Early Easter Egg-citement at Audubon Society

Early Easter Egg-citement at Audubon Society

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Fairfield Citizen News)

4/16/11

Fairfield, CT – Families enjoyed an Easter preview Saturday morning April 16 and a very special visit from a long-eared, fuzzy celebrity.

Over 75 people braved overcast skies and chilly temperatures to visit the Connecticut Audubon Society Center at 2325 Burr Street to take part in the facility’s 16th annual Egg Hunt. Targeted to children eight years old and under, the event also included a continental breakfast, spring crafts, interactions with live animals and a visit from the Easter Bunny.

Joan Winter, the Center’s publicist, remarked, “This is a lovely event, a sweet activity for young families to do with their small children. It’s special in its simplicity – low-key, calm and happy. I wish it was warmer this morning, but it’s still a great way to kick off the season. The crafts allow kids to be creative and the live animals are always popular. Besides all the activities, we have centerpieces of spring grasses in containers that kids can decorate and take home. What’s nice is the involvement of our teen animal care volunteers, many of whom were visitors as kids like these children today. They learn to be good stewards of the environment.”

Angela Benzan, of Westport, with her husband Steve and daughters Mia, 7, and Chloe, 5, in tow, were early arrivals. “The children are so excited to be here and start Easter early,” she said. “They’ve brought their pails and are ready to go.”

Kristin Brebbia, of Fairfield, with husband Joel and daughter Kenzie, 2, said the event was Kenzie’s first real Easter experience. “She’s a little scared of the Easter Bunny, but she’ll bounce back and have a good time today.”

The Taylor family, of Fairfield, were new to the area and thought the event would be a great way to meet other families, while being a fun outing. Said Amanda Taylor, “We wanted to come down and take part in the festivities and traditions.”

Watching his daughter Allie, 2, scramble for plastic eggs hidden amongst strands of straw in a garden area behind the facility, Martin Hripak said, “Allie’s mom is a teacher here, so we’re here a lot. Allie loves being outdoors. This is her first egg hunt. She’s excited.”

Guiding her three-year-old daughter on a craft project after the egg hunt had run its course, Sarah Sprague, of Norwalk, said, “Aubrey is in her element with the gluestick, crayons and blueberry muffin. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

In an adjacent room of the Center, Angelika Clum, eyed her daughter Nikki, 7, who had found a furry rabbit to pet. “We have a guinea pig and dog at home,” Clum said. “Nikki loves animals.”

“My favorite animal here is the bunny,” said Nikki, “though I got to pet the guinea pig, too. It was soft and cute and looked like our guinea pig, Mr. Nibbles.”

Dana Barnes, of Westport, and her daughter Chloe, 4, were collaborating on a coloring project. “It’s springtime and we really wanted to be outdoors and create a tradition with our daughter,” she said. “The egg hunt is a wonderful tradition and the crafts were an extra special treat. It’s something she loves and a chance for me to sit with her and create. This is nice for the whole family.”

McKinley Carnival Draws Kids of All Ages

McKinley Carnival Draws Kids of All Ages

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Fairfield Citizen News)

4/15/11

Fairfield, CT – The whir of generators, ring of bells, excited shouts and screams of kids, rat-a-tat of toy guns and smell of cotton candy and popcorn. It could only mean one thing: the carnival was back in town.

Not just any carnival mind you, but the McKinley Elementary School Carnival, an annual affair facilitated by the school’s PTA in partnership with Stewart Amusement. Set up in the parking lot area of Jennings Beach, the four-day event opened Thursday night April 14.

Keeping watch over operations early Friday evening, Jennifer Chrysadakis, McKinley School PTA President, said the carnival was first held in 1997, on school grounds. “It became so large that it was moved to Jennings Beach around 2003,” she said. “It’s the biggest fundraiser for the school. Last year we raised $14,000. The take is dependent on the weather. We had two days of rain last year. Hopefully it will hold off this year.”

Standing nearby, Carnival Chairperson Domingo Thomas said, “The event marks the beginning of spring in the region and is really the first major happening in town. This year, we’re featuring 16 rides including Zero Gravity, which is the most popular, the Ali Baba, the Tornado, the Scrambler, the Freefall, bumper cars, a ferris wheel, Super Slide, Hang Glider and a whole bunch of kiddie rides. We’re also featuring standard carnival attractions like a shooting gallery, water guns, a baseball toss and, of course food, this year catered by The Shack. The Student Council is on hand, too, selling spirit wear, while the 5^th grade is offering candy.”

Grace Bentley, 13, of Fairfield, attending with friends Isabella Giannicchi, 14, and Courtney Mettler, 13, had just hopped off the Scrambler. “This is super fun,” said Bentley. “We come every year. Our favorite ride is the Ali Baba. We’re freezing right now, but it’s still fun… once you get through that numb stage.”

Bryan Dougherty, 16, of Fairfield, gingerly stepped down from the death-defying Zero Gravity ride. “That was unbelievable,” he remarked to friends. “A lot of head spinning. It’s great to go to a carnival that features extreme rides you would expect from an amusement park.”

Page Jones and her friends Jake Mazza and Megan Bernstein, all 13, looked shaken as they walked away from the Rip Cord ride, which takes passengers up a vertical tower and then drops them like rocks. “I freaked,” said Jones. “I don’t like heights, but it was alright. I’ll probably do it again.”

Pals Maddy O’Brien, 15, and Zondra Shirley, 16, had a great time on the Ali Baba attraction, which offers a platform that swings back and forth and then goes all the way up and around. “That was super duper fun,” said Shirley. “We go on this ride every year. It used to be scary but now it’s just fun.”

Swooshing down the Super Slide luge was Greg Wolf of Fairfield, with his three-year-old son Chris. “We come every year,” he said. “Our kids love it… the whole neighborhood comes. It’s a little colder than usual, especially up there.”

Mark Jacobsen, 32, of Stratford, was blasting away with a pellet rifle in Machine Gun Alley, trying his best to obliterate a red star on a small card. “I grew up in Fairfield and used to come to this as a kid,” he said. “This is the game I used to play back then. It’s nostalgic to be here. Nothing seems to have changed, which is the charm of it.”

James Baker, 6, and his sister Kate, 4, looked determined to hammer a few rodents over at the Whac-A-Mole game. Said father Jeff, “We’ve been coming here the last four years. Despite the cold, it’s been a great time.” James added, “I liked the Bouncer, the Slide and the fun house.”

Maria Giribaldo of Fairfield looked on as her daughter Melanie, 4, and her cousin Karen Velez, 8, climbed into a Dinosaur kiddie ride. “We’re having a great time,” she said. “There are so many people. It’s great to have a carnival here. The kids have so much fun.”

Man About Town: Library Offers Volumes of Resources

Man About Town: Library Offers Volumes of Resources

(column reworked for April 6 Fairfield Citizen news)

By Mike Lauterborn

4/1/11

Of late, my Man About Town missions have taken me to cafes, diners, taverns and other eateries popular with area citizenry. As important from a local perspective are the institutions and communal meeting places that are anchors of our vibrant town. A leading example is Fairfield Public Library at 1080 Old Post Road, where I found myself one recent sunny Sunday afternoon.

According to historical records, the forerunner of the public library was the Fairfield Memorial Library, which opened Dec. 27, 1876 in the Fairfield Academy building. For a fee of one dollar a year, a borrower was permitted to take a book at a time from a collection of 677 volumes.

In June 1903, a new building, at the library’s present location, was established. A two-story Colonial, it was designed so it could be added to in future years. In 1950, operation of the facility was taken over by the town and its current designation adopted. Additions to the building were completed in 1959 and 1981, followed by a major renovation in 2004/2005, which resulted in many updates and new spaces.

According to Library Director Karen Ronald, “Today, we offer 353,000 volumes of media, have about 38,000 patrons and are used by 75% of town residents. It’s been a community center for over 100 years and kept up with the times in terms of programs that meet changing societal needs and 21^st century technologies.”

One of the facility’s newest spaces is The Children’s Library, on the second level. It is divided into “neighborhoods” each reflecting a familiar historic town landmark: the Gazebo, Penfield Lighthouse, Town Green, a farm yard, book shop, train station and Town Hall.

A frequent destination for Fairfielder Kerry Micinilio, visiting with daughter Mollie, 3, she said, “Mollie likes to play on the computer, picks out different movies and books, uses the sound tubes to chat with me and plays in the playhouse. It’s full of a lot of learning resources for the young kids.”

The Teen Room functions as a separate space for teens to gather, and includes materials and computers geared to their use. Ongoing events are featured here including chess matches and video game competitions.

Buried in a book, Ashley Vazquez, 15, said, “I usually come here to work on projects. It’s a good quiet room and has a lot of resources that are helpful.”

The Periodical Room on the main level houses more than 275 magazines, journals, newsletters and newspapers. It’s a relaxing space with deep-seated chairs and original marble mosaic floors.

Flipping through a newspaper, Fairfielder Jim Janniello, 88, said about the library, “It’s almost my second home,” he said. “I spend a lot of time on the computer trading stocks and read the daily papers. The library is one of the most important parts of town, for people to stay current, educate themselves and relax.”

Other facility features include the Bruce S. Kershner Gallery with exhibits that change out monthly, three meeting rooms that are utilized for movie showings, live performances, author talks and more, and the Harold B. Harris Computer Lab offering 15 terminals for public use.

A Reference Area with work tables, New Books/Large Type Books area and Audio/Visual section with hundreds of DVDs, audio books and CDs, round out main library departments. The resources are truly astounding and there’s never a dull moment with all the daily activities and goings-on for all segments of the library’s patronage.

On that note, I’ll “check out” of this chapter of Man About Town with a goal to eye other important town anchors in forthcoming installments.

“Spring Fling” All About Fun, Food, Fine Wine and Friends

“Spring Fling” All About Fun, Food, Fine Wine and Friends

By Mike Lauterborn

(For Fairfield Citizen News)

4/7/11

Fairfield, CT – Exquisite bottles of wine. Lavish spreads of food. A stately setting. So this is how business gets done in Fairfield.

On Thursday evening April 7, the annual installment of “The Spring Fling”, hosted by the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, brought together area business representatives and local residents for networking and fun at the Burr Mansion, 739 Old Post Road. The event offered tasty foods provided by Fairfield restaurants Coromandel, Fairfield Café, Greenhouse Grill, Old Post Tavern and Vino & Mare on the Brickwalk, as well as fine wines from Greenfield Liquor Grapes and Hops.

Other event highlights included door prizes such as a “Men’s Party Package” with Sound Tiger tickets, a “Queen for the Day” spa package and a “Just Won the Lottery” offer with weekend use of a Mercedes Benz and gift certificate to Roger Sherman Inn. There were also dozens of silent auction items, ranging from retail gift offers and vacation getaways to gift baskets and sports tickets. Of course, what would an upscale gathering like this be without a live auction for a chance to hunt pheasant and have the captured quarry prepared gourmet style by DaPietro’s chef Pietro Scotti?

“We’ve been hosting this for 15 years,” said Patricia L. Ritchie, President and CEO of the Chamber, providing some background about the gathering. “It began humbly at Greenwich Workshop Gallery as a fundraiser for the Chamber, to help it market Fairfield small businesses. But it’s also a great networking event as well as a chance for people to sample wonderful food and wines.”

You might venture to call the event a five-alarm affair, given the appearance of the Fairfield Fire Dept. at the start of the evening. Firefighter Scott suggested the heat emanating from the food stations may have tripped a sensitive alarm. Ritchie had another idea, joking, “The event is such a hot ticket that even the fire department had to put in an appearance.”

Fairfielders Lisa McDonnell and China Ross were barely fazed, their attention focused on silent auction items. “I’m loving the Coach sunglasses and will probably bid on them,” said McDonnell.

For Melissa Tohill from Monroe and Daniela Kinsbourne from Ridgefield, the evening provided an excuse for a Girls’ Night Out. “We came to enjoy the food and wine,” said Tohill, “but it’s a great opportunity to support local businesses and meet some new people in the community at the same time.”

Abhay Colaco, a manager at Coromandel, was glad for the opportunity to showcase the restaurant. “This is good for the town and very good for our business, too, especially as we are new in the Southport area,” he said. “We hope to expose people to different flavors of India.”

Gary Adams of Bearingstar Insurance, one of the evening sponsors, had a similar take on the event. “Many people join the Chamber for different reasons – networking, benefits, etc. But regardless of motive, ultimately it’s to support the local community. It’s great, in this case, that the public gets to meet area business leaders.”

For Carla Cinti, the event was an opportunity to get a local foothold. “I’m newly relocated from California, re-entering the workforce after being home with my kids for nine years and am here to network and meet my new community. Hopefully I’ll find someone who will lead me to my next career.”

Jill Clarke had established a foothold two years ago, co-founding Mirth In a Box, which she described as “the anti-fruit basket company offering fun and unusual gift boxes.” She was hoping to make some new connections and raise awareness about the business and said the event is “a great way to interact, see old friends and meet some new faces.”

Many would depart with new contacts and business leads. Lee Passios would leave with a bit more when it was announced that her live auction bid was the topper. “I can’t wait to go out there with my slingshot and jelly beans to get that pheasant,” she laughed.

Bike/Pedestrian Forum a Two-Way Street for Idea Exchange

Bike/Pedestrian Forum a 
Two-Way Street for Idea Exchange

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Fairfield Citizen)

4/14/11

Fairfield, CT – The experts crunched the data and outlined approaches. Citizens rolled up their sleeves and marked up maps. At the end of the session, targets of concern had been isolated for a further look.

Hosted by the Fairfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Advisory Committee Thursday evening April 14 at Osborn Hill School, an open forum focused on issues related to traversing the town’s highways, byways and sidewalks. Following an informal reception, various town departments outlined their involvement in the bicycle and pedestrian plan, results from the related 2010 survey were presented and the approximately 90 attendees were split into groups by neighborhood to make recommendations addressing trouble spots.

Providing background about the Committee, Laura Lanham, Constituent Concerns Coordinator in the Office of the First Selectman, said, “Formed about a year ago, it’s comprised of a small group of town officials and members of the public, along with the Greater Bridgeport Regional Planning Agency (GBRPA). Its survey was made available online last summer and received responses from 554 residents. It sought to identify areas of concern and where residents currently walk and bike. From the feedback, the GBRPA has initiated a plan, upon which we are soliciting input from the general public.”

Resident Meg Capodanno came dressed for the occasion, rolling into the meeting room with her bicycle and related gear. “I’m an avid cyclist,” she said, “and think Fairfield has the potential to be a town easily accessed by bike/foot. But most people don’t travel around much because of traffic issues. People are not cautious and some react very aggressively to bikers. I would like to see bike lanes in a one-mile radius around all schools.”

First Selectman Ken Flatto opened the presentation, crediting Fairfielder Alyssa Israel with initiating the planning. “She kept saying ‘you’ve gotta do something’ and it took off from there.”

Kristen Etela, who heads up the Advisory Committee, said the evening was the result of months of effort. “It’s the culmination of work we’ve been doing to become a truly walkable, bikeable, livable community,” she said. “We looked at many aspects including transportation, environment, our natural resources, local economy, health and safety. We’re at a critical point where we need your help to meet goals we’ve outlined.”

Fairfield Police Deputy Chief Chris Lyddy spoke to safety issues. “This venture will help us define how to make Fairfield safer,” he said. “We’re committed to doing everything we can to reduce accidents.”

Director of Planning and Zoning Joe Devonshuk said his department’s role has been to review the Committee’s proposals to ensure they meet town guidelines. “We’re anticipating a report, much of which we expect will mirror our own plans.”

Bill Hurley, Town Engineer, said he has been busy gathering citizen concerns about sidewalks and access, and analyzing those sites. “Neighbor support, though, is key in addressing,” he said. “We’re seeking input about connecting sidewalks and have already had some achievements in areas of town with regard to the Safe Routes to School initiative.”

Public Health Educator Sarah Levy said there are great incentives to increase bike and pedestrian access. “One of the most significant health issues in this country is the lack of physical activity, which results in such conditions as high cholesterol, heart disease and loss of muscle mass. The upside is that these conditions respond well to increased activity.”

Mark Nielsen of the GBRPA was the most vocal of presenters, outlining plan goals and presenting survey results. “Almost all surveyed voiced concern about safety and indicated a desire for better access,” he said. “Popular areas they travel to include town center, the beach area and the university, which aligns with where they say they bike.”

Nielsen shared a desire to move to a “complete streets” policy wherein roadways are converted to accommodate all users, not just automobiles. Complete street enhancements would include streetscape elements, use of permeable materials, on-street parking designation and bicycle facilities. For bikers, approaches include shared roadways, bike lanes, painted bike boxes and shared-use paths. For pedestrians, wider sidewalks, curb extensions, textured pavement, raised medians and signals are all considerations.

Emerging from their breakout sessions, the Greenfield Hill team suggested making Bronson Road more biker friendly. The Stratfield area group imagined Stratfield Road is wide enough to be biked, though sidewalks were lacking. They also desired more connections to shopping and the new train station. The Tunxis Hill set suggested Black Rock Turnpike be made more pedestrian friendly, and include a centralized bike parking area. The Town Center crew wanted sidewalks for Round Hill Road, improved crosswalks and bike storage facilities at the train station. Southport wanted better continuity between bike paths and town center.

“Almost all of this is about speed though,” said Clif Meyers. “It would be great if we could enforce limits in a non-punitive way. I think we could flourish.”

Liquor Sellers Get Tips at Fake I.D. Forum

Liquor Sellers Get Tips 
at Fake I.D. Forum

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Fairfield Citizen News)

4/12/11

Fairfield, CT – For the dozen or more representatives from local bars and restaurants, it was a helpful crash course in knowing how to spot fake I.D.’s but also a refresher on liquor sale and distribution guidelines.

Held Tuesday April 12 at Fairfield University’s Alumni House facility on 1073 North Benson Road, the Fake I.D. Forum was an initiative aimed at curbing drinking by individuals under the age of 21 by educating local providers of alcohol. The morning session was hosted by Pam Paulmann, the Program Coordinator of Fairfield Corps, a coalition on campus funded through a grant by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The session featured Fairfield Police Dept. Lt. Tom Mrozek, a fake I.D. expert, and Stanley Buck, Jr., Supervising Agent with the State of CT Dept. of Consumer Protection Liquor Control Division, who spoke about state laws governing the sale of alcohol.

“This event is a follow-up to an April 2 Training Intervention Procedures program,” said Paulmann, “which guided servers on the sale and distribution of alcohol. We’re trying to engage the entire community and have everyone do their part in allaying issues.”

Sitting in, Todd Pelazza, Director of Public Safety at the university, said he just wants to keep students safe. “We find that most underage students that have alcohol on campus purchase it off campus,” he said. “Our goal is to increase awareness in the community on how to spot fake I.D.’s. With the enhanced ability of computers and graphics, people find it easier to produce fakes. We do find on occasion an incident of a student on campus with a fake I.D.”

Presenter Mrozek said the university, in fact, had a particularly troublesome occurrence about five years ago. “There was a kid with a big picture of a Connecticut driver’s license on his wall,” he said. “He’d have kids come in, take their photograph against it and print out a license from his computer. He kept everything on there, so we were able to round everyone up.”

Mrozek said there are many different approaches underage students use to try and get liquor illegally. “Students that are of age love to lend out their I.D.’s,” he said. “Others get I.D.’s from the Internet. When you do a search for ‘Fake I.D.’, about 6,000 companies come up. Some kids use a brother or sister’s license, and those are the toughest to catch.”

The officer said fake Connecticut licenses are rare as the state is a good watchdog. On the other hand, fake New York licenses are common, but also easy to spot. “They are indestructible,” he said, “so if you can peel up a corner or it de-laminates, it’s a fake.”

Other states use certain printing processes or imagery to deter license forgers. “Massachusetts loves microprinting,” Mrozek said. “They feature a little black line across the face that reads ‘Dept. of Motor Vehicles State of Massachusetts’. Maine has a certain brightness and clarity to the top portion of its license.”

With Internet-oriented I.D.’s, there are certain graphics that make them easy to spot as fakes. “Many use symbols like padlocks, keys and eagles, or words like authentic and genuine,” said Mrozek. “If you see these on licenses, it’s a quick tip-off.”

Server compliance statistics that co-presenter Buck shared certainly stressed the importance of verifying I.D.’s. Of 492 establishments that were checked in 2010, 124 failed for selling alcohol to minors. This led to 11 permit revocations, 196 suspensions and over $313,000 in civil penalties.

Buck said there are I.D. checking guides that servers can buy which provide examples of various I.D.’s and false elements. He said servers can seek to obtain an Age Statement from someone they suspect is using a fake I.D., too, which can offer legal protection.

Buck also emphasized to servers that they should know their permits inside and out, so they are not risking other penalties. Citing a few examples, Buck said, “Restaurant permits apply to what happens within the four walls of the facility, but don’t apply to a patio. A separate patio permit must be obtained to allow people to take drinks outside the four walls. In café situations, a facility must close after legal drinking hours and employees are prohibited from having an after-work drink if it’s after legal hours.”

Jim O’Neil, a bartender at Archie Moore’s, said, “It’s good to know what the police want us to look for. We never really have a problem, but part of that is keeping up to date through programs like this.”

Seed-to-Seed Library Buds at Pequot Presentation

Seed-to-Seed Library Buds at Pequot Presentation

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Fairfield Citizen News)

4/13/11

Southport, CT – You can be-leaf that the audience was green with excitement about the launch of the Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm’s new Seed-to-Seed Library.

On Wednesday evening, representatives from the Farm and Fairfield Public Library held an introduction to the initiative at Southport’s Pequot Library. About 50 gardening enthusiasts showed to get an overview of the program, meet a handful of eco-friendly and natural food vendors, buy seed packets and hear garden writer and lecturer Tovah Martin speak about garden stewardship. The launch preceded a program orientation that will take place from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 16 at the Fairfield Woods Library branch at 1147 Fairfield Woods Road.

“Our goal is to have every single household in Fairfield start a garden,” said Nancy Coriaty, Deputy Town Librarian. “If we can be our own sustainable garden center, that would be cool.”

Coriaty said that thousands of seeds will be available at the Woods Seed Library, made possible through a grant from the New England Grass Roots Environment Fund and seed donations from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. in Mansfield, MO, Comstock Ferre in Wethersfield, CT, and Renee’s Garden in Felton, CA. Funding also afforded seed cabinets and upcoming summer workshops.

Jennifer Cole, VP at Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm, said, “This is the first ever seed library in Fairfield. By taking the seeds out, planting and then bringing seeds back, all become part of the same community. You know exactly what your seeds are… that they’re organic. At the supermarket, you don’t know what you’re getting.”

To inspire both blossoming and veteran green thumbs, lecturer Martin showed slides of some of the most noted gardens around the U.S., which included Millstream (CT), Lynwood Gardens (NY) and Wing Haven (NC). She also made suggestions about how you should approach gardening and strategies for success. “You need to interact with your garden and exchange love,” she said. “It’s a relationship. And know who you are, do your own garden. I decided I was a colorful person. Not all the colors in my garden go together, but I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

Martin stressed good stewardship. “If you don’t love these things, they’ll be gone,” she said, noting that tubers like Dahlias, which need to be maintained annually, can be among the first to go if untended.

Martin added that you should aim to create gardens that someone may want to take under their wing in the future. “You have to get your seeds and keep them going,” she said. “We cannot depend on catalogs to preserve plants we think are important. We’ve got to do it ourselves.”

The advice resonated with event attendee Joe Puma, a member of the Greater Bridgeport Men’s Garden Club. “It’s fascinating to think of maintaining plants from one generation to the next,” he said. “My grandson comes over to my house and digs in the garden, and that’s exciting for me. One day, he may carry on the tradition.”

Another attendee, Peter Lamastro of Fairfield, is already putting Martin’s recommendations in practice as the new garden coordinator at Roger Sherman Elementary School. “We’re getting the garden started for the year,” he said. “All the classes are planting seeds and will contribute. We try to add an educational aspect to the process, tying it into the classroom. It would be nice for the kids to take what they learn and apply it at home.”