Volume 17, Number 46
Friday, November 13, 2020
www.southingtoncitizen.com
$50K grant helps arts group
WiseGuise sets out to build a better mask
By Jesse Buchanan Record-Journal staff
By Joy VanderLek The Southington Citizen
A $50,000 grant for operating expenses is critical to helping a local arts group pay its bills until the spring. The money from the Bradley and Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust offsets revenue lost by Southington Community Cultural Arts since March. Mary DeCroce, arts group executive director, was optimistic about the group’s future. “That’s huge for us,” she said of the grant. “We’re able to keep our staff and pay for utilities.”
Artist Mike Berlinski, of Plainville, paints a depiction of the Southington town green on a giant apple for Apples & Arts, a collaborative public art project to benefit Bread for Life, Southington Community Services, United Way of Southington and SoCCA, Aug. 3, 2018. The finished apples were displayed throughout town. Dave Zajac, Record-Journal file photo
gramming again (in the spring),” DeCroce said.
“We look pretty good that we’re go- Southington Community Cultural Arts started five years ago. The ing to be able to make it through group raised money to renovate and be able to build up our pro-
former town offices at the Gura building, 93 Main St. to house classrooms, artist studios, a pottery studio and a gift shop. See Grant, A2
Necessity is the mother of invention — and that can lead to entrepreneurial inspiration. That appears to be the case in the development of WiseGuise masks, made for use in the COVID-19 era. WiseGuise are a multi-functional clothing accessory invented by former Southington resident Steve Mazurek and his cousin Tyler Varian. Mazurek makes his home in California, but grew up on Southington’s east side, where his parents still live today. He recalls his Southington See Mask, A3
Final votes tallied, Sampson win confirmed After the final votes were tallied Thursday, Nov. 5, Republican Rob Sampson remained the winner in the 16th state senate district.
Three other Republican candidates for state house districts that include Southington also won their races. Election workers began counting about 1,000 ballots that were received in the days leading up to Nov.
3. They finished their work last Thursday morning. According to the Town Clerk, Sampson had 13,311 votes in the Southington portion of the senate district. His Democratic challenger Jack Per-
ry received 12,779 votes in town. Overall, Sampson won by more than 4,000 votes. The district also includes Cheshire, Waterbury, Wolcott and Prospect. See Results, A2 R233461
By Jesse Buchanan Record-Journal staff