Christine Antalik, Suzanne Cahill, Kathleen Dunn, Cathy Leite, Maryalice Manning, Ann McGuire, Gary Sorge
Contributing Editors
Tracy Farricker
Contributing Writers
Susan Carroll Dwyer, Karena Garrity, Shaileen Kelly Landsberg, Gerry McGuire, Haley McNish, Cindy Papish Gerber, Ann Teller
Production Assistance
Kevin Maher, Wendy Macomber, Todd Manning, Tamara Simpson
Interns
Bridget Dwyer, Maryalice Manning
Milford Living Magazine
243 Broad Street Milford CT 06460
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Milford Living Magazine (ISSN 1547-4429) is distributed quarterly by Red Mat Publishing. P.O. Box 2387 Milford, CT 06460. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the Publisher. Subscription Rates: U.S. $23.96. Newsstand: $5.99. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Milford Living Magazine P.O. Box 2387, Milford, CT 06460. Please allow six to eight weeks for subscription processing. Copyright 2003-2024 Red Mat Publishing. www.milfordliving.com/subscribe
in Milford
and advertisements are those of the authors and advertisers, respectively, and should not be considered as expressions of management or official policies of Milford Living Magazine.
publisher’s letter
Welcome to the autumn issue of Milford Living, where we celebrate the beauty of our town and the community spirit that makes it so special.
Do you love Eisenhower Park as much as I do? It’s the perfect place to experience our glorious autumn days. In this issue we celebrate Eisenhower Park’s upcoming 50th anniversary. There’s so much for the community to take advantage of, from scenic trails and playgrounds to picnic areas and sports facilities. Do yourself a favor this season and spend a day exploring its many attractions and reconnecting with the great outdoors. You’ll be glad you did.
Mark your calendar for this year’s Veterans Day Parade on November 17th. For this issue we asked some Milford veterans to share their stories, providing us with firsthand accounts of history, sacrifice, and resilience. These narratives not only pay tribute to their service but also serve as invaluable educational tools for future generations. Consider asking a veteran to share a story with you as a way of thanking them for their service.
As a reminder, subscriptions to Milford Living are a great holiday gift and a way to bring Milford to your family and friends all year! A gift subscription card can be found in this issue. Or you can subscribe online at Milfordliving.com for faster service. It’s the perfect way to keep your loved ones connected to the community, no matter where they are.
Please continue to share your thoughts, images, and story ideas with us so we can continue to showcase them. Your contributions help us create a more vibrant and engaging publication that truly reflects the heart and soul of Milford.
As always, we are grateful for your support and look forward to sharing more engaging stories in the new year.
Best wishes for a joyous holiday season.
Suzanne
How about an article on painted mailboxes I see around Milford?
—Linda Testone, Milford CT
Thanks, Linda. It certainly would be interesting to explore the history of painted mailboxes in Milford, as well as the various designs and colors that have been used over the years. This could provide an interesting insight into the local culture and the history of the city. Readers, if you know of any interesting and unique mailboxes, please send us a note so we can possibly include them in a future issue. Your suggestions are always
welcome. Send them to suzanne@ milfordliving.com
As 40 year residents of Milford, we really appreciate the historical articles along with the current features. Keep it up!
—Jay & Donna Pinsince, Milford, CT
Historical articles have always been an important part of Milford Living. They help preserve the stories and events that have shaped the community and allow us to connect to the past. Understanding the history of
Milford helps foster a sense of pride and belonging among the community. Our feature stories dive deeper into specific topics, offering insights and detailed narratives that go beyond our regular departments. While departments like At Home and Senior Corner provide consistent content such as event listings and local news, features allow for a more immersive exploration of Milford’s unique faces and places, past or present. Rest assured, we are committed to providing you with engaging and informative content about our beloved Milford!
My sister-in-law just retired and moved to South Carolina. I’d like to send her a gift subscription so that she can keep up on what’s going on in town. Can you tell me how I can go about that?
—Deloris Springer, Boca Raton, FL
Gift subscriptions are a wonderful way to share your love of Milford. They’re easily purchased by visiting milfordliving.com and selecting the gift option at checkout. This will allow your sister-in-law to stay connected with Milford, no matter where she is.
Drop us a line… Please send your comments, contributions, suggestions, and questions to Milford Living Magazine P.O. Box 2387, Milford, CT 06460 or email our publisher at: suzanne@milfordliving.com
The Ultimate Waterfront Experience
Christmas tree season Opens on Black Friday! We are Open Monday thru Thursday 9am-7pm, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9am-8pm. We will have fresh cut trees from Canada and northern Maine, wreaths, roping and arrangements! We carry large cathedral ceiling Christmas Trees. On the weekends we will have the fire pit to warm up by and if you get lucky you may even spot Santa walking around! We hope from our family to yours you have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season! Need your Christmas Tree delivered? Call the farm and ask to speak to Jack!
Something Scare“crow”to About around town
Scarecrows, pumpkins, lamp posts, oh my! The Downtown Milford Business Association (DMBA) is hosting their 4th Annual Scarecrow Festival this year, so get ready!
“The Scarecrow Festival offers a chance for families, businesses, and organizations to creatively decorate scarecrows that will be hung up on lampposts downtown during the fall,” says MaryJo Downs, DMBA
events director. “Scarecrow frames are usually picked up at the end of September, then returned completed in mid-October, and hung until the beginning of November,” says Downs.
Acquiring a scarecrow is simple and easy: individuals or groups fill out a sponsorship form online (downtownmilfordct. com/event) and pick up a frame at the Lovet Shop at 22 Broad Street in Harborwalk, behind Frosty Twist, during designated times. Sponsors are free to decorate their scarecrow however they please. Drop off is in front of the Taylor Building at 5 Broad Street on Saturday, October 12th from
2pm – 4pm. “We hang them the same day and they are up until the weekend after Halloween,” confirms Downs.
The event aims to build a sense of community in Milford as many people enjoy admiring the colorful, clever, and inventive scarecrows decorating the lamp posts that surround the Green.
“It’s a community-building event because what is created is so unique and it’s so fun to
stroll around downtown to look at what all the different entities created,” says DMBA executive director April Bryant. “It causes a lot of excitement, and it gets really popular on social media. It’s a great way for local businesses and organizations to advertise too,” she says.
Since each scarecrow is sponsored, the festival also raises funds for additional events around Milford. This year the
Milford Living editor Ann McGuire created Ursula from The Little Mermaid
The 2023 Scarecrow Festival featured this clever tribute to the late Jimmy Buffet.
sponsorship cost of a scarecrow is $35 for a family and $50 for a business. In addition to organizing and promoting the event, “any additional funds go towards our other community events, such as Hall-O-Weekend Fall Festival, Small Business Saturday, and Lamplight Stroll,” shares Bryant. The festival has grown in popularity since it began, and the designs have become more and more creative each year. “I think everyone enjoys the freedom to make it however they want,” Downs said. “Participants are really invested and come up with the coolest ideas; everyone shows
off their creativity and it’s always so impressive.”
While other towns hold scarecrow festivals, Bryant is impressed by the level of participation in Milford. “I have seen it in other towns as well, but ours seems to be the largest,” Bryant says. “Each year we get more and more participants.” Last year approximately 90 groups participated.
Whether residents want to take a stroll or drive around to look at the creative designs, or fashion a creation of their own, this fall festival is something to crow about.
— Kaitlyn Garrity
Another lampost Disney villain, this one Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty
milford spotlight
It’s Toy Time!
The excitement and pure unrefined joy of Christmas morning is one of life’s most cherished pleasures, for both kids and parents. One of the best ways to spread that blissful feeling throughout your community this holiday season is to shop local, especially for that one perfect toy, whatever it may be.
Michael Hershman, the owner of Jesse’s Toy Shoppe, in Orange, Evan’s Toy Shoppe in Hamden, and Jordie’s Toy Shoppe in Guilford, has been in the toy business for more than two decades. He and his family look forward to the holiday season even more than most, since it comes not only with delight and happiness, but also a big bump in sales for the year.
Hershman says that he encourages patrons to shop locally, not only to keep
the stores open and the community thriving, but also because it’s a better way to shop. “When you shop local and in person, you get to hold the toys, see them up close, know that they are quality,” says Hershman, who enjoys helping his customers pick out just the right gift for their kids, grandkids, and friends.
“When you shop in person at a toy store you get the added extra benefit of the staff’s expertise,” he continues. “We can help you
find something you may not have known existed. We ask you questions about who you are shopping for, what their interests are and how old they are. From there, we can help point you in the right direction for a great purchase.”
Making it simple and easy to shop for the holidays, toys at Hershman’s stores are
“When you shop in person at a toy store you get the added extra benefit of the staff’s expertise.”
There is something for kids of all ages at Jesse’s Toys.
arranged according to age suitability, and there are lots of floor displays, which encourage in-store play. Carrying popular mainstay brand names, Hershman also keeps up with the newest industry must-haves by attending several toy-centric annual events throughout the year, such as the International Toy Fair, which is held each year in New York City. “We really love what we do, that’s why we come in everyday!” says Hersman with a smile. The holidays and all the pomp and circumstance surrounding this delightful time of year are what memories are made of for families of all kinds. For Erin McGrath, who followed her parent’s path into the toy industry and is now the sales and marketing manager at The Original Toy Company, 230 Woodmont
Road in Milford, toys are the mainstay of her professional career. She remembers back to her own childhood and how on that one very special Christmas morning she unwrapped her favorite present of all, the Barbie Mansion.
“Opening the mansion and seeing the size of it, I was blown away! I felt like I would be the coolest girl to have such a big Barbie house,” remembers McGrath. She says it brings her joy to help create
CAHILL
The floor displays at Jesse’s Toys make it easy for kids to try before they buy.
milford spotlight
those special memories for other families. “I love working in the toy industry, seeing how one toy can grow with the same child for many years; being a mom to a four-year-old daughter, seeing the joy in her eyes—or any child playing with our toys—brings me back to a special place.”
The Original Toy Company was founded by Erin’s parents, Kevin and Susan McGrath in 1989. The wholesale business, which has a small brick-and-mortar outlet store, specializes in toys that stimulate and educate children, such as puzzles, games, dolls, and more, promoting learning through meaningful play.
Erin also encourages folks to shop local.
“We have a small outlet with huge savings every day. Our stock changes regularly,” says McGrath. “There is nothing better than actually being able to see what you’re buying and feel and touch the quality of the products. We are living in a crazy time and shopping local supports businesses.”
So, this holiday season, as the stress is piling on and the list of people you need to buy presents for expands, think about taking a break from online purchases, put your coat on and shop local. You’ll find something amazing! We are sure of it!
—Karena Garrity
The Original Toy Company outlet store on Woodmont Road carries a variety of educational and fun toys for kids.
CAHILL
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• Cleaning and repairs on area rugs •
• • New carpet and hardwood selections now in stock • • Wood vinyl planks on display • • Cleaning and repairs on area rugs •
Next day delivery on in-stock items •
• Next day delivery on in-stock items • • Lifetime waterproof with warranty •
Lifetime waterproof with warranty •
• We beat other prices •
• New carpet and hardwood selections now in stock •
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• Next day delivery on in-stock items • vinyl planks with warranty •
this season
Frightful Fun!
There is nothing quite like the feeling of being outside on a cool, crisp autumn day. The beautiful foliage and chilly air perfectly complement the many activities and holidays that “fall” within autumn’s boundaries. Whether it’s pumpkin picking, escaping a tricky corn maze, or dressing up for Halloween, there are many fun things to do and experience this season.
Milford has a range of activities and events for people of all ages: something for everyone to enjoy. From outdoor movie nights and Halloween parades to spooky story times, here are some great ways to embrace the cooler days and nights while enjoying some frightful fun.
2024 Hall-O-Weekend Festival
The Downtown Milford Business Association (DMBA) is hosting its annual Hall-O-Weekend Festival on October 25th and 26th. The festival features a variety of family-friendly, not-soscary activities. It begins Friday, October 25th, at 6:30 PM. with Outdoor Halloween Movie Night at the Gazebo on the Green.
It continues on Saturday with a number of scheduled events including:
• 10:00 AM Not-So-Scary Storytime with The Milford Public Library at the Gazebo.
• 11:30 AM: Spooky children’s yoga with Just Be Yoga and Wellness at the Gazebo
• 12:00 PM: Costume Parade led by Milford’s Brian Smith (a.k.a Captain Kidd!)
• 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Hay Bale Maze, facepainting, arts & crafts, vendors, and activities on the Green.
The annual parade is a staple that has been a fan favorite in Milford for many years. It begins at 5:00 PM on Halloween night and includes candy, costumes, a DJ, and lots of dancing.
Enjoy many of the family friendly autumn events around town this season.
The Walnut Beach Creamery is also giving away free ice cream to anyone in costume! At 6:00 PM, the Walnut Beach Witches arrive to lead the Walnut Beach costume parade around the block. This is a free event that is great for kids and adults and really gets everyone in the Halloween spirit!
Walnut Beach
Halloween Pet Parade
While there are many events for humans, this one is for our four-legged friends. The First Annual Walnut Beach Halloween Pet Parade will be held Saturday, October 27th, from 3:00 - 5:00 PM. A panel of judges will decide which furry friend has the best costume, and prizes will be awarded to winners in multiple categories.
Milford Horror: Fall Movie Showings
Looking to see a good horror movie to get into the Halloween spirit? Milford Horror is the perfect place to go. The group does showings of multiple horror movies across different venues in Milford. Past events have been held outdoors at Eisenhower Park and the Milford Public Library. While their full fall schedule is still in the works, a showing of the classic 1976 supernatural horror film The Omen is scheduled for Friday, October 11th at the United Presbyterian Church. Whether someone is a horror fan, or just wants to get into the spooky Halloween spirit, Milford Horror is the place to be.
Milford Trick or Trot 5k Walk/Run
The 13th Annual Milford Trick or Trot is back for another year of fighting homelessness and hunger. The 5k benefits the Beth El Center and is a way to give back to the less fortunate in the community. The event is sponsored by the law firm Harlow, Adams, and Friedman, P.C., and Sikorsky Credit Union, and all proceeds go to Beth
El Center and food services. Scheduled for October 26th, registration begins at 7:30 AM, with the race starting at 9:00 AM. The course takes runners and walkers from Lisman Landing on a scenic route through Milford Harbor and Fort Trumbull before ending back at Lisman Landing. All registrations prior to October 13th get a free t-shirt. Register at milfordtrickortrot.com.
Our proactive approach focuses on:
• Boosting Your Energy
• Enhancing Your Libido
• Helping You Look and Feel Younger
• Uncovering Hidden Health Problems
— Kaitlyn Garrity
Insurance Impact at home
The talk of the town at local mailboxes is about the significant increase in insurance premiums. Have you noticed this rise as well? Let’s explore the causes and discuss proactive measures we can take.
The current economic situation, including inflation and the escalating costs of many goods, can be traced back to the global pandemic. Changes in shopping habits due to supply chain issues and adjustments in driving habits as more people work from home have contributed to these changes. When the prices of goods and services rise, the cost of replacing and repairing cars and homes will naturally be affected, impacting consumers like us.
The insurance marketplace is undergoing rapid and urgent changes, particularly
for home and auto insurance companies. In this inflationary environment, companies are facing significant operating challenges, leading to swift decisions such as halting the issuance of new policies or exiting the market. Daily announcements of pauses in new business or complete stops on writing new policies are becoming increasingly common.
One unique change is requesting full premium payment upfront for new business or imposing a 20-30 day hold on new applications. Underwriting guidelines have become stricter, with some
companies only considering preferred customers with no claims within five years, home and auto bundles, and more. The public is feeling the impact of these rising premiums, which have doubled or tripled compared to previous years. The cost of claims has risen significantly in the past two years, leading carriers to raise premiums or pull out of specific markets. Repair costs for vehicles and medical care continue to soar, driving up bodily injury costs in auto accidents. Reinsurance capacity is reaching its limits in many markets, causing unsustainable rate increases.
What can you, the consumer, do to combat these rising costs? Think about taking proactive measures that may help to alleviate some of the pain.
1. Consider opting for higher deductibles to navigate the insurance market.
2. Participate in safe driving telematic programs for potential discounts.
3. Regularly review available discount opportunities with your insurance agent.
4. Avoid letting policies cancel or lapse, as reinstating coverage can be challenging.
5. Keep a long-term commitment to an insurance carrier.
6 Adhere to traffic laws to avoid tickets.
7. Bundling auto and home insurance can lead to discounts and more stable pricing.
8. Manage small claims personally.
9. Reserve coverage for catastrophic losses.
10. Refrain from using towing or roadside assistance excessively, as claim frequency significantly impacts insurance rates.
Insurance can be perplexing and intricate, but remember, you’re not alone in this. Meet with your local insurance broker or independent agent to review your insurance needs. They are there to guide you through these changes and help you make the best decisions for your situation.
—Wanda Carlson
eye on business Interview with a Banker
Jorge Santiago is the current president and CEO of The Milford Bank. In a recent conversation, he discussed his life and career journey and how invested he is in the Milford community.
MILFORD LIVING: Please tell us about your background.
JORGE SANTIAGO: My mom moved from Puerto Rico to the United States before I was born. I was born in Jersey City, but was raised in Bridgeport. I currently reside in Milford and have been living here for over 20 years.
ML: Your education?
JS: I graduated from Central High School in Bridgeport and from Bowdoin College in 1994. I completed a graduate banking program at the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking held at the University of Pennsylvania in 2018 and completed a Wharton Leadership Program in 2018.
ML: What brought you to Milford and working at The Milford Bank?
JS: I began my career in banking in 1994 as a trainee at People’s Bank as a teller and later tasked with all other job functions within a branch, from teller to manager. I then obtained all my brokerage licenses and transitioned to People’s Securities. I started by processing unsolicited stock trade orders to become a financial advisor, ultimately managing a sales territory with 13 advisors.
In 2005 I joined The Milford Bank as vice president and branch administrator. Over the years I took on more responsibility, being promoted to senior vice president, executive vice president and COO. On July 1, 2024, I became president and CEO.
ML: What do you like best about working in your current role?
JS: My favorite part of the job is working with my team to help them meet the needs of this community. It is key that we stick to our mission and provide my staff with the coaching and resources they need.
Current president and CEO of The Milford Bank, Jorge Santiago.
ML: Please describe your typical day at work.
JS: It is too early in my new role to define a typical day. However, my daily goal has always been to ensure we are efficient in using our resources while providing excellent customer service and taking care of the community. A strong community and happy customers mean the bank will do well. Their success is our success.
ML: What is your biggest challenge so far?
JS: A consistent challenge is that all banks get painted with a broad brush. Explaining to potential customers that the mission of small community banks are different is often met with skepticism. I’m regularly educating people on what it means to be with a mutual bank…on why banking locally matters to
the community and how we differentiate ourselves from impersonal and large regional and national banks.
ML: What are you most proud of?
JS: My greatest pride in life are my two children. My son Angel is a senior at the University of Miami, and my daughter Faith is entering her first year at the University of New England. Not a day goes by that I don’t feel blessed to be their dad.
Professionally speaking, there are two things I take the most pride in: one is the trust I have earned from customers who know I have their best interests at heart. They will call me and ask for my opinion on financial decisions and sometimes about things that are not of a banking
CELEBRATE COMMUNITY
An early coin bank. One can only guess how many coins were sorted through The Milford Bank.
nature. Secondly, I am proud of my team—staff members who I hired as part-time employees years ago and who are now bank officers running branches and departments. Their growth within the bank and community is a joy to watch.
eye on business
ML: What do you want our readers to know about choosing a community-based bank?
JS: The Milford Bank is a mutual bank, owned by our customers and the community. Our mission is to meet their financial needs, and we always consider them when evaluating our products, services, and fees.
ML: What do you do in your down time?
JS: I volunteer at The Milford Rotary Club and Sterling House [Stratford]. I’m a board member of Bridges and a trustee at The Boys & Girls Club. I also enjoy running. Given the beautiful Milford coastline, I try to take advantage of time on the beach or near the water.
—Cindy Papish Gerber
arts + artisans
The Art of Human Form
Figure drawing is an ancient tradition that people have engaged in for centuries. The beauty and variation of the human body are undeniable, making each rendering unique. Visual appeal is not the only allure; when learning how to properly render images on a canvas, the human figure is the perfect—perhaps only—way to learn how to draw.
Dean Fisher and Josephine Robinson, a married artist couple who call Walnut Beach home, both vouch for this notion. The duo has spent most of their lives as artists, constantly creating new works that reflect their love for the craft and their need to continue practicing.
Many great artists started observing the nude human form at a very young age, working to understand anatomy and fluidity to convey it on canvas. Convincing viewers that there is a form under clothing is a challenge, which is why it’s important to understand the basics first. A figure drawing class allows for a closer focus on the technicalities of translating the human form
onto paper. A figure painting class does the same with the addition of color, therefore adding a new layer of life to the piece and the opportunity to practice a new medium. Both Robinson and Fisher teach classes at Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan. Robinson’s course focuses on drawing the
Dean Fisher’s studio is awash with faces and bodies captured in their most raw form.
human head, teaching different portrait creation methods. Fisher’s class utilizes oil pastels and paint to capture the figure and its corresponding lights and darks. He is also planning to reinstate his figure painting classes at his studio in Walnut Beach, which will likely start up again this winter for the first time since the pandemic. Those classes always consist of a range of artistic skill levels; beginners are often present and welcomed.
Fisher began his artistic journey when he witnessed the work of his father, also an artist, and was fascinated by the way he transformed a blank canvas into something incredible. Josephine Robinson fell in love with painting later in life after studying film and transitioning to drawing in her twenties.
People gather at the Margaret Egan Center to hone their figure drawing skills.
Robinson explains that drawing from life is essential, as you have the pleasure of
discovering the motion and emotion within the subject rather than just drawing an object for what it is.
As teachers, Robinson and Fisher feel that anything can be drawn once the human form is tackled. While other subjects may be challenging, the training and intensity that comes with drawing a life form will make capturing anything else second nature. The fundamentals of drawing are well-practiced in figure drawing, so any other task will become simplified.
People are told that drawing the human figure is a daunting challenge, thus instilling fear in those with the desire to try. The goal is to eliminate this fear. “Don’t be intimidated by the fact that you’re painting a human figure
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PHOTO COURTESY OF RON TONELLI
arts + artisans
or face,” Fisher urges. “Treat it as a series of abstract shapes that when you put them together well, it ends up looking like a figure.”
Robinson preaches the same ideas, urging students to understand the gradual climb to a full comprehension of the subject, using herself as a prime example of someone who came to learn the skill over time. “You don’t have to produce a ‘beautiful’ drawing. Put in emotion,” she says. “It’s not going to be technically perfect, because it is a skill you have to build up over time.” Allowing yourself patience will yield positive results.
While taking an art class may be intimidating, having an experienced teacher as a guide is an essential part of the learning process. Robinson explains that measuring is
Learning in an environment surrounded by peers with the same goals can help foster talents.
a major aspect of figure drawing, necessary to discovering the proper proportions of the
THE MARGARET EGAN CENTER IN MILFORD has been holding a figure drawing session for some time now. On Thursday mornings from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, people gather in room 136 to practice their skills with a live model. The setting is informal, with no instructor. Ron Tonelli has been setting up the class and keeping everything in good order. Each person pays $5.00 to the figure model. Peers help each other as needed and keep to themselves otherwise. It can serve as the perfect pastime for artists of any level, especially beginners just wanting to test out their interests.
subject. A general understanding of how to observe a subject before even putting pen to paper is also necessary. Having a trusted viewer will help to properly train an artist’s eye.
The artist pair want everyone to understand that the skill can be learned with proper motivation. “The number one thing I would like to convey is that if you are really captivated by the human figure or faces, go for it,” Fisher says.
—Haley McNish
PHOTO COURTESY OF RON TONELLI
Holiday Dinners Milford Style
Sooner than you can say “giblet gravy,” it will be time to prepare Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday dinners! But maybe you’re ready to let someone else wield the turkey baster this year. Talented chefs at many of our fabulous Milford restaurants have all the delicious appetizers, entrees, and desserts you could dream of to prepare your entire meal or make preparations easier. Maybe “outsourcing” a portion, or all, of your holiday meal will become a new tradition. See what these Milford establishments have up their holiday sleeves.
BIN 100
Bin100.com (203) 701-8970
Although they are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, Bin 100 does offer heat and serve catering trays for Christmas meals, available for pickup on December 23.
“We are grateful to our amazing staff who, year after year, sacrifice their holidays milford morsels
“Thanksgiving is a time
that we all reflect on gratitude. Although we are not serving Thanksgiving dinner, we do want to share that we are grateful to our guests, community, and our hardworking and caring team,” explains owner Elana Fusco.
For Fusco and her team, the act of giving thanks is a yearlong endeavor. “We are proud to partner with Cornerstone
Christian Center’s Storehouse Project and Community Dining Center, to provide 150 prepared meals monthly. We are grateful to be able to support members of our community who are in need throughout the year.”
BRIDGE HOUSE, FOUNDERS HOUSE, AND BONFIRE GRILLE
Milfordbridgehouse.com (203) 878-2800
Milfordfoundershouse.com (203) 693-2912
Milfordbonfiregrille.com (203) 693-2777
Bridge House and Founders House will both be open for dinner on Thanksgiving Day from 11:30 AM to 7:00 PM. This allows families to enjoy a festive meal without the hassle of cooking. Catering options and heat and serve dinner packages for families of all sizes will be offered at both restaurants, and a prixfixe, three-course, takeout dinner option will also be available. These convenient meal solutions are perfect for those who want to focus on spending quality time with loved ones rather than being tied up in the kitchen.
Bonfire Grille will be closed on Thanksgiving but will feature holiday-inspired food and drink specials throughout the holiday season. All three restaurants are closed on Christmas Day but will be open on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Guests can enjoy a festive dining experience with special menus crafted for the occasion.
so we can be providers to our community on days when most places are closed,” says Frank Basile, owner of all three restaurants. “We can’t thank them enough! We are in the hospitality business and part of that responsibility is to be available for others. We have a dedicated team for that job!”
This year, says Basile, “All three of our restaurants offer a “Give, Get, Receive” promotion which donates $5 for every $100 gift card purchased in-house during the promotional period of November 28th to December 31st.”
This year’s recipient will be the Milford-based charity Food to Kids and, says Basile, “Customers will also receive $10 in rewards. We also sponsor a canned food drive, and a Toys-for-Tots drop off at all three locations.”
CHIMICHURRI
Chimichurrionline.com (203) 390-1725
Christmas so his staff can enjoy the days as well.
“Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday to share with family and friends,” says owner Diego Goldstein, who closes the restaurant for Thanksgiving and
You can add a touch of South American flavor to your holiday tables with appetizers, side dishes, and desserts available for pickup prior to the two holidays.
Some popular options include empanadas filled with beef or cheese, creamy humita corn pudding, and dulce de leche. These dishes are sure to bring an authentic and festive Argentinean touch to any celebration.
milford morsels
FLIPSIDE BURGERS & BAR
Flipsiderestaurant.com (203) 283-7282
“We feel that Thanksgiving and Christmas provide a wonderful opportunity for our staff to take time off and enjoy moments with their loved ones,” says Flipside’s Stephanie Pavlovic. Although closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, patrons can say cheers to the holiday season at Flipside’s Thanksgiving Eve happy hour featuring half-priced bottles of wine and pitchers of sangria! The festivities continue through
December with happy hour deals to keep the spirits high. Don’t miss out on celebrating with friends and family in a festive atmosphere.
What’s more, you can ring in 2025 with a complimentary bottle of champagne for reservations of four or more on New Year’s Eve.
STONEBRIDGE
Stonebridgerestaurant.com (203) 874-7947
Milford’s iconic restaurant will be open Thanksgiving Day for a giant buffet dinner from 11:30 AM to 6:30 PM. Catering options and heat and
serve dinners for individuals or groups between 10-20 will also be available for pick up. Enjoy a variety of delicious dishes and traditional favorites in a warm and inviting setting. Gather the loved ones and grab all your favorite traditional foods (and some new favorites) at a Stonebridge Thanksgiving.
“Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday because we get to share our family with your family and we love that because it makes us all family!” says manager Phil Conine. Stonebridge will be open for chef served dinner from 11:30 AM to 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve
and closed Christmas Day. They will be open New Years Eve and New Years Day.
During the holiday season, says Conine “We are proud to be in partnership with W.O.M.E.N., Inc. who provide us with names from Milford Human Services so that we can provide meals to people who are alone.” This collaboration ensures that no one in our community has to spend the holidays without a warm meal and a sense of connection. Conine added, “It’s a privilege to support those in need and bring a little joy during this special time of year.”
Leave Room for Dessert!
SCRATCH BAKING
scratchbakingct.com (203) 301-4396
WALNUT BEACH CREAMERY
walnutbeachcreamery.com (203) 878-7738
Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas, Scratch offers delicious holiday pies, seasonthemed cookies and cakes, savory breads, and other sweet treats available for pick up on dates prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Their menu features a variety of options to satisfy any sweet tooth, and pre-ordering ensures you get your favorites in time for your celebrations.
Walnut Beach Creamery is again making Thanksgiving Ice Cream pies for the holiday, offering a delicious twist on traditional desserts. The deadline for ordering is November 22nd. There are five different varieties of pie including
Apple Crisp, Pumpkin Chip, Peppermint, Cinnamon Chocolate, and a new flavor, Peanut Butter Crunch. The Creamery is closed on
Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Order by the deadline to enjoy a pie with your family and friends.
—Ann Teller
Eisenhower Park
A city treasure approaches 50
BY CINDY PAPISH GERBER
After 24 years as chairman of Milford’s Park, Beach, and Recreation Commission, Dan Worroll is still amazed by “Eisenhower Park’s sheer size. Even more amazing are its fantastic features, with sports fields, a playground, trails, gardens, and natural woodland adjacent to a 9-hole golf course.
Location
Located on North Street (Route 121) approximately one mile north of Route 1, “Eisenhower Park’s acreage once totaled 333 acres, adding in the 100-acre Solomon Woods, a separate parcel across West Street known for its significant wetlands,” explains Jeremy Grant, manager of Milford’s Open Space and Sustainability Department. Still the city’s largest, “the park is roughly 230 acres, consisting of primary active and passive recreational areas.” The active areas include Bodie’s Place (a fenced-in, accessible playground), Foote Field, Leroy Doolittle Tennis Courts, pickleball courts, a splash
pad, dog park, community garden, and hiking trails. “The passive areas,” Grant explains, “contain a mixture of fields, forests, vernal pools, wetlands, and the Wepawaug River which flows the entire length of the park.”
Eight aerial park surveys taken from 1934-1990 show “interesting changes in the river and pond area,” says Steven Johnson, Milford’s tree warden and assistant director of Public Works. For decades, there were piers, a dock, and a large pond. The waterways were most affected after Hurricane Gloria (1985), which rerouted the brook that fed the pond. After the pond became stagnant, the park’s usage transformed.
(Left) Eisenhower Park boundary map, City of Milford, 2007.
(Above) A birdseye view of the Eisenhower Park entrance on North Street.
Ecology
In 2022, Grant asked for an updated park assessment from the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), which “provides municipalities and landowners access to a certified forester once per year free of charge.” CT DEEP’s Field Visit Recap made recommendations about the tree cover, understory, forest floor, wildlife, and native/invasive species. “Almost all of Eisenhower is listed as a Natural Diversity Area, which indicates the ecosystem contains endangered, threatened, and special concern species,” explains Grant. “This is one of the reasons we ask visitors not to disturb wildlife or walk off trails. Parks should be enjoyed using the ‘Leave No Trace’ principles.”
(Top) The Wepawaug River flows with low volume at times. (Below) Volunteers tend to the Benson-Crump Memorial Community Gardens.
farmland owned by brothers Kenneth and Norman Platt, who ran the W. F. Platt Fruit Farm headquartered at 701 North,” commented former Milford city historian Dick Platt. “The large lot on the western side of the Wepawaug, from where the power lines cross the river over to West River Street was a blueberry patch; now all overgrown. Associated Seed Growers (Asgrow) owned another part of the property. They owned a house on North Street where the main entrance to the park is now.”
This rustic setting was perfect for a YMCA summer camp. Camp Clark’s first session opened in 1959, a haven for Milford kids until the late ‘70s. Former campers and counselors, like Patti Rottman Antonelli who was “assigned to oversee the oldest group of girls,” reminisces about “the swimming pond, blueberry patches, teepees, mornings at the flagpole... It was the best job ever!”
“A strong and viable Eisenhower Park anchor since 1968, it’s an organic-practicing community garden, encompassing 135 plots.
Designated a Wildlife Habitat by the Wildlife Federation of America, this multigenerational, multicultural program provides Milford’s residents with the chance to make friends, meet new people, learn new skills, exercise, enrich, and support the environment, and grow healthy food for themselves, their families, food banks, shelters, local charities, and schools.”
—Linda Ball, supervisor BensonCrump Memorial Community Gardens
History
“Most of what was to become Eisenhower Park was Platt
We would fill up on the blueberries and apples when in season. Great times for kids back then. —Larry Koppel
In the 1960s, the Board of Education built new schools to keep up with Milford’s population surge. “A new school on West Avenue was nearing completion,” recalls Dick Platt. “Mayor Jepson suggested we name it after John F. Kennedy. When another school in the Red Bush Lane area was next, Jepson suggested we name it for Eisenhower, who had died in 1969. But this school was never built, as the population leveled off.”
Members of the Radio Control Club of Connecticut at Eisenhower Park.
“My older brother and sister used to go swimming at the Knoll, as the swimming hole there was called back in the ’50s and ‘60s. —Katie Krauss Murphy
In 1970, Milford’s Alders proposed naming the former Asgrow property/Camp Clark after President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The official dedication ceremony occurred in June 1975.
One of these Alderman was Joseph Agro, Sr. “My father helped negotiate the sale of approximately 139 acres,” says his son, retired developer, Joe Agro, Jr. “It was considered for a municipal golf course and the PGA visited to assess this idea. Because of the extensive wetlands, flood plains, and
rough terrain, the idea wasn’t considered any further.”
The club’s been using an area behind the Community Garden since the mid-1970’s. The main purpose of the club is to make available the results of experience, research, and accomplishments in areas of radio control modeling and the fellowship of like-minded enthusiasts. A city-issued permit and AMA membership is required, though club membership is not. —Alan Chapin, VP, CT Model Airplane Club
Restoration Studies
By the early 2000s city officials recognized the underused park was sorely in need of restoration.
On April 23, 2003, Mayor James
The Eisenhower Park splash pad is fun for all ages.
Richetelli created the Eisenhower Park Study Committee (EPSC), appointing Joe Agro as chairman. The other EPSC members were from a variety of professional backgrounds and included Mark Lofthouse, Joanna Casey Piscitelli, Sheila Daniel, Lewis Hurwitz, Stephen Wing, Daniel Quirk, and Herb Cables. “We had the interest of the people of Milford foremost,” Agro says, and “were given money to do all the surveys…topographical, flora and fauna…and this became the benchmark of what we had and where to proceed.”
Prior to presenting a 32-page PowerPoint to the mayor about the park’s neglected state, Mark
Lofthouse, who eventually chaired the EPSC, “turned over every stone and walked around every corner… wanting to draw attention to what needed to be done. What our committee finally approved resulted in the Vision Plan Map, which shows the park in total. The final phase included a pool where the tennis courts are now. We knew we couldn’t do it all at once, but our vision was to create an oasis for all the people of Milford.”
The EPSC’s official mission statement was: “To create a park that will meet the recreational needs of Milford’s citizens today and in the future, while enhancing and protecting the site’s natural resources.” Stantec
Consulting Services (formerly Vollmer Associates) led the planning, design, engineering, and environmental consulting team. Land-Tech Consultants compiled a comprehensive Natural Resources Executive Summary, a valuable tool that helped the EPSC create the Eisenhower Park Master Plan.
The Plan
Published in 2007, the 117-page Master Plan report contains maps, photos, a site analysis, schematics, goals, and objectives outlining a three-phased plan for park improvements, funding, and stewardship. “We were so
diligent over four years,” says Agro, “that every time we went on vacation, we brought back photos and plans of other parks from all over the world to help inspire us.”
“At Eisenhower Park we’ve hosted MusicFest, Happy Haunts Hollow (in partnership with Pantochino Productions), MAC@the Park Concert series, Eastbound Theatre, and various Shakespeare in the Park productions.” —Paige Miglio, executive director Milford Arts Council
“Did you know the park property was mined for gravel when I-95
was constructed?” says landscape architect Steve Wing, who brought decades of park design experience to the ESPC committee. “A major objective was to provide a comprehensive, long-range framework for future improvements, not to come up with a giant ‘do it now’ project. Protection of the park’s natural resources became a major priority.”
Joanna Casey Piscitelli was known as ‘the kid’ and a young mom when she accepted Mayor Richetelli’s invitation to join the EPSC. “I have a B.S. in Park and Recreational Management from UCONN, so I was delighted to put my education to work,” she recalls. Highlights
The Eisenhower Park Study Committee’s Vision Plan as prepared by Vollmer Associates.
included “taking walking tours of Eisenhower and other parks for ideas and styles,” and meeting with community, professional, and regional groups “to further our knowledge of the park, its environmental significance, and potential.”
“We’ve shown four horror films by the woods in the lower lot across the bridge at night, drawing 100-200 people. Radios are provided and filmgoers tune in to frequencies from a transmitter in the middle of the field. The shadows from trees and flickering lights provide the perfect ambience.” —Adrian Elder, Milfordhorror.com
Landscape architect Gary Sorge led the EPSC design team. “We established a vision, spurred the new bridge for greater connectivity and trail continuity, a wet meadow funded by a regional utility provider, and play area enhancements led by community residents,” he points out. “One of the largest changes was determining the usages of the park and how the exiting stakeholders would be accommodated with the new vision.”
Recreation for all
Milford’s director of recreation for 20 years, Bill Garfield is familiar
with all of Eisenhower Park’s stakeholders. “The park is a busy place,” he confirms. “Foote Field, our lighted softball field, gets the heaviest use, five-days a week plus little league on weekends, running from late April through September. Our eight tennis and pickleball courts are full, from 8:00 AM until 9:45 PM. Reservations get snapped up the moment they go online. Our handball wall is just as popular. There’s fishing at the lower pond (license required), and the splash pad has been a big success, as is the dog park. Next to the community gardens are two huge soccer fields. Our high schoolers run cross country, and there are always walkers and sometimes horseback riders on the trails.”
“The Fire Muster was started by my godfather, George Ambriscoe. Held on the Saturday after Labor
Day for 50 years, it’s still the longest consecutive park event. We took a breather this year and hope to come back strong… piquing interest of spectators and competitors alike.”
—Vaughan Dumas, co-chairman
Fire Muster
Garfield is enthusiastic about the cultural programs, charity runs, events, lessons, camps, tournaments and more that take place year-round at Eisenhower Park. “It’s an open park with so much great stuff! And it’s especially great to see so many people there, enjoying the outdoors.”
MusicFest 2020, hosted by the Milford Arts Council (MAC).
COURTESY OF THE MAC
SERVING WITH PRIDE
Veterans from Milford recall their service
BY SHAILEEN KELLY LANDSBERG
November 11th is an important day in the United States, and our city is no exception. Veterans Day, a holiday celebrating the commitment and sacrifice of those who have served in our Armed Forces, lets us all take a moment to thank the veterans in our community and let them know we are grateful for their service.
Milford is a patriotic city that has produced and attracted many veterans throughout its history, from its origins to the present. Here, we feature a small sample of the many Milford veterans who have proudly served our country. We are lucky to have such people in our community.
Remember, be sure to thank a veteran!
HENRY CLARK
U.S. NAVY
Vietnam-era veteran and Milford resident Henry Clark reminisces fondly of his time in the U.S. Navy. “I was an air controlman (the navy counterpart to an air traffic controller), and was assigned to the Naval Air Station Cubi Point in the 7th Fleet Western Pacific in the Philippines.”
As an air controlman, Clark was responsible for guiding military aircraft to land on the runways at Cubi Point; he describes it as being like a choreographer. “There were times when we had the aircraft from carriers like the USS Kitty Hawk and USS Enterprise coming in and landed them at the same time. The runways had staggered arresting gear, and we had to tell the pilots when to drop their hooks so one would end up stopping further down the runway than the other. It required a ton of coordination.”
Clark shared that his military experience gave him the training and opportunity to bring his career into civilian life, and he became an air traffic controller until retirement. The Navy also taught him essential life lessons. “I learned discipline and organization, fast thinking, and how important it is to be reliable.”
FRED CALLAHAN U.S. ARMY
Milfordite Fred Callahan served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army. His role as a property book officer (dealing with the supply chain) and survey platoon leader took him overseas to Vietnam to lead a survey platoon in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Though they saw action, Callahan shares, “I didn’t lose any of the men from my platoon.”
Due to his heroism in a combat zone, Callahan was awarded the Bronze Star medal for meritorious service. Callahan shares that having served in the Army impacted him for the rest of his life.
“My experience as an officer really helped me as a teacher and swim coach. I learned a lot of leadership skills and those have helped a great deal.”
“THE U.S. MILITARY IS US. THERE IS NO TRUER REPRESENTATION OF A COUNTRY THAN THE PEOPLE THAT IT SENDS INTO THE FIELD TO FIGHT FOR IT. THE PEOPLE WHO WEAR OUR UNIFORM AND CARRY OUR RIFLES INTO COMBAT ARE OUR KIDS, AND OUR JOB IS TO SUPPORT THEM, BECAUSE THEY’RE PROTECTING US.” —TOM CLANCY, AUTHOR
DAN SENNETT U.S. ARMY
Milford native Dan Sennet enlisted in the Army in 1988. During his four years as a soldier, he served as an M.P. (Military Police) and attained the rank of Specialist (E4).
Sennett’s first deployment with the 108th MP Company was to Soto Cano, Honduras, as part of Joint Task Force Bravo, supporting the Honduran Air Force. “It changed me a lot,” says Sennet. “Seeing how other people lived was eye-opening, and I had the opportunity to help the local community. I did a lot for the schools in my off time such as painting and repairs.” Sennett received the Humanitarian Service Medal for his service to the community in need. Later, recalls Sennet, “I was deployed to the
island of St. Croix after Hurricane Hugo. They needed police and National Guard assistance since much looting was going on. I also invaded Panama in 1989 with my company. We
SUSAN FRITZ U.S. NAVY
Susan Fritz graduated from Jonathan Law High School and joined the U.S. Navy in 1974. Eventually she decided to make a career out of serving, and retired after 30 years. Her naval career was varied, and she rose through the ranks to become the CNO-Directed Command
Master Chief (CNOCM) for Naval District Washington. She was the first woman to become a master chief of an aviation squadron.
“My initial training was as an ocean systems tech, and I worked in passive
acoustics,” she explains, listening to sounds at specific frequencies for analysis. Over time, Fritz “became Aviation Warfare qualified and was deployed on the USS Eisenhower as the senior enlisted female.” Her leadership helped those under her thrive and excel, and she says that “every tour was good for me.”
Once retired, Fritz was ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal church, and now serves as the chaplain for Warfighter Advance, a non-medical, non-profit organization committed to assisting recently discharged veterans with reintegration into civilian life.
were the first soldiers there and the last out, retraining the Panamanian Defense Force.”
When asked how serving in the Army impacted his life, Sennett shares that “I felt the need to do service for my country, to protect our way of life, and didn’t fully realize how great that way of life is until I was in other countries and saw real struggle and corruption. It was very eye-opening.”
Sennett went on to share that many veterans have had experiences that shake them to the core. “PTSD is real, and 22 veterans take their own lives each day,” he says, citing a grim statistic. Sennet is passionate about ensuring all vets receive the mental and physical care they earned by serving their country, reminding us that “Any veteran in crisis should call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255.”
SAKEELA PENNEY-NOBLES WOMEN’S ARMY CORPS (WACS)
“I joined the Army in 1976 at the end of the era of the Women’s Army Corp (WACs) and was a Spec 5 (Specialist 5 rank) and my MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) was 35G, biomedi cal equipment repair,” shares Milford resident Shakeela Penney-Nobles.
“At that time, there were only a few women per year allowed in the school to train for that MOS, and some of the men there were sassy, which made it challenging.”
KIM RASEMAN U.S. ARMY
U.S. Army veteran Kim Raseman served during the Vietnam era as a high-speed Morse Code interceptor, his top-secret crypto clearance enabling him to listen to and decode enemy communications.
“I was a complete mess-up in high school but joined the Army right out of school and quickly learned to grow up,” says Raseman. “I had three tours in Vietnam, including on the Mekong Delta, and learned how to stay task-oriented and developed strong stick-to-it-ness.”
Once he left the military, those lessons stuck. Raseman continued his education at the University of Colorado, Boulder, studied in Paris, and was an adjunct professor in the Business Department at Yale University.
who taught me that I was pretty smart, and I wound up doing very well,” recalls Penney-Nobles.
“There was one teacher there, though,
The opportunity to travel wound up being one of her favorite things about serving in the Army. She loved being stationed in Oklahoma, which she describes as “one of the best duty stations; the people there were so nice.” Throughout her enlistment, she was also stationed in Alabama, Colorado Springs, El Paso, Denver, and Germany. “Living in Germany was the best,” she recalls. “I had good experiences with the German people, and even had the opportunity to go to college while I was there.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KIM RASEMAN
ANTHONY OLENSKI U.S. ARMY
Anthony Olenski, who served in the U.S. Army from 2019-2023, is a Milfordite who served as a combat medic and was affectionately known in his unit as “Doc.” He has fond memories from his training, saying, “My first training exercise ended with torrential downpours and my soldiers made a mudslide and started taking turns sliding on their belly all the way down it.”
Olensky’s experience as a combat medic inspired him to continue his studies in healthcare once discharged from the Army; he is now in
graduate school training to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner. “I have an Army friend who found himself in a horrible mental crisis one evening,” he shares. “Desperate, he called the suicide hotline hoping
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to talk to someone about the memories that were torturing him. After dialing the 988 number for veterans, he reached an operator who, after asking him a couple of questions, told him, ‘I have never served and I’m not a veteran, so I don’t know what you’re going through.’ He told me that at that moment, time stopped and he felt completely numb. In that moment, he felt even more alone than he already had been feeling. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I know what it is like to have served. I know and, in a weird way, was blessed with the struggle of both direct and indirect loss. Because of my service, I ABSOLUTELY can say to my friend, ‘Yes, I do know what you’re going through because I have been there. You do not have to cry alone this time.’
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Shaileen Kelly Landsberg joined the U.S. Army out of high school and served our country as an interrogator and linguist. The Army taught her how to embrace challenges and think creatively about how to solve them, as well as to work as a team, to lead, and delegate tasks. These skills benefit her in her personal and professional life to this day.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHAILEEN KELLY
Math Help as Easy as 1-2-3
t’s time to do your homework!”
While this notorious call to action from parents to their back-to-school children has withstood the test of time, it often becomes a source of anxiety and stress for families who have children who struggle with their subjects, especially math. Luckily, Milford has a selection of excellent resources for students (and parents) who may need additional help with their arithmetic skills.
ROOM 17 MATH
Room17Math.com team@room17math.com
Turning anxiety and stress into a fun and joyous learning experience is the goal of Room 17 Math, a unique Milford-based nonprofit that emphasizes that math is everywhere.
Founded by experienced educators Sara Kaminski and Dr. Monica Cavender, Room 17 is committed to equitable math education for all. Their infectious passion for math ensures every “roomie” sees its value and fun. Services including one-to-one tutoring, afterschool programs, and family math nights, and are tailored to individual needs, making math fun and accessible for K-12 students.
“Our standout feature is the WIN (What I Need) tutoring sessions, led by certified teachers,”
explains Dr. Cavender. “These sessions offer a personalized experience, in-person or online, and use real-life applications and engaging math games to enhance understanding and motivation. Parents are kept updated with Awesome Update postcards.”
MATHNASIUM
201 Cherry Street
Mathnasium.com/Milford (203) 783-1490
Mathnasium in Milford is another resource that teaches children to understand, master, and love math. “Kids don’t hate math; they hate feeling frustrated. Our caring instructors give students the guidance and support they need to finally understand math, eliminating their frustration,” says Ming Lui, the center’s owner and director. “Our name illustrates our belief
Room 17 Math “roomies” are all smiles after a tutoring session.
A Mathnasium instructor reviews a lesson with her student.
that while children need physical exercise to develop strong muscles, it’s equally important to ‘exercise’ their minds to develop strong ‘math muscles’,” she explains.
“At Mathnasium, students don’t just learn how to memorize or calculate, they learn to truly understand the way math works. As they increase comprehension and build math skills, their excite-
KUMON CENTER
670 Boston Post Road Kumon.com/milford-ct (203) 951-9870
The Kumon Math Program also empowers students in grades K-12 with improved skills. Students attend class twice a week at a Kumon Center and complete assignments at home the other
Tyde at Walnut Beach
When you pair students with the right tutors, the Math-abilities are endless.
Milford’s MOJO education notebook
In 2020, the Milford Robotics Team was formed. Student members chose the name MOJO, and they certainly have it. The team was developed by the Milford Education Foundation (MEF), a non-profit organization run by volunteers that promotes programs that inspire Milford’s students to engage in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Their primary mission is to create unique programs such as the MOJO First Robotics Competition (FRC) team and FIRST Lego League (FLL).
“Thanks to the generosity of sponsors and fundraising efforts, the team is free for all students to participate, including travel,” explains MOJO team mentor Lori Seluga. But, she continues, “We are always in need of sponsors and any local businesses that would like to get involved,” referencing an annual budget of approximately $50,000, which includes registration fees, robot build, and travel. “MEF’s
Milford Robotics FRC & FLL teams have won numerous awards since our founding.”
Travis George joined Team MOJO as a freshman this past year. “I discover things at every meeting, from new perspectives on challenges with the robot and getting to know my teammates,” he says. “I’ve gained many friendships from being on the team and learning from different people how to deal
with challenges is very useful in my day-today life.”
“My favorite part is seeing hours upon hours of hard work mesh together,” says George. “We only have a few months to work on the robot before the first competition, so we have everyone working on separate pieces. When we put them all together, we have a robot that works, and we all helped make it that way. Of course, it doesn’t all work together on the first try, but that’s all part of the process. Weeks of troubleshooting needs to be done to make sure we’re competition ready.”
In the end, of course, it’s all worth it. “Seeing your own robot on the field is nerve-racking, knowing that the work that you put in is being tested against other people’s work,” George says. Being a member of the team that “drives” the robot, “makes it even more stressful, knowing that I’m having an impact on how well the robot performs during matches. It’s satisfying knowing that we did our best, no matter the result.”
As in most non-profit organizations, volunteers help make it happen. MOJO is always in need of mentors with experience in mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as computer science and machining. There are also opportunities to help with grant
MOJO’s robot performs in competition.
Approximately 95 percent of team MOJO alumni go on to pursue degrees in STEM-related fields.
writing, fundraising, marketing, and video production. Meetings are held 4-5 times per
week after school. Materials support is also most welcome. Donations of machine and
We’re serious about math
For K - 12th Grades
hand tools, spare parts such as compressors, pneumatic cylinders, and scrap metal are greatly appreciated.
Robotics has, in truth, changed Travis George’s life. “I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to pursue before high school, but after being on Team MOJO, I knew I wanted to have engineering as part of my job. Having mentors in engineering fields with jobs similar to those I want to pursue has been invaluable. When I’m older, I still want to contribute to FRC, to help the next group of engineers learn from mentors the same way they helped me.”
—Susan Carroll Dwyer
FREE Assessment Schedule a
Entrepreneurs: Teens and Twenties
Milford is home to vibrant and bustling businesses, all adding to the city’s charm and allure. A growing community of young entrepreneurs is doing their best to contribute to Milford’s good nature. They chose to follow their career-related ambitions and take the leap of faith into a self-made role. Their young ages make their achievements all the more impressive.
MIRANDA VITALE
THE PUP STRUT
www.thepupstrut.net
Instagram (IG): @thepupstrut
Facebook: @thepupstrut
Pet owners know the importance of obtaining optimal care for their beloved animals. Miranda Vitale, a lover of dogs, decided to start her own dog-walking business, The Pup Strut, at the age of 23. The business offers walks, sittings, transportation, and care for dogs and cats.
Vitale considers the Milford area a dog-friendly city, which has aided in her business’s success.
“There was always the worry that my business would not take off,” Vitale says of her initial struggles. Marketing herself on different social media platforms and by word of mouth has helped Vitale
turn her business from a hope to a reality. Two years after starting her business, she continues to strut her pups.
ALAINA SCIUTO movingtomilford.com
IG: @movingtomilford
Facebook: @movingtomilford
At just 19-years old, Alaina Sciuto has single-handedly helped people realize what she has known all her life: Milford is a place to call home.
Milford’s radiance is something its residents know and love, but what about those who have never had the pleasure of stepping foot in this lovely town? Sciuto, a realtor born and raised in Milford, felt she needed to show people the glories of her hometown. Moving toMilford.com holds a plethora of information about the city’s many desirable neighborhoods for those interested in creating or keeping their homes here.
The 2024 Best of Milford Awards recognized Sciuto’s
Miranda Vitale’s business, The Pup Strut offers walks, sittings, transportation, and care for both dogs and cats.
website as having a significant positive impact on the city, awarding it the Best Local Website award. Her idea to post about local restaurants and storefronts is how she manages to boost her own real estate business and offer readers a general guide. “Take the risk,” Sciuto urges. “Trust in your vision and persevere, because genuine support often comes from unexpected places.”
The site offers many easily accessible tools, including the opportunity to book a call or Both salons are crate free. We have stables with open gates for your fur babies. Nail Clippings - No Appointment Necessary Monday-Friday 7:30am-3:30pm | Saturday 7:30am-11:30am
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session to discuss the process of buying or selling a home. The blog portion of the website gives first-hand insight into significant areas and attractions. Assisting those searching for their forever homes in Milford is important to her, so informing people of Milford’s benefits is essential.
JACK THOMAS jtspcs.com
IG: @jtspcs
After receiving a damaged, nearly unsalvageable gaming PC online,
Jack Thomas decided to persist and worked tirelessly to fix it himself. It was the prolonged, frustrating experience that prompted him to take action. From building for friends to building something bigger, Thomas’ experience with computers grew.
JT’s PCs started as just an idea born out of that frustration and is now a solid business creating custom computer builds for local businesses and residents interested in gaming and content creation. His website shares a variety of PC gaming choices, including a
build-your-own option. He now has a team of dedicated employees and many grateful clients.
At just 18 years old, Thomas has created a successful business and urges readers not to let age stand in the way of fixing a problem. His plans include expanding on his e-commerce business, and opening a brick and morter shop in Milford. The ability to visit a store in person would bring in an entirely new set of customers and allow Thomas to better connect with and educate clientele.
IG: @prenetalandscape
Facebook: Kevin Preneta
Kevin Preneta’s work as a landscaper opened his eyes to the business’s appeal as a whole. His interest in the
design and management side of landscaping was piqued, and fed his ambitions to start his own landscaping business, Pretena Landscaping and Design. But at the tender age of 20, finding
the money to create a successful business was difficult. He chose to commit to the idea entirely, living a “low-budget lifestyle.” Pretenta’s business offers several services: lawn cutting,
KEVIN PRENETA
A stunning backyard-turned-oasis by Preneta’s landscaping efforts.
up and comers
spring and fall clean-ups, patio design, and plant/tree and hardscape installs. He currently employs seven dedicated people, and considers them family. He has built strong relationships with different vendors to aid in his processes and caters to over 250 customers in the Milford area.
“Milford is a wonderful place,” Preneta says. “It is a waterfront community with a unique vibe that stimulates creative and unique landscaping.” He grew up in Milford,
meaning this place is near and dear to his heart.
“If
Let these individuals inspire you to follow your passions. Age
is never a limitation; doing what you love is essential to a happy and healthy life, regardless of what stage you are currently in. Allow your current endeavors to guide you in discovering your future. Miranda Vitale, Alaina Sciuto, Jack Thomas, and Kevin Preneta all had ideas that began as nothing more than a hope. After gaining confidence, encouragement and motivation, these young entrepreneurs blossomed into successes. Follow their example.
—Haley McNish
y Napoli
You’re a Witch!
Over three hundred years ago, townsfolk throughout New England were terrified. Unusual behavior by certain citizens was cause for alarm. Those seen as practicing witchcraft were believed to be maleficent, armed with supernatural powers causing harm to those who crossed them. Anyone seen to have transcendent influence over woodland creatures, startling strength, or engaging in ritualistic dancing around fires was sufficient evidence to make the accusation, “You’re a Witch!”
The Salem witch trials are well known; abundant documentation of them was kept, and they have been the subject of countless books, films, and documentaries. Here in Connecticut, there were several decades of witch trials during the second half of the 17th century…and yes, Milford was one of them. Though no records remain of this terrifying time, our fair town hosted trials for a number of those thought to be witches. The trials in Milford were held between 1647 and 1697. There may have been convictions, but there are no records or folklore implying any of the accused were executed.
In Hartford County, the records were better kept and documentation regarding 43 witchcraft cases exists. The witch hunt in the Hartford area was the first wide-scale search
for witches in the colonies. Indeed, the first witch executed in New England was not from Salem but from Windsor, Connecticut. Alse Young was 32 years old when she was tried, convicted, and hanged as a witch on May 26, 1647, decades before the highly publicized Salem trials (where 16 of those convicted were executed.)
In 1640, Andrew Sanford had settled in Hartford with his wife Mary and their children. But 20 years later, the witchcraft epidemic swept through Connecticut and fear reigned over towns far and wide. As a result of the Hartford witch hunt, Andrew and Mary were tried for practicing witchcraft. On June 6, 1662, during his trial, the court record reflects the following: “Andrew Sanford, thou art here indicted by the name of Andrew
Sanford for not having the fear of God in thine eyes thou hast entertained familiarity with satan.” Andrew Sanford was tried, but the jury could not agree on a verdict, and he was acquitted.
One week later his wife Mary was indicted, not only due to a “familiarity of satan,” but for “dancing around a tree whilst drinking
WOULD LIKE TO INDULGE YOUR INNER WITCH? Fly about with your friends, partake in a bit of potion, and dance with the high-spirited community and the Walnut Beach Witch in the Walnut Beach Halloween parade on October 31st. As it has been 283 years since the last trial‚no worries about being indicted. “For all you know, a witch may be living next door to you right now.” — Roald Dahl, The Witches
liquor,” and causing “great disturbance” to several people in town. She was found guilty and was sentenced to death by hanging. There are no definitive records confirming Mary was executed, but she vanished nonethe-less.
Most likely in need of a fresh start, Andrew Sanford and his children moved to Milford in 1667 to live with Andrew’s brother Thomas. Andrew remarried after he was settled and had seven more children that were raised here.
During his years in Milford, Andrew Sanford’s prior accusations of witchcraft must have been unknown by his neighbors, as the Milford witch trials continued through 1697. The last trial in Connecticut was held in 1742.
—Susan Carroll Dwyer
Amanda Veccharelli Managing Partner
Thomas J. Cody Funeral Director
Kevin W. Cody Funeral Director
David J. DeRubeis Funeral Director
Carly North Funeral Director
Bethany Holly German Funeral Director
Cheryl Guertin Funeral Director
Jessica Moscato Apprentice Renate K. Eastman Office Manager
MORE INFORMATION? Read Connecticut Witch Trials: The First Panic in the New World by Milford author Cynthia Wolfe Boynton.
Milford During the Revolution historical perspective
Just like King George in the musical “Hamilton,” who promises “to kill your friends and family to remind you of my love,” colonists had complex attitudes about what became known as the American Revolution. All over the 13 colonies, people were finding themselves in the position of having to choose between their long, historic bond with a powerful empire across the sea, or risk their lives and property to choose self-rule. The people of Milford had to decide whether to stay loyal or fight for independence. When war finally broke out, its tentacles were long and affected people of every stripe. Even small coastal towns like Milford would be caught up in the violence, anger, and loss that war brings.
Rebellion
Even before the war officially started, the people of Milford were ready to push back on British rule. In 1774, when the British blockaded Boston Harbor with the Boston
Recruiting broadsides like this would have found their way into the hands of Milford patriots.
Port Act, Milford, “unanimously resolved that a subscription (donation) be forthwith opened for the relief and support of such poor inhabitants of the Town of Boston…” After Lexington and Concord in 1775, Captain
Peter Pierett of Milford raised a company of rangers to go fight at the siege of Boston. That same year, Milford voted that “great guns be mounted on trucks” and voted that “select men provide guns, powder, bayonets, and provisions for the defense of the liberty of America…”
In 1776, Milford passed a law that outlawed wasting gunpowder. “Whereas at a time when our seacoasts are threatened with invasions by our enemies, a misuse of powder may prove very prejudicial…to this town…” Forts were built, cannons were mounted, and men of arms trained for quick deployments, and for good reason: raids from Long Island were not uncommon.
The War Hits Home
In 1777, the British landed a foraging party of 40 men at Pond Point. Looking for cattle but finding none, they ransacked the house of Miles Merwin instead. Mistress Merwin, at home with an infant, ran from the house with her baby and a copper pot, jumped into a horse-drawn wagon, and rode to town banging
her pot to raise the alarm. The militia arrived so quickly the British fled with only, “two hogs and a few cheeses from the Merwin buttery.”
Also arriving by sea on January 1st of that year was a British man-of-war which unceremoniously unloaded 200 colonial prisoners suffering from smallpox onto
A portrait of Abigail Merwin without her copper pot.
Milford’s shores. Captain Stephen Stow, along with Dr. Elias Carrington, took on the dangerous job of caring for the sick men. After a month, 47 of the men had died, including Captain Stow. But thanks to Stow and Carrington, more than 150 of the men survived.
Captain Jehiel Bryan and Captain Orlando Beach, charged with guarding Milford’s shore, were considered so efficient that the British sent an officer and two others to dispatch them. According to The History of Milford, “Having rowed across the Sound to Milford just at dusk, (the men) approached the Bryan homestead. With drawn sword, the raider entered, but upon meeting the doughty Captain Bryan in the hall he was SO thoroughly trounced and shaken that he fled
with his men, leaving the sword behind. Later, retaliatory fire was directed on some of the Bryan property near the shore, but the British missed their target by a wide margin.”
Loyalty
While some were more than willing to risk their lives for the revolution, the loyalists, or Tories, as the colonists called them, thought it treasonous to rebel against the king. Episcopal ministers, because they took loyalty oaths to the king and parliament and were paid directly by the crown, were often steadfast loyalists. They preached against revolution from the pulpit and, in some cases, directly aiding the British army.
Captain Stow’s writing desk on display at the Milford Historical Society Stow House.
Prior to his death, the aforementioned Stephen Stow, while attending service in Milford, was, according to The History of Milford, “so enraged when the minister preached a sermon on the subject of ‘Loyalty to the King’ that he arose and stalked angrily from the church. He never again attended services in that church.”
In 1776, to counter Connecticut loyalists, the king’s name was deleted from all governmental references, a committee of safety was assembled in every town to weed out loyalists, and citizens were required to take an oath of loyalty to the state. Properties were seized, Tories were tried and jailed, and one loyalist, caught recruiting soldiers for the British army, was
hanged for treason. One option a loyalist had was to flee the state, and many Connecticut Tories fled to a New York under British occupation. Loyalists were secretly ferried to Long Island where Tory enclaves could be found in Port Jefferson, Eaton’s Neck, and Huntington. One Milford loyalist, Abram Carrington, was on a list of Connecticut loyalists who, after the war, sailed with fellow Tories from Long Island to the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia.
Yankee Doodle
One Milford resident who wrote about his life during the revolution was Joseph Plumb Martin. Martin’s memoirs of his youth in Milford and his time in the Continental
A 19th century portrait of Joseph Plumb Martin and his wife, Lucy Clewley Martin.
Army is considered by historians the best account of the life of a common soldier during the Revolutionary War. Published in 1830 as A Narrative of Some of the Adventures, Dangers, and Suffering of a Revolutionary Soldier (reissued some 150 years later under the title Private Yankee Doodle), Martin writes about the drudgery of working on a farm with his grandfather and his eagerness to join the fight. After much cajoling and pleading, the teenaged Martin was granted permission to sign up for a 6-month enlistment that would eventually find him fighting in New York. “I was told that the British army at that place was reinforced by fifteen thousand men, it made
short enlistment as a 15-year-old led to his presence at the Battle of Long Island, the freezing winter at Valley Forge, the execution of Benedict Arnold’s spymaster Major John Andre, the siege of Yorktown, and the British surrender.
no alteration in my mind; I did not care if there had been fifteen times fifteen thousand. I never thought about numbers, the Americans were invincible, in my opinion.”
Martin eventually learned the hard truth about war, and what began as a
In 1783, when the war was finally officially over, John Downs, a Milford weaver and Revolutionary War veteran famous for his very concise journal entries, wrote four words: March 31- “Went to rejoice for peace.” In those four words you can feel the relief and exhaustion, as well as the joy and the optimism of a man and a town looking to begin a new journey, in a new country, all their own.
—Gerry McGuire
COIN LAUNDRY
A Memorable Date
ittle did Lucy know that while she was having a fine time at the shore that summer of 1908, approximately 700 miles west, there was a revolution brewing. On August 12th, while Lucy was posting her card to her friend in New Jersey, the first Model T Ford rolled off the assembly line in Detroit, Michigan. Within 10 years 2.7 million “Tin Lizzies” were on the roads—including Milford’s— giving birth to mass production, a growing middle class, suburbia, a $5 minimum wage, and a love affair with cars that has never ended.
Ann McGuire
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An emotion sculpture with a smiling side welcomes adults and children alike at Milford Library’s ground floor entrance.
