Category Archives: Letters

Letter to the Editor: Is Cancellation of Lyme’s ‘Hamburg Fair’ Perhaps Premature? More Planning, Less Politics, ‘a Dose of Courage’ are Needed

Posted on by
4

Updated with new comment May 17:

To the Editor:

I can understand cancelling a major commercial event 100 days out.  Vendor contracts, insurance, etc. are complicated expensive things requiring major financial commitments months in advance.  The Hamburg Fair is 100+ days away, is this really the time to cancel an event that is managed by able and fabulous local volunteers?

Who doesn’t believe in safety first?  Some people don’t, we see them in the news taunting politicians demanding zero safety buffer in terms of distance and masks for example.  Obviously that’s the wrong approach in an airborne virus.  We all have been bench testing the tried and true distancing, mask and gloves method when we shop for the basics and mail things at the post office and it works.

There is extremism on the other end of the safety argument too.  I am saddened and frustrated that our local politicians aren’t rising to the challenge of this horrible virus and figuring out proven ways (thank you post office and grocery stores) to try to bring some semblance of our previous lives incrementally back.

At some point as the virus wears down, which it is, it will be more dangerous to drive to the Hamburg Fair than to attend it.  I challenge our local brain trust to work harder at opening up some non-unsafe, easily manageable human interaction services such as recycling, burn permits, and other low hanging fruit services to demonstrate to the populace that there is a light at the end of this virus tunnel.  Better planning, less political thinking and a dose of courage are the tools out of this nightmare.

Sincerely,

Andrew Gibson,
Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Closing White Sand Beach, Hains Park is Wrong: Old Lyme Residents are Responsible, Respectful

Posted on by
3

To the Editor:

I feel that closing White Sands (sic) Beach and Hains Park is wrong.  These are not public beaches; they are restricted for use by Old Lyme residents/property owners only, hence the requirement for a parking hang tag that residents can buy at the town hall. Certainly, we can maintain a safe distance from each other.

I have been isolating from family, friends and the general public since March 14th.  I follow guidance from the CDC and watch the news every day.  I worked for the CT Department of Public for over 20 years as a regulator, inspecting nursing homes, child care facilities, camps, mental health and substance abuse facilities, and I am very familiar with infection control.

Now that the weather is warming up and many places to recreate are closed, the beach is a safe place to commune with nature, listen to the waves, get some vitamin D, exercise, and ease anxiety.  Better than hiking or picnicking in the woods where there are ticks.

Now that the OL beaches are closed until further notice, I am grieving another loss of sanctuary – the freedom to exercise my solitary spiritual practice, to walk on the sand and wade in the water.

It is easier to maintain social distancing outside, than to do so in grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, hospitals, etc.

I believe that Old Lyme residents are responsible, respectful and thoughtful people, and I believe that we can use our beaches safely during this very scary, challenging time.

Sincerely,

Susan Kneen Way,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Kudos to Lamont for Banning Short-term Rentals, But Now Close the Beaches

Posted on by
3

To the Editor:

Compliments go to Governor Ned Lamont for executive order 7T, prohibiting rentals with durations less than 32 days.

Putting the health of her full-time residents who work in the state’s hospitals and businesses, volunteer in her communities and fill her schools, ahead of the economic bounty of beach visitors who clog the roads and beaches, Governor Raimondo (RI) took bolder moves and closed the state’s beaches. Governor Raimondo proudly withstood the disdain of Governor Cuomo (NY), but came out stronger and bolder.

Confirmed COVID19 cases in RI are 1.6 per 1000 residents. Connecticut (currently at 2.7 cases per 1000 residents) also needs the protection from an onslaught of summer visitors, afforded by executive order 7T. Statistical models show that incomplete restraints now will result in revisiting another onslaught of coronavirus in September whose scope would obviate Spring efforts to ‘Flatten the curve’. Moreover, national sentiment shows we would rather suffer a few more weeks of confinement and economic lethargy, than revisit another onslaught of coronavirus in September.

We should respect the dedication of our healthcare workers by elevating social distancing over economic gain . Stand by Governor Lamont and executive order 7T by enforcing the order and closing beaches.

Sincerely,

Candace Fuchs,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: ‘Tis the Season for … Vandalism in Old Lyme? What on Earth are the Perpetrators Thinking?

Posted on by
1

To the Editor:

A view from my porch: some sorrow and anger.

It’s the holiday season, right? “Peace on earth to men and women of goodwill”, right? However, as I looked out from my porch window this morning, there was something that was clearly amiss.  One of my neighbor’s beautiful flower pots was missing and lay smashed and broken near my driveway on Library Lane. This was not a small pot, but probably weighed, filled with soil, a few hundred pounds. So, it took some vandalistic effort. Then, as I walked down the street, I saw that those vandals had also seriously damaged five mail boxes,  and even one of those little green men that alerts drivers that children are playing nearby.

Give me a break, people(?). Where’s your head at?

Sincerely,

Thomas D. Gotowka,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: A Note of Thanks From Author Gencarella to Book Reviewer Kloman

Posted on by
Reply

To the Editor:

It is a certain if unusual pleasure to see a review of one’s book in print. That privilege is more poignant when the reviewer is a neighbor one admires. And in the case of the recent review of my book, Connecticut: Spooky Trails and Tall Tales (October 28, 2019) and my previous Wicked Weird and Wily Yankees (June 3, 2018) in LymeLine, the honor is made all the more special in being penned by Felix Kloman, who is a writer of stellar books and essays and who had the good sense to marry an equally impressive author, Ann Blair Kloman. I appreciate any attention my books receive, but I will cherish Felix’s complimentary reviews forever. For me they are far more valuable than Captain Kidd’s treasure itself.

My one quibble is that in both cases Felix broke the cardinal law of a positive book review: He wrote essays that are more engaging and enjoyable to read than the source materials they detail. Of course, he can’t help but to write charming prose; that much is apparent from his contributions to Lyme Line since his first column appeared a few years ago. Many things make Lyme special, including its inspiring confederation of thoughtful writers, and Felix is first among that pantheon. To have his approval for my books means the world.

As he noted, Felix and I are literally neighbors, and his and Ann’s welcome of my family convinced us of the wisdom of our move to Lyme. But he and I also share a connection that, as coincidences go, deserves some ink. When Felix learned that I was a folklorist by profession, he inquired if I knew the late George Carey. Sadly, I did not know him personally, but I regard his work highly and consider him a model public intellectual. Carey, I learned, was an old friend of Felix’s. Both men are expert sailors and their friendship grew over many trips on the sea and shared summers in Maine.

George Carey was a professor of folklore at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where I now have the honor of carrying that title. I am gainfully and happily employed in no small measure thanks to Carey’s trailblazing work at UMass and beyond. The universe often surprises me, but when I leave my job and drive home, two hours away, to check a mailbox perched next to one of Professor Carey’s close friends, I cannot help but think that it also smiles upon us.

It was, then, with trepidation that I left a copy of my new book in Felix’s mailbox. Much rested on it for me. I am not wont to seek the approval of others, but I make an exception for Felix. How could I not? He is not only a thoughtful writer and a model intellectual, but he is that all-too-rare creature: a good reader. His assessment that he relished the folklore stories in the book has made the entire venture in writing it worthwhile.

In his review of my first book, Felix noted that I frequently employed the euphemism “passing” for those who died. He generously noted it as a moment for smiling rather than for criticism and saw comparison with an immortal scene from Monty Python, the “Dead Parrot” sketch. That sketch was a defining contribution to my teenage years. It ignited an interest in humor that informed my decision to study folklore in the first place. Felix was sagacious and gracious in observing how well it penetrated my consciousness. His invocation of that sketch perfectly complemented the work I aimed to do in telling tales of New England eccentrics.

But more importantly, in learning that Felix and I share an admiration for such comedy—true, unabated comedy in the face of life’s absurdities—I am strengthened in my conviction that I am blessed with the best of neighbors. Thank you, Felix, for your kind words and for reminding me that life is made better not only when the universe smiles at us, but when we smile together in solidarity. Your name means “the lucky one,” but I am the one with the good fortune of knowing you.

Sincerely,

Stephen Olbrys Gencarella,
Lyme.