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NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts from the “NEWS” Category

Fourth of July Kickoff for Mom’s Recipe Box Series on newsandviewsjb

Posted on July 1, 2014

Look for a new series to kick off on newsandviewsjb – Mom’s Recipe Box. My mother collected recipes and I want to continue adding to her collection. I invited family members to send me their favorite recipes. These are recipes with special meaning or ones the cook is known for making – some may be original but that is not a requirement. American Independence Day was a holiday that my mother especially enjoyed. She loved America – two of her brothers served during WWII.  She loved parades, fireworks and those traditional pot luck family picnics where everyone brought a dish. With that in mind, Mom’s Recipe Box Series will launch on a patriotic note this Friday – the Fourth of July. Then watch for a recipe to be…

Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry Reflects Unique Educational Opportunity – Kicks Off 2014 Summer Performances

Posted on June 28, 2014

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com Fascinating, fun and festive – the Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry in Storrs, Connecticut reflects a unique educational opportunity. The University of Connecticut is one of a very few universities in the country to offer a degree in puppet arts. In addition to a bachelor’s of fine arts in the field, UConn offers master’s degrees, MA or MFA. According to the university website, it all began in 1964 with the arrival of Professor Frank Ballard to the theatre department and the ensuing immense popularity of puppetry classes he taught there. Soon a “full length puppet performance” was staged on campus at the Harriet S. Jorgenson Theatre. Today graduates of the program are said to “perform and…

Emmy Winner in the Family – Producer David Doyle Honored

Posted on June 24, 2014

Article by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com Producer David Doyle and a team of talented collaborators were honored on June 20 with two Emmys for Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin. The awards for Outstanding Travel Program and Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle/Culinary/ Travel Program were presented at the 41st Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in Los Angeles, California. Doyle, my niece Jillian’s husband, served as an executive producer for the program. “We are so deeply into what we do, like most people who care about their work we don’t take time to pat ourselves on the back,” Doyle said by phone June 23 from California, “This is an important thing. In our industry, this is a milestone.…

Hartford Times Building to Become Extended UCONN Urban Campus in Downtown Hartford, CT

Posted on June 19, 2014

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb    The Hartford Times was an afternoon daily that served the city of Hartford, Connecticut and beyond for some 150 years, earliest publication dates vary from 1817 to 1826, through to 1976. Although the once grand newspaper ceased publication thirty-eight years ago, the marvelous building with its tall pillars that housed it has remained standing.   Soon it will become UConn Hartford, an urban extension of the University of Connecticut that has its main campus in Storrs.   An agreement has been reached among the university, the Capital Region Development Authority and the state Office of Policy & Management that will keep the “iconic facade” and add a new attached five-story building, according to UConn Today (today.uconn.edu).…

You Can Be Liked, Or You Can Speak Up

Posted on June 18, 2014

By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb After several years of navigating the healthcare system on behalf of loved ones, I am weary.   Along the way I have encountered quality and dedicated individuals. Yet, more often than not it has been an uphill struggle to have things done as they should be, in the best interest of the patient and in accordance with the wishes of the patient and family. Overall, it has been stressful and draining.   Just a few weeks ago, my sisters and I arrived at a Connecticut hospital where our brother had been transferred for surgery to be told they had no record of him. Imagine that moment and the mounting stress level as we stood waiting. After numerous calls and what…

Fire Museum in Manchester Connecticut – An Unsung Gem

Posted on June 17, 2014

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com Before fire response could be measured in the mere minutes powerful red trucks with sirens blasting are able to to soar to the scene,  muscular men slid down firehouse poles and literally, themselves pulled 5,000 pound apparatus responding to a blaze. Fascinating facts such as this and much more can be found at the The Fire Museum in Manchester, Connecticut – an unsung gem. A wealth of information about the interesting history of firefighting in the state awaits visitors here, along with up close views of apparatus and memorabilia that trace the transition of firefighting from man pulled apparatus to horse drawn and then motorized – including a rare coal burning steam engine, one of only two…

Homeland Day 100th Anniversary Celebrated in Manchester, Connecticut

Posted on June 16, 2014

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com The 100th anniversary of Homeland Day was celebrated on June 14 in Manchester, Connecticut. Since renamed Heritage Day, the annual celebration was originated by Ruth Sears Cheney to recognize the heritage of the many ethnic groups living in Manchester and working in the Cheney silk mills. The first celebration included a day of festivities and floats representing the varied cultures of Manchester’s population in the early 20th Century. This year’s Heritage Day capped the 23rd Pride in Manchester Week with a ceremony at Cheney Hall, that is now home to the Little Theater of Manchester which is currently staging a production of “Almost Maine”. The ceremony was followed by a march from the hall along Hartford Road…

“Imagine Main Street” – Strives To Make Downtown Relevant Again

Posted on June 13, 2014

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com  It has been decades since the first mall was built in the United States circa the late 1950s. Soon enough the mall phenomenon usurped the role of  “downtown” as a retail shopping magnet and place to meet across America.   For nearly as long the struggle has ensued to keep “Main Street” and “Downtown” relevant. The Main Street program emerged to assist towns and cities with revitalization. As well, individually communities continue the fight to more than just keep their main streets alive -rather to once again make them vibrant.   An example of efforts to preserve America’s main streets is currently underway in Manchester, Connecticut. The Imagine Main St initiative is celebrating its second anniversary with…

K9S FOR WARRIORS, Travelers Championship, Liberty Bank Team Up To Aid Vets with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Posted on June 11, 2014

Write-up by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb As if the chance to see top notch professional golfers compete in person is not enough of an incentive to attend the upcoming Travelers Championship, here’s another. Travelers Championship has teamed up with K9s For Warriors and presenter Liberty Bank to help a Connecticut veteran struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As part of a new initiative for Military Appreciation at the Travelers Championship, a “deserving veteran” will receive a shelter rescue dog which will be trained to become a service canine. The Travelers Championship is slated to get underway on June 16 and run through June 22 at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, CT. “We are honored to continue to support our military through programs such as…

“Big Johnny Always Said” – A Father’s Day Memory

Posted on June 8, 2014

By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com  Years after my father’s death he is still quoted on virtually a daily basis by his children and grandchildren – affectionately known to his grand kids as “Big Johnny.” “Big Johnny always said, ‘Buy American.’”  “Big Johnny always said, ‘Never cross a picket line.’”   “Big Johnny always said, ‘Tip well, treat service sector workers with respect.’”  “Dad always said, ‘Put your emergency brake on before putting your vehicle in park to take pressure off the transmission.’” “Dad always said, ‘Turn your tires curbside out when parking.’” “Big Johnny/Dad always said, ‘Put your head up, your shoulders back and remember who you are.’” The list goes on, however, the latter is at the foundation of who he was, how we…