The Estuary’s Holiday Craft Sale promises to be a festive introduction to the season much like last year’s event, pictured here.
OLD SAYBROOK–The Estuary invites shoppers to get a jump start on the gift-giving season at its Annual Holiday Craft Fair, Nov. 22.
The event will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Estuary, 200 Main St., Old Saybrook.
The craft fair promises over 30 artisans and vendors displaying their hand-crafted items – plus a visit from Santa Claus.
The group in a press release advised shoppers to have a camera on hand when Santa and one of his elves makes an appearance from 11 a.m. to noon “to visit with young and old.”
Baked goods as well as breakfast sandwiches, home fries, coffee and tea will be available for purchase.
The Estuary provides programs and services for adults 50 and older from Lyme and Old Lyme, as well as Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Killingworth, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook.
OLD SAYBROOK–More nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations will be held locally on Saturday, including one in Old Saybrook.
The Old Saybrook event will take place at the Town Hall from 10 to 11 a.m.
A Niantic ‘pop-up’ event was added late yesterday. It will be held on the Town Green from 3 to 5 p.m.
The “No Kings” theme was organized by the 50501 Movement, according to the Associated Press. The grassroots national group has spearheaded numerous protests this year against what they describe as the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.
“No Kings” organizers across the country have said nonviolent action is a core principle of the movement since the first “Nationwide Day of Defiance” in June to counter a military parade scheduled the same day by President Donald J. Trump’s birthday.
“Now, President Trump has doubled down,” organizers said on their website. “His administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants. Threatening to overtake elections. Gutting healthcare, environmental protections, and education when families need them most. Rigging maps to silence voters. Ignoring mass shootings at our schools and in our communities. Driving up the cost of living while handing out massive giveaways to billionaire allies, as families struggle.”
Several other rallies are planned nearby, including:
New London: Parade Plaza, State Street and S. Water Street, 10 a.m. to noon.
Norwich: City Hall, 11 a.m. to noon; Norwichtown Green, 2 to 4 p.m.
More information, including additional locations for Saturday’s protest, can be found at www.nokings.org.
OLD SAYBROOK–The Estuary’s Delivering Hope fundraiser earlier this month raised $35,000 in support of Meals on Wheels and its mission to nourish and connect homebound seniors.
The organization in a press release said a highlight of the Sept. 6 event was a live auction led by professional auctioneer Mike Nuzzo that generated over $17,000. Attendees not only bid on auction items, but also raised their paddles to pledge money for specific needs within the organization.
Guests also had the opportunity to hear testimonials from local Meals on Wheels recipients and their families highlighting the importance of this program.
The Estuary credited event sponsors including platinum sponsors Essex Savings Bank and Gladeview Rehabilitation and Health Care Center.
Heather Milardo, Director of Development for The Estuary, expressed gratitude for the “outpouring of support” from the community.
“From our sponsors and auction donors to each guest who bought a ticket, raised their paddle, or placed a bid—thank you for helping us deliver more than just meals. You’re delivering hope,” she said.
Proceeds from Delivering Hope will directly support the delivery of meals, wellness checks, and caring connections to older adults across the region.
For more information or to support Meals on Wheels, visit www.yourestuary.org.
OLD LYME–Two state troopers recognized for helping a distressed woman off the side of the Baldwin Bridge in 2023 joined a group of suicide awareness advocates on Friday to commemorate the installation of new signs reminding everyone that help is out there.
The four plain blue signs, installed on Old Lyme and Old Saybrook ends of the sidewalk along the bridge’s southbound span, direct those who have lost hope to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau Director Mary Seidner during a ceremony on the Baldwin Bridge trail credited Sergeants Ashley Harkins and Matthew Belz with inspiring her to get the signs installed. A group of local, regional and state leaders made it happen.
Belz and Harkins on Friday morning recalled for reporters the day over a year and a half ago when they found the woman perched atop a 5-inch ledge on the river side of a tall metal fence. Several 911 calls had alerted police to the despondent woman.
“I made the connection with her,” Belz said, describing his position on the sidewalk as Harkins navigated the grooves of metal mesh in uniform boots to get herself up and over the fence to the woman’s side.
Harkins remembered having difficulty at first scaling the fence in her uniform and thick boots.
“Then I kind of took a quick second and reevaluated it, and I was like, ‘OK, this is what we’re doing. I’m doing this,’” she said. “And then I just did it.”
For Harkins and Belz, helping people at risk of suicide is first and foremost about connection.
“Showing that you care is a big step,” Belz said.
State police shared the emotional and harrowing body camera footage shortly after the incident to call attention to the troopers’ quick, decisive actions. Harkins could be seen on the narrow shelf, one or two hands gripping the fence at all times, while she kept the woman close to the fence with her body.
The sergeants coaxed the woman onto Harkins’ bent legs so troopers on the other side could pull her to safety. She was taken by ambulance for treatment, according to state police.
Friday’s ceremony included a presentation by State Rep. Devin Carney, R-Old Lyme, of a citation from the state legislature to the troopers for “heroic actions saving a life in crisis.” The recognition was introduced in Hartford by Carney and State Sens. Martha Marx, D-New London, and Norm Needleman, D-Essex.
“You saved a life. You saved a family’s heartache,” he said. “You gave someone an opportunity for the future.”
Sergeants Ashley Harkins and Matthew Belz were honored Friday for helping a distressed woman off the side of the Baldwin Bridge in 2023, an action credited with inspiring the placement of suicide prevention signs on the span.
Seidner told the audience of roughly 50 people that she started researching signs after she heard about the rescue. That’s when she engaged Old Saybrook Youth and Family Services Director Heather McNeil in the process.
“I know some [bridges] have signs, but ours did not,” she said.
Southeast Regional Action Council (SERAC) Director Mark Irons said the effort in technical terms comes down to “lethal means prevention.”
“What can we do when someone’s choice leads them to potentially making a lethal decision? In the case of high places and bridges, we have the opportunity to use signage,” he said.
The signs were funded with SERAC dollars through the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and manufactured by incarcerated individuals in the state correction system.
“There’s a notion that a crisis can be momentary, and we’re looking for some small breaks or opportunities to intervene,” Irons said. “In the case of seeing a sign, the message of hope and support can really make a difference.”
He said the signs can, and have, made a difference for people who stop to call or text the hotline number to find someone on the other side.
“Connection is prevention,” he said. “And that’s what’s happening here.”
Danielle Amaral, a facilitator with Eastern Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board, pointed to statistics showing 49,000 people die by suicide every year, or one every 11 minutes.
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 356 people in Connecticut died by suicide in 2023, marking one of the lowest suicide rates in the country.
“In Connecticut, we’re talking about it more,” Amaral said. “And that’s what it takes … talking about it.”
Ann Dagle addresses a crowd of roughly 50 people at a ceremony to commemorate new suicide prevention awareness signs on the Baldwin Bridge. Looking on are Old Saybrook Youth and Family Services Director Heather McNeil (left) and Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau Director Mary Seidner.
Ann Dagle, a grief counselor and founder of the Brian’s Healing Hearts center in East Lyme, said September is a difficult and immersive time for many prevention advocates. Her work during Suicide Awareness Month is consumed with presentations, training sessions and outreach for 30 days straight.
Dagle’s son, Brian, died by suicide in 2011 while in his sophomore year of college.
“It’s challenging to work in this space all the time, but days like this give us hope,” she said. “They give us hope that we can make a difference. They give us hope that we can save lives.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or text “HELLO” to 741741 for free, confidential support at any time.
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.
