Guess what is happening the next day for these (and all other) Lyme-Old Lyme High School seniors! All photos by Michele Dickey.
OLD LYME — On Wednesday evening, the seniors from Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) took the streets — Lyme Street, that is — to celebrate their penultimate day as students at the school.
This car proudly displayed the Class of which these LOLHS seniors will be members for the rest of their lives.
They held a carefully planned parade in their decorated cars traveling slowly down Lyme St., ably supported by Old Lyme’s Police, Fire and Ambulance Departments.
Banners displaying the ‘Class of 2025’ were everywhere.
The soon-to-be-graduates, who will celebrate their Commencement Thursday evening, June 12, were cheered on by parents, friends and community members all along the parade route.
Smiles abounded in this vehicle.
The residents of both Lyme and Old Lyme took this special opportunity to wish the seniors well in the next chapter of their lives.
Vehicles came in all shapes and sizes!
Congratulations to all the LOLHS seniors on their impending graduation!
A view of the parade down Lyme Street.
We hope you (seniors) enjoy the Thursday evening post-graduation festivities … and here are a few more photos from the parade for you and all our readers to enjoy!
Enthusiasm for the next day’s graduation ceremony was visible everywhere.
So much to celebrate!
Old Lyme emergency vehicles particpated in the parade. First a firetruck …
… then an ambulance, and then several more.
Our photographer, Michele Dickey, celebrated the soon-to-be-graduates—and one in particular—with her grandchildren, Cecilia and Luca.
The gardens of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme are ablaze with color at this time of year. Enjoy them for free on Sunday, June 22.
OLD LYME — Connecticut Historic Gardens Day is being held this Sunday, June 22, from 12 to 4 p.m. and the Florence Griswold Museum is one of the 16 participating sites throughout the state.
Enjoy free admission to the Museum’s grounds in full bloom during this special state-wide celebration of historic gardens.
Members of the dedicated ‘Garden Gang,’ who tend the gardens, will be on site to answer garden-related questions and give impromptu garden tours..
Enjoy the beauty of the Florence Griswold Museum’s historic gardens this Sunday.
It’s a full day at the FloGris on Sunday!
Museum is open from 10am to 5pm. Admission is waived from 3 to 5pm to coincide with a Juneteenth Jazz & Poetry celebration 2-4 pm. This is the last day to view the special exhibition Their Kindred Earth: Photographs by William Earle Williams.
From 11am to 4pm drop into the Hartman Education Center to enjoy several hands-on craft projects. Plein-air painting available, weather permitting. Fun for the whole family.
Café Flo is open 11:30am to 2:30pm. Reservations are highly recommended, 860.434.5542 x126.
From noon to 4pm members of our dedicated Garden Gang will be on hand to answer questions and give impromptu garden tours.
At 2pm enjoy a Celebration of Juneteenth with Jazz, Poetry, and a Book Signing
Between 1670 and 1826 upwards of 300 enslaved African-descended and indentured Indigenous people labored in the historic town of Lyme. Today, Witness Stones mark 60 former sites of enslavement and indentured servitude. Join us for a Juneteenth celebration on the Museum’s north grounds featuring music by the Avery Sharpe Quartet and readings by the Witness Stones Poets Marilyn Nelson, Kate Rushin, Rhonda Ward, and Antoinette Brim-Bell, who will present their moving tributes in verse to those remembered with Witness Stones plaques. Seating will be provided under a tent and additional lawn chairs are welcome and encouraged.
Concluding the event, Artist-in-Residence William Williams, who created the 120 photographs of Old Lyme and greater Connecticut, will be signing copies of the newly released exhibition catalogue, Their Kindred Earth. Copies will be on sale at the event and in the FloGris Shop.
In the event of rain, the Juneteenth celebration will be held at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, 2 Ferry Road.The Connecticut’s Historic Gardens’ website offers some background to the gardens at the Museum, explaining, “Florence Griswold opened her timeworn family home to artists searching for a quiet country retreat where they could rejuvenate their spirits and find sources of inspiration. The group was known as the Lyme Art Colony and Miss Florence’s boardinghouse became the center of Impressionism in America.”
About Florence Griswold’s Garden: The Connecticut’s Historic Gardens’ website offers some background to the gardens at the Museum, explaining, “Florence Griswold opened her timeworn family home to artists searching for a quiet country retreat where they could rejuvenate their spirits and find sources of inspiration. The group was known as the Lyme Art Colony and Miss Florence’s boardinghouse became the center of Impressionism in America.
The text continues, “Miss Florence was a keen gardener, and had what is characterized today as a “grandmother’s garden,” in which masses of flowers were informally arranged in bordered beds close to home. From seed catalogues and references to garden books among her correspondence, it is clear she was constantly in search of new and unusual plants.”
Noting, “She helped others establish their own gardens, and filled her home with small, informally arranged bouquets of fresh flowers,” the text adds, “Many of the Lyme Art Colony artists painted the gardens and landscape around her home. This information, along with archaeology that helped the Museum identify the physical boundaries of the garden beds and walkways, guided the garden restoration.”
The text concludes, “Varieties of hollyhocks, iris, foxglove, heliotrope, phlox, cranesbill and day lilies are among the many perennials that make up the garden.”
LYME—Francis J. “Frank” Magee, 80, of Boston, Mass., and Lyme, passed away June 6, 2025, from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease and esophageal cancer. He was the husband of Anne Magee.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to either the Lyme Ambulance or Lyme Fire Company, both in Lyme.
Fulton-Theroux Funeral Home, Old Lyme is handling arrangements.
A complete obituary will appear in Sunday’s edition of The Day.
OLD LYME/NEW LONDON – The Connecticut Early Music Festival (CEMF) returns for its 43rd season, presenting six concerts across the first three weekends in June. The festival brings together world-class musicians to perform both familiar and rarely heard works.
The Festival opened Saturday, June 7, at Harkness Chapel, Connecticut College, featuring Handel’s Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline. James Burton, Director of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, led the CEMF Ensemble in Handel’s tribute to his forward-thinking Queen, patron, and friend.
The Festival continued with a concert on Sunday, June 8, at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in Old Lyme. Acclaimed flutist Emi Ferguson returned with a program of virtuoso sonatas by J.S. and C.P.E. Bach. Ferguson was joined by Guy Fishman on cello.
“This year’s Festival brings to life remarkable compositions from the 17th and 18th centuries,” said Artistic Director Ian Watson. “These performances, honoring the composers’ intentions, promise to be fresh and revelatory. They still have the power to transport us today!”
“Our 2025 Festival showcases the rich tapestry of early music, from the brilliance of the three sopranos in Concerto delle donne, to intimate chamber music featuring viola da gamba and theorbo, to the thrilling sound of our Festival Ensemble performing Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons,” said Henry Clapp, Board President.
He adds, “Whether you are a seasoned early music enthusiast or discovering these treasures for the first time, we look forward to sharing these extraordinary performances with you!”
After the first weekend, the festival continues with a series of four additional concerts as follows:
Saturday, June 14: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Niantic – Artistic Director Ian Watson performs a special concert of Baroque organ masterworks in memory of John P. Anthony, longtime President of the Connecticut Early Music Society.
Sunday, June 15: Chester Meeting House – In a program titled Concerto delle donne, three exceptional sopranos perform a stunning program of late 16th-century music composed specifically for professional female voices.
Saturday, June 21: La Grua Center, Stonington – An intimate evening of French Baroque chamber music, featuring viola da gamba and theorbo, perfectly suited to the acoustics of La Grua’s historic setting.
Sunday, June 22: Harkness Chapel, Connecticut College – The festival concludes with a celebration of the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, performed by Susanna Ogata (violin) and the Festival Ensemble.
All concerts are at 5 pm. To encourage wider access, CEMF is offering half-price tickets for individuals under 40, along with complimentary admission for students of all ages. Special series and mini-series ticket packages are also available.
OLD SAYBROOK, CT – The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (the Kate) has announced that global icon Jane Fonda will receive the 10th annual Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award at the Kate’s Gala presented by The RiverLane on Sunday, Sept.14.
The award is presented each year to an individual, who embodies the spirit, independence, and character of the legendary actress.
The Gala is the non-profit arts organization’s largest fundraiser with proceeds supporting performing arts events, the official Katharine Hepburn Museum, and arts education programs that serve more than 3,000 students each year.
The event celebrates two women – Katharine Hepburn and Jane Fonda – who guided their careers to their own standards and worked on behalf of human rights, the environment and other important social justice causes.
The two co-starred in the critically acclaimed and beloved film On Golden Pond along with Henry Fonda.
Jane Fonda is a two-time Academy Award-winning actor (Best Actress in 1971 for Klute and in 1978 for Coming Home), producer, author, activist, and fitness guru. Her career has spanned over 50 years, accumulating a body of film work that includes more than 50 films and significant contributions to political causes such as women’s rights, Native Americans’ rights, and environmental protection.
She is a seven-time Golden Globe® winner and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2021. She accepted The Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.
In April of 2024, Fonda accepted the TIME Magazine Earth Award. She also received the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2025.
2023 was a banner year for Fonda, with four films released. Most recently, she lent her voice to ‘Grandmama’ in DreamWorks’ animated film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Before that, Fonda reunited with Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen, and Candice Bergen for Focus Features’ Book Club 2.
She also starred in the highly anticipated 80 For Brady opposite Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno, released by Paramount Pictures.
There was also Moving On by Paul Weitz for Roadside Attractions, in which Fonda starred opposite her longtime friend and colleague, Lily Tomlin. Other notable credits include Grace & Frankie, Netflix’s longest-running original series. For her work on the series, she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2017. She also released Jane Fonda in Five Acts, a documentary for HBO chronicling her life and activism.
Fonda continues to lead the charge on the climate emergency via Fire Drill Fridays, the national movement to protest government inaction on climate change, which she started in October 2019 in partnership with Greenpeace USA. In 2022, she launched the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, focused on defeating political allies of the fossil fuel industry.
Her latest book, “What Can I Do? My Path From Climate Despair to Action,” details her personal journey with the movement and provides solutions for communities to combat the climate crisis. Notably, Fonda celebrated her 85th birthday by raising $1 million for her nonprofit, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential (GCAPP).
Past recipients of the award include Dick Cavett, Glenn Close, Ann Nyberg, Christine Baranski, Cher, Sam Waterston, Martina Navratilova, Candice Bergen, and Laura Linney.
Tickets on sale soon at www.thekate.org. For information on the Gala and sponsorship opportunities, call 860-510-0473.
Editor’s Note: i) This article is based on a press release issued June 5 by Intersect Public Solutions.
ii) The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (the Kate) is a not-for-profit performing arts organization located in the historic theatre/town hall on Main Street in Old Saybrook. Originally opened in 1911, and reopened as the Kate in 2009, the building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Kate includes a state-of-the-art 285-seat theatre and presents work in several genres including music, theater, opera, dance, comedy, film, and a variety of children’s programing. The theater lobby boasts the official Katharine Hepburn Museum, celebrating Old Saybrook’s most celebrated resident, with exhibits featuring personal affects and memorabilia, costumes, letters and home movies.
