Thursday, December 4, 2025
Seymour Public Library to show 'A Sudden Case of Christmas' Friday
Griffin Health in Oxford offers 'Healthier Gingerbread Man' cooking demo
OXFORD -The Griffin Center for Healthy Living is helping families have healthier holidays with a free cooking demonstration.
The Healthy Gingerbread Man will be Dec. 11 from 5-6:15 p.m. at the Griffin Center for Healthy Living Teaching Kitchen, Quarry Walk, 300 Oxford Road.
Griffin Health Chef Mike Rizzio will lead a cooking demonstration on how to make and decorate a gingerbread man that includes nutritional ingredients like flaxseed mill, coconut oil and wheat flour, and uses healthier monk fruit and unsulphured molasses instead of sugar.
Opened in 2020, the Griffin Center for Healthy Living is a unique facility in which Griffin Health partners with the community in wellness – offering education, guidance and assistance in preventing and managing chronic disease, and promoting overall well-being.
The Center is part of Griffin’s mission to empower individuals to make choices that change their lifestyles for the better, and embodies Griffin’s goal to not only care for individuals when they are not well, but to build a meaningful relationship, guide, and coach them to maximize their quality of life.
Visit griffinhealthyliving.org for more information about the Center's features and upcoming community events.
This event is free, but seating is limited and reservations are required. Visit www.griffinhealth.org/healthy-gingerbread-man or contact the Griffin Center for Healthy Living Coordinator at 203-732-1369 to sign up.
This is a press release from Griffin Health.
Seymour Community Center to hold holiday dinner Dec. 10
JOIN US for our Holiday Dinner & Ugly Sweater Contest (50+)!
Get ready for an afternoon of great food, holiday cheer, and some seriously ugly sweaters!
Enjoy a live music performance by our Band Jam & Ukulele Group, and don’t forget to wear your most festive (or outrageous!) holiday sweater for a chance to win a prize.
Registration required – sign up now!
Register here: https://seymourct.myrec.com/.../program_details.aspx...
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Griffin Hospital in Derby to host free hernia screening event
DERBY - Griffin Hospital will host a free hernia screening event Jan. 10 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
The screenings will be conducted by Griffin Faculty Physician surgeons who specialize in hernia treatment.
The screening takes about 10 minutes and participants will receive information and referrals if there is a suspected hernia.
Men and women can experience hernias, which occur when an internal organ or other body part protrudes through the wall of muscle or tissue that normally contains it.
Typically, hernias can occur after childbirth, excessive lifting or straining, or a persistent or heavy cough. Most hernias appear within the abdominal cavity, between the chest and the hips, or in the groin.
It is estimated that more than five million people in the U.S. suffer from hernias each year and more than 27 percent of men and 3 percent of women will have a hernia at some point in their lives,” said Griffin Faculty Physicians General Surgeon Dr. Leland Soto. “While mostly a non-life-threatening health condition, hernias can be very uncomfortable and – if left untreated – can require surgical care. That’s why it is critical for individuals to get suspected hernias checked.”
A hernia in the abdomen or groin can produce a noticeable lump or bulge that can be pushed back in, or that can disappear when lying down. Laughing, crying, coughing, straining during a bowel movement, or physical activity may make the lump reappear after it has been pushed in. More symptoms of a hernia include:
- Swelling or bulge in the groin or scrotum
- Increased pain at the site of the bulge
- Pain while lifting
- Increase in the bulge size over time
- A dull aching sensation
- A sense of feeling full or signs of bowel obstruction
- In the case of hiatal hernias - when the upper part of your stomach bulges through the large muscle separating your abdomen and chest (diaphragm) - there are no bulges on the outside of the body. Instead, symptoms may include heartburn, indigestion, difficulty swallowing, frequent regurgitation and chest pain.
Hernias occur in a higher frequency in men between the ages of 40 to 59 years of age.
Hernias in women are often deeper and smaller, so they often do cause a visible bulge. If left untreated, hernias can cause serious problems, including blocking the intestine, pinching blood vessels and breaking through the skin.
Walk-ins are welcome. Spaces are limited, so registration is recommended. Appointments will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Appointments can be made online at www.griffinhealth.org/hernia-screenings or by calling 203-732-3443.
This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
'Turnback Tuesday' highlights Derby High School cheerleaders
Turnback Tuesday steps back in time with the Class of 1946, or more specifically these lovely ladies of Derby High School cheerleaders: (l. to r.) Ellen Regan ‘47, Joan Kirby ’48 (later became captain), Lorraine Gaudio ’47, Catherine Cable ’46 (captain), Marion Kelly ’47, Mary Kenney ’46, and Anne Hollingsworth ’47.
DPL is in search of Derby High School sweaters to borrow for our display for the months of January and February 2025 in celebration of Derby’s 350th.
Digital image is a recent donation from the Kelleher family.
Thanks as always goes to Derby Public Library staff for sharing interesting local history each week.
Remembering the good times on a sad anniversary
Marking the first anniversary of a sad day
Ralph, center, served as chairman of the Ansonia Cultural Commission.
Here he's posing with the city's Event Coordinator and commission member Rich DiCarlo, at left, and Mayor David S. Cassetti at the city's Christmas tree lighting ceremony in 2015.
Anniversaries usually are occasions to celebrate, but not always.
Today is Dec. 2, and it’s a bittersweet one for me. It’s the first anniversary of my husband Ralph’s passing.
It’s a sad time, of course, but I have 36 years of memories that are happy - and that makes me feel like I can describe it as bittersweet.
It’s hard to believe a year has gone by since that morning when a close friend and I found Ralph in bed, no longer breathing. She performed CPR on him to no avail as I frantically called 9-1-1. The memory of that morning is forever seared into my brain.
I wish to thank my family, friends, and members of the community who have given me support through this difficult year. I am truly appreciative of all the kindnesses I’ve received.
And I want to give a special mention to John Zaleski at Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home in Ansonia, who made the entire process as painless as it could be under the circumstances.
Ralph had quite the dry sense of humor. It was so dry that after all the years together he even fooled me at times.
An example is a quick blog post he penned in April, 2020 (see photo above).
He wrote: “Grabbing some sun in the COVID era. Was I supposed to wear a mask when on my driveway???”
I'm glad I have many family photos to remind me of the good times as I attempt to go through 'stuff' on his desk, his computer, in his closet, and more.
I've learned to never take life for granted. It all can change in the blink of an eye.
Monday, December 1, 2025
Make sugar scrub gifts at Plumb Memorial Library Saturday in Shelton
DIY Scrub Gifts
Location: Plumb Memorial Library, 65 Wooster St., Shelton
Ages: 8-12
Day/Date: 1-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6
Join Ms. Shannon and Ms. Amanda in making scent-sational sugar scrub gifts for your loved ones for the holidays from scratch!
Please keep in mind that coconut oil, sugar, and almond extract will be used in making these scrubs.
Registration required for each child attending.
Register by calling 203-924-1580 ext. 5108 or online:
https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=2661&EventID=574485&PK=
From the 'Turnback Tuesday' archives: Derby Junction
This week's "Turnback Tuesday" photo is of *Derby Junction,* the common name for the intersection of Main Street (foreground), New Haven Avenue (background right) and Derby Avenue (off to the left.)
In this photo, Derby Junction is located more north than it is now since an adjacent bridge was built over the Naugatuck River. You can tell this based on the relative offset of St. Michael's Church.
Today, the intersection is busier than ever with cars, trucks, buses, etc., but it was once a bustling site with horse drawn carriages and electric trolleys that made transfers to other locations at this spot.
This picture is likely from the early 1900s.
[First posted on this date in 2015.]
Thanks as always goes to Derby Public Library staff for sharing interesting local history each week.

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