Wesley Village in Shelton to host Halloween 5K

SHELTON - Wesley Village will host the seventh annual benefit 5k Road Race Oct. 24, starting at 9 a.m. 

Over 400 runners and walkers are expected. 

The event takes place at the Wesley Village Campus, 580 Long Hill Ave. and features a 5K run, 1-mile walk and ½ mile Kids Fun Run.  

This year’s 5K course will again be a flatter out and back course.

Bring the entire family for a morning of Halloween fun!  Participants are invited to join us at the post-race party for entertainment, a brunch with famous egg sandwiches, smoothies, fruit, granola bars, bagels, and more. 
Children’s activities include a bounce house, face painting, a clown, and the opportunity to trick-or-treat. Costumes are encouraged!  

The first 400 5K entrants will receive a free tech shirt and cotton t-shirts will be given to all other event participants. Runners aged 70+ run for free; pre-registration is required.  With over 10 percent of last year’s race field over age 70, the race may have one of the highest percentages of older runners in Connecticut.

Race proceeds benefit the award winning activity program at Wesley Village.  The Wesley Village campus provides independent living, assisted living, memory care, short-term rehab, outpatient therapy and fitness services, and skilled nursing care. 

The title sponsor for this year’s race is CE Floyd Co., Inc.  M&T Bank will sponsor the 1-mile Fun Walk and Merit Insurance will be sponsoring the Kids Fun Run.  

Also supporting this year’s race as major sponsors to date are: Bic Corporation; Murtha Cullina LLP; O’Connor Davies, LLC; Crown Uniform and Linen Service; McKesson Medical-Surgical; Performance Food Service; Serra & DelVecchio Insurance;  Aetna; Center for Comprehensive Care; Impact Branding and Design; New England Homecare; Omnicare, Inc.; Alliance Rehab of CT; All Waste, Inc.; EDM Architects & Engineers.

For more information on the Wesley Village Halloween 5K & Fun Walk, visit jbsports.com or call JB Sports,203-481-5933.

Wesley Village is a campus of senior care communities including Crosby Commons Assisted and Independent Living Community, Wesley Heights Assisted and Independent Living Apartments and Cottages, Lifestyle Transitions Memory Care, and Bishop Wicke Health and Rehabilitation Center. 

The campus is owned and operated by UMH, a local, mission-based, not-for-profit organization serving all members of the community. 

To learn more about the continuum of care offered at Wesley Village or the mission of UMH, visit www.wesleyvillage-ct.org or contact Lisa Bisson at 203-225-5024.

This is a press release from United Methodist Homes.

Kellogg Center in Derby seeks Project FeederWatch volunteers

Nationwide effort monitors winter birds

DERBY - The Kellogg Environmental Center, 500 Hawthorne Ave., is seeking volunteers for its Project FeederWatch program. 

Volunteers are expected to monitor, count, and maintain the bird feeding stations at the Kellogg Environmental Center from November 2015 to March 2016, on Friday and Saturday mornings. 

Come to the center Oct. 24, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., to attend a Project FeederWatch training.

Project FeederWatch is a nationwide research effort that monitors the distribution and populations of winter bird species such as house finches, goldfinches, downy woodpeckers and black-capped chickadees across the country.  

Volunteers monitor and count the number of birds that are using the center’s bird feeders during pre-selected days between November and March.  

The data is carefully recorded and entered online at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for compilation, analysis and publication.  

This citizen science project is well suited for individuals including students, teachers, retired individuals, and those who have an interest in birds or enjoy watching wildlife.  Handouts and refreshments will be available.

All ages are welcome; children must be accompanied by adults.  The program is free. Pre-registration is requested.  

For more information and to register, call the Kellogg Environmental Center, 203-734-2513.  

The Kellogg Environmental Center is a facility of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

This information is shared from an online community calendar sponsored by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and the New Haven Independent.

Road paving to start Tuesday in Ansonia

"Ansonia Residents: The city will commence the 2015 road paving projects on Tuesday, October 13. Scheduled hours of work will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first road to be paved will be Beaver Street from Moulthrop Street to the Seymour Town line. This phase of the project is scheduled to last three to four days. 

"Once Beaver Street is completed, we will be moving on to Ford Street, from Martin Terrace, Ford Road and finally, Smith Street. 

"Traffic control personnel will help guide motorists through the work zone. Delays may be expected, but please be patient. The anticipated duration of the projects will last approximately two weeks. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated."

*Sharing this from the City of Ansonia Facebook page.

Community leader named honorary starter for Shelton-Derby 5K

Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day race a Valley tradition

Janice A. Sheehy 

Janice A. Sheehy, Senior Vice President and Team Leader, Business Banking for Webster Bank has been named as the Honorary Starter for the 2015 Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day 5K Road Race. 

Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 this year.

Sheehy becomes the 10^th person recognized with the award and the first female. 

The award is made to people of distinction who have made lifetime contributions to the two communities along the race course - Derby and Shelton. 
The tradition of selecting the Honorary Race Starter began in 2005. 

The Honorary Starter’s chief duty is to fire the starting gun at the race. 

Sheehy joined Webster Bank in 1997 and has more than 40 years of banking experience. She works closely with business owners to help them achieve their financial goals.  

In addition to her banking career Sheehy is a very active and involved community leader serving on numerous boards including board Chair of the Valley United Way, board member of Birmingham Foundation, the Hewitt Foundation, Shelton Economic Development Corporation, and Center Stage. 

She is also a corporator of Griffin Hospital and was a member of the committee that raised funds for the Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness.

Sheehy is also a former volunteer for Junior Achievement, has served as Chair of the board of the Valley YMCA, and is a past member of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven’s Women and Girls Fund.

Her community leadership has been recognized by the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce which presented her with its Gold Seal Award. She is also the recipient of the prestigious Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award presented by the Valley United Way. 

Sheehy graduated from the University of New Haven with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.   

The race is held on Thanksgiving morning starting along the Riverwalk on Canal Street in Shelton and crossing over the Derby-Shelton Bridge to the Derby Public Library and then back to the Riverwalk in Shelton. 

The race honors the memory of one of America’s greatest naval heroes, Commodore Isaac Hull who authored one of the US Navy’s greatest victories as commander of the U.S.S. Constitution in the War of 1812. 

Funds raised from the race have been donated to the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Through the first 13 years of the race, that has amounted to more than $140,000. 

Complete information on the race including the list of all past Honorary Starters can be found at http://electronicvalley.org/derby/HullRace/.

This is a press release from the race committee.

Seymour Historical Society program to present history of Ellis Island

Ellis Island in New York Harbor. (Photo from Wikipedia)

SEYMOUR - Ellis Island was the gateway to America – some called it the Golden Door – for more than 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954. 

The Seymour Historical Society will present a special program on this landmark in New York Harbor at 2 p.m. Oct. 25.

The program will be hosted by Arthur Gottlieb, a former administrator at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City. 
He will offer a detailed history of Ellis Island, where the typical immigrant spent less than five hours, but answered 29 questions examining their fitness to enter the country, underwent a medical exam and offered evidence that they had the money and skills to support themselves in America. 

Gottlieb will illustrate his talk with dozens of exceptional vintage photographs. 

The Seymour Historical Society is located at 59 West St., near Trinity Episcopal Church. 

The program is free to Seymour Historical Society members and $5 for non-members. Doors open at 1 p.m. 

For more information, call 203-881-2156, contact psussman@snet.net, or visit www.seymourhistoricalsociety.org. 


This is a press release from Paul Sussman, Seymour Historical Society member.