Volume 6, Number 20
Thursday, February 27, 2020
cheshirecitizen.com
Twin goats born on Presidents Day By Joy VanderLek The Cheshire Citizen
A pair of baby goats was born on Presidents Day at Cheshire Hollow Farm where Dawn Cestaro and her husband John Romani, Jr. have been raising kids, of the animal variety, for a quite awhile.
have kids twice a year. But I have enough, so they don’t have to do that twice a year.” Although there are times when the female goats want to get to Liam, but they aren’t in season. “They stand at the gate to let me let them go down there,” she said, with a quick smile.
McKenna Bernier, at left, and her sister Madisyn Bernier are frequent visitors to Cheshire Hollow Farm. The girls are holding the new baby goats born on Presidents Day.
Cestaro explained how they got started on this enterprise, just one of the many at their 100-acre Peck Lane property. “One day someone called and asked if we wanted goats and the rest is history,” she said. “We’ve been raising them for 10 years now.”
The new baby boys are adorable, with fluffy coats, one white and the other, just like its mother, a brown-white patchwork. The kids are about as big as a handbag and when you pick them up they cry for their mom in tender, little goat voices. The two together weigh less than a gallon of Cestaro described her little herd milk. The patchwork baby goat and its mating practices. “I have one male, Liam,” she said, gestur- likes to dance and it’s fun to ing down to the pasture. “He gets watch the little guy kick up his heels and leap into the air. He two females for about two seems very happy on a recent months, then they come up and he gets two different females and brisk sunny day practicing his leaping. they come up. It’s five months gestation, so they can technically See Goats, A2
ARTSDAY keeps the excitement going year after year By Joy VanderLek The Cheshire Citizen
After more than three decades, how does ARTSDAY continue to be fresh and exciting? By pushing the envelope and turning things over. That’s part of the fun, too. Since the first ARTSDAY in 1989, thousands upon thousands of Cheshire families have experienced this day of fun. ARTSDAY is now in its 32nd year of enchanting
OD deaths rise in state, Cheshire sees decline By Lauren Sellew Record-Journal staff
Deaths due to drug overdose increased 18 percent statewide in 2019, with a 29 percent increase in fentanyl-related fatalities, according to the latest report from the state medical examiner. Craig Norton will be at ARTSDAY to facilitate a drum circle similar to what is seen here at a previous ARTSDAY.
and inspiring youngsters through art. Past ARTSDAY highlights included ice sculpting and poi spinners and even a fly fishing lure booth. This March 15, it’s a safari theme, with 15 art stations. Among the fun, children, age 5 and up, will be able to create animal tracks, make African elephant and giraffe masks or join a drum circle.
Artist and Artsplace teacher Patty Meglio has spent the past few weeks prepping the parts that will become exotic African animals. The prep work will allow the children to put together one of the animals quickly and easily, said Meglio, who is looking forward to See ARTSDAY, A2
A total of 94 percent of all accidental intoxication deaths statewide involved an opioid, the annual report said. Locally, overdose deaths remained steady in Meriden, while Wallingford and Cheshire saw declines, which officials attributed to increased use of overdose reversal drugs, along with more awareness. In Southington, overdose deaths rose from three in 2018 to 10 in 2019. See Overdose death trends, A17