(l-r) RebeccaBorton, Chester, Melissa Chmielewski, East Lyme, Mallory Guillemette, Bozrah, Katie Lamb, Lebanon, Christine Wengloski, Lebanon, and Antonina Williams, Groton, all earn their Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a girl can earn in Girl Scouting. An award with national standards, the Girl Scout Gold Award represents an individual’s accomplishments, leadership, commitment, creativity and personal effort contributed to making their community a better place to live. This year, 50 young women from around the state earned their Gold Award. Many of them attended a special ceremony on June 6 at Saint Joseph College to receive their certificates as well as congratulatory letters from Jennifer Smith Turner, CEO, Girl Scouts of CT, and Girl Scouts of the USA.
(l-r) Chief Sensei Tom Phelps, Lisbon, shows the class how to react if a stranger grabs your arm, with the help of Melissa McCleary, Griswold. The Ladies Self-Defense class is sponsored by Griswold Recreation Department.
Norwich Public Utilities Hydrowers II, in their pink shirts, finished in third place at the Dragon Boat Race, a part of the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce’s Fourth Annual River Fest on June 5.
On June 5, the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce held their fourth annual River Fest. What originally started as a food festival a few years ago, successful turned into a Dragon Boat Race.
Four years ago, Kim Michaud, Director of Operations, was in New Hampshire attending a food festival. Her first thought was, “We should try this with the Norwich Chamber of Commerce. We did it one year as a food festival, and we also had a few things for children,” she said.
After that, Andy Messier, the chair of the River Fest committee, did some research on what they could add to the festival and came up with dragon boat racing. He found a company from Canada which would supply the boats and several local businesses signed up to compete in the race.
The event has become quite competitive over the years. “It is our most successful fundraiser,” said Kim. “This year we have 20 teams signed up with six teams racing at one time. The race is fun and competitive, and is a major fundraiser for the Chamber,” she said.
For the second year in a row, the Kazoku Martial Arts Pink Strokes won the Dragon Boat Race. Although, this year, the Norwich Public Utilities (NPU) Hydrowers II signed up first and claimed the pink shirts – each team gets to choose at sign-up – leaving the Pink Strokes with black shirts and pink letters. Second place went to Attorney Browning Objections, with third place going to the NPU Hydrowers Team II.
Along with racing, there were also vendors selling fine arts and crafts and food.
The Resident caught up with Preston Whiteway, executive director, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, after the CT Critics Circle award ceremonies for a Kodak moment and a comment, “Winning the Tony Award followed by this one is, in a word, extraordinary.”
story & photo
by Tony Schillaci & Don Church
The 2010 Tony Awards came to New London when the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and the Garde Arts Center hosted a televised broadcast of the event on June 13. Theater-goers gathered at the Garde to share the excitement of the O’Neill winning a Tony award for Best Regional Theatre in America.
Preston Whiteway, executive director, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, accepted the award from Michael Douglas, an O’Neill alumnus, saying, “It just reminds one what a place it has in American theater.” Preston thanked the towns of Waterford and New London for their support of theater.
The next night, at the Westport Country Playhouse, Preston accepted the CT Critics Cricle’s (CCC) prestigious Tom Killen Award for Outstanding Contribution to CT Theater.
The other Connecticut theater people who won Tonys included Steve and Ruth Hendel whose musical “Fela” won three awards out of eleven nominations: Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Choreography.
The Hendels, who live in Waterford, and have earlier roots in New London and Norwich respectively, are on the O’Neill Board of Directors.
The hit show “Memphis,” produced by Sue Frost, Old Lyme, won Best Muscial, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written, and Best Orchestrations.
The O’Neill is home to the Playwrights Conference, Music Theater Conference, Puppetry Conference, National Theater Institute, Critics Institute and Cabaret and Performance Conference.
(l-r) Chuck Treat, Vice President, Dime Bank Foundation, presents Peter Battles, president, ECHO, and Anthony Morrison, ECHO, with a check for $5000 to help offset building costs in the renovation of 317 Connecticut Avenue and 94 Williams Street in New London.
Dime Bank Foundation awarded $5,000 to Eastern Connecticut Housing Opportunities (ECHO) to help offset building costs in the renovation of 317 Connecticut Avenue and 94 Williams Street in New London. ECHO purchased the foreclosed properties with funds through the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) and will now renovate the residential properties before selling them to low-income families.
According to Peter Battles, President, ECHO, “The development cost for both of these properties greatly exceeds revenues resulting from their sale due to the limited financial capacity of their targeted owners.” He adds, “The financial support we are receiving from Dime Bank Foundation will help bridge the gap between what is covered by the NSP funds and City lead abatement grants and what is needed to bring the combined budget for these two properties into balance.”
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