Women and Heart Disease Committee to host 10th annual event in Derby

DERBY - Lifestyle Medicine will be the topic of a talk at the Women and Heart Disease Committee's 10th annual Women and Heart Disease Program Feb. 12.

Guest speaker is Dr. Ingrid Edshteyn, known as the "Wellness Doctor." She will discuss Lifestyle Medicine and its implications for future health care.

Women and Heart Disease is a community initiative focused on education, outreach, and prevention.

Registration, raffle and social hour starts at 5 p.m.; dinner is at 6 p.m. The event will be held at Grassy Hill Lodge, 77 Sodom Lane.

Tickets are $35 a person. RSVP by Jan. 31 at 203-732-1523 or 203-732-7584.

February is American Heart Month.

Center Stage in Shelton readies musical

*Sharing this information for Center Stage owners Gary and Francesca Scarpa of Shelton. It is taken from the Center Stage Theatre Facebook page.

“To Dream the Impossible Dream!”

One of the great classic plays of the American Musical Theater, Man of La Mancha personifies the strength of the human spirit and the power of imagination.

Enter the mind and the world of the mad knight Don Quixote as he pursues his quest for the impossible dream. Against all odds, he is a man who sees good and innocence in a world filled with darkness and despair.

Don Quixote’s quest? Simply, to make the world a better place - and that he does! Man of La Mancha is a classic tale of the triumph of the human heart! 
The winner of five Tony Awards including Best Musical, Man of La Mancha is an adventure you will long remember!

Performances will run Jan. 30-Feb. 15. 

For information visit http://www.centerstageshelton.org.



Center Stage is located in the former Lafayette School, 54 Grove St., Shelton.

Ansonia mayor files papers for re-election

Ansonia Mayor David S. Cassetti files his paperwork for re-election today with Town Clerk Beth Lynch. Cassetti was elected in 2013. / Contributed photo

'Twelfth Night' marked in Ansonia

Historical society hosts annual event

Daniel 'Red Bear' Bosques, a Derby Historical Society volunteer, strikes a pose dressed as a rifle man during a 'Twelfth Night' celebration Sunday at the Gen. David Humphreys House in Ansonia. / Submitted photo

ANSONIA - More than 80 people attended the Derby Historical Society's annual 'Twelfth Night' celebration Sunday afternoon at the historic David Humphreys house, 37 Elm St., the birthplace of Humphreys in 1752. 

The event included demonstrations of Colonial skills such as spinning, weaving, and open hearth cooking. 

In Christian tradition 'Twelfth Night' marks the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas. 

The Derby Historical Society, a regional historical society based at 37 Elm St., Ansonia, is dedicated to preserving, maintaining, and celebrating the rich and varied history of the Lower Naugatuck Valley. 

For information about the non-profit organization visit www.derbyhistorical.org.

CWV in Derby to host dinner and movie

DERBY - Catholic War Veterans Post 1562 and Auxiliary will hold their monthly Pasta Dinner and a Movie at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Post, 112 Derby Ave.

Have some pasta, meatballs, salad, and dessert for only $6, and if you like, stay for a movie in the newly renovated hall.

This month’s movie is Jersey Boys.


For more information call the Post after 1 p.m. at 203-734-9748.



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

Valley Shakespeare Festival to open 2015 season at Derby Neck Library

Valley Shakespeare Festival, the Valley’s only non-profit free Shakespeare theater company, will open its third season at 2 p.m. Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14 at Derby Neck Library, 307 Hawthorne Ave., Derby, with a scripted reading of Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare’s tragic tale of young love which has so often been performed in so many different formats, time periods and places will be presented by Valley Shakespeare as an adapted, script-in-hand reading, using only seven actors, minimal staging and will last approximately 90 minutes.
The performance is being presented free of charge, with a suggested donation of $10.

The season continues at 7 p.m. March 12 with the third offering in VSF’s Shakespeare in the Barseries, Hamlet: The Bad Quarto.

This version of the “melancholy Dane” is widely accepted as being the first draft of the Bard’s tragedy and will be presented in a brisk 90 minutes as adapted by Valley Shakespeare Festival’s executive and artistic director, Tom Simonetti.


As in the past, this script-in-hand adaptation will be performed in the intimate upper-level bar area of Porky’s Café at 50 Center St., Shelton.
Tickets for this event will be offered at $10 per person in advance, $15 at the door.

Valley Shakespeare Festival members are proud and excited to be piloting its Education Initiative Program this year to the fourth graders of the Shelton School District during the month of May.
It will conduct workshops on Shakespeare’s works and present performances of As You Like It to students and faculty during school hours in a format consistent with common core standards.
It is the hope of Valley Shakespeare Festival that the program will be received with great success and will be expanded to all grades and schools in the Valley in the very near future.

'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
The apex of Valley Shakespeare Festival’s season is always its grand summer production. This year the company is proud to be expanding its usual three free performances in Shelton’s Veterans Memorial Park to four performances, to be held July 9-12 at 8 p.m.

The production to be presented is A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a perennial favorite for Shakespeare summer outdoor theater.
Puck and company will have audience members alternately laughing and weeping as they romp through the forest under the moonlight in this funny and poignant comedy.

Valley Shakespeare Festival also will be adding another Shakespeare in the Bar adaption in October, and will reprise its annual scripted reading of A Christmas Carol in December.

Information, reservations and tickets for all of Valley Shakespeare Festival’s events may be accessed at www.vsfestival.org or by calling 203-513-9446.
And make sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter.


This is a press release from Valley Shakespeare Festival, a non-profit theater company, fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas, dedicated to providing free theater to the communities of the Lower Naugatuck Valley.

Ansonia School Readiness to kick off kindergarten registration

ANSONIA - The official "kick-off" for Kindergarten registration will be held at the 12th annual Kindergarten Registration Event at John G. Prendergast School from 9-11:30 a.m. Jan. 24 (snow date is Jan. 31), at which time you may register for the upcoming school year.  

The school is at 59 Finney St.

In the days after the fair, to provide efficient service to residents, registration for grades K-8 in Ansonia Public Schools are done via appointment only. 

All incoming kindergarten students will receive an appointment for a Kindergarten screening (which is done at the Ansonia School Readiness office located at Ansonia Middle School).  
This screening is a brief assessment, about 10-15 minutes, that offers a snapshot of your child's development.  
It assesses the following skills:  language, motor, concept, self-help and social.   

You must have the following information/documentation at time of registration:

• Birth certificate with the notarized seal. It may be a copy as long as it has the seal.
• Kindergarten students must have the blue health form completed by their physician, as well as all immunizations up to date. (Please see package for complete health details)
• A minimum of two proofs of your Ansonia residency, which include (No substitutions):
  • Valid Connecticut drivers license indicating Ansonia residency on the front of the license. 
  • Two Utility bills such as UI, ATT, Comcast or Yankee Gas dated within the timeframe of registration.
  • Rental agreement signed by all parties showing student(s) name.
  • Escrow papers or signed mortgage commitment.
  • If registering from another district, please bring the most current report card and IEP and or 504 plan if applicable.

Additional documentation may be required as needed.
For information, call 203-736-5095.


This information is from the Ansonia Public Schools website.  

Derby artist pens story about a tiny snowman

Tommy Triangle, a Shapel character, poses with the 'Littlest Snowman'  

DERBY - City resident Evelyn C. North recently penned "The Littlest Snowman," a delightful tale that is based on a true story.

North, an artist, is the creator of The Shapels, a group of friendly characters crafted from simple shapes. They teach young children math, language skills, and more in a fun and engaging way. 

Tommy Triangle (pictured above) is one of The Shapels, who coincidentally live in Shapeltown.

North said the snowman story came from the imagination of her now-grown son when he was about five years old.

She said, "Even though there was hardly any snow on the ground, he insisted that he was going to build a snowman. He surprised us with a tiny little snowman - 8 inches tall!"

That long ago memory was the inspiration for the story, which you can read here. 

For more information about The Shapels, please check out this story I wrote for the New Haven Register.

North said anyone who wishes to contact her about The Shapels may do so at shapels@shapels.com. 

Her e-books are available at Amazon.com and at barnesandnoble.com, and hardcover copies are for sale at The Ice Cream Shoppe, 59 Bridgeport Ave., Shelton.