Author Archives: Olwen Logan

Today is Final Day of Intake for Old Lyme’s White Elephant Sale, 9am-2pm

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Intake, which continues today, June 25, is always a busy time. All photos are file photos.

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the perennially popular White Elephant Sale (WES) is back and intake continues today at the church from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Intake ends Thursday, June 30, and will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Details of items that will be accepted are below and also on the church website. Note that neither lamps nor audiovisual electronics will be accepted this year due to space limitations.

The sale itself will be held on Friday, July 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday, July 9, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.  Most departments offer items at half-price on the second day. There may be some mask restrictions on inside shopping.

The Sale is hosted by the Ladies Benevolent Society of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.

For those new to the town or folk who have never participated, this sale is one of the main events on both the town and church calendars. It all starts with the intake period when you can drop off unwanted items at the church from your house — perhaps your basement, attic or closets — or yard.

The Sports Department offers a treasure trove of sporting ‘stuff.’

Garage, tag and rummage sales may be everyday affairs, but few, if any, can match the size and color of this one. The sale items are organized into some 20 departments that fill the church buildings as well as every available space on the lawn. The WES has grown so large that it has become a true “community event” since many of the donations are from non-church members and quite a number of volunteers are also from outside the church. 

The sale raises a significant amount of money for missions and good works both locally and throughout the world. Some of the beneficiaries include food pantries, health organizations, family support centers, children’s programs, literacy volunteers, affordable housing, and disaster relief worldwide.

Crowds anxiously await the first strike of 9 a.m. when the White Elephant Sale begins.

For more information about the sale or if you would like to volunteer to help in any capacity, whether with intake, the sale itself, or clean-up, call the church office at 860.434.8686 and/or visit www.fccol.org/wes.

See you at ‘The Sale’!

Here is a summary of items that are / are not accepted by the White Elephant Sale. For further information, visit www.fccol.org/wes.

Items that will GLADLY be accepted  [Quality please]

  • Antiques, Fine China, Silver                       
  • Appliances, Small (Working)
  • Art, Sculpture, Posters, Frames
  • Automobiles, Trucks [call church]
  • Baskets 
  • Bedding, Linens
  • Boats, Canoes, Kayaks
  • Bicycles, Tricycles 
  • Books: Children’s, Non-Fiction, Fiction
  • Clothes: 
    • Child’s, Men’s, Women’s
    •  Fine, Fashion
    •  Vintage, Costume & Accessories
  • Collections
  • Computer Hardware (working)
  • Christmas Decorations
  • Curtains, Drapes
  • Furniture, Indoor & Outdoor [call church]
  • Gifts, Sundries, Knickknacks 
  • Jewelry: Costume & Fine
  • Kitchen Items (Appliances, Dishes, Cookware)
  • Luggage [soft side or Steamer trunks only]
  • Musical Instruments
  • Plants, Containers
  • Shoes
  • Skis – downhill must be “shape” style
  • Sporting Goods [good condition]
  • Tools (House & Garden)
  • Toys,  Stuffed Animals
  • VHS, DVDs (Family Content)

Items that WILL NOT be accepted:

  • Dirty or Broken Items or Junk
  • Appliances (Large): 
    • Air Conditioners 
    • Refrigerators & Stoves
    • Freezers
    • Washers & Dryers 
  • Bike helmets [used]
  • Books:
    • Technical or Textbooks
    • Encyclopedias 
  • Car Seats  
  • Chemicals
  • Computers & monitors
  • Cribs
  • Electronics: audiovisual
  • Furniture: Particle Board, Stuffed Sofas, Dining Room Sets & Hutches
  • Luggage (hard sided)
  • Fuel cans with Gasoline or Kerosene
  • Guns, Knives, Weapons
  • Lamps
  • Magazines, Newspapers
  • Mattresses and Box Springs
  • Paint
  • Particle board furniture
  • Rugs
  • Sewing Machines
  • Skis – old style downhill
  • Stuffed animals (unless new)
  • Tires
  • Treadmills                         
  • TVs (all styles)

Lyme-Old Lyme’s VFW Post 1467 Named ‘Best Post in CT’ by VFW State Leadership

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VFW Post 1467 Commander David Griswold tells members of the recognition that the Post had recently received recognition from VFW State leadership as the ‘Best Post in Connecticut.’ All photos by Doug Wilkinson.

OLD LYME — On Monday, June 27, members of the Lyme-Old Lyme Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1467 learned that their Post had been recognized by VFW State leadership as the ‘Best Post in Connecticut.’ Members had gathered for a regular meeting at the Lymes’ Senior Center unaware the award would be announced.

This great honor had been announced two weeks previously when the VFW State leadership held their annual awards ceremony at which they recognize 10 Posts out of 100 for their accomplishments. Criteria include membership, community activities, and helping veterans.

Commander David Griswold receives a number of gifts from incoming Commander Richard Mason as Griswold stepped down from his position after seven years of service to the Post in that role.

At the same meeting, Commander David Griswold, who had served seven years during two terms as Commander of the Post, was also honored as he handed over the command to Richard Mason.

Commander Griswold made the following statement during the ceremony, “As Post Commander, I was honored to accepted the award as the Best Post in Connecticut (VFW Post 1467) on behalf of our membership.  Our success is attributed to our members who represents the best in military service as well as giving back to their community as well as the towns of Lyme and Old Lyme who’s businesses and individuals have been so generous in helping veterans.”

Griswold added, “I would also like to acknowledge the Old Lyme Senior Center for all their support. This is a very special community who honors all who have served”.

Commander Griswold happily displays one of his gifts.

VFW Post 1467 success,  especially within the Old Lyme community has been primarily a result of focused, aggressive veterans outreach relief funding to approximately 80 military vets, who have benefited from over $100,000 in support during the past 10 years along with thousands of dollars in annual contributions to the VA Giant Steps Program, West Haven, CT and State of CT Rocky Hill Soldiers Home.

Newly-installed Commander Mason noted, “As the incoming commander for 2022-23, I will make sure our leadership team continues the popular traditions and community partnerships that Lyme, Old Lyme enjoys with our very interactive Post.

Commander David Griswold displays the certificate from the VFW National Home for Children for VFW Post 1467’s continuous support of the Home.

The Post also received a Certificate of Appreciation from the VFW National Home for Children for the Post’s continuous support of the Home.

June 21-27 COVID-19 Update: Lyme Falls to Lowest Case Rate Zone with One New Case; Old Lyme Now in Yellow Zone, Reports 11 New Cases Since 6/20

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Cumulative Totals Rise to 1336 in Old Lyme, 328 in Lyme

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Reports issued Tuesday, June 21, through Monday, June 27, by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) show a total of 11 new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme and also one in Lyme compared with June 20 numbers. Note: The link above is always to the most recent day of CT DPH reports.

These cases raise Old Lyme’s cumulative case total to 1336 from 1325 on June 15 and Lyme’s to 328 from 327 on the same date.

The state does not issue reports over weekends.

The cases by town were as follows:

Lyme
6/21: 1
6/22: 0
6/23: 0
6/24: 0
6/27: 0

Old Lyme
6/21: -1
6/22: 2
6/23: 0
6/24: 3
6/27: 7

June 23 now stands as the most recent day on which no new cases were reported in either town.

Prior to March 25, the Town of Lyme had gone for 23 consecutive days with no new cases being reported. Two new cases were reported in Lyme on March 25.

Visit this link to view additional historical data and detailed graphics on COVID-19 vaccination levels and positive cases in Lyme and Old Lyme. The site is updated by Old Lyme resident William Fitzgerald

Statewide Situation – Weekly Update

On Thursday, June 23, the CT DPH also released its latest weekly COVID-19 Alert Map, shown above, which indicates that 98 municipalities remain in the Red (highest of four) Zone for case rates. Lyme is in the lowest (Gray) zone and Old Lyme in the lowest but one (Yellow) zone.

Thirty-three towns are in the Orange Zone, 12 in the Yellow Zone and 16 in the Gray Zone.

This number for the Red Zone is 11 less than for the previous week meaning the number of towns in the Red Zone  now represents 57.9% of the state.

As a reminder, the number of towns in the Red Zone on Jan. 27, 2022 was 168 out of 169 towns.

The CT DPH will issue an updated map of the zones Thursday, June 30 — the map is updated weekly on Thursdays.

The color-coded zones on the map above 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

CDC Maintains ‘Community Level’ at Low for New London County, Fairfield County Also Low; All Other CT Counties are ‘Medium’

The map above shows that on June 23, New London County remains categorized as ‘Low’ for Community Level along with Fairfield, Hartford, Tolland and Windham Counties, while New Haven, Middlesex and Litchfield Counties are ‘Medium.’ These levels are updated weekly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursdays.

Community Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID cases in a specific geographical area. CDC recommends taking precautions to protect yourself and others from COVID based on Community Levels in your area.

You can view the new tool by following this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html

LLHD continues to focus its 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/.

An explanation of the CDC Community Levels tool by Thomas Gotowka can be found at this link.

Statewide Situation – Daily Update

The state’s COVID-19 Daily Positivity Rate broke the 10% watershed on May 4 at 10.32%. It went through the 14% mark with the May 20 Rate of 14.19%, but the June 27 Positivity Rate has fallen to  8.67%. 

On June 27, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations was 245. In contrast, on Jan. 12, 2022, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations was 1,939.

Of those hospitalized on June 27, the number not fully vaccinated was 80 (representing 32.65%).

The total number of COVID-related deaths in Connecticut was 11,034 on June 27, according to The New York Times.

The next Daily Data Report will be issued by CT DPH Wednesday, June 29, around 4 p.m.

Increase in Cases in Lyme & Old Lyme Since August 2021

The cumulative total of confirmed cases for Old Lyme has now increased by 893 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 964 new cases there since that date.

Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 214 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

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.

COVID-19 Situation in LOL Schools

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools are now on summer recess and so there will be no further reporting from LOL Schools until late August.

Details published between April 1, when Gov. Lamont said schools were no longer required to report positive cases, show the following number of positive cases reported in LOL Schools by week.
April 3-9: 0
April 10-16: 0
April 17-23: Spring Break
April 24-30: 7
May 2-7: 27
May 8-14: 41
May 15-21: 30
May 22-28: 23
May 29-June 4: 55
June 5-June 11: 19
June 12-June 18: 4

For a summary of cases in LOL Schools between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2022, visit this link.

View a full listing of cases in LOL Schools between 8/26/21 – 12/23/21 at this link.

ARPC Proposal for $2.1M in Federal Funds Accepted Unanimously by OL BOS, BOF; Detailed Recommendations Now Announced

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OLD LYME — UPDATED 6/28 WITH ‘FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS’ and PRESENTATION DETAILS: On Tuesday, June 21, the Old Lyme (OL) American Rescue Plan Committee (APRC) presented their recommendations for allocation of $2.1 million of federal ARPA funds to a joint meeting of the OL Boards of Selectmen and Finance.

The ‘Final Recommendations,’ which include details of  the businesses, non-profits and Town Departments and organizations that are to receive funds, along with the supporting presentation have now been published on the Town of Old Lyme website at this link. Note there are two separate links on the left column of the page.

All of the recommendations were accepted unanimously by both boards.

The next step in the process will be for the recommendations to be presented to a Town Meeting at which residents will be asked to vote on them. The date of the Town Meeting has not yet been finalized but the meeting is likely to be held within the next two weeks.

And the Band(s) Played on—Making Music on Lyme Street to Celebrate Midsummer

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Lucas Neil was a popular performer in front of The Old Lyme Ice Cream Shoppe.

OLD LYME — Lyme Street was alive with music last night as a dozen bands and soloists played in different locations stretching from Lyme Academy in the north down to the First Congregational Church in the south.

The Old Lyme Town Band drew a large crowd on the Center School lawn.

The Town was celebrating International Make Music Day, joining many other locations across the globe to mark Midsummer’s Night — the longest day of the year.

The Lyme-Old Lyme Lions did a roaring trade in hot dogs and burgers.

Hundreds of people came out in Old Lyme to enjoy the music and fill the street with relaxed cheer and conversation.

To the delight of many visitors, local celebrity Braiden Sunshine sang on the lawn at Lyme Academy.

Although the weather looked a little ominous initially, it ultimately decided to cooperate and stayed relatively warm and dry throughout the whole event.

‘The Moving Target Band’ played many cheery tunes Tuesday night outside The Village Shops on Lyme Street.

It was a great opportunity to catch up with friends despite the lingering shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.

John Brown and Friends played Indy Folk and original tunes outside The Cooley Gallery.

The musicians ranged in age from teens to seniors and similarly, the genres of music varied from country to folk to blues and everything in between!

Nightingale’s Cafe featured a variety of solo musicians and bands throughout the evening.

Launched in France in 1982, Make Music Day is an international musical festival open to all who would like to participate, and takes place in over 1,000 cities in 120 countries on June 21, the summer solstice.

‘The Midnight Anthem’ performed in front of Old Lyme’s Memorial Town Hall.

The State of Connecticut Office of the Arts debuted the State’s effort in 2018 with 528 free musical performances at 224 locations across the state, including Old Lyme. 

The band at 71 Lyme St. was ‘Five Bean Row.’

Many thanks to the organizers of this wonderful event, who included Dan and Gail Stevens of the MusicNow Foundation and Nightingale’s Cafe, Old Lyme’s 2021 Volunteer of the Year Cheryl Poirier, and Mary Seidner, Executive Director of LYSB.

Playing a variety of music genres, ‘Hot Strings Cafe’ entertained in front of the Elms Building.