Category Archives: Events

Talk, Then Walk at Champlain North Open Space with Photographer Markham Starr, Nov. 22

Posted on by
Reply
Markham Starr’s lectures always draw a large audience. This photo is from a previous talk by Starr. Photo courtesy of OLHS.

OLD LYME–Starting at noon on Saturday, Nov. 22, documentary photographer Markham Starr will lead a lecture at the Old Lyme Historical Society, 55 Lyme St., before setting out on a walk through the Champlain North Open Space on Wyckford Lane.

The event is presented by the Old Lyme Land Trust and the Old Lyme Historical Society.

Starr is a Connecticut resident and author of “Ceremonial Stonework: The Enduring Native American Presence on the Land.” 

The Land Trust in a press release said Native Americans built nearly two dozen distinct types of structures in the area, ranging from cairns to stone serpent effigies, that remain standing in long-abandoned woods. While Native American stonework is widely recognized out west and to the south, New England’s stonework remains obscure, having blended back into the woods.

Champlain North is located off Rte. 1 near the Old Lyme Inn. The Land Trust advised hikers to wear thick boots and consider a hiking stick.

Registration is requested through this link.

Got Pumpkins? Chuck ‘Em to Make Compost at Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden’s Second Annual Pumpkin Toss, Nov. 8

Posted on by
A pumpkin was catapulted into the Lyme Old Lyme Food Share Garden (LOLFSG) compost pile at last year’s inaugural event. Photo courtesy of LOLFSG.

OLD LYME–On Saturday, Nov. 8, big orange gourds will be flying at the second annual Lyme Old Lyme Food Share Garden (LOLFSG) Pumpkin Toss.

The event will run from 9 to 11 a.m. at Town Woods Park, 30 Town Woods Road.

The event offers families a fun venue to recycle their Halloween pumpkins for a good cause, according to an LOLFSG press release.

Building on the popular pumpkin chunkin’ phenomenon, garden volunteers will deploy a trebuchet to toss the pumpkins into the compost pile.

The group said pumpkins from last year’s toss broke down through the composting process into nutrient-rich soil, which helped the Foodshare garden grow over three tons of produce for donation to the Gemma Moran United Way food distribution program and the Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Pantries.

Only unpainted pumpkins will be accepted.

SECWAC Hosts Talk on ‘Trump 2.0 Middle East Policy: Promise and Peril,’ Nov. 6

Posted on by

EAST LYME–On Thursday, Nov. 6, the Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) will host Middle East Institute Senior Fellow Brian Katulis for a talk titled, “Trump 2.0 Middle East Policy: Promise and Peril.” 

The 6 p.m. presentation will be held at Flanders Fish Market & Restaurant, 22 Chesterfield Road, East Lyme. The talk will be preceded by a 5:30 p.m. reception and followed by a members-only dinner at 7:15 p.m. 

SECWAC in an a press release said Katulis’ presentation will assess whether President Donald Trump’s overall foreign policy approach—which he says is characterized by transactional diplomacy, selective military engagement, and attempts to use America’s economic power to gain global leverage—is likely to produce a more durable and sustainable security environment in the Middle East, amid a rapidly evolving regional landscape.

The talk comes 10 months’ into the second Trump administration, which has been marked by a noteworthy trip to the Gulf, a major policy shift on Syria, U.S. military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, and the emergence of a 20-point plan for Gaza, which began with the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

Katulis specializes in US foreign policy and national security at the Middle East Institute. He hosts the institute’s podcast series, “Taking the Edge Off the Middle East,” and writes a bi-weekly column on U.S. foreign policy. He has decades of experience living and working in the Middle East, where he has forged relationships with leaders in government, the private sector, media, national security and many international organizations.

Katulis co-authored The Prosperity Agenda with Nancy Soderberg to examine how America’s economic advantages can be used to shape global dynamics. He is frequently quoted in leading news publications and media outlets.

Katulis holds a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in history and Arab and Islamic studies from Villanova University. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Amman, Jordan from 1994-95, where he conducted a research project on the peace process between Israel and Jordan.

SECWAC members are free. Non-Member in-person attendance is $20. Non-Members may visit this link to register. A post-presentation dinner will follow at the Old Lyme Inn for members only. 

For more information on SECWAC, visit their website.

Lyme Library Hosts ‘Present Day Ukraine: An Insider’s View,’ Thursday

Posted on by
1

LYME—On Thursday, Oct. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., a Lyme resident who recently traveled to Ukraine will help present an “insider’s view” at the Lyme Public Library.

The discussion and slideshow, titled “Present Day Ukraine: An Insider’s View,” will reveal the country through three different perspectives highlighting the efforts of the humanitarian volunteer organization Plebeian Helpers.

Joining local resident Gina DiGuardia, who visited Ukraine to assist in Plebeian Helpers‘ work, will be two Wesleyan University professors from the Eurasian studies department and a Ukrainian student currently in the U.S.

Learn more about the current situation in Ukraine from people, who have seen things first-hand, and to learn about how you can help support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.

Ukrainian refreshments will be served.

To register, email programreg@lymepl.org.

To register email  programreg@lymepl.org 

This Afternoon, LYSB Unveils its Newly Renovated Home on Lyme Street with Open House, Wednesday

Posted on by
Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau has undergone a major interior renovation. The public is invited to an Open House on Oct. 29 to view the numerous improvements. Photo by LYSB.

OLD LYME–On Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 2:30 to 4 p.m., the Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau (LYSB) will introduce its newly renovated facility at an open house. 

The LYSB website explains that the renovations to the 1850 building at 59 Lyme Street were necessary to address crumbling plaster ceilings, walls with newspaper insulation, aging wiring and plumbing, a dirt floor in a portion of the basement, inefficient and inoperative windows, and a stone foundation in need of repair. 

A majority of the project was funded by a $400,256 grant from the state’s Nonprofit Grant Program, with the remaining 25% covered by community donations. 

The public is invited to stop by to see a building that staff members say now is as “inspiring as the work that happens inside it.”