May 19, 2012

No Longer Welcome to Old Saybrook?

Letter to the Editor:

I have noticed that the once plentiful “Welcome to Old Saybrook” signs are gradually disappearing, e.g., off 95 south, Westbrook line, front of C of C. Shouldn’t we be welcoming people to our magnificent town?

Sincerely,

Dan Sullivan

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High Costs Force Cancellation of Summer Pops

The following letter was received from the Executive Director of the Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce:

To the Old Saybrook Community:

For the past 14 years the Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce has presented the Saybrook Summer Pops with the help of many generous sponsors and volunteers.  This terrific community event marked the end of summer with music and fireworks at beautiful Saybrook Point.

Due to the grand scale of the event, the minimum production costs now top $18,000.  Because of these rising costs, the Old Saybrook Chamber Board of Directors was forced to make a very difficult decision.  At the April Board meeting, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to cancel the 2011 Pops and re-assess the future of the event.

The Chamber is very proud of all of our events and grateful for the support of the community.   Both the 2011 Chili-Fest and Business Expo were very successful.  The 48th Annual Arts & Crafts Festival scheduled for July 23 & 24 will once again be Saybrook’s signature summer event.  We hope to see you there!

We will miss the Summer Pops this August but it is our hope that with strong community support we can move forward with a new event featuring fireworks in 2012.

Thank you,
Judy Sullivan, Executive Director
Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce
For more information about the Old Saybrook Chamber and its programs and services, please visit our website at www.oldsaybrookchamber.com or all the office at 860-388-3266.

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“Thank You” from Literacy Volunteers for Supporting Backward Mile

Dear Editor:

I am writing this letter as a “thank you” to those who made Literacy Volunteers Valley Shore, CT, Inc. even better on April 2, 2011. That day we sponsored the 4th annual April Fools Backward Mile/ 5K Race. This is especially appropriate during National Volunteer Week.

The April Fools race would not have been possible without the help of our volunteers: Jean & Rich Alexander, Don Male, Linda Morales, Ann Fogg, Ann Lander, Rebecca Harris, John McGirr, Mac Walker, Ron& Mary DeMartino, Chris Egri, Pam Skelly, Ada Wilson, Donna Bowden, Nan Strolha, Suki McLaren, Paula Ferrara and the Boy Scouts of Troop 12. I also want to thank our staff and Board members whose time and effort cannot be ignored.

We appreciate the support of the Town of Essex, the Police department and resident Trooper Kerry Taylor, First Selectman Phil Miller and the Essex Parks Department.

Donations from The Clark Group, Tower Laboratories, Guilford Savings Bank, Essex Savings Bank, Edward Jones Investments, Bogaert Construction, Kearney Insurance, Thompson and Peck Insurance, The Clinton Floor Store, The Valley Courier and Cohen’s Bagels without whose support this community event would not be possible.

I want to thank the participants for supporting Literacy Volunteers. We hope they all had a good time and plan to come back next year.

I especially want to thank our Race Director, Cathy Bishop, who spent countless hours organizing and directing this race. The race would not have been nearly as successful without her efforts.

To all those I have mentioned, and to those I am forgetting, I cannot express in words the gratitude that we at Literacy

Volunteers Valley Shore, CT, Inc. feel. THANK YOU!
Sincerely,

Michael A. Noto
Executive Director

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Don’t Let Comcast Outsource Community TV

To the Editor:

An Open Letter to Supporters of Public Access Channel 19

We are kicking off our StayLocal19 grassroots initiative and need your help to spread the word! The next Cable Advisory Board meeting is set for Tuesday, August 24, 7 pm at the Westbrook Town Hall, 866 Boston Post Road (Route1), in the large meeting room. We need your support to:

1) Get Citizens to attend the Aug. 24 Cable Advisory Board Meeting – Please reach out to your neighbors, friends, selectman, and concerned citizens. We need volunteers (team captains) from each town to lead the charge. There are various talking points below to urge folks to get involved to stop the “outsourcing” of the management of our channels/studio to an organization outside of our community. If an interested citizen can not attend the meeting, please have them write a letter, sign it, and bring it with you to the meeting.

2) Sign our StayLocal19 online petition – This is our grassroots call-to-action! Please urge all concerned citizens to go online and sign our petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/staylocal19/

3) Write a Letter to the Editor ASAP

Everyone’s help is greatly appreciated. Let’s get this initiative started!

Sincerely,
 
Belinda Jones,
Westbrook, CT

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