David J. Marchi, Earth Wave, 2023, mixed media, 50 x 50 in. Image courtesy of the Lyman Allyn Art Museum.
NEW LONDON—The Lyman Allyn Art Museum is currently featuring an exhibition titled, David J. Marchi: Break on Through, a series of abstract paintings documenting the artist’s unexpected transformation. The show runs through Oct. 19.
The museum in a press release said Marchi had never painted before a life-altering boating accident in 2015. Suddenly compelled to paint, he left his previous profession to embrace the world of art.
He was subsequently diagnosed with acquired savant syndrome, according to the release. Marchi is one of only about 50 documented cases of this syndrome worldwide.
Layering colors, patterns, and methods of paint application, the museum said Marchi utilizes gesture, physicality, and unusual materials and methods to produce vibrant, large-scale canvases. He often works from vivid dreams that lay out colors and structures for him to follow.
Marchi has studied with artists Ronnie Landfield, Larry Poons, Pat Lipski and Peter Bonner at the Art Students League of New York.
Marchi also draws on his experiences to help instruct students with disabilities. His story shows creativity lives within everyone, regardless of experience or background, serving as a reminder that art can be a profound tool for recovery, connection, and transformation.
Lyman Allyn Art Museum Director Sam Quigley said working with Marchi to produce the exhibition was rewarding for everyone involved.
“His artistic brilliance, passion for life, and generosity of spirit is deeply appreciated,” Quigley said. “We are delighted to feature his work in our Near::New series of contemporary exhibitions, a series that celebrates the artists among us.”
This exhibition was made possible with support from an anonymous foundation, and from the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s Office of the Arts.
Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker, center, with Selectman Jim Lampos, left, and Selectwoman Jude Read, right.
OLD LYME–Selectwoman Jude Read is calling for the dissolution of the Halls Road Improvements Committee (HRIC) as the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen continues to back away from big picture changes to the road that have evolved over the past decade.
On the selectmen’s table now is a scaled-back plan that includes new sidewalks, but no other substantial upgrades like the bow bridge and trail system envisioned by the HRIC. First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker in May signed off on a grant application to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) for $800,000 to install sidewalks on the north half of Halls Road.
Josh Morgan, DOT Communications Director, said in a Tuesday email that he expects the award announcements to go out in the next several weeks.
During their Monday evening regular meeting, the selectmen considered creating a new committee to guide the process if a grant is awarded. But Read emphasized the existing Halls Road committee should be disbanded before forming a new one.
“The other thing I think would be helpful – these are my thoughts – is, if and when we start a new committee, we’re careful about the charge, what the goal is, (and) how many people are on that committee.”
Read also suggested requiring a unanimous vote when appointing members to a new committee. She is the lone Republican on the board with Shoemaker and Selectman Jim Lampos, both Democrats.
Lampos and Shoemaker declined to disband the committee right now because they need more information on the status of projects that were pending when selectmen voted to put the group on a hiatus in April.
The HRIC has been controversial since it started in 2015 under Democratic then-First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder with a charge to consider a master plan for the commercial span. The result – honed over the course of dozens of public meetings, information sessions, and workshops – evoked images of village-like storefronts and apartments, a pedestrian bridge, more greenspace and sidewalks.
Reemsnyder successor Tim Griswold, a Republican, a few years later called the vision too grandiose. He said at the time that he preferred to focus on building sidewalks one segment at a time before considering such broad plans.
But opposition came to a head earlier this year when more than 550 people filled the Lyme-Old Lyme High School auditorium for a public hearing on changes to the town’s zoning regulations that the committee hoped would turn their vision into reality.
The proposal to create an overlay district in the commercial zone would have allowed as many as 40 housing units per acre to be built above, or behind, ground-floor businesses.
The plan was rejected by the Zoning Commission, HRIC Chairwoman Edie Twining subsequently resigned, and the board of selectmen put the committee on hiatus while attempting to manage the fallout.
Crossing That Bridge
Before making any decisions on whether to disband the HRIC, Shoemaker and Lampos on Monday said they wanted to get a better understanding of how much has been spent on Halls Road projects to date and which contracts remain outstanding.
At the behest of the HRIC, selectmen in 2023 hired AI Engineers of Middletown to come up with plans for a pedestrian bridge over the Lieutenant River and a trail system between Lyme Street and Halls Road. The company’s work was funded with $135,000 in federal American Rescue Plan money and a $28,500 grant through the Connecticut Recreational Trails program.
Old Lyme Finance Director Anita Mancini said the committee spent $13,500 of the trails grant so far.
The committee in an FAQ document said AI Engineers was tasked with taking charge of conceptual designs, formal designs, permitting and the construction bid process. No funding for construction has been secured.
The decision to accept or reject the designs would be up to the public, according to the committee. Old Lyme’s form of government calls for the public to vote on major decisions at town meetings, with options to send the biggest issues to referendum.
Shoemaker said the town could be responsible for returning $13,500 to the state if the town doesn’t complete the design project.
Read argued it might be prudent in some cases “to take a loss.”
“Is it better to lose $13,500 or spend another $15,000, have it designed, and not be sure if the town’s going to approve it or not?” she said.
Shoemaker and Lampos reiterated they need a better idea of the financial picture first.
They said it’s been difficult to pinpoint how much has been spent, and in which line items, in a decade of budgets overseen by multiple administrations.
Lampos credited the current selectmen with making the budget process and town procedures more transparent.
“I think there’s a lot of clarity, but there’s just so much that we can answer for what happened before us,” Lampos said.
LymeLine in April requested documents related to the amount expended so far on HRIC projects. Shoemaker on Monday said the information will be available next week.
Lampos, who wrote the grant with Shoemaker’s executive assistant Katie Balocca, emphasized there is nothing in the grant to cover the HRIC’s bow bridge proposal.
“It is currently on hiatus. We’re not addressing it,” he said.
Building the bow bridge would require the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to transfer ownership of its property on the east bank of the Lieutenant River to Old Lyme, which the agency has agreed to do as long as the town agrees to put a fishing pier, a dock for portable boats and parking spaces there.
Lampos acknowledged the idea, like other elements of the HRIC plan, is controversial. That’s why the grant application focuses solely on sidewalks.
“Almost everybody was saying, ‘forget the overlay,’ half the people were saying, ‘forget the bridge,’ and just about everyone was saying, ‘but we want the sidewalks,’” he recounted.
Read wondered if a new committee should be limited to overseeing only what’s in the grant or if they should be empowered to look at other improvements and funding sources.
“We have requests for sidewalks, lighting, signage, beautification,” she said.
Lampos put it this way: “If we don’t get the grant, I think we cross that bridge at that time.”
LYME, CT–The nonprofit Lyme Ambulance Association is hosting a free workshop for older adults and their family members about how to maintain “independence, strength and joy” at home.
The workshop will cover simple home safety modifications to make daily living easier, ways to stay active and connected in the community, and how to access the local caregiving support network.
The event will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 28, at the Hamburg Fire Station, 213 Hamburg Road. Anyone with questions is invited to contact Deputy Chief Ariana Eaton at deputychief@lymeambulance.org or (860) 434-7225.
For more than 100 years, Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley has been a trusted presence along the Connecticut shoreline, providing compassionate, high-quality healthcare to individuals in the comfort of their own homes. As a not-for-profit, community-based agency, our mission has always been to put people before profit—and we remain deeply committed to that mission today.
Our dedicated team of skilled nurses, physical, occupational, and speech therapists, home health aides, and social workers work tirelessly to help patients heal safely and comfortably at home. Whether you’re recovering from surgery, managing a chronic illness, or need support transitioning from hospital to home, we’re here when you need us most.
But now, we need you.
Why Community Support Matters
As a small, independently operated agency, we are facing unprecedented challenges:
Declining reimbursements from insurance companies
Rising competition from large, corporate healthcare systems
Referral limitations by hospitals and skilled nursing facilities that often direct patients only to their partnered agencies
These trends threaten the existence of independent providers like Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley—providers who have long stood as pillars in their communities.
Despite these pressures, we refuse to compromise on what matters most: personalized, timely, and compassionate care.
What Sets Us Apart
No delays in services—we’re small, responsive, and focused on your needs
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Local and not-for-profit—choosing us supports a community-based agency that reinvests in your neighborhood
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You Have the Right to Choose
Did you know that you have the legal right to choose your home healthcare provider? Under Connecticut General Statute 19a-504d, patients can request the agency they prefer. When you’re at the hospital or rehab facility and planning your return home, ask for Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley by name—and continue with the team you already trust.
How You Can Help
Choose us and support local when you or a loved one needs homecare
Spread the word to family, friends, and neighbors
Advocate for patient choice in healthcare
Donate to support our not-for-profit mission and help us continue serving your community
To learn more about our services or how to support our work, visit www.visitingnurses.org or call 860-767-0186.
We are honored to walk beside you on your care journey—and with your support, we’ll continue to do so for the next century and beyond.
Sincerely,
Sarah Foley on behalf of The Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley, Old Lyme
Editor’s Note: About 15% of Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley’s clientele comes from Old Lyme. The group also serves Centerbrook, Chester, Clinton, Deep River, East Haddam, East Lyme, Essex, Haddam, Ivoryton, Killingworth, Madison, Moodus, Old Saybrook, Waterford, and Westbrook.
Olivia Lathrop, granddaughter of Jerry and Dee Vowles, grabs a brass ring from the carousel purchased for her mother on what Jerry Vowles called “a crazy whim.” All photos courtesy of the Vowles.
OLD LYME—This carousel is turning 100.
On Saturday, Carousel Shop proprietors Dee and Jerry Vowles will ring in the centennial summer with free rides, 100 cent ice cream and hot dogs, t-shirt raffles and a celebration of the simple pleasures in life.
“The carousel just brings happiness to a lot of kids and families,” Dee Vowles said.
The merry-go-round at Sound View Beach has been spinning in its current incarnation since 1976, but the Vowles said the origin of the 20 painted horses goes back about a century.
The Allan Herschell carousel was outfitted with a Coney Island brass ring dispenser when the horses first came out of the gate around 1925, according to specifications laid out by Jerry Vowles. A diesel engine propelled them while the steam-powered whistle of a calliope provided a soundtrack that would last for generations.
Those celebrating the carousel’s 100th birthday will have the opportunity to suggest names for 16 of the horses. Monikers have already been bestowed on Rainbow, Magic, Buttercup and Sundae.
While the amusement ride still boasts original parts that helped the couple narrow its date of origin to 1924 or 1925, the circular march of time is evident in a soft-start electric motor, teflon bearings and digital music.
Jerry Vowles said the couple disassembled and restored the carousel from 2008 to 2009. That’s when they used parts newly manufactured from original molds to replace some elements of the carousel.
The Vowles bought the carousel operation in 1987 from Paul Bennanato. The merry-go-round had arrived in Old Lyme just over a decade earlier to replace the late 1800s-era model that had been there since 1948, according to Jerry Vowles.
The couple’s daughter, Jennifer Lathrop, was an infant when they purchased the carousel.
“It is her carousel,” Jerry Vowles said. “We bought it for her when she was two-months-old, kind of on a crazy whim.”
Dee Vowles said Lathrop and her brother Jay help out their parents while nephew Tommy Logio serves as manager.
“So it’s definitely been a family affair,” she said.
A busy evening in 2022 typifies summers in Sound View at the Carousel Shop.
She said other family members and friends who help the couple open and close the shop every year—including sister Ree and honorary sister Roe—will make the trip to Sound View for the carousel’s birthday celebration.
“We’ve seen in the 37 years we’ve been here a real following,” she said. “People appreciate us being here, and having a good time at the carousel.”
The Carousel at Sound View Beach 100th Birthday Celebration will be held on Saturday, June 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. at 75 Hartford Avenue.
