Volume 20, Number 38
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
www.TownTimes.com
Friday, Januar y 3, 2014
Historic blizzards: a blast from the past By Diana Carr
Special to Town Times
Past winters may no longer have Connecticut folks singing along with that familiar old tune that pleads “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.” We’ve had our share of the white stuff, and then some. A little research tells us just how much. The Blizzard of 1888 was known as the “Great White Hurricane.” It dumped 45 inches of snow in New Haven and 50 inches in Middletown, with drifts up to 40 feet. The Blizzard of 1978 gave 24 inches of snow to New Haven and 36 inches to eastern Connecticut, with 18-foot drifts. The 2013 Blizzard saw New Haven buried in 34 inches of snow, Oxford in 36 inches, and Milford in 38 inches, with eight-foot drifts. Town Times talked to a few locals about how they fared when Mother Nature was having her way with here, around the towns. Phyllis Naples recalls the storm of ’78. “It was the worst experience I ever had weather-wise. It was horrendous, with no electricity for a week. We slept in our small living room, where we have a fire-
north end of town, and its crew walked up to the barn at Barnes Nursery, which housed burlap bags and crates for apples. The men stayed there overnight and might have burned some of the crates for warmth. The next morning they waded out through the waist-deep snow (it was probably four feet deep) with burlap bags wrapped around their feet. They dug out their truck and off they went.” Some, like Rick Huntley, have rather enjoyed our winter weather. “My wife, Pam, and I have had no particular hardships with the storms. We would store our food in While blizzards can present problems, a good snowfall has a positive side as well. In this coolers, which we put out in photo, students at Korn Elementary School enjoy snow that fell in mid-December as they the snow on our deck. We make snowmen at recess before the Christmas break. | (Submitted by Eileen Chupron) cooked on a propane stove and a gas grill. We used a kerof bed, thinking osene heater for heat, making place that we it was an earth- sure there was plenty of venused for heat and And what’s in store for us this winter? quake. A tree tilation and carbon monoxfor cooking meat. You might want to keep the snow had put a hole in ide detectors. Pam read with We carried water the roof, and had a flashlight. We had a good from the pond, shovels and long-johns close by. done damage to time. We were blessed to which was ret h e c h i m n ey,” have come through so easily. ally hard because “I’m a volunteer trail manDoreen Raney said. the ice was so thick. Driving Naples said. Malcolm Pearce remem- ager for the Connecticut Doreen Raney and her hushome from work was scary because there were fallen band, Rob, got quite a fright bers a blizzard from his Forest & Park Association, limbs and downed wires on when last winter’s blizzard childhood. (He says it was and what stands out in Please at 203-317-2308 call my mind -isafter the5 pm October either incall ’36for orcorrections ’38.) “There the road. When the electric- put a tree on their roof. 203-317-2282 “It was early morning when was no movement on Route Nor’easter we had a couple ity came back on the mornAd#:1270657 Pub:BERLIN Date:01/03/13 Day:THU Size:2X2 ing of Christmas Eve, there we heard a huge noise that 17, which was Route 15 back of years ago, when lots of Cust:HOUSE AD ACCOUNT Last Edited By:EALLISON on were marks everywhere from shook the house and rattled then. A big truck stopped 12/27/12 3:06 PM. Salesperson:200 Tag Line:FRONT PG the candles we had burned,” the windows. We jumped out in front of our house in the See Blizzards / Page 2 MUST-NEW YR-NEW YOU Color Info:FULL 1270657 - Composite
‘Joe Kap’ is MCC Role Model of the Year Press release
County Chamber of Commerce made the announcement recently. Known as “Joe Kap” by his comrades and friends, Joe is the only amputee in the history of the United See Kapacziewski / Page 3
60519R 1270657
Sergea nt First Class Joe Kapacziewski, who also will serve as guest M idd le tow n — T h e speaker of the Chamber’s Middlesex Chamber of Role Model of the Year Commerce has named it’s Breakfast. The breakfast will be held on Friday, Jan. Role Model of the Year. T h e aw a rd w i l l b e 3. Darlene Briggs, chairp r e s e n t e d t o A r m y person of the Middlesex
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