Following are the Community Calendar listings for today in New Hartford, CT:

Tuesday, May 18, 2010:

• New Hartford Business Council Morning Mingler: at Passiflora Tea Room & Cafe, 526 Main Street. Meeting begins at 7:45 a.m.
• Informational meeting for business owners and professionals on the draft zoning regulations: 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the Sessions Conference Room at the Town Hall. Rista Malanca, the town’s Interim Zoning Officer will meet with members of the Business Council to answer their questions regarding the new zoning regulations that are nearing completion and will soon be adopted by New Hartford. This meeting is specifically for business owners and professionals who may have questions about how the new zoning regulations may impact their business operation.
• Bakerville Library Story Time for 3 to 5 year-olds: at 10:15 a.m. Bakerville Library, 6 Maple Hollow Road, New Hartford, CT. For more information please call the Bakerville Library at 482-8806.
• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Fitness at 10:45 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended); Cribbage ‘n cards at 1:00 p.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• New Hartford Schools Board of Ed. Meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the Bakerville Consolidated School, 51 Cedar Lane, New Hartford, CT. See the listing on our Calendar Page to view the meeting agenda.

Our Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events - a permanent record of events in New Hartford. Also check out our Bulletin Board where you can see flyers on events happening around town, and where we have listed information on local non-profit groups.

…NHGrapevine…

“Wouldn’t it be great to record the birdsong up here?”

The Moores said to each other as they hiked along the edge of the woods at Brodie Park South last weekend.

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard - or seen - in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine.. section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

One of the paths in Brodie Park South. Photo: Maria Moore

By: Penny Miller, Lions Club

Jim Creamer, President of the New Hartford Lions Club

At the April meeting, the New Hartford Lions Club invited neighboring Lions Clubs to join them for a buffet dinner at PSams in Torrington. The speaker, Kevin Demshak from Fidelity, spoke on Retirement Income Planning, 5 Key Risks and Withdrawal Strategies. Sixteen Lions from Canton, Barkhamsted, Winsted and Torrington attended.

Plans are well underway for the Lions’upcoming Flea Market to be held on June 5th at Brodie Park. This coming fall, the New Hartford Lions Club will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary with a gala party.

The New Hartford Lions Club meets on the 4th Monday of the month between September and June.

To learn more: About the New Hartford Lions Club, please check out their website.

Standing: Bob Bessell, President of the Canton Lions, Tim Hilliker and Norm Messier. Seated: Kevin Demshak (Fidelity), Jim Creamer, President of the New Hartford Lions and Paul Olson.

By: Maria Moore

Yesterday evening’s Board of Selectmen meeting at 5:30 p.m. was a brief one, with the Selectmen moving through the agenda items at a steady pace and ending by 6:05 ~ just in time to get home to dinner for those who were not staying for the 7:00 p.m. Board of Finance meeting.

Following is a report on some of the items on the Selectmen’s May 11 meeting agenda; the full agenda is listed at the end of this article.  As always, please be sure to read the official minutes which will be posted on the town website once they become available.

3.  Operations

Budget Referendum: First Selectman Dan Jerram said that the budget referendum had gone well, with a 2:1 approval by the voters of the budget on the first try.  He added the head moderator’s sheet of the vote count to the record of the meeting.

Roads: Dan said that guard rail posts are now being worked on by the road crew.  He also said that Glasso (company) is specing out the roads to be worked on ~ Southeast, Burwell, Steele and Kinsey ~ and then they’ll figure out the chip sealing.   Regarding the West Hill Road overlay, Dan said two bids had come in.

Parking on Central Avenue: Dan said he has talked with the Beekley Library Board about using some of the Foothills land for parking and the Board members seemed receptive to it. They’re continuing to work on it.  The Foothills land is the grassy area between the old library building and the new library on Central Avenue. The Foothills Trader was located there when it was locally-owned.

Wastewater Treatment Plant: Selectman Tom Klebart asked when the sewer plant would be coming online and Dan said: “It’s ready to go” and mentioned the end of May.

5. Resignations from Boards/Commissions - WPCA, Conservation

WPCA: Dan announced that MaryBeth Greenwood, who has been on the WPCA for just over a year, has resigned due to personal reasons.  Steve Hanright was appointed to the WPCA on Dan’s recommendation.  Tom asked if there was still a vacancy on the WPCA, and Dan said there was, that they were waiting for the WPCA to complete the revision of their charter before appointing someone else.

Conservation: Chris James on the Conservation Commission is moving out of state and has resigned from the Commission.  The Selectmen will be looking for a replacement for Chris.

Commission on Aging: Dan proposed Penny Miller for the vacancy on the COA and the selectmen approved Penny for that Commission.

8.  Set Time, Date, Manner of Special Town Meeting

A Special Town Meeting was set for Thursday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. to act on an easements from Mary Ann Gunning (Emergency Access easement) and St. John’s Church.  The easements are to allow the WPCA access to lines located near the walkway to be constructed as part of the new addition at the back of the church; see the April 12 press release from St. John’s.  To read a downloadable copy of the Notice of Special Meeting, please see the link at the end of this report.

10. Correspondence:

Paul Volovski, the town Building Inspector, sent in a letter saying that the Rec Commission wants to take out the boathouse at Brodie Park since it was unsafe.  Paul agreed that the structure was unsafe.  The selectmen approved taking down the building.

11. Any Other Business to Come Before this Board

Bill Baxter, former First Selectman, had come to the meeting with copies for the Selectmen of paperwork related to the Northwest Chamber of Commerce’s initative to set up an Economic Development District.  This district would include towns in Litchfield county and the northwest corner.   Bill Baxter had recently made a presentation to the town’s Economic Development Commission on the Chamber’s initiative and the town had contributed a small sum [$250? ~ to be confirmed] towards a study for such a district.  Bill told the Selectmen that state funding agencies would now be looking at funding on a regional, rather than a municipal level.  The state has also passed legislation limiting the number of regions in the state to 8, and Bill said that small towns in our area need to hurry, or they may end up being assigned to economic development regions with Danbury or Waterbury.  Tom expressed the apparent feeling of the Selectmen when he said: “I’d rather be absorbed by Torrington or Winsted, rather than Danbury!”  Dan said that the LHCEO (Litchfield Hills Council of Elected Officials had taken a little time to get on board) but they now saw the need for it.

LID (Low Impact Development Stakeholders’ Group): Tom said that the LID was progressing nicely and they were finding that it worked well with the new regulations (the proposed regulations that will soon come into effect.)

The meeting ended shortly after 6 and our reporter went home for a while, leaving Reggie Smith, Jr., the only other member of the public at the meeting, to relax a little in the conference room before the Board of Finance meeting at 7 p.m.

_______________

To read a downloadable copy of the Notice of Special Meeting: Please click on the following link: Notice of Special Town Meeting, May 20 (58).

_______________

Board of Selectmen
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
5:30 PM

AGENDA

1.) Minutes - April 13, 2010; April 20, 2010
2.) Opportunity for Public Comment
3.) Operations Updates
4.) Grants Updates
5.) Resignations from Boards/Commissions - WPCA, Conservation
6.) Appointment to WPCA - Steve Hanright
7.) Authorization to sign 2010/2011 Sand/Salt State Contract
8.) Set Time, Date, Manner of Special Town Meeting
9.) Request for Tax Refunds
10.) Correspondence
11.) Any Other Business to Come Before this Board

St. John's Episcopal Church in Pine Meadow with the red banner across the front announcing the building of its new addition. Photo: Maria Moore

Following are the Community Calendar listings for today in New Hartford, CT:

Tuesday,April May 11, 2010:

• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Fitness at 10:45 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended); Cribbage ‘n cards at 1:00 p.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• Early Literacy Program: Comprehension Session: at 9:30 a.m. at the Beekley Library, 10 Central Avenue, New Hartford. For more information about this Early Literacy Program please see the flyer posted in our Bulletin Board or call the Library at 860-379-7235.
• Bakerville Library Story Time for 3 to 5 year-olds: at 10:15 a.m. Bakerville Library, 6 Maple Hollow Road, New Hartford. For more information about the library please visit the Bakerville Library website.
• Board of Selectmen Regular Meeting: at 5:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting please see our Calendar.
• Board of Finance Meeting: at 7:00 p.m. in the Senior Center at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting please see our Calendar.
• The Landscape of the American Mystery Novel: Blind Descent by Nevada Barr: at 7:00 p.m. at the Beekley Library, 10 Central Avenue, New Hartford. Book discussion with Pat D’Ascoli, editor of CT Muse. For more information about this book discussion series, pleas see our February 4 article The Landscape of the American Mystery Novel…
• Have a Spring-related business you want to advertise?: Check out our BRAND NEW Yellow Pages: an economical, simple way to get your business in front of our 32,066 visitors (this past March). Use the “Submit Your Listing” form to send us your information and we’ll list your business. Looking for a lawn care service? Check our Yellow Pages where we’ll be listing companies as soon as their info. is submitted to us.

Our Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events - a permanent record of events in New Hartford. Also check out our Bulletin Board where you can see flyers on events happening around town, and where we have listed information on local non-profit groups.

…NHGrapevine…

“Not everyone has the same visual: I suggest a town outing or picnic to show where they would put their projects.”

One of the suggestions made by a resident at last night’s public forum to collect ideas of uses for Brodie Park South. A larger than usual number of residents turned out for the meeting that began the public participation in the development of a long-term plan for the property; see our upcoming article on this meeting.

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard - or seen - in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine.. section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

The entrance to the Town Hill Cemetery in dappled sunlight. Photo: NewHartfordPlus archives

Following are the Community Calendar listings for today in New Hartford, CT:

Monday, May 10, 2010:

• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at the Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Fitness at 9:00 a.m. ($2.50 per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended); Coffee at 10:00 a.m. There will be a plant swap during and after the coffee hour. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• New Hartford Schools PTO Meeting: at 6:30 p.m. in the New Hartford Schools PTO Multipurpose Room at the Ann Antolini Scool. For more information about the PTO please visit the PTO section on the New Hartford Schools website:
• Public input meeting: The future of Brodie Park South There will be a public input meeting at 7:00 pm third floor of Town Hall, moderated by Dan Eddy. The New Hartford Recreation Commission together with Open Space, Conservation, Seniors, youth sports, and Friends of Brodie are exploring ideas for uses of Brodie South, commonly referred to as the Old Golf Course. For more information, please see our May 5 article: The Future of Brodie Park South, Invitation to Give Your Input:
• New Hartford Village Fire District Annual Meeting: at 8:00 p.m. at the New Hartford Firehouse, at the corner of Greenwoods Road and Route 219, New Hartford
• Have a Spring-related business you want to advertise?: Check out our BRAND NEW Yellow Pages: an economical, simple way to get your business in front of our 29,976 visitors (our April stats). Use the “Submit Your Listing” form to send us your information and we’ll list your business.
• Do you know of an event that should be listed here and you don’t see it? Please email us the info. and we’ll add it! Send to newhartfordplus@gmail.com and write ‘Calendar’ in the subject line.

Our Community Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events - a permanent record of events in New Hartford. Also check out our new Community Bulletin Board where you can see posters and information on local groups and events.

…NHGrapevine…

“We were so afraid we we were going to break any of them!”

Said Carol, one of the Garden Club members, about the gorgeous tomato plants at Saturday’s Plant Sale. Fellow Garden Club member, Linda Dryansky, who was responsible for the 250+ tomato plants at the sale, had fostered some of the plants out and, as any good parent, she kept close tabs on their well-being.

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard ~ or seen ~ in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine.. section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

"The Tomato Lady" Linda Dryansky who was responsible for the 250+ tomato plants ~ with a little help from her fellow gardeners to whom she fostered out some of the plants ~ at Saturday's Plant Sale held by the New Hartford Garden Club at Town Hall. The lunch room never looked so good! Photo: Maria Moore

The entrance to Town Hall on Saturday morning decorated by the Garden Club which was holding its plant sale inside. Photo: Maria Moore

By: Maria Moore

At around 3:45 p.m. yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, May 4 as our reporter was taking a break from her writing by taking photos of the crab apple tree in full bloom in Norma Pappalardo’s garden, the sky suddenly darkened and the wind started to whip through the air.  The storm, which broke the peace of the quiet afternoon,  was short-lived but as it moved through, it left a trail of damage in its wake.

At the top of West Hill, the high winds reached 32 miles per hour, according to Doug Gerard’s weather station on Beeney Road.  The wind and the rain whipped across the surface of West Hill Pond caused problems for crew boats manned by rowers from Lewis Mills High School.  As the storm gained in intensity, three of the five boats were able to row back to shore; the two remaining crew boats were swept down the lake by the winds.  A call for help was made to Litchfield County Dispatch but the rowers were able to reach the safety of the beach at Brodie Park.  The members of the crew boats were transported to Charlotte Hungerford to be checked.  New Hartford’s emergency services were on the scene in full force, with fire trucks from the New Hartford and South End Fire Departments.  Also at the scene was the New Hartford Ambulance service.

In the rest of New Hartford, power outages were reported all over town, from the momentary one noted at Dunkin Donuts in New Hartford Center to outages that lasted 3 hours or more in the Bakerville section.  In many places tree branches were strewn across the roads, temporarily closing some roads such as Route 219 by the Reservoir and Route 44 on the outskirts of town towards Barkhamsted.

By 6:00 p.m. when our reporter and her husband drove down Town Hill to go and vote at the budget referendum, the sky was clear and the colors shone brilliantly in the sunshine.

To read more about the incident on West Hill Pond, please see today’s article in the Hartford Courant.

Many Thanks: To the members of the town’s fire departments and to the local ambulance crew for the kindness they showed to our reporter.

Emergency services personnel confer about the recent emergency at West Hill Pond yesterday afternoon. Photo: Maria Moore

Following are the Community Calendar listings for today in New Hartford, CT:

Thursday, May 6, 2010:

• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Line dancing at 9:30 a.m.; Fitness at 10:45 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended; Bingo at 1:00 p.m.; Yoga at 4:00 p.m. Travelers Chorale bus pickup at Town Hall, 6:00 p.m. Our apologies, the date for the Travelers Chorale should have read “Thursday, May 13th”.
• CANCELED: WPCA Meeting: The regularly scheduled meeting of the WPCA has been cancelled. A special meeting may be scheduled for next Thursday, May 13.
• Thursday Night Gather With Friends at Passiflora: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Passiflora, 526 Main Street, New Hartford. Beginning & Deepening Meditation Practice and a Psychology of Enlightenment with Howard Abhay Banow. For more information, please visit Passiflora’s website : Or call Passiflora’s at 860-379-TEAS
• Friends of Brodie Park: Meeting in the “Jail Door” Conference Room (Ground floor) of the Town Hall 530 Main Street New Hartford 7:30 p.m.

Our Community Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events - a permanent record of events in New Hartford.

Tag Sale season begins! Check out our Classifieds Section for upcoming Tag Sales in New Hartford.

…NHGrapevine…

“Dave Krimmel put together a map showing the original 6 roads across New Hartford. That took an incredible amount of work!”

Dan Eddy told our reporter yesterday as he showed her the remnants of Road #2 on a map of Brodie Park South. Dave Krimmel’s map is with Donna LaPlante, Town Clerk for those who’d like to see it.

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard - or seen - in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine… section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

This weekend calendar is being added to as we come across more events that may be of interest to our readers. If you know of an event, please email us the information and we’ll gladly add it to this Weekend Calendar.

Following are the Calendar listings for this weekend, Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2 in New Hartford, CT:

Saturday, May 1, 2010:

• May 1st is May Day: In Northern European cultures is a traditional celebration of the ending of winter and the beginning of Spring; including the crowning of the May Queen and dancing around the Maypole. May 1st also marks International Workers Day. For more information, please see the May Day section in Wikipedia.
• Historic Barns - Working Farms: A Bus Tour: from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. departing from Thompson Brook School, Thompson Road, Avon. Visit four historic barns dotted throughout the scenic Farmington Valley, journeying back in time to the farming communities of the area. Hear descriptions and anecdotes on the way to each location. At noon, relax and enjoy lunch on the scenic, historic grounds of the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington. Reservations required. Admission: $30. For more information on this tour and other Farmington Valley events, please visit the Events Calendar page of the FVVA website.
• Nature Walk: Down the Farm Road: at 10:00 a.m. at the Hill-Stead Museum, 35 Mountain Road, Farmington. Hill-Stead was once a thriving farm, famous for apples, peaches and cows that produced record amounts of butterfat. Presently the barns are in disuse by farm animals, but there are a host of wild things living in and around the farm complex. With estate naturalist Diane Tucker, see swallows, bluebirds and wildflowers on this leisurely morning walk down the farm road. $3 members, $5 members-to-be. No need to pre-register. For more information about the museum’s activities, please visit the Calendar page of the Hill-Stead Museum’s website.
• Traditional Crafter Family Day at the Litchfield Historical Society: from 12:00 until 4:00 p.m. at the Litchfield Historical Society, 7 South Street, Litchfield. Celebrate the grand opening of The Litchfield Historical Society’s new exhibit with a family oriented fun filled afternoon. Traditional crafters representing skills practiced in Litchfield’s past will present a variety of crafts and woodworking skills for all ages to try. Lots of hands-on-activities and a new exhibit to tour. Event is FREE. For more information on the Litchfield Historical Society’s events, please visit the Calendar page of the historical society’s website.
• Silence of the Bees: at 2:00 p.m. in the Ceder Room at White Memorial Conservation Center, 80 Whitehall Road, Litchfield. From PBS program “Nature” this one hour DVD explores one of nature’s most baffling mysteries: the disappearance of the honeybee. A precious pollinator of fruits and vegetables, the disappearing bees left billions of dollars of crops at risk and threatened our food supply. Join researchers as they follow the trail of clues from the U.S. to Southern France, from Spain to England, all the way to Austrailia and China as they scramble to discover why honeybees are dying in record numbers - and to stop the epidemic in its tracks before it spreads further. FREE…donation accepted to help defray the Center’s programming expenses. For more information about events at White Memorial Conservation center, please visit the Calendar of Events and Programs section of the conservation center’s website.
• Opening Reception for New Hartford Art League Annual Open Juried Show: at 2:00 p.m.at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For more information about the juried show, please see the prospectus on the New Hartford Art League’s website.
• Annual Wine Tasting and Silent Art Auction hosted by Pleasant Valley Children’s Center: at 5:30 p.m. at Berkshire Hall at Brodie Park, West Hill, New Hartford. Have a relaxed, fun night of great wine, fabulous food and wonderful works of art by many talented local artisans. Vendors from Ledgebrook Spirit Shop will be on hand to provide samples of their wines, as well as answer any questions about their wines, the vineyards, the wine making process or food pairings for that special dinner. All proceeds support the Children’s Center’s goal of a permanent home for the school; the school is a co-operative, non-profit pre-school presently located at the North Congregational Church in New Hartford. Tickets for the Wine Tasting and Silent Auction: $25 in advance, $30 at the door. For more information, please see the Pleasant Valley Children’s Center’s website.
• Donna Martin in Concert: at 7:30 p.m. at the Roaring Brook Nature Center, 70 Gracey Road, Canton. After paying dues in blues and country bands, she has evolved into a moving songwriter, a graceful vocalist and an advanced guitarist and arranger. Tickets: $15 in advance; $20 at the door. For more information, please visit the Concerts page on the Roaring Brook Nature Center’s website.
• Friendship! Concert at Trinity Episcopal Church: at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 220 Prospect Street, Torrington. Are you a friend of the Nutmeg Symphony? Bring all your friends to hear music selected especially for you by members of the orchestra. Program includes Elgar’s Enigma Variations in which Elgar honors his friends and Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony written after the composer’s travels to Scotland. Beautiful music performed in the rich acoustic of Trinity Church by northwest Connecticut’s professional orchestra. $22.00 adult, $10.00 student, series tickets available.
• Now Hear this ! Open Mic Night!: at 8:00 p.m. at Artwell Gallery, 19 Water Street, Torrington. Where the wild and wonderful share a stage as anything goes for the night! Sign up for performers at 7:30 p.m. Suggested donation: $5. For more information, please call Wilbo at 860-921-8041.

Dancing around the Maypole, part of the traditional May Day celebrations in England. Image from the internet

Sunday, May 2, 2010:

• Visit your favorite Church, Temple, Meditation Center or Meeting House: Be sure to make time today to visit your favorite church, temple, meditation center or meeting house for good fellowship and spiritual uplifting. For specific information about times of worship or meditation, please check out the list of links in our Houses of Worship tab in the sidebar on our front page.
• First Sunday Guided and Estate Walk at the Hill-Stead Museum: at 2:00 p.m. at the Hill-Stead Museum, 35 Mountain Road, Farmington. With the expert guidance of interpreter Betty Collins, explore Hill-Stead’s estate—discover history along centuries-old woodland trails, and enjoy magnificent hilltop views. Free to members or with museum admission. For more information about the museum’s activities, please visit the Calendar page of the Hill-Stead Museum’s website.

The following press release with details of the New Hartford 2010 Earth Weekend Spring Cleanup was forwarded to us by the New Hartford Land Trust, one of the event’s organizers.

New Hartford residents can actively observe Earth Day’s 40th birthday and the arrival of spring by cleaning up parks and playscapes, performing trail maintenance on an open space preserve and eliminating invasive plants along the Farmington River and at other sites on Sunday, April 25. Those interested in volunteering can pre-register to be eligible for raffle prizes and should gather at 12:30 p.m. behind Town Hall (530 Main Street) for sign in, inspiration and instructions, and light lunch fare. Leaders and teams of volunteers will then go out to seven sites around New Hartford to pick up trash, weed, prune and remove debris.

The New Hartford Land Trust, the Town Conservation Commission, Cub Scouts Pack 19 and the Friends of Brodie Park are organizing the annual New Hartford Earth Weekend Spring Cleanup. Hoffmann Hardware is contributing trash bags to support the event. The Foothills Delery and Subway are donating food. Volunteers who pre-register will be eligible to win a variety of raffle prizes including a perennial from local plant purveyor Dan-Dee Acres, gift certificates from Passiflora and Radwick’s Coffee & Sandwich, a gift basket from Renaissance Farm, tours of a local CT Zero Energy Challenge home and other earth-friendly items.

Steve Worthington, a volunteer parent with New Hartford Cub Scout Pack 19, said that the Scouts ”will continue the tradition of supporting New Hartford Earth Weekend Cleanup by helping clean the downtown park areas and planting a tree in honor of the 100th anniversary of scouting.”

Organizers ask that those interested in participating in the Earth Weekend Spring Cleanup sign up for the event as soon as possible by visiting www.newhartfordlandtrust.org or by calling 860-489-4118. This will help with planning. Others are also welcome to just show up. Volunteers should bring a water bottle, gloves, hat, sunscreen, bug spray and pruning shears or a rake if possible. Children under 18 must be accompanied and supervised by an adult. Please check the New Hartford Land Trust web site or call for additional information.

A spokesperson for the New Hartford Land Trust said “For many years, the annual cleanup was held on a Saturday morning but we all decided to move it to Sunday afternoon so that it won’t compete with the opening day of youth baseball. We hope more families will be able to participate at the new time. Last year, about 85 residents of all ages came out to spruce up the town and we are hoping for an even bigger crowd to honor Earth Day turning the big 4-0 and to acknowledge the importance of environmental awareness and action. We need lots of help to accomplish our list of tasks for the day.”

The New Hartford Land Trust: is an all-volunteer, private, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the permanent preservation of farmland, forest, and other open space and natural resources in New Hartford.

Friends of Brodie Park, LLC: is a nonprofit dedicated to maintaining and preserving Brodie Park.

NewHartfordPlus is a contributing business of  the New Hartford 2010 Earth Weekend Spring Cleanup.

Members of Cub Scout Troop 19 and others cleaning up along the Farmington River last year. Photo: Maria Moore from NHPlus archives

Paul Mahoney of the Conservation Commission talks to the high school student volunteers who helped maintain the trail at Jones Mountain as part of last year's Earth Weekend Cleanup.

Billion Acts of Green ~ One Act At The Time

How many acts of green does it take to make a difference? One of course, and that one is yours! And what if you could add your green act to those of millions of others around the world? Or maybe a BILLION others?

That’s just what the Earth Day Network wants you to do. To help celebrate the 40th Earth Day Celebration, the Network has set up a Billion Acts Of Green Campaign where they’re collecting green acts from participants around the world. Add your green act today and watch that number grow. When our reporter started writing this report, the number stood at 31,460,51 and now it’s grown to 31,460,101, with that last “1″ being hers!

To have your green act count towards the Billion, please go to the Earth Day 2010 website and add your act.

Share Your Green Act With Us And Win A Gift Basket From The New Hartford Farmers Market

Let us know you added your green act to the Billion Acts Of Green campaign, and we’ll enter you in a free drawing for a gift basket filled with goodies from our friends at the New Hartford Farmers’ Market. We’ll announce the winner of our gift basket at 12:00 noon on Sunday, April 25 on NewHartfordPlus and the basket will be available for pick-up at the Earth Weekend Cleanup in New Hartford Center.  How sweet it is to act green…

To enter the drawing for the NewHartfordPlus gift basket: filled with goodies from the New Hartford Farmers’ Market, please email us at newhartfordplus@gmail.com and include your name and the details of the green act you added to the Billion Acts of Green campaign.

9th Annual Race Around The Lake On May 30

The 9th Annual Race Around the Lake hosted by Friends of Brodie Park and the New Hartford Recreation Commission will be held Memorial Day Weekend Sunday, May 30 at 10:00am. The 3.5 mile course begins at Brodie Park and travels through scenic trails and roads around West Hill Lake ending back at the park. The course is certified by USA Track & Field, timing will be kept by Greystone Racing.

Sign in at Brodie Park, West Hill Road, New Hartford, at 8:30 a.m., race starts promptly at 10:00 a.m. Prizes awarded in each division. Pre-registration is $15 ($10 under age 15) and receive a race T-shirt; registration on the day of the race is $20 ($15 under age 15).

The course map, registration information and forms are available on the Friends of Brodie website or by calling 860-379-2488.

Friends of Brodie Park, LLC is a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining and preserving Brodie Park in New Hartford, CT.

The start of the Race Around the Lake last year. Photo: Maria Moore

The 7 to 12-year-olds start their race. Photo: Maria Moore

Registration for Youth Soccer On April 21 and April 24; Forms Will Be Available Online On The 15th

New Hartford Youth Soccer will be holding in-person registration on Wednesday, April 21 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Ann Antolini Art Room at Ann Antolini School, Antolini Drive, New Hartford and on Saturday, April 24 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon at Brown’s Corner, on the corner of Steele Road and Route 202 in New Hartford.

Registration forms are slated to be available on Thursday, April 15 on the New Hartford Youth Soccer Registration Information section of the New Hartford Youth Sports website, www.nhys.org. Participants may mail in their registrations to the address on the form or they may bring the completed forms to register in person on the 21st or on the 24th.

Soccer last fall at Brown's Corner. Photo: Neil Tolhurst

Players greet each other at last year's Opening Day ceremony. Photo: Maria Moore