Category Archives: Community

Essex Printing, Old Lyme Fire Department Receive Pinnacle Award in New England Print Contest

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Shown accepting the award in photo above are, from left to right, Essex Printing’s President: William McMinn, Old Lyme Fire Department’President: Rob McCarthy, book designer: James Meehan, and author: Michaelle Pearson.

OLD LYME—The Print Industry of New England (PINE) announced on May 9, 2024 that Essex Printing and the Old Lyme Fire Department (OLFD) have received the Pinnacle Award in PINE’s New England Regional Awards of Excellence competition. 

Judged anonymously on its own merit in the soft cover book category with similar printed pieces, the award was for the Old Lyme Fire Department 100th Anniversary (1923-2023) book. 

The Pinnacle Award is given to the most outstanding entry in each category, and must be flawless to win.

Congratulations from all of us at LymeLine to you all!

How Do They Do It? With Thanks from a Volunteer, a Look Behind-the-Scenes at ‘White Elephant’ Sorting

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Intake!
All artwork is original by Edie Twining.

Editor’s Note: The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme’s 86th Annual White Elephant Sale is over. The results have not yet been finalized but we are hearing it was perhaps yet another record-breaking success. But how do the organizers pull it off year after year? We received this delightful series of cartoons from Edie Twining illustrating how the remarkably efficient sorting process is followed prior to the sale. She also sent a written description of the steps that are pursued with precision and expressed her thanks to all involved for welcoming her as one of the volunteers. Twining submitted the artwork and text as a ‘Comment’ but we have chosen to share them as our lead story today because, in our opinion, they offer such a pleasant way to start the week.
OLD LYME—The volunteers at the White Elephant Sale are an amazing group of people from all denominations and all persuasions. We all work in our sections sorting miles and miles of donations. 

Art & Frames.

A typical morning of intake consists of a rush of ‘in-takers’ unloading vehicles and unpacking plastic crates, cardboard boxes and garbage bags. 

Cleaning, sorting, tagging.

Each item is sorted into rows of shopping carts along one side of the hall and tables across from them. Big yellow signs indicate categories like: pots ‘n’ pans, appliances, books, music, men’s, kid’s, women’s clothes, toys, shoes, art, fine goods, kitchen, knick-knacks, linens, etc. …

Pots ‘n’ Pans

The carts are rolled down to departments or the elevator and taken to Sunday School rooms in the basement where sorters clean, sort and tag every item. Bag after bag of clothing is distributed to Men’s, Kid’s and Women’s departments. Some days you can barely get by the piles of bags of women’s clothes. Helpers hang each item onto a rolling rack or place it into Accessories bins.

Thank you for having me as part of the gang!

Edie Twining,
Old Lyme.

Looking Back at the Always Extraordinary ‘White Elephant Sale’, 10 Facts You May Not Know About It

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Dressed for the rain, but still ready to spend!

OLD LYME—It may have been a little damp but the eagerly-anticipated White Elephant Sale hosted by the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme duly opened yesterday on the first strike of the church clock at 9 a.m. It was open again Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, when most items were half-price. 

Waiting for the bell to peal — but all ready for the crowd to surge!

Organized by the LBS (Ladies Benevolent Society) of the church, the sale has been a summer mainstay of the area since 1936 (except for two years due to the pandemic).

It was all action both inside and outside at the sale yesterday.

Here are 10 facts about the White Elephant Sale that you may not know:

  • In the earliest years of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme – in the mid- to late 1600s – the women of the church cooked food and sewed clothing to raise money to help support the church’s charitable projects.
  • In 1888, the women of the church officially formed the Neck Road Society and, over the years, the Society held concerts, socials and other events to raise money for local causes.
  • By 1917, the Society was holding suppers for the men in the Connecticut National Guard.
  • In 1920, the Society held its first-ever rummage sale – a small event confined to a single room of the church – which raised $200 for charity, a surprising amount of money at the time.
  • The name, “White Elephant Sale,” was given to the event in 1936 and it thereafter became an annual tradition.
Umbrellas were the early order of the day yesterday.
  • In the 1950s, the sale briefly expanded to include a country fair, horse show and square dance; then in subsequent decades, evolved into the popular, two-day local tradition we enjoy today.
  • During and after World War II, the Society used the proceeds of the sale to support a variety of international charitable causes – including helping an orphan from Czechoslovakia, a church in England and children in China. (Today it benefits more than 25 nonprofit organizations across our region and around the world.)
  • Sometime during mid- to late- 1900s, the name of the group was changed to the Ladies Benevolent Society. Since that time, as the Society has expanded to include men as well as women, and people of varying faiths and backgrounds, the Society has increasingly gone by just its initials, “LBS.”
  • In 2020 and 2021, the sale was canceled for the first (and only) times in its long history due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Proceeds from the sale benefit the many ministries of the church, including a wide variety of local, national, and international endeavors such as food pantries, health organizations, family support centers, children’s programs, literacy volunteers, affordable housing, native American causes, social justice initiatives, and disaster relief.
Plants, pots, vases and so much more.

While there are other garage and rummage sales throughout the year, few can match the size, color, camaraderie, and excitement of this one.  Renowned for its quality merchandise, you will find antiques, art, books, bikes, canoes, clothing, collectibles, kayaks, kitchenware, musical instruments, shoes, ski equipment, tools, toys and more.

Jim Fairfield-Sonn (left) and Roger Nosal joined the throng in the search for bargains.

Volunteers are needed in every area of the sale. If you would like to volunteer, call the church office at 860-434-8686.

For more information on the sale, visit this link.

Letter to the Editor: Management of Major Projects in Old Lyme is Problematic

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To the Editor:

With reference to Howard Margules recent Op-Ed published in LymeLine.com, ineffective leadership by Old Lyme’s First Selectperson has been the root cause for ongoing issues with the Lymes’ Senior Center renovation and the going-nowhere Halls Road Improvement Project. The failure to appoint competent individuals to manage these projects is a major factor in their ongoing issues.

Only in Old Lyme is a renovation project, (the Lymes’ Senior Center) that is 9 months behind schedule and $900,000 over budget before construction begins, called a successful and well run project.

Only in OId Lyme are town residents told the Halls Road Improvements are coming when all major funding requests from the state and federal agencies have been denied due to failures at the local level to submit a proper application.

Old Lyme’s Board of Selectmen make the appointments to the committees that are responsible for the projects mentioned above yet major decisions affecting these projects are made primarily by the First Selectperson thus eliminating an honest discussion by the full board. This is an ongoing problem.

Sincerely,

William Folland,
Old Lyme.

Op-Ed: Old Lyme Needs to Do Better on Major Projects

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Editor’s Note: This op-ed was submitted by Howard Margules of Old Lyme. 

Our town’s major projects—Halls Road, Lymes’ Senior Center, Sewers, Shoreline Gateway, and Affordable Housing—are all vital to our town’s future economic viability. 

They also share something else in common: they have been “works in process” for quite a while, and all remain unfinished. It is important to point out that these projects have been ongoing across multiple administrations, regardless of which political party is in power; so this is not a partisan issue but one that crosses party lines. 

Why do these projects take so long to complete, and what can be done to expedite them?

Over the last ten years I have been involved, one way or another, in most of these projects. 

I am a current member of both the Halls Road Improvement Committee and the Planning Commission and the former Chair of the Economic Development Commission. Thinking back on my front-row experiences has led me to some observations on those questions and suggestions for improving timely project completion.

Relying on Volunteers

Our town is very fortunate to have a motivated, engaged volunteer corps staffing our town Boards, Committees and Commissions. I have worked with good people from both parties, and I have been generally impressed with the competence, knowledge and commitment they bring to the job. And, they are doing this work for “free.” 

But, there are issues with relying on volunteers. 

First, there is a town requirement that the Boards and Commissions be balanced politically. This occasionally leads to appointments made simply to fulfill the political balance requirement rather than appointing the most qualified individual.

Additionally, there have been instances where the Committee or Board Chair has had no input in the selection, or, objected to the appointment, but was overruled, even though the person appointed was not the best candidate. 

Second, our town relies almost solely on volunteers to address some very complex projects which often require specific expertise and knowledge that may be absent in our volunteers. 

Additionally, most Boards and Commissions only meet once per month, which is acceptable for routine issues but inadequate for addressing major complex projects. 

Finally, it is also difficult to put too much pressure or expectations on volunteers since they can always elect to just bow out. Relying almost totally on volunteers makes it hard for the town to complete major projects successfully in a timely fashion.

Low Accountability

Many municipalities, especially larger ones, employ a full- or part-time professional planner, to lead major projects. They are professionals with the expertise required to address the complex issues major projects raise. Most importantly, they are held accountable as professionals for completing projects. 

Currently, we don’t have the structure or ability to hold any one person accountable. Accountability gets more complicated given the number of Boards and Commissions involved, various interests that have to be satisfied, and political agendas that occasionally get in the way.

Lack of Collaboration

All of these major projects require approvals from multiple Boards and Commissions Typically, this is done sequentially. One Board or Commission generates proposals that then require approval from another body. Of course, it is natural then for everyone to want to add their two cents. 

The sequential review and approval process frequently leads to varied opinions, occasionally to conflicts, and thus delays. Each set of potential conflicts must be resolved in sequence, drawing out the process and the projects unnecessarily. 

In my view, it would be more beneficial to provide a mechanism for the Boards and Commissions to collaborate initially, perhaps reaching broad consensus and some level of buy-in before the official approval process. 

The Board of Selectman should form a specific project committee for each major effort. We do have some such now, but they do not include representatives of the bodies that will have to provide approval later on. 

The relevant Boards and Commissions or representatives of those bodies need to be involved early in the project, if not from its inception. 

Relevant Expertise

Expert advice (engineering, law, environmental science, design, etc.) is required for these major projects. We are very fortunate in Old Lyme to have a wide range of skills represented in our citizenry and we have benefitted from their help over many years. 

Unfortunately, those with the most relevant skills are often still working, raising children, etc. and have little time to volunteer. We can take advantage of these local skills where they are available, but major projects need consistent and constant expert input, even if it means we must hire professionals to assist.  

Even to manage the work of hired experts can require Board or Commission members to climb a steep learning curve.This is another area in which a professional planner could be very helpful.

Leadership

Finally, these complex projects require engaged leadership from the Board of Selectman. The Board of Selectmen needs to assist with coordination, monitoring, oversight, timetables, expense control, lobbying public officials for funding, and commit to completing projects on time and on budget.

Our town will face more challenges going forward. If we are to successfully face these challenges and secure our economic future, we need to enhance our approach to supporting and managing major projects.