White Sand Beach rounds out Save the Sound’s Top Ten beaches for water quality over the past three years.
A beach report card from the environmental group Save the Sound has ranked White Sand Beach in its Top Ten list of the highest scoring beaches.
The beach’s “A” grade is based on scores recorded over the past three years as part of a long-running annual report from the environmental organization analyzing water quality in the Long Island Sound.
White Sand Beach in Old Lyme, a popular destination for sun-seekers, came in at #10 in the state of ‘Top Ten Beaches for Water Quality’ in rankings just announced by ‘Save The Sound.’
White Sand Beach earned an A+ grade in 2022 and 2023, followed by a B+ last year. Just behind on the scorecard is Sound View Beach, with two A+ grades and a B last year.
The lowest rated beach in New London County was Green Harbor Beach in New London. Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme, after years of poor ratings, earned an A- in 2024.
Save the Sound in a press release last month said analysis of water quality at 204 swimming beaches from 2022-24 showed 72% earned A or B grades.
The 2025 Save the Sound Beach Report grades are based on an analysis of data from the last three years.
The group grades beaches using water samples collected by health departments throughout the swimming season under wet and dry conditions. The samples are analyzed for levels of fecal indicator bacteria.
The report noted many Long Island Sound beaches experience a temporary decline in water quality after it rains. That’s when stormwater runoff picks up fecal contamination and other pollutants, flows into streams and rivers, and eventually reaches the Sound.
“The 2025 Beach Report raises concerns about the water quality impacts of rain events driven by climate change,” the group said.
The group found the rate at which beaches failed the water quality tests rose from 11.0% in the previous three-year span to 13.5% over the past three years.
In New London County, the failure rate rose from 7.1% to 10.3% in the same timeframe.
Save the Sound cited 18.3 inches of rain over the last three years in the area of the Long Island Sound, which matches 2011-2013 as the highest three-year total dating back to 2003.
“Annual rainfall totals are expected to continue increasing, as is the frequency and intensity of severe storms, a consequence of climate change that will impact water quality around the region,” the report stated.
David Ansel, vice president of water protection for Save the Sound, said the report demonstrates the need to prioritize investment in sewage and stormwater infrastructure.
“If we’re not proactive, the impacts of climate change will undo so much of our successful past and ongoing work in restoring the water quality of the Sound,” he said.
The Wildcats celebrate their second girls track and field state championship in a row – and in program history. From left to right are Jeff Morrin, Chase Gilbert, Maggie Thuma, Alyssa Mercaldi, Jan Merril, Serena Mazzi, Vivian Boller, Zoe Eastman-Grossel, Maia Guisti, Bella Presti and Tabitha Colwell. All photos courtesy of Lyme-Old Lyme High School.
OLD LYME–On Monday, the Lyme-Old Lyme High School girls track and field team successfully defended their title as Class S State Champions.
The team was led by junior Chase Gilbert, distance triple crown winner, and senior Zoe Eastman-Grossel, whose three wins included a class record in the 300 hurdles.
Scores show the Wildcats were victorious with 89 points. Canton came in second with 41 points and Windsor Locks took third with 38.
Runners listed in the results below with their respective event places are all from LOL High School.
Girls 100m
Zoe Eastman-Grossel in lane six takes first place while Serena Mazzi in lane seven takes third in the 100m dash finals.
EAST HADDAM–The nationwide “No Kings” demonstration planned for June 14 is coming to Two Wrasslin Cats, where protesters say they support “cats, not kings.”
The East Haddam event will take place on Saturday – which is Flag Day – at the coffee house on 374 Town St. from noon to 2 p.m. Another will be held in East Lyme on the Niantic Green, at the corner of Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, from 4 to 6 p.m.
The “Nationwide Day of Defiance” is sponsored by a coalition of approximately 200 organizations to counter the military parade planned by President Donald J. Trump, according to nokings.org.
The parade in Washington D.C. marks the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. It is also Trump’s 79th birthday.
“No Kings” organizers across the country have said nonviolent action is a core principle of the movement.
“We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values,” organizers said on the website.
Several other rallies are planned nearby, including in Norwich at the Franklin Square Roundabout from 4 to 5 p.m. and in New London in front of the New London County Courthouse on 70 Huntington St. from 10 a.m. to noon.
Lyman Allyn Art Museum presents “John Boone – WHATSWHAT” through Aug. 10.
NEW LONDON –Lyman Allyn Art Museum will hold an opening reception for its latest exhibit, “John Boone – WhatsWhat,” on Friday, May 2, from 5 to 7 p.m.
The exhibit of word-based paintings will continue through Aug. 10.
The museum in a press release said Boone, who is based in Stonington and Brooklyn, NY, has long explored text-based art in his studio practice. His work has been shown at many museums and galleries, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
The exhibit features a selection of more than 50 of Boone’s paintings from 1994 to the present, with several groupings that explore a key word with a range of associations.
The museum said the paintings challenge viewers to think about language, technology, advertising, and how people communicate with each other.
“So, what does the installation of WHATSWHAT mean?” Boone said in the release. “There are many ways of looking for meaning. This exhibition can be thought of as an illustration, a model, and a review of how we go about things. Or it could be seen as an ensemble of prompts waiting for your answers.”
Boone’s recent solo exhibitions include the Boca Raton Museum of Art, the Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ, and the Mystic Museum of Art. His work is held in a variety of public and private collections, with commissions that include a sign flown over Berlin, a street mural in Prague, eight murals laser-etched in glass for the Hudson Bergen Light Rail in Jersey City, and a granite compass at the Key West Botanical Garden.
The opening reception is free to museum members. Non-members are $10. To register, call 860-443-2545 ext. 2129 or email info@lymanallyn.org.
This exhibition has been made possible with support from an anonymous foundation. Funding has also been provided by the Connecticut State Legislature, administered by the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts.
Marcia Higgins chats with a friend at the Lymes’ Senior Center during the Grand Re-Opening Ceremony Saturday afternoon.
LYME/OLD LYME–Lorraine Wilcox and Marcia Higgins are among those who refer to the Lymes’ Senior Center as a lifesaver.
Now, with 3,265 additional square feet and a layout that allows for multiple programs to be held at once, more older adults than ever can experience the resuscitative power of friendship.
While eating ice cream at the Center’s Grand Re-Opening Ceremony Saturday, Wilcox recalled becoming a member after the death of her husband almost eight years ago.
“It was a lifesaver,” she said. “I was depressed, and I could come be with other people, do things.”
“It’s a great way to make new friends,” she said.
Wilcox line dances. She takes exercise classes with up to 30 others in a space dedicated to the likes of weight training, Tai Chi and yoga. She sits quietly in the library room with a book. She gathers with others to await transportation to places like the JFK Museum in Boston, the mansions of Newport, RI, and the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall where the Rockettes are the stars of the show.
The Lymes’ Senior Center Grand Re-Opening Ceremony culminated with ice cream in the new dining room.
Higgins said she found herself in the same boat when she became a widow.
“It is a lifesaver,” she agreed.
The Center reopened earlier this month after being closed for a year and a half. The women credited Center Director Stephanie Gould and Assistant Director Caitlin Perkins with ensuring a full slate of activities from satellite locations across both towns during the closure.
“We were all over the place,” Wilcox said.
But Gould and Perkins kept the needs of all older adults front and center, according to Wilcox and Higgins.
“I think they love us,” Higgins said with sly certainty. “And we love them.”
Lymes’ Senior Center Director Stephanie Gould and Assistant Director Caitlin Perkins receive a citation for their work from Board of Directors Chairman Peter Lucchese.
Jeri Baker, chairwoman of the Lymes’ Senior Center Building Committee, took the podium during the early afternoon ceremony in front of a full house.
“We were focused from day one on one thing: That the seniors in these two communities didn’t get just what they needed, they got what they deserved,” she said.
Through the years, Baker has repeatedly described the committee’s vision for an open, airy layout marked by retractable walls and expansive windows to let in the light. The vision was tested by cost overruns and a slow grant funding process, but remained a priority for taxpayers in both towns through multiple votes on what added up to a $6.4 million project.
One million dollars is covered by state funding through a program that supports small town, quality of life projects.
Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker, right, brings Lymes’ Senior Center Building Committee Chairwoman Jeri Baker to the podium to recognize her for five years, seven months and 12 days of service on the project.
State Sen. Martha Marx, D-New London, told the members they deserve the new space where they can be with others.
“We all know loneliness is hard. It’s hard for a lot of seniors,” she said. “When you have such a beautiful place like this where you can all come together, it’s going to change lives.”
Baker, Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker, Lyme Selectwoman Kristina White and Lymes’ Senior Center Board of Directors Chairman Peter Lucchese all stood up to thank the dozens of people who made the renovation happen.
Shoemaker said there were about 1,100 members before the renovation. They combined for roughly 550 visits per week.
“In short, the Center was being used more frequently by more people than at any point in the history,” she said. “And at the same time, it had not undergone any renovation to its original structure since it opened in 1996, except, I believe, for a screened-in porch.”
Ruth Young was an original Lymes’ Senior Center member, who raised money for the building in the 1990s.
The project was designed by Old Lyme-based Point One Architects and managed by Newfield Construction of Hartford.
Shoemaker acknowledged two garbage cans in the dining room to catch water from a leak in the ceiling related to the heating and cooling system.
“Anyone who’s built a house, done a home remodeling project, we all know that turning things on for the first time is a surprise,” she said.
The system is under warranty, according to Shoemaker.
Members and supporters of the Lymes’ Senior Center applaud during the re-opening ceremony.
When Gould, the Center’s Director, got up to give thanks, nobody ranked higher on her list than the seniors themselves.
“I want to thank our members, you guys, who I lovingly think of as ‘my seniors,’ for believing in this project and coming out in numbers to approve both referendums,” she said.
She credited their positive energy, understanding and support with keeping staff members in good spirits through the transition.
“This one’s for you,” she told the crowd.
The Day in Pictures
Lymes’ Senior Center Assistant Director Caitlin Perkins and member Mary Buttery stand in front of Buttery’s painting. Members’ art lines the walls of the newly renovated facility.
Lymes’ Senior Center Board of Directors Chairman Peter Lucchese gives a tour of the Lymes’ Senior Center.’s new kitchen.
Members sit at tables in the lobby of the newly renovated Lymes’ Senior Center, where they can start each day with free coffee and tea.
The memorial garden surrounds the flag pole in front of the Lymes’ Senior Center.
The newly renovated, $6.4 million Lymes’ Senior Center is open again after closing its doors a year and a half ago for the upgrade.
