Photos shared from Valley Arts Council's show at gallery in Derby

DERBY - The Valley Arts Council's opening reception Friday night for its "Slice of Life" show was a big success! 

Click here to see my previous post. 

Congratulations go out to photographer Connie Wolfe, first place winner of the People's Choice Award with "Winter's Cathedral," shown above.
More than 80 people cast ballots for their favorite art work. 

Guitarist Jonathan Siksay

Guitarist Jon Hollywood

These two talented musicians each performed original tunes as well as a variety of covers of songs from decades past. 

Below find three unique examples of the work in the exhibit. 

 We Were Legends by Valley Arts Council President Rich DiCarlo

Mother Teresa by sculptor Wasil Rakaj

Digital Slice of Pizza by artist Floatin' Fred 

These and all of the great submissions will be on display at the Gallery@37 at 37 Elizabeth St., Derby until May.

Stop by!

Kidney health is topic of talk at Griffin Hospital in Derby

DERBY - The Community Health Resource Center at Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St., will host a free educational workshop on kidney health at 1 p.m. April 9.

Megan Gervais, of DaVita Dialysis Center, will present “Kidney Smart,” a free discussion on how kidneys function and common causes of chronic kidney disease; how medications, diet and nutrition work together for good health; and potential treatment options for kidney diseases.

This program is part of a series of free, educational forums hosted by the Community Health Resource Center in an effort to help improve the health of the community.

To register or for more information, call Kerry or Deborah at 203-732-7399.

The Community Health Resource Center at Griffin Hospital is a traditional library that provides an array of medical and health information, including a large collection of easy to read health and lifestyle related materials.

The Center is open to the public to educate themselves on ways to enhance their well-being, prevent illness and play an active role in decisions about their health.


This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Artists serve up 'Slice of Life' at gallery in Derby

Valley Arts Council President Rich DiCarlo, left, presents a second place People's Choice Award to Derby artist George Pudimat Friday at the Gallery@37 in Derby. Pudimat was recognized for his creative "Zero to Eighty" concept piece pictured below. DiCarlo described it as "visually transforming." 

"Zero"

to 

"Eighty"

DiCarlo said he was pleased with the turnout. More than 100 folks came by the gallery to take in the artwork, meet the artists, vote for their favorite piece, and of course enjoy some wine and cheese (and pizza!).

The gallery was rocking throughout the evening with entertainment provided by talented guitarists Jonathan Siksay and Jon Hollywood.
They performed original pieces and popular songs from yesterday and today.

Master's Table to host meal at new location in Ansonia

Information offered about blasting in Ansonia

Fountain Lake Area - General Blasting Information

Blasting is one of the most heavily regulated and monitored industries in this state and country. 

Agencies such as the Ct. State Police, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, OSHA, Local Fire Marshals and several other agencies all play a role in the regulation and monitoring of blasting operations. 

In the State of Connecticut, the Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (formerly the Commissioner of Public Safety) is charged with the exclusive jurisdiction in the preparation of regulations concerning blasting. Local agencies must adhere to these regulations. Local ordinances and restrictions are not enforceable under the current State Regulations. 

The existing State Regulations have been in force since the 1970’s. Numerous attempts have been made throughout the years since to strengthen them, but to no avail. Another attempt is being made in this legislative session to again address and update the regulations. We would urge you to contact your State Representatives to support the strengthening of these regulations.
All companies and individuals performing blasting operations in Connecticut are required to be licensed by the State. The blaster is then required to obtain a permit from the local Fire Marshal to conduct blasting in that jurisdiction. 

Prior to releasing the permit the site is evaluated by the local Fire marshal to determine if any special requirements will be needed to insure the public safety and protection of property. This could include the use of blasting mats, pre-blast surveys of properties and neighborhood notifications. Unfortunately, current regulations do not specify the minimum separation distances for pre-blast surveys and notifications. A generally accepted distance is from 200 to 250 feet. In our particular situation structures are now a minimum of 800 feet from the location of the blast site. 

Most of the complaints received about blasting are due to vibrations caused by the air blast. In many cases the air blast is what you feel and hear and is what causes the rattling of windows, moving of pictures, etc. Air blasts as well as ground vibrations are measured by seismographs. Air blasts are allowed to be a maximum of 133 decibels. Unfortunately a level above 115 decibels becomes readily noticeable and commonly results in window rattling and movement of picture frames, but usually without actual damage. Levels above the 133 decibel level may result in actual damage. At this time no actual reading has been recorded above 128 decibels at the Scinto site.

Ground vibration is obviously the other major concern. As with air blasts there are maximum safe vibration values that have been researched for residential structures containing plaster and drywall construction. These values are measured using a combination of particle velocity and displacement (inches/second at various frequencies). Ground vibrations recorded by the seismographs for this project have been well below the maximum allowable levels as of this date. The blasting contractor is currently using two to three factory calibrated seismographs during each blast and provides the Fire Marshal’s Office with the documented results for review, usually on the day following the blast.
As the Farrel relocation project is now taking center stage, the blasting contractor currently working at the Scinto site has indicated that there will be two to three blasts taking place each week for the next five to six months. They have offered to contact residents by phone prior to a scheduled blast. 

If you are located in the Great Hill Rd. Wakelee, Hull St area and interested in being added to the notification list, please contact the Fire Marshal at 203-734-3525 and he will have the contractor include you on the notification list. As there will probably not be any further pre-blast surveys done, you may wish to document by camera or video the condition of walls and ceilings within your home including foundations. In addition you may also want to document the conditions of sidewalks and walls on your property including the date the documentation was done.

In the event you feel that your property may have been damaged as a result of the blasting you should contact the Fire Marshal’s Office with specifics of the damage. The Fire Marshal will then contact the contractor for further investigation by the contractor’s insurance carrier. 

The City of Ansonia appreciates your cooperation in this endeavor and will continue to monitor these operations throughout the process.

* Shared from the City's Facebook page 

Seymour Rec to hold playground registration

* Info shared from the Facebook page of the Office of the Seymour First Selectman. 

Shelton-based troupe seeking host families for actors

SHELTON - Valley Shakespeare Festival is looking for families to host our out-of-town actors during the three weeks they are in town for our 2015 summer production of ”A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”  

Our performers are chosen through professional audition processes in New York City and Shelton, and come to us from all over Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, as well as other locales. 

Here are the particulars:

Actors require a private bedroom and bathroom (preferably private, as well), clean linens (sheets and towels), small spaces in your cupboard and refrigerator to store their own food.

Duration of stay will be from June 21 (evening ) through July 13 (morning).

Actors generally rehearse Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.   

Host families need NOT provide food or transportation to actors (unless this is something with which they would like to assist)

This is a great opportunity to get an intimate, backstage look at the production as it develops through your association with the actors as they come to know their characters and their roles in the production. 

Any family interested in hosting a performer for Valley Shakespeare Festival’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream should visit www.vsfestival.org or call 203-513-9446 for more information and application.

This is a press release from Valley Shakespeare Festival.