
eventually was going to come
back on.
“I’m telling people to be
patient,” he said. “Everyone is
going to get through this.”
The challenges also brought
out the best in people in town,
according to Vavrek. “There’s
been a real sense of community spirit, with people helping
neighbors,” he said.
One of the more unusual consequences of the storm was lost
sheep in Monroe. “We’ve been
finding sheep all over the place
— three of them,” Police Capt.
Michael R. Flick said Tuesday.

Note: The town will not be
accepting storm debris such
Cleaning up
as tree parts, leaves, etc.
Monday was a cleanup day until next week at the earlifor many Monroe residents. est. Look for announcements at
They could be seen in their MonroeCourier.com.
yards picking up sticks and

Schools –
Continued from page 1A
outages for a majority of households in town; and knocked
down hundreds of trees and
tree branches in and near roads
that would make bus pickups a
challenge.
The changes in the school
calendar, while beyond anyone’s control, are obviously
affecting the schedules of many
Monroe families. Young children who were supposed to be
in school for much of the day
have instead required daytime
supervision.
“Safety issues are our primary concern before we consider opening schools,” Interim
School Superintendent John
Goetz said. “Restoring emergency fire systems, food disposal, and the ability to safely
run buses down roads that may
be only partially open are some
of our many concerns.”
Masuk High School never
lost power in the weekend hurricane, and the electricity at

From the top: A fallen tree
blocks the entrance to
Hammertown Road from
Route 111. The top of a
telephone pole hangs on a
wire on Pepper Street; the
pole snapped when part of
a large tree landed on it,
bringing down the transformer. Dave Cusa and his
daughter, Lillian, 8, rake
leaves and branches from
their yard on West Maiden
Lane. A man takes a photo
of the water pouring out of
the Stevenson Dam on late
Sunday afternoon.
(Photos by Brad Durrell)

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FAMILY FUN
DAY!

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at the MONROE
FARMERS’ MARKET

Friday, September 2 ��Monroe Town Green ��3–6pm

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Monroe Elementary came back
on Monday night. Fawn Hollow
Elementary, Jockey Hollow and
Stepney Elementary all went
longer without power.
Goetz said the storm did not
cause any major damage to
school facilities in town. “We
are pleased to say that all of
our buildings do not show any
structural damage,” he said
after the storm.
“While we do have buildings
with some roof leaks and some
trees have fallen, damaging
fences and playground equipment, no significant damage
has occurred,” Goetz said.
The new STEM Academy, a
specialized public school focusing on science for middle school
students, had been scheduled to
open one day in advance of all
other schools, for a student orientation. The advance opening
then was canceled in advance
due to predictions about the
coming hurricane.
St. Jude School, a parochial
school in town, follows the
public school calendar.

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www.monroefarmersmarket.org /family-fun
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THE MONROE COURIER, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

PAGE 3A

Police News
Crosswalk DUI

Family farmers
P.J. Pane, left, and his grandfather, John Pane, sell fresh produce from Pondview
Farm in Monroe at the weekly Monroe Farmers’ Market, held Fridays from 3 to
6 p.m. in front of Town Hall. The farm on Barn Hill Road is run by Lisa and Phil
Pane, P.J.’s parents, and grows vegetables such as eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, peppers and corn. It also is known for its Christmas trees.

Flags to be placed at Stepney Green
to remember the victims of 9/11
The Save Our Stepney Task Force (SOS)
will place 2,977 small white flags on
Monroe’s Stepney Green in remembrance
of those who perished in the terrorist attacks
on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon,
and United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in
Shanksville, Pa.
The flags, along with a temporary reflection pool, will be installed on the Green to
commemorate the 10th year anniversary of
9/11.
The 9/11 memorial installation will begin
Saturday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m. and will remain
on the Green until Saturday, Sept. 17. In
addition to the flags, a reflection pool will be
inside the gazebo with candles that members
of the community can light and float in the
water.
On Saturday and Sunday evenings, luminaria will be placed around the gazebo. The
Stepney Baptist Church will ring church bells

at the time of each attack.
The public is invited to visit the memorial,
but no official ceremony is scheduled. Those
who wish to help with the 9/11 Memorial
installation should plan to arrive at the
Stepney Green on Sept. 10 at 3 p.m.
In 2001, in the immediate aftermath of the
9/11 attacks, SOS had installed small red,
white and blue flags on the Stepney Green.
“Today, it only seems appropriate that we
re-create a version of the memorial again, so
as to never forget those who lost their lives
in the attack,” said Joel Leneker, task force
president.
The SOS works to preserve and enhance
the historic and natural features in the Stepney
neighborhood. The group meets on the third
Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m.
Donations to help defray the cost of the
memorial are welcomed. Call Joel Leneker
at 203-268-0247 for information.

Monroe Knights to honor
Frank Flynn at Oct. 1 dinner

Tirade and drugs

A Shelton woman was charged Aug. 27 with
third-degree criminal mischief and disorderly
conduct after she allegedly threw a lamp on the
floor and kicked a door at a Monroe home.
Tara Salamacha, 19, of 201 Lenore St.,
Shelton, also was charged with possession of
narcotics when cocaine powder`was allegedly found in a wallet in her purse. Bond was
$500.
Police said Salamacha went to a relative’s
home and began breaking items. Later, when
officers searched her purse, marijuana and
cocaine were found, according to the report.

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Seven beers

Assault with a car

Pizza driver gets stuck

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The following property transfers are copyrighted material
previously published in the Commercial Record, a weekly trade
paper. It is reprinted with permission from the publisher, The
Warren Group, thewarrengroup.com.

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A Southington woman was charged Aug.
25 with driving under the influence of alcohol
or drugs based on a warrant from a July 16
incident.
Bond was $500 for Beth Waluk, 33, of
37 Faye Lane, Southington. Waluk also was
charged with driving the wrong way on a oneway street in a construction zone, and failure to
drive in the proper lane.
Police said Waluk had been involved in a
car accident on Brook Street and was taken to
a hospital. An arrest warrant was secured after
police obtained her medical records.

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Property Transfers

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DUI accident

An Ansonia man was charged Aug. 26 at
about 1 a.m. with driving under the influence
of alcohol or drugs.
Bond was $500 for Jonathan London, 22,
of 12 Charters Road, Ansonia. He also was
charged with failure to drive in the proper
lane.
Police said London was pulled over on
Route 111 because his vehicle was swerving
in the road. He smelled of alcohol and told
officers he was coming from a friend’s house
and had drank seven beers, according to the
report. He was given both field sobriety and
A Fairfield man was charged Aug. 26 with Breathalyzer tests.
second-degree assault with a motor vehicle and
driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
based on a June 26 car accident.
Timothy Philbin, 21, of 135 Margemere
A pizza delivery person’s vehicle became
Drive, Fairfield, was released on a written stuck in a customer’s driveway on Aug. 13 at
promise to appear in court. He turned himself about 7:30 p.m.
in based on a warrant.
The driver, a 17-year-old male, called police
Police said Philbin had been taken to a hos- after his vehicle became stuck in Belgian
pital after the car accident. He was arrested blocks when he was attempting to turn around
after medical records from that hospital stay in the Horizon Court driveway.
were obtained by police. Details of the acciThe vehicle eventually was put on the road
dent were not available.
again with private assistance. Fire personnel
also responded to the scene.

A press release stated that
Flynn “works tirelessly for the
success of parish and council events,” and played a key
role in the establishment and
maintenance of the council’s
Web site.
The event will begin with
a social hour, followed at 8
by dinner. For reservations
($40 per person) call committee members Pete D’Ostilio at
203-261-0593, or Tom Pleva
at 203-261-8377.

MONROE
19 Chadwick Court, Scott and Jennifer A. Malmberg to
Joseph N. and Linda R. Lapine, $570,000.
41 Chadwick Court, Glen M. and Kerry L. Donovan to
Raymond A. and Tammy S. Newsom, $569,000.
52 Gay Bower Road, John P. Ireland and Jeanne M. Ureland
to Jennifer E. and Craig S. Garvey, $345,000.
34 Great Hollow Road, Margaret R. Goldstein to Michael
Batsu, $495,000.
41-43 Grindstone Lane, Kelly A. Sicilia to Marie Nichols
and Evelyn Dejesus, $710,000.
79 Grist Mill Road, Theodore G. Stastny to Michael and
Tracy Kusick, $662,500.
10 Nutmeg Circle, Unit 10, Lisa Fiedler to Uliana Demelio,
$200,000.
124 Osborn Lane, Helen Labowsky to Vito and Arlene A.
Renda, $356,000.
357 Wheeler Road, Mary L. Lisi to Francis X. Fitzpatrick,
$250,000.
52 William Henry Drive, Tammy L. Pappa and Norman L.
Cotrona to Flavia A. Zaffina, $454,500.
204 Windgate Circle, Unit B, Jerry Shulman to Donna B.
Katz, $232,000.

A Stratford woman told police Aug. 24 that
$1,792 of unauthorized charges had been made
with her business credit card.
The woman said she had opened the credit
card account when she owned a business in
Monroe, which she then sold to someone who
had a spouse with the same name as her.
Police said the new owner said the charges
were made by his spouse and appear to have
been charged to the former owner’s account,
and he is looking into the matter so it can be
rectified.
The complainant said she is worried about
her credit rating being negative impacted.

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The local Knights of
Columbus will recognize
Frank Flynn of Monroe as
Knight of the Year at its annual
awards dinner Saturday, Oct.
1, at 7 p.m. at the Stone Barn
at Whitney Farms.
Flynn is being recognized by
the Blessed Pope John XXIII
Council No. 5987 Knights of
Columbus for his many years
of dedicated service to the
Knights and to St. Jude’s parish.

A Monroe man was arrested Aug. 26 at
about 9:15 p.m. for driving under the influence
of alcohol and drugs and other charges after
he allegedly failed to stop for pedestrians at a
crosswalk despite an officer’s signal.
Darren Loux, 38, of 27 Wells Road was also
charged with disobeying an officer’s signal,
failure to grant the right-of-way to a pedestrian
in a walkway, and driving while using a cell
phone.
Police said Loux’s vehicle approached a
Route 111 crosswalk for the St. Jude Italian
Festival when an officer motioned for him to
stop, but he kept driving. Pedestrians reportedly had to stop walking to avoid a collision.
The officer was able to get the vehicle’s
license plate and another officer later pulled
over Loux, also on Route 111. However, after
Loux pulled his vehicle into a retail lot, he
walked inside a pizza parlor instead of waiting
for the officer to approach his vehicle, police
said.
He smelled of alcohol, slurred his words,
had glassy eyes and admitted he had been
drinking, according to the report. Loux was
given a field sobriety test but refused to take a
Breathalyzer test.

Not my charges

Opinion
Thursday September 1, 2011
Published weekly by Hersam Acorn Newspapers, LLC
Brad Durrell, Editor .................................... 203-402-2313
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Martin V. Hersam, Chief Operating Ofﬁcer
Thomas B. Nash, Publisher
Mary Anne Hersam, Vice President of Sales
Rick Diamond, Founder

ba

News releases, letters and other correspondence may be
e-mailed to: [email protected]
or dropped off at Monroe Town Hall.
Editorial and Advertising ofﬁces:
1000 Bridgeport Avenue, Shelton, CT 06484
203-926-2080 or 800-843-6791
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Yearly subscription: $19.00. Out of County: $38.00

Editorial

I

On the lines

t’s been a trying week for most of southwestern
Connecticut. Some lost houses as Hurricane
Irene ripped ashore Sunday. Some were moved
to shelter.
Houses suffered wind and water damage. Some
were destroyed. More have been without power, and
could still be in the dark for days.
It’s not easy. But it could be worse.
Irene, at last count, took the lives of 40 people on
the East Coast, two of whom lived in Connecticut.
None were in this immediate area.
Most of the cleanup involves removing trees and
power lines, and restoring electrical service. It’s
not an easy task. Power must be turned off to safely
remove trees and debris. Poles and lines must be
rebuilt and reinstalled. The system then needs to be
turned back on safely.
But impatience takes hold. The minute the rain
stopped Sunday, some took to the street on foot or
in car, driving under and over wires that likely were
still energized, searching for a utility truck, any utility truck, working to restore power to their neighborhood, their house.
Complaints start within minutes. “Why aren’t
the roads open?” “Where are the power company
crews? I don’t see anyone out there.”
Never mind that winds remained strong, and hazards lurked around every corner. Those who would
not work outside, especially in rain and wind, want
to know why others are not doing it for their beneﬁt.
Crews are doing the best they can as quickly
as they can. Linemen and others are working long
hours in potentially hazardous situations, away
from their families, homes and beds as long until all
power is restored.
Give the crews on the lines time to get the job
done safe. No one needs to die so someone else can
check Facebook.

A

In the dark

s Hurricane Irene approached, a gag posting
made the rounds on Facebook. It offered,
tongue-in-cheek, tips for facing the prospect
of actually having to speak face-to-face with people
if Internet and text message access were to be lost
due to the storm.
The posting got more than a few chuckles, yet
like any good joke struck a chord. We have become
masters at communicating from the safe haven behind the screen, atop a keyboard. Some of us rarely
have conversations, even with those with whom we
make a home.
Days of darkness in the storm’s aftermath have
forced us to ﬁnd pastimes that don’t require electricity, games that don’t involve trading with online
friends, and maybe taking a new look at things we
take for granted.
Feeling more free to wander in darkened neighborhoods, deer and other wildlife cross streets and
graze in yards under the moonlight. Absent artiﬁcial
light, humans can gaze skyward and see stars in a
new brightness, as layer upon layer of the vastness
in which we live come into focus.
It’s not enjoyable to be without electricity, and the
convenience it brings, for days. But it can afford an
opportunity to do and see things in a new light, or
lack thereof.

Letters Policy
We welcome letters from our readers. Please limit your letter
to 500 words and include a daytime phone number in case we
have a question. We will not publish letters that are libelous or in
poor taste, and we reserve the right to edit letters.
E-mail your letters to: [email protected].
Deadline is Monday at 10 a.m.

Monroe’s first school bus drivers
Monroe school bus drivers independently owned their buses in 1935, when this photo was taken. The bus drivers made twice as much as the average teacher’s salary of $85 a month, but they had to buy, insure and gas
up their own buses for the routes to Bridgeport for high school students and all around town to bring younger
students to the Monroe Consolidated School (formed to replace all the one-room schoolhouses, which were
auctioned to raise funds to buy supplies for the new school). (Photo courtesy of Monroe Historical Society)

Columns

Selfishness vs. heroic virtue in times of trouble

W

hat has always
frightened me about
disasters, beyond
the magnitude of destruction
and the loss of life and property, is that while they can
bring out the best in us, they
often bring out the worst.
They can open the tiny
portals into our souls, and
in microscopic moral detail,
reveal us to be either selfless
people or selfish people.
Sometimes I shudder when
I see what I’m really all
about. Instead of courage,
there’s cowardice. Instead of
caring for others, I’m caring
for me.
A crisis can magnify our
character so much that acts of
compassion and kindness are
elevated to what saint-watchers call “heroic virtue,” while
acts of greed and self-interest
are shown for what they truly
are, classical evil.
The examples are many.
A store owner price-gouges
because people are rushing to
buy water and food. After all,
he reasons, everyone has to
make a buck.
An old man struggles down
the stairs to escape an office
building during an earth-

A

couldn’t deny that it illuminated my selfishness in a very
painful way.
Did I Say That? I’m reminded of that parBy Joe Pisani able of the Good Samaritan,
where two people walk by the
quake, and scores of people
traveler who had been beaten
rush by him while one or two and robbed and left for dead.
pause to help, but then even
To their thinking, they had
they abandon him to save
good reasons to keep walkthemselves.
ing.
Amid the hysteria and
However, when you’re the
turmoil, maybe one person
one lying by the side of the
makes the sacrifice and
road, watching the parade of
stays with him to her own
passersby look the other way,
peril. Meanwhile, the rest of
it can lead you to despair.
us with shaky consciences
There were examples like
breathe a sigh of relief
that during Hurricane Irene,
because someone is doing
in the supermarket aisles,
what we know we should
at the gas station lines, and
have done but were too afraid in the flooded areas where
to do.
people were stranded.
As the hurricane approachAnd yet, sometimes goodes, a car with a mother and
ness still shines through,
children is stranded on the
and it can be an inspiration
side of the highway, and she for all of us — most espewaves for help, but motorcially 10 years ago on 9/11,
ists pass by because they
when terrorists hijacked four
have their own lives to worry jet airliners and slammed
about.
them into the Twin Towers,
On the occasions that I’ve the Pentagon and a field in
been the one to pass by some- Pennsylvania.
one in need, I’ve thought in a
That day, there were many
moment of self-deception that heroes who acted with excepit didn’t necessarily make me tional grace. Some thwarted
a bad person, even though I
the terrorists who intended to

On the occasions
that I’ve been the
one to pass by
someone in need,
I’ve thought in a
moment of
self-deception
that it didn’t
necessarily make
me a bad person.
slam a jet plane into the U.S.
Capitol, and many more
rushed into the World Trade
Center while everyone else
was rushing out.
They were ordinary men
and women who found that
thing called “heroic virtue”
inside themselves when the
world needed it most.
Joe Pisani can be reached
at [email protected].

Peanut — more than a nut, especially at 3 a.m.

couple of months ago
my husband and I
adopted a kitten from
a local animal rescue group.
Our decision to adopt one
was based on a simple, but
very compelling premise:
Cats are self-reliant, and as
pets go, they are somewhat
low maintenance.
We therefore hypothesized
that getting a kitten would
create very little havoc in our
lives. Oh, to be naïve again.
We ended up adopting a
black kitten with large green
eyes and a tail that seemed to
go on forever. In comparison
to other kittens her age, she
was also one of the smallest,
hence the name we selected
for her: Peanut.
Just one look at that tiny,
little ball of fur, and I was
hooked.
Truth be told, it doesn’t
take much for an animal, any
animal, to turn my heart into
mush. The other night, my
husband and I were watching
TV.
Suddenly, a commercial
for the American Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals (ASPCA) came
on. Instead of watching
Iron Chefs battling it out

Life Happens

By Soraya Bilbao-Kuo

in Kitchen Stadium, we sat
staring at shivering little
Chihuahuas, kittens with tiny
leg casts, and puppies peering
through steel cages with sad,
little puppy eyes.
In a matter of seconds, I
was bawling my eyes out as
if someone had just killed
my cat. Try as I may, I just
couldn’t stop.
The first time this happened, my husband was pretty
much blindsided. One minute
we are both enjoying a nice,
quiet evening at home, and
the next, he is searching the
house for extra boxes of tissues to replenish my rapidly
dwindling supply.
After his second encounter
with these indoor downpours
from yours truly, he figured
out a way to keep the tears
from coming.
As soon as an ASPCA
commercial comes on, he
lunges for the remote control,
and in a flash he changes the
channel.
His channel-changing

reflexes have become so good
that I’m usually left wondering if in fact I had just seen
and heard the commercial in
question. When asked, my
husband casually responds,
“Nope.”
Anyway, back to Peanut. It
wasn’t until we brought her
home that certain feline characteristics began poking holes
at our original theory — you
know, the one about cats and
the no-havoc bit.
For one, cats are nocturnal creatures. Peanut was kind
enough to remind us of this
little factoid sometime around
3 a.m. on the first night she
spent at our home, and thereafter.
While we were trying to
catch some zzz’s, she spent
her time lurking throughout
the house, trying to actually catch something. Note to
would-be cat owners: Hands
and feet dangling off beds are
fair game.
Another aspect of kitty life
which slowly began chipping away at our “no-havoc”
premise is that 9-week-old
kittens are jam-packed with
enough energy to power
downtown New York City.
For stretches at a time,

Peanut races throughout the
house, evoking her innercheetah, with eyes disturbingly dilated as if she had
just sniffed a little too much
catnip, if you know what I
mean.
These feline sprints
wouldn’t be so bad if she
made just a little effort not
to run us over on a regular
basis. I could somewhat
understand this happening
when we unwittingly walk in
front of her race path.
However, I must draw the
line when she uses me as a
launch pad to higher grounds
as I’m lying on the couch
reading a book.
Peanut’s nutty, pre-dawn
drive-bys are costing us much
needed sleep. Now, at around
the 2 p.m. mark, we turn into
walking zombies at work
while she takes her cat naps
under the warmth of the sun
rays that shine through our
living room windows.
And to think we thought
kittens were havoc-proof.
Silly us.
To reach Soraya BilbaoKuo, visit her blog at thehappypen.blogspot.com.

THE MONROE COURIER, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

PAGE 5A

Obituaries

Dr. James David Garrity
Dr. James David Garrity, 80, of Stratford, a
family practice physician in Monroe for more
than 40 years, died Aug. 25, at St. Vincent’s
Medical Center. He was the husband of Anne
O’Neill Garrity,
Son of the late Walter and Mary (Bannon)
Garrity, he was born Sept. 16, 1930 in
Bridgeport.
Dr. Garrity was a graduate of Fairfield
College Preparatory School (winner of
the first four-year academic scholarship),
Fairfield University, and received his medical
degree from Georgetown University School of
Medicine. He served his country as a senior
assistant surgeon for the U.S. Public Health
Service at the Kiawa Hospital in Lawton, OK.
He then was a family practice physician in
Monroe for more than 40 years.
Dr. Garrity was an active member of the
medical staff at St. Vincent’s, where he met
his wife of 53 years, Anne, during his residency and her nursing training. He was an
assistant medical examiner for Fairfield and
New Haven counties, police and fire department surgeon, town health officer, police
commissioner, and physician for numerous
school and town sports teams.
Dr. Garrity was a devout Catholic, and was
a former member of St. Jude’s RC Church in
Monroe. He also was a communicant at St.
Mark’s RC Church in Stratford.

Besides his wife, he is survived by his children and their families, Bridget (Lawrence
Sweeney) of Morris; Moira (Karen Takeda)
of Bristol, Vt.; James D. Jr. (Nancy Juda)
of Bethesda, Md.; Timothy of Atlanta, Ga.;
Sheilagh (Lisa Rowley) of McBee, S.C.; Peter
(Karen) of Wrentham, Mass.; and Christopher
of Somerset, Mass.
Also, his grandchildren Celia, Connor,
Christopher, Simon, Ruth, Timothy, Meghan,
Peter, Sean, and Katy; great-grandchildren,
Jake and Ben; sisters-in-law, Doris Garrity of
Fairfield; Marilyn Garrity of Scituate, Mass.;
Maureen O’Neill Kocher of Boca Raton, Fla.;
Jean O’Neill of Stratford; brother-in-law, Peter
O’Neill (Alice) of New Cumberland, Pa.;
daughters-in law, Gail Marks of Willimantic,
and Bonnie Norman of Bethesda, Md.; many
nieces and nephews; the extended Garrity and
O’Neill clan; and many friends.
He also was predeceased by his brothers,
John, Walter and Joseph; his office assistant, Peg Dolzani; and his youngest daughter,
Katie.
Redgate-Hennessy Funeral Home, Main
Street and Gorham Place, Trumbull, handled
arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to St.
Mark Church Organ Fund or memorial masses
may be said for Dr. Garrity.
Online condolences: redgatehennessy.com.

Shirley Anne Beninco Ryan
Shirley Anne Beninco Ryan, 76,
of Southbury, formerly of Trumbull,
wife of the late Joseph M. Ryan,
died Aug. 26, at St. Mary’s Hospital.
Her son, Gregory and his wife,
Rosemarie Ryan, live in Monroe.
Mrs. Ryan was born in Bridgeport,
and was a longtime Trumbull resident before moving to Southbury.
She was a Lauralton Hall graduate. An avid bowler, she also was a member
of the Bocce Club at Heritage Village. Her
favorite pastime was spending time with her
family and grandchildren, her family said.
Survivors include her children, Glenn and
his wife, Sherry Ryan of Florida, Sharon and
her husband, Richard Giardini Sr. of Shelton,
Gregory and his wife, Rosemarie Ryan of

Monroe, and Claudia and her husband, Art Fiore III of Southbury;
one sister, Diane and her husband
Donald Smith of Trumbull and
Ronald and his wife, Susan Beninco
of Bridgeport; eight grandchildren,
Richard Giardini Jr., Jillian Giardini,
Kevin Giardini, Shaun Ryan, Katie
Ryan, Artie Fiore, Jenna Fiore, and
Nicholas Fiore; and many nieces and
nephews.
Cyril F. Mullins Trumbull Funeral Home,
399 White Plains Road, handled arrangements. Burial in Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may made to the
Melanoma Research Foundation, 1411 K. St.,
NW Suite 500, Washington DC, 20005.
Online condolences: mullinsfh.com.

Monroe residents join United Way board
Four Monroe residents have been named to
the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County
board of directors for the 2011-12 fiscal year.
They are Eric Stone, vice chairman; Mark
Barnhart, secretary; Anita Gliniecki and Brian
Griffin.
The local United Way serves 12 municipalities in Fairfield County, including Monroe.
The nonprofit agency focuses its efforts on
education, financial stability and health.
Stone is a regional vice president of
Enterprise Rent-a-Car in Wilton. He oversees 45 Enterprise offices and locations in
Fairfield, New Haven and lower Westchester
(N.Y.) counties. He served two consecutive
years as United Way campaign chairman.
Barnhart is community and economic development director for the town of Fairfield,

working on business development, neighborhood revitalization and affordable housing.
He also co-chairs the local United Way’s
Community Impact and Investment Strategy
Committee on Income.
Gliniecki is president of Housatonic
Community College. She previously was dean
of nursing at St. Clair Community College in
Michigan. Gliniecki also serves on the United
Way’s Education Panel.
Brian Griffin is vice president of the Greater
Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, where he
oversees programs, communications, marketing and operations.
The local United Way works to help people
secure a quality education that leads to a stable job, income that can support a family, and
good health. Learn more at unitedwaycfc.org.

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Gerald Edward “Jerry” Sacknoff,
54, of Naugatuck, formerly of
Monroe, died Aug. 21 at home.
Son of Burton and Margaret
Sacknoff of Brooklyn, formerly of
Monroe, he was born May 5, 1957 at
his home in Pomona, Calif.
Mr. Sacknoff graduated from
Masuk High School. He worked for
the Coca-Cola Company in Stamford,
in charge of their computer support area.
He loved baseball and was an avid N.Y.
Mets fan. He also enjoyed collecting sports
memorabilia. He loved country music and
other popular music.
Besides his parents, survivors include his
sisters, Joy Mark of Storrs; Carol Coley and

her husband, David of Colombia,
Conn.; Donna of New Orleans,
La.; nieces and nephews, Molly,
Brian, Adam, Rachel and Kelly; his
girlfriend of many years, Roseanna
Tan; his pets, Max and KC; and
many friends.
Gagnon and Costello Funeral
Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson,
handled arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to the
American Diabetes Association, 306 Industrial
Park Road, Suite 105 Middletown, CT 06457;
or Mayo Clinic Department of Development,
200 First St., SW Rochester, MN 55905.
Light a virtual candle at gagnonandcostellofh.com.

Patricia Ann (Carey) Puskar
Patricia Ann (Carey) Puskar,
78, of Fairfield, wife of the late
Michael Puskar, died Aug. 24. Her
son, Thomas Puskar, and his wife,
Donna, live in Monroe.
Born in Bridgeport, she was the
daughter of the late James and
Catherine Kelley Carey.
During her life she worked as a
bookkeeper in several businesses in
Bridgeport before becoming the owner of
Dover Tool, Inc.
Mrs. Puskar was a member of the Rosary
Confraternity and St. Andrew’s Parish. She
was active in her church community and choir
for many years. She loved music, singing, and
playing the piano.
Patricia was a wonderful person who lived
a joy filled life surrounded by her family and
friends, her family said. She opened her home
to everyone including a number of foreign
exchange students over the years. She spent
time in her golden years enjoying the Gulf
of Mexico from her beach home. Here again

kindness and generosity were her
constant companions as she shared
her many blessings with others.
Survivors include her son,
Thomas Puskar, and his wife,
Donna, of Monroe; her daughter,
Cathy Switzer, and her husband,
Wayne, of Stephens City, Va.; her
son, John Puskar of Colchester,
Vt.; three sisters, Lorraine (Kish)
Whipple, of Newport, Vt., Mary Lazo, of
the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, Elaine
Drawe, of Cummington, Mass.; six grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
She also was predeceased by two siblings,
Kathleen Cole and Robert Carey.
Lesko & Polke Funeral Home, 1209 Post
Road, Fairfield, handled arrangements. Burial
in Mountain Grove Cemetery of Easton.
Memorial contributions may be made to
Hospice at Home- VNS of CT, 40 Lindeman
Drive, Trumbull, CT 06611.
Online condolences: leskopolkefuneralhome.com.

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Gerald Edward “Jerry” Sacknoff

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THE MONROE COURIER, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

PAGE 6A

GAMES students from Monroe
present workshop at national conference
Students from the GAMES program
in Monroe presented a workshop at
the 25th National Council on Problem
Gambling conference in Boston on July
1.
The presentation by members of
Gambling Awareness of Monroe
through Educating our Students, titled
“Generation Z: A Youth to Youth Model
of Gambling Awareness,” received a
standing ovation from the audience.
The conference highlighted the latest
innovations in the problem gambling
prevention field and was attended by
some of the nation’s most prominent
problem gambling experts. It has been
described as “the largest conference on
problem gambling in the world.”
Student presenters included Molly
Chirunomula, Emily Gutelius, Chloe
Johnson, Clark Johnson and Jasmine
Pierce. Their program was prepared
under the guidance of Laura Ferrante
Fernandes and Jan Laster, founders and
advisers of the GAMES program.
During the presentation, GAMES
members recounted the highlights of
11 years of work, including visits to
the Monroe Senior Center, assemblies

Bike –
Continued from page 1A
carry all of your stuff and you
aren’t allowed to have any
help from anyone.”
Giannini grew up in Monroe,
attending Chalk Hill and Fawn
Hollow schools, and then
Fairfield College Preparatory
School. His parents still live
in town; his mother’s family
owns McGowan’s Pizza.
The Tour Divide takes riders
on Great Divide Route, going
from Montana to New Mexico
and near the Continental
Divide.
He took the ride with a
friend. Although they weren’t
allowed to ask for help from
anyone that other riders didn’t
have access to, he was just
glad to have company during
the 2,700-mile trek.
It took him 17 days, leaving
on June 10. He averaged about
155 miles a day during this
time, riding about 16 hours.
He followed a map given out
by the race officials.
“It was definitely far harder
than I had imagined,” Giannini
said.
The bicycle he rode was
a professional mountain bike,
and his gear — which included a sleeping bag and down
jacket — weighed 50 pounds.
He said it was almost impossible to train for the ride — but
they tried to do three- to fourday trips, averaging about 100
miles a day.
“I’ve raced bikes in one
form or another all around the
world for the majority of my
life,” Giannini said.

Members of Monroe’s GAMES student program, including adult advisers,
at the National Council on Problem Gambling conference in Boston.
for freshmen health classes featuring a
gambling addict in recovery, the integration of GAMES principles into standard Board of Education curricula, and
various projects with state’s Problem
Gambling Services division, Connecticut
Lottery and other organizations.
The new local Web site gamblingawareness.org has been launched, along
with a video created to encourage other
school systems to create programs similar to GAMES.

During a prevention showcase after
the presentation, GAMES members
were invited to work with other schools
on prevention programs and to attend
future conferences, including one at
Disneyland in California.
They were approached by conference
attendees from Delaware to Singapore
during the showcase. They made other
professional contacts by touring the
other exhibits at the event.

Recreation Notes
Monroe Parks and Recreation
7 Fan Hill Road
Monroe, CT 06468
monroerec.org
203-452-2806

Juniors, ages 6-8, 4- 5 p.m., $99*
ley, and court positioning. Cost is $99 per session for residents, $109 for non-residents. InterJuniors, ages 9-11, 5- 6 p.m., $99*
Minimum of 3, maximum of 20
mediate classes, 7 to 8 p.m.; player can keep the
Adults, low intermediate, 6-7 p.m., $125*
ball in play, can hit with some spin, can serve,
Adults, Intermediate, 7-8 p.m., $125*
volley, and rally consistently. Cost is $99 for
residents, $109 for non-residents.
Minimum of 3, maximum of 10
Participants need their own racquet; racquets
Low intermediate: Player is starting to keep
Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays —
available for sale through instructors. Call 203- the ball in play, is learning to serve, can volley,
Last home game of the season, Sunday, Sept.
640-1724 or 203-414-9453; online registration and learning court positioning.
18. Bus departs Chalk Hill School, 375 Fan Hill
Intermediate: Player can keep ball in play
at monroect.org.
Road, at 10 a.m. and returns at 7:30 p.m. Seats
consistently, hit with some spin, can serve, and
are in the Grandstand 7 Section. Tickets will be
Baby-sitting training — Red Cross instruc- volley consistently.
organized according to the number of tickets
All participants need their own racquet or
tor
teaches students 10 to 15 years old how to
sold per family. If number of tickets sold is less
racquets available for sale through instructors.
than 15, then the pickup will be either in North take care of infants and children, make deciMonroe Parks & Recreation welcomes Greg
Haven or Stratford; participants will be notiﬁed sions, solve problems, handle emergency injuSansonetti and his adult staff in his ﬁrst season.
ries
and
illness,
handle
accidents,
and
learn
the
prior to the trip. Cost is $95 for residents, $105
Based in Fairﬁeld County, Sansonetti has over
non-residents and includes ticket and transpor- tools of becoming good role models, Saturday,
15 years worth of tennis teaching experience.
Sept.
17,
9
a.m.-3:30
p.m.,
Chalk
Hill
School.
tation.
On tennis programs, call Lorraine at 203Students should bring a snack and/or lunch that
does not require refrigeration; $95 residents, 640-1724 or Greg at 203-414-9453. Online regFall adult tennis — Four-week sessions
istration is available at www.monroect.org.
$105 non-residents.
Sept. 7-28 for ages 16 and older; rain date is
*Non-resident fee is additional $10 per
Various ages fall tennis — Wednesdays,
Oct. 5. Clinics will be held at Wolfe Park. Low
Sept. 7-Oct. 19 (ﬁve-week session), Wolfe course.
Intermediate classes, 6-7 p.m. Player is starting
Park. Weather-related make-up, Oct. 26:
to keep the ball in play, learning to serve, volPee Wees, ages 3-5, 3:30-4 p.m., $69*

Journey of discovery
This race was different than
anything he had done before.
“It’s really a journey ... of
discovering yourself and how
you can survive without support.”
Although he rode alongside
someone, neither one of them
could offer help to the other
— that was part of the rules.
He said it was good to have
company, just for someone to
talk to, or when it was time to
camp outside, to have another
set of eyes and ears.

Lakewood-Trumbull YMCA’s outdoor Parkour Program to begin
The Lakewood-Trumbull YMCA has opened
Connecticut’s ﬁrst outdoor Parkour Center and
the Parkour Program will begin the week of
Sept. 5 and run for 14 weeks.
Parkour began in 2009 at the Lakewood-

Trumbull YMCA in the gymnastics facility
and transitioned to an outdoor setting at the
Y’s Camp and Outdoor Center. Parkour is the
“ﬂight” aspect of any martial art.
Intro to Parkour and Intermediate/Advance

Robert Giannini
“One
of
the
last
nights we were chased by a
mountain lion,” Giannini said.
“This was essentially the last
night that we slept.”
The mountain lion was spotted nearby and the two chased
the animal off by yelling at
him.
It wasn’t just a physical
race, it was a mental race.
Almost every day he thought
about stopping.
Even eating wasn’t always
fun. Since he was riding a
bicycle, he had to load up on
carbohydrates
“Every day of the race — in
one way or another — was
the worst moment of my life,”
Giannini said. After his 10th
Snickers bar, all he wanted
was a salad.
It also helped that he
was raising money for the
Children’s Miracle Network,
a nonprofit organization that
donates money to children’s
hospitals. Someone he knew
was recently affected by cancer, and sought help from the
network. He saw firsthand how
the organization was helpful to
its patients.
Giannini said eventually he
might be talked into doing
the race again. As the weeks
go by, he forgets the difficult
challenges and just remembers
the good things, so it might
happen.
For more information about
the Tour Divide, go tourdivide.org.

Monroe women help
organize literacy fund-raiser

Parkour meets Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at various times at the Lakewood-Trumbull YMCA Outdoor Center off Route 59. For
program details and times call 203-445-9600;
register at lakewoodtrumbullymca.org.

Lorraine Wilson of Monroe is chairing the committee organizing an Oct. 2 fund-raiser for the Mercy Learning Center, a
nonprofit agency that focuses on literacy education.
Pat McGettigan of Monroe also serves on the event committee.
“A View of the Harbor” will take place at the Country Club
of Fairfield, overlooking Southport Harbor. It will include a
cocktail party, live and silent auctions, a presentation about the
center, and an opportunity to socialize.
Proceeds from the fund-raiser will benefit the Bridgeportbased Mercy Learning Center’s literacy and life skills programs, which serve more than 500 women and 150 children a
year.
The center, now in its 25th year, focuses on educating and
empowering low-income, undereducated women from the
greater Bridgeport area. Call 203-334-6699 for details.

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Karate classes

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The Monroe Parks and
Recreation Department is
offering karate classes for
those age 4 to adult. Fall session begins Tuesday, Sept.
6 at the Monroe Elementary
gym. Instructors from
Superior Karate; call 203783-9768.

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Are you ready to

swing��sway��?
Join us at our Monroe studio
OPEN HOUSE
September 10
10:00-2:00

We’re so much more than just music!
Southbury birth to 5 years
Monroe birth to 7 years�

www.MusicForLittleHands.com

203-452-8252

Apple Festival
is Sept. 10, 11
St. Peter’s Episcopal
Church will have its annual
Apple Festival on the Monroe
Green on Saturday, Sept. 10
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and
Sunday, Sept. 11 from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m.
There will be fresh apples,
apple cider, caramel apples,
apple crisp a la mode, apple
friets, apple pies, and other
apple-related items.
The festival also will feature more than 60 crafters;
mum and aster plants; two
Moonbounces, face painting
and games for children; and
Country Kitchen with pies,
tarts, jams and baked goods.
Raffle tickets will be sold
for a chance to win a handmade quilt, a weekend getaway at a home on Cape
Cod, and an Apple iTouch.
The City South Steel Drum
Orchestra performs Saturday.
Details at 203-268-4265.

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• Come Tour Our School

• Flexible Enrollment Options

• Computer/Spanish Classes Available

THE MONROE COURIER, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

PAGE 7A

Arts & Leisure

Arts & Leisure Briefs
Joanne
Rochman lives in a hard-hit neighborhood where power
went out early Sunday morning and is not likely to be restored for up to a week. As a result, to her regret, she was
not able to produce the Curtain Call column this week but
reassures readers that they can expect to find it in next
week’s edition.

Curtain Call falls victim to hurricane

National political cartoonist
to comment at Sacred Heart
Award-winning political
cartoonist Jimmy Margulies
will speak at Sacred Heart
University as part of the
Gottlieb Memorial Lecture
Series, co-sponsored by the
Department of Communication
and Media Studies.
Margulies has been at The
Record in Hackensack, N.J.,
since 1990, and his work is
distributed nationally to more
than 425 newspapers and
magazines, including The

Washington Post, The New
York Times, Time and USA
Today.
He has won the National
Headliner Award and Fishetti
Editorial Cartoon Competition,
and also the Barryman Award
from the National Press
Foundation.
When the National Rifle
Association placed Margulies
on its blacklist, he considered
it a badge of honor.
The author of two published

collections of cartoons — My
Husband is Not a Wimp! and
Hitting Below the Beltway
— he appears regularly on
network and local TV news
programs.
His talk takes place at Sacred
Heart University’s Schine
Auditorium, 5151 Park Ave.,
Fairfield, on Sunday, Sept. 18,
at 7 p.m.
The event is free and open
to the public. Donations are
welcome.

Free Shakespeare Elm Shakespeare Company presents Measure for Measure Thursday-Sunday, 8 p.m.,
through Sunday, Sept. 4, Edgerton Park, 75 Cliff St.,
New Haven; elmshakespeare.org; 203-393-1436. Bring a
blanket or chair. Picnics encouraged. Free with suggested
donation.
To benefit the Elm Shakespeare
Company, Thursday, Sept. 1, 5-8 p.m., followed by performance of Measure for Measure, Edgerton Park, 75 Cliff
St., New Haven. Gala tickets: $125; elmshakespeare.org.

Gala and auction

Jimmy Margulies

Time for homegrown tomatoes
Homegrown tomatoes, Homegrown
tomatoes;
What would life be without homeThe Conscious Cook
grown tomatoes?
By Robin Glowa
[email protected]
Only two things money can’t buy;
That’s true love and homegrown
tomatoes.
tomato; for me, it’s the luscious
Sung by John Denver, pinky red Brandywine. Spread your
lyrics by Guy Clark favorite bread (very lightly toasted
sourdough) with a bit of mayonAhhhh, the mouth-watering, naise, season with freshly ground
meaty magnificence of homegrown black pepper and a pinch of sea salt
tomatoes. Fresh from the vine, and take a giant bite.
homegrown tomatoes are one of my
There are at least 10,000 varieties
great loves and truly the heartthrob of tomatoes, in a rainbow of colors
of the summer garden.
including black, green, pink, scarlet
Have you ever experienced the red, yellow and glowing little orbs
full, frontal flavor of a tomato of orange. Sun golds, the current
plucked straight from the vine? darling of cherry tomatoes, is a perThose lucky enough to have their fect blend of sweet, sugary flavor
own garden can get out there and and glorious orange color.
take a big bite!
Tomatoes are so good for you
The juices will run down your — good for your heart, your brain,
chin as you revel in the dazzling your soul and your health. Bursting
explosion on your tongue. The sun, with lycopene, a super charged antithe rain, the moon, all the natural oxidant, tomatoes are an excellent
forces joined together to create this source of fiber and vitamins A, B
extraordinary taste experience that and C. Tomatoes can help repair
is such a symbol of summer.
smoke scarred lungs, combat heart
I can scarcely wait to make my disease and save vision.
first tomato sandwich of the season.
So, eat your homegrown tomaIn the dead of winter, I often dream toes, tomahtoes, anyway you say
of the sun warmed sweetness of it, tomatoes are one of the most
this simple, yet sweep-me-off-my delightful ingredients when preparfeet snack.
ing a delicious life!
Cut thick slices of your favorite

Fantastic Tomato Salad

Assorted tomatoes in assorted colors, use any
flavor or variety
Fresh basil, minced
Fresh parsley, minced
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

By Kevin Kelly

at the state Department of
Agriculture Web site, ct.gov/
doag.
Information about other
family activities and adventures in Connecticut can
be found by visiting www.
CTvisit.com or calling 1-888CTvisit. CT Visit is a site
created by the Connecticut
Commission on Culture &
Tourism to help residents
find fun in state activities and
travel deals.
I hope that you and your
family find this information
useful. Enjoy the local farms
and fairs.
Sen. Kevin Kelly represents the 21st District, which
includes all of Shelton, most
of Stratford, and parts of
Monroe and Seymour.

Tag sale Sunday, Sept. 4, 8-4, Congregation B’nai
Torah, 5700 Main St., Trumbull. Clothing, small appliances, electronics, furniture, art, toys, sporting goods, household items. Funds raised benefit educational programs;
cash only; 203-268-6940; [email protected].
Tony Reno performs dance music
Tuesday, Sept. 6, 7 p.m., Trumbull Town Hall gazebo. In
case of rain, concert held in Trumbull Library community
room.

Free concert

Robin Glowa, HHC, AADP, is a food and
wellness enthusiast who earned her certification in holistic health counseling from
the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and
Columbia University Teachers College.
She specializes in teaching healthy cooking classes for children and adults, as well
as cooking presentations and wellness workshops for many local organizations.
For more information go to theconsciouscook.net, call 203-393-1037, or http://confessionsofaconsciouscook.blogspot.com.

Civil War Living History Day

Saturday, Sept. 10, 10-4, Trinity
Episcopal Church, 1734 Huntington Tpke., Trumbull.
Jewelry, floral arrangements, crafts, bake sale, children’s
activities, book sale, plants and more. Lunch on the grill
available. Free admission.

Arts & crafts fair

Saturday, Sept.
10, 10-4, grounds of Shelton History Center, 70 Ripton
Road, Shelton. Everyone from Army privates to President
Abraham Lincoln will be on the grounds. $5/person; $15/
family. Proceeds benefit the Shelton Historical Society;
203-925-1803; sheltonhistoricalsociety.org.

Apple Festival Saturday, Sept. 10, 10-5; Sunday, Sept.

11, 10-4, hosted by St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, on the
Historic Monroe Green, Route 111. Sunday service will be
conducted at 9 a.m. on the Green; the church bells will be
rung to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11. 203268-4265; stpetersonthegreen.com.
Long Wharf Theatre’s Education
program offers Adult Acting I, Saturdays, Sept. 10-Oct.
8, 10:30-noon, $225; and Off the Cuff Improvisation II:
Middle School, Tuesdays, Sept. 13-Oct. 11, 5:30-7 p.m.,
$195, Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Long Wharf Drive, New
Haven; longwharf.org; 203-772-8262.

Acting classes

Connecticut fairs

From the Capitol

For the benefit of muscular dystrophy,
Saturday, Sept. 3, 11-4, home and yard of Bob and Margie
Schulman, 3 Layayette Drive, Trumbull. Rain date: Sept.
4. Hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza cotton candy, magic show,
games, arts & crafts, bounce house, and dunk tank with
First Selectman Tim Herbst; 203-261-2248.

Carnival

Slice or chunk your tomatoes and arrange
on a large platter. If you picked up sun golds
or other cherry tomatoes, cut them in half
and scatter over the top. Drizzle with olive
oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with basil
and parsley. Season to taste with salt and
pepper. Serve immediately with good bread.
Gild the lily by adding minced garlic,
chopped cherry peppers, olives, crumbled
goat cheese or sliced fresh mozzarella.

Connecticut fairs and farms
As the summer months
come to an end, we all begin
thinking about the cooler
weather, the fall foliage and,
of course, fall family traditions such as weekend trips
around the state.
And as my family gets
back into the busy school
year and all the kids’ lacrosse
and hockey games, we enjoy
supporting our local farms.
Throughout the fall we take
time to visit local farms to
pick apples, drink cider, wander through corn mazes, or
experience a hay ride. These
trips are a fun way to enjoy
the fall season, and an even
better way to support our
local family farms, businesses
and economy.
Like me, I am sure many
of you also make one of our
state’s fairs an annual family
tradition where you can enjoy
food, rides, games, animals,
music, art, local crafts and
Connecticut culture.
Additional information
about upcoming fairs and
local farms can be found

Massaro Community Farm fund-raising dinner Saturday, Sept. 3, farm tour at 4:30 p.m., cocktails at 5, dinner at 6, outside on the farm, 41 Ford Road,
Woodbridge; catered by Antonio’s, featuring Massaro
farm produce. $100/person. RSVP to Melissa Waldron at
[email protected].

Benefit dinner

• Goshen Fair, Sept. 3-5, goshenfair.org
• Haddam Neck Fair, Sept. 2-5, haddamneckfair.com
• Taste of Litchfield Hills Food & Wine Festival, Sept. 3-5
• Woodstock Fair, Sept. 2-5, woodstockfair.com
• Bethlehem Fair, Sept. 9-11, bethlehemfair.com
• Granby Grange Agricultural Fair, Sept. 10, ctstategrange.
com/subgrangepage.asp?GrangeID=185
• Hebron Harvest Fair, Sept. 8-11, hebronharvestfair.org
• Ledyard Fair, Sept. 9-11, ledyardfair.org
• Killingly Grange Fair, Sept. 10, ctstategrange.com/subgrangepage.asp?grangeid=47
• Meriden Grange Fair, Sept. 10, ctstategrange.com/subgrangepage.asp?GrangeID=192
• Monroe Apple Festival, Sept. 10-11, stpetersonthegreen.com
• North Haven Fair, Sept. 8-11, northhaven-fair.com
• Wapping Fair, Sept. 8-11, wappingfair.org
• Four Town Fair, Sept.15-18, fourtownfair.com
• Guilford Agricultural Fair, Sept. 16-18, guilfordfair.org
• Orange Country Fair, Sept., 17-18, orangectfair.com
• Wallingford Grange Fair, Sept. 17, ctstategrange.com/subgrangepage.asp?grangeid=84
• Cheshire Grange Community Grange Fair, Sept. 24-25, ctstategrange.com/subgrangepage.asp?grangeid=26
• Durham Fair, Sept. 22-25, durhamfair.com
• Hebron Renaissance Fair, Sept. 24-25, ctfaire.com
• Beacon Grange Fair, Sept. 26, ctstategrange.com/subgrangepage.asp?grangeid=17
• Berlin Fair, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, ctberlinfair.com
• 155th Harwinton Fair, Oct. 1-2, harwintonfair.com
• Portland Fair, Oct. 7-9, portlandfair.com
• Riverton Fair, Oct. 7-9, rivertonfair.org

Live Green Connecticut,

Saturday and Sunday,
Sept. 17 and 18, Taylor Farm Park, Norwalk. Exhibits,
speakers, local food, children’s activities, money saving
tips and green education; livegreenct.com.
Sticks & Stones Farm, 201
Huntington Road, Newtown, Sundays, 9-11 a.m., Sept. 18
and Oct. 16. Walk of reflection and a closing meditation.
Information: e-mail [email protected].

Healing gatherings

Hosted by Trumbull Arts Commission,
Sunday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., rain or shine on the
Town Hall Green, 5866 Main St. Handcrafted items with
60 artists and crafters; photography and sculpture for sale.
Children’s Creative Center, live entertainment, food vendors. Free admission; 203-452-5065.

Arts festival

Singers sought Harmony on the Sound (HOTS)
Chorus invites women who love to sing to come and learn
holiday music in four-part harmony beginning Wednesday,
Sept. 21, and then sing in holiday show. Visit harmonyonthesound.org or call 203-881-1477.
Fallen Heroes Memorial
Tribute — Remembering military service members from
the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard,
Saturday, Sept. 24, 12:15 p.m., Indian Ledge Park, 307
Indian Ledge Park Road. U.S. Air Force Colorguard and
U.S. Marine Corps as escorts. Performances by The United
States Navy Band, Northeast, and the U.S. Army Parachute
Team Golden Knights. Free and open to the public.

Fallen Heroes tribute

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Angels

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Join us for a study of God's word about...

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"For he will command his angels concerning
you to guard you in all your ways"
~ Psalm 91:11

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Hosted by the Trumbull church of Christ
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Wednesday Nights � 7: 00 - 8:00 pm � �September 7,14, 21 &28
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2 Drew Circle � �Trumbull, CT 06611 � �203.261.5201
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THE MONROE COURIER, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

PAGE 8A

Witalis becomes Monroe Land Trust president
Karl Witalis, president of the
old Monroe Fields and Woods
Association, has been elected
president of its successor, the
Monroe Land Trust and Tree
Conservancy.
Other officers elected to the
land trust board through April 1
are Aaron McGoldrick as vice
president, Deborah Heim as treasurer, and Marven Moss as secretary.
Witalis was empowered to proceed with plans to incorporate
the trust as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

organization, which would enable
people to receive tax deductions
for financial and property donations, among other benefits.
Also approved at a recent land
trust meeting was a mission statement saying the organization will
work “to enrich the quality of life
in our community by preserving our tree canopy, open spaces
and watersheds while creating
opportunities for recreation and
study.”
A fee structure was adopted for
annual memberships. The cost

will be $15 for regular; $30 for
family; any level donation for
youth, student and senior; $100
for Trailblazer and corporate; and
$300 for Guardian.
Membership is open to anyone interested in contributing to
Monroe’s bucolic character and
outdoor heritage. The next meeting is Wednesday, Sept. 21, at
7:30 p.m. Town Hall.
Learn more from Marven
Moss at 203-268-2961, or
[email protected].

Health District has shingles vaccine
The Trumbull Monroe Health District
(TMHD) has the shingles vaccine, Zostavax,
available for residents age 60 and older.
The cost is $210, with payment in cash or
check. Medicare currently doesn’t cover the
vaccine’s cost, but Medicare Part D may partially cover the cost.
People should check with their provider
prior to scheduling an appointment. A note
from a physician is not necessary. Receipts
will be provided.
Shingles, also called Herpes Zoster, is a viral
infection of the nerve roots. It is a painful rash,
often with blisters. The rash usually appears
on one side of the face or body and last two
to four weeks. The rash appears in a band, a
strip, or a small area. A case of shingles usu-

ally heals within a month.
About one out of five people will continue
to feel pain long after the rash and blisters
heal. This is called postherapetic neuralgia.
The most common and debilitating symptom of shingles is pain. Other symptoms
include headaches, chills, upset stomach, and
sensitivity to light, itching or tingling.
Shingles is most common in adults age 50
or older, people who have medical conditions
that weaken the immune system, or people
who receive immunosuppressive drugs.
To schedule an appointment or for information contact Heather Henning, RN, at 203452-5195. The TMHD is at 2 Corporate Drive,
Suite 116, Trumbull (just off Route 111).

Senior News
The Monroe Senior Center is open Monday bingo; 1 p.m. Canasta; 1 p.m. quilting,
to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Transportation book club; 2:30 p.m. support group.
by appointment. Call 203-452-3771.
Thursday, Sept. 8 — 9:30 a.m. ceramics;
9:30 a.m. Bridge, chess; 10 a.m. poker, garden
Thursday, Sept. 1 — 9:30 a.m. ceramics, club, mah jongg; 12:30 p.m. duplicate Bridge;
bridge, chess; 10 a.m. poker, mah jongg; 11:45 1:30 p.m. Polish panies/pans.
movie and pizza; 12:30 p.m. duplicate bridge.
Friday, Sept. 9 — Mohegan Sun Casino;
Friday, Sept. 2 — 9:15 a.m. Easy Does It; 9:15 a.m. Easy Does It; 9:30 a.m. trip regis9:30 a.m. trip registration; 10 a.m. knit and tration; 10 a.m. knit and crochet; 10:15 a.m.
crochet; 10:15 a.m. exercise with Augustina; exercise with Augustina; 12:30 p.m. beginners
12:30 p.m. beginners mah jongg, hairdresser; mah jongg, hairdresser; 1 mah jongg; 1:30
1 p.m. mah jongg; 1:30 p.m. Wii Bowling, p.m. Wii Bowling; local shopping.
local shopping.
Trips
Monday, Sept. 5 — Labor Day, center
Sept. 13-15: Boothbay Harbor
closed; no transportation.
Sept. 14: Rock and Roll at Villa Bianca
Tuesday, Sept. 6 — 9 a.m. yoga; 9:30 a.m.
Oct. 4: “Putting on the Ritz”
trip registration; 1:30 p.m. Red Hat meeting,
Oct. 11: Friesians of Majesty
Wii Bowling.
Oct. 12: Oktoberfest
Wednesday, Sept. 7 — 9 a.m. TRIAD
Nov. 9: Salute to our veterans
Walkers; 9:30 a.m. Pinochle; 10:30 a.m.

Friday, Sept. 2

Farmers’ market — Held Fridays through Oct. 21, 3-6 p.m., Monroe Green near Town Hall. Available are Connecticut-grown fruits,
vegetables, farm-raised meats, and homemade baked goods. Activities
include a children’s coloring station in the gazebo; Market Master Sue
Muro, 203-520-9449 or monroefarmersmarket.org.
Cruise night — Classic Nights Car Club’s cruise night, 6:30-9 p.m.,
Village Square Shopping Center, Route 111. Free and open to the public.

Wednesday, Sept. 7

Karl Witalis

Town seeks
to update
evacuation list
The Monroe Social and
Senior Services Department
is updating its emergency
evacuation database for
Monroe residents, of any
age, with special needs who
would require assistance
during an emergency or
evacuation.
Individuals with special
needs would include, but is
not limited to, hearing or
sight impairment, bed confinement, wheelchair dependent, life support device, use
of TDD/TTY, and transportation needs or other conditions that would prevent
prompt evacuation.
This confidential list
is compiled by Social and
Senior Services and updated annually, or when circumstances change, and is
shared only with the Monroe
Emergency
Operations
Center. Current information
will ensure that appropriate
services are provided in an
emergency or evacuation
situation.
For information or to
register, call town Elderly
Services
Coordinator
Kimberly Cassia at 203-4523771, ext. 3.

ers at the request of families or
government agencies. This can
take the form of escorts, funerals, troop send-offs and welcomehome events.
Barratt spent more than 20 years
as an active EMT with several volunteer organizations, and is a cur-

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Friday, Sept. 9

Textile sale — Monroe Historical Society holds new, used and vintage fabrics sale, 1-6 p.m., Beardsley Homestead, 31 Great Ring Road.
Also Sept. 10, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and Sept. 11, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. There will
be linens, craft supplies, yarns, and a barn full of donated items; 203261-8554 or e-mail [email protected].
Comedy play — Town Players of Newtown, 18 Orchard Hill Road,
Newtown, presents Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile. It’s 1904
and 25-year-old Albert Einstein runs into 23-year-old Pablo Picasso.
Play also runs Sept. 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 25. Starts 8 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets $20 for adults,
$10 for children under 10. Reservations at 203-270-9144; details at
[email protected].

Saturday, Sept. 10

Garden Club — Meets at 10 a.m. at the Plumb Memorial Library,
65 Wooster St., Shelton. Following the business meeting, Barry Bonin
of Twombly Nursery in Monroe will present a program “My Favorite
Perennials.” Meeting open to the public; call Charlotte at 203-9291530.
Apple festival — St. Peter’s Episcopal Church’s annual Apple Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monroe Green, Route 111, also Sept. 11, 10 a.m.4 p.m. There will be fresh apples, apple cider, caramel apples, apple
crisp, apple pies, craft vendors, plants, children’s activities and a rafﬂe;
203-268-4265, stpetersonthegreen.com.
Masuk ‘61 reunion — Masuk High School Class of 1961 holds
its 50th reunion at the Stone Barn; Reunion Committee looking for
missing classmates and e-mail addresses of all classmates; contact
[email protected] or call 203-611-1061.
Dog owners/lovers festival — Trap Falls Kennel Club’s Responsible Dog Ownership Days event, “Applause for Paws,” 9:30 a.m.-4
p.m., the Riverwalk, Shelton. Free to the public and leashed dogs. Get
how-to’s of training, communicating, health, and feeding of a dog;
includes contests, and micro-chipping clinic offered at reduced cost.
Attendees are asked to bring pet care items for Presents 4 Pets, an organization for pets in animal shelters.

Sunday, Sept. 11

Flag retirement — Sutter-Terlizzi American Legion Post 16 of
Shelton will be holding a ﬂag retirement ceremony at 1 p.m. Persons
having ﬂags to be retired may drop them off at the American Legion,
295 Bridgeport Ave., Shelton. A metal red, white and blue ﬂag deposit
box is under the front porch of the post.

Thursday, Sept. 15

rent member of the Connecticut
Critical Incident Stress Team.
Professionally, he is an assistant vice president with Frontier
Communications in Stamford. His
sons — Grant and Jake Barratt
— attend Masuk High School.

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Movie screening — The ﬁlm Race to Nowhere, 7 p.m., Masuk High
School auditorium. Race to Nowhere is about the cheating epidemic in
schools and ways to help youth handle it. For $10 advanced tickets go
to http://rtnmhsamonroe.eventbrite.com; tickets also sold at door for
$15. A discussion of the ﬁlm will follow. Proceeds will to the Masuk
Parent Teacher Council.

Golf classic — Monroe Rotary Club’s Safe Harbour Golf Classic at
Whitney Farms Golf Course, 175 Shelton Road, with 9:30 a.m. registration. Open to the public and golfers of all levels; format is foursomes.
Entry fee is $175 per player, with box lunch, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres,
buffet dinner, silent auction and awards. Cost is $50 for buffet dinner
only; 203-261-4260.

Former Monroe resident appointed to volunteer position
Former Monroe resident and
Monroe EMS leader Gregg
Barratt has been appointed assistant state captain of the Patriot
Guard Riders.
The all-volunteer, nonprofit
organization provides support services to veterans and first respond-

Spotlight

Friday, Sept. 16

“Bourbon, Beer, Cigars” — Fund-raiser to help Project Warmth,
7-10 p.m., Whitney Farms Golf Course, 175 Shelton Road. Includes
bourbon, beer, cigars and food. Presented by Washington Lodge No. 19
Fellowcraft Club. Donation of $35; purchase tickets at GlenRo Spirit
Shoppe, 487 Monroe Tpke., 203-261-6166.

Gregg Barratt

Rotary Club golf
classic Sept. 15
The Monroe Rotary Club
will present the 16th annual
Safe Harbour Golf Classic on
Thursday, Sept. 15 at Whitney
Farms Golf Course.
The event includes lunch,
shotgun start, cocktails, buffet
dinner, awards, raffle and silent
auction. The fee is $175 per
player. Proceeds go community program grants and scholarships. Call Phil Lindstrom at
203-459-0031 or e-mail rotary.
[email protected].

Saturday, Sept. 17

Mines and Mills tour — “Mines and Mills of Old Monroe” tour,
bus departs Monroe Senior Center, 235 Cutlers Farm Road, 9:30 a.m.,
returns to center at 3 p.m. Tour, open to public, covers six historic
sites; participants bring bag lunch. Cost is $10; seniors 65 and older,
and students, $5. Event organized by Monroe Historical Society. Participants can examine relics up close; Ed Coffey, town historian, will
provide commentary. Lunch stopover at Twombly Nursery. Register at
[email protected] or 203-521-4453 or 203-452-3771.
Baby-sitting training — Students 10-15 years old will learn how to
take care of infants and children, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Chalk Hill School. Instructor from Red Cross. Training in decision making, problem solving,
handling emergency injuries and illnesses and accidents, and learning
the tools of becoming a good role model. Students should bring a snack
and/or lunch that does not require refrigeration. $95 residents, $105
non residents; 203-452-2806, Ext. 4.

Sunday, Sept. 18

Library concert — Daniel Corr will present an afternoon of classical guitar music, 2 p.m., Edith Wheeler Memorial Library, 733 Monroe Tpke.. Hartford Courant calls Corr “a guitarist for music lovers to
catch”; free to public, presented by Friends of the Library.

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Sports
Monroe Courier

Thursday September 1, 2011

Page 9A

Sports Briefs
Sunset Run update

Due to Hurricane Irene and surrounding weather, the
Sunset Run For the Warriors was postponed until Sunday,
Oct. 9, at 3:15 p.m. Registration will carry over to this
date and the Kintera site will remain open. Those unable
to attend the race on Oct. 9 may consider their registration
as a donation or may request a refund. To learn more, visit
hopeforthewarriors.org.

Fall skills clinic

Sudden Impact Basketball Skills Clinic for boys and
girls ages 6-12 will be held Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
at the Parsons Complex gym. The fee is $45. For information, contact coach Schuler at 203-641-3450.

Boating course offered

The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is offering a Safe
Boating & Personal Watercraft course on Sept. 17.
Offered in a convenient one-day format, the class is
perfect for new boaters and longtime seafarers who would
enjoy a refresher.
Topics include safe and correct boating techniques, navigation rules, legal requirements, safety at sea and more.
Completion of the class earns participants a safety certificate required by the state of Connecticut for the operator of any motorboat or sailboat over 191/2 feet..
The class runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $85 per
person. Advance reservations are required. Call 203-8520700, ext. 2206.

The Monroe Lion defense, led by Nick Lebinski and Peter Cosmedy, shut down Aspetuck offense.
(Submitted photo)

Lions wallop Aspetuck in opener
The Monroe Lions’ sixthgrade AYF football team
picked up where it left off last
year, defeating the Aspetuck
Wildcats by a score of 33-8.
The Lions are the defending
New England champions and
were the national runner-up
last season. Monroe quickly
showed it is a team with many
weapons, as five Lion players
recorded touchdowns.
Monroe struck early, as
its swarming defense — led
by Jack Duignan and Nick
Lebinski — held the Wildcats
offense in check and forced
a punt.
Matt Hersch and Ryan Shaw

Youth football
executed a reverse on the punt,
with Shaw catching the punt,
running left, and handing the
ball to Hersch.
Hersch then raced 52
yards down the right sideline
untouched for the Lions’ first
score.
Peter Cosmedy, Mickey
Zuk and Curtis Swain had key
blocks to spring Hersch.
Monroe’s offense was hitting on all cylinders, as it
ran up a 33-0 lead in the first
half.
Hersch, the Monroe quar-

terback, was near perfect, hitting on 5-of-6 pass attempts
for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
Zuk and Shaw were the
recipients of those touchdown
throws, as Zuk went for 39
yards and Shaw for 37.
Nick Lorusso hauled in a
key fourth-down catch on
fourth-and-long to keep a
drive going and David Allen
hauled in a Hersch pass that
went down to the two-yard
line.
From there, Allen ran it in
for another Lion touchdown.
The Lion running game was
also sharp, as it put up 174

yards of offense in the first
half alone.
Max Szabo (54 yards), with
an eight-yard touchdown run,
led the charge.
Also piling up rushing yards
were Hersch (20 yards), Shaw
(22 yards) and Lebinski (56
yards).
Monroe’s offensive line
of center Swain, Cosmedy,
Duignan, Sam Nalaboff, Max
Mirizio and Cam Falcone
were the key to the Lions’ victory according to head coach
Steve Christy.
The Lions play host to
Norwalk on Sunday at 4 p.m.
at Wolfe Park.

ASA selects fast-pitch HOF members
The Connecticut Amateur
Softball Association Hall of
Fame announced its newest
members for the Hall’s Fast
Pitch Wing.
Players Joe Plagesse and
Mary Schneider, along with
umpires Joseph Auwood and
Ralph Moreo, will be honored
at the CASA Hall of Fame
awards dinner, Sunday, Sept.
25 at Costa Azzurra Restaurant
in Milford at 4 p.m.
The Slow Pitch Wing honorees will be announced soon.
Joe Plagesse
Plagesse, who now resides
in Hammonton, N.J., played
for many of the top fast pitch
softball teams in the state for
over 10 years.
A New Haven area native,
he was a pitcher and first baseman for the Raybestos Hawks
in Stratford from 1961-63.
He then joined the
Waterbury Bombers for two
seasons, where he played
with his brother Joe, who was
inducted into the CASA HOF
last year.
A solid hitter with tremen-

Softball
dous power, Plagesse concluded his career with a twoyear stint with the Norwalk
Eagles.
He spent his last two seasons from 1968-70 with Mar
Parks of New Britain.
Mary Schneider
Schneider was a standout
college and summer league
player in the 1980s.
She was the starting
catcher at the University of
Connecticut for four years,
and was named three consecutive years (1981-1983), to the
New England Intercollegiate
Softball All Star team.
During her senior year,
she was named co-captain
of the team, and earned the
University Medallion for outstanding athletics-academic
achievement.
Schneider was also a twoyear starter on the varsity soccer team.
She helped the Huskies to a
third-place finish nationally in

the 1981 season.
During the summer, she
played with the top teams in
Fairfield County, starting with
leading the Danbury Debs to a
state championship in 1980.
She also starred for the
Stamford Flames, and finished
her fast-pitch career with the
Norwalk Mariners.
Schneider played two
seasons with the Raybestos
Brakettes, both national championship winning teams in ‘82
and ‘83.
Schneider, who grew up
in Sherman and now lives in
Orange, also had an accomplished 10-year slow-pitch
career playing in three national tournaments.
Joe Auwood
Auwood has been an ASA
umpire for nearly 30 years
working high school, college
and ASA games.
On the college level, he
umpired Division III games,
and also worked in many
junior college games and tournaments in Connecticut and
Rhode Island.

Auwood was a regular ump
doing fast-pitch games involving the Waterford Mariners
in the Eastern Women’s FP
League.
A Waterford resident,
Auwood worked 15 high
school state tournament championships from Class S to LL.
He has also served as the
NFHS and ASA rules interpreter for the Eastern CT
Board of ASA Umpires.
Ralph Moreo
Sixty years have gone by
since Moreo first put on a
mask and became an umpire,
under the tutelage of Bernie
Iassogna, the legendary
Bridgeport-area umpire.
Moreo worked Raybestos
Brakettes and Cardinals
games, and also umpired in
ASA regional tournaments in
Vermont and at Raybestos and
Penders fields in Stratford.
The Bridgeport resident also
did college and high school
games.
He still active doing slowpitch games for the Trumbull
Slow Pitch ASA League.

New class set for Sports Night induction
The Fairfield County Sports
Hall of Fame has selected six
sports figures into its three
wings.
The Hall of Fame, which
is overseen by the Fairfield
County Sports Commission,
Inc., will honor the newly
elected Hall of Famers with
an induction ceremony at the
Commission’s 7th annual
Sports Night awards dinner,
Monday, Oct. 17 at the Hyatt
Regency Greenwich. With the
six new inductees, the Hall of
Fame has now recognized 45
county sports legends.
Two Hall of Famers were
selected in each of the three
HOF Wings: Jackie Robinson
Professional, James O’Rourke
Amateur and J. Walter
Kennedy Community Service.
In the professional category,
the new inductees are John
Bagley (Bridgeport)) and

Bennett Salvatore (Stamford).
The amateur wing selections
are Joe DeSantis (Fairfield)
and Ceci Hopp St. Geme
(Greenwich).
Community service winners are Charlie Bentley
(Bridgeport) and the late Albie
Loeffler (Westport).
With four of the honorees
being recognized in the sport
of basketball, it is the first time
in the Hall of Fame’s history
that there has been that number
of recipients for the same sport
in one class of inductees.
Bagley played 11 seasons
in the NBA, the first five with
the Cleveland Cavaliers, who
made him their first draft pick
and the 12th overall in 1982.
When the 6-foot point guard
was traded to the New Jersey
Nets in 1987, he left as the
Cavs’ all-time and single season assist leader, as well as

averaging a team record 9.4
assists in 1985-86.
The Harding High great
played two seasons with the
Nets, averaging a career-high
12.0 points per game in his
first year, and then spent three
years with the Boston Celtics
before ending his career in
Atlanta in 1993.
He sat out the entire ‘90-91
season due to injury, and averaged 8.7 points and 6 assists
for his NBA career.
A member of the Boston
College Hall of Fame, Bagley
played three years for the
Eagles, twice averaging more
than 20 points per game.
As a sophomore in 1981, he
led BC to the Big East regular
season title and the NCAA
Sweet 16, earning Big East
Player of the Year honors.
Bagley, inducted into the
New England Basketball Hall

of Fame in 2004, helped the
Eagles reach the NCAA Elite
Eight in his junior campaign.
Heading into his 30th year
as an NBA referee, Salvatore
is one of the premier officials in pro basketball. He has
worked 25 NBA Finals games,
228 playoff games and over
1,650 regular season games.
The Stamford Catholic
graduate began his NBA officiating career in 1981, after
spending two years working in
the CBA and 10 years of high
school basketball.
Salvatore has two All-Star
game credits (1993 and 2002)
on his resume, and worked
international tournaments for
the NBA in Germany (‘93),
Mexico (‘97) and China (‘04).
A three-sport scholastic ath- see Sports Night on page 10A

Lordship 5K kicks off season

The 18th annual running of the Lordship 5K will be held
Saturday, Sept. 10. The USTAT&F certified course is flat
and provides both youngsters, teams and traditional categories views of Long Island Sound. Runners will be met
at the end of the run by a food fest supplied by Lordship
Community Church, the event sponsor.
Teams from local running clubs and high school track
teams gather for the beginning of the fall racing season.
Each registered runner receives the traditional Lordship
Run-About tee shirt, and trophies are awarded in all
classes and categories.
The Kids Fun Run starts at 8:30 a.m. and the 5K race
at 9 a.m. Late registration on race day begins at 7:30 a.m.
Register through the Lordship Community Church office
at 203-377-6568 or call Vivian Caserta at 203-268-1913.

SportsNight tickets on sale

Tickets for the seventh annual SportsNight awards dinner are available at a discounted price until Sept. 16.
SportsNight is Monday, Oct. 17 at the Hyatt Regency
Greenwich at 6 p.m.
The six new members of the Fairfield County Sports
Hall of Fame will be inducted that evening. The 2011
honorees are: John Bagley (Bridgeport), Bennett Salvatore
(Stamford), Joe DeSantis (Fairfield), Ceci Hopp St. Geme
(Greenwich), Charlie Bentley (Bridgeport) and the late
Albie Loeffler (Westport).
Dinner tickets are priced at $115 and will be raised to
$125 after Sept. 16.
Tables of 10 seats are priced at $1,150 and will go up to
$1,250 after the 16th.
For more information, call Tom Chiappetta at 203-9844806, email at [email protected] or visit fairfieldcountysports.com.

NFL bus trip

A bus trip is planned for the Dallas Cowboy NFL football game with the New York Jets scheduled for Sept. 11.
The bus will depart from the Route 8 commuter lot
in Trumbull at 2 p.m. The trip costs $250 and includes
Charter Bus transportation, tickets to the game, soft and
hard beverages and a tailgate party (drinks, hot dogs, sausage and peppers, burgers, pasta and chicken). For further
information, visit GoOnTheScene.com.

Baseball lessons available

Roberto Mena, former professional baseball player, is
now at The Batter’s Box in Hamden.
With a bachelor of science degree in Exercise Science
and Sports Studies from the University of Tampa, Mena
offers strength and conditioning, speed and agility training, fielding and hitting lessons.
Private and group lessons are available.
Contact Mena at 203-583-2766 or rmenatraining@yahoo.
com. Find The Batter’s Box at 21 Marne Street in
Hamden.

Fourteen practices required before start

The CIAC has received numerous calls from member
schools and the media questioning if the requirement to
complete 14 days of mandatory practices prior to first day
of competition will be waived or altered.
The mandatory practice day requirement has been in
existence for over 30 years and CIAC believes these days
of practice are necessary to prepare teams for competition.
Consequently, the only adjustment that will be making
to the regulation is to allow schools to count practices held
on Sunday toward the required 14 days.
Schools may count both Sunday practices held previously and those to be held from this point forward toward
reaching the 14-day requirement.
Sunday practices have always been allowed, but could
not be counted towards the requirement.
As always, the holding of Sunday practices will be at the
discretion of the local school district.
Any team that has not conducted 14 days of practice
prior to its first scheduled game must postpone and
reschedule all games until it has satisfied the requirement.
Schools are reminded that rescheduling of postponed
games are not subject to weekly limitation rules.
School districts are encouraged to allow teams to continue to practice when it is safe to do so, even if school is
not in session.
The CIAC will continue to monitor the situation and
assist member schools in their effort to meet the requirement.

THE MONROE COURIER, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

PAGE 10A

Sports Night –

Locals compete in Florida

Continued from page 9A

Five swimmers from the Shelton Monroe swim team recently competed
in the International Age Group Meet in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The swimmers who participated are (front row l-r) Michael Riina, Simona Visinski
and Gracie Gustinis; (back row) Emma Baker, coach Dan Zeek and Kanu
Caplash.
(Submitted photo)

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lete, Salvatore was an all-state
quarterback in 1967. He is the
son-in-law of the late NFL Hall
of Famer Andy Robustelli, also
a Stamford native
DeSantis was one of Fairfield
University’s all-time great basketball players.
A four-year letterman from
1975-79, he completed his
collegiate career with 1,916
points, then the school’s alltime leading scorer and now
currently second. He averaged 18.4 points per game for
his career and his 667 assists
are also second on the Stags’
career list. In the 1977-78 season, DeSantis led the Stags to
one of their best seasons ever
with a 22-5 record and an NIT
appearance.
He was drafted by the
Washington Bullets in the second round of the 1979 NBA
Draft before playing in Venice,
Italy, for one season.
The Bronx, N.Y. native completed his professional playing career in the Continental
Basketball Association.
In 2004, DeSantis was
inducted into the New England
Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Tolentine High graduate also had an accomplished
coaching career with 26 years
of Division I experience.
He played a crucial role in
elevating the Quinnipiac program from the Division II level
to a respected Division I midmajor during his 11-year stint
as head coach.
The Trumbull resident kept

close ties with his alma mater,
gaining his first coaching
experience as an assistant at
Fairfield from 1981-88 and is
now the radio color commentator for Stags basketball games.
One of the best female distance runners in U.S. history,
Hopp St. Geme has been a top
level competitor for more than
30 years.
She made her name as a
scholastic star at Greenwich
High, winning the National
Cross Country championship
in 1980 and following up with
a National title in the 3,000
meter run as a senior.
She still owns four FCIAC
outdoor records and two state
milestones.
Hopp St. Geme continued
her success as a collegian
at Stanford, by winning the
NCAA 3,000 run as a freshman in 1982 with a time of
8:57, still an American Junior
record.
In 1992 & 1996 she qualified
for the Olympic Trials in three
events, while winning the USA
Track & Field national championship in the 5,000 meters
event in 1994.
Hopp St. Geme, who graced
the cover of Runner’s World
magazine seven times, remains
one of the top female Masters
runners and is active in 5K
runs. She has been the assistant cross country and track
coach for the past nine years
at Corona del Mar High in
Newport Beach, Ca.
For 33 years, Bentley has
been the head coach of one of
the country’s top high school
basketball programs at Harding
High, where he coached 2011

FCSC Hall of Famer John
Bagley.
During his tenure the
Presidents have made 14 state
title game appearances, winning nine championships,
including five straight from
1983-87.
He also has won 16 conference crowns, 11 in the MBIAC
and five FCIAC. His total of
645 victories is second all-time
in the state.
Bentley’s accomplishments
have been recognized numerous times in his illustrious
career, including being named
to the New England Basketball
Hall of Fame (2003), awarded
a Gold Key by the state sports
writers’ alliance (2007) and
election to the Connecticut High
School Coaches Association
HOF (2009).
He also was the longtime cross country coach at
Harding.
Loeffler was the legendary soccer coach at Staples
High, but his impact on soccer
there and across the country
was more than just as a mere
coach.
Loeffler came to Staples in
1952 and originally coached
basketball (12 years), baseball
(11 years) and track because
the Westport school did not
have a soccer team.
He founded the program in
1958 and shaped it over his 20
years as head coach into one
of the nation’s finest. When he
retired in 1978, he had amassed
a then national high-school
record 314 wins and was twice
named National Soccer Coach
of the Year.

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Open House
Shabbats
Fri., Sept. 9-7:30pm • Sat., Sept. 10-9:30am
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B’nai Torah... the center for Jewish life in Trumbull.

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Brookfield

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Stamford

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Seymour
Monroe

Redding
Easton

Wilton

Prospect

Beacon
Falls Bethany Hamden

Newtown

Bethel

Weston

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Oxford

Danbury

New York State

Middlebury
Southbury

Fairfield

Woodbridge
Ansonia

Derby
Shelton

Trumbull
Stratford
Bridgeport

New
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Norwalk

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Orange West
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THE MONROE COURIER, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

PAGE 12A
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Donʼt call the handyman ~ call the professional!

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Chris does every job himself,
his name in full sight
Call Chris for personal
service and a job done right!

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PAGE 14A

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THE MONROE COURIER, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

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PAGE 16A

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Above: Youngsters on a ride at last week’s St. Jude Italian Festival. Below: A family getting some thrills on another ride at the festival. See more festival photos at
MonroeCourier.com.
(Photos by Wayne Ratzenberger)

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in her hand.
“It’s my favorite kind of
food here,” Shannon said
recently at the St. Jude Italian
Festival. She also was looking
forward to getting on the Zero
Gravity ride again.
“I’m really hungry,” said
Alexandra, adding the annual
festival is a great chance to
see everyone from her class at
school before the end of summer. “You run into everyone
you know here,” she said.
On Friday night, the Italian
Festival was packed. People
patiently waited in line to get
their pizza fritta (fried dough),
eggplant parmigiana, sausage
and peppers grinders, and fried
calamari.

The lines also were long
for many rides, with parents
joining their young children in
anticipation. Lots of teenagers
were hanging out together, relishing the nice summer night.
Patricia
Majewski
of
Monroe was helping to run
the raffle ticket booth. For $5
a ticket people could win a
trip to Disney World, Apple
iPad or flat-screen TV. Sales
were brisk.
“It’s going well because
we have great prizes,” said
Majewski, a longtime St. Jude
member. “It’s a great way to
support the parish.” Proceeds
benefit capital projects at the
church and parochial school.
Majewski has volunteered
for 10 years at the festival. “I
feel it’s a way to give back,”
she said. “The church is here
for us, so it’s important that

we do this.”
Pat Grasso, standing near
the dining tent, was admiring
all the people at the event.
“It’s fantastic,” Grasso said.
“There are so many people
and families here. I like the
music, the porchetta, and the
broccoli and cavatelli in garlic
sauce.”
This was the 21st year for
the festival, which had to be
cut one night short this year
because of the hurricane. It
went from Aug. 24 to 26, and
included rides, food, music,
games of chance and skill, and
50/50 raffles.
“It’s like a big Italian cookout in the backyard,” said Pete
Lucia, festival chairman and
longtime St. Jude parishioner.
“It’s about family, food and
fun.”

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Monroe Courier 9.1.11

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