Category Archives: Events

Dick Shriver of Old Lyme Among Recipients of Rockfall Foundation’s ‘Environmental Champion’ Awards

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Dick Shriver

MIDDLETOWN–The Rockfall Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2025 Environmental Champion Awards, including ‘Estuary’ magazine founder and Old Lyme resident Dick Shriver. 

The environmental conservation and education organization in a press release identified Shriver as a recipient of its Certificate of Environmental Achievement for promoting conservation and stewardship of the Connecticut River Watershed. 

The award will be presented during Rockfall’s 90th Anniversary Celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown. 

Shriver, a U.S. Air Force veteran who went on to an esteemed career in government and private industry, retired to Old Lyme in 2007. From the place where the Connecticut River meets the Long Island Sound, he launched estuary magazine in 2020 to focus on the vast Connecticut River watershed spanning four states. 

According to the Connecticut River Conservancy, Shriver has held executive positions including assistant secretary of the US Treasury Department and Senior Vice President of Chase Manhattan Bank. In academia, he has served as professor of business finance and marketing at the International Management Institute in Kiev, Ukraine and Executive-in-Residence at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. 

Also receiving Rockfall’s Certificate of Environmental Achievement is Diana Martinez, a Middletown agriculture and environmental justice advocate and creator of the Miller Street Community Farm and Pathways to Agriculture program. 

The Oct. 8 event will feature a keynote address by Christine Palm, a former state representative and climate education advocate, about engaging youth in climate action and advocacy. Palm will receive Rockfall’s President’s Award, given once every ten years, recognizing her decades of leadership in environmental policy and education. 

The Tom Odell Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Bruce Dodson, the Killingworth Land Conservation Trust leader who helped protect over 1,100 acres of open space; and Chet Arnold, Essex Land Trust leader and co-founder of the University of Connecticut Center for Land Use Education and Research. 

The anniversary celebration and award presentation will include live music, food, and displays from 2025 Rockfall grant recipients. Tickets are $75 for members and $90 for nonmembers.

For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Lyme Art Association Hosts ‘Paint The Town’ Contest, Sept. 6; Evening Reception, Sale Follow

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Artists will be painting ‘en plein air’ all over Old Lyme today. Their work will then be on view and for sale at a reception this evening at the Lyme Art Association. Photo courtesy of the LAA.

Artists, Prepare Your Easels to Paint ‘Plein Air’; Art Lovers, Help Celebrate

OLD LYME — On Saturday, Sept. 6, “Paint the Town: Plein Air Painting from Dawn to Dusk” celebrates a day of creation and an evening of appreciation at the Lyme Art Association (LAA.)

The event will begin with the LAA’s plein air competition as artists scatter across Lyme, Old Lyme and East Lyme to capture the region’s unique beauty. It will culminate when they bring back their work to the Association for awards, an art show, and reception.

The rain date is  Sunday, Sept. 7. 

All paintings must be made the day of the competition within the borders of the three towns. Prizes include $300 for first place, $200 for second place, $100 for third place, as well as three Awards of Merit and a People’s Choice Award. 

An awards presentation at 5:15 p.m. will follow jurying from 4:30 to 5 p.m. by artist Eileen Eder. A registration fee of $30 includes participation in the plein air competition and tickets for the artist and one guest at the reception. 

Reception and Art Sale

Artists and art lovers will converge at the Lyme Art Association on Sept. 6 for a celebration of ‘plein air’ painting.

The art show and reception, from 5 to 7 p.m., will include an exhibit of the artists’ work, hors d’oeuvres, and live music by Ramblin’ Dan Stevens. Attendees are invited to vote for their favorite piece in the People’s Choice Award. All art is available for purchase. 

All are welcome. Reception tickets are $10. 

Register here for the competition or the reception. 

The Estuary Hosts ‘Delivering Hope’ Event Sept.6, Benefits ‘Meals on Wheels’

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OLD SAYBROOK–On Saturday, Sept. 6, the Estuary will host ‘Delivering Hope: a Party with Purpose‘—an evening of dinner, drinks and dancing to benefit its Meals on Wheels program.

The fundraiser will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. at The Estuary, 220 Main Street, Old Saybrook. Tickets are available at this link..

The organization in a press release said the ‘Delivering Hope’ event aims to bring the community together to tackle food insecurity among seniors and ensure access to nutritious meals. 

Funds raised through ticket sales, a silent auction, and donations will directly support meal preparation and delivery services. 

The Estuary provides nutrition, transportation, social services, activities, and fitness programs to residents in Chester, Clinton, Essex, Deep River, Killingworth, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook.

For more information about the Estuary, visit this link.

Lyme Public Hall Hosts Writer Seminar Series with Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter Janet Roach; Enrollment Open Now, Course Starts Oct. 6

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Old Lyme Native’s Course Always Oversubscribed

Janet Roach. Photo courtesy of Janet Roach.

LYME–Lyme Public Hall this fall will host the return of a popular seminar series led by the Oscar-nominated screenwriter (Prizzi’s Honor, directed by John Huston) as she guides new and accomplished writers in various genres through the process of crafting memorable characters and cohesive story lines. 

Do you have something to say, but don’t know quite how to write it? That’s where celebrated writer Roach comes in. 

Lyme Public Hall in its event description invites writers to “use their heads to explore matters of the heart, contemporary issues, historical events, family sagas and more.”

Roach, an Old Lyme native, brings writing experience spanning newspaper and magazine articles, poems, eulogies and obituaries, short stories and documentary and feature films.

Emphasis will be on participants’ work and will involve weekly writing assignments with personal feedback.

Roach was a producer and writer at 60 Minutes before going on to collaborate with Bill Moyers at CBS News and the Public Broadcasting Service. Subsequent – and award-winning – experience as a screenwriter led to her role as a professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of the Arts for nearly 20 years. She now writes for Estuary Magazine and is working on a memoir and a new film project.

The Monday night writing series will be held from Oct. 6 to Nov. 10 at the Lyme Public Hall. Enrollment for each session, which lasts from 6 to 8 p.m., will be limited to 12 students. The fee is $100 for Lyme Public Hall members and $125 for non-members. 

To enroll, contact info@lymepublichall.org.

South Lyme Union Chapel Celebrates 125 Years

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The South Lyme Union Chapel on Mile Creek Rd. celebrates its 125th anniversary on Sunday.

OLD LYME—The South Lyme Union Chapel will hold a 125th anniversary celebration this Sunday, Aug. 10. All are welcome.

Visitors to the chapel at 308 Mile Creek Road are invited to enjoy hot dogs, salads, dessert and beverages from noon to 2 p.m. There will be opportunities to learn about the area as it existed when the chapel was dedicated in 1900, and for kids to participate in a rock painting activity. 

The event is free, but donations will be accepted.

For more information, call 860-434-1200.