Volume 21, Number 52
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
www.TownTimes.com
Friday, April 25, 2014
Durham’s egg hunt a tradition for families Town Times
Preparing for the arrival of a crowd Saturday, April 19, Durham’s Recreation Director Sherry Hill could not quite recall when she started overseeing the Easter Egg Hunt. Hill guessed that the Recreation Committee, which took over the event from the Lions Club, has run the annual Egg Hunt for 29 years. The recreation team uses the same system each year. “We really got it down so it’s comfortable for people,” Hill said.
A team of volunteers met the Wednesday before Easter in the cafeteria kitchen at Strong Middle School. HiLand Farms donated 1,080 eggs, which were dyed in pinks, yellows, greens and blues in one evening. Even working in batches of a few dozen eggs, gallons of water, a good deal of time, and several packages of dye go into producing that many colored eggs. Days after the coloring, Recreation Committee member Sharon Criscuolo still had red dye on her fingers. Early Saturday, volunteers
gathered again to section off parts of Allyn Brook Park for different age groups and hide the eggs. Hiding over a thousand eggs, including the 25 golden eggs that are worth prizes, takes time so the volunteers began preparing the park 90 minutes before the egg hunt. To help with the jobs, commission members have turned operations at the egg hunt into a family affair. Megan and Alyssa Szymaszek, were on hand to help their mother, committee member Lisa Recreation Director Sherry Hill verifies a gold egg found by Ella Bodner, of Durham, during the annual Egg Hunt on See Hunt / Page 16 April 19 at Allyn Brook Park. | (Mark Dionne\Town Times.)
‘Chicken guru’ holds chick day at farm store By Diana Carr
Special to The Citizen
It’s been a long time coming, this spring. It teases us with warm mellow days, then throws us back into nippy temperatures. But Chick Day, held at Main Street Feed, Durham, on April 17, gave us all hope. The owner of the feed store, Brenda Eddy, had ordered 400 chicks, all chirping away, awaiting good homes. All reminding us of life renewing itself. Eddy has been hosting Chick Day for the past 30 years. She orders the chicks from a hatchery in Iowa, and holds them for a couple of days to make sure they’re healthy before placing them. The stress of being shipped, and outside temperatures, can affect them adversely. People must buy a minimum of six, to discourage buying them as Easter presents for their kids. “I have a sign saying they’re not for your kids’ Easter baskets,” she said. “People think they’re so cute, but months
Middlefield applies for Lake Beseck grant By Mark Dionne
monitor and improve the lake environment when the water returns. Middlef ield has reWhile the water level at Lake Beseck remains quested $395,000. The drawn down mostly to the maximum possible for a mud to facilitate a dam re- STEAP grant, which stands pair project, the town of for Small Town Economic Middlefield has applied for a state STEAP grant to See Grant / Page 2 Town Times
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Lloyd and Susie Blair buying chicks on Chick Day at Main Street Feed, April 17. | (Photo by Diana Carr.) from now there will be lots of rabbits and chickens looking for new homes. Chicks and bunnies are a commitment for several years. They’re not presents.” Between pre-orders and walk-ins, she has never had any chicks left
over. Though chicks seem to be synonymous with Easter (could it be all those peeps we ate growing up?), Eddy says there’s no connection. See Chicks / Page 16
Open House Information May 3rd See Our Ad on Page 3 Kid Friendly • Other vendors will also be on site.
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By Mark Dionne