newsandviewsjb

NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts from the “NEWS” Category

Connecticut Man Seeks Swimming Triple Crown 28 Years After Conquering English Channel

Posted on July 16, 2013

Twenty-eight years after swimming the English Channel at age 22, and twenty-four years after circumnavigating the water around Manhattan Island, Marty McMahon, a former president of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce in Connecticut, has his heart set on achieving the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming by swimming the Catalina Channel in Southern California on July 17. And, heart is truly what this swim is all about for McMahon. McMahon, who currently heads the WCC’s tourism committee, is taking on the athletic challenge to raise money and awareness for Autism Services and Resources Ct ASRC (www.ct-asrc.org); McMahon’s son Denis has Asperger  syndrome, which is part of the autism spectrum. According to Open Water Source, the marathon swims in the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming…

Categories: acheivements, Autism, NEWS, People, Sports, Swimming

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Mystic Seaport to Launch “America’s Last Surviving Wooden Whaleship” – Charles W. Morgan

Posted on July 15, 2013

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Visitors continue to climb aboard the Charles W. Morgan for an up-close look at its restoration in the final days before a July 21 launch of “America’s last surviving wooden whaleship” by Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. Yesterday, a steady stream of visitors of all ages ascended the wooden stairs leading to the Morgan to get a  firsthand look at the historic vessel that is slated to embark on its 38th voyage in the spring of 2014 and make its way to historic ports throughout New England. According to the story of the Morgan provided by Mystic Seaport, a maritime museum, the 19th Century whaling ship was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States secretary of the interior in…

Categories: American history, education, educational program, historic preservation, Living Museum, Maritime history, National landmarks, NEWS, Ships, Tourism, Travel, Vacation, Wooden ships

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Colchester Connecticut Farmer’s Market Growing

Posted on July 8, 2013

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb  Now in its fourth year, the Colchester Farmer’s Market is growing and is in a new location on the Colchester Town Green. The expansion is good news for Connecticut grown produce and appears to mirror a statewide trend. “This is our fourth year. Every year this market has grown twenty-five percent and this year I expect it to grow fifty percent,” said Jeff Savitsky, market master, during an interview July 7. “Everybody seems to be more interested in their health and people want to know where their food is coming from,” added Savitsky “and its putting money back into the local economy.” A fourth generation farmer, Savitsky’s farm is called Lake Hayward Farm and is part of…

Categories: family farms, Farmer's Markets, NEWS, organic vegetables, Tourism, town greens, Travel, Vacation

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Lt. Gov Wyman Joins Fourth of July Boom Box Parade in Windham, Connecticut

Posted on July 4, 2013

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman joined the 28th annual Boom Box Parade in Windham (Willimantic), Connecticut earlier today. The parade started promptly at 11 a.m. at Jillson Square then made its way along Main Street about a mile and a half to Memorial Park. Wearing her signature high heels -this pair in bright red – and with U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal at her side, Wyman smiled and waved to the crowds that lined both sides of the street. The Boom Box Parade story is well-known and told on the WILI website. In 1986 no marching bands could be found for Windham’s Memorial Day Parade. Five weeks later the idea for a Boom Box Parade was put forth. The…

Categories: Entertainment, Fourth of July, NEWS, Parades, Travel, Vacation

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Field of Flags at Old Sturbridge Village Honors America’s Military

Posted on July 3, 2013

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb  Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts is honoring America’s military with a Field of Flags located near the entrance to the village. A gift of $25 will sponsor a flag to be added to the field and help provide free admission to OSV for an active military member and his or her immediate family. A flag can also be sponsored in memory of a loved one or a military veteran. Further information about sponsoring a flag is available at the OSV Vistor’s Center.  On the Fourth of July, OSV will once again hold what is described as a very popular fireworks event in the evening. Earlier in the day, a 1 p.m. program will feature a naturalization…

Categories: American history, Fourth of July, Living Museum, NEWS, Tourism, Vacation

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Birthday Cakes & Other Pleasant Surprises

Posted on July 2, 2013

Speaking of birthday cakes which I did in my previous post has gotten me thinking about life’s pleasant surprises. Recently, one of mine was a birthday cake homemade by my nephew’s wife Melane when we all went up to the New Hamsphire Maple Weekend in March. Yes – homemade and delicious! It took me completely by surprise. That has prompted a positive stream of consciousness for me as I pondered some other pleasant surprises in my life – a kiss in a silo, an off-key serenade from a boy in college, a handmade beaded necklace from my nieces, a congratulatory note from my sister, a note from my dad on my sixteenth birthday, a watermelon boat my sister-in-law made for a surprise party my family…

Categories: Life, NEWS, People

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Destination: Willington Pizza House in Willington, Connecticut

Posted on June 30, 2013

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Willington Pizza House in Willington, Connecticut is the kind of extraordinary restaurant travelers hope to stumble upon. Having stacked up numerous awards and having been featured in the New York Times and on “Good Morning America” and “CBS This Morning”, the specialty pizzas here are legendary. On Route 32, about a mile and a half from the University of Connecticut Storrs campus, it is a favorite eating place for some of UCONN’s biggest sports stars as evidenced by an array of photos on the walls showing the well-known athletes and television sportscasters with restaurant owner Jeff Kelly. Located in a 250-year-old converted farmhouse, the long light gray building with red and white trimmed exterior has a quaint…

Categories: NEWS, Restaurants, Sports, Tourism, Travel, Vacation

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Despite Injury, Windsor CT Police K-9 Team Wins Trophy at USPCA Celebrating 50 Years for BostonPD K-9s

Posted on June 16, 2013

By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Despite an injury that threatened to keep them from competing, the K-9 team of officer Steve Vesco and his partner Iko of the Windsor, Connecticut Police Department, once again brought home a United States Police Canine Association trophy. The team finished fourth overall in criminal apprehension in the 2013 Region 4 contest. Vesco and Iko were the only team representing Connecticut in the trials which also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Boston Police Department’s K-9 unit. “I was ecstatic. I almost dropped out. But I got him through the competition,” Vesco said during an interview June 6 at the Public Safety Complex in Windsor, CT. Iko sustained an injury to a nerve in a rear leg…

Categories: Canine Competitions, NEWS, Police Dogs, Police K-9s

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Impromtu Encounter With Silk City Chorus Leads to Beautiful Serenade

Posted on June 11, 2013

Write-Up & Photo by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com An impromtu encounter with the award-winning Silk City Chorus which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, resulted in a beautiful serenade sung just as one would expect – in perfect harmony….   “Let me call you sweetheart, I’m in love with you, Let me hear you whisper that you love me too, Keep the love light glowing in your eyes so true, Let me call you sweetheart, I’m in love with you.” One of New England’s premier groups of its genre, members of the Manchester, Connecticut-based, 80-man chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society gathered Sunday, June 9 for an annual barbeque at Nevers Park in South Windsor. “We’ll probably do some quarteting,” said member Dan Fontaine. The group was…

Categories: Barbershop Quartets, Connecticut Parks, Entertainment, Music, NEWS

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2013 Enfield CT Memorial Day Speaker Urges Help for Returning War Veterans

Posted on May 31, 2013

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb “This current generation of warriors has stood shoulder to shoulder with past generations of warriors.” That message was delivered by 58th House District Representative David Alexander (D-Enfield), a captain in the Marine Corps reserves, to the crowd gathered May 26 on the town green in Enfield, Connecticut for the Memorial Day ceremony which followed a parade. Alexander, who completed four years of active duty in the Pacific and California, said he did not do anything extraordinary during that time. However, he said his fellow service members most certainly have, making sacrifices to serve the nation in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan just as other Americans had sacrificed since 1775, the time of the American Revolution. Alexander…

Categories: American history, NEWS, war memorials

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