Thames River Times

Electric Winter Wonderland

2008-11-20T15:38:29Z

Our family’s electric bill recently climbed out of the $500 per month range to an all-time low of $200 for the month of September 2008. Closing a heated pool will do that to an electric bill. Unfortunately, the reprieve is short-lived. When the calendar flips from October to November, the circuit breaker in our home goes wild. What causes this two-month drain on CL&P’s electric supply? Two words: Department 56.

From Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, a community within a community comes to life in my family room. I’m rather certain that other families host mini-cities or New England villages in their homes, too. You know who you are. Can I hear from my North Pole family? Now the Dickens’ Village fans! Christmas in the City and Seasons Bay collectors? Put your hands in the air if you are a Disney Parks Village devotee!

North Pole happens to be my collection only because my very first house was from the Department 56 North Pole series. This series depicts life in the North Pole for elves, reindeer, and Mr. and Mrs. Claus. There are lit buildings, each no bigger than a breadbox, that house factories where elves make various Christmas items such as tin soldiers, teddy bears, and Legos.

The business of making toys is serious at the North Pole as evidenced by the following establishments: Checking It Twice Wind Up Toys, Alfie’s Toy School for Elves, and Reindeer Training Camp. Our North Pole village boasts a chapel, train station, elfin boarding house, walk-in medical clinic for sick elves, and many, many other amenities. There is the café, spa, ice skating pond, hot tub, and of course the Egg Nog Pub. All work and no play makes for dull elves indeed.

As every Department 56 enthusiast knows, time, talent, and treasure go into each display. Two collectors, each with the exact same buildings and accessories, have a one in a million chance of creating identical villages. Half the fun of a collection is deciding how to set up the display each November.

Charette children, however, seem to take little pleasure in building plans and zoning regulations. Once they see numerous banquet tables in the family room being covered with white, fluffy material, their union cards appear. Andrew, Matt, Chris, Summer, and Joy have worked this job before and know who carries the boxed houses and accessories up the basement stairs and the empty boxes back down them. “I can’t take more than two buildings up per trip.” “I demand a bathroom break every 15 minutes.” “I’ve got homework to finish,” and my all-time favorite, “Mom, it’s only November first!”

Yes, it may only be the beginning of November, but when our North Pole village is fully built, with trees twinkling, elves skating, and Santa checking his list of naughty and nice children, I wonder why we don’t leave the village out all year. Oh, I forgot—the electric bill!

Kerri Charette lives in Ledyard.

Local Voting Views

2008-11-13T22:32:05Z

See attached photo album at right for a look back at Ledyard voters on the morning of the historic 2008 Presidential election this past Nov. 4.

Ledyard in Position for State Playoff Run: Colonels need perfect finish for 9-2 record

2008-11-13T22:29:52Z

A dramatic last-minute victory over St. Bernard/Norwich Tech, plus some unexpected help in the form of cross-state upsets, put the Ledyard football team No. 4 in the Class M state playoff rankings heading into early November.

With just three games left, the 6-2 Colonels can taste a return to the Class M playoffs for a chance to defend their state championship just a week after their frustrating 13-12 loss to Norwich Free Academy Oct. 24, a game in which two extra points were missed.

With no margin of error remaining, Ledyard must beat once-beaten Plainfield and unbeaten New London Nov. 20 before its Thanksgiving game at Fitch to clinch one of the four spots.

Coach Jim Buonocore thinks
Ledyard is up to the task.

“Defensively, we can line up with anybody,” Buonocore said. “Offensively, we’re continuing to get better. We have some terrific teams in store for us. We can play physical defense and grind the ball offensively, using the running game to control the clock and passing when we need to; that should give us some opportunities to be successful.”

Ledyard received a lift against St. Bernard with the debut of much-traveled senior transfer Barquis Haley, a 225-pound running back-linebacker who gained 150 yards and made 10 tackles. Haley, a starter for Buonocore as a sophomore on Fitch’s 2005 ECC Large champion, played his 2006 junior season at New London, gaining 800 yards rushing, and returned to Fitch for 2007, only to be dismissed from the team in preseason for school rule violations.

Haley did not attend high school last year and enrolled in Ledyard in August after moving in with a relative in town. He became eligible to play against St. Bernard in week 8, after a successful first marking period.

“Barquis is a nice pickup,” Buonocore said. “He’ll be a big addition for the tough teams we play down the road. He’s done a tremendous job here, making great strides academically and socially.”

Haley strengthens what was already one of the ECC’s most physical defenses. Though he figures to command carries away from year-long backs Chris Blomstedt and Zeke Torres, those two came up big against the 5-2 Saints.

Blomstedt, a linebacker, intercepted a tipped pass at midfield with 4:33 left to play in a 7-7 game. The Colonels took the lead for good when J.J. Jablonski found Torres open for a 34-yard TD pass with 1:08 left. Torres sealed the win with the Colonels’ third interception of St. Bernard’s fine quarterback Ryan Brahm.

The late-game heroics compensated for long moments of frustration for Buonocore, who felt the Colonels deserved their third shutout. Ledyard had contained St. Bernard’s offense for the entire first half until on the last play before halftime, Jablonski fumbled after he was sacked. Saint safety Raheem Eleazer, a Mashantucket resident, scooped up the ball and ran 37 yards for the tying score. Ledyard led 7-0 after Jablonski’s 54-yard pass to end Drew Roselle and Nate Conway’s kick.

“We have played great all season defensively,” Buonocore said. “To give up that score offensively, the momentum shifted. Some would say take a knee, but we attacked with 12 seconds left because that is what we do. To our credit, we responded with a nice drive to open the second half.”

Haley’s 57-yard run put Ledyard in a position to score, but that drive was snuffed out on an end-zone interception. But Ledyard’s defense and a penalty-ridden Saint offense prevented St. Bernard from taking a lead.

With the addition of Haley, Buonocore believes the Colonels are at full strength for the stretch run. And Haley is thankful for another chance to put a successful cap on what has been a tumultuous but productive career.

“This is like a dream come true,” Haley said. “Things haven’t gone well for me at other high schools, so it was time for a change. Coach? This guy has treated me great. I was a little fatigued at the end, but I’ve kept in shape doing a lot of drills, dashes, weight workouts, and long-distance running on my own. I don’t want to let him down and I want to play at the next level.”

Haley has had a taste of CIAC playoff football. He returned a blocked punt 40 yards for a touchdown in Fitch’s 27-21 loss to eventual champ Staples in the 2005 Class L semifinals.

“I want to do what it takes to get Ledyard back to defend its state championship,” Haley said.

By Larry Kelley
Special to the Times

Life in the NFL: Ledyard native Leah Krieger describes life as an NFL cheerleader

2008-11-07T17:36:58Z

Growing up, 22-year-old Leah Krieger of Ledyard had many interests but a singular passion: dancing. Throughout her childhood and into her teen years, Krieger trained at the local studio, Alison’s School of Dance, where she learned various styles and the value of hard work. Looking back to those times, Krieger said she would have never believed it if someone were to tell her she’d end up as a cheerleader for the New England Patriots.

“Growing up I never thought I’d be a Patriots cheerleader,” Krieger said. “I never even contemplated cheering at all. I’m actually a trained dancer. I’ve been a dancer my whole life, and when I graduated high school I was really upset because that meant leaving behind my dance studio. So the first thing I set out to do once going to UConn was to try out for the UConn dance team. Luckily I made it as a freshman and I made the team each year after that.”

Krieger explained how following her passion at the University of Connecticut led to her first real taste of performing in front of large crowds, something that was quite different than what she was used to. Instead of performing on a stage in front of hundreds of people, she was performing on a basketball court in front of thousands, and at times, millions when the UConn men’s and women’s basketball games were aired nationally.

Majoring in business management systems, Krieger said her college years seemed to fly by, and before she knew it she was nearing graduation and confronted once again with those same bittersweet feelings over the end of her performing career. While she had already received a job offer to work as an IT auditor with a company based outside of Hartford, Krieger felt that she just couldn’t stop dancing yet. She had known two girls, one from her former dance studio and one from the UConn dance team who had tried out and made the Patriots cheerleading squad.

“I said to myself, ‘You know what? I’m not ready to give it up just yet. I still really love dancing.’” Krieger explained. “So I thought, ‘What the heck?’ and I went and tried out for the Patriots.”

Krieger said that knowing a couple of girls who had made the team previously made it seem a little more of an attainable goal, yet as she began researching what it entailed, she began to take this new challenge very seriously. Training months before the audition to look her best, Krieger showed up to auditions with approximately 300 other girls to compete for 24 spots.

The audition process started with an optional workshop (which is strongly recommended) that gave Krieger a better understanding of how things run and allowed the judges to become a little familiar with their potential recruits. Krieger explained that during the first round of auditions, the judges look at things like how fast the girls can pick up the choreography, athleticism, appearance, smile, and enthusiasm. After the first round of tryouts, the group of hopefuls went down from 300 to 55. At this time the 13 veterans who were still interested in being on the team and were still eligible (a Patriots cheerleader can only be on the team for a maximum of three years) joined the group, as even the veterans are required to try out every season.

In the second round of auditions, the 68 girls left were required to learn even more choreography, and, as Krieger explained, the judges weren’t necessarily looking for a perfect performance, but rather the most well-rounded dancers who were able to make a quick recovery after a mistake.

This group of 68 was then narrowed down to 35 girls, who underwent two weeks of boot camp, practicing with the team. They also met for one-on-one interviews with the head coach. After the two weeks, the final 24 girls were announced as the 2008 New England Patriots cheerleaders. Krieger said the feeling of hearing her name announced was almost indescribable.

“It was sheer excitement and joy and an overwhelming feeling of what’s to come,” Krieger explained. “I knew that all the hard work had paid off and there was still more ahead, and it was exactly what I had wanted. I had actually achieved the goal I had been working toward for months, and in a sense years, because it also validated all of my dance training.”

While ecstatic to begin preparing for the NFL season, Krieger soon came to realize just how hectic of a life she was about to lead for the next 12 months.

“Being a Patriots cheerleader is not a full-time job,” Krieger explained. “It’s a part-time job with a very, very extensive time commitment. Some people joke and say that it’s a part-time job but a full-time commitment, and it really is. We have mandatory practices two to three times per week, 12 months a year, and we do charitable and paid promotions, which we’re required to do by contract. All of us girls volunteer for them because we enjoy them. They’re a lot of fun, but they often mean traveling all over to the other side of Connecticut or to Massachusetts or Rhode Island, or to Maine. And, of course, game days. There really is a lot that goes into it.”

Krieger explained that the two or three practices during the week tend to last three hours or so while the Saturday practice lasts for six hours. On game days, practice is five hours before the game and then the game itself lasts for around three hours, yet the cheerleaders often stay after the game for autograph signings and other appearances. In addition, Krieger works full-time (50 hours a week) as an IT auditor, which requires her to travel to client locations all over the area.

Krieger describes her new life as a balancing act, joking that she is constantly on the road and basically lives out of a suitcase which has been a hard transition for her as she is not a light packer. But every Sunday when she steps out on the field, Krieger remembers why she continues to work so hard.

“Oh my gosh, it’s unbelievable,” Krieger said. “Performing for 70,000 roaring fans really does just take your breath away, and then you have to quickly catch your breath because you have to keep moving, you have to keep performing. It’s a very, very special experience. And now that I’ve gotten past the first few games where my mind was racing and I had butterflies in my stomach I’ve really been able to take it all in and enjoy it...and of course I’m hoping we make it to the Super Bowl; my fingers are crossed.”

And while her days don’t consist of a lot of lounging time, and some days she barely finds enough time to sleep, Krieger said she is thoroughly enjoying her first season as a New England Patriot and would definitely do it all over again. To those girls who may come from a small town, but have big aspirations, Krieger offers a message.

“Nothing worth achieving ever comes easily,” Krieger said. “It’s so much more satisfying when you’ve worked hard for something rather than when it’s just given to you. There were girls at auditions that I helped that I stayed after auditions with and I helped them really nail the choreography and take it to the next level. It was those girls who were even more thrilled when they made it because they worked that much harder to get there...With dancing, even if you don’t make it past the first cut, just keep your head up because one audition can always lead to another and every audition is going to make you a better dancer. There is just no downside to it in my mind, and if you stick with it, look where you can end up!”

By Russ Morey
Times Staff Writer

A Salute to Those Who Served: Ledyard veterans to join in regional observances of Veterans Day

2008-11-07T17:33:28Z

On Tuesday, Nov. 11 people around the nation have the opportunity to take a break from their busy schedules and acknowledge the men and women of the United States who have served in the military by observing Veterans Day. Locally, VFW Post 4608 of Ledyard is calling for everyone to reach out, either in a public or private way, to let veterans know their service is appreciated.

“It is an important day, so take the time to seek out and say ‘thank you’ to that vet in your family, that vet in your community, in your work place, wherever,” Harrison Solt, public relations chair of VFW Post 4608, said. “And don’t forget to pause and remember and maybe say a prayer for those vets that are struggling with either a wound or a disability that they’ve received because of their service.”

Solt said that the Ledyard VFW Post 4608 plans to observe the holiday by attending the largest Veterans Day ceremony in the region, which is held at the National Submarine Veterans WWII Memorial in Groton from 11 a.m. to noon. Afterward, the Ledyard VFW will attend another ceremony at the Ledyard Center Veterans Memorial on Route 117 in the center of Ledyard. At the Ledyard memorial they will be joined by the Ledyard American Legion, Ledyard town officials, and the public at large, for a short ceremony which will begin some time between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Solt said it is important to recognize the sacrifices and contributions the many veterans have made on our behalf.

“You have to remember that these people were regular citizens, the brothers, the sisters, the mothers, the fathers, the children of citizens, who, when they were asked, put on the uniform of the nation and went and did what was asked of them and risked their lives,” Solt explained. “They answered the nation’s call and when their time was finished they came home as quietly as they went and did their best to rebuild their lives and become good citizens. Because of them, we as a nation [went] to the polls on Nov. 4 and [spoke] our peace...We have many rights and privileges, and many of those are the result of people stepping up and risking their lives to help protect this great nation.”

Solt emphatically said the community must not forget the most recent veterans of the two war zones in the Middle East. He pointed out to date, nearly 4,800 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq with around 600,000 having served in approximately 1.7 million tours of duty. In addition he acknowledged that all of the men and women now serving are not career soldiers, but rather
volunteers.

“Veterans aren’t out there looking for accolades or recognition, and it’s not that we want to put them on a pedestal or make them feel uncomfortable or anything like that,” Solt said. “We just want to let them know loud and clear that their efforts were not in vain and they most certainly don’t go
unappreciated.”

By Russ Morey
Times Staff Writer

Other local Veterans Day observances include the downtown Westerly/Pawcatuck Veterans Day Parade, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 8 at 9:30 a.m. Ledyard High School will host a ceremony honoring WWII veterans, which will be held in the school auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 12 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Any WWII veteran in need of transportation is encouraged to call Sharon Dutra at 464-3222.

Historic Haunt: Local inn said to be inhabited by spirits

2008-10-31T21:28:44Z

It is said, by those who believe, that New England is one of the most haunted regions of the United States. With cemeteries dating back to the 1600s and many historic homes and buildings still in existence, the past, whether haunting or not, still surrounds everyday life. Locally one can find any number of homesteads built in and around the colonial period, but one in particular stands out, for in quaint Poquetanuck Village in Preston, Captain Grant’s Inn has earned the reputation of being truly haunted.

Built in 1754, by Captain William Gonzales Grant, the inn was originally a homestead for Grant, his wife, Mercy Adelaide Grant, and their children.

Grant, however, would not enjoy his home for long, as he died at sea at the age of 32. Mercy Adelaide lived into her 80s and the Grant homestead was passed on to her children and grandchildren before leaving the family. The home was also used in both the Revolutionary and Civil wars, first as a garrison while fighting off the British and later as a stop along the Underground Railroad. Over time, the home was passed on to various owners until in 1994 Carol and Ted Matsumoto bought the property and began the two-year task of restoring the home to its original grandeur with the intentions of running a bed and breakfast. It didn’t take long for Carol to realize that before she had even opened the inn she already had guests.

“We knew pretty early on that we had spirits here but we never talked about it because we were afraid we’d lose guests,” Carol explained. “But it all came to a head one summer when a New York City detective was staying here and he came down to breakfast very early, at 7 a.m., and he wanted his money back for the weekend. He said my husband and I were very rude to stomp around in the attic above his room from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. and that it woke he and his wife up and it had happened two mornings in a row. Well, I didn’t want a customer going away feeling like we treated our guests poorly so I just came clean. I told him, ‘It wasn’t us, we have a ghost and I can prove it to you.’”

Carol explained that, for starters, she and her husband don’t make a practice of stomping around in the attic, let alone at 4 a.m. when they have guests. But to prove that no one could have been up there, Carol brought the detective to the top of the attic stairs and showed him that above his room were hundreds of original timbers stacked at least three to four feet high that she and her husband had stored there after renovations.

Thoroughly convinced, Carol said the detective not only paid for his stay but has been back to the inn several times.

Since that day Carol and Ted have never advertised the inn as being haunted or told potential visitors ahead of time, yet as more and more of their guests continued to come forward with strange stories and unexplainable happenings, Captain Grant’s Inn began to earn a reputation.

As luck would have it, Carol is convinced that the spirits that inhabit her B&B are completely benevolent. According to Carol and many of her previous guests, the best place to witness this is in the Adelaide room.

“The spirits are extremely friendly,” Carol explained. “People have such a great night’s sleep in the Adelaide room and they tell us that there’s something there, there’s just something that really takes care of people. They wake up feeling very peaceful and at ease. We’ve heard that at least 30 or 40 times.”

Carol said that she has even seen what some would call miraculous things happen.

“I had a couple stay here that had been in a pain clinic for a long time; he was on a morphine drip and she was also on morphine,” Carol explained. “He had been a priest and she had been a nun and they stayed for the weekend and then they left and they were really very nice. A while later they sent us an e-mail and a copy of this flier they had made telling people to come stay here; they even put it up in their church. Apparently when they left they were pain-free and were able to be off morphine for over two weeks before their pain came back.”

Yet for all of their good will, even Carol admits that the spirits of Captain Grant’s Inn have a mischievous side. Aside from the stomping in the attic, which Carol said always happens between 4 and 5 a.m. or 5 and 6 a.m. depending on daylight savings time, the other paranormal activity that has been reported includes strange voices and footsteps in the hallway when no one is there, an old doll that inexplicably moves from room to room by itself while people are sleeping, a shower curtain and bar that constantly flies off the wall even after being glued and screwed down, several apparitions that have been seen by guests including a woman dressed in long sleeves and a blue floor-length skirt, and a little girl who reportedly appeared, walked right through a guest, and out the bedroom door.

Minister on the Move: First Congregational Church of Ledyard welcomes interim minister

2008-10-31T21:21:24Z

For the past 12 years the First Congregational Church of Ledyard (FCCL) was used to seeing the kind face and hearing the sermons of Pastor Dr. Mary Brown “Mobby” Larson. This year, however, Larson retired from her position in Ledyard, leaving the church to search for her successor.

In the meantime, church leaders like Rob Ayer started looking for an interim minister to lead the church during its search for a permanent minister. What, or rather, who they found was specialized interim minister David Ader of Coventry.

Describing himself as a “tethered” specialized interim minister, Ader has spent the past 13 years with eight different congregations all within an hour of Coventry. According to Ader, this unique position of guiding a congregation during a transitional period is fascinating work.

“I’d say that you really need the ability to see a patch of thistles and just run right through,” Ader explained. “You kind of have to jump right into the briar thicket and move forward, and to me that’s exhilarating. Every time you move on to a new congregation you find new and different challenges. Being able to work with people and find solutions and help them find what they are looking for in a pastor is really what it’s all about.”

Ader started work at the FCCL in September, and with his first month behind him he said the thing he admires most about the congregation is how tied to the community it is. Citing its central location in close proximity to the Bill Library, Ledyard Center School, Ledyard Fair Grounds, and Town Hall, Ader described his stay so far as quite pleasant. FCCL member Jody Lees said Ader also made a very favorable first impression on the congregation.

“I was surprised, because we’ve had interim ministers before and this one began his time with us by stating that he is not eligible to even be considered to become our permanent minister,” Lees said. “In fact the UCC [United Church of Christ] places these temporary ministers with that understanding, so there’s never any worry about conflict of interest or anything like that.”

Lees added that as a congregation it can be easy to fall into a routine, with members looking for a leader nearly identical to the previous one. For Ader’s part, he expects to stay in Ledyard for one or two years maximum but intends to leave the members of FCCL with a better understanding of themselves as a congregation and as individuals.

“My job description is to do everything that a regular pastor does and more,” Ader explained. “I have to be able to step into a situation where people are looking for someone to lead them, and while I take on that role temporarily I also have to help them look at themselves and their needs and the direction their faith is going in order to move forward and make a decision on who they want to minister to them in the future.”

New VP, Same Tradition: Ledyard Youth Football League still going strong

2008-10-24T20:33:16Z

For most American sports fans, fall means one thing; football season. As it is in so many communities across the country, football begins way before high school. Just ask the new vice-president of Ledyard Youth Football, John Gorman.

A Ledyard native and currently a Ledyard police officer, Gorman played football in the Ledyard youth league from 1978 to 1983. Nearly 30 years later, in 2006 when his son showed an interest in playing, Gorman decided to coach and after two years found himself elected as the league’s new vice president, essentially the “commissioner” of the league. While he has wholeheartedly taken on his new role, Gorman said being vice president can be extremely time-consuming, as he is often at practices and games for hours.

“As vice president my job is basically to confer with the conference, Southern New England Youth Football, and act as a liaison between the Ledyard Youth League and the conference regarding the rules, setting up schedules, and basically making sure we’re abiding by all of the regulations of the conference,” Gorman explained. “I’m also responsible for lining up all the coaches for the various teams in the Ledyard Youth League and setting up the schedules for our teams which aren’t overseen by Southern New England Youth Football. But beyond that I try to be very visible to the coaches and the parents, so I try to get to all the practices and certainly the games and help out where I can.”

The league is divided by age and weight into three categories: micros (up to 11 years old and 100 pounds), juniors (12 years and older and up to 130 pounds), and seniors (up to eighth grade and 185 pounds). The Micro A, Junior A, and Senior teams all belong to the Southern New England Youth Football Conference (SNEYFC), playing neighboring towns such as Groton/Mystic, New London, Waterford, and Norwich.

Beyond those three teams, Gorman explained, the Ledyard Youth Football League also has a Flag team and Micro B, Micro C, and Junior B teams, which compete with neighboring towns but not under the SNEYFC, and act more as developmental teams for players who need to learn the basics of the sport. While many consider the success of a program as being measured in wins and losses, Gorman was adamant that development and enjoyment are the two main goals in Ledyard.

“We were taught the fundamentals of football when I played. I can name all of my coaches to this day, and I think that’s what I want the coaches and the kids to understand, is that these are people you’re going to remember for years and years,” Gorman explained. “I still see my old micro coaches at Stop & Shop or something, and they were guys that had a big impact on my life. That’s what I try to tell the coaches is, ‘Hey, as long as we’re teaching and the kids are enjoying the game I could care less about wins and losses.’ I know it’s not great to lose, but as long as the kids are enjoying coming and playing football then that’s the most important thing.”

Long-standing coach and current head coach for the Micro A team Wendall Smith is someone Gorman says exemplifies what the Ledyard Youth League is all about. Smith, like so many other parents, began coaching when his son decided to play, but now, eight years later, “Coach Smitty” is still coaching, even though his son has moved on. To him, the reason he’s still coaching couldn’t be any simpler.

“The kids, the first and only reason is the kids,” Smith explained. “I come from Dallas/Fort Worth, and down there if you’re not playing football you’re kind of losing it, so I’ve always loved the game, and now as an adult I have a chance to give back to the kids. You know, if you get some good people involved, then you can teach them a lot more than just football—you can teach them life skills through football and they pick it up. So I do it for the kids because the more kids that we’re teaching in sports, soccer, football, lacrosse, baseball, whatever—the fewer kids we have out there getting in trouble.”

One of the themes of all of Smith’s teams has been “one team, one heartbeat,” meaning the team is only as good as each individual, and each individual is only as good as the team, a lesson he says stands true outside of sports as well. And while teaching through the game is an important aspect of youth football in Ledyard, Smith and Gorman also acknowledged that having fun has to be a top priority as well.

Winning is always enjoyable, the two agreed, but playing in a youth league is the last chance kids have to just have fun with football, or any sport, and learn how to play before the stakes rise dramatically at the high school level where there is a possibility of not even making the team. Gorman added that the youth league is, more or less, where all of the Ledyard High players come from, so learning to play and love the game are important goals all the coaches and parents should have for their children.

“I approached the coaches at the beginning of the year and told them that I don’t care about wins and losses, because if we can send 14, 15, 20 kids up to high school who know football and understand football, then that gives them a greater opportunity to further their career in high school and that’s truthfully what we are—we’re a developmental program for high school.”

With around 155 children playing youth football in Ledyard this year, new Ledyard High football head coach Jim Buonocore couldn’t help but notice the program and, working with Gorman and his coaches, helped out with a two-week training program in July and invited the entire youth league to line the field for the beginning of the first LHS home game of the year.

“The kids loved it, and Ledyard ended up winning so it was a great time for everybody,” Gorman said. “They look up to the high school kids; they emulate them, so that was a very nice experience.”

With participation rates growing every year and a new relationship with the high school program, Ledyard Youth Football appears to be on the rise, something which is especially encouraging to Gorman, and not just because he is the vice president.

“I still remember all of my coaches from youth league,” Gorman said. “Harry Packer, Ed Tynan, Brad Roberts, Paul Sweeney, and I think that says a lot about how much of an impact they had on me. I still see Mr. Roberts all the time and it’s funny because I see his grandsons now in high school, and I think that’s what I take most out of this—when I look at my kids I want them to be able to look back when they get older and think about their coaches and the positive influences that those coaches had on them. I think that’s what every youth program should be striving for—not wins and losses, but a positive experience for every child involved, something they can build on.”

Kickin’ it 3-year-old Style: Young soccer players get their game on

2008-10-24T20:28:52Z

Anyone happening to drive by Pfizer Field on Route 214 in Ledyard on a Saturday morning would be greeted by a unique sight: the youngest soccer team they’ve ever seen. The Yakcat Kickers as they are named, is a team of 3- to 5-year-olds who just couldn’t wait until they were 6 to start their sports careers. Now in their second season, co-originator Michelle Lenz explained how these pint-sized players came to have their own league.

“It all started in the spring of 2007 when our 3-year-old came to us asking why he couldn’t play T-ball,” Lenz explained. “We checked and there was nothing available for kids under 5 years old so we decided to start a T-ball league of our own. We got some friends involved and passed out fliers at the preschool and we started that first year with just 12 kids.”

The T-ball team, called the Yakcat Sluggers (Yakcat is the name of a twin-hulled kayak her husband, Walter, designed), might have started out with only 12 members but when the fall rolled around and the Lenzes decided to put together a soccer team, participation rose to 18 children. By the next spring, the T-ball league had jumped to 24 kids and this year’s Yakcat Kickers team had to be split up after 32 children signed up to play.

“The numbers pretty much say it all,” Lenz said. “Going from 12 kids the first season of T-ball and now we’re up to 32 kids, to me, that says a lot, and the need is out there for sure.”

As word has spread of this upstart tyke league, interest has grown, and Lenz said that Preston Parks and Rec has contacted her about advertising the league to Preston residents as well, something she was more than happy to allow.

As participation grows, so does the need for parent support, and so far Lenz said the parents have been wonderful.

“The parents have been great. There’s no way we could do it without the parents’ help,” Lenz said. “We have two dads that have been permanent coaches, and there are a number of others that have stepped up and helped out in a number of ways. I think a lot of the parents want to be involved because it’s just amazing at how the kids progress. The learning potential at that age is a lot higher than older kids, and everything you tell them they absorb. Even by the middle of our soccer season, it’s amazing what they have learned and they just think it’s the best thing in the world to be out there and be on a team.”

Lenz, the mother of a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old, said she and Walter intend to continue running the league for as long as their boys are playing. She said she sincerely hopes that once her children have moved on, someone will step up and keep the league running for the dozens of kids who will want to participate.

“Just being with other kids their age and being part of a team makes them feel very accepted, and most of all it really builds their confidence,” Lenz said. “I mean, we work with each kid individually and it’s great to see the kids that are shy come out of their shell and the kids that are maybe a little more aggressive learn to work with their team and follow directions. At the end they all can honestly see the improvement in what they know and it’s just a huge confidence builder for all of them.”

Halloween Eve Film Fest Features a Second Screening of ‘Micah Rood’

2008-10-23T20:26:55Z

By Jason J. Marchi
Times Correspondent

If you’re in the mood to celebrate Halloween this year with an evening at the movies, head on over to the Olde Mistick Village Cinemas on Thursday, Oct. 30 for a treat, and witness a series of short films written, directed, and performed by area talent associated with the Southeastern Connecticut Filmmakers.
Beginning at 7 p.m., several independently produced short films will precede the highlight film of the evening, The Curse of Micah Rood, featuring Ron Pallilo, who played Arnold Horshack in the popular 1970s TV series Welcome Back, Kotter, and Brian Ellsworth, a rising talent in the industry.
This 30-minute film—written by Nick Checker and directed by Alec Asten—is based on a legend out of Norwich regarding an 18th-century recluse whose suspicion of local villagers leads to a crime resulting in a bizarre haunting, according to Checker.
Micah Rood was filmed at various area sites, including Whittle Farm in Mystic, the Nathan Lester Home and Holmberg Orchards in Ledyard, and the Jabez-Smith House in Groton.
“We are grateful to all of them for their generosity and consideration,” Checker said, allowing for a period authenticity the filmmakers could not have easily achieved without building elaborate sets.
The short films that precede Micah Rood are the work of a fledgling film group in Southeastern Connecticut and western Rhode Island, and the group hopes the Halloween eve short film festival will encourage more support for area filmmaking.
The group also hopes more people will want to get involved and exercise their talents in whatever areas interest them the most, from writing and directing, to producing, acting, film-scoring, or general production assistance work.
Of the short films to kick off the evening, “These are cracking-good tales, and all but one or two were written by the screenwriting students I have been working with the last couple of years,” Checker said, who also works as the director of development of the Southeastern Connecticut Filmmakers.
The Southeastern Connecticut Filmmakers then gathered the various production talents to turn these scripts into films. “These short films are, in essence, the ‘stepchildren’ of the Micah Rood production and the culmination of a tremendous amount of work on all their parts,” Checker explained.
The local filmmaking movement that has been mushrooming “has turned into the nucleus of a bona fide independent film company,” Checker added. “This screening on Halloween eve is, in a sense, Southeastern Connecticut Filmmakers true coming out party,” and a first for the organization to show a group films it is responsible for producing from script to screen.
“I’m very thankful for Bill Dougherty, owner of the Olde Mistick Village Cinemas and a truly, truly great man who believes in seeing independent filmmakers have their day in the sun,” Checker noted.
Admission for the evening is $7 per person. The entire showing is expected to run about two hours. There will also be a gathering after the screenings at the Steak Loft, across the street from the cinemas.
Checker has posted a YouTube link to a three-minute trailer of Micah Rood. To find the trailer search for “Curse of Micah Rood” at www.youtube.com.
For further information on the Oct. 30 screenings or the Southeastern Connecticut Filmmakers, contact Nick Checker at 860-444-8711 or e-mail Nick at nickchecker@aol.com.

Cheering for a Championship: Ledyard High cheering squad has its sights set high

2008-10-17T21:29:22Z

Everyone who follows high school sports in Ledyard is well aware of the varsity football team’s amazing 8-1 season last year, rounding out its playoff berth with a 21-14 win over No. 4-ranked Berlin to become the 2007 Class M State Champions. And while the team is off to another good start in 2008, there is another group of athletes who has been with the football team throughout their successful run and has accomplished some impressive feats in their own right: the Ledyard High School varsity cheerleaders.

Cheering may have begun years ago primarily to support other athletic teams, but Ledyard cheering coach Leslie Doe-Koehler says the sport now only faintly resembles what it once was.

“The sport has really progressed over the last 20 years, and it’s still progressing very quickly,” Doe-Koehler said. “When I was cheering, we didn’t do anything like what these girls are doing today. I mean, we did pyramids and different things but nothing like what they’re doing now.”

Doe-Koehler herself once cheered for Ledyard High and has been the cheerleading coach there for 24 years, beginning in 1984. Joined for the last five years by another ex-Ledyard cheerleader, Kristy Whittle, whom Doe-Koehler coached, the two have watched the group of girls now on their varsity squad develop into a highly competitive group. So competitive in fact, that after cheering the 2007 varsity football team on to a state championship, the varsity cheering squad made some news themselves at a New England Cheering Association (NECA) competition where they were invited to be one of 22 teams to compete at a national cheering competition in Florida and perform during the half time show of the 2009 Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day. The LHS team is the only team from Connecticut that was invited to the Gator Bowl.

“I’m super excited because it’s my last year and we’ve never been able to do anything like this before,” Ledyard cheering tri-captain Paige Smith said. “I think it would really mean a lot to this team, and it would just be a great experience to be able to compete on that level. I think it would really help the squad going into the future, too.”

While the invitation alone was certainly flattering, the cost of flying or busing the squad to Florida would make the cost of the trip nearly $1,500 per person; $40,000 in all. So at the end of last school year, Doe-Koehler, Whittle, and their squad had to make some decisions: Either work extremely hard trying to raise the necessary funds, or plan a smaller, more affordable trip for later in the 2008-’09 school year. The decision was unanimous, and the Gator Bowl fund-raising began.

With the girls’ parents agreeing to pick up $250 of the $1,500 needed per person, the team began fund-raising last June, running youth cheering clinics, hosting car washes, selling Connecticut Sun tickets, Avon, and Lia Sophia jewelry, working cotton candy and candy apple stands at the Ledyard Fair, and selling raffle tickets during home football games for prizes including New England Patriots tickets. Whittle explained that fund raising is ongoing, and the squad is tentatively planning to sell merchandise from The Body Shop and host a pasta dinner and a possible dinner at Applebee’s. And while they have raised between $6,000 and $7,000 in four months, they are well short of the $40,000 needed with the deadline for committing to the event only a few weeks away.

“In all honesty the chance that we can come up with that kind of money is slim to none,” Doe-Koehler admitted. “These girls have been working very hard to raise the funds, but what we really need is a corporate sponsor to help out with the transportation. That alone would take off at least a third of the cost, and we would definitely be able to make it happen.”

Staying true to their sport however, the squad hasn’t lost their spirit at the likely prospect of not being able to make it to Florida. If anything, the opportunity alone has inspired this group to work extra hard at its competition routine, which would need to be perfected nearly two months early as local cheering competitions don’t typically begin until February.

Smith said that her squad is focused and nearly ready.

“We’ve been working twice as hard as we normally do to be ready to compete so much earlier than what we’re used to,” Smith said. “We’re almost there. We have the whole routine down; it just needs to be practiced more and polished for the competition.”

Smith also pointed out that in addition to learning their competition routine nearly two months ahead of schedule and fund raising at a breakneck pace, the squad is also busy each week preparing a different half-time performance for all of the LHS football games.

“We really have some high expectations for this squad,” Whittle said. “We are so far ahead of where we generally are, so whether we go on the trip or not, preparing as hard as they have is only going to help us in the long run.”

Doe-Koehler agreed.

“They’ve worked very hard,” Doe-Koehler said. “Anyone who says cheering is not a sport doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I really believe that they’re more conditioned than athletes in a lot of other sports and anyone who took the time to come to practice each day and see how hard they work would be impressed.”

For more information or to make a donation to the LHS cheerleaders, contact Leslie Doe-Koehler at 860-884-5447.

Halloween Happenings: A look at the Halloween events in and around Ledyard

2008-10-17T21:26:11Z

Chill winds are blowing and the leaves have begun falling from the trees. For kids, this means Halloween is just around the corner and throughout Ledyard, Gales Ferry, and Preston there are some fun family events to take part in.

In Gales Ferry, Alice Acres Farm Market and Greenhouses, located at 39 Military Highway, have already begun the celebration with their second annual scarecrow contest. Following the same format as last year, numerous residents have created their own scarecrows, which are now on display at Alice Acres. All visitors are welcome to view them and vote for their favorite. And new for this year, Alice Acres employee Jean Scialabba has started a pumpkin painting contest, which began Oct. 11, and will run through Sunday, Oct. 19. Scialabba explained.

“The first [pumpkin] that came in was absolutely adorable, I’m not even sure what to call him, but he’s a green little monster with a Red Sox shirt,” Scialabba said. “The detailing is just phenomenal, he’s got a little Red Sox cap on, he’s really cute. We’ve had several kids come in specifically to buy pumpkins to paint for the contest…We’re going to have a children’s division, which is 12 and under, and then an adult division, and they’ll all be set up in the greenhouse for people to come down and vote on.”

In addition, Alice Acres is also offering hayrides on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. throughout October.

Also in Gales Ferry, the Ledyard Historical Society will host its fall program at the Bill Library, on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m., which will include a public viewing of the recently released short film, The Curse of Micah Rood.

Shot locally, including on the premises of the Nathan Lester House, The Curse of Micah Rood is based on an old Connecticut legend and tells the story of Micah Rood, an apple farmer who lived in Norwich West Farms (now Franklin) in 1693. As the story goes, Rood, who was once an industrious farmer, became more and more reclusive and untrusting in his older age. One evening a peddler who had been seen going door to door around town stopped by Rood’s homestead and was found dead beneath Rood’s favorite apple tree the next morning (in an alternate telling he wasn’t found dead, just never seen again).

The townspeople, though suspicious, never passed judgment on Rood, but the next season when the orchard came into a beautiful white bloom, Rood’s tree blossomed blood red and bore apples with a drop of blood-red flesh at their center. Shortly after, Rood’s mental condition worsened and he died, according to New London County Historical Society, on Dec. 17, 1728.

Curiously enough, the “bloody” apples, or Rood apples as they came to be known, actually existed, as evidenced by an 1888 article in the New York Times, but have since vanished.

In Preston, the Grabarek family of Preston Farms, located at 92 Route 2, continues their long-running tradition of creating the area’s largest cornfield maze. In years past their themed creations have included the state of Connecticut (complete with major roadways and rivers), Camelot, Jurassic fields, and Bigfoot and Loch Ness Monster, to name just a few. This year’s maze is Ice Age, and is complete with a woolly mammoth and a saber-toothed tiger.

The maze is open from 3 p.m. to dusk on Fridays, and 10 a.m. to dusk on Saturdays, Sundays, and holiday Mondays. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for 6- to 11-year-olds, $2 for 4- to 5-year-olds, and free for children under age 4. And as they say, “Mazing is the greatest fall sport ever grown! We love to get you lost!”

In Ledyard, the Ledyard Center School will host its annual in-school Halloween trick-or-treating night, which will run from 4 to 6 p.m. on Halloween. Principal Mary Fort Boyle elaborated.

“The whole event is sponsored by our PTO,” Fort Boyle said. “All students and their younger siblings are welcome to come and trick-or-treat, and what we do is each classroom is manned either by a parent or a teacher in costume and kids literally trick-or-treat door to door.
Fort Boyle said the event is a long-standing tradition at Ledyard Center School and estimated that it has been sponsored by the PTO for around 20 years.

“Parents find it to be a safe and fun way for their kids to enjoy trick-or-treating, and the kids have a great time getting together in costume and going door to door getting all kinds of goodies.”

In addition to the Ledyard area, the Mystic Seaport is hosting “Nautical Nightmares: The Cursed Figurehead” on Oct. 17 to 19, 23 to 26, 31 and Nov. 1, with tours beginning at 6 p.m. and leaving every 15 minutes with the exception of Friday, Oct. 31, when tours begin at 7 p.m.

The Mystic Aquarium is also hosting their annual Halloween event, “Sea Scare”, which will run on Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25 from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Buonocore’s Ledyard Football Honeymoon is Heaven

2008-10-14T15:46:54Z

4-1 Colonels project as ECC title, CIAC playoff contender

By Larry Kelley
Special to the Times
Jim Buonocore’s honeymoon as Ledyard High football coach emits all the signals of a marriage made in heaven.
The former Stonington High and Fitch head coach speaks glowingly about his new program. The players have responded with spirited training sessions and game-day performances, winning four of the first five contests. The town and school community are showing their approval, thronging 1,000 fans to the first two home games.
So much for growing pains and learning curves for a team with mostly new starters and a new coaching staff that took over for retired Bill Mignault, the state’s all-time winningest coach. New coaches usually are given a grace period to introduce new schemes and philosophies. One need only check the status of Buonocore’s former team, Fitch, which opened 0-4 this year in the second stint under Mike Emery, the architect of a glorious Falcon reign from 1992 to 2002 (two state titles, four title games).
After the Colonels’ 34-7 opening loss to Berlin, they haven’t missed many beats, posting a 4-1 record with three shutouts. Ledyard has set itself up as an Eastern Connecticut Conference Large favorite and a CIAC state playoff contender.
“We have come a long way since week one, and we are playing real good football in all three phases of the game,” Buonocore said. “We are working hard on getting better daily, and the players are extremely hard workers and are a pleasure to coach.”
Colonel senior receivers Sam Saccomano and Fred Hewett are the only full-time offensive starters. Buonocore has adjusted, meshing some plays from last year’s Wing T offense with his trademark Multiple Spread attack. Ledyard has employed primarily a ball-control offense, passing enough (about 100 yards a game) with senior quarterback J.J. Jablonski and rushing for about 180 yards a game with senior Chris Blomstedt, Jablonski, and juniors Zeke Torres and Ryan Foster.
Ledyard used mistake-free offense and tough defense to blank Waterford (13-0) and East Lyme (14-0). The Colonels opened up in a 32-28 win over a strong Windham squad. Hewett scored two touchdowns, and backup quarterback Troy Powell played well for an ailing Jablonski.
“Our offensive line has started to grow and gel together, as they all are playing at the varsity level for the first time,” Buonocore said. “We have gotten some very good play from our skill position players, and our kicking game has been solid with Hewett punting and kicker Nate Conway.”
Ledyard’s defense has a chance to be Buonocore’s best since he led Stonington to the Bears’ only second and third CIAC playoff berths in school history in 2001 and 2002. His Fitch teams were renowned for high-scoring offenses.
“Defensively, we are playing extremely disciplined ball, paying great attention to detail in our weekly preparation, and we are playing fast, physical, and tackling very well,” Buonocore said. “Our d-line, led by Drew Roselle, A.J. Wilcox, Dexter Johnson, Dave Slonski, and Matt Zepperi, has really improved and has started to set the tempo for us on that side of the ball. Sophomore linebacker Dean Gilbert has been a great surprise, and junior linebacker Shane Sullivan and senior linebacker Chris Blomstedt have been playing well. The secondary has been doing a nice job with Jablonski, Saccomano, and Trevor Montierth and Torres, Foster, and Powell.”
Ledyard projects to be 5-1 entering a key ECC Large showdown with Norwich Free Academy Oct. 18. A road game at No. 2-ranked New London also looms, so Buonocore warns that the Colonels have plenty of sweat equity left in an 11-game slate to ensure postseason action.
“We have to continue to grow and improve each week, not be satisfied with where we are, and understand there is a lot of football left to be played,” he said. “We have an extremely difficult schedule ahead of us, and all of our games are going to be important in our quest to reach our preseason goals that we set as a team.”
Even though Buonocore is well-versed in the volatile nature of a high school team’s success, he loves the pulse of his new squad.
“I really like this team and how we go about our day-to-day business,” he said. “We have a great bunch of kids who have a passion for football and competition. My staff and I enjoy working with them daily. I am confident we will stay on track and continue to work hard and put the time in to get where we want to go.”

Drawing Attention: Author and illustrator David Biedrzycki visits Ledyard for second straight year

2008-10-09T18:58:03Z

Standing in front of a small audience in the Gallup Hill School library, author and illustrator David Biedrzycki asked the crowd a simple question.

“I need a little help right now. Do you guys want to help me?”

And as attentive and interested as a group of 8- and 9-year-olds could possibly be, Mrs. Curran’s and Mrs. Parulis’ third-grade classes shouted emphatically in unison, “YEAH!”

The group then gleefully proceeded to help Biedrzycki draw a character for one of his future books, Ace Lacewing Bug Detective in The Big Swat, giving suggestions on everything from how big Bugsy’s arms and legs should be to what color he should be, all the while using a photograph of a real stink bug for inspiration.

Using the drawing tablet on his laptop computer, Biedrzycki began to bring Bugsy to life on the large white screen at the front of the room, much to the delight of the assisting students.

“I get ideas for my characters in a lot of different ways,” Biedrzycki explained. “With Ace I had done the illustrations for a bug book before, a nonfiction book. So I really learned a lot about bugs and kind of went from there thinking about where these bugs would live and what kind of bugs would live there. Plus it’s a hoot because there are a lot of bug puns in [Ace Lacewing Bug Detective]. For example, the latest Ace book has a baseball team called The Stinkbugs in it, so we were trying to come up with bug baseball players and I heard a lot of good ones like Fly Cobb and Derek Skeeter, so it’s a lot of fun.”

Biedrzycki recently spent three days working with all the classrooms of Gallup Hill School on Sept. 29, 30, and Oct. 1, covering everything from his childhood and career to his artwork and published books. For the students it’s a fun and educational break from the norm. For Biedrzycki it’s a bit surreal as he can distinctly remember being an aspiring young artist in elementary school and has now come full circle.

“For as long as I could remember, I always loved to draw,” Biedrzycki wrote in a brief biography. “I think I have my older brother Bob to thank. Using simple shapes and letters like a big letter “C” and putting a little “c” in it to make an ear, he showed me how to draw someone’s face. The first face I drew looked like an alien from outer space but I kept practicing and practicing. After what seemed to be my 100th attempt I drew a face that looked pretty good. The next day when his friends were over our house Bob showed them the face his little 4-year-old brother drew. They couldn’t believe I did it and told me I was an awesome artist. I was so proud that I remember it to this day.”

Carrying that same passion and determination into high school, Biedrzycki continued drawing and painting and eventually went on to earn a degree in art from Kutztown State University. After graduating, Biedrzycki began working primarily as a commercial artist, with the first half of his art career beginning in 1980.

Working in a variety of forums, Biedrzycki’s drawings and paintings appeared on everything from magazine covers, billboards and posters to things like juice bottles and ice cream boxes. Some of his most notable early work includes the apples on the label of Mott’s applesauce, oranges for Tropicana, and various illustrations for Hood Dairy. Yet it wasn’t until children’s book author Jerry Pallotta asked Biedrzycki to illustrate one of his books that the second half of Biedrzycki’s art career began.

In 1996 the pair released their first collaboration, The Freshwater Alphabet Book, and Biedrzycki has been hooked ever since, releasing 16 books since that time with three more finished and awaiting release, and many more in the works. Soon after his first few books were published, Biedrzycki began to receive requests to visit schools, and after he released Ace Lacewing Bug Detective, the first book he authored and illustrated, he realized visiting schools was going to become a second profession.

“That’s when things really took off for me as far as being able to come into schools and talk about illustrating and writing and publishing,” Biedrzycki said. “[Traveling to schools] truly has become an integral part of my writing and illustrating process. When I go to write the book it’s a lot easier because I’ve been in front of an audience perfecting the story, retelling it over and over, getting a lot of good input from the kids and basically editing the story for weeks and weeks.”

Biedrzycki estimated that he traveled to around 90 schools across the U.S. and even internationally in 2007 alone. One of those schools was Ledyard Center School, where Library Media Specialist Kathleen Smith was impressed with Biedrzycki’s ability to captivate the students.

“It was just amazing,” Smith said. “The feedback I got from the teachers and from the kids, they just loved him last year. He’s great. He really connects with the kids. He gets right down on the floor with them and really gets right on their level. He’s inspired a lot of people here, and not just the kids either. I think we have a lot of budding authors here and to see someone who’s actually doing it is just awesome.”

After getting such rave reviews at Ledyard Center School in 2007 (Dr. Michael Graner, superintendent, called Biedrzycki’s presentation “fascinating”), Smith suggested that the Gallup Hill School PTO fund a visit from Biedrzycki this year, something they were more than happy to do.

“Kathleen [Smith] was really the person who is responsible for me coming to Ledyard again this year,” Biedrzycki said. “I was glad for the second invite. Traveling to all of these schools really keeps me in touch with my audience. I get energized by it, I really do. Every school you go to there are at least a couple kids that have some great ideas. Whether it’s the shy one in the back or the wise guy up front making jokes, I try to listen to everything they say because often I’m like, ‘Hmmm, that’s not a bad idea.’

“But at the same time they’re learning too because they’re seeing the process that I’m going through with all of my work. They see how it starts out and what I do to get it to the final product. And that’s the ultimate goal is for these kids to understand that process and be encouraged to delve into it themselves.”

For Heroes and Horses: Mystic Valley Hunt Club to host horse show and silent auction to benefit veterans

2008-10-09T18:53:24Z

On Saturday, Oct. 18 and Sunday, Oct. 19 the Mystic Valley Hunt Club in Gales Ferry will host a two-day horse show for professional and amateur riders. In conjunction a silent auction has been organized to benefit the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, Inc. (NARHA) fledgling program called Horses for Heroes.

The program, which was launched in April 2007, uses the therapeutic properties of horseback riding, generally called equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) to help rehabilitate physically and emotionally wounded war veterans. NARHA past president Dr. Paul Spiers explained.

“Appreciating the power of the horse to change lives is our goal,” said Spiers, “and NARHA wants to provide positive change for these very special lives. Our service personnel have fought to preserve our freedom, and, for many, at a very dear cost. We must be certain that if our wounded service personnel and veterans need and want this kind of help, they will get the best NARHA has to offer. ”

The silent auction was organized largely by competing rider Jennifer Koppy of Massachusetts. After learning of the competition, Koppy and several other adult competitors, including international rider Ann Guptill, decided that the event would be a perfect venue to raise money for a worthy cause.

“Ann contacted me about possibly raising money for some sort of charity and I kind of took the ball and ran with it,” Koppy said. “We looked at a lot of different charities to give to, but in the end Horses for Heroes really stood out as the one that we felt was most worthy. We wanted to give back to a group of people who have laid their lives on the line for our freedom.”

Koppy said she is anticipating auctioning off around 100 items that will all be on display on Oct. 18 before the silent bidding begins on the morning of Oct. 19.

“I’m really excited about it because we’ve gotten a lot of great support,” Koppy said. “We’ve gotten some really upper-level riders who have taken an interest and have donated their services. Courtney King, who just got back from the Olympics, has donated a personal lesson package, and Lou Denizard, who has competed on the Puerto Rican team in the Pan Am games, has donated a full clinic. But we also have all kinds of other things, an authentic Boston Red Sox jacket, tickets to Bruins games, all kinds of things…we just really need people to come out and support this event and this cause.”

For more information on the event, visit www.mysticvalleyhuntclub.com. For more information on NARHA and Horses for Heroes, visit www.NARHA.org.