wilton bulletin 9.1.11

New business?Two Wiltonians would like to open a shoe shine and take out shop at the train station. —Page 3A.

Benefit friendsTwo women forge a bond and make it work for charity.. —Page 2A.

Inside

IndexBulletin Board ..........................13ABusiness .....................................15AClassifieds ....................................8BLegal Notices .............................. 7AObituaries .................................... 6AOpinion ....................................... 4APolice Log .................................... 7ASocial ..........................................13ASchools .......................................14ASports .........................................11A

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74th Year No. 35 Thursday,Sept. 1, 2011 © Hersam Acorn Newspapers $1ESTABLISHED1937

“It’s all hands on deck and we’re doing the best we can.” — Fire Chief Paul Milositz

Tropical Storm Irene hits Wilton

Bryan Haeffele

Brynne Fiorita of Wilton walks through one to three foot Norwalk River water that floods the parking lot and playground of the Wilton Y in the hours after Tropical Storm Irene on Sunday.

Empty shelves where water bottles usually are at the Wilton Stop & Shop were a harbinger of things to come as residents got ready Saturday for Hurricane Irene, which was eventu-ally downgraded to a tropical storm when it hit Connecticut. But that didn’t stop it from causing massive damage, as this tree on Olmstead Hill Road clearly demonstrates. Nearly everyone in town — except for Wilton Center — lost power, and people thronged to the Wilton Library, above, as well as to the Wilton Y, Trackside, Starbucks and other spots in town where they could recharge cell phone batteries, use laptops, and enjoy the camaraderie of their neighbors.

by Chris DavisAssistant Editor

Tropical Storm Irene played no favorites when she barreled her way through Wilton. Her wrath was not limited to one or two pockets here and there. She seemed to have it in for every neighborhood.

“The damage is so wide-spread,” said Wilton Police spokesman Lt. Donald Wakeman. “There’s impact to so many roads throughout the entire town really. It’s just all over the place, unfortunately.”

There where no injuries, that the police had heard of. Nor any reports of trees fall-ing on houses causing major structural damage, although there were surely some inci-dents. As for flooding, Wilton got lucky, with the amount of rain that came down, it could have been a lot worse.

Schools were all set to open Monday, but that has been put off until Tuesday, Sept. 6.

“It’s going to be some tricky going out there for a number of days yet, unfortunately,” Lt. Wakeman said. “It’s just the reality of the situation. There’s just so much damage. Trees down, branches down, wires down. There are only so many crews to go around.”

The way the process typi-cally works is like this: The utility crew goes to a downed

Professional actors launch school for budding thespians

by Joan LowndsSenior Staff Writer

A few years ago, Wiltonian and Broadway actress Sarah Pfisterer accompanied one of her daughters to a soccer game at the field across from the old Gilbert and Bennett School, which sat vacant at the time. Intrigued by the “special architecture” of the gabled building, Ms. Pfisterer gazed in the windows and saw “light-filled rooms and a sweet stage … I thought it would be the perfect place for a theater arts school,” she said.

This fall, Ms. Pfisterer and her husband, the noted actor, singer and dancer, Rick Hilsabeck, and their colleague and fellow Broadway performer, Mary Jo Duffy, have founded Wiremill Academy at the school’s new incarnation as the Gilbert and Bennett Community Cultural Center.

The nonprofit organization at 49 New Street offers live music performances, pro-fessional demonstrations, art exhibits and showcases, along with performing arts and fine arts workshops for both adults and chil-dren, according to Director Pat Hegnauer. She described the new theater arts school as the “missing piece to the puzzle.”

Classes at Wiremill Academy will begin Sept. 12, for children ages 4 to high school,

Poet lets memories

speakby Chris DavisAssistant editor

Ann Rousseau has been writing for as long as she can remember. She also taught writing for 33 years. Along the way, whenever she got an idea about something she would jot it down on a piece of paper and put it in a box she kept under her desk.

“I’d just kind of throw it in there and come back to it later,” she said.

She used to jot down phrases and ideas in the margins of her note-books when she was supposed to be paying attention or taking notes on other things. More recently, she heard someone say that you take a little bit of everyone you meet with you. She found that interesting and one morning she woke up with the first line to her poem “Traces:”

“The residue of our deeds lin-gers, clings to our days and our dreams, coloring ever so slightly our

See Irene on page 12A

See Poet on page 12ASee School on page 12A

Louise Herot Paul Lourd/wiltondigital.com Janet Crystal

1A1A

2A Bulletin, Wilton, Conn. Sept. 1, 2011

by Jeannette RossEditor

A 5K Walk/Run to benefit the Smith-Magenis Research Foundation will take place Saturday, Oct. 15, in West Redding. The event will begin and end at the Elevation spinning studio at 4 Old Mill Road. There will also be a quarter-mile kids fun run, a 1.7 walk and the 5K run.

When her five-year-old daughter Sydney was diagnosed three years ago with a rare condition that will forever affect her intellectual and emotional development, Jennifer Iannuzzi had no idea the toll it would take on her personally. Married and the mother of two sons as well, Ms. Iannuzzi’s world was thrown into a tailspin as she and her husband Chris worked to make the best life possible for their daughter.

Sydney was diagnosed with Smith-Magenis Syndrome, a disor-der that results when a small piece of genetic material — the protein RAI 1 — is missing from chromosome 17. It is a very rare condition affect-ing approximately one in 25,000 births. Because very little research is conducted on this “orphan” condi-tion, Ms. Iannuzzi established the Smith-Magenis Research Foundation with another parent. Fund-raisers organized by the two, along with donations, enabled the foundation to award a $50,000 research grant ear-lier this year. Next month’s 5K will raise more money for more research.

Last year, Ms. Iannuzzi joined with Elevation studio owner Michelle Maturo to put on a spinathon that was very successful. Originally, the 5K run was planned for Merwin

Meadows, but, Ms. Iannuzzi said, “I didn’t feel that connection to it,” the way she had the spinathon.

“I have made a real connection with Michelle,” she said. “I work out at the studio as a way to heal and recover. I’ve found an outlet there and we created a really nice friend-ship.”

Ms. Iannuzzi frequented the stu-dio before Sydney was born, when “I kind of stopped going because I stopped doing everything,” she said. “Two years ago I bumped into Michelle on the street and we started talking. The next day my husband bought me a package to go back. He called her and said, ‘just get my wife in there.’ I’ve been back ever since.

“She’s been a tremendous support getting me in shape physically and emotionally ... I needed a push to get back into something. You know, where you need to go to regroup and reorganize your life. She’s always offered to help. She’s been a help to me to get to where I am in terms of being physically strong and emo-tionally strong. Most people go to therapy but I go there.”

Ms. Maturo, who says she’s been in the fitness industry a long time, established her studio four years ago with a “boutique” environment. “Some people describe it as a life-style,” she said.

Meeting up with Ms. Iannuzzi again after her absence, Ms. Maturo said, “was really profound ... This is her sanctuary to get away for an hour or two a day.”

With her background in fitness and running, and their successful collaboration on the spinathon, Ms. Maturo said the 5K is a perfect fit

and suggested to Ms. Iannuzzi they do it at the studio.

“This road I’m on, on Georgetown Day they have a 5K and they use this

road. I said, ‘wait a minute, this is the place that makes you feel good. Let’s just use this place as a venue.”

Ms. Iannuzzi liked the idea very

much.“I’m trying to create a feeling

about this event ... it’s hard to get people to stay connected,” she said of her cause. “I want people to be connected to the feeling, to be part of something that can be inspirational to them.

“I’d like this event to be some-thing they look forward to every year and just be inspired by making connections to other people and how they can lead to bigger things. We are well on our way to another grant this year.”

Ms. Iannuzzi feels an obligation to prove her cause is worthy. “I’m showing people what we’ve studied and accomplished. I can’t prove our cause is worthy until I show them what’s been done with the money they’ve given us,” she said.

Events will begin with an open house at the studio the Friday night before the run. The details for the open house are still being finalized.

Registration is $25 and will take place at the open house and the morning of the walk/run at 8. The quarter-mile kids run will begin at 8:30, the 1.7 walk at 8:45, and the 5K will begin at 9. Online registration and more information is available at strengthforsydney.org.

Participants are encouraged to raise money from sponsors. Businesses that have agreed to sponsor the event so far are Arena Hairstyling, Good Morning Nails, and Steven Mancini Hair Salon. Ms. Iannuzzi welcomes more business sponsorships.

Ms. Maturo can be reached at 203-544-9503.

5K benefit run grows out of a renewed friendship

Michelle Maturo, left, owner of Elevations studio in West Redding, and Jennifer Iannuzzi of Wilton have made a connection they hope will per-vade the spirit of an upcoming 5K run to benefit Ms. Iannuzzi’s Smith-Magenis Research Foundation.

Town hall will be closed on Monday, Sept. 5, in obser-vance of Labor Day.

The town transfer station will be closed Saturday, Sept. 3, and Monday, Sept. 5.

The Wilton Library will be closed Monday, Sept. 5.

The Senior Center will be closed Monday, Sept. 5, as will banks in town.

The Village Market, Stop

& Shop and Caraluzzi’s will all be open.

CVS will also be open.The Wilton post office will

be closed Monday, Sept. 5.The Wilton Bulletin will be

closed Monday.News items may be sent to:

[email protected].

Holiday hours: Labor Day

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Sept. 1, 2011 Bulletin, Wilton, Conn. 3A


Two Wilton businessmen are hoping to bring a classic shoe shine stand and a food con-cession with a Southwestern flavor to the Wilton Train Station. John Rich, a retired executive with international management consulting firms and a 25-year-commuter, said he recently submitted a plan to the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to install a shoe shine stand in the newly reopened Wilton train station, “with brass stirrups and all, where we will polish your shoes to a brilliant sheen. You will also be able to drop them off in the morning and pick them up in the evening.”

Mr. Rich, a 45-year Wilton resident, is additionally work-ing with Tony Tecce of Vintage of Wilton, a salsa company, who seeks to provide a con-cession stand offering coffee, bagels, muffins and sand-wiches, including burritos and tacos, and rotisserie chickens. “These can be a convenient take-out lunch or dinner, and we will also deliver,” said Mr. Tecce, also a long-time Wilton resident.

Judd Everhart, director of communications for the state DOT, said the proposal by Mr. Rich and Mr. Tecce “is under active consideration and a decision will be made in the near future.”

Last October, the refur-bished Wilton train station was officially reopened after being closed for five years. The $198,000 project, fund-ed through federal stimulus money, provides heat, hot water, benches and rest rooms

to the station. Wilton had been the only town on the Danbury branch line with a closed sta-tion house.

Mr. Rich and Mr. Tecce are looking to further enhance the newly opened station and also provide job opportunities for residents. “It is anticipated that three to six jobs will be created by this business,” said Mr. Tecce.

For Mr. Rich, the plan is also geared toward offer-ing “two Wilton high school seniors and/or recent gradu-ates” an opportunity in the realm of “entrepreneurship.” Mr. Rich, a long-time member of the Kiwanis Club and for-mer chairman of the Board of Assessment Appeals, said the service is also a way of con-tributing to his community.

“We believe that this unique combination of servic-es to Wilton commuters and residents will add luster and prestige to the DOT; reflect well on the management of Metro-North; and generate a sense of pride in the function-ality, maintenance and décor of the newly renovated Wilton railroad station among all Wiltonians,” Mr. Rich said.

As commuter, Mr. Rich remembers the classic shoe-shine stands in train stations and fine hotels, he said. The secret to a good shoe shine is not just the buff and polish, but the sprinkling of a few drops of water at the end to give “a gleaming shine,” he said.

State Rep. Gail Lavielle, who serves as a commission-er of the Connecticut Public Transportation Commission and is also a member of the General Assembly’s

Transportation Committee, applauded the new train sta-tion proposal.

“I’m really pleased that John Rich and Tony Tecce have submitted a proposal,” she said. “I always like to see Wilton-owned businesses suc-ceed in Wilton. It is certainly creative and thoughtful, and conceived with the needs of Wiltonians very much in mind. It’s up to the DOT whether this proposal, or any other, meets

its criteria and, of course, the porocess needs to be fair. I hope there will be a decision on the bid very soon.”

Ms. Lavielle said the Wilton train station is heavily used. “On weekdays, the average figure for Wilton station (both inbound and outbound) is 326 daily rides,” she said. “There are also 32 on Saturdays and 24 on Sundays. That makes 85,018 passenger rides annu-ally. Total ridership for the

entire Danbury branch line in 2010 was 754,956 annual rides.”

According to Ms. Lavielle, Wilton commuters deserve the convenience of the proposed new service. “Our commuters, most of whom have no public transit alternative to the train, have put up with a lot, and they want, and deserve, ame-nities at their stations,” she said. “Now that the Wilton station has been opened, it would be great if they could have a place to do more than just sit.”

“Although they are in the process of getting better rail cars to ride in, the infrastruc-ture of the Danbury line, and the New Haven line, has made this railroad very vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, and they have had to endure a lot these past few years. I’m hopeful that the vendor situation will be resolved as quickly as possible, because commuters should not have to wait any longer,” she said.

State Sen. Toni Boucher underscored this point, saying, “It is something we really want to see … Wilton commuters have waited a long time for

this, and we are very support-ive of this plan … There is nothing better for a commuter at that time of the morning than a warm cup of coffee.”

Ms. Boucher added that public transportation must be emphasized as the “green” alternative to congested road-ways.

Mr. Tecce also said the new concessions in the train station will help keep it clean and properly maintained. “We will revamp the kitchen area and bring it up to code,” he said. The Southwestern flair to the food adds flavor and health benefits, he said.

The town recently submit-ted a grant application to the state (DOT) and the Office of Policy and Management for a bridge project connecting Wilton Center and the Wilton train station. Town Planner Robert Nerney said the project would serve “to enhance both the town center and the train station.”

The project will cost “in the half-million-dollar range,” he estimated. He described the chance of obtaining the grant as “a long shot but if we don’t apply, we’ll never know.”

Wiltonians hope DOT will take a shine to train station plans

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Joan Lownds

Tony Tecce, standing, and John Rich, seated, recently submit-ted a plan to bring shoe shine and food amenities for com-muters at the Wilton train station.

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Common disciplineIt was an unfamiliar sight

in Wilton. People were driv-ing slowly and carefully along Route 7, and stopping at intersections even though traffic lights were dark and powerless.

Road rage was a thing of the past, as people actually politely took turns in passing through the lights.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, which ham-mered the state last weekend, residents were trying to act with consideration of each other. Some mentioned neigh-bors helping to clear tree limbs and debris; and assist in the pumping of flooded base-ments.

As the storm, which was the size of Europe, left 767,000 state residents with-out power, including most of Wilton, some neighbors also brought each other food, or cups of coffee.

The need for a sense of community was heightened by the storm, which officially left Connecticut in a state of emergency, and took its toll with two lives lost and homes along the shoreline swept out to sea.

The communal spirit was reminiscent of a line from Franklin Roosevelt’s first inaugural address, which is very fitting for current times: “If I read the temper of our people correctly, we now real-ize, as we have never realized before, our interdependence on each other; that we can not merely take, but we must give as well; that if we are to go forward, we must move as a trained and loyal army willing to sacrifice for the good of a common discipline, because without such discipline no progress can be made, no leadership becomes effec-tive.”

COMMENTARY

Bryan Haeffele

It seems Irene didn’t ruffle this duck’s feathers.

Don’t forget petsOne of the many lessons

learned from Hurricane Irene is the importance of hav-ing a disaster preparedness plans for pets. In the wake of the storm, the ASPCA is again emphasizing the impor-tance of such a plan, which includes:

Getting A Rescue Alert Sticker: This sticker will let people know that pets are inside your home. Make sure it is visible to rescue work-ers, and that it includes the types and number of pets in your household; the name of your veterinarian; and your veterinarian’s phone number. If you must evacuate with your pets, and if time allows, write “Evacuated” across the stickers.

Arrange a Safe Haven: Do not leave your pets behind. Remember, if it isn’t safe for you, it isn’t safe for your pets. They may become trapped or escape and be exposed to numerous life-threatening hazards. Not all Red Cross disaster shelters accept pets, so make sure you know a place where you will bring your pets ahead of time. Your veterinarian or local animal shelter can provide you with information about boarding kennels and emergency shel-ter.

Prepare Emergency Supplies and Traveling Kits for Your Pets: Make sure that everyone in the family knows where it is. This kit should be clearly labeled and easy to carry. Items to consider keeping in or near your pack include: a pet first-aid kit and guide book, and food, water, litter, medicine and other sup-plies.

For more information about disaster preparedness for pets, visit aspca.org/pet-care/disaster-preparedness.

EDITORIAL

4A Sept. 1, 2011

It’s been a trying week for most of southwest-ern Connecticut. Some lost houses as Tropical Storm Irene ripped ashore Sunday. Some were moved to shelter.

Houses suffered wind and water damage. Some were destroyed.

More have been without power, and could still be in the dark for days.

It’s not easy.But it could be worse.Irene, at last count, took the lives of 40

people on the East Coast, two of whom lived in Connecticut. None were in this immediate area.

Most of the cleanup involves removing trees and power lines, and restoring electrical service.

It’s not an easy task. Power must be turned off to safely remove trees and debris. Poles and lines must be rebuilt and reinstalled. The system then needs to be turned back on safely.

But impatience takes hold. The minute the rain stopped Sunday, some took to the street on foot or in car, driving under and over wires that likely were still energized, searching for a utility truck, any utility truck, working to restore power to their neighborhood, their house.

Complaints start within minutes. “Why aren’t the roads open?” “Where are the power com-pany crews? I don’t see anyone out there.”

Never mind that winds remained 70 miles per hour, and hazards lurked around every corner. Those who would not work outside, especially in rain and wind, want to know why others did not do it for their benefit. How did people live in the years BTE — Before Thomas Edison?

Still, there have been many signs of coopera-tion. Crowds flocked to Wilton Library to plug in and recharge. The Wilton Y opened its locker rooms to anyone who needed a shower. People took turns at intersections without working traffic signals.

Cleanup crews are doing the best they can as quickly as they can. Linemen and others are working long hours in potentially hazardous situations, away from their families, homes and beds as long as it takes until all power is restored.

It looks like we will be called on for a few more days of patience. Give the crews on the lines time to get the job done safely.

In the meantime, take a breath, savor a little down time. We love our routines, we need our routines, but every now and then we must relin-quish control and roll with what the universe hands out. This week it’s giving us spectacular weather. Try and enjoy it.

Getting back to normal

As of Tuesday, Aug. 30, at 4 p.m., approximately 53% of CL&P’s customers in Wilton are without power. By Code Red telephone messages, town Web site postings, public e-mail dis-patches and info to media sourc-es, the town has attempted to keep residents informed of the plans to clear the wire-infested trees blocking many roads and the plans to restore power.

The town has also set up a “Hurricane Information Hot Line.” The number is 203-663-2703. Periodically, updated recorded mes-sages are being placed on this line to provide information on the progress of recovery efforts and to communicate other emergency information.

A state of emergency continues in Wilton and will be in effect until roads are suf-ficiently open to allow emergency service access to all residents’ homes.

As water supplies at local supermar-kets were nearing exhaustion, the town is attempting to secure additional supplies from state emergency resources to meet this need. More information on water availabil-ity will be placed on the hotline.

A list of priorities was communicated to CL&P on Monday morning. First prior-ity was to open up all major roads. CL&P tree crews have been clearing wires from downed trees to enable the trees to be removed and the roads to be opened. CL&P has assessed the widespread damage and has started power restoration efforts. At our peak outage, 81% of Wilton residents were without power.

Fortunately, the Norwalk River did not flood as seriously as we expected. While it did flood a low area of Route 7, which required the road to be closed on Sunday, the river receded fairly quickly and allowed the road to be reopened the next day.

The Wilton Family Y offered the use of their facilities, without charge, to residents in need of showers and lavatory facilities. Comstock Community Center, Trackside Teen Center, and the library, all have power and have offered to help citizens in need of power to recharge laptop batteries, cell phones, etc.

A decision was made by school offi-cials to set Tuesday, Sept. 6, as the revised opening day for our schools. Considering the widespread damage, tree problems on many roads, and widespread power outag-es, Wilton’s Emergency Operations Center supported this decision, as it will allow

additional time to get all our roads open and for CL&P’s line crews to work more effectively with less road traffic.

For information, the town started storm preparation activi-ties several days before the hur-ricane was due in this area. The Emergency Operations Center was set up in advance and activated on Saturday, Aug. 26. As the storm intensified on Sunday, Aug. 27, an official state of emergency was declared due to widespread road closings, over 5,000 homes with-

out power (68%) and rising flood waters, all of which endangered life and property.

The enormity of this storm has stretched state, community and utility company resources. Over 671,000 CL&P custom-ers were without power at the peak of the storm. Many of our neighboring communi-ties have also been severely impacted by the storm with widespread power outages and road closings. Given the extensive dam-age, power restoration to all residents is expected to take a week or more, as CL&P resources are allocated among communities and additional out-of-state crews arrive and start working.

The town will continue to provide updat-ed communications on the status of roads and power restoration activity. All activities are being coordinated with CL&P through Wilton’s Emergency Operations Center. A CL&P liaison representative is also physi-cally present in the center to help coordinate priorities and have direct access with their operations management.

Full recovery will be a slow process and everyone’s patience will be challenged. Considering the magnitude of the damage, the consensus is that we were lucky! It could have been much worse. Fortunately, not a single citizen was killed or injured and emergency calls were at a low level before and after the storm. Damage to town and school facilities was also relatively minor and our village center did not lose power, enabling stores to be open to service cus-tomers’ needs.

The biggest blow to the community has been the loss of power, which is a terrific hardship and inconvenience to all residents. CL&P resources are being reinforced each day, as out-of-state crews arrive and are deployed. Lastly, be assured that every town resource is being employed to speed recovery and most assuredly — Wilton will recover.

Hurricane Irene wallops Wilton;state of emergency declared

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Last week and this, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) is holding six public hearings regarding proposed rail and bus fare increases. For Metro-North’s already beleaguered commuters, the proposed increases are sig-nificant and come at a par-ticularly difficult time.

Currently, a New Haven Line fare increase of 1.25% is scheduled for Jan. 1, 2012, with subsequent 1% increas-es on Jan. 1 of each year through 2018. The new proposal raises the 2012 fare increase to about 16.4%, and allows it to take effect as early as Nov. 1, 2011.

The fare increase hearings come on the heels of another hearing held on Aug. 18 in Westport to respond to concerns about ser-vice disruptions that occurred on the New Haven Line during a heat wave on July 22. I attended that hearing, and the passionate public comment reflected a high degree of distress.

On July 22, passengers were trapped in rail cars in 100-degree heat for more than an hour without water, electricity, or ade-quate ventilation. Several were pregnant or had medical problems. When passen-gers stranded in Westport called 911, local responders tried to help, but faulty com-munication from Metro-North hampered their ability to locate the trains. While the passengers waited, they received no information from Metro-North, and levels of anxiety mounted. When Metro-North employees finally arrived on the scene, several passengers had managed to leave one of the trains and were walking on the tracks. The situation could hardly have been more dangerous.

To its credit, the DOT, under the lead-ership of Acting Commissioner James Redeker, launched an investigation imme-diately, ensuring that Metro-North worked with local responders to produce a full post-mortem report, complete with recom-mendations for preventing similar com-munications breakdowns in the future. Rail Commuter Council Chairman Jim Cameron and Toni Boucher, whose state senate dis-trict includes Westport, also asked for a full accounting.

The report makes it clear the New Haven Line’s problems go far beyond inconvenience and discomfort. Passenger safety is very much at stake. The report acknowledges that the line’s age and condi-tion make service problems likely to occur, especially in extreme weather conditions — all the more reason for Metro-North to be fully prepared to deal with such prob-

lems. This time it clearly was not.Fairfield County commuters

deserve answers. Would the new fare increase pay

for improvements to New Haven Line service? The DOT’s public notice for the hearings says that a portion of the revenue from the initial 16.4% and the entirety of the subsequent 1% fare increases will go toward financing the new M8 rail cars. What about the rest? Commuters would be justified in expecting those funds to remain allocated to the New Haven Line.

Even with the DOT doing its best to ensure oversight, can we trust Metro-North to communicate professionally and prevent panic in future dangerous situations? One way to allay those concerns is to reassess the state’s transportation investment plans and upgrade the antiquated infrastructure now.

With 37 million passenger rides a year,

the New Haven Line is the busiest railroad in the United States. Its passengers have suffered great discomfort over the years. Its importance to the economy of southwestern Connecticut, which is vital to the economy of the entire state, is unquestioned. None of this, however, has brought upgrades to the line’s infrastructure to the top of the state’s mass transit priority list.

New rail and bus lines being financed elsewhere in the state may ultimately attract many passengers and benefit the surround-ing communities. But meanwhile, the New Haven Line is already providing essential transportation to hundreds of thousands of commuters who are working every day. Their safety should be a prime consider-ation in setting the state’s transportation infrastructure priorities. We should focus resources on making their journeys safer now. If we can’t do that, it’s very hard to justify making them pay so much more.

Gail Lavielle is the state representative of the 143rd district, which includes parts of Wilton and Norwalk. She is a member of the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee.

Metro-Northh

Questionable safety, rising fares��

Even with the DOT doing its best to ensure oversight, can we trust

Metro-North to communicate professionally and prevent panic in future dangerous situations?

by Daniel FieberGuest columnist

I think it is about time to set the record straight about the status of the United States’ economy. As I watch the Republican presidential candi-dates gallivant around spewing their typical far-right talking points (cut spending, and cut it now!), I cannot help but won-der whether any of these can-didates are capable of leading the world’s largest economy in such a challenging and com-plex macro environment. It is hard to believe any of them understand even basic macro-economic theory. This is the worst possible time to focus on reducing the budget deficit/national debt through contrac-tionary fiscal policy. Rather, a new series of tax breaks ought to be enacted coupled with increases in government spending. It is not a coinci-dence that just as President Obama’s $800 billion stimulus package (ARRA) is winding down, the economy has stalled and we have seen a “double-dip” in unemployment.

Why, you might ask, should the Treasury authorize more stimulus? Aren’t we running massive budget deficits that are unsustainable? Yes, but only in the long run. In the short run, however, the prob-lem of soaring budget deficits will only be exacerbated if unemployment remains at his-torically elevated numbers and growth in government reve-nues remains stagnant. Until employment returns to normal levels, the budget gap will continue to widen. The United States’ economy is operating well below its potential. The Federal Reserve has exhausted most of the monetary policy options in its arsenal. Thus, fiscal policy must be imple-mented. Tax cuts and spending increases will boost aggregate demand, decrease unemploy-ment, and return the economy to its potential.

You will hear the typical vitriol from the usual suspects who say the Obama stimulus was a colossal failure. The truth is that the ARRA wasn’t big enough! So while it may seem counterintuitive that increasing the deficit now will decrease both the deficit and debt in the future, that is the reality of the situation.

You will also hear conser-vatives talk about how gov-ernment regulation has sty-mied growth in the private sector, which is more effi-cient at deploying capital than the government. Do you not remember when the entire

United States auto industry failed and the entire banking sector was on the brink? Had there been no TARP, no auto bailouts, and no ARRA, we would be living in a much dif-ferent world. Analysis shows that unemployment would have approached depression levels, the financial sector may have been nationalized to survive, and many more of our neighbors would be jobless.

Some conservatives claim that government spending will “crowd out” private invest-ment (that is, deficit spending will invariably lead to higher interest rates which discour-ages private investment in the economy). Under normal cir-cumstances, this might be true. However, the United States is currently in a liquidity trap; those who have capital will not deploy it. As a result, crowding out has not occurred; consider the fact that current interest rate levels and the yield rate on the 10-year note are at or near all time lows. I see no “crowding out” or interest rate risk on the horizon, at least not in the short run.

And then you have crazies like Rick Perry, who just last week called Ben Bernanke “almost treasonous” for print-ing money. This type of rheto-ric is completely inappropriate for an individual who could potentially be the next presi-dent. But politics aside, Mr. Perry’s concern stems from the perception that more quantitative easing may be on the horizon. Simply put, when normal monetary poli-cy is ineffective, the Federal Reserve may resort to pur-chasing government bonds and other financial assets, such as mortgage-backed securities, in order to stimulate the econ-omy. Tea Partiers shout that this injection of capital into the economy will cause ram-pant inflation. Except for one thing: consensus anticipated inflation is at about 1%. And falling. Oops.

And just an aside about the United States’ debt being downgraded from triple A to double A plus. Members

of Congress and presidential candidates such as Michele Bachmann give credence to the notion that President Obama is responsible for the downgrade. This logic is both laughable and insulting. First, only one of the three major rating agencies — S&P — downgraded the United States debt. Second, S&P downgrad-ed the United States debt after admitting it made a $2 tril-lion error in its calculations. Third, S&P is the same rat-ing agency that deemed all of those really safe Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs) as the safest investments, giv-ing them triple A ratings. We all know what happened next. Fourth, Warren Buffett was recently quoted as saying, post downgrade, “The U.S. is still triple A. In fact, if there were a quadruple-A rating, I’d give the U.S. that.” Last, the mar-ket seized up on the Monday following the debt down-grade. The market was down over 5%. What did investors do? They invested heavily in United States Treasuries, pushing rates even lower. So let’s get this straight: S&P makes a $2 trillion dollar error, downgrades the United States’ debt anyway, and the market reacts by buying the assets the S&P just downgraded. What a joke.

These proposals are nothing new. Just ask Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize winner in econom-ics. Or Christina Romer, for-mer chairperson of the Council of Economic Advisers. The Republican candidates on the far right calling for draconian cuts to government spending pose a danger to the well-being of our economy. They opt to pander to a small group of radicals who believe they were elected on the mandate to balance the budget at what-ever the cost, even if it means driving the United States, and the global economy, back into recession.

The writer graduated Wilton High School in 2008 and is a senior and economics major at Williams College.

Now is not the time to cut spending

GUEST COMMENTARY

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OBITUARIES

Joan LaClair, a former coach at the Wilton Family Y, died Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, at home in Rowayton surrounded by her family. She was 70.

Born in Brattleboro, Vt., she was the daughter of Carl and Margaret (Haynes) Manley. A graduate of the University of Vermont class of 1962, she was the owner of the Joan LaClair Swim School.

She is survived by a son, Mark LaClair, and his wife Tanya, of Westport; two daughters, Kirsten Hinds and her husband Ben of Bay Head, N.J. and Joelle LaClair and her husband David Light,

of Woolwich, Maine; seven grandchildren; her partner Bob McGregor; a sister Judith Miller and her husband Roger of Brattleboro; and four neph-ews.

Friends are invited to attend a memorial service at 10 a.m., on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the United Church of Rowayton, 210 Rowayton Ave. Memorial donations may be made to: DBAfoundation.org: P.O. Box 1092, W. Seneca, N.Y. 14224 or SwimAcrossAmerica.org: 1 International Place, Suite 4600, Boston, MA 02110. To sign online guestbook, visit Magnerfuneralhome.com.

Joan LaClair, 70,swimming coach

Angelo Cappelli died peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer on Aug. 24, 2011, with his family by his side in Newtown. He was 74.

He was the son of Filippo Cappelli and Gionanna Poccia Cappelli. He is survived by his wife Antonietta; his three sons and daughters in-law, Phil and Sarah, John and Debbie, A.J. and Gina; and his five grandchildren, Katie, Nicholas, Philip, Grace and John Angelo.

Mr. Cappelli was a carpen-ter by trade and built a home for his family where they lived for many years in Wilton. After he retired, he moved from Wilton to Newtown where he was an avid gardener, fisher-man, Milan soccer fan, and wine maker.

“Angelo was always will-ing to give a helping hand and will be missed by the many people that he touched,” his family said.

Friends and family are invit-ed to call on Monday, Aug. 29, from 4 to 8, at Spadaccino and Leo P. Gallagher & Son Community Funeral Home, 315 Monroe Turnpike, (Route 111) Monroe. The funeral mass will be at 10, Tuesday, Aug. 30, at St. Rose of Lima Church, 46 Church Hill Road in Newtown. Interment will follow in St. Rose of Lima Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, dona-tions can be made in Angelo Cappelli’s memory to the American Cancer Society. For more information, visit spa-daccinofuneralhome.com.

Angelo Cappelli, 74carpenter, wine maker Wilton’s Visiting Nurse

& Hospice of Fairfield County will offer three free, eight-week bereave-ment support groups this month, one to help adults cope with loss following the death of a parent and two to help cope with the death of a spouse.

The bereavement sup-port group for those who have lost a parent will meet Wednesdays from 4 until 5:30, beginning Sept. 14 and will continue through Nov. 2.

One bereavement sup-port group for those who have lost a spouse will meet Tuesday afternoons from 2:30 until 4 begin-ning Sept. 13 and will con-tinue through Nov. 1. The second group will meet Monday afternoons from 3 until 4:30, beginning Sept. 19 and will continue through Nov. 7.

The Rev. Marti Bishop, an interfaith minister and grief counselor, will lead the group coping with the loss of a parent. “The death of a parent is an

expected life cycle event yet it’s the loss of the most primal relationship in our lives and the effect can be profound,” she said.

“With the death of a spouse, we lose the most central relationship in our adult lives. We not only lose a loved one but a part of our identity as well,” said Rev. Karen Judd, a grief counselor and inter-faith minister. The support group, she said, “will help participants gain a deeper understanding of their feel-ings of grief and begin the process of healing.”

The groups will meet at the offices of Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County in Suite 114 at the Health and Wellness Center of Norwalk Hospital at I-Park. I-Park, at 761 Main Avenue on the Norwalk/Wilton town line.

The groups are open to the public but pre-registra-tion is required. For infor-mation, or to pre-register, call 203-834-6341, ext. 255. The Web site is visit-ingnurse.net.

Grief counseling

Groups look at lossof parent, spouse

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The Walter SchalkSchool of Dance

Join us for our 55th year“Born to Dance!”

Cotillion Ballroom Dancing(grades 5-6)

Jazz Theatre Dance/Hip Hop(grades 1-12)

Boy/Girl Musical Comedy(grades 7-12)

Creative Tots / Kinder Kids(ages 3-6)

& Ballet (grades 1-8)

Where you really learn to dance,build confidence, learn social etiquette,

have fun & make new friends — taught by a professional staff with

additional exciting new teachers this year!

Classes Begin Soon ...the week of Sept. 12 in Wilton the week of Sept. 12 in New Canaan the week of Sept. 19 in Darien and in late Oct. for All Ballroom

... so Register Today!Classes offered in all towns — students from surrounding areas welcome too!

Program details & registration forms available at:

www.WalterSchalk.comQuestions? Call us at (203)762-7508

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HOD# 145 CT Lic. 390200

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LEGAL NOTICES

The Wilton Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a Public Hearing on Monday,

September 12, 2011 in the Town Hall Annex, 238 Danbury Road, Meeting Room A, beginning at 7:15 P.M. to consider the following application(s):

SUB#906, a subdivision application for purpose of creating 3 lots where 2 lots exist; for property located at 2 Quiet Lake Lane and 144 Huckleberry Hill Road; in a Single Family Residential (R-2A) Zoning District; Assessor’s Map #138, Lots #2 and #3; consisting of 120.919+/- acres; owned by Leon C. Hirsch and Turi Josefsen.

SP#371, a special permit application for an accessory apartment; for property locat-ed at 124 Kellogg Drive; in a Single Family Residential (R-2A) Zoning District; Assessor’s Map #120, Lot #17; consisting of 3.269+/- acres; owned by James C. Rendeiro III.

At this hearing interested persons may appear and be heard and written communi-

cation will be accepted but no communication will be accepted following the con-clusion of the Hearing. Copies of the pertinent plans and doc-uments are on file in the office of the Planning and Zoning Commission and are avail-able for public inspection dur-ing regular office hours. The Planning and Zoning office is located in the Town Hall Annex.

Dated this 23rd day of August, 2011 at Wilton, CT 06897.

Doug Bayer, Secretary9-19-8

The Wilton Inland Wetlands Commission will hold a Public Hearing on September 8, 2011, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Annex to review the following application:

A. WET#2053(S) — 190 DANBURY ROAD ASSOCIATES — 190 Danbury Road – construct new car showroom in an upland review area

Dated this 23rd day of

August, 2011 at Wilton, CTJill Alibrandi

Secretary8-259-1

Notice is hereby given that the Wilton Board of Assessment Appeals will meet Monday September 12 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Meeting Room B, Thursday September 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Meeting Room B and Tuesday September 27 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Meeting Room B of the Wilton Town Hall for the sole purpose of hearing appeals related to the assessment of Motor Vehicles.

Appointments are necessary for these sessions. Please call the Assessor’s Office at 563-0121 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. for an appointment.

Board of AssessmentAppeals

Richard A. Martin,Chairman

8-259-1

POLICE LOG

DUIAt 8:38 the evening of Aug.

26, Leili Sharif Andrews, 58, of 133 Indian Hill Road was pulled over for not having her taillights on. She was found to be intoxicated and taken to the police department, processed on charges of failure to illu-minate taillights and operat-ing under the influence. She was released on a promise to appear and is due in court Sept. 8.

On Aug. 25, at 1:11 a.m., Paul Mavis, 50, of 208

Ridgefield Road, was stopped in a construction zone on Danbury Road and found to be under the influence. He was released on a promise to appear and is due in court Sept. 6.

PossessionOn Aug. 26 Pawel Sywak,

20, of Oak Ledge Lane turned himself in to police on a war-rant for his arrest for posses-sion of narcotics and posses-sion of drug paraphernalia. He was released on a $10,000

bond and is due in court Sept. 6.

LarcenySometime between 8 p.m.

Aug. 23 and 6:50 a.m. Aug. 24, someone took four aluminum mag wheels, tires, lug nuts and center caps from a 2008 Infiniti G35S parked in the used car lot of Bruce Bennett Nissan at 978 Danbury Road. The missing property is val-ued at $5,842.72. Police inves-tigators are reviewing security surveillance tapes.

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The Kiwanis Club and Trackside are co-sponsoring the club’s annual Charity Golf Tournament on Oct. 3 at the Silvermine Golf Club. From left, are Kiwanis President Emily Humiston, Trackside Executive Director Mark Ketley, and Trackside Board President and Kiwanis Golf Tournament Chair Peg Koellmer.

The Wilton Kiwanis Club will hold its Charity Golf Tournament, co-sponsored by Trackside, on Monday, Oct. 3, at the Silvermine Golf Club. The proceeds from the tourna-ment will benefit Trackside Teen Center as well as other community organizations.

Trackside is a nonprofit organization that provides

young people in Wilton with a safe and supervised, alco-hol-, tobacco-, and drug-free gathering place to build self-esteem and develop healthy relationships after school and on weekends. Trackside is also a community hub where groups and organizations can meet, plan, and hold events, large or small.

The cost of the tourna-ment is $150 per golfer, which includes golf, carts, lunch, awards, raffle, silent and live auction items and a cocktail reception.

For more information, or to register for the tournament, go to wiltonkiwanis.org or call 203-834-2888.

Kiwanis and Trackside team upfor kids and golf

The annual Wilton Rotary Carnival will be held near the Wilton High School ten-nis courts on Route 7 on Sept. 16, 17, and 18.

As in past years, the car-nival will offer rides, games, and food. Hours are Friday from 6 to 10, Saturday noon to 10, and Sunday noon to 5. Carnival-goers may pur-chase a wristband for $22 for an unlimited number of rides during the following time periods: Friday 6 to 10,

Saturday noon to 5, Saturday 5 to 10, and Sunday noon to 5. Wristbands purchased for Saturday afternoon will be valid for that time period only, and different colored wristbands will be issued for Saturday evening.

Local businesses that help sponsor the carnival include Minny Vinny’s Deli, D. A. Vento Refuse LLC, and Al Dexter Septic.

The carnival is one of the Wilton Rotary’s main

fund-raising activities, and proceeds will benefit a wide range of local and international causes, includ-ing support of the Wilton Library, Wilton Youth Council, Interfaith Housing, Domestic Violence Crisis Center, the Trackside Teen Center, Wilton Social Services, SPED*NET, Project Asha in India, and Polio Plus, which is a global effort by Rotary Clubs to eradicate polio.

Rotary carnival opens Sept. 16

James B. Whipple American Legion Post 86 will hold its annual flag retirement ceremony and picnic, Sunday, Sept. 18, at noon. It will take place at

the post, 112 Old Ridgefield Road, next to the Village Market.

All veterans, active duty military and/or their fami-lies are welcome to attend.

Bring a chair to enjoy the day.

To RSVP, call Tom Moore at 203-918-3767 no later than Friday, Sept. 16.

Veterans will retire old flags

This fall, Trackside introduces its monthly High School Open Mic Coffee House. The first Friday of every month is dedicated to the high school students who are willing and excited to show off their talents.

Singers, musicians, song-writers, comedians, magi-

cians, dancers, and more are welcomed to the stage in the coffee house-style open mic. Bring your friends and your family and give it everything you’ve got.

Admission is free and the café will be open serving the typical menu items as well as hot chocolate, cof-

fee, tea, and lattes, which are available for $2. Anyone who brings their own mug only pays $1.

The series kicks off on Friday, Sept. 2, at 6. For information on how to sign up, go to trackside.org or e-mail Brett Beatty at [email protected].

Open mic night

Trackside invites high school performers

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Just Walk In – No Appointments Necessary!Open 365 Days a Year

Mon-Fri 10am-8pm; Sat, Sun, Holidays 9am-5pm

WHERE THE DOCTOR WAITS FOR YOU!

Many Test Results & Prescr ipt ions FASTOn-Site X-Rays , Lab Work & Pharmacy

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Employee Health Programs Worker’s Compensation Most Insurances Accepted

GRAND OPENING! Tuesday, Sept. 6thNEW LOCATION —10 SOUTH ST., RIDGEFIELDAvoid long Emergency Room visits for non life-threatening il lnesses & injuries

4 LOCATIONS!SOUTHBURY900 Main St . South203.262.1911

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RIDGEFIELD10 South St. Suite 101203.431.4600

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LIBRARY LINESby Janet Crystal, Wilton Library

Ready for the close-upWilton teens have just a few more days to register for the

Wilton Up Close 2011 Teen Photography Project sponsored by Wilton Library. With expert guidance from world traveler and professional photographer Daryl Hawk, students in grades 8 through 12 will be photographing their Wilton world close-up and personally. The aim is to show kids how they can slow down, unplug and enjoy their natural surroundings through their own observations. Students will be asked to write reflec-tions about their photographs and their experiences. The project concludes with an art exhibition in February 2012. The dates for the project are as follows: Sept. 13 — Wilton Town Center Kick Off Meeting/Photo/Writing, 4 to 6:30 p.m. (rain date Sept. 14); Sept. 27 — Weir Farm Photo/Writing, 4 to 6 p.m. (rain date Oct. 4); Oct. 11 — Millstone Farm Photo/Writing, 4 to 6 p.m. (rain date Oct. 12); Nov. 1 - Photo Selection, 5 to 8 p.m.; Dec. 6 or 7 — attend one of the writing workshops, 5 to 7 p.m.; Jan. 10 or 11, 2012 — attend one of the photo framing sessions, 5 to 7 p.m. Registration is limited to the first 25 students. The cost is $50 per student. To register, call Meg Fuentes at 203-762-3950, ext. 224 or e-mail [email protected] by Tuesday, Sept. 6. Payment must be received to secure a spot.

Fall story timesChildren ranging in age from infants to six year olds can

enjoy fall story times Mondays through Wednesdays at differ-ent times depending upon the age group beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6 through Wednesday, Oct. 26. The group dates, times and ages are as follows: Books for Babies (under 12 months with caregivers) are on Wednesdays, Sept. 7 through Oct. 26, from 10:15 to 10:45; Wonderful Ones and Twos with caregiv-ers are Wednesdays, Sept. 7 through Oct. 26, from 11 to 11:30; Terrific Tales for Twos and Threes with caregivers meets on Tuesdays, Sept. 6 through Oct. 25, 10:15 to 10:45; Look, Listen & Learn for three- and four-year olds with caregivers gath-ers on Tuesdays, Sept. 6 through Oct. 25, from 11 to 11:30; Literary Littles for ages 4 through 6 meets on Mondays, Sept. 12 through Oct. 24, with no session on Oct. 10, and Tuesdays, Sept. 6 through Oct. 25, both “Littles” sessions are from 2:15 to 3. There is no registration or fee. Information: 203-762-3950, ext. 217.

Lego masterpiecesEach month, kids in specific grades will be able to come

to the Lego Club to learn about a new theme and then build a corresponding Lego masterpiece based on that theme. In September, kids in grades 3 and up will be enjoying the fun on Wednesdays (Sept. 7, 14, 21, and 28), from 4 to 5. There are 20 spots available for the program which will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets will be passed out at the Children’s Library reference desk starting at 3:45 the day of the program, which is sponsored by the Coyle Family Young Readers Fund. October’s Lego Club for Littles is for children in grades K-2. Information: 203-762-3950, ext. 217.

Getting attentionWith today’s job market being so tough, calling attention to

oneself in a positive way is an important part of the process. On Wednesday, Sept. 7, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., certified executive

career coach Linda van Valkenburgh presents a free program entitled, Job Success: How to Create an Attention-Grabbing Value Proposition. This seminar covers how to present one-self in such a way that a prospective employer understands just what a person can do to solve the needs of that company. Samples will provide detailed instructions to assist attendees in creating their own value propositions. Advance registration is suggested. See the Web site for additional details about the speaker.

Food fearInvestigative reporter Jeff Benedict delivers a jarringly can-

did narrative of the fast-moving E. Coli disaster with his new book Poisoned-The True Story of the Deadly E.Coli Outbreak that Changed the Way Americans Eat. He will be at the library on Thursday, Sept. 8, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to discuss the book, the case and what he has learned from the experience. In the book, he explores the victims and the culprits of the 1993 food catastrophe — from the families affected to the Jack in the Box executives. He is an award-winning writer and is considered one of America’s top investigative reporters. He has published nine critically acclaimed books, among them Little Pink House: A True Story Of Defiance And Courage about the eminent domain case that took place in New London, Conn., and went all the way to the Supreme Court. A question-and-answer period follows the talk. There is no charge. Books will be avail-able for purchase and signing. Reservations are recommended. Additional details about the speaker and the book can be found on the library’s Web site.

A big issueThe New Perspectives Film Series kicks off its September

session with The September Issue on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Brubeck Room. The documentary tells the story of the September 2007 issue of Vogue magazine, weighing in at nearly five pounds, the largest issue of a maga-zine every published. Heading up the effort is Anna Wintour, the legendary editor-in-chief, as immortalized by Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, and her larger-than-life team of edi-tors. All the glamour, glitz and warts are captured in this look at the billion dollar fashion industry. Refreshments are served at the screening. Suggested donation is $5. The New Perspectives Documentary series is programmed and moderated by film-maker Megan Smith-Harris. Registration is recommended.

To register for any of the above programs, visit wiltonli-brary.org/events or call 203-762-3950, ext. 213.

Reminder: The library is closed Sunday and Monday, Sept. 4 and 5. The library will resume Sunday hours, from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 11.

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SENIOR CENTER

by Liz DotyWilton Senior Center

Comstock Knitters and Crafters will meet again Sept. 13; 1 to 2:30.

Basic instruction will be pro-vided for projects, and the com-pany will be great, too! The cof-fee pot’s always on. If you have a work in progress, bring it. If it’s all new to you, just come and give knitting a try. We’ll supply the practice materials. Not a knit-ter? Bring your own handiwork and enjoy the company.

Writers groupAre you interested in reading

and writing? Do you have family history or lore that you would like to record for future generations? Leading the Comstock Writers Group is Magdalen Livesey, an editor and writer living in Wilton. The next meeting is Sept. 7, 10 to 11:30.

Tai chiTai chi contains a series of

gentle and graceful movements performed with respiration coor-dination and deep concentra-tion. Practicing Tai chi leads to relaxation of the body and mind, improves flexibility and balance, and enhances energy and gen-eral well-being. Tai chi meets Wednesdays, 10 to 11, $3 per class.

Line dancingCountry-Western line danc-

ing is a great form of exercise and social interaction. The group meets Mondays, 10:30 to 11:20, $3 per class.

StretchingVisiting Nurse and Hospice

of Fairfield county brings a light aerobic movement class to the Senior Center. The exercises promote heart health with light weights for strength and gentle

stretching to tone your body. The group meets Fridays, 10 to 11, $3 per class.

Enhance FitnessThis one-hour class includes

30 minutes of endurance-type activity and specific strength-ening exercises for legs, trunk, arms and shoulders. Sessions are Mondays, 9:15 to 10:15; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 to 10; $3 per class.

YogaDenise O’Hearn, owner of

Vibrant Moves in Wilton, con-ducts this gentle yoga class that warms up your joints, stretches and strengthens your muscles and helps your balance and focus.

Classes are Tuesdays, 11 to noon; Thursdays, 10 to 11; $3 per class.

Coming eventsFor the week beginning Sept.

2: All events take place at the Senior Center unless otherwise noted.

Friday, Sept. 2: 9:15, Enhance Fitness with Leslie Hinshaw of the Wilton Y; noon, Bridge; 1:30-3, Free Swim for Seniors at the Wilton Y.

Monday, Sept. 5, Labor Day, Senior Center closed.

Tuesday, Sept. 6: 9, Enhance Fitness with Leslie Hinshaw of the Wilton Y; 10:30, Pool/Billiards; 11, Yoga with Denise O’Hearn.

Wednesday, Sept. 7: 10, Tai Chi; 10, Comstock Writers; 1:30, Mah Jongg.

Thursday, Sept. 8: 9, Enhance Fitness with Leslie Hinshaw; 10, Yoga with Denise O’Hearn; 11- Wii Bowling; 12, Lunch; 12:45, Bingo; 1:30, Mah Jongg; 5:30, Social Service Commission meeting.

State Senator Toni Boucher (R-Wilton) last week sent state offi-cials a draft proposal for a “Rail Passengers’ Bill of Rights,” which aims to prioritize the basic needs of Metro-North commuters and boost communication between manage-ment and train riders.

In a press release, Ms. Boucher said she hopes the proposal will add to the discussion with Metro-North on improvement plans and to the public hearings on rail fare increases. She noted the proposal could be used as a template for future legislation if necessary, as well as in future negotiations with Metro-North as the state’s vendor.

Ms. Boucher’s Rail Passengers’ Bill of Rights comes in response to the July 22 breakdown of rail cars in 100-plus degree heat for 53 minutes and the stranding of distressed pas-sengers.

Ms. Boucher, who serves as ranking member of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, also took into account several of the sugges-tions made by the public at last month’s Metro-North public hearing in Westport.

“I want what happened on July 22 to be a wake-up call for Metro-North,” Ms. Boucher said. “We are approaching the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11th. Much has been accom-plished over the past decade in terms of safety and security improvements on the trains, but July 22 highlight-ed serious safety and communica-tion deficiencies that must still be addressed.”

Senator Boucher said her proposal is a “working document” and she hopes the public will review, com-ment and add to it.

“When rail passengers board a train, they should expect that they will be treated with dignity and they

should expect excellent communica-tion from Metro-North,” Ms. Boucher said. “On July 22, those expectations were not met – not by a long shot. They say you cannot legislate com-mon sense, but sometimes achieving that common sense requires us to take action in Hartford. My goal is to assure that commuters are safe.”

Ms. Boucher’s proposal says rail passengers have a right to expect:

• In the event of an emergency, contingency plans must be in place to provide essential services including adequate water, restroom facilities, railcar ventilation, access to neces-sary medical treatment and safe dis-embarkation.

• Safety and security protocols and procedures and emergency con-tingency plans will be reviewed by Connecticut’s Homeland Security department, local law enforcement, DOT and rail management.

• If a train is delayed or interrupt-ed for more than 15 minutes, Metro-North shall make every effort to keep the passengers informed of the nature and anticipated duration of the delay. Accurate ongoing announcements will also be made at rail stations.

• Communication protocols between conductors and passengers will be developed to address outag-es and service disruption. Accurate, timely communication regarding on-time performance, delays and service interruptions will be posted via pub-lic Web site, RSS feed, e-mail and other methods.

• Conductors must have access to working communications devices on all railcars and will receive timely reports from their operations office on a regular basis.

• Conductors must provide pas-sengers with accurate communica-tion and receive regular safety and disaster contingency training.

• Conductors must wear uniforms with nametags at all times while working on railcars.

• There will be seamless commu-nication with first responders at each train station.

• Passengers will be treated cour-teously by all railroad employees and police.

• Rail cars should have adequate lighting, heat in the winter, air con-ditioning in the summer, and a func-tioning PA system.

• All trains must be equipped with first aid kits.

• Passengers will not be stranded if service is canceled or disrupted. If such an event occurs, alternate trans-portation will be provided.

• Passengers will be granted a refund/discount or free ticket for ser-vice disruptions.

• Peak and off-peak times and penalty fare policies will be clearly posted on each train car and at each ticket sales location.

• Railroad management will pro-vide opportunities for passenger feedback and grievances.

• Clean, safe, rail cars with work-ing restroom facilities.

• CTDOT will have a senior staff at regular Metro-North board meet-ings.

• Commuters’ Rights will be post-ed on all trains and all stations.

“We should all view July 22 as a teachable moment,” Ms. Boucher said. “Tragedy was averted on that day, but if we don’t learn from our mistakes, we are doomed to repeat the past. Rail riders deserve better than what they are getting.”

Commuters and members of the community may offer their com-ments to Ms. Boucher by calling 1-800-842-1421 or e-mailing [email protected].

Boucher plans to lobby for a rail passenger bill of rights

10A

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10A

SPORTS11A Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011

Cameron Rhind (left) finishes off a dive for the Lake Club Diving Team during Fairfield County Swim League competition. The Lake Club Diving Team (above) featured, from the left, back row: Katie Warburg (assistant coach), Kelsey Marandola, Ashley Sztam, Cameron Devitt, Riley Wadehra, Brittany Barton, Julia Lewis, Christina Brandt, Griffin Edmonds, Cameron Rhind, Jack Lewis and Mason Burch (coach); and front row: Katie Barton, Elena Savas, Ariane Bretl, Anna Santacroce, Matthew McVey, Thomas Solecki, Avery Wadehra and Ashley Barton. Missing from the photo are Julia Elmasry, Julia Foodman, Declan Healy, Madison McVey, George Moore, Mack Quigg, Claire Ross, Oliver Thompson and Devon Thompson.

Members of the Lake Club Diving Team had a stel-lar end-of-season finish at the Fairfield County Diving Championships held by the Fairfield County Swimming League.

The meets were hosted by surrounding area clubs last month.

The Lake Club as a team finished in fourth place out of 30 participating teams in the county championship meets.

Leading the way was

Cameron Rhind in the boys 12-under competition held at Burning Tree Country Club in Greenwich on Aug. 6. Rhind, who had the highest finish among the Lake Club div-ers, had an outstanding per-formance and placed first on both the one- and three-meter boards.

At one meter, Rhind scored a 216.95, while at three meters, he scored a 183.65.

Three Lake Club divers competed on the one-meter

board in the girls 12-under event, also held at Burning Tree the same day.

Leading that group with a fifth-place finish was Riley Wadehra with a 145.25, while Brittany Barton was 12th at 123.20 and Cameron Devitt ranked 24th at 69.80.

On the three-meter board, Claire Ross had a strong showing with a fourth-place finish, scoring 121.70.

The 14-under competition was held at the Patterson Club

in Fairfield. Three Lake Club divers competed on the one-meter board.

In the girls competition, Christina Brandt placed eighth with a high score of 171.40, and Julia Lewis took 12th at 150.05. Griffin Edmonds placed 15th at 156.10 in the boys division.

The final FCSL County Diving Championship of the season was the boys and girls 10-under one-meter board competition, held at New

Canaan Field Club.Leading the girls was

Claire Ross, who placed third at 129.75, followed by Elena Savas, who ranked 17th at 101.75, and Ariane Bretl, who ranked 24th at 93.10. Jack Lewis represented the boys 10-under event and ranked 24th at 83.50.

The Lake Club Diving Team was coached by longtime New Canaan Y Whirlwind veteran Mason Burch and her assis-tant, Katie Warbug. During the

regular season, the Lake Club divers went 4-2 in Division 2 of the FCSL.

Founded in 1949, FCSL is comprised of five competitive divisions with 32 participat-ing clubs throughout Fairfield County. Each club is allowed to send up to three qualify-ing divers per age group to the annual county champion-ships.

For more information, go to www.fcsl.info.

Rhind wins two diving titles at FCSL finals

The first Nick Zinicola 5K Memorial Run/Walk will be held on Saturday, Sept. 10 at the Wilton High School track.

Zinicola, a 1998 Wilton High graduate, was killed in a car crash two years ago.

Proceeds from the run/walk will go to a scholar-

ship fund in his name, to be awarded annually to a Wilton High senior.

The Sept. 10 event will feature a free kids run at 8:30 a.m., followed by the 5K race/walk at 9.

Registration is available online at www.thelastmil-eracing.com, as is informa-

tion for anyone wishing to make a donation to the Nick Zinicola scholarship fund.

The race/walk is limited to 250 runners. Runners may still register on race day, but only until the 250-run-ner limit has been reached. Registration is not required for the kids run.

Nick Zinicola Memorial 5K takes place Sept. 10

The Wilton Family Y’s newly formed swim academy (WYWSA) is starting its first season this month.

The WYWSA will offer instruction for swimmers ages 4-13. These pre-competitive programs are designed for students who may have an interest in becoming future

Wahoo Swim Team mem-bers.

The intent of this new program is to create a fun learning environment in which students learn proper competitive stroke and kick techniques, streamlines, and starts and turns.

All of the coaches have

swim team coaching experi-ence and extensive YMCA swim instructor experience.

Classes are forming for the fall session.

Additional information regarding class times and fees is available online at www.wiltonymca.org.

Wilton Y swim academybegins season this month

by Tim MurphySports Editor

Except for football, all Wilton High fall sports teams had their first day of practices and tryouts last Saturday.

Thanks to Hurricane Irene, no one has practiced since.

Yesterday marked the fourth consecutive off-day for Wilton teams, and with school now delayed until next Tuesday, it seems likely the squads will have an even lon-ger break.

“It’s something we just have to deal with,” said Wilton High Athletic Director Christy Hayes. “It’s a tough situation for everyone.”

As of Wednesday morning, Wilton was one of two Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference schools not sched-uled to resume practices until next Tuesday. Other FCIAC schools that were also delayed from opening until next week have gotten the go-ahead from school officials to begin prac-ticing again this week.

“Wilton was one of the towns that got hit worst by the hurricane,” said Hayes. “There are still a lot of trees down, roads closed and peo-ple without power.”

One issue for Hayes and other state athletic direc-tors is that Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference guidelines man-

date that teams must have 14 practice days before playing their first games. The CIAC announced earlier this week that it would allow member schools to count Sundays as a practice day, but as of Wednesday morning it was not lowering the 14-day requirement.

“It’s all about the health and safety of the kids,” said CIAC Executive Director Karissa Niehoff. “We still think it’s most important that they have the 14 days of practice before the first game.”

Niehoff said that the CIAC is considering whether to count the five conditioning days toward a football team’s 14 practice days. She said a decision would be made later this week.

If they resume practices next Tuesday, most Wilton teams won’t have met the 14-day requirement before their first scheduled regular-season games. The first official day of the fall season is Sept. 13.

“Some games will have to be moved,” said Hayes. “There’s nothing we can do about that unless they waive the 14-day rule.”

The Wilton High football team has had five days of conditioning and one day of contact practice. Unless school officials decide to allow Wilton teams to resume practicing this week — or the

CIAC opts to count condition-ing days as practices — the Warriors won’t have met the 14-practice requirement

before their season opener Sept. 16 against Bridgeport Central. Double or triple ses-sions on the same day still

count as one practice.“We may have to move that

game if things don’t change,” said Hayes. “Football is

always trickier to move than the other sports, but we may not have a choice.”

Irene plays havoc with Wilton High teams

GretchenMcMahonPhotography.com

The aftermath of Hurricane Irene has left the start of the season up in the air for Sean Carroll and the Wilton High football team.

11A11A


wire and first makes sure the wire is dead, the power is turned off. The tree crew fol-lows them and tries to clear the trees. Then the power company crew has to follow up and return and reset the wires or poles.

“Very labor intensive,” Mr. Wakeman added. “Tests a lot of people’s patience.”

Mr. Wakeman stressed the importance of staying away from any downed wires. “Even though you may think that because the power is out in your neighborhood the wires are not live, residents should always treat them as being live. If they are on the ground don’t try to touch them, don’t try to move them. If they are in a tree, don’t touch the tree, don’t try to down the tree or cut it up yourself. You never know if they are energized, or energizing that tree.”

As for restoration, Wilton Fire Chief Paul Milositz said, “We’re doing the best that is possible. I think we are in fairly good stead. Our Emergency Operations Center (on the ground floor of the police department) has been open since the storm began. We’re working very closely with CL&P.”

Chief Milositz said that there was a liaison from CL&P in the command center who was coordinating outages and road clearing.

“Our priority now is that we clear the roads so that we

can get an idea of what the outages and what the damages to the system are and then we can start a restoration pro-cess,” he said.

As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, Wilton still had 67% without electricity. “That’s a signifi-cant number and it may be some several days — and in some cases longer — before the power comes on,” Chief Milositz said.

There were approximately 19 utility crews — double the normal number — working in Wilton. There were unofficial estimates it could take as long as Saturday for full power, with some pockets even lon-ger, but no could say for sure.

Chief Milositz said the town had set up a hotline with a recording giving up-to-the-minute progress on the recov-ery efforts. The number is 203-663-2703. “It’s not a complaint line,” Chief Milositz said, “it is a line to hear the latest official information straight from the Emergency Operations Center. As we get it, we do it.”

The town’s Web site also has a continuously updated listing of road closures.

The big issue remains elec-tric wires. Wires that may have been dead at one time can come back to life without warning. Chief Milositz said they found two primary wires lying on the ground on Danbury Road that seemed dead but CL&P found were live.

“Many people in Wilton have generators, which pose a problem to electrical line crews,” Chief Milositz explained, “where the electric-ity — if the generator is not properly installed or does not

have a cut-off switch — could back-feed into the system and cause problems for some neighbor or worker down the line because their generator is running. Remember electricity runs both directions, not just one way.”

Chief Milostz also said the town is preparing to distribute water if need be. They are looking to state resources to deliver water to the town to be distributed from a commodi-ties distribution point near the sports complex near Kristine Lilly Way where the town does fireworks.

“All the resources of the town are being focused and put to bear on this,” Chief Milositz said. “It’s all hands on deck and we’re doing the best we can. We ask that our

residents be patient. We under-stand it’s difficult at times. People don’t have the water for showers. The YMCA has graciously opened their doors for people.”

Karen Strickland, direc-tor of development and mar-keting at the Y, said that Y staff members have been very busy. They estimate that in addition to their usual mem-bership they have been hav-ing about 100 visitors a day. Their phones and Internet Wi-Fi were knocked out, but the lobby is still full of storm refugees working laptops and recharging batteries.

“Every time there is an emergency like this the Y is always open to the commu-nity,” she said. “People can come in and shower and we

have a water station outside where they can fill up jugs from a hose.” With school out people have been coming with their kids and using the pools. The food kiosk in the lobby has been selling out regularly.

“A lot of people we’ve been seeing every day because they need to take a shower before going to work,” Ms. Strickland said. “We were lucky. If we had lost power it would have been a totally dif-ferent story.”

Y Executive Director Robert McDowell said, “It’s part of our social responsibil-ity. We were blessed enough not to have power outages and the water didn’t rise to the levels they were calling for. So we were able to get open by noon on Monday and just open up to the community. We’re part of the community. Just as a neighbor would serve another neighbor in need, we’re all about that. We would do this as long as it takes.” The Y is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wilton Library is also a popular hub, with publicist Janet Crystal calling it “Wilton Library & Electric.”

“It seems the majority of Wilton, Ridgefield and Weston were camped out at the library plugged in and turned on,” she said. “I think the library has become a new power com-pany.

“With people teeming into the library with power cords and power strips in hand, we opened the flood gates so to speak to all those who needed to reconnect and top up deplet-

ed batteries. There wasn’t an empty seat or outlet in the house. We opened the Brubeck Room, Presidents’ and Rimer rooms on the second floor and the Story/Craft room in Children’s adding much need-ed tables, chairs and of course plugs.”

Trackside dodged a bullet too and never lost its power. “We’ve been open every day,” said executive director Mark Ketley, “we’ve had a couple of guys working all day long here. I don’t have any power so I’d rather be here than home.”

He said he had not seen this many trees down since the since the great ice storm in 1973. “I remember that just being brutal. This is worse.”

He said he is amazed at how upset people get as soon as they lose power. “They don’t understand the magnitude of it,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can. We’ll be back.”

Chief Milositz said that the town was getting good coop-eration from CL&P. “We’re getting pretty good action out of them.” He said to keep in mind this was a region-wide event and if you look at the outage map for CL&P online, there are still towns as of Tuesday noon that are 100% without electricity.

“We should consider our-selves lucky,” he said. “I know people would like to have their electricity on and I would like to turn it on. We ask for patience. We’re doing the best we can with the resources we have and we continue to ask CL&P for additional. We’re working as hard as we can to get it going.”

IreneContinued from Page 1A

From the FRONT

Janet Crystal

Two girls huddle under a table at Wilton Library earlier this week with their cell phones and laptops. Checking Facebook, perhaps? They were joined by many of their neighbors.

and will include creative dramatics, musical theater, acting, mime, dance, voice, movement for the musical the-ater actor and a special class in stage combat. It will be taught by Mr. Hilsabeck, who starred as The Phantom of the Opera for a more than 1,200 performances in Chicago and several other cities, and was also a member of the nation-ally renowned Hubbard Street Dance Company.

The stage combat class will show “how to create the illu-sion of physical combat used on stage and on camera in a fun and safe environment,” he said. “This is all done through a well-planned, cho-reographed series of move-ments. We will explore com-bat techniques such as illusory punches, kicks, slaps, throw-ing and holding. It is a step-by-step ‘how to’ which results in an end product which is dramatically convincing yet completely safe.”

Mr. Hilsabeck met his wife, Ms. Pfisterer, while she played the role of Christine

in the Phantom. She has also appeared on Broadway in pro-ductions of Show Boat, and at the Kennedy Center and in several other acclaimed roles. The two moved to Wilton to raise their children, they said.

Similarly, Mary Jo Duffy also followed the same path after appearing in several shows on Broadway, includ-ing “Senator Joe,” and in the European tour of Show Boat, among many other stage and television appearances. After moving to Wilton to raise a family, she has worked as a director at the Wilton Children’s Theater and at the Wilton Playshop.

All three performers par-ticipated in the Wilton Youth Council’s Really REALLY Big Show back in April.

Mr. Hilsabeck said the school fills a need in the com-munity. “The arts are the first things to get cut” when there are budget constraints, he said. “Yet the arts are such an inte-gral part of good communi-cations skills, which are so

essential these days.”Studying the arts encour-

ages students to “think outside the box, stretch your imagina-tion and take risks, instead of just being test-takers,” said Ms. Duffy.

Perhaps this philosophy is summed up by a quote on the Web site from the novelist Saul Bellow, which says: “No school without spectacular eccentrics and crazy hearts is worth attending.”

Wiremill Academy will offer a schedule of classes from Sept. 12 to Dec. 9; and from January to mid-April. In April and May, a workshop will be offered, with a “Cabaret-style variety show, in which every-one will participate,” said Ms. Pfisterer.

Summer camp will also be offered next year.

Any plans to offer classes for adults?

“Maybe some day later on,” said Mr. Hilsabeck.

Information: wiremillacad-emy.com.

SchoolContinued from Page 1A

moments.”“Traces” and 38 other poems

make up her first book of poetry, Barefoot: A Collection of Poems, which was recently published on amazon.com.

Ms. Rousseau said she has always been attracted to writers “who showed a bit of grace in phrasing,” and not necessarily ones that rhyme. She readily quotes E.E. Cummings to make her point: “Somewhere I have never traveled gladly beyond your eyes have their silence in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me for which I cannot touch because they are too near.”

“When I was learning to write, writing instruction was quite differ-ent than when I was teaching later,” she said. “It was supposed to be cor-rect. You started with something and then you just polished that a bit.”

Through the Connecticut Writing Project, she learned to teach kids to “generate a lot of writing, turn off the internal critic, and then throw most of it out, pick out the things that are most important to you and craft it in terms of proportion. So I try to be my own teacher. Though I’m not teach-ing any more.”

She tells herself the things she

used to tell her students: “If you don’t like it, how would it be differ-ent if you did like it?” As a friend of hers puts it: “Where does it leak energy?”

Her poems have appeared in jour-nals and anthologies, but Barefoot is her first collection. The first poem in the volume, Gaia, won an award at the Stamford Arts Festival. “It was so funny because in their publication they said this was about this charac-ter (the primordial Earth-goddess) from Greek mythology who was the mother of Nestor and Castor and went into all of this detail about the historics. When I was writing that, the character came to mind because of the mother figure and the idea that if the Earth falls apart, life won’t be sustained. But I was a single mom, teaching full time, going to graduate school, trying to raise my daughter, and I was exhausted. And I thought I can’t rest, I can’t fall apart. That’s where that poem came from.”

Poems should stand on their own, she said. “It’s a distillation of lan-guage.” An exercise she used to give her students was to switch genres. If they were doing a short story, she would have them turn it into a poem. “You’ll focus and see it differently and then go back to the other form and bring to it the new understand-ing,” she said. “A lot of times when I write I find that I get wedded to a phrase, I like the way it sounds, but it doesn’t really fit. And I have to have the discipline to take it out,

throw it in the pile again and go back to it later.”

The poems in the volume that were toughest to write, she said, were the ones she couldn’t really address while she was emotionally engaged in whatever it was, but then went back to later. “Orchard” and “For Her Own Good” are two examples. Orchard is about “accepting change and changes in relationships,” she said, “and how to deal with that, how you have to change the way you look at things, revisit and change

the habit of thinking the habits of your heart, which, I think, for many people you tend to replicate your approach to relationships you’ve had in the past.”

“For Her Own Good,” she said, is “perhaps the most extreme example. The poem is actually a composite, drawn from a personal rejection in a relationship I had as an adult, a sense of abandonment I experienced as a child, and a remark which my father made shortly before his death. So this poem is rather dark and comes close to a part of me that I would pre-fer to remain private. I have always considered myself a private person anyway, so it feels a bit risky to put so much of myself out there, so to speak. I am not always so sure I want to let anyone get that close. I suppose I chose to include it out of a sense of wanting to be honest ... to include the delights as well as darker moments, all aspects of human experience.”

Ms. Rousseau said most of her poetry is about “perception” and “insights.” A reviewer on amazon.com writes: “Ann’s words bring you to where she is. I can see the smooth-ness of the stones, see the swirls in the shells and feel the memories.”

The third of her “Obscene Phone Calls,” she said, is where a man calls her and says “If you want to see your husband live again, don’t hang up.”

“That really happened,” she said. “I was separated at the time so natu-rally I hung up.” She called the police and they said we know who it is. He

was in jail or somewhere where he was confined but had access to a phone. “I thought that was pretty silly. Here’s a man who is in jail and he could have called for a lawyer, he could have called for pizza, and he called me.”

Selling volumes of poetry has never been easy. “I can count on one hand the people I know who buy poetry books,” she said. “So, I didn’t do this as a commercial enterprise. I have a Kindle and I don’t buy books any more either. Except for maybe Billy Collins.”

She has found over the years that whenever she has had a lot of other kinds of writing to do — such a prog-ress reports for school — she gets the urge to write poetry. “It’s almost a balance issue,” she explained. “I was talking to a friend of mine last week who was very upset because she hadn’t heard from this person and she thought the person wasn’t speaking to her anymore. And I said, we all have stories. Probably he’s focused on something else that has nothing to do with what you’ve done or the slight you think you’ve gotten. It turned out that I was right. And I thought, ah, there’s a poem in there somewhere.”

Searching for Barefoot on ama-zon.com, Ms. Rousseau warned, can be tricky. If you don’t add the sub-title “A Collection of Poems” and/or her name, you get the Barefoot Contessa.

PoetContinued from Page 1A


As frustration continued to mount for Wilton resi-dents still without power three days after Tropical Storm Irene struck the area, State Sen. Toni Boucher criticized the response by Connecticut Lighting and Power. Citing statements by CL& P spokesmen that full restoration of power in Wilton may not happen for “at least several days, if not more,” Ms. Boucher took issue with the utility compa-ny’s performance.

“In 1985, after Hurricane Gloria, it took eight days to get the power back,” she said. “So this is progress?”

Ms. Boucher said CL& P should have acted more swiftly, and dispatched more crews to Wilton.

“Their answer is that they need a rate hike … and that is not a good answer,” she said.

After the dust clears, Ms. Boucher said she would like

a “review and debriefing” of CL& P’s performance in Irene’s aftermath, perhaps with oversight from the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control. (DPUC)

In the past few days, Ms. Boucher has visited all seven towns in her dis-trict, and said the local pub-lic works departments are “doing a good job in trying to get roads cleared.” Ms. Boucher represents the 26th Senatorial District, which includes parts of Wilton, Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Westport and Weston.

She said her phone has been “ringing off the hook” with irate constituents “who have not had water and elec-tricity for three days.” Ms. Boucher said she does not have power in her Wilton home, either, but added that “I would gladly wait until every one of my constitu-ents gets theirs back first.”

As of noon Wednesday, approximately 60% of

Wilton residents did not have power, or 5,040 cus-tomers. Throughout the state, 292,725 state residents had outages, or 23%. In the immediate wake of the storm, about 767,000 resi-dents had no power, includ-ing most of Wilton.

After Gloria hit the state in September 1985, some 669,000 Connecticut resi-dents were without power.

A CL&P spokesman said that 13 crews were working in Wilton on Wednesday, with six more also sched-uled to arrive imminently, which is double the amount of crews working Tuesday.

According to a CL&P press release, more crews are due to arrive in the state from throughout the coun-try, some from as far west as Colorado. As of Tuesday morning, 854 CL&P crews were at work throughout the state on power restoration, and the number was expect-ed to increase to 1,200 by Friday morning.

Boucher blasts CL&P response to Irene

The arts are the first things to get cut” when there are budget constraints. Yet the arts are such an integral part of good communications skills, which are so essential these days.

Rick Hilsabeck

The moon is rolling close tonightspinning out a silver threadand I,silently ascending,leave fields of autumn amber and winterdiamonds,earthmoments,behind.

Moon verses fall in clouds from my lips.Moon rhythms lighten the pulse of my steps.

The moon is rolling close tonightspinning out a silver threadwhile I, drawn by distant symphonies,return,making milk-soft prints on cool grasses,lingering in evening quiet.

Moon Poem

12A12A

Paul Grand Pré, former resident of Wilton and a grad-uate of Wilton High School class of 1973, was married to Donna Hoyt in a service of holy matrimony Saturday, Feb. 26, at Village Lutheran Church in Bronxville, N.Y. The Rev. Dr. Robert Hartwell officiated at the ceremony and the Rev. Deric Taylor performed the rite of mar-riage and exchange of vows.

Mr. Grand Pré has served as the vice president for Institutional Advancement at Concordia College in Bronxville, N.Y. He joined the senior administration of Concordia in 2004 follow-ing a 20-year career on Wall Street and formerly served Concordia as the chair of the Finance Committee on the college’s Board of Regents. He recently accepted a posi-tion with Save the Children in Westport as director of Board Relations.

At Wilton High, Mr. Grand Pré played varsity

soccer and lacrosse and was an officer of numerous stu-dent clubs and organizations and was the recipient of the Princeton Leadership Award. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College and holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College.

Mrs. Grand Pré is the dean of admissions at Pace University overseeing under-graduate and graduate admis-sions at Pace’s campuses in Manhattan, White Plains, and Pleasantville. The couple met at Concordia where Mrs. Grand Pré formerly served as dean of enrollment. She is a graduate of Concordia-Portland where she also earned her MBA.

The couple enjoyed a honeymoon to India and the Maldives and now make their home in Mount Kisco, N.Y. The wedding date was chosen in memory and tribute to the groom’s parents, who were married on Feb. 26, 1947.

John and Eda Grand Pré were longtime residents of Wilton

before moving to Stratford in 2001.

Paul Grand Pré marries Donna Hoyt

SOCIALThursday, Sept. 1, 2011 13A

BULLETIN BOARD

The Bulletin Board is a guide to events of public interest hap-pening in Wilton designed to let you know what’s happening and when, and to help schedule important events. Submissions may be sent to The Wilton Bulletin, Box 367, or e-mail them to [email protected] by 5 p.m. Wednesday the week before intended publication. The full listings are posted at wilton-bulletin.com.

Registration for the Launch of Wilton Up Close 2011, through Tuesday, Sept. 6, Wilton Library. Students in grades 8-12 will work with photographer Daryl Hawk on photographing their sur-roundings. The project concludes with an exhibit in the library in February. Registration limited to 25, and the cost is $50 each. To register, call Meg Fuentes at 203-762-3950, ext. 224, or e-mail [email protected].

Al-Anon, support for family and friends of alcoholics, Sundays, 6 to 7 p.m., Wilton Congregational Church, 70 Ridgefield Road, second floor of the Education Building.

Wilton Farmers Market, Wednesdays, through Sept. 28, 2-6 p.m. Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road. wiltonfarmersmarket.org 203-762-3950.

The Literary House: When Legends Come to Life Exhibition, through Sept. 29. Wilton Library; wiltonlibrary.org; 203-762-3950.

Teddy Bear Picnic, Thursday, Sept. 1, 11-11:30 a.m. Ages 3-5 years with parent/caregiver, Wilton Library. Registration required: wil-tonlibrary.org; 203-762-3950.

Bulletin First Friday at Wilton Library, Sept. 2, 10 to 11:30 a.m., Study Room A. Editor Jeannette Ross will be available to talk about what is in the paper and what is happening in town. No appointments. Information: 203-894-3330.

High School Coffee House at Trackside, Friday, Sept. 2, 6 p.m. The first Friday of every month is dedicated to the high school students who are willing to show off their talents. Admission is free and the café will be open serving the typical menu items as well as hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and lattes. Information on how to sign up: trackside.org, or [email protected].

Terrific Tales for Twos and Threes, Tuesdays, Sept. 6 through Oct. 25, 10:15-10:45, Wilton Library. Ages 2 and 3. No registration; wiltonlibrary.org; 203-762-3950.

Look, Listen and Learn, Tuesdays, Sept. 6 through Oct. 25, 11-11:30, Wilton Library. Ages 3 and 4. No registration; wiltonli-brary.org; 203-762-3950.

Literary Littles, Tuesdays, Sept. 6 through Oct. 25, 2:25-3, Wilton Library. Ages 4-6. No registration; wiltonlibrary.org; 203-762-3950.

Books for Babies, Wednesdays, Sept. 7 through Oct. 26, 10:15-10:45, Wilton Library; wiltonlibrary.org; 203-762-3950.

Wonderful Ones and Twos with Caregivers, Wednesdays, Sept. 7 through Oct. 26, 11-11:30, Wilton Library. No registration; wilton-library.org; 203-762-3950.

Lego Club, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 4-5 p.m., Wilton Library. Grades 3 and up, 20 spots available, first come first serve; wiltonlibrary.org; 203-762-3950.

Job Success: How to Create An Attention-Grabbing Value Proposition, Linda Van Valkenburgh, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 7-8:30 p.m., Wilton Library. Registration recommended; wiltonlibrary.org; 203-762-3950.

Join Trackside’s Student Governing Board, Wednesday, Sept. 7, from 6 to 7p.m. An informational meeting for parents and middle and high school students looking to be involved in Trackside’s Student Governing Board. Information: e-mail Brett Beatty at [email protected].

Wiremill Academy Launch Party, Sept. 8, 6-8 p.m., G&B Community Cultural Center, 39 New Street. The party will cel-ebrate a new theatrical arts school. Information: wiremillacademy.com or 203-544-9494.

Donna and Paul Grand Pré

With the help of efforts in Wilton, United Way of Coastal Fairfield County announced it collected 101,000 new or gently used books during its “Dr. Seuss” Throwdown Book Drive which began in the spring. The goal was set for 100,000.

The book drive chal-lenge was established spe-cifically to reduce the read-ing loss that occurs when students do not read over the summer.

Those who partici-pated in Wilton included

Ellen Gold, Nielsen, Middlebrook School, and the Girl Scouts of Connecticut.

Books were distributed in several ways. The Books for Babies Program includ-ed books for new mothers at area hospitals, the Books for Kids Program which provides books to lower-income families and lit-eracy programs to support early literacy, and summer reading programs

Information: united-waycfc.org/throwdown.

Wilton community joined in book drive

Weir Farm Art Center will present the 16th Annual Jazz in the Garden Sunday Sept. 25, from 3 to 5, at Weir Farm National Historic Site.

Performing will be Wilton’s Chris Brubeck and the Brubeck Brothers Quartet.

There is no parking at the site. Shuttles will run continuously from 2 to 6 from Branchville School, 40 Florida Road, Ridgefield.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students 13-18, free

for children 12 and under.Tickets are available at

The Wilton Bank, other locations to be announced, and on the day of show at the Branchville School lot and at the door.

Weir Farm Art Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organi-zation. Proceeds benefit the Artist in Residence and other programs.

I n f o r m a t i o n : [email protected] or 203-761-9945.

Weir jazz concertfeatures Chris Brubeck

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SCHOOLS14A Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011

by Chris DavisAssistant Editor

About four years ago, Wilton High School biology and AP environmental sci-ence teacher Jim Hunter and a bunch of his students had an idea. Why not build a garden to demonstrate all the stuff they had been talking about — sustainability and the benefits of locally produced organic foods to people and the environment?

Mr. Hunter had been doing volunteer work and training with Annie Farrell and Betsy Fink at Millstone Farm. He got them to look around the high school property. They analyzed light exposure, posi-tion, access to water, proxim-ity to the greenhouse and they picked the most logical place on Earth: about a half-ten-nis-court size plot of school property tucked between the greenhouse and the school’s southeast corner. It even had south-facing, east-west sun, ideal for growing.

“It all fell into place very nicely,” Mr. Hunter said. Teich Garden System, LLC, an experienced garden builder out of South Salem, N.Y., who are experts at keeping the deer out and who had worked with Ms. Farrell before, came and specked the plot out and sub-mitted an estimate.

It took two years to raise the money, between $27,000 and $30,000. Most of it came from the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation. Newman’s Own Foundation kicked in $5,000, in addition to in-kind and other general donations. Ms. Farrell found the lumber for the beds from contacts in upstate New York.

Ms. Farrell also provided the initial expertise on how to configure the garden, using an Excel spreadsheet plug-ging crops into beds with start dates in seed flats, transplant-ing date, harvest yield, and so on. The crops were chosen based on what the lunch room wanted, she said. They gave

a list of the things they could use the most of and catered to their needs, the biggest one being salad.

She now goes over twice a week to support Mr. Hunter and the students. “He’s gotten so good at this he doesn’t need me like he used to,” she said. “He’s figured it out.”

The garden was completed June 2010, a little late for planting, Mr. Hunter said. But they did the best they could. There were irrigation issues that have since been resolved.

“And this year has been an absolute stellar garden,” he said. Over the summer, since the end of the 2011 school year, it has yielded 440 pounds of produce. And that does not include 50 pounds of lettuce produced from March through the end of school, or the many plants the students sold at the Wilton Go Green Festival as a fund-raiser.

“The garden is 100% run without using any money from the district or from the town. All the money has been raised either from students having bake sales in the cafeteria, selling plants at Wilton Go Green, as well as people who have benefited from the fruits and vegetables over the sum-mer having made some dona-tions,” Mr. Hunter said.

They are always looking for donations, he added. High school students volunteer throughout the school year and summer. Student volun-teers were planing to show up Tuesday, the second day off from the two-day-old school year, to help harvest and put things back together after Irene blew by.

“Luckily we did not suf-fer too much damage here,” he said. “Things could be worse.”

Of the grand total harvest since June of 440 pounds, 80 to 90 pounds has been toma-toes, 70 pounds of lettuce, almost 20 pounds of onions, 60 to 70 pounds of carrots, nine pounds of pole beans a week for the last four weeks,

12 pounds of chard, three-and-a-half pounds of parsley, close to eight pounds of basil.

“And we still have a tre-mendous amount to go,” Mr. Hunter said. “We have at least another two full months of the growing season.”

As things slow down they will focus on root crops and with cooler temperature let-tuce, spinach and arugula. The Swiss chard is growing nicely. There are a lot of beets and carrots in. There is garlic to plant that will be harvested in June 2012.

“Although it seems like we’re coming to the end of the season, we’re at the same time prepping and getting everything ready for the next season,” he said with a proud smile. “We’ll just keep it right on going.”

The special needs students at the high school have been an integral part of the program from day one. The students have worked in the green-house for years with the sci-ence department helping with

watering and other plant care. “When we started up our

organic garden this year as we did all of our seeding back in the mid- to late winter, the special ed students worked hand-in-hand with some of our teachers as well as their aides and did a lot of planting of our herbs,” Mr. Hunter said. They planted the dill, the cilantro, the basil and the parsley and maintained them in the green-house until they were ready to be transplanted outside, which they did, in addition to water-ing them all summer.

“They did a phenomenal job and all of us are very proud and very fortunate to have a group of dedicated stu-dents like the special needs students here at Wilton High School,” Mr. Hunter said.

Seeing the rewards of their work is what Mr. Hunter feels all students get out of the organic garden. “Not in a monetary sense,” he explained, “but in seeing how much peo-ple enjoy eating what they have grown and produced in

here. They are also taking it home and their families are really enjoying it.”

During the school year, everything the garden produc-es that the cafeteria can use it does use. Students will be in the garden two afternoons a week harvesting and stow-ing the yield in a refrigerator in the science department on loan from Chartwells or in the cafeteria’s refrigerators.

The cafeteria uses their peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, carrots and beets. “The students are already aware of that,” Mr. Hunter said. “It’s already started happening. It happened last school year as well. The students look at the salads and see ‘WHS Garden Salad’ and they know it is organic from the garden here. And they go right for it. There are students who will literally walk in there and if they don’t se the garden salad, they’ll go and have whatever they have for lunch. But if the garden salad is available they will eat that over whatever they

brought.”“The first time we brought

salad into the lunch room it was gone in five minutes,” Ms. Farrell said. “It ran away.”

During the summer the yield is donated to anybody who is around: custodians, secretaries, administrators, teachers, students. “We donate and we hope that out of the kindness people will donate in return,” Mr. Hunter said.

The WHS Organic Garden is trying to be 100% self-sufficient and not go off any town money. And donations are warmly welcome. All of Mr. Hunter’s time is donated, he gets no stipend in any way shape or form and it is his spare time, not school time.

The garden is not a true and official club yet but he is working on it for this year. Were it to become an official club, Mr. Hunter would get a modest stipend. “Knowing me I would just put the sti-pend right into the budget of the club,” he said. He said it would be about $2,000 for the whole year, before taxes.

The garden costs between $1,000 and $2,000 a year. The students do all the work. The major expenses are seeds, soil (for germination as well as the beds) and equipment like shovels, trowels and wheel-barrows as they wear out. The soil alone to fill all of the beds initially was $1,500. It’s $500 to $700 a year to replen-ish. Another $500 to $700 in seeds.“So it gets expensive,” Mr. Hunter said.

Students see rewards also because they know there were no fertilizers or pesticides used, and what they are eating is not only organic and locally grown but much more envi-ronmentally friendly, he said.

“They enjoy working out here,” he said. “They like the fact that they have a say-so in this and they can run it. I quite often just tell them I need this done, I step back and I don’t have to worry about anything. I know it’s going to get done.”

High school’s organic garden reaps many rewards

Wilton High School biology teacher Jim Hunter in the organic garden he has built with the help of student volunteers and expertise from Millstone Farm. The school cafeteria gave him a wish list of produce they could use and the corner plot has already produced hundeds of pounds of vegetables. Mr. Hunter hopes to make the project an official club activity at the school.

Chris Davis photo

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PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN(never known to fail)

Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt. Car-mel, fruitful vine splendor of Heaven. Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Im-maculate Virgin, assist me in my neces-sity. O, Star Of the Sea, help me and show me, herein you are my Mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth! I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to suc-cor me in my necessity. There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, show me herein that you are my mother. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (say three times). Holy Mary, I place this cause for your hands (say three times). Holy Spirit, you who solve all problems, light all roads so that I can attain my goal. You who gave me the divine gift to forgive and forget all evil against me and that in all instances in my life you are with me. I want in this short prayer to thank you for all things as you confirm once again that I never want to be separated from you in eternal glory. Thank you for your mercy toward me and mine. Say this prayer for three days and the request will be granted. This prayer must be published after the favor is granted. Thank You Blessed Mother. J.M.H. & D. H.

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BUSINESSThursday, Sept. 1, 2011 15A


For 43 years, Wiltonian Margaret Reed has been train-ing dogs — the animals she truly believes are “man’s best friend.” “They have been our companions for so long, throughout history,” said Ms. Reed, director and owner of the Wilton-based Canine Training and Behavior Services (CTBS). “Dogs are incredible animals.”

Ms. Reed founded her business in 1984, and the fall schedule of classes, ranging from obedience to agility and several more, is now available on the CTBS Web site. Other services include in-home pri-vate training, “sleep-away training camp” and “puppy temperament testing.”

“We will temperament test litters of puppies so that they may be placed in the proper homes with new own-ers, increasing the chances that they will find ‘life-time’ homes,” said Ms. Reed, who is an international show judge, and sits on the advisory boards of Cornell University’s Baker Institute for Animal Health and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s President’s Council.

Ms. Reed is a longtime Wilton resident and graduate of Wilton High School, who has also served as president of the Wilton Kiwanis Club.

A new service at CTBS is personalized training walks, which teaches the dog how to “interact in public” and addresses “loose lead walk-ing,” Ms. Reed said.

“According to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the average dog needs three 30-minute walks a day to maintain a well-bal-anced lifestyle and eliminate stress as well as unwanted behavior.”

To Ms. Reed, owners need to devote time and energy into caring for their dogs. “They have to take responsibility,” she said. “It is a privilege and

not a right to own a dog.”As a child, Ms. Reed said

she always had a natural affin-ity for dogs, but her inter-est was heightened when she read about President John K. Kennedy and the several dogs he had in the White House.

“After he was assassinated, I always wondered what hap-pened to the dogs,” she said.

Dog training became a hobby for Ms. Reed while she pursued a career in finance. She obtained her Ph.D. from

New York University’s Stern School of Business, and worked on Wall Street, she said. “Then the market crashed in 1987, and I decided to turn my hobby into my full-time business.”

Ms. Reed established a highly regarded reputation in her field, and trained dogs for celebrities and the Kennedy family, including John F. Kennedy, Jr., and his German shepherd, Sam. She has also trained dogs for various law enforcement agencies and for

television shows, including “All My Children.”

As a noted judge, Ms. Reed has worked at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden, among many others.

“My basic philosophy is to do what is right for the dog,” she said. “Owners should take the time to get to know their dogs, and learn to redirect them into positive behavior. Educate yourself in how to properly care for your dog.”

The underlying approach should be a “humane” one, which avoids such techniques as “choke collars, throw col-lars or electric collars,” she said. “The techniques are anti-quated and can cause so much damage to the dog.”

A simple and logical step is also to chose a dog that is “right for you and your fam-ily,” she said. “For example, don’t get a 180-pound Great Dane if you are out of the house working from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day,” she said.

Over the years, Ms. Reed has watched the occupants of the White House follow in JFK’s footsteps, and bring their dogs to the Oval Office — the latest being President Obama’s Portuguese water dog, Bo. “It’s a slice of Americana, presidents and their dogs,” she said.

Ms. Reed is looking for-ward to the fall session with her newest canine “students” and their companions. “It’s a lot of fun,” she said. ‘It’s been a great life.

Classes take place at the Wilton Family Y, the office of the South Wilton Vet, and other spots in Fairfield County.

Information: caninetrain-ingctbs.com/schedule/.

Noted dog trainer launches fall classes

Deepening the human-canine connectionBUSINESS UPDATE

Readers may send information for this col-umn, preferably by e-mail, to Joan Lownds at [email protected], or to Box 367. Be sure to include a phone number.

Stamford Hospital promotes Wiltonian Cardiello

Stamford Hospital recently announced the promo-tions of Wiltonian Ruth Cardiello to vice president, enterprise risk management; and Dr. Sharon Kiely to senior vice president, medical affairs and chief medical officer.

Ms. Cardiello has worked at Stamford Hospital for 11 years, having served as manager, clinical compli-ance; director, case management and social work; direc-tor, risk management; and in her most recent position as executive director, enterprise risk management.

In her new position, Ms. Cardiello will provide Dr. Kiely with “leadership support for Stamford Hospital’s risk management and regulatory functions,” the press release says.

A practicing physician for 22 years, Dr. Kiely pre-viously served as Stamford Hospital’s vice president, quality and chief quality officer.

Connolly declares a ‘green’ dayConnolly, Inc., the world’s largest private recovery

firm, recently launched a “Green” Day, aimed at curtail-ing waste and cleaning up the environment. “The day is designed to encourage conservation of natural resources by eliminating waste and pooling resources,” said Marketing Manager Susan Meller, in a press release.

Ms. Meller initiated the effort, along with HR Manager Mitch Podob, human resources manager, who both work at Connolly’s Audit Support Center at 50 Danbury Road.

The endeavor was inspired by recent Connolly prac-tices aimed at eliminating the use of paper in high vol-ume faxing and in processing paperless claims. Other efforts, such as car pooling, reducing the use of paper goods in the company cafés, and continued progress in recycling are also being emphasized. Connolly offices throughout the world will share their day’s activities which will be publicized in the company’s newsletter, Connolly Connection.

Information: connolly.com.

Wiltonian Margaret Reed, owner of Canine Training and Behavior Services, has been training dogs for 43 years, and is about to begin a new schedule of fall classes and services.

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Residential - Commercial - Relocation - Mortgage - Insurance - Home Services - New Homes & LandprudentialCT.comStatewide Open House Weekend

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Store Line & Produce 203.762.7283Meat & Seafood Departments 203.762.7202Deli & Bakery 203.834.0099

OPEN EVERY DAY AT 7AMClose Mon-Fri at 8PMClose Sat & Sun at 7PM

108 Old Ridgefield Road Wilton, CT 06897 (just off rt. 7 in Wilton Center)villagemarketwilton.com

Produce Deli Meat Seafood Dairy Grocery Meals To Go Floral

Large enough to have what you want ... Small enough to get to know you!

Wednesday, August 31st through Tuesday, September 6th

Welcome to your

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Nancy DolnierGeneral Manager

WOW!SNAPPLE

All Varieties12 Pack $4.99

Market NewsWow! What a weekend! Hopefully by this point everyone is back on track and ready to resume life as normal. For a change, we didn’t lose power here at The Market so it is business as usual. We are restocked – there are a few spot outages here and there, but for the most part all is well! Let’s hope we can all enjoy Labor Day weekend with barbeques and good weather – we’ve got everything you need for great meals!

Community NewsNick Zinicola

5K Memorial Run/Walk

to benefitWHS Scholarship Fund

Sat., Sept. 10th8:30 a.m.

Kids Fun Run9:00 a.m. 5KRegister online

TheLastMileRacing.com

GroceryCarr’s Crackers All Varieties, Excludes Assortment, 4.25-7 oz.2/$5.00Dunkin Donuts CoffeeAll Varieties, 11-12 oz. $6.99Brianna’s Salad DressingAll Varieties 12 oz. $2.79Stubb’s BBQ Sauce All Varieties, 12-18 oz.2/$5.00Planters Peanuts All Varieties, 16 oz. Jar2/$5.00Green Mountain Gringo SalsaAll Varieties, 16 oz.$2.99Horizon Organic Milk All Varieties, 18 Pack$15.99TostitosAll Varieties, Excludes Baked or Natural, 10-13 oz.2/$6.00Utz Family Size Potato ChipsAll Varieties, 10 oz.2/$4.00Snapple All Varieties, 12 Pack$4.99S. Pellegrino Water 25.3 oz. $1.19 Plus DepositKingsford Charcoal16.6 lb. Bag$6.99

BakeryFreshly Baked LaBreaWholegrain Bread 18 oz.$2.99Frosted Sugar CookiesAll Varieties, 15oz.$2.49

MeatBell & Evans All NaturalWhole or Cut-Up Chickens$1.79 lb.Our Own Ginger Teriyaki MarinatedChicken Stir Fry$4.99 lb.USDA Choice Certified AngusBone-In Strip Steaks$5.99 lb.USDA Choice Certified AngusChuck Pot Roast$2.99 lb.Our Own Ground ChuckGround Fresh Here Daily$2.99 lb.Our Own All Natural Chuck PattiesMade Fresh Here Daily$3.99 lb.Milk FedVeal Loin Chops$6.99 lb.Grain Fed Pork Sirloin Cutlets$2.99 lb.

SeafoodCod Wild USA$8.99 lb.Salmon Fillet Farmed USA$6.99 lb.

DairyBreakstone Sour CreamAll Varieties, 16 oz.2/$3.00Tropicana Orange JuiceAll Varieties, 89 oz.$3.49Heluva Good Cheese All Varieties, 8 oz. Bar2/$4.00

ProduceCalifornia Romaine Lettuce99¢ eachCalifornia Celery99¢ bunchNew CropNew England GrownPaula Red Apples99¢ lb.California Bartlett Pears99¢ lb.

DeliBoar’s Head Oven Gold Turkey$5.99 lb.Boar’s HeadSlicing Swiss Cheese$4.99 lb.Our Own Macaroni Salad$3.99 lb.Hummel Brothers Natural Casing Franks$4.99 lb.Our Own Spinach Artichoke Dip$4.99 lb.

FrozenEdy’s Ice CreamAll Flavors, 48 oz. Buy One Get One FreeCool Whip ToppingAll Varieties, 8 oz. 99¢Minute Maid PopsAll Varieties, 8-12 Count$2.99

Open MondayLABOR DAY

7am until 6pm

Nancy’s NotesMy friend Candace’s Puppy Chow (it’s for us – not the dogs!) is such a yummy treat for your weekend. Guaranteed to be the hit of the party! In a large plastic bowl, combine 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter with 1 – 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet morsels and 1 cup of peanut butter. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring about halfway through. Stir in Crispix Cereal (that’s all but 2 cups from one box). Mix well.Pour 2 cups confectioner’s sugar into a large paper bag (be sure there are no holes) and add chocolate cereal mixture.

Shake well – very well! Dump onto a waxed paper lined baking sheet and chill at least one hour. Store in an airtight plastic container. Enjoy!

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720 Branchville Road • Ridgefield, CT • Phone - 203.544.8436 • Deli 544.8778 • Butcher 544.8964

Follow us on Facebook and receive our flyer by emailSign up online at Ancona’s Market www.AnconasMarket.com

We reserve the right to limit quantities. No sales to dealers. Not responsible for typographical errors. Illustrations may not necessarily depict sale items.

Product of USA

Sweet Onions

99¢ lb.

Maine

Broccoli Crowns

99¢ lb.

Scratch Baked Daily

Ancona’sFresh Baguette

$199 ea.

Sliced Fresh in the Deli

KrakusImported Ham

$599 lb.

Imported

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2 lbs. For$1

Sliced Fresh in the Deli

Ancona’s All NaturalLondon Broil

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Certified Angus Beef

SirloinLondon Broil

$399 lb.

Perfectly Trimmed

ChickenTenderloins

$359 lb.

Boneless

Chicken Breast

$199 lb.

Organic

Salmon Steak

$999 lb.

Open Labor Day, Monday, September 5 • 7am-5pm

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Product of USA • 6 oz. Pkg.

Raspberries

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By the Wedge

JarlsbergCheese

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Certified Angus BeefBoneless Rib Steaks

$799 lb.

sale prices from Friday, September 2 thru Thursday, September 8

Certified OrganicFruits and Vegetables

Product of USA • 5 oz. Container • Asst. Varieties

Olivia’s Salad Blends ..............................2/7.00Product of USA • Organic

Red or White Seedless Grapes ......................................3.99 lb.

Product of USA • Organic

California Oranges ..................................3/1.99Product of USA • Organic • 1 lb. Package

Celery Hearts ...........................................2/5.00

ImportedBananas

2 lbs./1.00Product of USAExtra LargeCantaloupe

2/3.00Maine

Broccoli Crowns.99 lb.

Product of USASunsweet

Black or Red Plums1.99 lb.

Product of USA • 6 oz.Raspberries

2/5.00

Product of USA5 oz. Garden Blend, Baby Spinach or Baby Romaine

Salad Blends2.99 ea.

Product of USARomaineLettuce1.29 ea.

Product of USA16 oz. Package

Baby Peeled Carrots2/3.00Imported

Navel Oranges1.69 ea.

Product of USACauliflower

2/5.00

Product of USA9 oz. Package

Snack PackCarrots3/4.00

Product of USASweetOnions.99 lb.

Garden Fresh Produce

Floral, Cards & Gifts8-InchHardy

Aster Plants3/12.00

Bushel BasketFall

Perennials19.99 ea.

8-InchGardenMums

3/12.00

Local Produce…

Arriving Fresh Daily!Heirloom Tomatoes, Peppers, Scallions,

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Seedless Grapes2.49 lb.

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Round White Potatoes3.49 ea.

Freshly SqueezedOrange Juice

taste the difference fresh squeezed makes - just hours old!

Juicy Juice ............................................2For$664 oz. Bottle • Assorted Varieties

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Pepsi-Cola 12 Pack ...............................2For$8144 fz. Package • Assorted Varieties

Coca-Cola 6 Pack ...............................3For$10101.4 fz. Package • Assorted Varieties

Snapple Drinks 12 Pack ......................... 6.99192 fz. Package • Assorted Varieties

Nestle Pure Life Water 24 Pack ...........2For$9405.6 fz. Package • Plus Deposit

Arizona Brick Pack ...............................2For$567.5 fz. Package • Assorted Varieties

Kellogg’s Cereal ...................................2For$49 oz. Rice Krispies, 11.3 oz. Cocoa Krispies, 12 oz. Corn Flakes or Cinnamon Corn Flakes

Quaker Life Cereal ................................2For$613 oz. Box • Assorted Varieties

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars ................. 2.996.1-6.5 oz. Box • Assorted Varieties

Aunt Jemima Pancake Syrup ................ 2.9924 oz. Bottle • Assorted Varieties

Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix ..................2For$532 oz. Box • Assorted Varieties

Quaker Steel Cut Oats ............................ 5.9924 oz. Box

Kellogg’s Variety Pack ........................... 3.599.63 oz. Package

Minute Maid 100% Juice Pack ............... 3.4967.5 oz. Package • Assorted Varieties

Nabisco Chips Ahoy ............................... 2.999.5-15.25 oz. Package • Assorted Varieties

Keebler Cheez-its .................................2For$59.7-14 oz. Package • Assorted Varieties

Prego Pasta Sauce ...............................3For$523.6-24 oz. Jar • Assorted Varieties

Near East Rice ..................................10For$105.4-10 oz. Box • Assorted Varieties Excludes Long Grain & Wild Rice!

Cento Tomatoes ................................10For$1028 oz. Can • Assorted Varieties

Campbell’s Tomato Soup .....................5For$310.75 oz. Can

Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup ......5For$310.75 oz. Can

Geisha Solid White Tuna ......................4For$55 oz. Can • In Water

Garden Delight Pasta ...........................2For$312 oz. Box • Selected Varieties

Near East Pearl Couscous ...................2For$54.75-5 oz. Box • Assorted Varieties

Heinz Ketchup .......................................2For$540 oz. Bottle

Hellmann’s Mayonnaise ......................... 3.9930 oz. Jar • Assorted Varieties

IGA Pitted Olives ..................................3For$46 oz. Can • Assorted Varieties

Kraft Salad Dressing ............................2For$416 oz. Bottle • Assorted Varieties

IGA Designer Plates/Cups ...................2For$524-48 ct. Plates • 54 ct. Cups • Assorted Varieties

Brawny Towels 8/6 Roll .......................... 6.996 Big Roll/612 ct. Package 8 Reg Roll/368 ct. Package

Scotties Facial Tissues .......................... 2.29264 ct. Box

IGA Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil ............. 1.8937.5 sf. Box

IGA Recloseable Sandwich Bags ........2For$350 ct. Box

IGA White Napkins ...............................2For$4250 ct. Package

Friskies Canned Cat Food .................10For$45.5 oz. Can • Assorted Varieties

Alpo Canned Dog Food ............................ .7913.2 oz. Can • Assorted Varieties

All Liquid Detergent ............................... 3.9950 oz. Bottle • Assorted Varieties

Fancy Feast Appetizers .......................4For$52 oz. Pacakge • Assorted Varieties

Ajax Dish Liquid ..................................... 2.1934 oz. Bottle • Assorted Varieties

Farm Fresh DairySimply Orange Juice ............................2For$759 oz. Bottle • Assorted Varieties

Sargento Shredded Cheese .................2For$57-8 oz. Package • Assorted Varieties

Cabot Butter ............................................ 3.9916 oz. Package • Salted or Unsalted

Cabot Natural Cheese Slices ...............2For$68 oz. Package • Assorted Varieties

Stonyfield Oikos ...............................10For$105.3 oz. Package • Assorted Varieties

Eggland’s Best Large White Eggs ........ 3.4918 ct. Carton

Silk Soymilk ..........................................2For$664 oz. Carton • Assorted Varieties

Immaculate Baking Scones .................2For$616 oz. Can • Assorted Varieties

Immaculate Baking Cookies ................2For$514 oz. Package • Assorted Varieties

34 oz. Bottle • Extra Virgin

ColavitaOlive Oil

$1299

9-12 Roll/2400-2970 ct. Pkg.

NorthernBath Tissue

$699

Natural & OrganicBonne Maman Preserves ................2For$713 oz. Jar • Assorted Varieties

Michael’s of Brooklyn Pasta Sauce ...7.9932 oz. Jar • Assorted Varieties

Martinell’s Organic Apple Juice .........7.9964 oz. Bottle

Briannna’sAll Natural Salad Dressing .................2.9912 oz. Bottle

Martinelli Sparkling Lemonde .........2For$425.4 oz. Bottle

Full Circle Organic Ketchup ...............2.4924 oz. Bottle

Frozen SpecialsWeight Watchers Smartones Entrées .2For$56-11.7 oz. Package • Assorted Varieties

Green Giant Vegetables .......................2For$312 oz. Bag • Assorted Varieties • Valley Fresh Steam

McCain Fries ..........................................2for62032 oz. Bag • Assorted Varieties

Newman’s Own Pizza ............................. 5.4912-13.9 oz. Box • Assorted Varieties

Ben & Jerry’s & Starbucks .................... 3.9916 oz. Package • Assorted Varieties

1 Gallon Jug

Marcus Dairy1%Milk

$299

10.75-12.3 oz. Box • Asst. Varieties

Eggo10 ct. Waffles

2For$4

101.4 oz. Bottle

IGA3 Liter Spring Water

10For$10

10-10.5 oz. Bag • Asst. Varieties

Lay’s ClassicPotato ChipsBuy One

Get 1 FREE

Ancona’sAll Natural

London Broil8.99 lb.

KrakusImported Ham

5.99 lb.

Boar’s HeadMaple GlazedTurkey Breast

7.99 lb.

MothergooseLiverwurst3.99 lb.

Boar’s HeadVermont Cheddar

6.99 lb.

Low SodiumLorraine

Swiss Cheese4.99 lb.

Freshly Sliced

from the Delicatessen deli meats, imported cheeses, prepared foods and catering

From Our Bakery

Jarlsberg Cheese .........................5.99 lb.

6.5 oz. • Assorted VarietiesAlouette

Cheese Spreads ......................... 4.49 ea.

8 oz. • Assorted VarietiesApple SmokedCheese ........................................ 4.49 ea.

Fine Cheeses

Freshly Prepared Foods

Scratch Baked DailyAncona’s Fresh

Baguette1.99 ea.

12 ct. PackageTwo-Bite

Carrot Cake2.99 ea.

Assorted4-InchCakes

4.99 ea.

Choc Chip or OatmealMini

Cookies3.99 lb.

Baked Fresh DailyLa Brea

Sourdough Bread2.99 ea.

Your one stop shopfor all things delicious

Deli sandwiches, prepared meals, homemade salads, daily lunch and dinner selections, specialty meats and cheeses…

and yes…FULL SERVICE CATERING AVAILABLE!!

Any occasion, any time, any where.Over 30 years of catering experience.

Ancona’s Deli & CaterersAncona’s 9-Piece Chicken Box

With 1 lb. of Deli Salad Free!

9.99 lb.

Fresh, Local, Organic Tomato Salad6.99 lb.

Cucumber and Dill Salad6.99 lb.

Carrot & Beet Salad6.99 lb.

Applegate Farm Pre-Sliced Provolone Cheese ... 4.49 ea.8 oz. • All Natural

President Brie Log ....................... 5.49 ea.6 oz.

Sabra Hummus .............................. 2.99 ea.10 oz. • Assorted Varieties

New York Style Bagel Chips .......2/5.006 oz. • Assorted Varieties

Fresh PoultryBoneless

Chicken Breast ..................... 1.99 lb.

Springer Mountain Farm

Split Chicken Breast ............. 2.49 lb.

Hot or Sweet

Plainville Turkey Sausage ..... 3.99 lb.

Bell & Evans

Cornish Hens ...................... 4.99 lb.

Perfectly Trimmed

Chicken Tenderloins ............ 3.59 lb.

Fresh MeatsCertified Angus Beef

Boneless Rib Steak .............. 7.99 lb.


Sirloin London Broil ............. 3.99 lb.


Ground Sirloin .................... 3.99 lb.

For Pulled Pork

Shoulder Pork Butt .............. 1.99 lb.

Great on the Grill

St. Louis Spare Ribs ............. 3.99 lb.

from the Butcher ShopAll natural beef, pork and poultry, fresh seafood

The Freshest Seafood! Delivered 6 Days A Week!Organic

Salmon Steak ................................. 9.99 lb.

Swordfish Steak .......................... 13.99 lb.

Pacific Grouper .............................. 7.99 lb.

Little Neck Clams ..........................3.99 doz

Packaged Meats

Certified Piedmontese

Top RoundLondon Broil

4.99 lb.


GroundRound

4.99 lb.

in house Chef PreparedReady to cook and prepared in house with simple, fresh ingredients. They’re wholesome & delicious quick meals!

All NaturalCertifiedPiedmontese Beef

A true “never ever” all natural beef raised on a grass rich, corn-free diet for a delicious, full beef flavor with significantly lower fat and cholesterol than corn-fed beef.


Skirt Steak6.99 lb.

All Natural Meatloaf Certified Piedmontese All Natural

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloins Olive Oil, Rosemary and Garlic

Marinated Chicken Breasts Olive Oil, Rosemary and Garlic

9.6 oz. Package • Fully Cooked

Jimmy Dean Sausage Links3.59 pk.

12 oz. Package • Bell & Evans

Chicken Burgers4.99 pk.

1 lb. Package

Sabrett Bun-Size Franks3.99 pk.

720 Branchville Road • Ridgefield, CT • Phone - 203.544.8436 • Deli 544.8778 • Butcher 544.8964

Open Labor Day, Monday, September 5 • 7am-5pm

sale prices from Friday, September 2 thru Thursday, September 8

wilton bulletin 9.1.11

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