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NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts tagged “Jacqueline Bennett”

Rain Does Not Deter Peach Shortcake Lovers from Attending 2014 Festival in Manchester, CT

Posted on August 24, 2014

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Oh no, don’t let the rain come down!  Sporadic rain showers did not deter peach shortcake lovers from attending the 65th Annual Peach Festival held Friday night, August 22 in Manchester, Connecticut. Umbrellas in hand, festival-goers turned out anyway. The Peach Festival is hosted by the 8th Utilities District firefighters and ladies auxiliary as a fundraiser for the volunteer department. Tickets were $5.     Organizers moved most of the long tables for family style seating inside the Fire Headquarters, where the event was held for the second year after being relocated from its previous home down the hill at the old firehouse. For many the festival is an end-of-summer tradition but was also enjoyed by…

Categories: festivals, Firefighter events, Fundraisers, New England, NEWS

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Mom’s Recipe Box: “A Keene Idea” Texas Hash from Betty Jane

Posted on August 22, 2014

                      “A Keene Idea” Texas Hash from Betty Jane   When I graduated from Keene Teacher’s College in 1961 as a Home Economics teacher I received my first recipe book. It was a collection of favorite recipes from Home Ec teachers in every state! The very first recipe I selected to make in the book was TEXAS HASH. I was single then but had guests for dinner that night. All of my guests enjoyed it and I put a stamp of approval on that page. My guests liked it that night and my family still asks for it 53 years later. This recipe has survived the years and is easily adapted to current trends:…

Categories: Cooking, Family, Food, Home Economics, NEWS, Recipes

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Firefighters’ Host 65th Annual Peach Festival

Posted on August 20, 2014

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com  Let the peach peeling begin! Each August the 8th Utilities District firefighters and the ladies auxiliary in Manchester, Connecticut put a call out to the community for volunteers to assist with peeling peaches for the annual peach festival. Now in its 65th year, the peach peeling heralds the upcoming  festival that is both a fundraiser for the volunteer fire department and has become a traditional last hurrah gathering as summer comes to a close.  Firefighters serve up those yummy peach shortcakes topped with hand sliced fresh peaches and Shady Glen whipped cream. Don’t be surprised to see politicians circulating at this event. The 2014  festival is scheduled for Friday, August 22 at the Fire Headquarters on 138…

Categories: Firefighter events, Food, Fundraisers, New England, New England festivals, NEWS

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Send a Kid Home With a Backpack of Food – Join the Movement to End Hunger

Posted on August 19, 2014

Write-Up & Photos  by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com  When I began my reporting career one of  my earliest assignments was to cover a church sponsored Thanksgiving Day dinner for the homeless and those down on their luck. That day I talked with people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, veterans working to recover from their wartime experiences, elderly folks barely making ends meet on fixed incomes, and a young, newly unemployed couple who had swallowed their pride to be there so their children would have a holiday meal. Since that time, over a span of more than two decades I have reported on the growing needs of local and regional food pantries in communities throughout the Greater Hartford, Connecticut area. Just this past spring I…

Categories: Hunger in America, NEWS

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Hayrides & The Bennett Family Farm in New Hampshire

Posted on August 17, 2014

By: Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Among the many photos I have taken, one of my favorites I shot during my first ever hayride. It was on a gorgeous, late summer day in September of 2012, sunny, dry with a slight chill in the air – perfect sweatshirt and shorts weather – my favorite kind. I attended the Grange Fair in West Simsbury, Connecticut where they were offering free hayrides, and I decided it was high time that this New England girl get aboard to find out what it would be like firsthand.   To get started, the line of eager passengers was to climb up a small step ladder into the wagon. Thanks to my long legs the step ladder was unnecessary for me.…

Categories: Family, family farms, Hayrides, New England, New England Grange Fairs, New Hampshire, NEWS

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Mom’s Recipe Box: “Everybody Loves” Sweet Baked Beans from Melane

Posted on August 15, 2014

                      “Everybody Loves” Melane’s Sweet Baked Beans   When my parents returned from their trip to Australia, I received a treasure to complement a favorite recipe. An Australian deep dish pot for my baked beans recipe that everyone loves. Every 4th of July I bring my baked beans to our family picnic and return home with the pot empty! – Melane Larned     INGREDIENTS 3 cups dry Navy Beans soaked for 8 hours; 1 cup Maple Syrup; one half cup ketchup; 1 cup molasses; 1 large onion chopped; one green pepper chopped; one half cup mustard; 1 small package salt pork chopped into small cubes; 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; one fourth teaspoon garlic powder;…

Categories: Baking, Cooking, Family, Food, NEWS, Recipes

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Lonestar To Perform at Farmington Polo Grounds for Dream Ride Weekend

Posted on August 14, 2014

Write-up by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com     Lonestar, a premier national recording country music band is coming to Connecticut on August 23. The group, known for hits such as “Amazed”, “I’m Already There” and “My Front Porch Looking In” is scheduled to perform at the Farmington Polo Grounds in Farmington, 152 Town Farm Road, as part of the 2014 Dream Ride Experience Weekend. A limited number of concert tickets are said to be available at $30 each. All seating will be lawn seating. Parking cost is $5. Gates open about 4 p.m. and the concert is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. Dream Ride is one of the biggest, if not the biggest of all annual multi-state charity rides. With start points at various…

Categories: Charity concerts, Country music bands, Law Enforcement Torch Run, Music, New England, NEWS, Special Olympics, Summer concerts

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Someone Else’s Pain – The Loss of Robin Williams

Posted on August 13, 2014

Commentary by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   When NBC’s Brian Williams broke into regular programming Monday night with a news bulletin I braced myself to hear about another horrific incident in the Middle East conflict. Instead, as the rest of the nation, I was stunned to learn that beloved Academy Award winning actor, and comedian Robin Williams was dead at age 63. From the beginning the sadness in Brian Williams’ announcement indicated there was more to the story. And, in a broadcast press conference yesterday the local sheriff’s office announced Williams had been found in his California home presumably having hung himself. He leaves a wife and three children. A cultural icon, he also leaves fans worldwide to mourn the loss. Like most of America,…

Categories: American culture, Celebrities, Character, comedy, Cultural icons, Robin Williams

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Destination: Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough

Posted on August 12, 2014

      Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com     It is like a treasure hunt navigating the twists and turns through the small village of Noank, Connecticut to reach Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough. Waiting at the end is their famous, scrumptious Hot Lobster Roll  “a quarter pound of pure lobster meat (more than is found in a small lobster) with melted creamery butter, mounded on a toasted bun”,  up to ten pounds of “steamed and succulent” lobster dinners, and more melt-in-your mouth seafood selections. Just thinking about my recent visit to Abbott’s makes me want to return.  The atmosphere at this shoreline summer landmark is pleasant and relaxing. Seating is available inside a small screened-in dining area, at an ample…

Categories: Casual shoreline restaurants in CT, Food, New England, NEWS, Seafood

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Mom’s Recipe Box: “Nana Nunu” Date Nut Bread from Debbie

Posted on August 8, 2014

                  “Nana Nunu” Date Nut Bread from Debbie It is only fitting, that my recipe for “Mom’s Recipe Box”, be a recipe in honor of my “Nana Nunu”. Words alone cannot convey, the love and gratitude, I have for my grandmother. My grandmother loved and raised me as if I was her own. The love of family was her mission, her credo and the fabric of her being. I have many fond memories of family gatherings, that included signature favorites and a venue for new and exciting dishes. A very special memory, is one where Nana and I would have a cup of tea together. We would sit in the red and white kitchen of 128,…

Categories: Baking, Family, Food, NEWS, Recipes

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