Monthly Archives: March 2015

Niantic Bay Sailing Academy Offers Junior Sailing Program Scholarships

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Screen Shot 2015-03-16 at 2.28.49 PMNiantic Bay Sailing Academy (NBSA) is offering eight scholarships to its Junior Sailing program this summer – two to each of the four town school systems located between the two rivers (Connecticut and Thames), namely, Lyme-Old Lyme, East Lyme, Waterford and New London.

Eligibility is up to Grade 8,  but the program is more focused on younger students.  The NBSA is especially seeking local youth, who may not have otherwise been exposed to sailing — a sport which offers camaraderie, competition and the development of lifelong skills.

Screen Shot 2015-03-16 at 2.29.14 PMVisit NBSA at the Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau Summer Camp & Activities Fair on Wednesday, April 1 (no foolin’!), from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lyme-Old Lyme High School Commons.

In the meantime, visit the NBSA website or Niantic Bay Yacht Club website for more information about the programs.

Niantic Bay Sailing Academy is a not for profit, 501(c)(3) organization based at the Niantic Bay Yacht Club (NBYC) in Niantic, Conn., a leader in junior sailing nationally and internationally for over 50 years.  Hundreds of sailors have had the opportunity to experience sailing through this program.  Sailors from NBYC’s Junior Program have gone on to compete in collegiate, national, world competition as well as the America’s Cup, and even, the Olympics.

Equally important are the countless young men and women who have taken their experiences at NBYC and gone on to make sailing a lifelong passion whether it be ocean/coastal cruising, competitive racing, day sailing, or just “messing around” in boats.

The NBSA was formed to teach sailing to area youth with an emphasis on the environmental sensitivity to the waters on which we sail.  Its goal is very simple — to provide a fun and safe learning environment for young sailors.

Niantic Bay Sailing Academy offers a  four- or eight-week summer program (June 22 – August 14), which provides instruction for ages 7 – 17.  All abilities are welcome – from beginner sailors to those who seek more competitive racing.  Classes meet several times per week for several hours depending on ability.  Participants must pass a swim test.

How to Raise a Drug-Free Child: Country School Holds Parenting Event, April 9

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MADISON – The Country School presents How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid: THE STRAIGHT DOPE FOR PARENTS, an evening of conversation with Dr. Joseph A. Califano, Jr. and Yale University psychiatry experts.

On April 9 at 6 p.m. in The Country School’s DeFrancis Gymnasium, join Dr. Califano, former US Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, founder of The National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), and author of the new completely revised and updated edition of How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid: The Straight Dope for Parents, as he provides insights on how to help get children through the dangerous decade from 10 to 21, those formative pre-teen, teen, and college years.

Topics covered will include: legalized and synthetic marijuana, social media, the prescription drug epidemic and abuse of ADHD medications, rampant drinking and drug use on college campuses, and the latest findings on the critical connection between teen brain development and substance use.

Dr. Califano’s talk will be followed by a panel discussion and Q & A session with Yale psychiatry experts, including his daughter, Claudia Califano, MD, Adolescent and Child Psychiatrist, Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale Child Study Center, and a Country School parent; Joseph L. Woolston, MD, Albert J. Solnit Professor of Pediatrics and Child Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center; and Greer Richardson, MD Psychiatrist and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University.

The panel will be moderated by Samuel A. Ball, PhD, President and CEO of The National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) and Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine.

This event, part of The Country School’s Teacher Institute-Partnering With Parents Initiative, is supported by M.A.D.E. in Madison (www.madeinmadison.org), a coalition of community members striving to promote positive youth development. The evening is free and open to the public, but all attendees are asked to RSVP ahead of time.

Email beth.coyne@thecountryschool.org by April 2, 2015, with your name and the number of guests joining you (limit four people per RSVP). All attendees will receive a copy of Dr. Califano’s book. Beverages and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

The Country School thanks Dr. Califano, the panelists and moderator, and M.A.D.E. in Madison for partnering with the school in the search to improve lives through education. Founded in 1955, The Country School is a coeducational, independent day school serving students in PreSchool through Grade 8 on its 23-acre campus. The Country School is located at 341 Opening Hill Road in Madison. Learn more at www.thecountryschool.org.

Musical Masterworks Hosts Concert in Old Lyme This Afternoon

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Maria Bachmann

Maria Bachmann

Musical Masterworks will continue its series of chamber music at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme with concerts on Saturday, March 14, at 3 p.m. and Sunday, March 15, at 5 p.m.

Featured performers will include pianist Adam Neiman, violinist Maria Bachmann, and violist Hsin-Yun Huang.  Musical Masterworks Artistic Director Edward Arron will perform on cello and serve as the concerts’ host.  The program will include works of Schubert, Saint-Saens, Dvorak and others.

Adam Neiman

Adam Neiman

Pianist Adam Neiman has been called one of the premiere pianists of his generation.  He has performed as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Minnesota, San Francisco, and many others in the US and Europe.

Violinist Maria Bachmann won first prize in the Fritz Kreisler Competition in Vienna and recently made an acclaimed debut as soloist with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center.

Violist Hsin-Yun Huang is one of the leading young violists performing today.  She has won numerous competitions in Asia and Europe and performs as soloist worldwide.

Hsin Yun Huang

Hsin-Yun Huang

Musical Masterworks Artistic Director Edward Arron is known as one of the world’s finest cellists.  He recently completed a 10-year residency as the artistic director of the critically acclaimed Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert, a chamber music series created in 2003 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The program on March 14 and 15 will include three works for piano quartet including Schubert’s Adagio and Rondo Concertante, Saint Saens’ Piano Quartet in B-flat Major, and Dvorak’s Piano Quartet in E-flat Major.

Edward Arron

Edward Arron

Audience members are invited to a post-concert discussion with the artists immediately following the Sunday afternoon concert.

Tickets are $35 with $5 student tickets available at the door.  For tickets and information, call 860-434-2252 or visit www.musicalmasterworks.org.

The First Congregational Church is located at 2 Ferry Rd. in Old Lyme, CT  06371.

The Bowerbird Names CT Children’s Medical Center as New Recipient for Annual Donation

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Chris Kitchings, owner of The Bowerbird (back row, second from left) presents a check to the Eastern Connecticut Ballet.

Chris Kitchings, owner of The Bowerbird (back row, second from left) presents a check for $5,228 to the Eastern Connecticut Ballet.

The Bowerbird in Old Lyme has selected Connecticut Children’s Medical Center located in Hartford, Conn., as the recipient of the proceeds from their 2014 gift-wrap program. The program runs from Nov. 1, 2014 through Oct. 31, 2015.

The Bowerbird in Old Lyme recently wrapped up their 2014 gift-wrapping campaign to raise funds for the Eastern Connecticut Ballet.

Eastern Connecticut Ballet was presented with a check in the amount of $5,228.00 representing 4,000 packages wrapped. The Bowerbird charges a nominal fee for gift-wrapping purchases and donates 50 percent to local non-profit organizations

The Bowerbird pioneered ‘cause’ marketing when they created their gift wrap donation program in 1992. In the past 22 years, The Bowerbird has donated over $71,000 to 27 statewide and local non- profits proving that small businesses can make a difference.

The Bowerbird is located in the Old Lyme Marketplace.

For a complete listing of past recipients, visit www.thebowerbird.com.

Watershed Council Appoints New Steward to Protect Lower Connecticut River

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Alicea Charamut

Alicea Charamut

The Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC) has announced the appointment of Alicea Charamut as the new Lower River Steward for the Connecticut region. She works from CRWC’s office in the deKoven House in Middletown, CT. However, she is responsible for protecting the Connecticut River basin from the Massachusetts border all the way to Long Island Sound.

“Water is one of our planet’s most critical resources,” notes Alicea. “Unfortunately, our rivers and streams are taken for granted. It is up to organizations like CRWC with its passionate members, staff, and volunteers to protect and restore our watersheds for future generations. I consider myself fortunate to join the staff and begin work on behalf of the Connecticut River watershed.”

Charamut is already working on a number of important projects, including: Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), upcoming water quality standard revisions, Long Island Sound clean-up plan revisions, extension of the Connecticut River Paddlers’ Trail into MA & CT, Connecticut Yankee barrier, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for tires, state-wide Water Planning, and is co-lead on CRWC’s Source to Sea River Cleanup.

An advocate for Connecticut’s rivers and streams for nearly a decade, Charamut has a strong background in biology and water resource issues. She currently serves as the President of the Farmington Valley Chapter and on the Executive Committee of the State Council of Trout Unlimited. Her work as a volunteer leader has given her many useful skills and knowledge of water issues, which she is eager to put to work for our rivers.

Charamut can be reached at 860-704-0057 or acharamut@ctriver.org.

The Connecticut River Watershed Council works to protect the watershed from source to sea. As stewards of this heritage, we celebrate our four-state treasure and collaborate, educate, organize, restore and intervene to preserve its health for generations to come. Our work informs our vision of economic and ecological abundance. To learn more about CRWC, or to make a contribution to help protect our rivers, visit www.ctriver.org or call 413-772-2020, ext. 201