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Volume 23, Number 33
Friday, November 15, 2019
Gastler Farm hosts chamber music series By Everett Bishop Town Times
Durham residents involved with the Julia C. Bryant Memorial Music Fund and the Durham Cooperative Nursery School presented library director Christine Michaud, center, with two scrapbooks chronicling the life of the school and teacher Julia Bryant. Photo by Everett Bishop, Town Times
Scrapbooks memorialize beloved co-op, teacher By Everett Bishop Town Times
Recording the history of a town takes a certain amount of dedication; dedication that a select few Durham residents have in spades. On Friday, Nov. 8, members of the Julia C. Bryant Memorial Music Fund and the Durham Cooperative Nursery School presented two handmade scrapbooks to the Durham Public Library detailing the history of the school and teacher Julia Bryant. “The parents had to participate in the school. They had to come in and be the teachers, they had to clean the school, they had to help build the equipment and all that and it was a great intro-
duction to the community for the parents,” said Lainy Melvin, former director and teacher at the co-op. The cooperative school opened in the fall of 1956 and closed its doors in 2017.
teacher Julia C. Bryant because of her impact on the community. Bryant was found murdered in her home in 1967.
“She was one of a kind,” Pearce said. “People should “It’s had a different little his- know. I think that it’s interesting. And a lot of people tory that’s kind of a part of went to the co-op kinderthe local lore,” said Melvin. garten and nursery school, Melvin said that it took her so maybe they can share about five weeks to complete with their kids.” the nursery school scrapKaty Forline, a student of books. Each book is filled Bryant’s, shares Pearce’s with news clippings, phosentiment. “She really intetographs and handwritten grated nature into the classnotes that paint a detailed room. I remember her bringpicture of Durham’s past. ing weird things in like a Helen Pearce, chair of the caterpillar on a stick, and the Julia C. Bryant Memorial class had a pet opossum,” Music Fund, wanted to dedi- said Forline. “And it was cate a scrapbook to the great.” memory of cooperative
See Co-op, A4
Kalmia Garden Music and Arts Foundation has wrapped up its fall concert at its Gastler Farm venue. With a seating capacity of less than 50 and an intimate farmhouse setting, Kalmia Gardens seeks to seamlessly connect the audience with the performing musicians.
Pianist Timothy Krippner and cellist Max Geissler performed. The pair are frequent guests at Kalmia Gardens since its inception nearly seven years ago. “Chamber music is intended to be played in a chamber, in a small venue. So this is it,” said Ona McLaughlin, secretary of the Kalmia Gardens board of directors. “And the people who love it really love it.”
Friday, Nov. 8 kicked off a weekend-long chamber music concert series at the In one form or another 159 Middlefield Road, the Gastler Farm has been Durham site. part of the local scene for Saturday and Sunday more than a century. events included a preconcert garden tour.
See Music, A23
Towns work towards sustainability goals By Everett Bishop Town Times
“We were one of the first four town’s to participate in the Solarize ConnectiSustainable CT, a cut program,” Durham statewide certification pro- First Selectman Laura gram, recently released Francis said. In addition, its comprehensive list of Durham has introduced towns around the state electric car charging stawhich met sustainability tions in town and comstandards for 2019. Deposting at the Durham spite making signifiFair. cant progress, neither While Durham signed on Durham or Middlefield to the Sustainable CT proearned bronze or silver gram a year and a half ago, certification. Francis said the hope However, local officials is that the town will regave updates on how their ceive certification in 2020. towns have worked to meet their marks on sustainability. See Goals, A25