Monthly Archives: February 2022

Old Lyme’s 2021 Citizen of the Year Honored by ‘Sustainable OL’ Members at ‘Galentine Tea’

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Honoring Old Lyme’s 2021 Citizen of the Year Cheryl Poirier at a Galentine’s Tea at the Old Lyme Inn last Saturday are, from left to right, Maureen Plumleigh (Old Lyme Conservation Commission), Poirier (Old Lyme Economic Development Commission Chair and Sustainable Old Lyme Chair), Charlotte Lyman (Sustainable Old Lyme member), Cynthia Willauer (Sustainable Lyme member), Mary Jo Nosal (former Old Lyme Selectwoman) and Patsy McCook (former Sustainable Old Lyme member.)

OLD LYME — Cheryl Poirier was recently named Old Lyme’s 2021 Citizen of the Year, and members of the Sustainable Old Lyme group wanted to find a way to honor her achievement, and celebrate her hard work, which brought Old Lyme to the Silver Level of SustainableCT’s program.

After much consideration, the members decided to reserve a table at the Old Lyme Inn for a GALentine Day Tea and honor Poirier at that event.
Maureen Plumleigh, who was a lead organizer for the event, told LymeLine later, “You can tell from the photo that everyone enjoyed their time together, which demonstrates that volunteerism really can be this much fun!”
Editor’s Note: Galentine’s Teas are being served on Saturdays at the Old Lyme Inn through the month of February.

Old Lyme RTC Chair Kelsey Donates $500,000 to Launch New PAC

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A new independent expenditure group, CT Truth PAC Inc., came to life over the weekend with a $500,000 contribution by David Kelsey, the GOP town chair of Old Lyme and a longtime donor to Republicans.

Organization papers filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission confine the PAC to independent spending on races for governor and the five other statewide constitutional offices …

Read the full article titled Super PAC launches in Connecticut with $500,000 from one GOP donor by Mark Pazniokas and published Feb. 13, 2022 on CTMirror.

Editor’s Note: 2/19/22 Our understanding is that Mr. Kelsey no longer serves as Chair of the Old Lyme RTC.

Feb. 11 Daily COVID-19 Update: Three New Cases In Old Lyme Take Cumulative Case Total to 998, One New Case in Lyme Raises Total There to 250

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash,

LYME-OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, around 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health(CT DPH) shows three new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme taking the town’s cumulative case total from 995 to 998. 

There were two new cases reported in Lyme taking the cumulative total of cases there from 248 to 250. 

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by the state Monday, Feb. 14, around 4 p.m.

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.

Statewide Data

The state’s COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate on Friday, Feb. 11, rose marginally from Thursday’s number of  4.45% to 4.94% and the number of COVID-related hospitalizations decreased by 62 to 467.

Of those hospitalized, 226 (representing 48.4%) are not fully vaccinated.

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut has risen to 10,260.

In the Feb. 10 COVID Case Rate map, the total number of towns in the Red (highest) Zone for case rates has fallen by five since last week to 164, leaving five towns in the state — Bridgewater, Canaan, Colebrook, Hartland and Warren — not in the Red Zone, but rather all in the Gray Zone.

This number of 164 is equivalent to 97.0 percent of towns in the state, which remain in the Red Zone.

All the towns in the Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) are in the Red Zone.

Old Lyme is in the Red (highest) Zone for the 12th consecutive week: prior to this, the last time Old Lyme was in the Red Zone was Sept. 30, 2021.

Lyme is in the Red Zone for the 10th week in succession.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, Feb. 17 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

Extracts from the Feb. 10, 2022 CT DPH report

As of Feb. 2, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from Jan. 26, 2022)

  • Number of cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut: 163,170 (150,141)
  • Number of fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut: 2,628,772 (2,569,296)
  • Percent of fully vaccinated persons, who have contracted COVID-19: 6.21% (5.84%)

For the week beginning Jan. 9, 2022: (the number in parentheses is from Jan. 16, 2022)

  • Risk of unvaccinated persons testing positive for COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 3.1x greater (3.1x greater)
  • Risk of unvaccinated persons dying from COVID-19 as compared to fully vaccinated persons: 15.2% (12.9x greater)

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 555 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 626 new cases there since that date. Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 136 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 18 new cases while Old Lyme has reported 53.

In an email sent Thursday, Feb. 10, 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, Feb. 17, 2022.

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. On Friday, Feb. 11 and Sunday, Feb. 13, three and two new cases respectively were reported in LOL Schools.

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.

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

Happy Valentine’s Day! Did You Forget? Then This Column is for You …

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2-red-heartEditor’s Note: We first published this topical column by Jennifer Petty Mann on Feb. 14, 2014. We thought it would be fun to republish it today. And Happy Valentine’s Day to all our readers!  

Our columnist Jennifer Petty Mann has some great suggestions for those who haven’t quite got themselves together yet for the big day.

You still want to do something, but are looking for something a little different.

If this is you, read on!

Dear Jen,
Valentine’s Day is always so generic. Chocolate. Flowers. Hallmark cards. What can I do that’s different?
Sick of Same Ol’ Stuff

***************************

Dear Sick of Same Ol’ Stuff,
I hear you. Excellent question.

Of course, love is personal, but being a romantic goofball is never out of style. Don’t be afraid to put it out there in your own way.

Here are some ideas:

  • Make cookies in the shape of your beloved’s initials.
  • Use kids’ washable crayons to write notes on the bathroom mirror.
  • Find or buy some henna (which comes off in a few days) and write stuff on your arms.  Like Melanie Griffiths’ huge I heart Antonio* on her arm.
  • Make a David Letterman Top 10 List of Reasons you love your beloved.
  • You can play 9 1/2 weeks with the fridge. Take weird food from the fridge, dip it in chocolate, and have anyone in the house guess what it is. Kids love this. Hey, is that a vegetable? No, no, sweetie. It’s chocolate … honest.

Anyway, have fun. That’s the bottom line.

Good luck!

Jen
* Seriously! Who doesn’t?  It’ll be hard to explain, but I may do that anyway …

Lyme Academy of Fine Arts Presents Free, Virtual Discussion of Lennart Anderson’s Work with Art Historian Emily Weeks, Tonight

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Lennart Anderson’s ‘Portrait of Mrs. Suzy Peterson’ (1959. Oil on canvas, 30 3/16 × 26 15/16 in. (76.7 × 68.4 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Neysa McMein Purchase Award 63.49) is on display in the retrospective exhibition of his work at Lyme Academy.

OLD LYME — On Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m., Lyme Academy of Fine Arts presents a virtual discussion with Emily M. Weeks, PhD titled, “I See Things Beautifully” — Lennart Anderson and the Relevance of American Representational Art.Weeks is the Principal Lecturer in the Histories of Art at Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Old Lyme, Conn.

All are welcome. Preregistration is required in order to obtain the Zoom link.

This event is presented in partnership with The Essex Library.

An exhibition titled, LENNART ANDERSON – A Retrospective, is currently on view in the Chauncey Stillman Gallery through March 18, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Described by the New York Times as one of the “most prominent and admired painters to translate figurative art into a modern idiom”, Lennart Anderson (1928-2015) was an American artist renowned for his mastery of tone, color, and composition, and for a teaching career that deeply influenced future generations of painters.

In this lecture, presented in conjunction with the first retrospective of Anderson’s art since his death in 2015, Weeks considers the inspiration and execution of Anderson’s works and the legacy that his practice of “seeing beautifully” leaves behind.

Anderson (1928-2015) has been called the “elder statesman of American figurative painting.” Drawing from both the annals of art history and a tireless drive to observe, Anderson’s pictures have presented a vision of the everyday world through color, structure, and the connection of forms for the duration of his long and prolific career.

Weeks received her Ph.D. from the Department of the History of Art at Yale University in December 2004. Currently, she is an independent art historian and consultant for museums, academic institutions, auction houses, and private collectors in America, Britain, Europe, and the Middle East.

Weeks’s areas of expertise include Orientalism and 19th-century British and European visual culture; she is also the acknowledged expert on the artist Jean-Léon Gérôme and the leading authority on Ludwig Deutsch.

She has lectured widely on these topics and artists, both in the United States and internationally, and has acted as a consultant and guest lecturer for universities, museums, and other academic and commercial venues, as well as for the BBC.

Weeks has organized and contributed to a number of critically acclaimed exhibitions, including The Lure of the East: British Orientalist Painting, 1830-1925 (2008-2009; organized by Tate Britain).

Her extensive list of publications includes contributions to scholarly anthologies, academic and popular journals, books on Orientalist art, numerous exhibition and auction catalogues, book and exhibition reviews, and content for museum and institutional websites.

Weeks’s first book, Cultures Crossed: John Frederick Lewis (1804-1876) and the Art of Orientalism, was published by Yale University Press in 2014.

Books on Orientalist picture frames, the relationship between amateur photography and Orientalist art, the influence of artist’s tools and materials on their craft, a critical catalogue featuring Ludwig Deutsch’s Egyptian and Orientalist works, and a revised print and digital catalogue raisonné for Jean-Léon Gérôme are in progress. For more on the latter, visit @theofficialgerome.