cheshirecitizen.com
Volume 12, Number 31
Thursday, August 5, 2021
When schools reopen, masks required, most COVID-19 protocols still in place By Michael Gagne Record-Journal staff
Education leaders throughout the area are preparing to resume in-person learning for all students this fall. But the new academic year does not mean returning to a full normal in school buildings just yet.
Students, staff members and visitors to area schools likely will be required to continue wearing masks. COVID-19 vaccination rates, though relatively strong in Connecticut, have slowed and are especially lagging nationwide. A vaccine has yet to be approved for inoculating chil-
dren younger than 12 years old. All the while, the more contagious Delta variant of the novel coronavirus has emerged in Connecticut. It has become the virus’s dominant strain in other states. That development is joined by another trend: the number of COVID-19 cases reported
in Meriden and in surrounding communities has risen in recent weeks. State data show the number of reported cases throughout the city alone has nearly doubled during a See Schools, A6
Author leads the way to iconic swimming holes
Ball & Socket awarded a $1.5M grant
By Joy VanderLek The Cheshire Citizen
Ball & Socket Arts was awarded $1.5 million in Urban Act funds at the July 23 Connecticut State Bond Commission meeting.
Imagine a muggy, 90-degree August day. You’re hiking a dusty path in the woods, sweating up a storm. Then, you round a bend, and a swimming hole with crystal clear water and a cascading waterfall comes into view. What could be better? Cheshire resident Dave Hajdasz writes about hidden spots such as this in his books “Take the Plunge” and “Swimming Holes of the White Mountains.” As the subject-matterexpert of swimming holes in New England, the author has discovered or sought out well over 100 of these oases.
Cheshire author Dave Hajdasz enjoys a dip in one of the spots he writes about in his swimming hole books.
Hajdasz’s writing adventure began in the 1990s, when he found a website about swimming holes around the country. An avid swimmer, he started checking some out, and writing about them for the website.
Before Hajdasz knew it, he was managing the Connecticut portion for the site, and soon enough, was writing about all of New England.
The art center’s president and cofounder, Ilona Somogyi, said, "This place has tremendous historic significance, and our project will bring the community back to it to experience and enjoy art, creative commerce, and the adjacent Farmington Trail. The support we've gotten from so many individuals in town has absolutely made these larger, necessary gifts possible. Whether the gifts have come from Window Sponsorships, annual contribu-
See Author, A2
Fall Soccer Registration! For children age 4 and up. No prior soccer experience required.
Register Today at CheshireSoccerClub.org
See Grant, A4
Sign Up Now!