Monthly Archives: December 2015

Join Santa & Mrs. Claus in New London Today to Support Marine Corps’ ‘Toys for Tots’ Campaign

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Santa will have gift for every child at Saturday's event.

Santa will have a free gift for every child at Saturday’s event.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will ride into the new Mike’s Famous Harley-Davidson in New London Saturday, Dec. 12, from 12 to 3 p.m. to support the U.S. Reserve Marine Corps annual ‘Toys for Tots’ campaign.

This free event will include photos with Santa and the whole family … even pets are welcome. Santa will greet visitors in a Harley-Davidson® sidecar set in front of a traditional stone fireplace within the former Coca-Cola® factory. Each child will receive a free gift from Santa and parents will receive a $10 gift certificate to Mike’s Famous® for each toy contributed. Festive refreshments will also be offered.

The showroom not only features motorcycles, ATVs and watercraft, but also boasts an extensive selection of riding gear, accessories, clothing, and toys; there’s something fun for every member of the family at this exciting new venue.

Mike’s Famous Harley-Davidson is the New London County collection and staging headquarters for ‘Toys for Tots’, locally sponsored by the Thames River Detachment Marine Corps League. For months, the community has been donating toys and the Marines have been collecting, sorting and staging the gifts inside of Mike’s Famous®. The initiative will provide toys to children represented by dozens of charities and non-profit organizations this holiday season. Additionally, non-perishable food items are being accepted for donation to the Gemma E. Moran United Way Food Center.

NL shop front

Mike’s Famous Harley Davidson store in New London

“We are thrilled beyond belief to be working with Mike’s Famous Harley-Davidson this year on our annual toy drive,” said Jim Reid, Junior Vice Commandant of the Thames River Detachment Marine Corps League. “As always, Mike has gone above and beyond the call of duty and has spent a lot of resources to accommodate our needs. In past years, we have worked in unheated warehouses and other tough conditions. Our very comfortable headquarters at Mike’s Famous is absolutely fantastic, and his staff has been great to work with. We are extremely grateful,” Reid added.

Mike’s Famous Harley-Davidson is the 2015 recipient of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut’s Military Community Support Award, given annually to Chamber member businesses that have gone above and beyond to show support of the region’s men and women in uniform. Mike’s Famous was selected because of its outstanding commitment to supporting active military members as well as veterans. The dealership’s programs include Operation Personal Freedom® which offers a free Harley-Davidson Riding Academy® Beginner’s Rider Course for all active and retired military personnel. Mike’s Famous works regularly with the Wounded Warrior Project® and Adaptive Sports Foundation to improve the lives of service men and women who are living with post-traumatic stress disorder and physical handicaps. They have also raised and donated thousands of dollars for military veterans and veterans’ assistance programs, and the dealership organizes many additional events and programs to thank active personnel and veterans for their service.

The objectives of ‘Toys for Tots’ are to help less fortunate children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable resources – our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

Mike’s Famous Harley-Davidson is located at 951 Bank Street in New London, CT. The new dealership opened in March of 2014 in 55,000 square feet within the former Coca-Cola® bottling plant. It also represents the Can-Am® brands of ATVs, Side-by-Sides, Spyders® and Sea-Doo® Watercraft, and carries the full line of Polaris® recreational products.

Old Lyme Town Tree Lighting, Lyme St. Stroll with Carols, Holiday Concert to be Held Today

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Christmas-TreeThe Annual Tree Lighting at the Old Lyme Town Hall will take place at 4 p.m. this afternoon. The Tree Lighting is sponsored by the Lyme-Old Lyme Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Old Lyme and will feature musicians from the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School Band, conducted by Carrie Wind, performing from 4 to 4:45 p.m.

The Select Singers from Lyme-Old Lyme High School conducted by Kristine Pekar will sing traditional carols during a Lyme Street Stroll this evening (Friday, Dec. 11) immediately following the Annual Tree Lighting.

The Select Singers will perform at Nightingale’s Café around 5 p.m. and will stroll down to perform at the Village Shops. Their final destination is the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme where they will perform a variety of Christmas selections with the First Congregational Church Senior Choir in a short concert starting at 6:30 p.m.  The concert will only last about half an hour and all are welcome.

Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra Appoints New Executive Coordinator

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Daniel Brandl

Daniel Brandl

The Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra (ECSO) has announced that Daniel Brandl has joined the New London-based nonprofit arts organization to serve as its new Executive Coordinator. Brandl comes with a wealth of experience in music, education, and arts administration.

Currently, he serves as Resident Music Director of the Chestnut Street Playhouse in Norwich, Conn., as well as secretary of its board of directors where he was instrumental in helping create a new arts organization after the Spirit of Broadway Theater closed. He is also the Music Director and Organist at First United Methodist Church in Mystic, Conn.

A champion of the arts and arts education in Connecticut, Brandl was most recently an Artist Instructor at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. He holds a B.M. in Jazz Piano Performance from Western Connecticut State University and will complete a Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration from the University of Connecticut in December. Originally from Meriden, Conn., he currently resides in Stonington Borough with his wife Kathryn and their two young children.

Brandl comments, “I am excited to start a new challenge at ECSO and look forward to working with the staff, orchestra, musicians, board of directors, and volunteers. I am fortunate to be joining such an amazing arts organization with a strong mission.”

Board President Bob Reed comments, “I’m thrilled to have Daniel Brandl join the ECSO organization as Executive Coordinator. Dan’s background and experience in the performing arts arena brings much to the table and he will certainly assist our Executive Director, Caleb Bailey and our board to achieve our goals.”

The ECSO performs six classical concerts from October to May at the Garde Arts Center in New London. The orchestra offers a range of affordable seating options from $62 to as low as $12 for attendance to one concert. New this season, the ECSO will offer those under 30 years of age $12 tickets in premium sections. Additionally, $12 rush tickets will be available the night of every concert to those under 30 and any active or retired military.

Music director and conductor Toshiyuki Shimada has programmed an exciting season showcasing the ECSO’s critically acclaimed virtuosity and scope of repertoire ranging from Classical and Romantic-era favorites to newly composed, cutting-edge international works. Visit www.ectsymphony.com for more information and follow ECSO on Facebook.

Founded in 1946, the mission of the ECSO is to perform high quality symphonic music and conduct educational outreach programs.

Bye, Bye Braiden … Hometown Boy Loses ‘The Voice’ But Wins Our Hearts

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The star of the show ... Braiden signs autographs on his way into Tuesday evening's show.

The star of the show … Braiden signs autographs on his way into Tuesday evening’s show.

He may not be a finalist on NBC’s ‘The Voice’ but 15-year-old Braiden Sunshine of Lyme has won over more fans than he will ever know — not only in Lyme and Old Lyme but across the nation.  A sophomore at Lyme-Old Lyme High School, Braiden advanced through the contest all the way to Monday night’s semifinals, where he gave a remarkable performance of “Amazing Grace.”

He will not be coming back to Lyme any time soon, however, because he must sing again next week in the final.  We’re sure that when he does return, he will receive a hero’s welcome.

Congratulations again, Braiden — you had a fantastic run and gave a huge amount of pleasure to millions.  We’re sure you have a golden future ahead of you!

Talking Transportation: Saving Money on Metro North

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MTA logoWith the holidays upon us, let’s review some money-saving tips for riding Metro-North into the city for commuters and day-trippers alike:

TRANSITCHEK: See if your employer subscribes to this great service, which allows workers to buy up to $130 per month in transit using pre-tax dollars.  If you’re in the upper tax brackets, that’s a huge savings on commutation.  A recent survey shows that 45 percent of all New York City companies offer TransitChek, which can be used on trains, subways and even ferries. 

GO OFF-PEAK: If you can arrive at Grand Central weekdays after 10 a.m. and can avoid the 4 to 8 p.m. peak return hours, you can save 25 percent.  Off-peak’s also in effect on weekends and holidays.  These tickets are good for 60 days after purchase.

BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE: If you buy your ticket on the train you’ll pay the conductor a $5.75 – $6.50 “service charge”… a mistake you’ll make only once !  (Seniors: don’t worry, you’re exempt and can buy on-board anytime without penalty.) There are ticket machines at most stations, but the cheapest tickets are those bought online.  And go for the ten-trip tickets (Peak or Off-Peak) to save an additional 15 percent.  They can be shared among passengers and are good for six months.

KIDS, FAMILY & SENIOR FARES:   Buy tickets for your kids (ages 5 – 11) in advance and save 50 percent over adult fares.  Or pay $1 per kid on board (up to four kids traveling with an adult, but not in morning peak hours).  Seniors, the disabled and those on Medicare get 50 percent off the one-way peak fare.  But you must have proper ID and you can’t go in the morning rush hours.

FREE STATION PARKING: Even stations that require weekday parking permits usually offer free parking after 5 pm, on nights and weekends.  Check with your local town. 

METROCARDS: Forget about the old subway tokens.  These nifty cards can be bought at most stations (even combined with your Metro-North ticket) and offer some good deals:  put $5.50 on a card (bought with cash, credit or debit card) and you get a 5% bonus.  Swipe your card to ride the subway and you’ll get a free transfer to a connecting bus, or vice versa.  You can buy unlimited ride MetroCards for a week ($31) or a month ($116.50). 

BUT IS IT CHEAPER TO DRIVE?: Despite being a mass transit advocate, I’m the first to admit that there may be times when it’s truly cheaper to drive to Manhattan than to take the train, especially with three or more passengers.  You can avoid bridge tolls by taking the Major Deegan to the Willis / Third Ave. bridge, but I can’t help you with the traffic you’ll have to endure.  Check out www.bestparking.com to find a great list of parking lots and their rates close to your destination.   Or drive to Shea Stadium and take the # 7 subway from there.

The bottom line is that it isn’t cheap going into “the city”.  But with a little planning and some insider tips, you can still save money.  Happy Holidays!

Jim Cameron

Jim Cameron

Jim Cameron is founder of The Commuter Action Group, and a member of the Darien RTM.  The opinions expressed in this column are only his own.  You can reach him at CommuterActionGroup@gmail.com   For a full collection of “Talking Transportation” columns, see www.talkingtransportation.blogspot.com