Volume 19, Number 14
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
www.berlincitizen.com
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Berlin native, father of infant, loses home to fire Berlin native Sean Orcutt and his wife Haley Burns celebrated their fourth anniIn the wake of a May 20 fire versary a day after the blaze that destroyed their home, a consumed their house. The Farmington family with a home was so damaged by the two-month-old child is just fire that it must be completely starting to rebuild their lives. rebuilt.
Having such a young child to take care of while losing everything but “the clothes on our back” has made the ordeal more challenging, Orcutt said. Breanne Parasiliti, a close friend, has set up a Go-
FundMe page for the family, “Rebuild Farren’s Fortress,” so named for the baby girl, Farren. “They are relying on insurance to get them through but they have friends like us who say that’s not enough,”
Annual picnic bigger and better by the year By Charles Kreutzkamp The Berlin Citizen
Despite the – ultimately empty – threat of rain, an enormous crowd turned out to the UpBeat picnic May 28, including many organizations that had never before attended. Picnic staples returned – hot dogs, rubber duck race, and the “soak the staff” booth. The grand old traditions were joined by plenty of new and exciting features this year, where many community organizations set up tables for the first time. The Berlin Police Department brought two pieces of equipment called “seat belt convincers,” that might have been mistaken for fair rides, to raise awareness of the importance of wearing See Picnic / Page 4
Parasiliti said on the page. Orcutt, a 2004 Berlin High School alum, has been blown away by the support he has received. “Our original reaction was that we can handle See Fire / Page 2
Locals raise over $30K to fight rare syndrome By Charles Kreutzkamp The Berlin Citizen
Facepainting is a feature of many UpBeat events, and the picnic is no exception. |Charles Kreutzkamp / The Berlin Citizen
DRIVERS: STOP YOUR ENGINES. Get on board today.
Kensington residents Roberta and David Burn led Team Stefan during the 2015 Angelman Syndrome Foundation walk in Hartford May 16 and 17. Roberta and David Burn’s son Stefan, 24, was diagnosed with the syndrome at age 5. The walk “was wonderful, we had a really good turnout,” Roberta Burn told The Citizen. Team Stefan raised $33,000 for the foundation, which Burn said is “phenomenal, it really is.” Two weeks before the walk, Roberta Burn toured a See Syndrome / Page 3
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Transit at the speed of life
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By Charles Kreutzkamp
The Berlin Citizen