Category Archives: Towns

Jane Fonda to Receive 10th Annual ‘Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award’ at ‘the Kate’ Gala in Old Saybrook, Sept. 14

Posted on by
Jane Fonda. Photo credit: James Franklin

OLD SAYBROOK, CT – The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (the Kate) has announced that global icon Jane Fonda will receive the 10th annual Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award at the Kate’s Gala presented by The RiverLane on Sunday, Sept.14.

The award is presented each year to an individual, who embodies the spirit, independence, and character of the legendary actress.

The Gala is the non-profit arts organization’s largest fundraiser with proceeds supporting performing arts events, the official Katharine Hepburn Museum, and arts education programs that serve more than 3,000 students each year.

The event celebrates two women – Katharine Hepburn and Jane Fonda – who guided their careers to their own standards and worked on behalf of human rights, the environment and other important social justice causes.

The two co-starred in the critically acclaimed and beloved film On Golden Pond along with Henry Fonda.

Jane Fonda is a two-time Academy Award-winning actor (Best Actress in 1971 for Klute and in 1978 for Coming Home), producer, author, activist, and fitness guru. Her career has spanned over 50 years, accumulating a body of film work that includes more than 50 films and significant contributions to political causes such as women’s rights, Native Americans’ rights, and environmental protection.

She is a seven-time Golden Globe® winner and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2021. She accepted The Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.

In April of 2024, Fonda accepted the TIME Magazine Earth Award. She also received the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2025. 

2023 was a banner year for Fonda, with four films released. Most recently, she lent her voice to ‘Grandmama’ in DreamWorks’ animated film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Before that, Fonda reunited with Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen, and Candice Bergen for Focus Features’ Book Club 2.

She also starred in the highly anticipated 80 For Brady opposite Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno, released by Paramount Pictures.

There was also Moving On by Paul Weitz for Roadside Attractions, in which Fonda starred opposite her longtime friend and colleague, Lily Tomlin. Other notable credits include Grace & Frankie, Netflix’s longest-running original series. For her work on the series, she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2017. She also released Jane Fonda in Five Acts, a documentary for HBO chronicling her life and activism.

Fonda continues to lead the charge on the climate emergency via Fire Drill Fridays, the national movement to protest government inaction on climate change, which she started in October 2019 in partnership with Greenpeace USA. In 2022, she launched the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, focused on defeating political allies of the fossil fuel industry.

Her latest book, “What Can I Do? My Path From Climate Despair to Action,” details her personal journey with the movement and provides solutions for communities to combat the climate crisis. Notably, Fonda celebrated her 85th birthday by raising $1 million for her nonprofit, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential (GCAPP).

Past recipients of the award include Dick Cavett, Glenn Close, Ann Nyberg, Christine Baranski, Cher, Sam Waterston, Martina Navratilova, Candice Bergen, and Laura Linney.

Tickets on sale soon at www.thekate.org.  For information on the Gala and sponsorship opportunities, call 860-510-0473.

Editor’s Note: i) This article is based on a press release issued June 5 by Intersect Public Solutions.

ii) The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (the Kate) is a not-for-profit performing arts organization located in the historic theatre/town hall on Main Street in Old Saybrook. Originally opened in 1911, and reopened as the Kate in 2009, the building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.   The Kate includes a state-of-the-art 285-seat theatre and presents work in several genres including music, theater, opera, dance, comedy, film, and a variety of children’s programing.  The theater lobby boasts the official Katharine Hepburn Museum, celebrating Old Saybrook’s most celebrated resident, with exhibits featuring personal affects and memorabilia, costumes, letters and home movies.

TOP STORY: Ashlawn Farm Caps 12 Years as ‘Launching and Landing Pad’ for ‘Tour de Lyme’

Posted on by
Reply
About 580 riders came out for the ‘Tour de Lyme’ on Sunday, June 1. Photo by Warner Swain.

LYME—Roughly 600 riders per year, bringing in about $65,000 annually for the Lyme Land Trust, have started out from Ashlawn Farm on Bill Hill Road for more than a decade as part of the perennially bucolic Tour de Lyme. 

Now, the family farm is bringing its popular coffee roasting operations back home as the land trust seeks out a change of scenery for the bike riding tradition. 

Those at the 13th Tour de Lyme, held last weekend, were the last to cycle and celebrate on the farm. 

Land Trust Executive Director Kristina White in a phone interview this week said the farm has donated the space to the Tour de Lyme at no charge for a dozen years. 

White described the arrangement as a large undertaking for the landowners, who coordinated mowing and haying operations to make room for hundreds of cars in preparation for the event that would take over their property for a full weekend. 

“The land trust really appreciates what they’ve done for us, because the Tour de Lyme would not have been what it was if Ashlawn Farm wasn’t there,” she said. 

Carol Adams, co-owner of the farm with husband Bill Donovan, said in an email that the family will continue to enjoy their hobby animals and gardens while allowing another farm to use some of the fields and outbuildings. Meanwhile, they are turning the barn where Ashlawn Farm Coffee was born and brewed in 2002 into an updated roastery. 

The coffee business since 2013 has operated out of a cafe near the Old Saybrook train station. That’s also where they roast beans sourced from farms all over the world. 

As the small business outgrew the space, Adams said it was natural to look back to their own rural roots. “We are so lucky to have the space, and we have reached the point where we need to use it,” she said. 

The cafe will continue to operate in Old Saybrook. 

Adams credited Lyme officials with their support throughout the approval process to renovate the roastery space. “And then we can spread out, scale up our supply purchases, enjoy a brewing/tasting/cupping lab, soak in the farm vibes and hopefully invite the public to our facility on occasion,” she said. 

A video posted on the business’s Facebook page shows the couple’s progress in adding septic capacity, running water, a coffee lab, storage and office space, and improved flow for shipping and receiving.

Participants gather on the grounds of Ashlawn Farm for a picnic following the Tour de Lyme on June 1, 2025. Photo by Warner Swain.

White, the land trust director, said she’s “not even close” to ironing out all the details or announcing a new site – but she has a plan. 

“We will stay in Lyme, obviously,” she said. 

With a new base will come altered routes for road offerings ranging from a challenging 59 miles to a family-friendly 8 miles.

“We’ve been in the same place for 12 years, so having a new location just means it will be exciting for the riders to come to a new place,” she said. “Some of the rides will be different, so we might be able to attract some of the riders who probably didn’t come because they had done it so many years in a row.”

Two mountain bike routes take riders on a trek through Hartman Park, Walbridge Woodlands and Young preserves as well as the Nehantic State Forest. 

White described cycling as a natural outlet to help support the land trust, which has been around since 1966. 

The event serves as the group’s only fundraiser. Proceeds go toward stewardship, preservation and operating costs, according to White. 

She recalled a rider who told her it was remarkable he’d passed through eight preserves on his ride. The land trust and its partners are responsible for preserving over 12,000 acres in a town where more than half its land mass is protected from development. 

White said riders wind past forests, farms and stone walls on roads with relatively little traffic. “When you’re on a bicycle, because you’re going so much slower than a car, you can see what we’re doing in a very clear way,” she said of the organization’s mission. 

Adams noted the event draws riders “from seemingly everywhere” to the small town that Ashlawn Farm is proud to support.

“We were thrilled to be able to offer up the farm as a launching and landing pad for all those years,” she said.

TOP STORY: Musical Masterworks Mourns Founding Artistic Director, Chamber Music Pioneer Charles Wadsworth

Posted on by
Reply
Chamber music pioneer Charles Wadsworth. Photos courtesy of Musical Masterworks.

OLD LYME–The Musical Masterworks community and beyond is mourning the loss of founding artistic director and pioneering chamber musician Charles Wadsworth. 

The pianist died on May 29 in Manhattan, NY, at the age of 96. 

A tribute from the Musical Masterworks board of directors recalled his arrival on the Old Lyme scene in 1990 when the group was still a fledgling concert series. Wadsworth brought with him a worldwide reputation as the founding director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Spoleto Festival Midday Concerts in Italy and Charleston, S.C. 

Musical Masterworks President Alden Murphy, who was a founding director of the series with her husband Jamie Murphy, told LymeLine in an email that it was a “joyful surprise” when Wadsworth agreed to become the group’s first artistic director. 

Jamie and Alden Murphy, Musical Masterworks founding directors, stand either side of the late Charles Wadsworth.

“Thanks to Charles, three generations of musicians and audiences have found a home at Musical Masterworks,” she continued, adding, “We’re forever grateful for the magic he brought to our community.”

She said his quirky, napkin-scribbled program notes back when the couple first met him at the Spoleto Festival made chamber music feel alive and spontaneous. 

“He brought that same warmth and humor to Old Lyme, transforming our young concert series into something extraordinary,” she noted. 

The group counted Paula Robison, Richard Goode, Chee-Yun, Carter Brey among the many stars he introduced to the Masterworks stage. He passed on a welcoming spirit that still defines the concerts to artistic director Edward Arron in 2009 and Tessa Lark, who took the role in 2022.

“With every performance, we carry forward his joy, his generosity, and his belief in the transformative power of chamber music,” the tribute concluded.

Visit this link to read Mr. Wadsworth’s full obituary published May 28, 2025 by Dignity Memorial.

Old Lyme Land Trust Hosts Bench Building Workshop, Sunday

Posted on by
1
It was all smiles at the most recent bench-building event. Photo credit: OLLT.

OLD LYME — UPDATED 6/15: On Sunday, June 14, the Old Lyme Land Trust will host a ‘Bench Building Workshop’ from 1 to 3 p.m.This free, fun event is open to all ages and its objective is to build four benches to be sited on OLLT open space properties for public use.

Materials are precut and ready to assemble. Bring power drill and driver sets.

Light refreshments will be available.

Register at this link to receive details of the location or text 617-699-1920.

This event was postponed from yesterday due to the inclement weather.

TOP STORY: River Valley Transit Offers New $5 Taxi Fares for Older Adults, People with Disabilities; Now Available in Lyme, Old Lyme

Posted on by
Reply

MIDDLETOWN–River Valley Transit is partnering with the state’s largest taxi company to offer $5 rides for older adults and people with disabilities in towns including Lyme and Old Lyme.  

The transit company in a press release recently announced the launch of Encompass, a new program designed to make it easier to travel within select towns in the Middlesex County area on any day, for any reason.  

The $5 cost covers up to eight miles. Trips beyond eight miles are charged at a rate of $2.90 per mile. 

The program is a partnership between the transit company and M7. 

The low-cost rides are currently available in Lyme and Old Lyme along with Old Saybrook, and Westbrook. The transit company said the program will soon expand to Durham, East Hampton, Middlefield, Chester, Deep River, Essex, East Haddam, Haddam, and Killingworth.

“We wanted to do everything we could to help our seniors and our passengers with disabilities get where they need to go—to the doctor, the pharmacy, the grocery store, or just to see family,” said Bill Scalzi, owner of M7. 

River Valley Transit Executive Director Joseph Comerford described the partnership as an innovative transportation solution. 

“We are always looking at ways to improve mobility in our region,” he said. 

Applications are accepted at Encompass.M7Ride.com by clicking the “Get Started in Middlesex” button.

Passengers must be 60 years of age or over or provide proof of a disability to apply. Trip payments are made online through a personal Encompass account created by the passenger. Passengers can load funds into the account via credit card payments or direct bank transfers. 

There is no limit to the number of trips a passenger can take. The passenger is given the exact trip cost at the time of booking and the fare is automatically deducted at the end of each ride.

All M7 drivers are fully trained and vetted, and all vehicles are fully licensed, inspected and insured, according to River Valley Transit.