Monthly Archives: January 2019

Old Lyme’s Mya Johnson Named ‘Female Athlete of the Year’ by CT Sports Writers’ Alliance

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Mya Johnson, a senior at Lyme-Old Lyme High School, is the recipient of the Hank O’Donnell Female Athlete of the Year Award, named in honor of a former sports editor and columnist for the Waterbury newspapers whose career spanned 61 years. Johnson tallied 19 goals and 10 assists in 2018 to lead Old Lyme to its fourth straight Class S state soccer championship.

Lyme-Old Lyme Senior Captain Mya Johnson, who was named the Hank O’Donnell Female Athlete of the Year yesterday by the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance. Photo by Jennifer Alexander.

She was at her best in the big moment, scoring the Wildcats’ final five goals of the tournament, including a hat trick in a 3-1 semifinal win over East Hampton and both goals in the 2-1 state title victory over longtime powerhouse Immaculate.

Trailing by a goal in the finals, she tied the score by booting home her 100th career goal, then converted the game-winner for number 101.

Johnson scored both goals for the Wildcats to defeat Immaculate 2-1 in the 2018 Class S CIAC state championship.

The list of Johnson’s awards and accolades is remarkable, reflecting her exceptional talent. She was named an All-New England player in 2018 and 2017, and selected in 2018 as The Day’s All-Area Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year and named to the Class S All-State Team both for the third time. 

Johnson, who is also an outstanding artist, will continue her career close to home next fall at Connecticut College.

Harry Stanton, a 2018 graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown and three-time college All-American lacrosse player, will receive the Bill Lee Male Athlete of the Year Award, named after a longtime sports editor and columnist who wrote for the Hartford Courant for nearly half a century.

Stanton, a former three-sport athlete at New Canaan High School, led Wesleyan to the school’s first-ever team national championship, an 8-6 win over Division III power Salisbury at Gillette Stadium. Stanton netted two goals and added an assist in the championship contest to earn Most Outstanding Player honors.

Johnson and Stanton will be honored at the 78th Gold Key Dinner on Sunday, April 28, at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington. Gold Key Award recipients for 2019 are former college and pro basketball standouts John Bagley and Chris Smith, longtime NFL coach and Super Bowl champion Chris Palmer, St. Thomas More basketball coach Jere Quinn and ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen.

The Gold Key Dinner was inaugurated in 1940, with baseball legend Connie Mack and golf superstar Bobby Jones among the initial recipients. The roster of honorees since then reads like a Who’s Who of Connecticut sports – Joe Cronin, Julius Boros, Willie Pep, Andy Robustelli, Lindy Remigino, Floyd Little, Joan Joyce, Carmen Cozza, Otto Graham, Calvin Murphy, Joe Morrone, Gordie Howe, Bill Rodgers, Tony DiCicco, Geno Auriemma, Rebecca Lobo, Brian Leetch, Kristine Lilly, Marlon Starling and Dwight Freeney are just a few of the past Gold Key winners. A complete list is available at www.ctsportswriters.com.

Tickets to the Gold Key Dinner are $75 apiece, and may be reserved by contacting CSWA President Tim Jensen of Patch Media Corp. at tim.jensen@patch.com or 860-394-5091.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Bo Kolinsky Journalism Scholarship, named after a longtime Hartford Courant sportswriter and past CSWA president who died unexpectedly in 2003.P

Two New Exhibitions on View at Lyme Art Association

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The Lyme Art Association (LAA) presents two new juried exhibitions of work by member artists beginning Friday, Jan. 18. There will be an opening reception for these two exhibitions on Sunday, Jan. 27, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Caboched in oil by Rosemary Webber is one of the featured works in the new exhibitions at the LAA..

The Associate Artist Exhibition features works by both emerging and established artists. This mid-level artist membership includes both well-known professional artists, who are relatively new to the Lyme Art Association, as well as long-time member artists.

“Our Associate Artists are very invested and engaged here and bring their best work to every show. You will find varied subject matter, all executed with skill and enthusiasm. These are our base and we love to celebrate them in this show,” says Gallery Manager Jocelyn Zallinger.

The Newly Elected Artists Show features the nine artists, who passed through the rigorous selection requirements to become Elected Artist members of the Association. They are Ralph Acosta, Harley Bartlett, Melissa Imossi, Karen Israel, Randie Karl, Steve Linde, Mary Mellot, Judy Perry, and Michael Rogan.

Laurie Pavlos, LAA Executive Director says, “These are fabulous, highly skilled artists and we are proud to now name them among our Elected Artist ranks.” 

The LAA is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. The LAA is located at 90 Lyme St. in Old Lyme, at the corner of Halls Rd.

For more information, call (860) 434-7802 or visit www.lymeartassociation.org

Old Lyme DTC Issues Statement on Federal Shut-Down, Starts Donation Drive for Impacted Residents

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Jane Cable, Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee (DTC) Chairman, has issued the following statement on behalf of the Old Lyme DTC regarding the US Federal Government partial shut-down and how the committee is responding to it locally.

‘The U.S. government has been partially shut down since Dec. 22, over President Trump’s demand for more than $5 billion for a U.S.- Mexico border wall. The Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee believes this action is intolerable for the country, and heartless toward the affected federal workers.

The Old Lyme DTC membership is donating cash and food cards to the Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau (LYSB) to assist residents affected by the shutdown. To date, we have collected over $800 dollars in donations for the LYSB. Our commitment to provide assistance will continue until the conclusion of the shutdown.

If you would like to join us build a bridge of support, donations can be sent to the LYSB at 59 Lyme Street, P.O. Box 589, Old Lyme, CT 06371 or to
The Town of Old Lyme, Social Services at 52 Lyme St., Old Lyme, CT 06371.

If you need a donation picked up, please email us to arrange this.”

Get Organized with Ellen Madere Tonight at Old Lyme Library

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Ellen Madere will discuss tactics for getting organized at the OL-PGN Library Wednesday evening.

Keep those New Year’s Resolutions and get organized! 

Join an informal, enlightening, and entertaining discussion with Ellen Madere at Old Lyme’s Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library on Wednesday, jan. 23, at 6:30 p.m. She will answer your questions and give you room-by-room tips and tricks to stay ahead of the clutter. 

Madere is a contributor for RealSimply’s “Ask the Organizer” and Principal Consultant for Ellen Gets it Done.  She will make order out of your chaos and you’ll live happily ever after!

The event is free but advance registration is requested for planning purposes either at this link or by calling the library at 860-434-1684.

Last Chance to see ‘Other Desert Cities’ at ‘the Kate’ This Afternoon

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The non-profit production company The Saybrook Stage Company will be performing Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities live at the Kate in Old Saybrook from Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 17-19, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 20, at 2 p.m.

Rehearsing “Other Desert Cities’

Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz is a poignant play about the strong bond and love of family that overcomes any differences that exist between individual family members. This thoughtful, relevant play will have you sharing tears of laughter, sadness and joy as you become immersed in the heart-wrenching yet heart-warming story of the Wyeth family.

What is the price a family will pay to protect their good name? What is the price parents will pay to protect their children? These difficult questions are addressed in this wonderful and funny play!

It’s Christmas Eve 2004 and Brooke Wyeth is returning home to Palm Springs after a six-year absence to celebrate Christmas with her parents, her brother and her aunt.

Brooke announces that she is about to publish a memoir dredging up a pivotal and tragic event in the family’s history – a wound her parents don’t want reopened. In effect, she draws a line in the sand and dares them to cross it.

The cast of Other Desert Cities gathers for a photo .

A realistic story about family struggles and conflicts – The New York Times is quoted as describing this play as “The most richly enjoyable new play for grown-ups that New York has known in many seasons … Mr. Baitz makes sure our sympathies keep shifting among the members of the wounded family portrayed here. Every one of them emerges as selfish, loving, cruel, compassionate, irritating, charming and just possibly heroic … leaves you feeling both moved and gratifyingly sated.”

Other Desert Cities opened on Broadway in November 2011 and received critical acclaim in addition to many awards including a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as Tony Award nominations for Best Play; Best Actress and Best Scenic Design.

Visit www.thekate.org or call 860.510.0453 to reserve your tickets.

Also, visit www.SaybrookStage.org for more information about The Saybrook Stage Company.