Seymour Public Library accepting food donations to pay overdue fines

* This started Saturday but I just noticed it today. You have until Jan. 6 to support the food drives!

Re-posting as reminder: Seymour Pink to host holiday open house

Ansonia Animal Shelter collecting items for VA Hospital in West Haven

Choir to perform holiday music at Three Saints Orthodox Church in Ansonia

Seymour Public Library posts holiday-themed activities for children

            
SEYMOUR - The Seymour Public Library children's department will host a variety of fun and educational activities in December.

12/5 - 10:30 a.m. – Lynn Lewis - Music and Movement for ages 0-6 with a special visit from RUDOLPH!!  A fun time for everyone!

12/7 - 10:30 a.m.– Science Snoopers ‘Otterly Wonderful!’ features for natural science, story and craft for ages 2 and up.  Must be able to sit and listen.

12/7 - 4 p.m. – StoryKids’ Book Club for K-Gr 2.  Book talks, craft and a snack. Child must have some reading ability.

12/8 – 3:45 p.m. – Origami!! Create a wonderful holiday creation. For YAs age 10 and up!

12/13 - 4 p.m. – Nutmeggers’ - YA Book Club for Gr 5 - 8.  Book talk, craft and a snack - features the Intermediate Nutmeg Nominees.

12/14 – 10:30 a.m. - Preschoolers’ Crafty Holiday Party! Stories, games, crafts and refreshments for infants - 6 year olds!

12/14–  4 p.m. – BookChatters’ Book Club for Grades 2-4.  Book talk, craft, and a snack. It features the Magic Tree House Series 

12/15,16 – All day - Drop in Winter Craft table! Drop in and make a fun winter/holiday themed craft – all are welcome!

12/21 – 4 p.m. – ‘The Club’ book club for grades 8 and up. Teen advisory~ Book talk, snacks, and more.

All programs are free! fun! and formative!

Some have limited enrollment; registration is required for all.
For information call 203-888-3903, visit us on Facebook or at www.seymourpubliclibrary.org.

The library is at 46 Church St. 

This is a press release from Ann Szaley, head of children's services, Seymour Public Library.

Osborne Homestead in Derby decked out for holiday season

DERBY - Area garden clubs have once again adorned the Osborne Homestead Museum for the holiday season, a tradition that goes back more than 30 years. 
This year's theme is "Holiday at the Opera." The house looks beautiful!

The elegant Colonial Revival-style estate at 500 Hawthorne Ave. is the lifelong home of businesswoman, conservationist, civic leader, and philanthropist Frances Osborne Kellogg. She died there in 1956 at age 80.
The museum is operated by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. 
Kellogg's uncle was an opera critic and she frequently attended the opera in New York City with him.   

Members of the Derby Garden Society decorated a bedroom (shown above) once used by Eva A. Little, who was Frances Osborne Kellogg's bookkeeper and companion. 
Kellogg gave life usage of the home to Little, who died in 1976 at the age of 101.

Please check out my story and photos of the decorations in the latest Valley Voice newsletter.

'Turnback Tuesday' on Wednesday features Housatonic River in Derby

This week's 'Turnback Tuesday' features the Housatonic River or "Ousatonic" as it was originally spelled. 
The river was named by the Paugussett Tribe as Potatuck which means “River with Falls” or “Great River.”
The Housatonic actually starts near Pittsfield, Mass. and runs for 148 miles into Long Island Sound. 
In the early 1800s, factories were built along the river. These factories in Birmingham harnessed the water to power their turbines and water wheels. 
A covered bridge was built in 1839 to connect Shelton to Derby and the Ousatonic Dam was dedicated in 1870. Dikes were installed along parts of the river after the Flood of 1955. 
Not all use of the river was for commercial purposes as recreational boating was very common. 
In fact, the Yale University boat crews used the river to practice and race, hence the Gilder Boathouse on Roosevelt Drive. 
This picture was taken standing on the Derby/Shelton Bridge in 1904. You can see the dam in the background and Oak Cliff Cemetery to the right on the hill.

Thanks go out to the Derby Public Library for providing this interesting local history!