Assumption Church in Ansonia to host celebration

ANSONIA - Bring yourself, treat a friend or neighbor to the party at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at Assumption Church hall.
There will be music with a DJ, a free photo booth, games, and more.

$10/adult includes appetizers, choice of chicken, beef or vegetarian entree, side salad, potatoes or pasta, dessert plus hot and cold beverages.

Parents with school-age children attending the event are invited to drop-off your kids at the O'Keefe Arts and Athletic Center, where they will have their own activities courtesy of Torin Bourke and the youth ministry.

Reservation forms available in the church vestibule after all weekend Masses. Or send a message on Facebook to reserve your space.

Hosted by the Ladies of the KoC Council #23.


This information is shared from Facebook.

Register to help in Shelton Clean Sweep in April

SHELTON - Registration for Shelton Clean Sweep 2018 is now open! 
It will be held April 21-29.
Get a free custom patch when you pick up litter from parks, streams, schools, or roadsides. 
The patch this year features the Hope Lake dam. 

Register at http://donttrashshelton.org/Clean%20Sweep.html and select the link from the left menu.


This information is shared from the Shelton Trails and Conservation Facebook page.

Walnut Hill Community Church in Derby to host Free Family Film Night

DERBY - The Disney movie Cars 3 is featured for the next Free Family Film Night at 6 p.m. Feb. 17 at Walnut Hill Community Church, 27 Ninth St. 
Doors open at 5:45 p.m.

The church provides free buttered popcorn and water.

For more information contact Pastor Walt Mayhew, 203-732-5220, or at wmayhew@walnuthillcc.org.


*Information shared from the church website.

Plumb Memorial Library in Shelton hosts club for homeschooled children

SHELTON - The Homeschool STEAM Club at 
Plumb Memorial Library will meet at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 6.
This is a monthly program geared toward Homeschooled children who are elementary-aged. 
Participants will learn about science, technology, engineering, art, and math through a book and a captivating experiment or project. 

It is also a great way to network with other homeschool families. 
Please call 203-924-9461 to register. 
The Library is at 65 Wooster St.


This is shared from Shelton Library System Facebook page.

Friday is National Wear Red Day to boost heart health awareness

Sharing from the Go Red for Women website:

"Support Go Red For Women by participating in National Wear Red Day® on Friday, February 2, 2018 and donate to help fund research during American Heart Month."

Ansonia Library to host children's author at musical story time

Ansonia to install double-bracket lights downtown, doubling illumination

Contributed photo

ANSONIA - The city has approved installation of 25 double-bracket lights on each of the existing Main Street and Kingston Drive vintage light poles, thus doubling current lighting capability.

When installation is completed by early spring, the Main Street corridor will be noticeably brighter to everyone. 

There will be no cost to the city for the new lights, brackets or installation. The only cost will be an estimated $6,000 annual increase in electricity from United Illuminating. 

This cost increase will be offset by the estimated $125,000 in annual electricity savings the city has just begun enjoying from the recently completed city-wide installation of more than 1,600 street lights to brighter, energy-saving 4,000 LEDs, also at no cost to taxpayers.

Mayor David S. Cassetti said adding the double-bracket lights was a creative and resourceful solution to brightening up Main Street, often noted as having a dull evening illumination.

The Main Street lighting issues date back to “the original vintage lamps installed by the previous administration and paid for by a grant received,” Cassetti said. 

“The lamps were spaced at 150 feet apart instead of the recommended 75 feet spacing,” he added. 

Without a grant, it would cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars to double up the light pole capacity. Adding double-lamps to each existing pole was the solution.

During Cassetti's first term in office, and through a grant received, the city upgraded West Main Street with new sidewalks, landscaping, and vintage light poles every 75 feet. “You can see the lighting difference on West Main Street with poles more closely spaced,” said Cassetti.

As a test in December UI installed a double-bracket lamp outside of City Hall with favorable feedback from the public and city officials.

This is a press release from the mayor's office.

Newsletter features author talk at Shelton Historical Society, more

Dear readers,

Our latest Valley Voice features photographer Emery Roth II addressing the Shelton Historical Society, a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club, and more.

Thanks for reading,

Patti and Ralph

'Turnback Tuesday' features Derby High School yearbook

This week's "Turnback Tuesday" features the Derby High School yearbook, “Lookout.”

The logo is of a clipper ship like the ones formerly built in Derby. On the ship, the "lookout" was another name for the "crow’s nest." 
The Derby Public Library has copies of the Lookout yearbooks going back to 1901. These Lookout books started out as publications from the high school students themselves including various school activities and the like. The first Lookout that had photos of students was in 1935. 
The Library would also like to request your help to complete our Lookout collection. Missing years are 1938, 1939, 1940, 1999, and 2006. 

Note: All book donations are accepted at the Library’s discretion. 
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
 #turnbacktuesday

Thanks go out to the Derby Public Library for sharing interesting local history each week.

Recuperation journey: Afternoon visitor

I'm happy I was able to get his photo through the window today. Do you think he's posing?

Recuperation journey: Movie brings back another time and place

Manual typewriter, anyone?

That's what we used at the former Evening Sentinel, the Valley-centric daily paper based in Ansonia. 
Former colleagues of a certain age will remember things like copy paper, hand-drawn page layouts, and manually sizing black and white photos fresh out of the darkroom. 
(I had more trouble learning how to use that danged percentage sizing wheel.)

We graduated to electric typewriters (woo hoo!) before the company finally got us big, cumbersome computer monitors. With their arrival came a bit of a learning curve for all of us. 

Fast forward to 2018: Over the weekend I saw The Post, a movie about The Washington Post publishing The Pentagon Papers way back in 1971. 

While I wasn't working at that time - I'm not quite that old - when I did arrive at The Sentinel technology had not yet taken hold. 
We used old-school procedures to put our paper out. So I could definitely relate to a lot of what I saw on the big screen: the newsroom, the press room, the deadlines, and the atmosphere of the time. People actually smoked at their desks. Ugh.

The Post, directed by Steven Spielberg, is a compelling film starring Meryl Streep as Post owner Katharine Graham - the first female publisher of a major American newspaper - and Tom Hanks as the no-nonsense newspaperman, Executive Editor Ben Bradlee. 
Their relationship and their friendships with key people in the government underscore the human side of editorial decision-making.

Go see the movie if you're at all a fan of newspapers, American history, politics, or all three!

Eat at Panera in Derby today, support Prendergast School's PTO

Little League registration slated at Seymour Community Center

Photo shared from League website 

SEYMOUR - George J. Hummel Little League registration will be held from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 8 in the bingo room at Seymour Community Center, 20 Pine St.

Gentile, Murphy tour Brownfield sites in downtown Derby

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, third from left, and state Rep. Linda M. Gentile, to his right, listen to constituents during a tour in downtown Derby./ Contributed photo

DERBY - State Rep. Linda M. Gentile, D-Derby, Ansonia, and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy Friday toured Brownfield sites being considered for redevelopment in downtown Derby.

The Brownfield site is located at the south side of Main Street at the confluence of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers. 
The site was a major industrial area with companies like Housatonic Lumber and Jacob’s Scrap Metal.

“This site is surrounded by Derby’s Greenway Trail, one of the state’s most used multi-purpose trails, and has the potential to grow Derby in the right direction,” Gentile said.

Last year, Gentile was able to secure $200,000 for the assessment of 19 acres on Main Street related to the city’s downtown redevelopment plans as well as a $5 million commitment toward infrastructure to the site for a Main Street grid.
“With the assistance of these funds, we will be able to transform the south side of Main Street into a productive site that grow jobs, improve the economy, and expand the downtown area,” Gentile said. 
“A further commitment of federal funds to leverage state funds and private investment would put us one step closer to our goal of a transit oriented plan.”


This is a press release from Gentile's office.

Shelton High School girls basketball to host fundraiser for Type 1 Diabetes

SHELTON -The Shelton High School Girls Basketball team will host its annual “BLUE GAME” at Shelton High School Feb. 6 when the Gaelettes take on rival Guilford High School. 

The “BLUE GAME” is an event in which the Shelton High School Girls Basketball program helps raise awareness of Type 1 Diabetes, also known as Juvenile Diabetes.     

The event will be held at the Murray Gymnasium at Shelton High School, 120 Meadow St., starting with the Junior Varsity game at 5:15 p.m. and will culminate with the Varsity match-up at 7 p.m.

Many local businesses and families have donated items to be raffled off as part of this event with all proceeds being donated to Yale Pediatric Diabetes.   

Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. It comes on suddenly, and causes dependency on injected or pumped insulin for a person’s life.  
T1D carries the constant threat of devastating complications throughout an affected person’s lifetime. 
There is nothing you can do to prevent T1D, and - at present - there is nothing to cure it.  
It is a condition that must be monitored and treated for life.

The Shelton High School Girls Basketball program has had past and current players who are afflicted with Type 1 Diabetes and are constantly managing their lives with this affliction.  The team’s passion to help their teammates and others living with T1D is immeasurable.

Please consider attending this important event to help support the cause and Yale Pediatric Diabetes.  
Don’t forget wear your “BLUE” to show your support.


This is a press release from John Niski, Director of Athletics, Shelton Public Schools.

Gentile supports electronic tolls legislation

HARTFORD - State Rep. Linda Gentile (D-Derby, Ansonia) attended a press conference today to support electronic tolls and advocate for a better transportation infrastructure system in Connecticut. 

Linda M. Gentile

Gentile is specifically supporting legislation to require the state Department of Transportation to prepare a state-wide plan to implement electronic tolling on Connecticut’s highways. 

Electronic tolls are simply transponders on the road that communicate with a transponder in your vehicle - Connecticut transponders would be eligible for a discount.  

“Connecticut roads, bridges, and highways are deteriorating from old age and overuse,” Rep. Gentile said. “The bottom line is that the Special Transportation Fund will be insolvent in two to five years and we are in desperate need of additional funding. 

"In order to ensure the safety of our residents, we need to invest in our transportation infrastructure now. Since the federal government requires that the revenue from electronic tolls be used towards transportation, Connecticut residents can be reassured that the investment in electronic tolls will pay off.”

Over the course of 25 years, electronic tolls could raise $37-62 billion depending on the toll-rate used - according to the CDM Smith study commissioned by the state Department of Transportation and published in 2016.

“According to the 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers Report, the average Connecticut driver spends $864 per year in motor vehicle repairs,” Gentile said. “The longer we wait to improve these conditions, the more money it’ll cost drivers to fix and the more dangerous our transportation system becomes. The need to pass this legislation is more urgent now than ever.”

The legislation will be filed and raised by the Transportation Committee as soon as the 2018 legislative session commences.

This is a press release from Gentile's office.

Beacon Falls Library slates fundraiser in Seymour for youth theater group

SEYMOUR - Have a great time creating this beautiful landscape (pictured above) at Kokopelli School of Music and Arts, 33 Smith St., while raising money for Beacon Falls Youth Theater Group.

Mingle hour will be from 6-7 p.m. Please bring a beverage of your choice and a snack to share.

The instructional paint starts promptly at 7 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m.

The $30 price includes instruction, all paint supplies, and your own take-home masterpiece with a 40 percent portion of your ticket going back to the theater group!


*Information shared from the Beacon Falls Public Library Facebook page.

Seymour Recreation to host fitness fun for kids

Reminder: Valley lawmakers to hold meeting today at Derby City Hall

Recuperation journey: Blue jay 1, me 0

File photo from 2017

Sad to report I lost to a bird, but I did.

I put egg shells out again this morning for my feathered friends of the blue jay variety.

When I put shells outside I can see them from where I sit as I'm writing, with my camera near, ready for a photo opportunity.

But I somehow missed the blue jay getting the shells off the grass. They're gone. 

No photo today. Tomorrow is another day. 


(Dear reader: Hope you enjoy my occasional silliness ... trying to keep things light when I can.)

Bowling to benefit MDA on tap at Lakewood Lanes in Waterbury

WATERBURY - Have fun bowling May 5 at Lakewood Lanes while you raise funds for MDA of Connecticut. 
The event will run from 3-6 p.m. 
All funds raised go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, so if you can't make it but have paid it will be a donation to MDA!

The event will include two hours of bowling and raffles and a 50/50 raffle will be available.

Lakewood Lanes is at 694 Lakewood Road.

Tickets by Eventbrite are $27.03.



This fundraiser is hosted by Dakota Fortier's Adventures and Legeb.

Information shared from a Facebook event page.

Dakota Fortier

*I've met Dakota Fortier of Waterbury, MDA Connecticut Local Ambassador and state celebrity, at several fund-raising events. 

Dakota is full of personality and he always looks happy! His smile really lights up a room.

Seymour shop to host party; part of proceeds to benefit foundation

SEYMOUR - Lizzie's Corner Consignment and Gifts, 36 Bank St., will host a Vision Board Party at 6:30 p.m. Friday. 
A Vision Board is a collage you create of what you'd like to attract to your life.

Sharing from Facebook:

"Start 2018 with a clear vision! These simple boards are one of the most valuable visualization tools. 
"The inspirational collages serve as your image of the future, a tangible idea or representation of where you are going. They represent your dreams, your goals, and your ideal life. 
"A $20 fee includes materials. Please BYOB and a snack." 
To reserve a seat call 203-415-4387 with a credit card or visit the shop.

Lizzie's owner Elizabeth Anderson said, "A portion of all class fees and 20% of all sales will be donated" to the Sean Bertanza Foundation. 

Center Stage in Shelton to stage 'Joseph'

SHELTON - Center Stage Theatre will present the musical Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with 10 performances in February.

Few musicals of the 1970s have endured quite like the great Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 

This musical re-telling of the story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis weaves the lyrics of Tim Rice into Webber's memorable pop, rock, country, and calypso melodies. 

Performances will be Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Feb. 9-24; Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Feb. 11, 18, and 25, and at 7 p.m. Feb. 22.

The theater is at 54 Grove St.


*This information is shared from Facebook and the theater website. 

Nominees sought for award in memory of educator in Ansonia, Hamden

Human Relations Club founder Nick Collicelli addresses an inter-generational club event in August, 2014 at Doyle Senior Center in Ansonia.

Seymour Pink to host Pink Night to Remember fundraiser

Recuperation journey: Chickening out?

At the risk of offending and/or losing friends I have to admit I just don't get wings. 

Not Paul McCartney's band of the same name from the '70s. I got them, and still do.

But the chicken wings that one eats. Everyone I know loves 'em.
Eating them just doesn't do it for me. Maybe I've never had the right kind.

I suppose I should venture to those restaurants in the Valley known for their fabulous wings and give them a try. 

Am I alone on this? I'm not a picky eater, really.  

Seymour Public Library to show Morning Mini Movies in February

SEYMOUR - The Seymour Public Library has announced the return of its Morning Mini Movies program.
The program will be held at 10:30 a.m. every Thursday in February (8, 15, and 22) for a story, an animated short, and a cookie.

Registration is required; call 203-888-3903 or stop in the Library, 46 Church St.


This information is shared from the Library's Facebook page.

Agencies to host Narcan training at Seymour Middle School

SEYMOUR - A free Community Narcan Training Event will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. Feb. 8 at Seymour Middle School.
The Seymour Public Schools, Seymour Police Department, Seymour Ambulance, CT DMHAS, and the Alliance for Prevention & Wellness are partnering to host the training.

This event will teach people in the community how to administer Narcan by using a nasal injector. 
This lifesaving Narcan is an opiate antidote.  Opioids include prescription pain pills such as codeine, oxycodone, and morphine, as well as heroin.  
Narcan is a prescription medicine that blocks the effects of opioids and reverses an overdose.

There will be some free Narcan Kits to hand out for those without insurance or who have higher co-pays.  
There is also going to be a pharmacist on site to write prescriptions for Narcan for those people with insurance who want a Narcan Kit.    

This is an RSVP event only to the first 35 people who sign up.  
Kearns is the point person taking reservations.  
If anyone in the community would like to be trained in administering Narcan please contact Kearns at:  rkearns@seymourschools.org  or 203-888-2561 ext. 1003.   
Being trained in the use of Narcan may just save someone’s life.

Helping coordinate this event are: Kearns, Inspector Joe DeNigris and Officer Jon Martin, Seymour Police Department, Lorrie McFarland, Alliance for Prevention & Wellness, Taylor Quijano, AmeriCorps Service Member and Alliance for Prevention & Wellness, Chief Kyle Kelly and Deputy Chief Bryan Ryan, Seymour Ambulance Association.

Seymour Middle School is at 211 Mountain Road.


This is a press release from Rich Kearns, Security Director, Seymour Public Schools.

NHSO to sponsor 'Cat in the Hat' concert at Shelton Intermediate School

SHELTON - The New Haven Symphony Orchestra 

will sponsor a free performance of The Cat in the Hat at 2 p.m. March 4 at Shelton Intermediate School.

The NHSO’s Piano Trio invites local storyteller Tom Lee back to tell the story of Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat.

The program will feature:
Two Etudes, Frederic Chopin: no. 9, “The Butterfly” and no. 3, “The Horseman”
Promenade (Walking the Dog), George Gershwin (tr. Orfeo Mandozzi)
Excerpts from "The Lark Ascending," Ralph Vaughan Williams
"The Cat in the Hat," Jonathan Keren

This lively and interactive chamber concert is perfect for introducing your 3-9 year old to the instruments of the orchestra. 
Enjoy the music and join us for an instrument petting zoo before the concert!

Shelton Intermediate School is at 675 Constitution Blvd N.

*This is shared from a Facebook event page.

Recuperation journey: What really is ideal?

Way back when I was a senior in high school I took a college-level Psych 101 class.

One personality theory we studied has stuck with me for all these many decades. 
Or maybe "has haunted" me is a better way of describing it.
And that's the theory of real vs. ideal self.  

It seems one can never live up to what would be one's ideal self ... and that could easily lead to feelings of inadequacy. And no one wants to feel inadequate.

This week I looked up real vs. ideal self, and found this humanistic theory of personality is the brainchild of psychologist Carl Rogers (1902-1987). I'm sure I learned that when we studied the theory but forgot. 

Real vs. ideal? I suppose all we can do is keep striving to do our best. And not worry too much about the concept of ideal.

Newsletter: Skate giveaway in Ansonia, VCF board, income tax help

Dear readers,

The latest Valley Voice newsletter features an Ansonia consignment shop giving away gently used ice skates, Saga of the Four Chaplains, Valley Community Foundation's board, more.

Thanks for reading,

Patti   

Boy Scout Troop 3 in Derby to hold 28th annual Super Bowl Sub sale

DERBY - Boy Scout Troop 3, Derby knows a thing or two about the Super Bowl and about making delicious submarine sandwiches.

Super Bowl I and II champion Bob Skoronski, who was a captain of the Green Bay Packers, is an alumnus of the Derby Troop. Also, the Scouts have held a Super Bowl Sub sale for the past 28 years.
The Derby scouts are taking orders for one-foot subs ($7.50) and five-foot party subs ($65). They will be made to order and will be home delivered Feb. 4 anywhere in the Lower Naugatuck Valley.
The fundraiser will assist boys in attending summer camp at Housatonic Council BSA's Edmund D. Strang Scout Reservation in Goshen. Orders due by Jan. 31 and forms are available at www.troop3derby.org.
Orders can be placed by calling 203-732-0343.


This is a press release from Randy Ritter, Scoutmaster.