Derby Library to host chess club, board games for teens

DERBY - The Derby Public Library Teen Chess Club invites all young adults ages 12 to 17 to meetings Mondays in October (excluding holidays) from 6:30-7:30 p.m. All skill levels are welcome. 

Participants will learn how the game is played as well as defensive/offensive strategies. Julio Maldonado provides superb expertise from a lifelong love of the game. 

Young Adult Wednesdays

DERBY - The Derby Public Library hosts YA Wednesdays every month from 6-7:30 p.m. All young adults ages 12 to 17 are invited to join the fun each Wednesday in October. Nintendo Wii, board games, and Legos will be available. 

Light refreshments will be provided. 

For more information on any programs stop by the Library at 313 Elizabeth St., call 203-736-1482 or visit www.derbypubliclibrary.org.

This is a press release from Tony DeLos, young adult librarian, Derby Public Library.

CT Ride for Hope, BBQ slated Sunday in Shelton

The event will benefit MovingwithHope, a Shelton-based nonprofit.

The organization provides activity based restorative therapy grants, Locomotor training and adaptive equipment for young survivors of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries and long-term illnesses.

For information visit www.ctrideforhope.org or call 203-513-8424.

This information is shared from the event's website.

Car, truck show to benefit Seymour cheerleaders, spirit club

* Sharing info from the Office of the First Selectman of Seymour's Facebook page.

Vendors sought for fair at Wesley Village in Shelton

TEAM Festival of Trees is an annual event at Wesley Village in Shelton./Contributed photo

SHELTON -Wesley Village, a campus of senior living communities located at 580 Long Hill Ave., is seeking vendors for their annual Wesley Village Craft Fair and TEAM Festival of Trees.

The fair will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 21 and 22.

If you are looking for a well-attended event in which to sell your special crafts, 8-foot tables are available for $50 a day.

Contact Barbara Quinn, Director of Volunteer Services at Wesley Village, at 203-944-8292, to reserve your table.


This is a press release from United Methodist Homes.

Food truck fundraiser slated Thursday at Shelton Riverwalk

SHELTON - The Parent Child Resource Center is hosting its 2^nd Annual “Food Trucks in the Valley” Thursday at the Shelton Riverwalk to benefit children’s behavioral health programs and services that it hosts in Derby and Shelton. 
PCRC serves children and their families throughout the state of Connecticut. 

This event features 25-plus food trucks, live music, kids activities, mascots and a car show (please bring your car by for free entry into the car show!). 
Sponsors include Toys “R” Us, Babies “R” Us, Valley Community Foundation, Avalon-Shelton and Ned Miller Agency. 

Last year, this event was planned in under a month and had more than 5,000 guests in attendance. This year, with an increase in food trucks, kids activities and sponsors, PCRC expects 10,000 to attend. 
This event includes favorite food trucks, like Caseus, Szabo’s Seafood, Dad’s Food Truck, Firedog, Ben & Jerry’s, and many more. New activities include a video game truck and a giant bounce slide. 

Live music schedule goes as follows:

4 p.m.: Father Nelson and the Backsliders (rock n' roll)

5 p.m.: Quicksand Planet (rock n’ roll) 

6 p.m.: Lava (Modern Mashups by middle and high school students, a band they started in first grade)

7 p.m.: The Alpaca Gnomes (Varieties including classic rock, reggae and more)

Follow us on social media for updates:

Facebook: Food Trucks in the Valley 

Twitter: @ValleyFTs

Instagram: ValleyFoodTrucks

Google+: Parent Child Resource Center

“Food Trucks in the Valley” will raise funds to support PCRC’s successful clinical programs that deliver a state of the art care to our clients – as a leader in the delivery of mental health services to children and families.
Each year we serve more than 1,200 children, many who suffer from serious behavioral and emotional problems, including trauma, abuse and neglect. 

For more information on sponsoring, volunteering, or getting your food truck, car, or musical act involved contact Veronica Parsloe ,203-954-0543 ext. 130 or at Vparsloe@LNVPCRC.org. 

Proceeds benefit The Parent Child Resource Center, a leader in children’s behavioral health, serving children and families throughout Connecticut suffering from severe emotional and behavioral issues.

This is a press release from the Parent Child Resource Center.

Griffin Hospital in Derby to host fall prevention program

Griffin Hospital is offering a free fall prevention program Sept. 25 at the hospital, featuring fall risk assessments, fall prevention techniques and exercises to help improve balance./ Contributed photo

DERBY - The Valley Parish Nurse Program at Griffin Hospital and Griffin Hospital Lifeline will host a free Fall Prevention Program from 9 a.m.-noon Sept. 25 at the hospital, 130 Division St.

The program will discuss the dangers of falling, especially for seniors, and will help attendees prevent falls by: Assessing their fall risk; teaching them to assess their, or a loved one’s, risk of falling; teaching and practicing exercises to improve balance and leg strength; providing a medication review; encouraging annual eye exams; teaching ways to reduce tripping hazards at home and learning how to get up or to call for fast help if a fall occurs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of three adults 65 and older will fall each year. 

For those 65 and older, falls are the leading cause of injury, death and hospital admissions for trauma. Those who fall, even if not injured, develop a fear of falling. This fear causes people to limit their activities reducing their mobility, causing loss of physical fitness, which in turn increases the actual risk of falling.

A light breakfast will be provided by Griffin Hospital Lifeline.

To reserve a seat or for more information, contact Esther, 203-732-1523 or ejones@griffinhealth.org.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

St. Mary-St. Michael School in Derby marks Grandparents Day

Kindergartner Derek Lucarelli enjoyed lunch with his grandparents at an annual Grandparent Luncheon Friday at St. Mary-St. Michael School in Derby. 

With Derek are grandparents Helen and Albert Lucarelli, Great-grandmother Mary Maler, 94, and grandparents Barbara Scarduzio and Donald Chonko./ Submitted photo 

Valley United Way to host Harvest House VI in Shelton

This is a wonderful event that provides so much for Valley residents in need.

Hilltop Hose in Ansonia to host memorial tag sale

ANSONIA – The Fall 2015 Jim “Skinny” Evans Memorial Tag Sale, sponsored by Hilltop Hose Company #5, will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 17, rain or shine.

The firehouse is located at 80 Pulaski Highway (Rte. 243). Several Hilltop neighbors will also be sponsoring tag sales on the same day.

A selection of holiday decorations is available for sale, as well as household items.

All proceeds will be donated to the Jim “Skinny” Evans Mack fund, established in 2011 to support the refurbished Mack firetruck and the garage built to house it.

For more information about the sale, leave a message at (203) 410-8403.


This is a press release from Hilltop Hose Company.

Restaurant to hold fundraiser for Seymour Pink 5K team

Seymour Pink to hold 4th annual Pounding the Pavement for Pink at 9 a.m. Oct. 3 in downtown Seymour.

Valley Shakespeare Festival to present 'The Tempest'

SHELTON - Valley Shakespeare Festival is set to present “The Tempest” as the latest entry in its popular “Shakespeare in the Bar” script-in-hand performance series.  

Porky’s Café, 50 Center St., will again host the event Oct. 29 upstairs in its second floor bar venue.    

Doors will open at 6 p.m., and guests are invited to enjoy free pizza, courtesy of Porky’s, at 6:30 p.m. prior to the performance which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.  

“The Tempest” is a story about family, and all its complexities: loyalty, rebellion, betrayal, revenge, reconciliation and redemption. It is filled with love, magic, humor and music.  It is the last play that Shakespeare wrote on his own, and many say his most personal, in that the main protagonist, Prospero, represents the Bard himself relinquishing the “magic” of his craft to the next generation. 

Valley Shakespeare Festival traditionally presents two “SIB” offerings each year, one in October and another in March.  
This October’s performance is being dedicated to P.J. Carroll, beloved brother of VSF co-founder and dear friend, Stacey Carroll.

Tickets for the event are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.  Space is limited; advance purchase is recommended.  

For tickets and more information, visit www.vsfestival.org or call 203-513-9446.

This is a press release from Valley Shakespeare Festival, a 501(c)(3)non-profit theater company serving the communities of the Lower Naugatuck Valley.