Monthly Archives: February 2022

PARJE Selects Lead Artists for Sister Murals in Old Lyme, New London

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An opening frame from the time-lapse video by Emida Roller shows the Sister Mural in Norwich, which was unveiled on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 2022.

OLD LYME/NEW LONDON — This spring, Public Art for Racial Justice Education (PARJE) will bring its Sister Murals Project to Old Lyme and New London.

PARJE, which was officially launched March 1, 2021, utilizes the broad appeal of art and education to confront racial injustice. Last month, after the unveiling of its first Sister Mural in Norwich on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the group has now partnered with two more artists; Jasmine Oyola-Blumenthal in Old Lyme, and Marvin Espy in New London. 

Lead artist for the Old Lyme Sister Mural is Jasmine Oyola-Blumenthal.

Oyola-Blumenthal will serve as the lead mural artist for the Old Lyme mural. She joins the Sister Murals Project as an alumna of Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts and is looking forward to her homecoming there.

The Old Lyme Sister Mural will be installed inside Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School,  adjacent to the gymnasium. In addition to her role as lead artist, Oyola-Blumenthal will work with school faculty to develop student workshops, which will coordinate with the project. 

Oyola-Blumenthal and her counterpart, Marvin Espy, in New London were selected from a field of nearly 20 applicants.

In her application, Oyola-Blumenthal referred to the ability for art to inspire people to talk to one another saying, “Art is a neutral vessel that can bring forth conversations that can be uncomfortable and promote opportunities to open dialogue on racial justice and education.”

Oyola Blumenthal also has extensive experience working with students.  

Marvin Espy is the lead artist for the New London Sister Mural.

Espy, the lead artist for the New London mural, is also committed to involving and empowering area youth through art and education. From mentoring young artists to promoting art therapy, Espy appreciates the countless applications of art.

Discussing the potential for Sister Mural sites to be safe spaces that assist in facilitating difficult conversations, Espy tells Eddie Long, PARJE Co-Chair, “What  excites me the most about this project is the chance to hear from the community, especially the  students.” 

Espy is a transplant to New London, but the local community has gotten to know him quite well. His  studio is inside the Dewart Building, which houses the studios of several New London artists. Last summer, Espy had a popular solo exhibition, ‘Patina,’ at the Thames River Gallery in New London.

The Sister Mural in New London will be installed in Fulton Park, which is located on Water Street. Easily walkable from New  London’s downtown, Fulton Park includes basketball courts as well as a playscape for children. The large space is nestled between two large apartment complexes and the New London Police Department. In 2018, Charlie King, owner of Hive Skate Shop in New London, led a successful effort to have a skate park built on the grounds of Fulton Park.  

With the help of RiseUP for Arts and CT Murals, PARJE will install five Sister Murals in five towns:  Norwich, Old Lyme, New London, East Lyme, and Old Saybrook.  

Public Art for Racial Justice Education is a broadly-based, interracial, non-partisan, non-sectarian organization consisting of volunteers from all around southeastern Connecticut.

For regular updates on the progress of the Sister Murals Project, check out Public Art for Racial Justice Education on Facebook and Instagram.  

For additional information, email racialjusticeart@gmail.com or visit racialjusticeart.org.

Editor’s Note: This article is based on a press release issued by PARJE.

Feb. 25 COVID Update: Two New Cases in Lyme Take Cumulative Case Total to 255, One New Case in Old Lyme Takes Total There to 1026

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash,

LYME-OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, around 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health(CT DPH) shows one new, confirmed COVID-19 case in Old Lyme and two in Lyme.

This means the cumulative case total for Old Lyme is 1026 while the equivalent number in Lyme is 255.

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by the state Monday, Feb. 28, around 4 p.m.

Local Summary

The most recent day when no new cases were reported in either Lyme or Old Lyme was Thursday, Feb. 24 — the previous time before that when no new cases were reported in either town was Thursday, Dec. 12, 2021.

On the other side of the equation, however, when looking at the 10 member towns of the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD), Old Lyme has the highest Daily Case Rate at 33.2% with 34 cases reported in the past two weeks ending Feb. 24. Lyme, meanwhile, is in 7th place for Daily Case Rates at 18.5% with six cases reported in the past two weeks.

The next weekly LLHD report will be issued Thursday, March 3.

Statewide Situation

The state’s COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate on Friday, Feb. 25, fell to 2.55% from 3.99% on Thursday, Feb. 24.

The number of COVID-related hospitalizations fell by 13 from 248 to 235.

Of those hospitalized, 113 (representing 48.1%) are not fully vaccinated.

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut increased 10,465.

Statewide Data

In encouraging news, the Feb. 24 COVID Case Rate map shows that the total number of towns in the Red (highest) Zone for case rates has fallen by 66 since last week to 87. Twelve towns in the state are now in the Gray (lowest) Zone, 11 in the Yellow (lowest but one), and 59 in the Orange (highest but one) Zone.

This number of 87 is equivalent to 51.5% of towns in the state, which remain in the Red Zone.

All the towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD), which include both Lyme and Old Lyme, are in the Red Zone.

Old Lyme is in the Red (highest) Zone for the 14th consecutive week: prior to this, the last time Old Lyme was in the Red Zone was Sept. 30, 2021. Of the 10 towns in the LLHD, Old Lyme has the highest Daily Case Rate at 33.2% with 34 cases reported in the past two weeks.

Lyme is in the Red Zone for the 12th week in succession. Of the 10 towns in the LLHD, Lyme has the 7th highest Daily Case Rate at 18.5% with six cases reported in the past two weeks.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, March 3 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

The color-coded zones are:

  • Red: Indicates case rates over the last two weeks of greater than 15 per 100,000 population
  • Orange: Indicates case rates between 10 to 14 cases per 100,000 population
  • Yellow: Indicates case rates between 5 and 9 per 100,000 population
  • Gray: Indicates case rates lower than five per 100,000 population

Extracts from the Feb. 24, 2022 CT DPH report

As of Feb. 23, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from Feb. 16, 2022)

  • Number of cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut: 170,997 (167,783)
  • Number of fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut:  2,655,982 (2,640,845)
  • Percent of fully vaccinated persons, who have contracted COVID-19: 6.44% (6.35%)

For the week beginning Feb. 13, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from Feb. 06, 2022)

  • Risk of unvaccinated persons testing positive for COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 2.9 x greater (3.1 x greater)
  • Risk of unvaccinated persons dying from COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 8.4 x greater (18.1% x greater)

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 582 since Wednesday, Nov. 10, when the total stood at 443 — that number had stood unchanged for a week since the previous Thursday, Nov. 4.

On Aug. 26 — which was the day Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year — Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372, meaning there have now been 653 new cases there since that date. Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 139 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

Ledge Light Health District Update

All the towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD), of which both Lyme and Old Lyme are members, are in the Red Zone. In the past two weeks, Lyme has had 6 new cases while Old Lyme has reported 34 — the previous week’s numbers were 18 and 53.

In an email sent Friday, Feb. 25, regarding the latest COVID-19 data, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) Director of Health Stephen Mansfield states, “Although the number of new cases and hospitalizations continues to decrease, we are still experiencing high average daily case rates, and a continued focus on preventing transmission is important.”

He continues, “Based on the current level of community transmission, both the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the CDC continue to recommend that everyone wear a mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status.”

Finally, he states, “LLHD continues to focus our vaccination efforts on homebound populations and providing initial vaccinations and boosters to individuals who were vaccinated previously. Information about vaccination opportunities can be found at https://llhd.org/coronavirus-covid-19-situation/covid-19-vaccine/.”

COVID testing opportunities can be found at COVID-19 Testing | Ledge Light Health District (llhd.org)

The following link provides centralized access to Connecticut COVID data: https://data.ct.gov/stories/s/COVID-19-data/wa3g-tfvc/

The next Ledge Light update is due Thursday, March 3, 2022.

Fatalities Due to COVID-19 in Lyme, Old Lyme

There has been one COVID-related fatality of a Lyme resident: a 57-year-old male passed away Nov. 16, 2021. On Nov. 30, the state finally included this fatality in its data

Four COVID-related fatalities have now been reported in Old Lyme. 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 and fourth fatalities, which were reported respectively in 2021 and on Feb. 4, 2022, have not been made available.

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Update

Under new state protocols for schools, Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools are no longer required to carry out contact tracing , but LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser said in a Jan. 4 email to the school community that he, “… will continue to notify the school community of any positive cases of COVID-19 that impact the schools.”

A full listing of all LOL Schools-related cases during 2022 is given below.

This week is Winter Break for LOL Schools and so no further case reporting will be announced until Monday, Feb. 28.

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools closed Dec. 23, 2021 and reopened Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 after the winter break meaning no new cases were reported by the schools during that period. We are no longer including positive cases impacting LOL schools between Aug 26, 2021 (the first day of the 2021-22 academic school year) and Dec. 23, 2021 (the last day of school before winter break began), in this report. During that period contact tracing was still required.

View the full listing of cases during that period (8/26/21 – 12/23/21) at this link.

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

The following abbreviations are used in the lists below: LOLHS: Lyme-Old Lyme High School, LOLMS: Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, CS: MC: Mile Creek School, and Center School Pre-Kindergarten

Friday, Feb. 18
Total: LOLMS: 1, MC: 1

Thursday, Feb. 17
Total: 1,  MC: 1

Wednesday, Feb. 16
Total: 6, LOLMS: 3

Monday, Feb. 14
Total: 6, LOLMS: 2, MC: 3, Lyme: 1

Sunday, Feb. 13
Total: 3, LOLMS: 2, MC: 1

Friday, Feb. 11
Total: 2, LOLHS: 1, CS: 1

Thursday, Feb. 10
Total: 2, Lyme: 1, CS: 1

Wednesday, Feb. 9
Total: 2, LOLHS: 1, MC: 1

Tuesday, Feb. 8
Total: 0

Monday, Feb. 7
Total: 3, Lyme: 1, MC: 1, CS: 1

Sunday, Feb. 6
Total: 2, LOLMS: 1, MC: 1

Friday, Feb. 4
Total: 5, LOLHS: 2, LOLMS: 1, MC: 2

Thursday, Feb. 3
Total: 1, Lyme: 1

Wednesday, Feb. 2
Total: 3, MC: 3

Tuesday, Feb. 1
Total: 1, MC: 1

JANUARY 2022
Monday, 1/31: Total: 2, LOLMS: 1, Lyme: 1
Sunday, 1/30: Total: 1, Lyme: 1
Friday, 1/28: Total: 3, LOLHS: 1, LOLMS: 1, MC: 1
Thursday, 1/27: Total: 3, LOLHS: 1, Lyme: 2
Wednesday, 1/26: Total: 3, LOLHS: 1, MC: 2
Tuesday, 1/25: Total: 4, LOLMS: 2, MC: 2
Monday, 1/24:Total: 9, LOLHS: 2, LOLMS: 1, Lyme: 1, MC: 4, CS: 1
Sunday, 1/23:Total: 3, LOLMS: 1, Lyme: 2
Friday, 1/21:Total: 8, LOLHS: 4, LOLMS: 2, MC: 2
Thursday, 1/20: Total: 5, LOLMS: 1, MC: 1, Lyme: 3
Wednesday, 1/19: Total: 7, LOLHS: 2, LOLMS: 4, CS: 1
Tuesday, 1/18: Total: 7, LOLHS: 3, LOLMS: 2, MC: 2
Monday, 1/17: Total: 6, Lyme: 4, MC: 2
Friday, 1/14: Total: 3, MC: 2, LOLHS: 1
Wednesday, 1/12: Total: 3, MC: 2, LOLMS: 1
Monday, 1/10: Total: 3, CS: 1, Lyme: 2
Sunday, 1/9: Total: 2, MC: 1, Lyme: 1
Friday, 1/7: Total: 1, MC: 1:
Thursday, 1/6: Total: 7, LOLHS: 5, Lyme: 1, CS: 1
Wednesday, 1/5: Total: 14, LOLHS: 6, MC: 1, Lyme: 3, CS: 4
Tuesday, 1/4: Total: 5, LOLHS: 4, CS: 1

Learn About, Meet Lavender the Opossum at Lyme Library, This Afternoon

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Learn all about Lavender the opossum in a special program Saturday at Lyme Public Library

LYME — Enjoy Storytime with Lavender, TOMORROW afternoon at 3 p.m. at Lyme Public Library.

This program has been postponed from Friday, Feb. 25, to Saturday, Feb. 26 due to the weather.
Learn about Lavender the opossum and find out why she lived in a house. Lavender’s human friend will read the book aloud and then the children will get to meet Bella and Patch, who are gentle, live opossum ambassadors.
Pamela and William Lefferts, wildlife rehabilitators with Ferncroft Wildlife Rescue, will explain why our wildlife friends, the opossums, are helpful creatures.
There will be books available for purchase.
Pamela A. Lefferts is a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator in Connecticut. Retired after many years in the field of education, she is the “hands-on” partner and does the critical medical care of the animals, preparing them for release.
William H. Lefferts is a licensed Connecticut Rehabilitator and Transporter.  He retired after teaching secondary school moderate- to severe-special needs children for over 40 years.  Bill helps with socialization and is instrumental in releases.
Always lovers of animals, the Lefferts operated a hobby farm for many years prior to retirement. In 2016 they began the process of becoming Wildlife rehabilitators and in early 2017 they opened Ferncroft Wildlife Rescue.
They believe it is the perfect volunteer opportunity for retirees and love to share their passion and knowledge of how and what “rehabbing” entails. Specializing in opossum, the Lefferts especially enjoy sharing knowledge about these misunderstood gentle creatures.

Meet them at this link on FaceBook.

This program is geared toward elementary-aged children and younger. Children must be accompanied by an adult. There is no fee to attend but pre-registration is required atopenspace@townlyme.org

This is a special co-sponsored event sponsored by the Friends of the Lyme Public Library and the Lyme Land Trust.

Death Announced of Lisa Marie Kadlec, 46, of Lyme

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LYME — Lisa Marie Kadlec, 46, of Joshuatown Road, died Monday, Feb. 21, 2022, at her home surrounded by her family.

Lisa was born July 16, 1975, in Hartford, the daughter of William and Jeanne (Martin) Kadlec. Lisa was a graduate of Mercy High School class of 1993 …

Lisa is survived by her daughter Evelyn Winters; parents, William and Jeanne Kadlec; brother William Kadlec.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Fulton-Theroux Funeral Home, 13 Beckwith Lane, Old Lyme …

Interment will follow in Eight Mile River Cemetery in Lyme …

Visit this link to read the full obituary published Feb. 2, in The Day.

Registration Opens for RTP Estuary Center Summer Camp, Limited Number of Spaces

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All the fun of the RTP Estuary Summer Camp!

OLD LYME — Join the Roger Tory Peterson (RTP) Estuary Center and spend the summer where science, nature and art combine with fun.

While each session has a natural science focus, children will be busy discovering animals and plants, conducting hands-on experiments, making new friends and enjoying outdoor activities. Each week-long session will focus on a project relevant to the week’s theme, participating in a hands-on curriculum tailored to meet each child’s interest and skills.

Camp will run from June 20 to Aug 19, 2022. Campers are organized in groups based on their ages. Each weekly session’s enrollment is limited to:

  • 12 campers for the Ecology Camp (Ages 5-7)
  • 12 campers for the Ecology Camp (Ages 8-10)
  • 8 campers for the Junior Naturalists Camp (Ages 11-13)

Adventure and discovery await all campers at the RTP Estuary Center, but space is limited so early registration is recommended.

For more information and/or registration for any of the programs listed below, visit this link.

Weekly themes for the Ecology Camp are as follows:

Week 1: Estuary Explorers
June 20 – 24
Dive into the extraordinary world of estuary life! Campers will learn about the creatures, plants and algae that live in this environment through hands-on discovery. Seine nets, magnifying glasses, microscopes and buckets will give us the up-close view of critters before they’re released. Weekly project includes building and testing their own a clean water filter.

Week 2: Art and Science Discovery
June 27- July 1
Release the artist within! Science invites inquiry, while art inspires the creative process. The two will interconnect in this explorative hands-on session.  By experimenting with a variety of materials and mediums, we will witness firsthand the intriguing, beautiful results that can happen! And for campers who wish to capture everything they learn and do, there will be daily time for journaling. Weekly project includes a large scale collaborative multimedia art piece using found and repurposed objects.

Week 3: Nature Engineers
July 5- 8 *no camp on July 4
Build, test, design and trial -STEAM in ACTION! Put your skills to the test this week as you construct, explore, problem solve, test materials and work cooperatively! Campers will explore the ways animals engineer their environments and learn about biomimicry. Based on their observations, campers will create their own tools to solve real-life problems.

Week 4: Fantastic Flyers
July 11-15
Take flight and discover the mystery of birds, bats, dragonflies, and butterflies. Campers will search for these winged creatures and their homes as we discover the outdoors! We’ll unveil the mysteries of beaks, talons, and feathers as we explore the birds’ many talents and skills. Learn to use binoculars and field guides! Campers will create a bird feeding station and each day conduct a bird count and collect data on bird behaviors.

Week 5: Wild Water Wonders
July 18- 22
Investigate the mysteries of water, mud and soil! Worms, slugs, and snails are just the beginning of what you will discover! Campers will explore what lives in the water and help take care of our classroom tanks as well as learn about the importance of taking care of our water sources. Each day will bring a new water experiment for campers to explore.

Week 6: Super Scientists
July 25 -29
Explore and venture into the ologies! Biology, ecology, ornithology, hydrology and more!    While studying all the ologies learn about plant and animal adaptations, water and soil quality and much more! From birds to bugs and soil to water, we’ll see what the natural world is all about. This week, campers will conduct a plant study of their design.

Week 7: Eco-Adventurers
Aug 1-5
Frogs, salamanders, butterflies, and birds await! There will be a new adventure every day as we pond dip, catch insects, and explore nature. We’ll use nets, water quality testing equipment, microscopes, and much more. Captivating explorations, investigations, games, and creative activities fill the days! Weekly project includes designing and building your own mini-habitat diorama.

Week 8: Budding Scientists
Aug 8-12
Campers will catch and study insects, search for wild birds, track animals, and design their very own field journal filled with their weekly discoveries! Each day will explore a different topic as we investigate all our natural world has to offer!

Week 9: Art and Science Discovery
Aug 15-19
Science invites inquiry, while art inspires the creative process. The two will interconnect in this explorative hands-on session. By experimenting with a variety of materials and mediums, we’ll will witness firsthand the intriguing, beautiful results that can happen! Campers will participate in weekly sketching activities in their very own art sketchbook.

Weekly themes for Junior Naturalists are as follows:

River Rangers
June 27- July 1

Interested in science and ecology? Want to learn how to design your own research? Campers will collect data, conduct scientific investigations and design experiments using real scientific
equipment. Each day campers will work on their investigation as they ask and answer their own scientific questions.

Eco-Art
Aug 1-5

Be inspired by the natural world! Conduct mini science experiments and use digital microscopes to create nature – inspired works of art through sketching, painting, and mixed media. Campers will work on multi-day projects building on what they learned the day before.