Monthly Archives: September 2021

Sept. 24 COVID-19 Update: Old Lyme’s Cumulative Case Total Jumps to 423 with Four New Cases, Lyme Holds at 129

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash,

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Friday, Sept. 24, at 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health shows four new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme since the previous day’s report on Sept. 23, when the total stood at 419. These new cases take Old Lyme’s cumulative total to 423.

No new cases were reported in Lyme over the same period, meaning that town’s cumulative case total remains at 129.

The state does not issue reports over the weekend so their next report will be Monday, Sept. 27, at around 4 p.m..

Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372 on Aug. 26, meaning there have been 51 new cases since that date when Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year.

COVID-19 Cases in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools

This is the latest information that we have with the most recent cases first — we believe there have been further updates, however, which we have not yet received.

On Thursday, Sept. 16, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser informed the school community that a previously reported positive case of COVID-19 is now impacting Mile Creek School and Center School.

On Monday, Sept. 13, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, which had been reported the previous day, was announced.

On Wednesday, Sept. 1,  a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Mile Creek School was announced.

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, Neviaser informed the school community that late on Monday, Aug. 30, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme High School had been reported.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, Neviaser informed the school community that late on Friday, Aug. 27, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme School had been reported.

In all cases, contact tracing was completed and those individuals who needed to quarantine were notified. They will be able to return to school following their quarantine period. All other students and staff will continue to attend school as scheduled.

Fatalities Due to COVID-19 in Lyme, Old Lyme

There is no change in the number of fatalities reported in either Lyme (0) or Old Lyme (3).

The first two fatalities from Old Lyme, which were reported in 2020, were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male. Details of the third, which was reported in 2021, have not been made available.

Visit this link for our Sept. 23 update, which includes statewide data.

Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden Welcomes Community to Open House This Morning

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Volunteers tend the Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden at Town Woods Park.

OLD LYME — In March 2021, a group of interested residents of Lyme and Old Lyme met on Zoom to plan the Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden (LOLFSG), a garden dedicated to growing and donating all produce to local food pantries. As the end of summer draws near, the group is delighted to share their progress and invite readers to visit the site.

The LOLFSG will be holding another Open House/Work Sessions on Saturdays, Sept. 25 from 8 to 11 a.m. at the garden, which is located behind the field house and playground at Town Woods Park.  All are welcome.

Jim Ward, who conceived the original idea for the garden and has been the driving force behind its development, explained, “Board members are anxious and excited to share the progress we have made in establishing the garden and look forward to answering any questions concerning our vision.”

In the months following the inaugural meeting, the LOLGSF participated in a crowdsourcing fundraiser sponsored by Sustainable CT in which 82 donors helped raise $8350.  With $7500 of those funds being matched, the LOLFSG was able to purchase fencing materials and broke ground at Town Woods Park in June.

A view of the Community Share Garden showing the three raised beds in the background.

Ward commented enthusiastically, “Through the dedicated efforts of volunteers, an eight-foot deer fence has been erected, the installation of an irrigation system is in progress, three raised beds have been built and additional in-ground beds have been prepared.  We are on track to plant and harvest our first crops in Spring 2022!”

As the number of LOLFSG members increases, volunteers of all ages are invited to join the organization. Ward invites readers to consider volunteering, visiting the garden, or continuing to support the LOLFSG financially.

He notes, “Our next steps are to complete the installation of the irrigation system, install electricity, erect a storage shed and garden (plant, weed, water, harvest).   Updates and additional photos are available through Facebook, Instagram or at the LOLFSG website.”

Watercolors Exhibit by Jeanne Potter of Old Lyme on View at Greenwich Art Society Through Oct. 9

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Lily Pads with Reeds and Clouds on Maine Pond by Jeanne C Potter. Photo submitted.

GREENWICH/OLD LYME — A solo exhibition and sale of paintings by artist Jeanne C. Potter of Old Lyme is currently on view at the Greenwich Art Society. An Opening Reception for the show will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25.

The exhibition will run through Oct. 9 and features 47 recent watercolors, including her most recent award winners from national juried shows.

Potter has been painting for more than 50 years and the exhibition features a variety of landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. She has also been teaching watercolor for some 20 years.

Potter explains in a press release, “I have had a lifelong love of watercolors, and this show of my recent work will let me share the art and beauty of watercolor with the public.”

 Highlights of her show include a series of recent pond paintings from her travels to Maine and Witch Hole Pond in Acadia National Park where she explores the beauty of reflected clouds in water amongst lily pads and grasses.

One painting titled Lily Pads and Clouds on Maine Pond (see image above) is currently on view at the juried national 51st Nor’Easter Exhibition at the New Britain Museum of American Art. Other New England landscapes painted en plein air show the beauty of nature from Owl’s Head, Maine and Newport, RI as well as Black Point in Niantic, Conn.

 When asked how she would describe her watercolor landscapes, Potter said in the release, “Watercolor allows me as an artist a way to capture all the beauty of nature in rich and powerful color as well as delicate and translucent detail.”

In addition to landscapes, she is an award-winning still life painter and included in her solo exhibition are a series of paintings of the classic Ball jar, in both clear and blue glass. This past Spring one of the Ball jar paintings received an Award of Merit at the Providence Art Club National juried exhibition and the painting is currently on view at the Bendheim Gallery in Greenwich in its 104th Annual National Juried Greenwich Art Society exhibition.

“I also try to find the beauty in everyday objects,” says Potter in the release, commenting, “Sometimes the most familiar can become a new and interesting subject for a painting, especially when I can capture in subtle color and painterly detail their essence as in my Ball Jar paintings.”

The exhibition will also feature her portrait art and include what the artist calls her “wall of women” presenting 20 portraits of women who are friends, family and acquaintances. “So many think of portrait art as being solely the domain of oil painting,” notes Potter, adding, “But what I want to show is how dramatic and effective watercolor can be in showing the enormous variety and beauty of the human face.”

The Greenwich Art Society Gallery is located at 299 Greenwich Ave., Second Floor, Greenwich. For more information visit the Society’s website or call 203-629-1533.

FloGris Gala in Old Lyme Sold Out, But Online Bidding on Amazing Auction Items Open Until 8pm Tonight

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OLD LYME — The Florence Griswold Museum is hosting its annual Benefit Auction & Dinner Dance once again this year. Hollywood on Lyme is being held tonight and it is already a sold-out event. It promises to be an elegant evening filled with all the glitz and glamour of an old Hollywood premiere,

Bidding on the online auction, however, continues until 8 p.m. TONIGHT! Every dollar raised supports the Museum’s education programs, such as Wee Faerie Village, summer camp, and scholarly lectures.

On the auction site, you can also support the Raise the Bid fundraiser specifically – which will raise money for an electric transport van for our educator Miss Julie to support her outreach programming all over the state.

This is the link for the silent auction website: https://one.bidpal.net/flogrisauction21/welcome

And this is the link about the event for more information about the event itself and Raise the Bid: https://florencegriswoldmuseum.org/HollywoodOnLyme/

Contact DeeDee at 860-434-5542 x 122 or DeeDee@FloGris.org with any questions.

 

Celebrate National Public Lands Day Today by Exploring Lyme, Old Lyme’s Open Space

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Lyme and Old Lyme both offer innumerable opportunities for walking, hiking and simply enjoying their Open Space.

LYME/OLD LYME — Saturday, Sept. 25, is National Public Lands Day (NPLD) making it a perfect day to visit the Open Spaces of Lyme and Old Lyme.

Held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, NLPD was established in 1994 to celebrate the connection between people and green space in their community, and to encourage use of open space for education, recreation, and general health.

The seasonal change offers tremendous compensation. Fall’s crisper, cooler days are ideal for hiking and nature-watching, and our local forests present a truly spectacular color show for leaf-peeping.

To date, the Lyme Land Trust has 42 fee-owned parcels totaling 882-acres, and manages 70 private landowner conservation easements totaling 2,252 acres – protecting over 3,134 acres. The Trust hosts over 13 miles of trails in 651 acres of public access preserves in Lyme. A map of the preserves in Lyme can be found at this link.

Meanwhile, the Old Lyme Open Space Commission manages the town’s 600 acres of public lands. Their publication Take a Hike provides a fascinating natural history overview of open space properties.

Hiking maps of Old Lyme can be found at this link.

In addition to town-owned open space property, the Old Lyme Land Trust owns over 1,000 acres of scenic, historic and ecologically important land in Old Lyme. Many of these properties have well-maintained hiking trails – descriptions, directions and hiking maps can be found on their website.

Share your favorite outdoor activity Saturday on social media with the hashtag #NPLD.