Monthly Archives: September 2021

Lyme-Old Lyme Community Connections Hosts Happy Hour at OLPGN Library Today

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OLD LYME — Lyme-Old Lyme Community Connections invites community members to a Happy Hour, Wednesday, Sept. 22, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. outdoors on the lawn of the recently renovated Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes (OLPGN) Library, 2 Library Ln., Old Lyme.

Community Connections provides collaboration and networking opportunities among organizations that serve Lyme and Old Lyme. Join community and non-profit leaders, staff, board members, and volunteers to re-connect, network, and mingle.

The main topic tomorrow will be Creatively Adapting During the Pandemic, presented by Wendy Bury, Executive Director of The Cultural Coalition.

At 5 p.m., there will be a brief presentation from Katie Huffman, Director OLPGN, to learn about the exciting changes at the Library and how organizations can use this new community space.

Wendy Bury will then share stories and lessons learned from local nonprofit cultural organizations that have adapted and thrived during the pandemic.  Through their recent survey, The Cultural Coalition has gathered info from arts organizations across our region regarding their response to the pandemic, and failures and successes.

A rain date has been set for Thursday, Sept. 23.

This is event is free, but pre-registration is requested at this link for planning purposes.

 

Flo Gris, PARJE Host Free Webinar This Aftenoon on Ways Artists Address Memory, Hope, Racial Justice Through Their Work

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Allison Glenn, Senior Curator and Director of Public Art at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, will be the speaker Sept. 22 in a webinar hosted by the Florence Griswold Museum and PARJE.

OLD LYME — Today, Wednesday, Sept. 22, the Florence Griswold Museum hosts a virtual lecture titled, Promise, Witness Remembrance: A Contemporary Response, starting at 3 p.m.

This virtual event is free but registration is required at this link.

The presentation will be given by Allison Glenn, Senior Curator and Director of Public Art, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and followed by a Q & A facilitated by Amy Kurtz Lansing, Curator, Florence Griswold Museum and Jac Lahav, Secretary, PARJE (Public Art for Racial Justice Education)

Glenn will discuss her celebrated 2021 art exhibition Promise, Witness, Remembrance, developed around Amy Sherald’s portrait of Breonna Taylor, at the Speed Museum in Louisville, Ky. She will reflect on the portrait of Taylor and her unique approach to curating this exhibition, and how artists can help us understand larger systemic issues of gun violence and inequity in policing.

Audience members will learn how a diverse range of artists addresses memory, hope, and racial justice through their work.

This lecture is part of a series Arts & Advocacy: Methods to Spark Positive Change Through Art and made possible by the State of Connecticut and the National Endowment for the Humanities, both of which provide significant support to Connecticut Humanities.

Register for this free lecture and conversation at this link.

Old Lyme’s Duck River Garden Club Hosts Harvest Cheer Program Today; All Welcome

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Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash.

The Duck River Garden Club (DRGC) hosts its next meeting, Wednesday, Sept. 22, in the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall Meeting Room.

The topic will be Harvest Cheer! Gardener’s Show and Tell. This will be a special meeting to connect the Old Lyme community and Garden Club members.

The summer is over and just how did your garden grow? All are welcome to attend this gathering to seek and share knowledge. Bring your favorite garden tool or seed, and a story to tell of what worked and what did not this past season.

You have questions, we (hopefully) have answers!

The format for the meeting will be as follows:
6:30 p.m. Social
7 p.m. Program
8 p.m. Business meeting for members
This free DRGC program is open to the public. All are welcome to come enjoy their programs and find out more about Old Lyme’s own gardening club.

Sept. 21 COVID-19 Update: Three New Cases Today Take Old Lyme’s Cumulative Total to 417, Lyme Holds at 129

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LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health shows a steady increase in COVID-19 case numbers in Old Lyme since our last report on Sept. 16.

No new cases were reported in Lyme over the same period.

On Thursday, Sept. 16, we reported that Old Lyme’s COVID-19 cumulative case count stood at 411. (This report also includes state data for the previous week.)

The following day, Friday, Sept. 17, the cumulative case total for Old Lyme had risen by one to 412.

The state does not issue reports over the weekend so their next report was Monday, Sept. 20. That day, two new cases were confirmed in Old Lyme taking the cumulative total to 414.

Today, Tuesday, Sept. 21, three more cases have been reported in Old Lyme raising the cumulative total to 417.

Lyme, meanwhile, has held steady from last Thursday through today at a cumulative total of 129 cases.

Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372 on Aug. 26, meaning there have been 45 new cases since that date when Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year.

The next Connecticut Daily Data Report will be issued Wednesday, Sept. 22, around 4 p.m. Reports are not issued on Public Holidays, Saturdays or Sundays.

COVID-19 Cases in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools

This is the latest information that we have with the most recent cases first — there may have been further updates of which we are unaware.

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. 9 update, which includes statewide data.

Melissa Fournier Named Director at Lyme Public Library

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The new director of Lyme Library is Melissa Fournier.

LYME — The board of the Lyme Public Library has announced that Melissa Fournier has been named as its new Library Director.

According to a press release issued by the library, Fournier, who will take up her new position in early October, will lead the way in helping the library accomplish its goals of providing innovative programming, services, and collection development.

Fournier sees the Library Director’s role as impacting the entire community, commenting, “My goals would include expanding the reach of the library.”

She is no stranger to libraries, as she has managed several in the public, private, and corporate sectors for more than two decades. With extensive expertise in library restoration and renovation, Fourier enjoys creatively evolving library spaces to improve service to their patrons.

She holds a BFA in design from Pratt Institute in communications design and a MLS from Simmons College in library and archives management. She loves creating library programs that serve patrons from infants to seniors and has won a nationally-recognized award for such work.

Fournier explains, “I feel I can bring my skills to the Lyme Public Library to expand programming for children by working closely with the local elementary school by focusing the library’s programs to work hand-in-hand with helping children to build their understanding of the core curriculum skills they are learning at school.”

She also sees opportunities to create fun and informative programs for older children and adults.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Fournier both understands and loves the Lyme area. A devoted mother to
two adult children, she enjoys reading, drawing, painting, and lively conversations.

“Melissa has a lot to offer our library,” says Jack Sulger, chair of the Lyme Public Library Board of Directors, adding, “I’m certain she will do great things. We look forward to seeing the positive changes she has in store for us.”

The board encourages residents to come to the library and meet Fournier starting in early October.

The library is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 8 pm, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm, and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm The library is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

For more information, visit the Lyme Public Library website or call 860-434-2272.