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Seasons of triumph: A look back at the year in high school sports in Fairfield, Weston, Easton and Westport

By ROB SULLIVAN
As we gather to welcome in 2010 and look ahead to what should be another great year for local sports, it is again time to pause and take a look back at 2009. And, indeed, there were many tremendous athletic achievements to celebrate.
So, in this space, we'll use our hats and party streamers to look back at 2009 and say "Good job!" to those local athletes who excelled on the field of competition.
The seven high schools in our local coverage area (Staples, Weston, Fairfield Ludlowe, Fairfield Warde, Notre Dame, Fairfield Prep and Joel Barlow) all produced teams that were competitive across the board. The first fruits of these team's competitiveness occurred in the depths of winter.
The Warde wrestling team won the Class L championship, easily outpointing second place New Milford (203.5-163.5). Ian McAllister won the 125 pound weight class, defeating Newington's Nestor Rivera in a 9-7 decision. In the 135 pound weight class, the Mustangs' Curtis Watkins all took home the title, besting Pomperaug's Robert Caleca 7-1.
Ludlowe finished in 18th place in the championships, with Henri Fatigate turning in a sterling performance by winning the 185 pound weight class. Fatigate decisioned Nick Murillo of Platt by a 4-3 score.

Local mammography screenings are set for January

 

The SWIM Women’s Imaging Center will offer the following free and low-cost digital mammography screening for women age 35 and older during the month of January:

 

· Wednesday, January 13, 10am-2pm, Westport Healthcare Center , 1 Burr Road , Westport , CT

· Thursday, January 21, 1:30pm-5:30pm, Spring Meadows, 6949 Main Street , Trumbull , CT

· Sunday, January 31, 2pm-5pm, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Harbor Yard Arena, 600 Main Street , Bridgeport , CT

 

The latest American Cancer Society guidelines recommend that all women have a mammogram by age 40, and then every year thereafter.

Mammograms are free for those who do not have health insurance, have financial limitations and qualify for assistance. For those who do not have insurance but do not qualify for free services, mammograms are discounted. Appointments are necessary and a physician order and insurance card must be brought to the appointment.

To schedule an appointment or to find out when the mobile mammography unit will be in your area, call St. Vincent's SWIM Women’s Imaging Center at (203) 576-5500. To schedule a screening site for your office, community center, school or church, call the Mobile Mammography Coordinator at (203) 576-5505.

Happy New Year Bridgeport from the Beardsley Zoo!

Let your first 2010 New Year's Resolution be to visit the Zoo!

 

Join us for "Happy Zoo Year" on Jan. 2 and 3 from 10 am to 2 pm to celebrate with the animals! Learn about our animals in the winter, watch them enjoy a special enrichment activity, and make an item to bring home for your backyard wildlife. Hands-on workshops to create enrichment items for Zoo animals will be held for kids ages 6 to 12. PLUS, Enjoy one free cup of hot chocolate, coffee or tea per visitor.

 

Harry Manx to appear in New Haven

Harry Manx returns to New Haven after an incredible debut at the CT Folk Festival 2008  where he received a standing ovation and his CDS outsold even the headliner’s.  He will be performing at First Presbyterian Church 704 Whitney Avenue, New Haven and tickets are available on line at www.ctfolk.com/fridays. If there are any remaining tickets they will be sold at the door beginning at 7:00 P.M. on the 8^th.  However tickets for this event are going fast and it is advisable to purchase your tickets on line.

 

Manx’s  music has been likened to “vintage Taj Mahal.”(New York Jazz and Blues Society Reviews)  Infused with Eastern influences garnered from over a decade of living in the Far East, Manx has been called an “essential link” between the music of East and West. He creates musical short stories that wed the tradition of the Blues with the depth of classical Indian ragas.  Billboard Magazine calls calls him “Canada’s most versatile and expressive blues player”(3/9/02) . 

Dodd announces federal funds for homeless assistance

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) has announced that several agencies throughout Connecticut will receive a total of over $28.7 million to support local homeless assistance programs. The funds were awarded from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care grant program.

“Homelessness impacts every city and every state across the country,” said Dodd. “In Connecticut , even before this recession took its toll, there were more than 3,000 homeless people residing in our shelters and transitional housing programs. Now these shelters are over capacity, desperately trying to keep thousands of Connecticut residents warm and safe. These funds will provide critical services to help bring homeless people in our state out of the cold and help them get back on their feet.”

The funds will be used to help place Connecticut ’s homeless residents in permanent and transitional housing. Additionally, the funds will be used for support services for homeless individuals, including job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care.

Below are the programs which Connecticut stands to benefit:

 

Maple Sugar Sunday is March 7th

 

 By ALI FARSUN

A sweet tradition returns to Stamford Museum & Nature Center on March 7, 2010 – First County Bank Maple Sugar Sunday! The annual family event focused around all things maple, will be held rain or shine at Stamford Museum & Nature Center from 11 am to 3 pm, with demonstrations, the ever popular pancake brunch, children’s games, maple-themed crafts and more. First County Bank is entering its 10^{th year of support of both this beloved family festival and Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s educational programming.}

A tradition deeply rooted in New England, maple sugaring is the first sign of the annual agricultural awakening. When the temperatures are below freezing at night, but above freezing during the day, conditions are just right for SM&NC to make its very own maple syrup. The maple sugar season peaks with the annual First County Bank Maple Sugar Sunday festival.

At the festival, visitors can learn about the different methods used to turn sap into syrup through a variety of demonstrations. Visitors can see first hand how to tap a tree to harvest its sap, how colonists made maple syrup, the Native American "hot rock" method, and how the SM&NC uses the modern evaporation method to produce the maple syrup sold in the gift shop.

Other featured activities the whole family can enjoy are maple-themed crafts, storytelling, face painting, games, hay rides, lots of sweet treats, and the popular pancake bunch.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors of the SM&NC, it is an honor to recognize First County Bank’s 10th Anniversary as our Maple Sugar Sunday sponsor," said Melissa H. Mulrooney, Executive Director. "We are grateful for their exceptional corporate citizenry and thank Dick Taber for the wonderful commitment and example First County Bank is setting for other companies in our community."

A message from TFI Envision about its toy drive

This year, TFI Envision, Inc. was a Toy Donation Drop Center for the St. Luke’s LifeWorks 20th Annual Holiday Gift Collection . This important collection provides gifts to over 1,700 children affected by homelessness, poverty or HIV/AIDS and is distributed thru 30 non-profit agencies in the area. “Without donations from the community, most of these children won’t receive any gifts at all.” said Audrey Green, Director of the New Beginnings Program at LifeWorks’ Center for Children and their Families.

A bright banner across the front of the TFI Envision, Inc. building on Westport Avenue beckoned people to join in this wonderful effort for children. A steady flow of people dropped off gifts and toys between October and December.

Amercian Cancer Society seeks volunteers to drive patients to treatment

Sometimes the biggest challenge in cancer treatment is getting there. Thankfully, the American Cancer Society is there to help with a committed group of individuals that drive patients to nearby treatment centers to get the care they need. But according the Society, many volunteer drivers have headed south for the cold weather months, leaving many cancer patients without rides to the treatment they need now. 

“There is a great need for people to help by picking up cancer patients from their home and transporting them to their nearby treatment centers,” according to Bonnie Baldwin, Community Executive for Health Initiatives at the American Cancer Society.

The American Cancer Society is currently seeking volunteers from every town in Connecticut to drive cancer patients to their treatment appointments,” added Baldwin.  "If you have a car, and even one hour once a month, you can make a real difference in someone's life by becoming a driver," says Baldwin. A cancer patient who needs radiation therapy might require between 20 and 30 trips to the clinic within six weeks. A patient receiving chemotherapy might report for treatment weekly for up to a year. "Treatment can make a patient feel too sick to drive. In many cases, a patient is driven to hospitals and clinics by relatives or friends, but occasionally they need to seek alternative transportation. That's where Road to Recovery, an American Cancer Society community program, helps.”

President Obama's remarks on health reform passage

 THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody. In a historic vote that took place this morning members of the Senate joined their colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass a landmark health insurance reform package -- legislation that brings us toward the end of a nearly century-long struggle to reform America’s health care system.

Ever since Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform in 1912, seven Presidents -- Democrats and Republicans alike -- have taken up the cause of reform.  Time and time again, such efforts have been blocked by special interest lobbyists who’ve perpetuated a status quo that works better for the insurance industry than it does for the American people.  But with passage of reform bills in both the House and the Senate, we are now finally poised to deliver on the promise of real, meaningful health insurance reform that will bring additional security and stability to the American people.

Staples swimmers look to be in the driver's seat

By Ken Powers

    WESTPORT – If the Staples High boys; swimming team were a car, it’s safe to say that the driver, in this case coach Jeffrey Schare, is a look-out-the-front-window, not look-in-the-rear-view-mirror kind of guy.

    Schare doesn’t deny or shy away from the fact that his team sits at 0-3 on the young season, but he prefers to focus on the streak of winnable dual meets the team has in front of it.

    “The bad news is we’re 0-3, but our loses have been to Ridgefield, which we have always felt is a team that’s a little out of our reach, by one point, to Greenwich, the perpetual league, Class L and state open champions, and New Canaan, the Class M champs who were fourth at the state open last year,” Schare said.

    “The good thing is we’re looking forward to a streak of wins, beginning in the new year,” Schare continued. “The team is young, with just five seniors on the team. We’re still learning a little about where our strengths are, learning a little about what it takes to compete in the FCIAC. Five of the top 10 teams in the state open meet last year were from our league. We certainly go against the best competition in the state meet-in and meet-out.”