Volume 17, Issue 22
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
Lyman’s annual corn maze is open ...
Friday, September 10, 2010
Smiles + focus = a good start to a new school year By Stephanie Wilcox Town Times It almost doesn’t make for an exciting story when all goes well, but alas, a good start to a new school year is never a bad thing. “All reports were that things went swimmingly,” said Superintendent Susan Viccaro about the first day of school in District 13. On Sept. 2, Viccaro traveled around to each school in the district and noted the positive and upbeat attitude in every building. “The kids seem happy to be back. It was a great opening,” she said. Here’s what each school principal had to say about the start of the 2010-11 school year. Brewster School principal
Town Times photo by Ashleigh Schmaltz
At a ribbon-cutting, er, net-cutting celebration last Thursday, Sept. 2, the Lyman corn maze officially opened for the season. The maze this year honors the 78-0 UConn Lady Husky’s basketball team, the 2009 and 2010 national collegiate champs. Therefore, it was only fitting that UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway and UConn mascot Jonathan the Husky were on hand for the festivities. The maze is open through Oct. 31 Wednesdays-Fridays from 3-6 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Ticket sales close at 5:30 p.m. Part of every admission is donated to the American Cancer Society. The maze hotline phone number is 860-349-6015, and there are more photos of the maze on page 20.
In this issue ... Calendar...........................4 CRHS fall sports.............19 Durham Briefs...........17-18 Libraries.........................14 Middlefield Briefs .....16-17 Sports .........................28-30 Strong School sports .....27
Produce collections End-of-summer produce collections will be held at John Lyman School on Thursday, Sept. 30. Students will be collecting home-grown vegetables and fruits in the boxes in the John Lyman School lobby on these days between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Donations from the community are welcome. The produce will be delivered to the residents of Sugarloaf Senior Housing in Middlefield and Mauro Meadows in Durham. Contact Margo Novak, John Lyman School teacher, at 860-349-7240 or mnovak@rsd13.org with any questions.
Nancy Heckler said it was an “amazingly smooth start with no tears whatsoever, which is great when you have three, four, five, six and seven-yearolds. There were lots of smiles.” John Lyman School principal Karen Brimecombe said it was a wonderful opening day for kids, teachers and even parents. “Parents seemed excited about our second annual coffee hour sponsored by John Lyman Parent Association. They could see their children off into the building and then get together and chat,” said Brimecombe. “It made for a wonderful sense of community.” She added that it only took about 10 to 15 minutes for all
See First day, page 20
Semi-pro football team — with local ties — is in the playoffs By Stephanie Wilcox Town Times The Connecticut Panthers semi-pro football team, consisting of players mostly from Durham, Middlefield, Cromwell and a few from Hartford and Waterbury, is nearing the end of its first season playing in the New England Football League. “It’s basically for adults who want to play the game,” said coach Craig Gervais. “We have all age groups; The oldest is 47, the youngest is 18, and it’s a blast.” The Panthers play among 40 teams in the league from throughout New England, with a little over 2,000 players. For being in their first year — and for being true amateurs (some of the players on
the team have never played before, some have a little high school or college experience and only a few played in a professional league), it’s quite an accomplishment that the Panthers are currently undefeated at 6-0. In fact, according to Panther’s president, CEO and coach Derek Bortz, “Only one team scored on us, and it was during the first game of the season.” The Panthers, who practice in Durham behind Strong School, have concluded the home portion of their season and have two final away games in the regular season. They’ve already secured a spot in the playoffs, and if they win one of the two
See Football, page 28